Russia Attempts Turkey-Syria Normalization In Moscow Summit
Russia is continuing efforts to stabilize Syria and push American influence in the region to the sidelines, as on Tuesday Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu hosted four-way talks which have as their goal the normalization of ties between the Syrian and Turkish governments. The talks involve Russia, Syria, Turkey and Iran. The end result could see American forces squeezed out of Syria.
“Practical steps were discussed in the field of strengthening security in the Syrian Arab Republic and normalizing Syrian-Turkish relations,” the Russian Defense Ministry stated. This is based on a common perspective that all parties desire win “the fight against all extremist groups in Syria.”
The Turkish defense ministry positively acknowledged the “constructive atmosphere” of the meeting in which “the issue of intensifying efforts to return Syrian refugees to their lands” was examined. All representatives “reaffirmed their respect for Syria’s territorial integrity,” the Turkish ministry said.
For Syria, high on the agenda is precisely protection of its sovereignty and food and energy resources. Going back multiple years, the United States and its Kurdish-led proxy, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have occupied a huge chuck of oil-and-gas rich northeast Syria, as well as Tanf garrison on the Iraq-Syria border. The US has been widely accused of stealing Syrian oil, ferrying it across the Iraq border, but at the same time the Pentagon says it’s there to fight ISIS.
Turkish forces have also occupied territory within the Syria’s northern border, and aim to fight Syrian Kurdish groups. Crucially, if Damascus and Ankara strike a deal, this is expected to be key in eventually squeezing out the US occupation. This is also of course what Russia wants to see as well.
The US-backed SDF has long come under Turkish threat, a threat which would be amplified if suddenly Syria, Turkey and Russia got on the same page.
Already, US bases have come under sporadic rocket and drone attack over the past several months, which recently led to the death of an American contractor, with US troops suffering injuries.
Defense Ministers of Russia, Iran, Syria and Turkey are meeting in Moscow to discuss strengthening of security in Syria and building close ties between Turkey and Syria.
This follows the meeting by Foreign Ministers of the four countries earlier this month. pic.twitter.com/FlvS0M7Ia3
Helping the prospect of peace between Damascus and Turkey is the fact that Arab states are rushing back to Assad to reestablish ties, even Saudi Arabia. If Syria is invited back into the Arab League, which Washington vehemently opposes, this would do much in terms of diplomatic normalization with other regional nations as well, such as Turkey and Jordan.
Any diplomatic breakthrough would also be a huge reputational ‘win’ for Russia at a moment it remains isolated by the West due to the ongoing Ukraine war.
Hungary is calling for peace even as most European nations are pushing to escalate the war…
Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó. (MTI)
Europe is pushing for more war and taking measures to not only accelerate arms deliveries to Ukraine but also stamp out pro-peace voices in Europe, said Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó in Luxembourg on Monday.
“The EU is in a warlike mood, with the vast majority of member states wanting to supply Ukraine with more weapons for more money,” said Szijjártó.
“This atmosphere of war here also implies that the pro-peace advocates that continue to argue for peace continue to come under severe political and verbal attack, whether from countries present here or not,” he added.
Reporting on the Luxembourg meeting of European foreign ministers, he said that it had again started with “self-blame,” with many believing that the EU had still not done enough to support Ukraine.
Our leaders have injected the entire menu of radical “woke” ideology into the tissues of the military establishment.
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, worries about “white rage” and supports teaching critical race theory to the troops.
When Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin took office under President Joe Biden, he issued a 60-day “stand down” order to the entire military in pursuit of battling “extremism” and achieving “equity” in the military (pdf).
In March 2022, the Biden administration announced a new policy under which people suffering from gender dysphoria would not only be allowed to serve in the military but also would have their “gender reassignment” surgery paid for by taxpayers.
Traditionally, conservative families, especially conservative working-class families, supplied a large percentage of military recruits.
Those families are not thrilled by the intrusion of such politically correct sentiments into an institution hitherto marked by its commitment to traditional moral and martial values.
They aren’t interested in sending their children to be catechized by anti-American Marxists or apostles of sexual exotica.
The Biden administration seems blissfully unaware of this reality.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain Biden’s recent executive order regarding “environmental justice.”
According to the White House, the new order is part of the administration’s “whole-of-government effort to confront longstanding environmental injustices and inequities.”
