News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
US Army says it won’t rename 10 Confederate named bases
“We have no plans to rename any street or installation, including those named for Confederate generals,” an Army spokesperson told Task & Purpose.
The service will instead continue with the existing names of many well known military bases and installations.
“It is important to note that the naming of installations and streets was done in a spirit of reconciliation, not to demonstrate support for any particular cause or ideology,” the U.S. Army spokesperson continued.
“The Army has a tradition of naming installations and streets after historical figures of military significance, including former Union and Confederate general officers.”
Cops arrest two — one charged with hate crime — after elderly Asian man threatened, attacked, mocked on video while collecting cans
Dwayne Grayson, 20, was arrested on charges of robbery, elder abuse, probation violation for a prior robbery conviction, and a hate crime enhancement, police said.
Grayson recorded and posted video of the incident on social media, police said, adding that his mug shot is from a 2019 arrest.
Jonathan Amerson, 56, surrendered himself at Bayview Police Station around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, police said, adding that he was charged with two counts of robbery and two counts of elder abuse.
The second set of charges stem from an incident about two months ago in which Amerson reportedly robbed the same victim of his recycling materials in the same area, police said.
SCOTUS Will Review Abortion Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument on Wednesday, March 4, concerning the Louisiana state law that requires doctors performing abortions to have admission privileges at a state-authorized hospital within 30 miles of the abortion center.
Currently in the state, all doctors at outpatient surgical facilities, except abortion centers, must have admitting privileges at a local hospital, even though the Louisiana abortion industry has a long record of substandard practices that jeopardize the health and safety of women.
Liberty Counsel filed an amicus brief at the High Court on behalf of Operation Rescue and the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC) in June Medical Services LLC v. Russo (formerly June Medical Services LLC v. Gee).
As Liberty Counsel’s amicus brief outlines, Operation Rescue uncovered numerous instances of grossly unsafe practices at several abortion facilities in Louisiana, including at the Delta Clinic in Baton Rouge where two women died as a result of botched abortions and countless more were sent to the hospital.
China Targets American Company With Coronavirus Rumors
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has found itself the target of coronavirus-related misinformation, in an apparent attempt to dissuade American audience members from attending the classical Chinese dance performance.
Recently, rumors have been circulating on social media that some Shen Yun performers had been infected with the coronavirus, advising people not to attend its shows in the United States.
Those rumors prompted health authorities at one U.S. city where Shen Yun was performing, Salt Lake City, Utah, to publicly dispel the claims.
The performance has drawn the ire of the Chinese communist regime over its depiction of the ongoing persecution of spiritual group Falun Gong on stage.
As a result, the group has since its founding experienced persistent attempts by the regime to thwart its performances in a variety of ways.
CDC lab for coronavirus test kits may be contaminated: report
The Trump administration has reportedly ordered an investigation into a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lab in Atlanta that was in charge of assembling coronavirus test kits after a scientist with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised concerns that the lab itself may be “contaminated,” possibly leading to faulty test kits, according to reports.
At this time, it’s not clear if the alleged contamination at the Atlanta lab affected “delays or problems with testing,” per Axios, which noted:
“Nor was it clear how significant or systemic the contamination concerns may be; whether it was a one-time issue that’s easily resolved, or a broader concern involving protocols, safeguards or leadership.”
Federal judge orders Hillary Clinton deposition to address private emails: ‘Still more to learn’
Clinton has argued that she has already answered questions about this and should not have to do so again — the matter did not result in any charges for the then-presidential candidate in 2016 after a high-profile investigation — but D.C. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth said in his ruling that her past responses left much to be desired.
“As extensive as the existing record is, it does not sufficiently explain Secretary Clinton’s state of mind when she decided it would be an acceptable practice to set up and use a private server to conduct State Department business,” Lamberth said.
The ruling comes after Judicial Watch revealed at a December 2019 status conference that the FBI released “approximately thirty previously undisclosed Clinton emails,” and that the State Department “failed to fully explain” where they came from.
Health: Price Transparency | Full Measure
Commentary/Opinion:
The Trump administration has passed a brand new rule:
Starting next year, hospitals will have to finally reveal how much they really charge for medical services we buy – prices secretly negotiated with insurance companies that make it nearly impossible for us to to shop around.
Some states are already tackling their own version of price transparency as part of an attempt to cut unmanageable health care costs.
They’re having mixed success. Today the North Carolina project.
Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Obamacare Case
This is the third big case surrounding the Affordable Care Act, signed into law by Obama in 2010, the New York Times reported.
The Supreme Court granted petitions from Democrats who have pushed for the case to be heard quickly.
