Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

A witness to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy spoke out for the first time in 60 years and refuted a key claim regarding the 1963 incident and a “magic bullet.”

Paul Landis, an 88-year-old former Secret Service agent, was just a few feet away from when President Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas, Texas. At the time, he was assigned to protect Jackie Kennedy, the former first lady.

Mr. Landis, in a recent interview with the New York Times, cast doubt on the government-backed Warren Commission’s finding that a “magic bullet” struck and exited the president before it struck then-Texas Gov. John Connally Jr., a theory that has been the subject of criticism for decades and has helped fuel a range alternative theories about the former president’s assassination. Officially, the U.S. government and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has maintained that a lone gunman—Lee Harvey Oswald—was the sole perpetrator.

Based on discrepancies between things that he witnessed during the assassination and the Warren Commission’s report that investigated the president’s death, he said “I’m beginning to doubt myself” and that “now I begin to wonder.”

In the interview with the paper, published on Sept. 9, Mr. Landis recalled hearing multiple gunshots at Dealy Plaza in Dallas as he went behind President Kennedy’s limousine, seeing the president moving forward after being shot in the head. After the assassination, Mr. Landis recalled picking up what he called a near-perfect-condition bullet from the back seat of President Kennedy’s limousine, near where the president had been sitting.

The former agent then transported the bullet to the hospital where President Kennedy was taken and put on a stretcher to be examined. The reason why he took it is because he believed someone might pocket the bullet, which he did not describe in detail, as a keepsake.

Mr. Landis suggested in the interview that the reason why investigators believed that the “magic bullet” struck both the former president and the Texas governor, Mr. Connally, is because the bullet that Mr. Landis discovered was later found on a stretcher belonging to Mr. Landis. It wasn’t until the NY Times interview this week that Mr. Landis confirmed that it was he who found the bullet and placed it there.

He added that he did not believe the bullet went too deeply in President Kennedy’s back before, according to him, “popping back out” before he was removed from the limousine.

“It was a piece of evidence that I realized right away [was] very important,” Mr. Landis told the outlet. “And I didn’t want it to disappear or get lost. So it was, ‘Paul, you’ve got to make a decision’—and I grabbed it.”

After the incident, he recalled that “there was nobody there to secure the scene, and that was a big, big bother to me,” adding, “All the agents that were there were focused on the president.”

The paper quoted him as saying that it wasn’t until 2014 that he realized that the location of the bullet’s recovery that was cited by him was different than what was cited in the Warren Commission. He then checked with several officials but received skepticism, with officials saying he filed multiple written reports himself with the Commission decades ago.

According to the paper, Mr. Landis said he filed two separate reports with the Warren Commission and neither statement made reference to finding the near-perfect bullet or placing it on a stretcher. Instead, he reported only hearing gunshots. Mr. Landis said he was in a state of shock and hadn’t slept much when he filed the statements.

The Warren Commission has long dismissed claims that the bullet came from President Kennedy’s stretcher.

Explaining why he hasn’t spoken out for 60 years, the former agent said, “I didn’t want to talk about it.” He left the Secret Service months after the assassination. “I was afraid. I started to think, did I do something wrong? There was a fear that I might have done something wrong and I shouldn’t talk about it,” he said.

Historian James Robenalt, who helped work on Mr. Landis’s forthcoming memoir, said his eyewitness account raised the possibility of there being more than one gunman.

“If the bullet we know as the magic or pristine bullet stopped in President Kennedy’s back, it means that the central thesis of the Warren Report, the single-bullet theory, is wrong,” he told the NY Times.

Writing for Vanity Fair, Mr. Robenbalt posited that if the “magic bullet” didn’t hit both President Kennedy and Mr. Connally, there may have been a separate shot.

“The FBI recreation suggests that Oswald would not have had enough time to get off two separate shots so quickly as to hit Connally after wounding the president in the back,” he wrote. Mr. Oswald, according to officials, had used a bolt-action Carcano Model 38 infantry carbine.

Referring to his memoir, meanwhile, Mr. Landis said that “there’s no goal at this point. I just think it had been long enough that I needed to tell my story.”

In the overnight and morning hours of Wednesday (local time) a major attack has ensued on Russia’s key Black Sea naval port of Sevastopol. Multiple social media videos emerged showing massive blazes at the Sevastopol shipyard, with possible deaths, and at least 24 people being reported injured. 

