Authored by Naveen Anthrapully via The Epoch Times,

Former President Donald Trump has revealed his dream for a new America ahead of the 2024 presidential race, promising to bring back the country’s boldness “in a very big way” and heralding a “quantum leap” in living standards.

“Past generations of Americans pursued big dreams and daring projects that once seemed absolutely impossible. They pushed across an unsettled continent and built new cities in the wild frontier. They transformed American life with the interstate highway system, magnificent it was, and they launched a vast network of satellites into orbit all around the earth. But today, our country has lost its boldness. Under my leadership, we will get it back in a very big way,” Trump said in a video address released Friday.

“If you look at just three years ago, what we were doing was unthinkable. How good it was, how great it was for our country. Our objective will be a quantum leap in the American standard of living. That’s what will happen.”

Pointing out that a third of the American landmass is owned by the federal government, Trump noted that just a “very small portion of that land” amounting to “one-half of one percent” can be used to hold a contest to “charter up to 10 new cities and award them to the best proposals for development.”

“In other words, we’ll actually build new cities in our country again. These Freedom Cities will reopen the frontier, reignite American imagination, and give hundreds of thousands of young people and other people, all hard-working families, a new shot at home ownership and in fact the American dream.”

Transportation, Manufacturing

A “big opportunity” that Trump cites in the video is in the transportation sector. In the United States and China, numerous companies are “racing” to develop vertical takeoff and landing vehicles.

In the last century, it was the United States that led the automotive revolution. “I want to ensure that America, not China, leads the revolution in air mobility. These breakthroughs can transform commerce, bring a giant infusion of wealth into rural America, and connect families in our country in new ways,” Trump said.

An American company engaged in vertical takeoff vehicle development is California-based Wisk. Last January, Wisk announced that it had secured $450 million in funding from Boeing.

In August, San Jose-based Archer Aviation received a $10 million deposit from United Airlines for an order of 100 electric takeoff and landing air taxis.

Trump also proposed a “strategic national manufacturing initiative” that will turn “forgotten communities into hives of industry.” This will ensure that these communities produce goods that the United States will no longer have to import from China. The initiative is going to be “very, very successful.”

The American manufacturing sector is currently struggling through various challenges like inflation, talent scarcity, supply chain problems, and economic uncertainty.

“Manufacturers continue to grapple with talent challenges that may limit the industry’s growth momentum. Moreover, supply-chain issues, including sourcing bottlenecks, global logistics backlogs, cost pressures, and cyberattacks, will likely remain critical challenges in 2023,” Deloitte said in its 2023 manufacturing outlook report.

Lowering Costs, Other Initiatives

Trump also promised to introduce a “major initiative” to lower the cost of living, especially focusing on reducing the cost of a new car and the cost of building single-family homes.

Annual inflation has remained above 6 percent every single month since October 2021. New vehicle inflation has remained above 5 percent every month since June 2021.

The median sales price of homes in the country hit $467,000 in the fourth quarter, up 10. 4 percent from the same period a year back. The United States is estimated to be facing a shortage of 3.8 million to 5 million homes.

Trump also intends to ask Congress to support “baby bonuses” for young parents, a move he hopes will trigger a “baby boom.”

He promised to carry out a “great modernization and beautification campaign” in 50 states that will get rid of ugly buildings, refurbish public spaces and parks, ensure a pristine environment, make cities and towns more livable, and build “towering monuments to our true American heroes.”

“Very importantly, I will also make sure all of these new places are safe. We love and cherish our police. They will do the job the way they have to,” Trump said.

“It is time to start talking about greatness for our country again. I will dramatically increase living standards and build a future that brings our country together through excitement, opportunity, and success.”

Following the dramatic narrative shift on Covid origins by US authorities, the World Health Organization is asking any governments with intelligence on the virus’ origins to come forward and present their information. 

“If any country has information about the origins of the pandemic, it’s essential for that information to be shared with WHO and the international scientific community,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday, coming quickly on the heels of FBI Director Christopher Wray saying this week that the source of the pandemic was “most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan”.

