US News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion and Video Post.
US News:
Millions of Americans are at risk of blackouts this summer
That warning was given by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), which released a map showing Michigan, most of Indiana, most of Illinois, and Wisconsin were in trouble.
Also at the highest risk are Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and a small part of East Texas. That high-risk classification means that the existing power grid is ‘potentially insufficient to meet peak load during both normal and extreme conditions,’ according to NERC.
Every state that sits further west of that area is at an elevated risk, according to NERC. That means power plants should have sufficient resources ‘to meet peak load during normal conditions, but potentially insufficient during extreme conditions.’
The latest summer energy assessment comes from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, which oversees the stability of power grids across the region.
‘It’s a pretty sobering report, and it’s clear the risks are spreading,’ said John Moura, director of reliability assessment and performance analysis. ‘I certainly do think it’s our most cautionary tale here.’
The organization found that power supplies will be stretched thin as energy usage returns to normal, pre-pandemic levels, BNN Bloomberg reports.
Moreover, traditional power plants are shutting down faster than renewable energy sources can fill, creating a power gap that elevates risks in times of need, such as during scorching summers.
Low wind speeds could also trigger blackouts
Report: Space Force Will Target China Threat
A new Space Force service component will focus on China’s growing military capabilities, National Defense is reporting.
It was China’s military threat that sparked the plan to put the first service component in the Indo-Pacific region, said Lt. Gen. Chance Saltzman, deputy chief for operations, nuclear and cyber, during a Defense Writers Group event.
He did not detail the time frame for the service component, but said Space Force was working through administrative matters with the State Department and the Pentagon.
Saltzman also revealed Space Force is watching Ukraine.
He noted the “heavy reliance” on satellite communications and other space-based capability playing out. He singled out Starlink, the satellite-based internet division of SpaceX, which successfully fought off a Russian jamming attack in Ukraine.
Twitter to add warning label to tweets it deems ‘viral misinformation’
The social media platform announced the policy Thursday with an official blog post. The feature would allow Twitter representatives to censor or handicap posts they determine to be misleading or false. The company claimed that the suppression tools will only be used in the case of a “humanitarian crisis.”
“Today, we’re introducing our crisis misinformation policy – a global policy that will guide our efforts to elevate credible, authoritative information, and will help to ensure viral misinformation isn’t amplified or recommended by us during crises. In times of crisis, misleading information can undermine public trust and cause further harm to already vulnerable communities.”
“For the purposes of this policy, we define crises as situations in which there is a widespread threat to life, physical safety, health, or basic subsistence,” the company said. “This definition is consistent with the United Nations’ definition of a humanitarian crisis and other humanitarian assessments.”
Twitter will utilize a variety of suppression methods on “misleading” tweets, including removing posts from recommended content and keeping the tweets from being amplified via engagement.
Maria Bartiromo: ‘We may very well be in a recession right now’
FOX Business host discusses sliding stock prices amid inflation following the Dow Jones’ worst market day since 2020 on ‘America’s Newsroom.’
Buffalo grocery store manager talked to suspect before shooting: ‘How did we miss this?’
Rose Wysocki questioned how employees missed the red flags associated with the suspect, 18-year-old Payton Gendron, who had been seen in the store a dozen times before the shooting.
Wysocki claims Gendron once asked her why she was working at an “all-Black store,” telling her she looked like she belongs in the suburbs.
“How did we miss this?,” Wysocki asked Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams. “What did we do wrong that we missed this?”
Gendron was kicked out of the store the night before the shooting for agitating customers and allegedly cased the site again the next morning.
Gun in 8-Year-Old’s Backpack Goes Off at School, Mom Charged
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
A Chicago mother has been charged with child endangerment after a gun in her second grader’s backpack accidentally discharged at school, injuring a 7-year-old classmate, police said Wednesday.
The 28-year-old woman appeared in court on Wednesday on three misdemeanor child endangerment counts. A judge ordered her release from Cook County Jail on $1,000 bond.
During the hearing, prosecutors alleged that the woman’s 8-year-old son found the gun underneath her bed and took it to Walt Disney Magnet School on the city’s North Side on Tuesday. The mother has a valid firearm owner’s identification card.
Sexual Harassment for misusing Pronouns?
Middle schoolers accused of sexual harassment for not using preferred pronouns https://www.weau.com/2022/05/16/middl… #pronouns #sexualharassment #wokeism
The Dangers of Gender Ideology. | CLIP | American Thought Leaders
“If this was just kids, you know, of having a new a new way to talk about whether they’re masculine or feminine, that’d be one thing.