Initial reporting in Reuters and CNN strongly points to a missile attack, based on statements by Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhaev, who said “Our enemies attacked Sevastopol” and that “The air defense was at work.”

#War At the Sevastopol Shipyard, 24 people were injured from the night attack of the APU, 4 of them in serious condition. pic.twitter.com/qNPvE55MBt

— Capt(N) (@Capt_Navy) September 13, 2023

The precise location of the large fire is the Kilen-Balka area of Sevastopol. Reuters reports that “A Ukrainian air attack early on Wednesday sparked a fire at the Sevastopol Shipyard in Crimea, injuring at least 24 people, the Russia-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said on the Telegram messaging app.”

At least four of the injured have been reported as being in “serious condition”.

Initial and unconfirmed social media photographs show what appears to be a direct hit on one or more military vessels docked at the naval port.

The aftermath of the attack was captured from multiple angles, appearing to confirm significant damage to ships and port infrastructure…

Fire in #Sevastopol Marine Plant 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/lhPHwnOLDy

— Aurora Borealis 🤫 (@aborealis940) September 13, 2023

Open source analysts are already suggesting that at least one docked Russian submarine may have been taken out in the attack. 

An assault of this size is indeed likely more than just the work of drones; instead Ukraine probably utilized long-range missiles supplied from Western NATO partners. 

Appears that Ukrainian forces have successfully hit the Sevastopol Shipyard drydocks this morning, likely occupied by a Russian Kilo-class sub and Ropucha landing ship. pic.twitter.com/wNJHaVfF3t

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) September 13, 2023

Currently, the Biden administration is moving toward supplying Kiev with either ATACMS or GMLRS missiles. These are long-range systems and the administration was previously reluctant to supply them on fear of direct escalation with Russia. 

Huge initial fireball captured by local residents…

Huge explosions as a result of a presumed Ukrainian attack in Sevastopol, the HQ of the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. Russian authorities say the Sevmorzavod shipyard has been targeted. Ships based in Sevastopol frequently fire missiles at Ukrainian cities. pic.twitter.com/dKgb0CEtLr

— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) September 13, 2023

But this massive attack on Sevastopol seems another act of desperation. Given the failing counteroffensive, it looks like Kiev is “going big” on attacks against Russian territory, in hopes of sparking a broader conflict that draws NATO in, which Ukraine likely sees as its only hope. 

One more item of note, presented with no commentary. On the day Elon Musk’s biography drops, amid mainstream media’s desperate spin of the SpaceX founder’s interference with Starlink in Ukraine, there was a major, global, outage of the satellite internet service…

Source: DownDetector.com

SpaceX acknowledged the Starlink outage on X at 2033ET, and then wrote at 2139ET on X that “The network issue has been fully resolved.”

Authored by Mark Gilman via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

With the average 30-year fixed mortgage interest rate now over 7 percent and a shockingly low inventory of homes available, Americans are looking for second or vacation residences out of the country more than ever. According to a report from Coldwell Banker, 92 percent of high-net-worth Americans actively looked at real estate overseas last year and two-thirds (67 percent) of those surveyed said they already own residential property outside the United States, according to Mansion Global. So, what country is experiencing the highest rate of American home buyers? Mexico.

“Buying a home is not as cheap in Mexico as it once was, but you get a lot for the money,” Certified International Property Specialist for Worth Clark Realty Daniel Seidel told The Epoch Times. A Mexican native, Mr. Seidel says there’s a lot to like about buying a second home in Mexico. “When you experience the culture, the food, the people and the fact it’s just a short plane ride away from the States, it’s a popular choice for my clients. If you live there half-time, it’s ideal. My advice is to work here, make money, go there and spend it.”

According to a new study from online Real Estate marketplace Point2, based on 136,530 monthly searches on Google, Mexico is the most popular home-buying location, especially for men in the 35- to 44-year-old age group. But what are these buyers looking for?

“First off, it should be a better version of the home they already live in and boast all the amenities they love or would love to have; and second, the location should be exceptional. That’s why beach and waterfront properties in countries like Mexico, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica immediately come to mind,” Andra Hopulele of Point2 said in a statement to The Epoch Times. She also mirrored Mr. Seidel’s belief that countries like Mexico are high up the wish list because of its proximity to the United States. “These locations also make sense to the American buyer because they’re closer than, say, European countries like Italy or Spain, which might be lovely to visit but are harder to access as a homebuyer.”