The WHO chief said further, “Not so as to apportion blame but to advance our understanding of how this pandemic started, so we can prevent, prepare for and respond to future epidemics and pandemics.”

“WHO continues to call for [China] to be transparent in sharing data and to conduct the necessary investigations and share the results. To that effect, I have written to, and spoken with, high-level Chinese leaders on multiple occasions, as recently as just a few weeks ago.”

Tedros also stressed, and not for the first time, that “Until then, all hypotheses on the origins of the virus remain on the table.”

Though of course, it’s highly doubtful that Beijing will be feeling any real pressure as a result of this very much belated statement. It’s important to recall how he spent the early months of the pandemic publicly kowtowing to China.

The WHO came under heavy fire early into the pandemic for praising China’s “transparent” response to the pandemic, repeating misinformation from Beijing related to human-to-human transmission, and bowing to pressure from Chinese President Xi Jinping not to declare the Covid-19 outbreak an emergency.

The FBI has assessed that a leak from a laboratory in the central Chinese city of Wuhan likely caused the COVID pandemic, director Christopher Wray said, a claim China said had ‘no credibility whatsoever’ https://t.co/1IGah4j2SH pic.twitter.com/5zg0qVzHzL

— Reuters (@Reuters) March 1, 2023

Yet, while initially promoting the natural origin theory, Tedros and the WHO have reportedly become far more ‘open’ to the lab leak theory as time has passed.

Authored by Jamie Joseph via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The historic storm that swept through California over the last week—prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency March 1—has passed.

But for residents living in San Bernardino Mountain communities, the nightmare has only just begun, as many remain snowed in rationing food, medications, water, and heat.

“I can’t even walk 50 feet because it’s up to my shoulders,” Lake Arrowhead resident Becky Gardner told The Epoch Times.

Gardner said she panicked when she saw pictures on social media of some locals spending hours digging out snow from on-top gas meters to prevent gas leaks. Melting snow, experts say, can block a vent on a meter’s regulator disrupting gas pressure which could lead to a fire or explosion.

The San Bernardino County Fire Department advised residents to do so if they can get to their meters safely, according to a March 2 post on Twitter.

Gardner said she is concerned for her elderly neighbors, who have also been stuck inside for over a week. With uncertainty of when roads will be cleared, she said she is preparing to save her last logs of wood for her fireplace.

Like Gardner, anxiety and frustration have been mounting for some residents who remain trapped.

“It’s been about 10 days,” Lake Arrowhead resident Casey McLelland told The Epoch Times.

McLelland said the family has lived in the area since the 1970s and they say they’ve never seen anything like this.

“This is truly, truly one of a kind,” she said.

She said her 90-year-old grandmother, who lives across town by herself, is out of medication for her arthritis and has been without heat since last night.

She said she is losing hope and has lost track of time.

“If you have a life or death emergency right now, more than likely you’re going to die,” she said. “I’m not trying to be dire or dramatic, but that’s kind of where it’s at this moment, because even if a fire department gets the call, they can’t get to you,” she said.

According to the National Weather Service, Lake Arrowhead received more than 8 feet of snow over the last week. Normally, the region accumulates around 13 feet of snow each year.

Since the most recent storm, San Bernardino County crews have been working to clear roads as fast as possible and deliver much-needed essentials to desperately trapped residents and visitors.

“They’re all doing the same mission,” San Bernardino Cal Fire spokesperson Allison Hester Lee Told The Epoch Times.

According to Lee, crews are prioritizing locations to clear first based on callers who are without food or water, or have a life-threatening emergency.

Nearby Twin Peaks was hit the hardest. According to county officials, they received nearly 800 calls for help during the storm and now in its aftermath—the most for the entire San Bernardino mountain region.

Read more here…

Another Norfolk Southern freight train has derailed in Ohio. 