Of course, we live at a time when everything is potentially racist.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg even argued that highway designs in the United States are “racist.”
So it should come as no surprise that “environmental justice” is really just an aspect of “racial justice.”
“For far too long,” the executive order reads, “communities across our country have faced persistent environmental injustice through toxic pollution, underinvestment in infrastructure and critical services, and other disproportionate environmental harms often due to a legacy of racial discrimination including redlining.”
And let’s not forget the other big-ticket item on the agenda of the left: “climate change.” “These communities with environmental justice concerns face even greater burdens due to climate change,” the White House stated.
The Department of Defense has even issued an “environmental scorecard” grading itself on its progress toward fulfilling the Green Dream.
There are bits about “Consultation and Partnership with Tribal Nations,” addressing “environmental justice concerns,” and “institutionalizing” “our country’s bedrock environmental laws.”
There was nothing about making sure that the U.S. military was an agile and lethal fighting force well-equipped with the most modern and capable weapons.
Such concerns seem to have been put on the back burner (but not, of course, a burner on a gas stove).
Once upon a time, people joined the military to serve their country.
Now they’re being asked to join a therapy group to promote a progressive agenda.
Increasingly, the answer to that call is, “No thanks.”
Over the past few years, the world has entered a new and more dangerous phase.
Vladimir Putin’s adventures in Ukraine are one sign of that yeastiness.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s repeated announcements that he’s “preparing for war” are another.
Is this really the best time for the United States to hand over its military to the same sort of woke bureaucrats who brought you that notorious Bud Light partnership with transgender “influencer” Dylan Mulvaney?
Take Biden’s executive order about “environmental justice” and put it next to his attack on the U.S. energy industry, his abandonment of the Southern border, and his reckless economic policies that have dealt a body blow to the middle and working classes.
Then ask yourself this: If Joe Biden wanted to hurt the United States, to make it poorer, less secure, less safe, what would he do differently?
Representative James Comer (R-Ky.) recently noted that it is now known that “at least 9 Biden family members sold access for profit around the world.”
He asked a most pertinent question: “What were our foreign adversaries paying for?”
45% Of Americans Above Age 50 Play Video Games, And Feel Neglected By Industry
A new study by AARP reveals that 45% of Americans aged 50 or older play video games at least once per month, yet are feeling neglected by the industry.
Those polled say gaming is ‘beneficial’ to their lives – helping them to have fun and relax, while staying mentally sharp. Older gamers invest an average of 12 hours per week and $49 within a 6-month time frame on gaming – which could lead to $2.5 billion in biannual spending on the habit, which includes in-game purchases, virtual items, accessories (headsets, controllers, etc.) and the gaming consoles themselves.
Of the 45% above 50 who say they game, 45% of that group says they game daily – with women leading men by 52% vs. 37%.
Older adults’ interest in gaming grew noticeably in 2016 and spiked during the COVID pandemic. Today, interest remains fairly consistent; however, about one in three of adults in their 50s (30%), women (30%), and Black adults (37%) say they play more now than they did two years ago. The average number of hours played across devices per week has increased 40% since 2019, up from an 8.5 to 12 hours played per week, not necessarily more frequently but for longer periods of time.
Who Plays With Whom
Solo play is most popular with 81% of those surveyed playing alone. But many remain connected: two-thirds (68%) communicate with other players through in-game chats, texts, app messaging, or by phone.
When they do play with others, 50-plus gamers’ most common play companions are children or grandchildren (20%). Other companions include adult family members (14%), in person with friends (12%), random people online (10%), siblings (5%), parents (3%), and colleagues (2%). -AARP
When it comes to which system is most popular, older gamers are using old and new consoles, however mobile gaming continues to dominate – with the #1 gaming device for those polled being the smartphone, which 84% of those polled said was their gaming device of choice.
Neglect?
According to AARP: “Our research shows, however, that almost 70% do not feel like the games are made with them in mind,” said director of community and gaming, Maura White, in a statement to Axios, adding that more than half of those polled say they don’t feel that they’re represented in games, nor marketing, and that many games are too complicated.
“They would like the video gaming industry to create games and features designed to onboard easily, play consistently, and stay challenged,” says White.
Those 50-plus engage in gaming for a range of reasons, although most involve fun, mental fitness, and well-being. The top six reasons are:
Have fun, 86%
Relax, 79%
Stay mentally sharp, 78%
To be challenged/solve problems, 74%
Reduce stress, 71%
Pass the time, 70%
How Devoted Are Older Gamers?