But it’s got the whole, like, gender ideology, trans conversation that comes in on it, which is a medicalized conversation in and of itself. So that’s why I think that is potentially dangerous for for kids to be taught.”
Colin Wright explains the potentially dangerous side effects of gender ideology with children, saying that while it might seem an innocuous thing, it actually opens up potentially medical conversations to impressionable young children.
Biden administration admits what triggered huge oil and gas permit delays
Richard Spinrad, the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said a subagency “discovered a miscalculation” that has caused a massive backlog in permitting, in the April 29 letter obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. Spinrad acknowledged the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) — the subagency tasked with analyzing the impact of offshore drilling projects on wildlife — has used faulty modeling on such impacts and, as a result, overestimated wildlife effects, delaying permitting on existing leases.
The NOAA administrator’s letter came in response to an April 5 letter from NOIA, the American Petroleum Institute and the EnerGeo Alliance, warning that energy producers had experienced significant permitting delays. In particular, oil and gas companies have reported delays in obtaining letters of authorization (LOA) from the NMFS to conduct pre-drilling activity, including seismic surveying and geological exploration, in the Gulf of Mexico.
Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior (DOI) canceled all remaining offshore lease sales on May 11, including a sale spanning 1.09 million acres in the Cook Inlet in Alaska. The DOI has also dragged its feet on replacing the current offshore leasing plan that expires in late June and suggested in its latest budget proposal that the next offshore sale wouldn’t take place until fall 2023 at the earliest.
Leftist ESG policies are DESTROYING oil & gas ON PURPOSE
JP Morgan now predicts the U.S. average price for gasoline this summer will be $6.00 a gallon.
Last May, the average was just over THREE. We are in real, serious trouble Glenn says…especially since it seems our current oil & gas catastrophe is BY DESIGN by far-left politicians pushing ESG into ever sector of our free market (it’s could hit electricity hard this summer, too).
Glenn explains why leftists may be doing this ON PURPOSE, and what our nation could look like just 12 months from now: ‘You NEED to prepare.’
“Jesus Saves” Man Crashes Pro-Abortion Protest: “I Love All You Guys!”
A Christian activist who crashed a pro-abortion March on Saturday, was met with middle fingers, cursing, and anti-Christian sentiments.
Illegal Alien Charged with Raping His Young Daughter, Giving Her Chlamydia
Ronaldo Saul Monteroso Gonzalez, a 25-year-old illegal alien, was arrested and charged with aggravated rape of a child last week and booked into the Metro Nashville Jail, where he is being held on a $250,000 bond.
According to a police report obtained by local outlet Scoop Nashville, Gonzalez’s daughter, who is three-years-old or younger, was taken to a nearby children’s hospital after having stated that her father was sexually abusing her.
A sexual assault exam was taken in late February and the child tested positive for the sexually transmitted infection known as Chlamydia. Police only arrested Gonzalez last week because they said they could not locate him.
1K Migrants Apprehended in 2 Days at 2 West Texas Border Crossing Points
Eagle Pass Station Border Patrol agents working the border at Normandy and Eagle Pass encountered six large migrant groups during a 36-hour period, according to information provided by Del Rio Sector Border Patrol officials. The Border Patrol defines a large group as 100 or more migrants who cross in a single group.
Beginning around noon on May 16, Eagle Pass agents working near Normandy encountered a group of 158 migrants shortly after they illegally crossed the Rio Grande. A second large group of 220 migrants crossed in the same area about six hours later, officials stated.
The following morning, agents patrolling near Eagle Pass encountered a third large group of migrants. This time, the encounter led to the apprehension of 105 migrants. A second large group of 195 migrants crossed nearby at about the same time.
At about 3 p.m., agents working the Normandy area found another large group of migrants — this time it included 174 migrants. Shortly before midnight another large group of 124 migrants crossed near Normandy.
PHOTOS: Mexico’s Shelves are Stocked with Baby Formula amid U.S. Shortage
Breitbart Texas dispatched local reporters to document the availability of baby formula in various Mexican cities, including several along the U.S. border.
In the city of Piedras Negras, opposite Eagle Pass, Texas, the Soriana Supermarket is fully stocked for infant nutrition items.
In Eagle Pass, Walmart aisles were empty.
In the capital of the border state of Tamaulipas, Ciudad Victoria, a Soriana Supermarket presented a similar scene.
In the border city of Matamoros, just south of Brownsville, Texas, a Walmart supermarket and also fully stocked. In Mexico City, a Walmart offered full shelves.