“The Clark County Emergency Management Agency is asking residents within 1,000 feet of a train derailment at Ohio 41 near the Prime Ohio Business Park to shelter-in-place out of an abundance of caution,” the county wrote in a Facebook post. 

The post continued, “We ask that all residents in need of travel to Ohio 41 find alternate routes. Local and state officials are on scene, including the Springfield Fire Rescue Division and the Springfield Police Department.” 

The Ohio State Highway Patrol reported 20 railcars of a 212-car Norfolk Southern freight train derailed while traveling southbound in Springfield.

A video shows the moment the freight train derailed. 

🚨#BREAKING: Hazmats crews are heading massive train derailment site with residence told to shelter in place

📌#Springfield | #Ohio

Currently A larger emergency response along with hazmat crews are underway to a massive train derailment in Springfield, Ohio where approximately… https://t.co/reKZVZdr6Q pic.twitter.com/Wupxv1oDo9

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 5, 2023

A drone video reveals a variety of railcars, such as boxcars, hopper wagons, and what appear to be tanker cars, were involved in the derailment. 

SPRINGFIELD, OHIO — New reports of power outages following a Norfolk Southern train derailment.

Officials urging residents to “shelter in place,” and to avoid the area due to unknown materials, possibly chemical. pic.twitter.com/UZgyQS0TpO

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) March 5, 2023

Huge train derailment in Springfield near State Route 41 at Clark County Fairgrounds near main entrance#train #trainderailment #clarkcounty #springfield #ohio #breakingnews #breaking pic.twitter.com/xqbjeAAebt

— Crime With Bobby (@crimewithbobby) March 4, 2023

🚨#UPDATE: Norfolk Southern Railway says it’s currently sending crews to clean up the large train derailment in Springfield, Ohio. With Nearby residents ordered to shelter in place. Reports are saying there are no hazmat cars involved in the derailment pic.twitter.com/Qafw3tQMdY

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 5, 2023

Local media reported that a hazmat crew had arrived at the incident area. 

BREAKING: Hazmat team on the way after train derails in Springfield, OH.

Let’s hope this doesn’t become another East Palestine incident.pic.twitter.com/cqhi1NPnnZ

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 5, 2023

Clean-up operations by Norfolk Southern crews are expected soon. 

Saturday’s train derailment occurred one month after the train crash in East Palestine. 

… and this aged well. 

Lol. Sure Pete🤣. Another train derailed in Ohio today and residents are sheltering in place. Guess you won’t be visiting there for at least 3 weeks just like last time 🤡

— Jeanne Ann Farrell (@JeanneAnnFarre2) March 5, 2023

Another FBI whistleblower has stepped forward to tell the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of Federal Government that the agency had him boost domestic terrorism figures by dividing cases into multiple subdivisions.

FBI Special Agent Garret O’Boyle from the Kansas City field office told Congressional investigators that the agency had him divide a single domestic terrorism case into “four different cases,” so that the FBI could go to Congress and say “look at all the domestic terrorism we’ve investigated,” Fox News reports.

“Where, really, I was working on one case,” O’Boyle continued. “But, the FBI can then say, well, he actually had four, and so we need you to give us more money because look at how big of a threat all this domestic terrorism is.“

He also said that the FBI created a specific threat tag for pro-lifers “THREATSCOTUS2022” amid the leak of the Supreme Court’s opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center – as opposed to the raging pro-abortionists nationwide.

According to O’Boyle, the threat tag was shifted and “began focusing on pro-life adherence.”

“When this threat tag came out, it was like, why are you focusing on pro-life people?” he said in an interview reviewed by Fox News. “It’s pro-choice people who are the ones protesting or otherwise threatening violence in front of Supreme Court justices’ houses.”

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Credit card provider Discover Financial Services will soon allow its network to track purchases made using payment cards at gun stores—triggering criticism that such activity leads to targeting gun owners.