The study broke down gamers 50-plus into five segments ranging from those less passionate about gaming to those most passionate. The groups were given identities based on why they play, how often, and what they enjoy most — Dabblers, Mainstreamers, Indulgers, Enthusiasts, and Immersives.
Dabblers
This group represents 15% of 50-plus gamers. They are least passionate about gaming and play infrequently on their PCs or phones to pass the time or relieve boredom. Even though they enjoy puzzle, card, and tile games, they have no desire to play more often.
Mainstreamers
This is the largest group of 50-plus gamers, representing 35%. Mainstreamers have the highest concentration of mobile-only gamers. They may play every day, but they don’t feel very passionate about gaming. They’re in it more for the enjoyment, challenge, and mental stimulation. Wordle is very popular with this group.
Indulgers
This group plays daily on mobile phones and tablets for enjoyment and mental stimulation. They may have a sense of guilt about too much play time, but many find throwing in some casino games into their puzzle, card, and tile games, helps to reduce stress. This group represents 23% of 50-plus gamers.
Enthusiasts
These folks, representing 19% of older gamers, are passionate about gaming and like to become engrossed in energetic and active games. Action, adventure, and fantasy or role-playing games (RPG) help fill their evenings. This group looks for strong storytelling and compelling gameplay.
Immersives
At only 7% of 50-plus gamers, this group is the smallest segment size but most passionate about gaming. Immersives identify as gamers. They are at the forefront of gaming trends and find social interaction integral to their choices of genres like fantasy and make-believe. They’re the only segment where a console, rather than a smartphone, is their top choice of gaming device.
Ease of Play Matters
Ease of play is the most popular feature among all five groups. In order, this is a key priority for Enthusiasts (57%), Mainstreamers (55%), Indulgers (45%), Immersives (41%) and Dabblers (37%). Other features include opportunity to improve over time, scaling of difficulty, set level of difficulty, variety of play and competitive ranks or tiers.
Older Gamers See Meaningful Play as Beneficial
While players of all ages enjoy gaming for the relief from stress and anxiety, those 50-plus feel gaming is beneficial as they get older, with three in four (77%) seeing play, such as gaming, as an important aspect of healthy aging for them. As for what motivates this group, passing the time still leads the way (54%), followed by mental acuity (39%), pleasure (46%), emotion (23%), immersion (13%), social connection (11%), challenge (10%), and self-improvement (9%).
When it comes to challenge, respondents like games that build in intensity over time and require competitive skills. Ease of playing ranked high (49%), while other preferred features include an opportunity to improve over time (35%), variety of play (21%), competitive ranks or tiers (18%), ongoing storylines or narratives (12%), and social aspect of gaming (10%).
However, 50-plus gamers see ads as a nuisance; for this age group and others, ads impact the enjoyment of the game. Among the other major frustrations: having to watch ads to make progress or make a purchase to continue, and the number and type of notifications in the game.
Games Designed Without Older Gamers in Mind
Seven in 10 (69%) older gamers feel that games are not designed with them in mind. Another 66% said video games are designed with no thought to players 50-plus. Many said the games can at times be too complicated to understand and others noted they need tutorials to play effectively. From not seeing themselves reflected in game marketing (69%) or within the games themselves (64%), older players feel like an afterthought to the gaming industry.
A Georgia district attorney wrote in a letter dated April 24 that she intends to announce potential indictments resulting from a probe into former President Donald Trump and his associates for alleged interference in the 2020 election with his calls for investigations.
“In the near future, I will announce charging decisions resulting from the investigation my office has been conducting into possible criminal interference in the administration of Georgia’s 2020 General Election,” Fani Willis, District Attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, wrote in a letter addressed to Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat on Monday. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported the letter.
Willis wrote she would announce the charging decisions between July 11 and Sept. 1.
Willis’s Monday announcement was the latest update in the special-purpose grand jury investigation she launched in 2021 and led thereafter.
While the grand jury proceedings had occurred behind closed doors, the probe is believed to center on a 2020 phone call between Trump, Trump’s legal team, and Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his team.
“All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state,” Trump allegedly told Raffensperger during the phone call on Jan. 2, 2021, a transcript of which was released by media organizations.