The current Obamacare case could end the entire law, but could also serve as a benefit for Democrats who want to show that the lawsuit could threaten health care coverage during an election year, Politico reported.
Flippy the Robot Is Your New Burger Chef
He can do everything from frying chicken fingers to sizzling beef patties.
Some might argue he does it even better than humans, as Flippy has built-in sensors to read temperatures.
Flippy, built by Miso Robotics, is the result of decades of research into robotics and machine learning. And he is here now to revolutionize the service economy.
Flippy used to cost more than $100,000 in 2016, but today the robot is available for a mere $10,000 or less.
As such, Flippy costs less than a minimum wage worker.
Politics:
Bernie Sanders roasted after reportedly boarding wrong private jet: ‘Could happen to anyone’
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
According to TMZ, the Vermont senator suffered a “momentary case of a campaign brain fart” as he accidentally boarded the wrong private Gulfstream on Saturday in between campaign stops in South Carolina and Massachusetts.
Mr. Sanders, a democratic socialist who built his political career on railing against the top 1% of American earners, has well outspent his Democratic rivals on private air travel, despite climate change being the focus of his campaign.
Critics on social media roasted the senator as a hypocrite after TMZ’s report.
Klobuchar ends Democratic presidential bid, set to endorse Biden
“The Klobuchar campaign confirms the senator is flying to Dallas to join Vice President Biden at his rally tonight where she will suspend her campaign and endorse the vice president,” said Carlie Waibel, the Klobuchar campaign press secretary.
Klobuchar’s withdrawal comes a day before the Super Tuesday contests and follows former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s exit from the race.
The exits of Buttigieg and Klobuchar signal the underlying concern party leaders have about the trajectory of the 2020 race — that unless those candidates representing the more moderate end of the spectrum close ranks behind the most viable choice,
Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont, could steamroll his way to become the party’s standard-bearer in November’s election.
Video Raises Questions About Bloomberg’s Views On Health Care For Older Americans
Bloomberg warned that society was not yet willing to make hard choices with respect to treating older Americans and this is “going to bankrupt us.”
The video reportedly was released by Daily Caller, a hyper partisan conservative website.
Bloomberg made the following statement:
“If you show up with prostate cancer and you’re 95, we should say ‘go and enjoy, have a nice day, live a long life.’
There’s no cure and we can’t do anything. If you’re a young person, we should do something about it,” said Bloomberg, a former New York City mayor.
World News:
Benjamin Netanyahu defeats Benny Gantz with striking 60-seat bloc
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
The numbers are expected to change overnight. The votes of soldiers, who tend to lean to the right, have not yet been counted and the Joint List tends to go down a seat when the soldiers’ votes are added.
But, if the Right does not obtain its 61st seat, it could end up being because the far-right Otzma Yehudit refused Netanyahu’s repeated requests to quit the race.
Netanyahu immediately tweeted “thank you.”
The outright victory in the third election in under a year is expected to enable Netanyahu to quickly form a right-wing coalition after having headed a caretaker government since December 2018.
North Korea launches 2 missiles
South Korean officials reportedly detected the new launches near the North Korean port town of Wonsan.
The missiles were originally reported as “unidentified projectiles” but Wall Street Journal and Reuters later reported them as “short-range missiles” citing South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The launches took place on North Korea’s east coast near the town of Wonsan, where other launches have occurred.
The missiles flew 22 miles high and for a distance of 149 miles before landing into the sea between South Korea and Japan.
US Navy warns China ‘You don’t want to play laser tag with us’ after Chinese destroyer shoots laser at US plane
(Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Daniel J. Meshel/U.S. Navy)
In an Instagram post Friday, the U.S. Navy referenced the recent laser incident, which it described as “unsafe and unprofessional” and which violated a 2014 agreement between the U.S. and China to regulate encounters at sea.
The U.S. Navy’s social media post came with the warning, “You don’t want to play laser tag with us.”
The laser appears to have been fired from a PLA Navy destroyer while the P-8A was flying over international waters approximately 380 miles off the west coast of Guam.
Weapons-grade lasers have the potential to harm flight crews and damage ship and aircraft systems. The Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) agreement between China and the U.S. specifically addresses the use of lasers that can harm personnel or damage equipment.
Washington slashes Chinese journalist quota after Beijing expels US reporters
The move comes two weeks after China expelled three Wall Street Journal reporters, although the United States said its decision was based on leveling numbers between the countries rather than retaliating over content.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that China has “imposed increasingly harsh surveillance, harassment and intimidation against American and other foreign journalists operating in China”.