In September, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) had launched a Merchant Category Code (MCC) for gun retailers. ISO is the organization responsible for classification of merchant categories used by payment cards. Discover told Reuters that it plans to implement the code beginning April. “We remain focused on continuing to protect and support lawful purchases on our network while protecting the privacy of cardholders,” the company said.

Discover’s decision has attracted strong criticism online. “This is a MASSIVE problem Congress needs to address, IMMEDIATELY!” Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) said in a March 3 tweet.

“Discover Card will begin tracking firearm purchases starting next month. There are more than 50 million Discover cards in use right now. They are coming for your guns little by little,” Congressman Troy E. Nehls (R-Texas) said in a March 3 tweet.

“It’s called a Social Credit System. I have been warning ppl this is coming. This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said radio host Doll Arntzen.

Social Credit System is a national credit rating system used by Beijing that ranks and blacklists people in China based on criteria approved by the communist regime.

“American citizens should be able to exercise their Second Amendment rights without fear of being tracked or discrimination against. We’re solving this in West Virginia with the Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act. Congress needs to follow our lead,” said Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) in a tweet.

Intrusive Action

In a Feb. 27 post, the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) “lobbying” arm Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) pointed out that Discover’s statement to Reuters did not provide an explanation as to how the company will determine which purchases are suspicious enough to warrant reporting.

Discover also did not reveal whether customers will be provided with any information in case their purchases have triggered an alert.

“Use of the MCC can only inform a credit card company that a certain amount of money was spent at what is considered a firearm retailer. It cannot be used to track what was actually bought, much less determine why the purchase was made,” the post said.

“Thus, the program inherently poses a risk to consumers of needlessly intrusive and harassing consequences for completely lawful and innocent conduct.”

Tagging Gun Purchases, Legislation

A Discover company spokesperson told Reuters that other payment network firms have also decided to impose the new MCC code in April, without naming the firms. “We were following the industry for consistent implementation,” the spokesperson said.

Back in September, Mastercard, Visa, and American Express also announced that they will be assigning category codes for sales that take place at gun stores and on gun-related purchases from stores dealing in sporting goods.

Discover is a minor player in the U.S. credit and debit card industry, only accounting for 2 percent of the $9.56 trillion in purchases made through the payment methods last year. Visa had a 61 percent share, followed by Mastercard with 26 percent, and American Express with 11 percent.

Meanwhile, states are taking action to counter payment firms’ moves to track gun purchases. On Jan. 12, West Virginia introduced the Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act which bars financial institutions from disclosing financial records “in a manner that singles out or discriminates against any person based on activity protected by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.”

The bill warned that the new MCC code for gun purchases will pave the way for “unprecedented surveillance” of individuals who abide by Second Amendment activity as well as “unprecedented information sharing” between the

In order to address the issue of shoplifting and retail theft, the final two Walmart stores in the city of Portland will shutter their doors in late March. 

FOX 12 Oregon reported that the Walmart locations at 1123 North Hayden Meadows Drive and 4200 Southeast 82nd Avenue at the Eastport Plaza would close on Mar. 24. 

“The decision to close these stores was made after a careful review of their overall performance. We consider many factors, including current and projected financial performance, location, population, customer needs, and the proximity of other nearby stores when making these difficult decisions. After we decide to move forward, our focus is on our associates and their transition, which is the case here,” a spokesperson with Walmart told the local media outlet.

All Portland Walmart stores to permanently close in late March

Story: https://t.co/eeYnnS751h pic.twitter.com/dTS1Y0pcfl

— FOX 12 Oregon (@fox12oregon) March 2, 2023

The announced closures come amid a wave of violent crime across the Portland metro area, which includes retail thefts, armed robberies, and homicides. The city has also seen a surge of violent protests from ANTIFA and BLM groups. 

Oregon Live reported that in 2022, Portland set a new record for homicides with 101 cases, surpassing the previous year’s record of 92. Meanwhile, a National Retail Federation report revealed that retailers experienced an average surge of 26.5% in organized retail crime (ORC) incidents in 2021 compared to the previous year.