Willis characterized Trump’s wording (pdf) during the call as evidence of “criminal disruption” of the 2020 election, and has based her case on charges around that allegation. The grand jury heard testimony from Trump’s former associates, including Rudy Giuliani and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Trump has denied all allegations of wrongdoing on his part.
The grand jury was discharged in January. In early February, the Fulton County Superior Court released a portion of the jury panel’s report, which did not include the list of names to whom indictments were recommended. Emily Kohrs, the grand jury’s foreperson, told media outlets in February that the group recommended indictments.
“The long awaited important sections of the Georgia report, which do not even mention President Trump’s name, have nothing to do with the President because President Trump did absolutely nothing wrong,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told CNN in a following statement in February.
“The President participated in two perfect phone calls regarding election integrity in Georgia, which he is entitled to do—in fact, as President, it was President Trump’s Constitutional duty to ensure election safety, security, and integrity,” Cheung added.
A Feb. 10, 2021, letter that Willis sent to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp gave hints of potential charges she may pursue, including soliciting election fraud, lying to state officials, and conspiring to interfere with the 2020 election.
Willis told the local sheriff to prepare for violence that may occur in response to her pending announcement.
“Please accept this correspondence as notice to allow you sufficient time to prepare the Sheriff’s Office and coordinate with local, state and federal agencies to ensure that our law enforcement community is ready to protect the public,” Willis wrote to Fulton Sheriff Patrick Labat in her Monday letter.
“Open source intelligence has indicated the announcement of decisions in this case may provoke a significant public reaction,” Willis added. “We have seen in recent years that some may go outside of public expressions of opinion that are protected by the First Amendment to engage in acts of violence that will endanger the safety of our community.”
Legal Experts Weigh In
According to Alan Dershowitz, Professor Emeritus at Harvard Law School, Willis’s charges would not hold up considering the face value of Trump’s wording during the call with Raffensperger.
“Because what he said is, ‘We have to find’—not invent, not concoct—‘find.’ Find means that it’s there—just a question of finding them—so that’s not a crime,” Dershowitz told The Epoch Times in an interview in March.
Trial attorney John O’Connor agreed with Dershowitz’s view, adding that the case is undercut by a demonstrable belief on Trump’s part that there was significant fraud in the 2020 election.
“That charge will never make it,” O’Connor told The Epoch Times in an interview in March. “It was very clear that Trump felt that there were voters who had wrongfully voted, and he was asking the Secretary of State to find which voters had been wrongfully voting, that’s all. So I don’t think there’s anything to that.”
Trump’s Motion to Quash
In March, Trump’s attorney Drew Findling filed a motion in the Superior Court of Fulton County to quash the grand jury’s final report, preclude the use of evidence from Willis’s investigation in further proceedings, and disqualify Willis in the case.
A key objection that Findling raised in his motion to quash (pdf) is regarding media tours taken by Kohrs, Willis, as well as the judge overseeing the case, Robert C. McBurney of the Superior Court of Fulton County. Findling alleges that these interviews compromised the case legally and judicially.
“It is not a short list,” Kohrs told The New York Times in February, referring to the currently sealed list of indictment recommendations. Kohrs told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in another interview on Feb. 21 that she also spoke to her boyfriend regarding her experience in the panel’s proceedings.
According to Findling, the foreperson’s media tour showed that the procedures set forth for the jury panel “failed to protect the most basic procedural and substantive constitutional rights of all individuals discussed by this investigative body.”
The harm brought by Kohrs’s publicity was compounded by additional exposure by DA Willis herself, Findling said in the filing.
“[Willis’s] media interviews violate prosecutorial standards and constitute forensic misconduct, and her social media activity creates the appearance of impropriety compounding the necessity for disqualification,” he said.
But even exasperating the situation are interviews conducted by the judge himself, Findling argued.
“Compounding the harm inflicted by the foreperson’s public comments, the Supervising Judge then gave numerous media interviews despite still presiding over this pending matter,” the filing said of McBurney, who gave media interviews after the jury’s foreperson’s media tour.
“[T]he foreperson’s and grand jurors’ comments illuminate the lack of proper instruction and supervision over the grand jury relating to clear evidentiary matters which violates the notions of fundamental fairness and due process,” the filing reads. “The results of the investigation cannot be relied upon and, therefore, must be suppressed given the constitutional violations.”
McBurney ordered that Willis respond to Trump’s motion before May 1.