Birmingham private school assignment compares Barack Obama to monkeys
The Roeper School is the oldest K through 12 school for gifted children in the country. But the school is facing a wave of controversy after students were given an assignment titled ‘an introduction to primates’ and former President Barack Obama’s photo was listed.
The assignment was passed out in the high school biology class earlier this month. The Birmingham private school prides itself on diversity and an alternative education, which costs up to $30,000 each year.
But this month, the curriculum passed out to students instructed students to pick from a gallery of photos labeled apes, monkeys, and lemurs. And there, in the second row, is former President Barack Obama.
At least 135 teachers, aides charged with child sex crimes this year alone
An analysis conducted by Fox News Digital looked at local news stories week by week featuring arrests of teachers and teachers’ aides on child sex-related crimes in school districts across the country. Arrests that weren’t publicized were not counted in the analysis, meaning the true number may well be higher.
Many of the arrests involved especially heinous allegations.
On April 11, police in California charged Anthony James Phillips, a 61-year-old former teacher at Cupertino Middle School in Sunnyvale, with aggravated sexual assault of a child, forcible penetration with a foreign object, and forcible penetration with a foreign object upon a child.
Phillips is accused of raping a student in 2009 when he was still a teacher at Cupertino.
Anessa Paige Gower, a 35-year-old former biology teacher at Making Waves Academy in Richmond, California, was charged with 29 counts of child molestation on April 8.
Gower is accused of sexually abusing seven students between 2021-2022 when she was a teacher at Making Waves, with allegations including forcible sodomy of minors and sharing sexually graphic photos over online platforms. She is due back in court on June 2.
U.S. Census Bureau Keeps Hiring “Unsuitable Individuals” with Criminal Records
Thirteen years after a federal investigation blasted the U.S. Census Bureau for hiring criminals to enter American homes to gather statistics for the decennial count, a new audit reveals the disturbing practice continues. In fact, more than a decade after the problem was exposed workers for the 2020 count were not properly vetted and many with criminal records had direct interactions with the public.
The most recent probe, conducted by the Department of Commerce Inspector General, found that “dozens of employees who worked on address canvassing in advance of the 2020 census had major issues flagged on their investigations, which typically means employees are automatically disqualified from their federal jobs.”
The process includes sending fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and a credit history as well as self-disclosed criminal record to CIS for review. Nevertheless, the Bureau still hires felons—including sex offenders—at regional offices nationwide.
As an example, a few years ago the Charlotte, North Carolina Area Census Office (ACO) employed a man convicted of a felony involving sex with a child as a regional recruiting manager because despite his criminal record, he passed the Census Bureau’s background check.
Politics:
‘With All Due Respect That’s Utter Nonsense’: Josh Hawley Clashes With Jennifer Granholm
At today’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) grilled Energy Sec. Jennifer Granholm.
‘Should Material Like This Be In A Mathematics Textbook?’: Byron Donalds Grills Panel About CRT
At today’s House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) questioned witnesses about the contents of a math textbook.
Senate Passes $40 Billion Aid Package For Ukraine
The Senate voted Thursday to pass the $40 billion aid package for Ukraine as the country has been defending itself against an invasion from Russia. The bill now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk.
The package, passed by the House May 10 on a 368-57 vote, includes $6 billion for Ukrainian intelligence, equipment and training, $4 billion for Ukrainian military financing, $8.7 billion for the U.S. to restock weapons, $3.9 billion for U.S. troops in Eastern Europe, $8.8 billion for the Ukrainian government, $5 billion for countries facing food shortages due to the Russia-Ukraine war and $900 million on English lessons for Ukrainian refugees in the U.S.
The final Senate vote was 86-11.
Kennedy questions Michael Barr of Federal Reserve in Banking hearing
‘What Is The Latest You Performed An Abortion?’: Chip Roy Grills Witness
At Wednesday House Judiciary Committee hearing on abortion, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) questioned witnesses.
Ronna McDaniel: Trump created a vaccine, Biden can’t get baby formula | ‘John Bachman Now’
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel compares the current baby formula shortage under President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump’s Operation Warp Speed that produced the COVID-19 vaccine – Via Newsmax’s ‘John Bachman Now.’
There is nothing more dangerous than desperate politicians: Charlie Hurt
Charlie Hurt warns ‘The Ingraham Angle’ that it’s going to get pretty scary between now and November.
Tammy Bruce: This is what American Democracy is supposed to be
Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce provides analysis of Tuesday’s primary elections and discusses the wins by Trump-endorsed candidates.