In the Homes2 study, Canada was the second most popular destination for U.S. homebuyers, with monthly searches jumping 54 percent since last year’s edition. Costa Rica was third and Puerto Rico was fourth for most popular locations.

“Locations like the ones that made the top 10 seem to have it all,” Ms. Hopulele said. “They are not home, but they are close to home; they capture home seekers’ imagination with their incredible potential for rest, relaxation, and entertainment due to their amazing climate, never-ending beaches and turquoise waters, and fascinating cultures. Best of all, these homebuying destinations often have more affordable home prices.”

However, according to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), foreign investors are not returning the favor, and are instead backing off from purchasing in the United States for the same reasons Americans are looking elsewhere: high prices, mortgage rates, and a lack of inventory. According to the NAR, the number of existing homes purchased by foreign buyers from April 2022 to March 2023 decreased to its lowest level since 2009. International buyers purchased $53.3 billion worth of U.S. residential properties during the period, down 9.6 percent from the previous year and the 84,600 existing homes sold was down 14 percent.

Mr. Seidel said that while Mexico continues to top lists for U.S. buyers and expats in the country, the journey to homeownership there is challenging.

“As a foreigner [in Mexico], it’s difficult unless you have a business in the country or a local bank relationship, but even then, I’m not sure they’d give you the loan,” he said. “It really depends on a pretty sizeable down payment, north of 40 percent. You also have to buy life insurance in case something happens to you so the bank can make sure the mortgage is paid.”

Home2’s report stated that Canada’s increase in U.S. buyer attention reflects the “calmer and more peaceful lifestyle” in the country is becoming more appealing to American home seekers “than Mexico’s dreamy beaches and lively, vibrant culture.”

Crime in Mexico has become a big concern for Americans looking to move or purchase property. According to a U.S. State Department advisory earlier this year, “Organized crime activity – including gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault – is common along the northern border and in Ciudad Victoria.” There have also been many news reports focused on increased crime in popular tourist destinations such as Cancun and Puerto Vallarta.

But Mr. Seidel says the benefits of moving to Mexico outweigh the crime concerns. “The hot buying areas are the beaches like Puerta Vallarta, Cabo [San Lucas] and Oaxaca. Crime in Puerta Vallarta is hit-and-miss and with the current government on the way out, crime has risen and it’s all over the place. You just have to be a little more careful. Listen, parts of London and Spain aren’t safe either,” he said.

Authored by Daisy Luther via The Organic Prepper blog,

There’s an epidemic spreading across America, and it isn’t the one the mainstream media is talking about. It’s the epidemic of flash mob robberies. This is not only causing problems due to the violence and trauma inflicted on those present during the event. It’s also driving up costs even further in a nation facing unprecedented inflation.

According to Loss Prevention Magazine, each event costs retailers approximately $700,000 for every billion dollars in sales, and it’s happening almost daily.

A lot of people seem to brush off flash mob robberies as a bunch of kids who got together through social media getting out of hand. But they’re symptoms of a bigger rot: organized crime and neutered criminal justice policies that are spreading across our country fast.

What’s a flash mob robbery?

If you haven’t heard of these, you may be wondering what a flash mob robbery is.

 A flash mob robbery is a form of organized crime that occurs when groups of people suddenly enter a store, steal as many items as possible, and vanish as quickly as they appear. For those around them, it’s often terrifying and disturbing. The schemes are usually thought out via social media and executed within a matter of minutes. The groups typically disguise themselves by wearing masks, hoodies, or gloves. Often, aggressive behavior is used and causes those who are present great distress.

The trend began in California, but it’s important not to think, “Oh, I’m safe because I don’t live in California.” It’s beginning to spread outside of the state because of several reasons.

1.) Nobody stops them. People in retail outlets just stand back for their own safety. (Most locations require employees to do this.)

2.) On the off chance the criminals are caught, they’re generally released within a matter of hours because of bail reform.

It may just be a big city problem right now, but I am certain we’ll see this spread more and more as the criminally inclined – or even younger folks in general – see others getting away with it with no consequences.

Best Buy has previously cited organized retail crime as the reason their profits have continued to dip.

It’s not just kids out for kicks.