Conflict of Interest
In his March filing, Findling said that DA Willis’s Office must be disqualified from pursuing the case further, citing concerns related to prosecutorial misconduct and conflict of interest.
The prosecutorial misconduct aspect of Findling’s argument rests on DA Willis’s comments to the press (the motion notes she spoke to the press nearly 40 times) and her social media posts, which Findling said bolstered her profile as a political candidate.
One such social media post, the filing said, included a cartoon posted on Willis’s campaign Twitter account, which showed the DA fishing a subpoenaed witness, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), out of a swamp, with Trump saying, “I know you’ll do the right thing, Lindsey.”
Findling noted that the cartoon was part of a political campaign threaded throughout Willis’s Georgia investigation, one in which Willis had “personal involvement and interest,” creating a “disqualifying conflict.”
“[T]he FCDA promoted her own campaign on the shoulders of partisan support for this SPGJ investigation. Within a couple of days, the [Fulton County DA’s] Twitter account increased by approximately 100,000 followers, and requests for campaign donations were retweeted thousands of times,” the filing reads, referring to the alleged effect of Willis’s publicity campaign.
“On at least three occasions, the FCDA personally inserted herself into this Twitter campaign for ‘followers, tweets and donations’ which specifically referenced this investigation.”
Findling alleged that Willis’s political interest, in this case, constituted a conflict of interest and thus should bar her from being further involved in the investigation.
The second reason Willis should be disqualified, according to Findling, is that Willis was ordered to be disqualified from investigating a Georgia senator because of perceived conflict of interest considerations. He argued that this disqualification should extend to the entire case.
On July 25, 2022, the supervising judge disqualified the District Attorney’s Office from calling then-state Sen. Burt Jones to testify as a witness in the Georgia jury because DA Willis was involved in a political campaign for Charlie Bailey, a then-candidate for Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, who would run against Jones, the then-Republican nomination.
“She has bestowed her office’s imprimatur upon Senator Jones’s opponent. And since then, she has publicly (in her pleadings) labeled Senator Jones a ‘target’ of the grand jury’s investigation,” the judge wrote in his order, noting that Willis’s singling out of Jones constituted a perceived conflict of interest.
Findling capitalized on the judge’s disqualification order in the Monday filing, citing a 1987 decision by the United States Supreme Court (Young v. United States), which recognized “the existence of an actual conflict cannot be limited to the investigation or prosecution of one individual but is a conflict that permeates the entire proceeding.”
In other words, Findling was saying that if the judge finds that the conduct of the prosecutor ought to be disqualified from prosecuting or investigating one witness due to a conflict of interest consideration, that prosecutor must be disqualified from the case altogether.
“The rights of President Trump, as well as all others impacted by this investigation, are now subject to the prosecutorial discretion and decision-making of a prosecuting body that even the Supervising Judge acknowledged has an actual, disqualifying conflict,” the filing reads.
“This is simply untenable. For this reason alone, the FCDA’s Office must be removed from any further investigation or prosecution of this matter.”
These Are The Most Expensive Sports Team Sales In History
After a record-setting year in 2022, professional sports team sales are on an uptick yet again.
The tentative $6.05 billion Washington Commanders sale, already approved by other NFL owners, will be the highest amount paid for a sports team once completed.
Washington Commanders Sale vs. Other Franchise Fortunes
Valuations have become significantly larger in the last couple of years, with the largest sales all occurring after 2010. Here are the 10 most highly-priced sales for a professional sports team franchise globally.
The Washington Commanders sale takes the top spot at $6.1 billion, even though it could still be de-throned. It’s been reported that a $7 billion dollar bid for the team is still in play as well.
Dan Snyder, the current owner of the team, is one of the world’s richest people in sports. He purchased the team for $800 million in 1999 and, if the $6.1 billion sale completes, will have made a cumulative return of over 650%.
Chelsea Football Club is the only non-U.S. sale on the list. The sports team was previously owned by Roman Abramovich, a Russian oligarch who was subject to sanctions after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and was forced to sell the team.
Hedge fund billionaire Todd Boehly, who was part of the consortium that purchased Chelsea, is also part owner of number 10 on the list: the LA Dodgers. Boehly is said to have helped with one of the “most dramatic turnarounds in North American sports” through his purchase of the Dodgers in 2012 for $2.0 billion, with the team wining the MLB World Series in 2020.