Walmart has announced it will permanently close all its locations in Portland, Ore. Walmart has long been harshly criticized by the city’s left-wing politicians & residents, but this shutdown follows the consequences of the 2020 BLM-Antifa riots that normalized urban criminality.

— Andy Ngô 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) March 3, 2023

Data from the Portland Police Bureau indicated that between January 2022 and January 2023, the city witnessed more than 6,000 burglary incidents. Additionally, the data revealed over 27,000 larceny offenses.

The epic failure of progressive city leadership pushing a failed ‘woke agenda’ has resulted in lawlessness in some parts of the metro area. Companies are losing money as thefts soar, and a breaking point has been reached. An exodus of businesses will only hurt low-income residents who need the pricing power at discount stores.

Recall a similar exodus with other retailers is happening in other progressive cities across the US, such as San Francisco.

Authored by Eva Fu via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Days after FBI Director Christopher Wray said the origin of the COVID pandemic is “most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan,” President Joe Biden abruptly walked away from the White House press corps when asked about whether he intends to hold China accountable.

On March 3, the president approached the waiting press corps on his way from the White House residence to Marine One.

As he came within earshot, a reporter asked him, “On COVID origin, will you hold China accountable?”

At the question, Biden “put both hands up in a shrug, seeming annoyed, and then turned and walked away toward Marine One,” according to a White House pool report.

BREAKING: President Biden @POTUS was going to speak but turned away upon hearing my question on #Covid origin and whether he’ll hold #China accountable. @NTDNews @ChinaInFocusNTD @capitolreport pic.twitter.com/jsbMTNPeYb

— Iris Tao (@IrisTaoTV) March 3, 2023

The president’s apparent reluctance to speak about the issue came after the recent revelation that the Department of Energy, which oversees 17 U.S. laboratories, believes as early as 2021 that COVID-19 most likely emerged from a lab leak.

The conclusion, reached with “low confidence,” was made in an updated classified intelligence report to the White House and key congressional members in 2021, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The FBI had previously arrived at the same conclusion earlier in 2021 with “moderate confidence.”

Wray confirmed in a Fox News appearance earlier this week that his agency still holds that view.

“The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan,” Wray said.

Read more here…

For the latest evidence that woke academia is dragging Western society into madness, we present Southern Illinois University Edwardsville professor Angel Jones, who argues that black university professors and staff should be allowed bereavement leave whenever any black person is victimized…anywhere.  

Writing at Times Higher Education, Jones accuses American colleges and universities of disregarding Black faculty and staff’s mental and emotional well-being in the aftermath of “societal events” involving a black person. Contrasting against the “bare minimum” response that’s offered to black students, Jones asks: 

“Where is the acknowledgment of our pain? Where are our counselling services? Where is our grace for missed meetings and deadlines while we mourn?“

Underscoring the broad range of qualifying events, Jones spotlights the example of Tyre Nichols, the black man savagely beaten to death in January by…five other black men with Memphis police badges.  

Jones, whose work is “grounded in Critical Race Theory and Critical Race Feminism,” ridicules the notion that, as a black woman, she would be “expected to return to ‘business as usual’ on Monday after seeing a member of my community murdered on Friday.” The SIU-E campus is more than 300 miles from Memphis, and Jones gives no indication of any personal relationship with Nichols. 

Returning to “business as usual” is a while privilege. Black people are in mourning after seeing ANOTHER member of our community brutally beaten and killed by the police. Expecting us to return to work/school unscathed is insensitive and unrealistic (1/9)

— Angel Jones, PhD (@AngelJonesPhD) January 30, 2023

In a fleeting moment of clarity, Jones recognizes that “some may have thought I was joking when I mentioned Black bereavement leave, but I wasn’t.“

As for how much of a free pass black faculty and staff should receive after a black person is victimized anywhere within range of the internet, Jones calls for “flexibility”: 

“Some may need a day off while others may just need to be able to work from home. Some may need a small extension on a deadline while others may need to have something removed from their plate completely.”