Before we start dumping on the younger generation, however, it’s important to note that, in many cases, this is organized crime. According to the GVWire:

The flash mobs are usually organized by local people who recruit their crews and send them to steal specific merchandise requested by criminal organizations throughout the country, said Ben Dugan, president of the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail.

Those who do the stealing get paid between $500 and $1,000 to take as much as they can and bring it back to organizers who ship it to other parts of the country.

“Crew bosses organize them, they’ll give him the crowbars, and in some cases even rent them cars, or provide them with escape routes or a list of products to actually go out and steal. It looks very chaotic but it’s actually very well organized,” Dugan said.

The flash mobs are a symptom. The organizers are the illness.

It’s not just high-end luxury stores either.

The Los Angeles Daily News cited a podcast when explaining the issue in a recent article.

However, according to the National Retail Federation, high-end stores with luxury items represent the minority when it comes to targets for organized retail crime.

“(Organized retail crime) groups also target everyday consumer goods,” David S. Johnston, vice president of asset protection and retail operations with the federation, said in a video the organization made on retail crime. “They have a preference (for) goods of lesser value with an increased resale value.”

Some then sell the stolen merchandise to individuals or a group, called a “fence” by law enforcement, through online marketplaces, swap meets or seemingly legitimate businesses, CHP officials said. The buyers may or may not be aware the items they purchase were stolen.

The LADN continues to explain:

LAPD has dealt with groups of high school kids overwhelming convenience store clerks for several years, but said these flash mobs are well-planned and organized.

“They’ve cased it out, they’ve looked at it, they get it over with quickly,” Pitcher added. “It’s different from the thrill of doing it for public consumption.”

Organized retail crime rings target items that are difficult to track and are easily resold. Stolen items such as Tide detergent, baby formula, cosmetics, Louis Vuitton handbags and vitamins that once were hawked at flea markets or street corners are now fenced online by gangs to raise money for their activities, said Rachel Michelin president and CEO of the California Retailers Association.

“What we are seeing is more sophistication,” Michelin said. “We see a lot more recruiting; they recruit street gangs, the homeless. They will pay them 100 bucks to go in and steal.”

In many cases, the suspects – almost all wearing hoodies and masks – have been in and out in between two and four minutes, Pitcher said. Police are also learning most of the getaway vehicles are either rented under fictitious names, or “cold plated”, meaning they’re affixed with license plates that don’t match the vehicle’s registration, most likely because a thief has stolen a license plate off another car.

Store security isn’t really much help, as the numbers are so overwhelming, and they are restricted by laws that don’t allow them to use force in the protection of merchandise.

Bystanders, whether they’re store staff or shoppers, are encouraged by law enforcement and management to “be good witnesses” and not do anything to prevent the thefts.

What can be done?

Until these crimes are prosecuted and the organizers sniffed out, there’s little that can be done to prevent the ongoing spread of flash mob robberies. Weak policies that allow criminals to leave after being arrested with zero-dollar bail offer little in the way of deterrence.

Mall and retail security expert David Levenberg and Ben Dugan, president of the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail, talked to The AP about it:

“Crew bosses organize them. They’ll give him the crowbars, and in some cases even rent them cars, or provide them with escape routes or a list of products to actually go out and steal. It looks very chaotic, but it’s actually very well organized,” Dugan said.

“We’re not talking about someone who needs money or needs food. These are people who go out and do this is for high profit, and for the thrill,” he said.

In some cases, though, the thieves may be copycats rather than people working with organized networks, Levenberg said. He said the thieves may be thinking: “‘Did you see what happened in San Francisco? Let’s go to the Grove and do it.’”

And while smash-and-grab thefts are occurring nationwide, Levenberg said cities with progressive prosecutors — like Los Angeles and San Francisco — are especially hard-hit because the punishments for perpetrators are not as harsh as in other cities.

“The consequences are minimal, and the profits are substantial,” said Levenberg, founder of Florida-based Center Security Services.

There’s not a lot that can be done on the personal end to prevent such crimes.

• Retailers are advised not to put expensive goods near windows or exits and to focus employees on keeping customers safe rather than interacting with thieves.

• The other important factors are installing district attorneys who are tough on crimes like this. These modern catch-and-release policies don’t work, and we’re seeing what happens when laws are not enforced with enough deterring factors to make people think twice.