Will any sale top the Washington Commanders number? NFL teams specifically are some of the world’s most valuable teams, so the sale of a team such as the Dallas Cowboys or Los Angeles Rams could be worth more.
Other competition could come from soccer teams, including Chelsea rivals Manchester United or Liverpool. Manchester United’s owners put the club up for sale in 2022, hoping for a valuation of £5 billion to £6 billion ($6.2 billion to $7.5 billion).
Why Are Sports Team Sale Prices So High?
Sports teams haven’t always collected such sky-high prices like the Washington Commanders sale. In fact, sports teams used to be the investment of choice for eccentric entrepreneurs and were considered money-losing propositions.
Media deals: Digitization means sports now have a global audience, and broadcast rights have become a major driver of leagues’ revenue growth. For example, the NFL has $115 billion in long-term media rights deals with major TV networks, Amazon, and Google’s YouTube TV.
Industry monopoly: There were once a handful of professional baseball leagues, but Major League Baseball earned an exemption from antitrust (pro-competition) laws in 1922. Other sports leagues have conglomerated to become the biggest and best representatives of their sport, making it nearly impossible for new entrants to compete.
League benefits: Contracts negotiated at a league level are equally split between every league’s sports team. The Packers, the only NFL team with public financial statements, earned 60% of their income from national sources in 2022. Most leagues also have salary caps which limit player costs.
Favorable Taxes: In 2004, the U.S. federal government introduced a rule allowing sports team owners to write off most of their purchase price against team profits over 15 years.
Beyond these factors, perhaps the biggest driver of sports team value is the prestige associated with owning one.
“Sports teams are a bit of a vanity asset, like owning a Picasso, and the highest bidder is going to be a very rich person who wants to own the team so they (can) call themselves an owner of a sports team.”
– STEPHEN DODSON, PORTFOLIO MANAGER OF BRETTON FUND
Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly reacted to Monday’s news that Tucker Carlson would be departing by saying it was a “terrible move” on the network’s part.
“This is a terrible move by Fox, and it’s a great thing for Tucker Carlson,” Kelly said during an episode of her podcast on Monday.
In a news release, Fox confirmed it is parting ways with Carlson, who was its most popular cable news host and a leading conservative voice. Carlson has not issued a public comment about the matter.
“I don’t know what drove Fox News to make this decision. And it was clearly Fox News’ decision because they’re not letting him say goodbye,” Kelly said. “That’s my supposition. That’s not inside knowledge … talk about misjudging your audience yet again.”
Carlson’s last broadcast was on Friday, April 21. During the final on-air segment, Carlson told his Fox viewers that he would be back on Monday.
Kelly added that the news was “Good for Tucker” and that “trust me, he doesn’t need them.”
A Fox anchor, Harris Faulkner, said Monday that the two sides had “mutually” decided to part ways. Few details about what happened have been revealed.
Fox has not issued any comment on Carlson’s leaving the channel beyond a statement stating that it wanted to “thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.” In an article reporting on his departure, Fox News turned off its comments section.
Kelly, too, was among the most popular Fox News personalities before she left the channel in 2017. Since leaving, she has become critical of the network and hosts a popular podcast.
After taking Fox News’ 8 p.m. ET timeslot in 2017, Carlson quickly became among the network’s most popular hosts and remained so up until the end. For the week ending April 16, “Tucker Carlson Tonight” was the most-watched cable news show, averaging 3.389 million viewers, while the next most popular show was “The Five” on Fox News, which averaged about 3 million, according to data from Nielsen.
The timing of Carlson’s departure also appears to be unusual. The Fox News host recently landed two high-profile interviews, including one with former President Donald Trump and another with Twitter and Tesla owner Elon Musk. Nielsen ratings show that the Carlson–Trump interview last week drew 6.7 million viewers.
Despite the reasons for Carlson’s exit, it signals the biggest shock to Fox News’s lineup since former top host Bill O’Reilly was booted from the channel in 2017. His “O’Reilly Factor”—a long mainstay on cable news—was Fox News’ highest-rated program at the time.
WHO Cites “Huge Biological Risk” As Sudan Fighters Seize Lab Containing Deadly Pathogens
The World Health Organization (WHO) says there’s a “huge biological risk” after Sudanese rebels of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the country’s National Public Health Laboratory in the capital Khartoum on Tuesday.