Jones university biography reads something like the profile pages of woke-parody Twitter accounts:

• Expertise: “racial microaggressions, Racial Battle Fatigue, and gendered-racism”

• Research focus: “The impact of racism on the mental health of Black students at historically White institutions”

• Recent study: “How Black graduate women respond to and cope with gendered-racial microaggression”

• Next study: “Exploring the experiences of Afro-Latina students with Racial Battle Fatigue”

• Pronouns: “she/her/ella”

Jones and critical race scholars like her all across Western academia foster black fragility and interracial tension…but, hey, it’s a living, and one that’s divorced from rational market forces.  

Black women are often underpaid and undervalued, so receiving a message like this really made my heart smile. It is a beautiful reminder that WE get to determine our worth, not anyone else. pic.twitter.com/GG33TlzoGi

— Angel Jones, PhD (@AngelJonesPhD) February 24, 2023

House Democrats are livid that President Biden is going to nix a Washington DC crime bill that would reduce the penalties for violent crimes such as carjackings and robberies.

The bill, which was unanimously passed by the District of Columbia City Council in January, was vetoed by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.

The Council then overrode Bowser by a 12-1 vote, but because DC isn’t a state, this type of legislation must instead be approved by Congress – and then signed by the President, before it can become law.

Last month the GOP-controlled House threw a wrench in the Democrats’ plans, voting 250-173 for a Republican-sponsored resolution to overturn the DC crime bill. All but 31 Democrats voted for it, meaning most Democrats wanted to reduce the penalties for violent crimes in DC.

Licking their wounds from this expected loss, House Democrats then expected the Biden administration to veto the resolution overturning the original crime bill – which Democratic leadership told lawmakers Biden would do. The White House even issued a Statement of Administration Policy which opposed the resolution and backed the DC City Council.

But on Thursday, Biden announced that he would sign the resolution to block the DC bill – thus maintaining the status quo when it comes to penalizing crime in DC.

And Democrats are livid…

“The White House fucked this up royally,” one House Democrat told The Hill via text message.

“So a lot of us who are allies voted no in order to support what the White House wanted. And now we are being hung out to dry, the lawmaker continued. “FUCKING AMATEUR HOUR. HEADS SHOULD ROLL OVER AT THE WHITE HOUSE OVER THIS.”

The House Democrat told The Hill that several other lawmakers were “EXTREMELY pissed” about the situation.

Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.), the No. 3 House Democrat, issued a rare rebuke of the White House during a Punchbowl News event at the caucus’s retreat in Baltimore, saying that Biden’s move was “disappointing.”

“It’s disappointing for me and anybody who believes in home rule, honestly. I’m a former mayor of a city of 70,000 and I wouldn’t want the federal government coming in and telling me what city ordinances to pass. … So I think it’s disappointing in that context,” Aguilar said.  

“I voted against it, but I understand and respect the president’s position here,” Aguilar, the former mayor of Redlands, Calif., continued. “We’ll see, the Senate has to pass that, and I know that they’ve said they have the votes but all of those things have to happen. But it’s disappointing for those of us who believe in home rule.” -The Hill

“Home Rule” refers to allowing DC to make its own laws.

I support D.C. Statehood and home-rule – but I don’t support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the Mayor’s objections – such as lowering penalties for carjackings.

If the Senate votes to overturn what D.C. Council did – I’ll sign it.

— President Biden (@POTUS) March 2, 2023

One House Democrat aide texted that the Democratic caucus is “a little shocked” by the White House’s decision.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday that “One thing that the president believes in is making sure that the streets in America and communities across the country are safe, that includes in D.C. That does not change,” adding “When it comes to what this proposal brings forth, which is really lowering penalties for car-jacking, he doesn’t believe that’s going to keep our communities safe.”

Jean-Pierre also pointed out that the DC crime reforms reduce maximum sentences “for offenses like murders and other homicides, armed-home invasion, burglaries, armed carjackings … armed robberies, unlawful gun and some sexual assault offenses.”