• The other side of the coin is that you should be careful what you buy off websites like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. Those bundles of laundry soap you’re getting for a dime might not be as appealing if you realize they could be stolen goods.

If you’re present at a flash mob robbery, think carefully before engaging. Personally, I’m not putting myself or my family at risk to engage with a group of 20+ people intent on stealing someone else’s merchandise. You may feel differently, but it’s essential that you don’t put other innocent people in harm’s way to confront a group of criminals.

*  *  *

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.

Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

An ancient supervolcano along the Nevada-Oregon border contains what could be the world’s largest single deposit of lithium. The findings could reshape the West’s supply of the critical metal — and might even change the geopolitical game with China. 

Researchers from Lithium Americas Corporation, GNS Science, and Oregon State University published their findings in the Journal for Science Advances on Aug. 31. They found the McDermitt Caldera, a caldera measuring 28 miles long and 22 miles wide, on the Nevada-Oregon border, contains around 20 to 40 million metric tons of lithium – a figure that would dwarf deposits in Australia and Chile.

Commenting on the findings is Anouk Borst, a geologist at KU Leuven University and the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium, who told Chemistry World that the McDermitt Caldera deposit “could change the dynamics of lithium globally, in terms of price, security of supply and geopolitics.” 

Data from the United States Geological Survey, presented by Visual Capitalist Bruno Venditti, shows the US lags behind the world in terms of lithium production. 

Even though the US has the third largest reserves. 

If you can believe it, the US only has one producing lithium mine – Silver Peak – in Nevada (about halfway between Las Vegas and Carson City) – while worldwide demand is surging due to the government-forced clean energy transition. We noted in July that Exxon Mobil Corp. was in the beginning stages of possibly becoming a ‘lithium kingpin.’ 

Thomas Benson, a geologist with Lithium Americas Corporation and co-author of the new study, expects mining operations at the McDermitt Caldera to begin in early 2026. 

Lithium prices have been on a rollercoaster of a ride since Coivd. Battery-grade lithium carbonate prices in China (priced in dollars) were as low as $5,850 per ton in the summer of 2020 and jumped as much as 1,200% through the peak of $80,000 in early 2022. Prices have since collapsed to $30,000. 

Daily Mail pointed out, “As of 2022, the average battery-grade lithium carbonate price was $37,000 per metric ton, meaning the volcano is potentially sitting on $1.48 trillion worth of the precious metal.” 

McDermitt Caldera positions Nevada as possibly the epicenter of the ‘green energy white gold rush’ amid a massive push by the Biden administration to force people to drive electric vehicles — all because they say there’s a ‘climate emergency.’ 

Authored by Mary Gillis via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Scientists from New Zealand have uncovered the first case of a rare eye disease linked to both the COVID-19 vaccine and the virus itself, a new study published in the Journal of Ophthalmic Inflammation and Infection reveals.

A 28-year-old otherwise healthy patient was diagnosed with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) after complaining of vision problems just two days after receiving her second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The woman’s symptoms included dark blind spots, phantom light flashes, and overall decreased vision—all specific to her right eye.

According to the study, doctors discovered that the vision in her right eye went from 20/20 to 20/50. In addition, her eye tissue was torn, optic nerves were swollen, and multiple pale-colored lesions were scattered throughout the back of her eye.

After three months and without treatment, vision in her right eye returned to normal, and all other symptoms subsided.

One year later, the woman showed similar symptoms and was once again diagnosed with MEWDS, only this time in the left eye. Symptoms emerged seven days after she tested positive for COVID-19, leading researchers to suspect a link between the two events.

Similar to the first instance, no treatment was required, and symptoms resolved after nine months.

What Is MEWDS?

According to the study, MEWDS dates back to 1984 and is considered an idiopathic inflammatory disease of the outer retina that occurs spontaneously and without concrete explanation. It is thought to be an autoimmune response.

It often occurs in young, myopic women, with a mean age of 28. However, it is also seen among people over 65.

MEWDS patients may have flu-like early symptoms that include:

• Visual disturbances such as flashes of light.
• Sudden, painless decline in central acuity in one eye.
• Partial color blindness.

It can be bilateral in some cases.

Read more here…

America’s newest stealth bomber may be nearing its first test flight, with speculations suggesting it could take place as soon as December. 