A US-brokered 72-hour truce deal appears to have already collapsed, given war correspondents widely reported hearing gunfire persist into the evening. The top-ranking WHO official in Sudan, Nima Saeed Abid, called the development “extremely dangerous because we have polio isolates in the lab, we have measles isolates in the lab, we have cholera isolates in the lab.”
CNN is reporting that the RSF is now in control of the lab, citing a a high-ranking medical source, who told the outlet: “There is a huge biological risk associated with the occupation of the central public health lab in Khartoum by one of the fighting parties.”
The WHO additionally confirmed that “trained laboratory technicians no longer have access to the laboratory.” This is a serious crisis given the persisting power outages across the capital area throughout the more than week of fighting, which has killed around 500 people and injured thousands more.
The WHO is warning that there’s a risk of spoilage and potential for leaks of deadly pathogens, given “it is not possible to properly manage the biological materials that are stored in the laboratory for medical purposes.”
In the most alarming part of the report, the CNN medical source said:
The medical source told CNN that “the danger lies in the outbreak of any armed confrontation in the laboratory because that will turn the laboratory into a germ bomb.”
“An urgent and rapid international intervention is required to restore electricity and secure the laboratory from any armed confrontation because we are facing a real biological danger,” the source added.
Sudan now stands once again on the brink of full-blown civil war after already having been in a state civil war on and off again for the better part of a half century.
One wonders what sensitive bio-labs with highly dangerous samples including deadly diseases are doing there in the first place…
The news is not the Huge biological risk’ after fighters occupy the bio lab. The real information is:
What on earth is the #US doing, establishing biological labs in #Sudan and #Ukraine and in many more unknown locations worldwide?
Recently, the safety of biological labs has been a serious question also when it comes to the Ukraine conflict. Thus far, there have been no known disasters relatedly to germs or diseases amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
On dialysis and potentially facing death, a 41-year-old homeschooling mother of seven young children has been rejected as a candidate for a life-saving kidney transplant by Emory Healthcare Inc. of Atlanta.
The reason? The woman, who has already had COVID-19, refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on religious and medical grounds.
To protect her privacy, the patient will be referred to in this article as Jane Doe.
Emory Healthcare did not respond to a request for comment.
Affiliated with Emory University, Emory Healthcare is one of the leading organ transplant centers in the South.
According to Liberty Counsel (LC), a national non-profit legal organization helping Doe, she was referred to Emory by her nephrologist after suddenly coming down with end-stage kidney disease.
The seriousness of Doe’s condition necessitates her undergoing dialysis three times a week to keep her alive.
Following an evaluation by one of the transplant center’s nurse practitioners, Doe was initially found to be an acceptable candidate for a new kidney, even though Doe reported she had not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Life or Death Decision
Doe’s hopes were soon dashed when, after another consultation with Emory staffers, a social worker informed her that she could not move forward to the transplant program’s “active waiting list” until she took the shot.
Emory Healthcare is one of 35 percent of the nation’s transplant centers that are still requiring their patients to be vaccinated for COVID-19, according to a Liberty Counsel analysis.
This is despite the fact that on April 11, President Joe Biden declared the national emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic officially over.
On April 17, LC sent a letter to Emory Healthcare requesting that no later than April 30, Doe be granted religious and medical exemptions from its COVID-19 vaccination mandate and asked that she be reactivated and placed on the kidney transplant active waiting list.
Religious Convictions
The nine-page letter alleges that every available COVID-19 vaccine is associated with aborted “fetal cell lines.”
It cites evidence from the public health departments of North Dakota and Louisiana as proof.
Doe, a devout Roman Catholic, is opposed to ingesting or being injected with such vaccines based on her religious beliefs.
The Liberty Counsel also informed Emory Healthcare that there were strong medical reasons for Doe’s refusal to get the jab.
Standing on Natural Immunity
The demand letter stated that Doe had already recovered from a bout with COVID and that her antibody numbers were actually stronger than those found in many people who were fully vaccinated for 90 days.
Rumors are making rounds that Saudi Arabia is selling oil for yuan, which it converts into gold on the Shanghai International Gold Exchange (SGEI). Such a development would make sense as large parts of the world want to de-dollarize, but the renminbi is not suitable to be used as a reserve currency. China has a closed capital account and a weak rule of law. Not using the dollar could be done by using the renminbi as a trade currency and converting yuan revenue into gold on the SGEI. If the rumor is true, Saudi Arabia is buying 1 Kg bars as there is virtually no trading in 12.5 Kg bars on the SGEI. The benefit of 1 Kg bars is that they are more fitting for fully allocated trading.