Tucker: Inflation is proof the people in charge are reckless and stupid
Fox News host voices his concerns over inflation and American energy imports on ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight.’
World News:
Why Monkeypox Cases Are Spreading in Europe, US
Here is what scientists know so far.
‘HIGHLY UNUSUAL’
Monkeypox is a virus that causes fever symptoms as well as a distinctive bumpy rash. It is usually mild, although there are two main strains: the Congo strain, which is more severe – with up to 10% mortality – and the West African strain, which has a fatality rate in about 1% of cases. The UK cases have been reported as the West African strain.
“Historically, there have been very few cases exported. It has only happened eight times in the past before this year,” said Jimmy Whitworth, a professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who said it was “highly unusual.”
Portugal has logged five confirmed cases, and Spain is testing 23 potential cases. Neither country has reported cases before. The United States has also reported one case.
Monkeypox puts virologists on the alert because it is in the smallpox family, although it causes less serious illness.
King Abdullah II warns ‘Iran filling void in Syria’; Hezbollah admits defeat – TV7 Israel News 19.05
1) Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz stresses to Washington’s most senior defense brass that bolstering Israel-U.S. cooperation to contend with the Iranian threat is imperative.
2) Jordan’s King Abdullah II warns that a vacuum that emerged in Syria, in light of Russia’s gradual disengagement, is being exploited by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies.
3) Secretary General of the Lebanese Iranian-proxy Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, acknowledged that his political bloc has lost its majority in parliament.
Hong Kong Telegram group admin jailed for 6.5 years for conspiring to incite violence during protests
Deputy District Judge Peter Hui sentenced computer technician Ng Man-ho on Thursday, a month after the 27-year-old, who ran a Telegram group called SUCK Channel, was found guilty of seven charges of conspiring to incite others to commit illegal acts during the 2019 extradition bill protests and subsequent months.
Ng, who had pleaded not guilty to all charges, had been detained for more than 20 months. His channel was said to have contained around 120 messages and photos that incited others to vandalise pro-government shops and commit criminal damage targeting police stations.
The group also hosted discussions on committing arson, Judge Hui said, including setting roadblocks on fire, hurling petrol bombs at police stations and teaching people to make such weapons. The conversation linked to arson went on for two to three months, Hui said.
Finland and Sweden bring military might to NATO
Sweden and Finland’s membership in NATO would integrate two of Europe’s most highly capable and modern militaries right on Russia’s doorstep, according to rankings and data from the Global Firepower Index.
Sweden and Finland are seeking to join to obtain security guarantees from the world’s most powerful military alliance. But experts say they wouldn’t be Article 5 freeloaders.
In addition to the strength of their navies and air force, Finland and Sweden will bring unique intelligence capabilities to NATO specifically tailored to the threat posed by their Russian neighbors.
“When you have military like ours, you really don’t have that much to worry about. And Russia knows that,” Alexander Stubb, Finland’s former prime minister, told Axios about the Kremlin’s saber-rattling.
US accuses Steve Wynn of acting as Chinese agent; Lobby group denounces US–China decoupling
The Justice Department is suing Steve Wynn. The former CEO of Wynn Resorts is accused of acting as a Chinese agent, and lobbying then-President Donald Trump.
Shanghai’s lockdown is causing a drug supply shortage in the United States. The Chinese city’s production has slowed to a halt as workers isolate at home.
A lobby group says U.S.-China decoupling would carry a heavy price tag, despite the Chinese market’s lockdown-driven slowdown.
A video of a Chinese state media journalist is getting attention online. The clip shows her walking through a U.S. shopping center, while saying the country has a long way to go before life is back to normal.
Commentary/Opinion:
Do This & You Become Pathetic | Peterson, Mac Donald, Weinstein & More | FREE SPEECH | Rubin Report
Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” talks to Jordan Peterson, Heather Mac Donald, Bret Weinstein, Yasmine Mohammed, Onkar Ghate, Steve Simpson, and Ari Cohn about the importance of free speech, and the first amendment in this special “best of” episode.
Jordan Peterson explains the psychological toll that self censorship can take on a person’s mental state and why you must speak your mind honestly.
Bret Weinstein and Steve Simpson discuss the best ways to deal with bad ideas and if the public square should be kept from extremist groups. Heather Mac Donald talks about the importance of diversity of thought.
Ari Cohn explains why there is no legal foundation for the concept of hate speech and why the American Civil Liberties Union defended the right of Nazis to march in Skokie, Illinois.
Finally, Yasmine Mohammed and Onkar Ghate explain the dangers of safe spaces and not exposing yourself to opposing ideas.