The United States Air Force has released never-before-seen angles of Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider ahead of the maiden flight. The first image is the stealth bomber inside the hanger, likely at the defense manufacturer’s facility in Palmdale, California. 

The second image is outside of the hanger. 

This is only the USAF’s second time showing off the new bomber. The first was the unveiling event in December 2022 (read: here) and early March (read: here). 

There is still much to be learned about the B-21, but it is widely understood that it will replace the USAF’s Rockwell B-1 Lancer and B-2 bombers by the end of the decade.

Any similarities? 

Speculation mounts on when the maiden flight will occur, “Most believe December will be the first flight,” according to one X user. 

Authored by Margaret Spellings via RealClear Wire,

Proposed changes to the U.S. citizenship exam have renewed the question of how many natural-born American citizens could pass this basic civics test. The troubling answer is that one in three can’t. Healthy democracy requires not only popular participation but an understanding of who we are, where we came from, and how and why our system of government functions the way it does. 

For years, I, along with other former Secretaries of Education, have called for a national renewal of civics education to provide our citizenry with the knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to engage in our democracy in a meaningful and constructive way.  

Unfortunately, recent educational assessment data warns that we’re moving in the wrong direction. 

In May, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), released the “nation’s report card” for civics education. For the first time since 1998 – the year the federal government began testing eighth-grade students for civics acumen – scores declined. Nearly 80% of students, the results reveal, are not proficient in civics – a jaw-dropping statistic for anyone concerned with America’s staying power. The need for creative approaches to civics education could not be more urgent. 

Thankfully, there’s an exciting new model for renewing interest in civics by making it fun.

Last month, middle school students from across Texas assembled at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas hoping to stake their claim as the state’s first-ever National Civics Bee champion. These students wrote an essay about a community issue, prepared for months and were first victorious at regional competitions held this spring throughout Texas, organized by local chambers of commerce.

These events aren’t unique to Texas. In fact, the idea to launch these competitions sprang from an innovative partnership between the Daniels Fund – a private charitable organization based in Denver, Colorado – and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in Washington, D.C. More than 50 communities in nine states held their own National Civics Bee competition this year, and the plan is to supersize this approach to civic engagement by expanding to several more states in 2024.

Big problems demand bold solutions, and philanthropic organizations are uniquely suited to tackle the challenge of civics education – one which government intervention risks politicizing. Voluntary associations like the partnership between the U.S. Chamber Foundation and the Daniels Fund can move swiftly to solve a community problem that benefits everyone.

Civics can’t be an afterthought if American democracy is to endure. Hanna Skandera, president of the Daniels Fund, remarked at the recent Texas competition that “from the very beginning, the founders of our country understood that for the American form of government to thrive, its citizens would need to be informed and engaged in our processes.” No doubt. In fact, her organization and the U.S. Chamber Foundation are making a major bet that this unique approach to civics education can catch fire. But they can’t do it alone.  

Here’s how you can help: If you’re an elected official, step up to be a judge at a local or state competition. Inspire your local chamber to host a local competition. If you’re a business, coordinate with your local chamber to help sponsor and facilitate these important events. As a parent, take a proactive role in encouraging your son or daughter to participate in next year’s competition.

Our democracy has undergone a number of stress tests in recent years, and there will be more to come. By renewing interest in history and civics among our students, families, and businesses, we can equip all Americans with the knowledge and resources needed to bridge our divides. America’s future depends on all of us doing our part to ensure its vibrancy and endurance, and the National Civics Bee is a wonderful and worthy experiment on which to build.

Authored by Christian Milord via The Epoch Times,

The Democratic Party has wielded a monopoly on power in Sacramento for some time and the results are obvious.

One-party dominance can often lead to corruption, poor governance, and an erosion in quality of life indices.

Let us count the ways how the ruling party talks a good game but delivers lousy results for Californians.

First, Gov. Gavin Newsom played up the fact that California had a large surplus in the state coffers, but then it suddenly morphed into a $30 billion deficit.

Did the surplus really exist? One can only wonder. Plenty of state funds were spent ineffectively during the pandemic, and tax dollars are being wasted on a high-speed rail system that will be vastly underutilized. Excessive spending is a driver of persistent inflation.

Next, during the pandemic, several Democratic leaders, including Mr. Newsom, didn’t adhere to the edicts they forced on the public.