The SGEI was set up in 2014 for foreigners to access gold trading on the Shanghai Gold Exchange Main Board in the Chinese domestic gold market and trading on the International Board in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone (SFTZ). Foreigner entities can’t load-in and load-out gold into and from Main Board certified vaults, but they can load-in and load-out gold into and from International Board certified vaults (and thus import into and export from the SFTZ).
The objective of the International Board is to facilitate “offshore” gold trading in renminbi in the SFTZ, which has almost no effect on China’s current account. This is comparable to offshore gold trading in US dollars in London (offshore dollars pricing internationally traded commodities). Through the SGEI China wants to increase the role of the renminbi in the global economy.
Investment possibilities for foreigners in Chinese financial assets are limited, but there are no restrictions to converting yuan into gold on the SGEI. I will write more on the mechanics of the Chinese gold market in a forthcoming article because this will be important in the coming years with respect to de-dollarization.
Last week, Christopher Wood from Jefferies mentioned in a note that the Saudis might be converting yuan into gold on the SGEI (full note available to pro subs in the usual place):
If Saudi Arabia would convert yuan into gold on the SGEI, I would expect them to buy large bars weighing 400 ounces (12.5 Kg). Data from the SGE and SGEI, though, reveals there has practically been no trading in 12.5 Kg bars since the SGE was erected in October 2002.
In the above chart volume is shown for exchange trading of 12.5 Kg contracts. Not shown, over-the-counter (OTC) trading in the 12.5 Kg contract on the International Board was zero in the past year. OTC trading in the 12.5 kg contract on the Main Board isn’t reported, which makes me think it’s not existent. All in all, large bar trading on the SGE(I) is extremely low.
Based on 12.5 Kg contract trading volume on the SGE(I) it’s hard to prove the rumor is true, which doesn’t mean it can’t be true. Saudi Arabia can also buy 1 Kg bars on the SGEI (and SGE, but it wouldn’t be able to export gold traded on the Main Board). Trading in 1 Kg contracts on the SGEI (iAu9999) and SGE (Au99.99) is not subdued. Although, there hasn’t been a significant uptick in trading of iAu9999 recently.
Interestingly, according to my sources, in China’s foreign exchange market (CFETS) all gold traded is settled and cleared through the SGE and is fully allocated. One of the reasons for this is because the underlying assets are the SGE 1 Kg (9999 fine) and 3 Kg (9995) contracts. In Western foreign exchange markets, the underlying for gold trading is usually the LBMA Good Delivery bar that weighs approximately 400 ounces, which is more convenient to trade on an unallocated basis. As an example, exchanging exactly 20,000 ounces in London is easy on an unallocated basis, while it’s difficult to collect a batch of large bars that together weigh precisely 20,000 ounces. Perhaps Asia is shifting to an alternative benchmark and that’s why the Saudis are buying 1 Kg bars? Time will tell.
Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, visited Saudi Arabia in December 2022 where he pledged to continue buying oil and gas from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, and proposed these trades to be settled in yuan. From Xi:
China will continue to import large quantities of crude oil from GCC countries, expand imports of liquefied natural gas, strengthen cooperation in upstream oil and gas development, engineering services, storage, transportation and refining, and make full use of the Shanghai Petroleum and National Gas Exchange as a platform to carry out yuan settlement of oil and gas trade…
Shortly after, in January 2023, Saudi Arabia shared it’s open to discussions about trade in currencies other than the US dollar, according to the kingdom’s finance minister.
The Wall Street Journal wrote in March 2023 that, “Saudi Arabia is in active talks with Beijing to price some of its oil sales to China in yuan.”
These statements tell us there is a will in both countries to de-dollarize. Selling oil for yuan and then converting those into gold would be a logical step, given the renminbi’s shortcomings as a reserve currency. But I would like to see more evidence before confirming this trend.
A few months ago, a person familiar with the matter but who prefers to stay anonymous told me Saudi Arabia is covertly buying gold, though he refrained from saying where it was bought. Perhaps the Saudis are slowly working on a transition; de-dollarization isn’t done overnight.