China on 19 February threw out three reporters from the Wall Street Journal – two US nationals and an Australian – over what it deemed a racist headline on an opinion piece in its harshest move against international media in years.
Apple, Nike, and other major companies allegedly using labor linked to Muslim Uighur slave trade in China: Report
Between 2017 and 2019, an estimated 80,000 Uighurs were transferred from the autonomous Chinese province of Xinjiang to work in factories in other parts of China, while living in segregated dormitories and continuing to be subject to indoctrination efforts by the communist Chinese government.
According to the ASPI report, the indoctrination effort is moving to a new phase in which most of the detainees have “graduated” and are now being sent to work in factories throughout China, sometimes producing goods sold by some of the most prominent American companies:
The ASPI report alleges that local government officials and private brokers are paid on a per-head basis by the Xinjiang provincial government for facilitating the transfer of workers from detention camps to factories for forced-labor assignments.
Putin’s new amendments revere God, ban same sex marriages
Lawmakers say they include an article that points to a millennium-long Russian history and pledges homage to “ancestors who bequeathed to us their ideals and a belief in God.”
The amendment follows a proposal by the Russian Orthodox Church to add a reference to God to the Constitution.
Another amendment describes marriage as a “union of a man and a woman,” a wording in sync with Putin’s long-stated opposition to same-sex marriages.
Israel holds 3rd elections under one year, amid coronavirus concerns – 2.3.2020 TV7 Israel News
1) In one-hour time, voting polls across the Jewish State, after millions of Israelis flooded to voting stations, for the third consecutive time in less than one year.
2) Turkey has stepped-up its offensive in the war-torn country’s northwestern Idlib region – officially declaring the launch of ‘Operation Spring Shield’.
3) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirms that borders have been opened for migrants to infiltrate Europe.
Coronavirus-linked South Korea sect leader apologizes for virus spread amid murder probe
The head of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Lee Man-hee – who claims he is the second coming of Jesus Christ and will take 144,000 people to heaven, as promised in the Bible – got on his knees and bowed at a hastily arranged news conference Monday, according to Straits Times.
In the largest outbreak outside of China, the majority of the country’s more than 4,335 confirmed cases are members of the secretive group, labeled a cult in South Korea and by the Christian community, according to a spokesman for the church.
“We did our best but were not able to stop the spread of the virus,” the 88-year-old leader said at the news conference in Gapyeong, northeast of Seoul.
Afghan conflict: Taliban to resume attacking local forces after deal with US
The hard-line Islamist group had observed a “reduction in violence” in the week leading up to the agreement.
But the group’s spokesman said on Monday the talks would not go ahead if 5,000 Taliban prisoners held by the government were not released.
“There is no commitment to releasing 5,000 prisoners,” Mr Ghani said.
“This is the right and the self-will of the people of Afghanistan. It could be included in the agenda of the intra-Afghan talks, but cannot be a prerequisite for talks.”
Report: War crimes committed by almost all sides in Syria
The Commission of Inquiry for Syria has been tracking and chronicling human rights abuses and violations since shortly after Syria’s war began in 2011.
They revealed the findings in their 19th regular report on Monday, this time covering July 11 last year until Jan. 10.
That period was marked by several key developments in the war.
Coronavirus: Shocking Footage Reveals Police Brutality
On this episode of Declassified we bring you shocking footage that The Epoch Times has collected off social media.
It will give you a first-hand look at what is happening inside China as coronavirus continues to grip the nation.
Commentary/Opinion:
How modern education has destroyed the next generation’s soul
Hardly a day goes by that you don’t hear the question: How did we get in this mess?
Where did this lunacy come from, and how did it all happen so quickly?
Well, let’s play a game. Let’s play “imagine.”
Imagine that we live in a day where we intentionally sever a man’s arm from his body and then expect him to win a fight.
Imagine that we live in a country where it’s common practice to remove a woman’s eyes from her head and then ask her to paint her portrait.
Imagine that ours is a time where we surgically alter a child’s frontal lobe and then demand he explain an algebraic formula.
Steve Hilton: The People vs. NBC News
Steve Hilton says NBC News is run by people who actively worked to keep Harvey Weinstein’s crimes a secret.
PragerU’s Will Witt: Why people and businesses are fleeing California to red states
“Over the past 10 years, 5 million people have left California and 15,000 businesses [have left],” Witt told “Fox & Friends Weekend” host Dean Cain.
“The state and local government is more worried about banning plastic straws than they actually are about solving all the problems in the state. One in five people in California live below the poverty line.”
Witt said that the mini-documentary is expected to be released “mid-March.” Witt said that the documentary addressed how Texas is performing better than California in terms of “cost of living,” “education,” and “every other metric.”