Either the pandemic was more “pandemia” than pandemic, or they felt that they were superior to the masses and could flout their own mandates. Public policies inflicted colossal damage by shuttering businesses, houses of worship, and schools for many months.

We now know that the narrative of mask, lockdown, and vaccine effectiveness was dead wrong. Primarily, folks with comorbidities and the elderly needed care and protection. The COVID narrative was merely gaslighting from a nanny state that craves ultimate power over the people it is supposed to serve.

On Sept. 10, on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Mr. Newsom said “we’re all geniuses now” in hindsight, and “I think we would’ve done everything differently” regarding COVID. But he failed to explain why some states made better choices while California did not. How will he know which choices to make next time?

Third, Mr. Newsom has put forth a proposal to alter the Second Amendment with a redundant 28th amendment to the Constitution.

He claims that this new amendment would save lives by extending the age to purchase a firearm to 21, require a minimum waiting period, and improve background checks.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Sacramento on Feb. 1 2023. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

This proposal likely will be a non-starter because the second amendment is time tested, and criminals don’t abide by gun laws. They either steal guns or buy them on the black market. Newsom ought to stick to crime prevention by supporting law enforcement. Once again, more gaslighting from a politician whose salary is paid with your tax dollars.

Fourth, several state leaders have tried to force school boards to implement a distorted Marxist version of American history into the public schools.

They have also arm-twisted school districts to add transgender concepts into the health and science curricula, all in the name of protecting children.

This unscientific charade sows confusion among impressionable boys and girls by magnifying transgenderism and doling out diabolical advice that can cause irreversible suffering. This unscrupulous child abuse and coercion defies moral law and the biological laws of nature. Consequently, it is an example of gaslighting on steroids.

Moreover, some politicians and school board members treat parents as lepers when they question woke policies in public schools. Free speech is criminalized while actual criminal behavior receives a wrist slap. Parents with common sense and truth on their side are treated as extreme, while Orwellian policies are normalized. With rampant absenteeism and underwater student test scores, can schools afford to waste time by force-feeding Marxist theories into vulnerable young minds?

Parents in support of the Temecula Valley Unified school board’s decision to terminate the district’s superintendent amid controversy surrounding critical race theory and other school curriculum attend a board meeting in Temecula, Calif., on June 13, 2023. (Micaela Ricaforte/The Epoch Times)

Fifth, Mr. Newsom talks a good game regarding democracy and the rule of law in California, yet at every turn he tends to undermine freedom, prosperity, and lawfulness.

Similar to George Soros-backed district attorneys, he seems to view felonies as misdemeanors and enables homelessness. Yet he and other Democrats pretend that California doesn’t have an upsurge in crime and homeless statistics. Are they tone deaf? Denying that the state has these problems won’t make them disappear no matter how much they pass the buck. This is why so many folks are fleeing the state.

Sixth, state leaders claim that they care about minorities, yet they pressure their allegiance through addictive government programs that discourage individual initiative.

They also gloss over border insecurity as if it’s a figment of our imagination. Progressive mayors take pride in their “sanctuary cities” yet start whining when unlawful migrants are sent to cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco. They only change their welcome tune when unlawful immigration impacts them directly. Otherwise, it’s someone else’s problem.

Seventh, California leaders often spout great American principles yet at the same time strive to intervene in every area of our lives.

They initiate endless anti-religious culture wars and cry foul when called out for their absurd schemes and glaring hypocrisy. They can’t even get their own house in order, yet constantly boast to other states how great their policies are, as if Americans can’t govern themselves.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., on May 12, 2023. (Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee via AP)

Finally, these politicians speak with a forked tongue by saying one thing and doing another.

Denying or glossing over serious economic, security, and social challenges doesn’t get the job done. Is this statesmanship? Genuine statesmen don’t recklessly spend other people’s money. They labor to prevent problems from unfolding instead of reacting when it’s too late.

Our representatives are supposed to serve the public interest—not their own personal aggrandizement. Statesmen don’t blame others for their own self-inflicted blunders. Unfortunately, Sacramento leaders have turned gaslighting (virtue-signaling) into a fine art while Californians pay the price. To a degree, disinformation emanating from Sacramento is similar to that of the old Soviet Union under Stalin, delineated accurately in Rod Dreher’s book, “Live Not By Lies.” The Democrats should read it.

Authored by Carrie Sheffield via RealClear Wire,

This week nearly 27,000 clean energy professionals will descend on the Las Vegas Strip for the annual RE Plus renewable energy Conference. The event includes thousands of exhibitors and a host of presentations with a keynote from Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff. The Senator will undoubtedly tout the expansion of solar energy industry jobs in his state by Korean manufacturer Hanwha Q-Cells, while conveniently ignoring allegations of Hanwha’s deep connections to reported forced labor in the Xinjiang region in China.

It’s been a little more than a year since the groundbreaking human rights law, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), went into effect. The law created a rebuttable presumption that all goods manufactured in whole or in part in the Xinjiang region of China use forced labor and are thus not admissible into U.S. commerce. While U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the law enforcement agency tasked with enforcement of the law, has done an admirable job at detaining cargo to assess applicability of law to certain goods, the scope of enforcement is lacking and focused on a very small number of importers and ignores many more manufacturers widely known to use key materials from China that have very high risk of origin in part from Xinjiang. 

Perhaps the most glaring omission among CBP’s UFLPA enforcement is the well-connected Hanwha Q-cells. There is very clear open source data that ties the company to the Xinjiang region of China. Despite the glaring connections to the region, Hanwha executive Vitaly Lee has repeatedly claimed the company modules are “forced labor free.”  

Just last month, another damning report dropped from Sheffield Hellam University titled “Over-Exposed: Uyghur Region Exposure Assessment for Solar Industry Sourcing”, which found Q-Cells to have a “very high” risk of ties to forced labor in Xinjiang. Specifically, the Sheffield Report found Meike Solar Technology, a Chinese company which gets raw material from Xinjiang, reported Q-Cells as one of its largest customers in the first half of 2022, even though Q-Cells claims it cut off the supplier’s relationship in 2021. The initial Sheffield Report, In Broad Daylight, focusing on large Chinese manufacturers like Longi, Trina and JinkoSolar, appears to have influenced CBP’s targeting but it remains to be seen if this updated report will have the same effect.

It’s difficult to ascertain whether the lack of enforcement is due to the high-profile political visits, including Vice President Kamala Harris, an upcoming visit from President Biden, and of course Senator Ossoff. Political connections, however, should never serve as a means to avoid the law or get a free pass from CBP detentions and UFLPA scrutiny. Unfortunately, the Biden administration claims it wants America to lead in “clean energy” production, but is instead blocking American producers from developing the critical, rare-earth minerals to make it happen domestically.

Ironically, the political cover seems to be bipartisan. Another company that has escaped CBP scrutiny is Canadian Solar, while often portraying itself as Canadian the company is, in fact, wholly Chinese from its management to its manufacturing. Recently, Canadian Solar announced a $250 million 5GW solar manufacturing facility in Mesquite, Texas. This project was heralded by both Governor Greg Abbott and Senator Ted Cruz despite Canadian Solar’s ties to the Xinjiang region and potential violations of the UFLPA. The Sheffield Report determined Canadian Solar has a “high” risk of exposure to Xinjiang. 

Fortunately, CBP’s lack of universal enforcement has not gone unnoticed by everyone in Congress. Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.) at a hearing before the Ways and Means Committee called out JA Solar for attempting to avoid the UFLPA. Specifically, she noted an executive with JA Solar, another company with “very high” exposure to Xinjiang, was caught on tape discussing port-shopping as one method the company employs to avoid UFLPA detentions.  

In a public webinar CBP’s Trade Remedy Law Enforcement Executive Director acknowledged companies were employing this exact UFLPA enforcement avoidance technique, along with changing the name of the exporting entity and several other salacious maneuvers. CBP cannot allow this type of evasion to continue, especially when Congress has appropriated more than $100 Million to enforce the UFLPA and combat forced labor globally. 

Unfortunately, at this year’s RE Plus there will be plenty of solar companies –including the title sponsor Maxeon, another very high-risk manufacturer according to the Sheffield Hallem report – enjoying the Las Vegas sun while escaping CBP scrutiny despite serious forced labor allegations. Even in Sin City political relationships and high-profile sponsorships should not be currency to evade U.S. trade laws. CBP must work to ensure the UFLPA is implemented forcefully and equally.

Carrie Sheffield is a senior policy analyst for the Center for the Center for Economic Opportunity at Independent Women’s Forum.