Month: September 2020

A group of international scientists questioned results from a study of Russia’s fast-moving coronavirus vaccine that were published in the Lancet medical journal, saying some of the findings appeared improbable. The researchers flagged concerns over seemingly identical levels of antibodies in a number of study participants who were inoculated with the experimental vaccine. This and other patterns in the data present “several different points of concern,” according to an open letter written by Temple University professor Enrico Bucci and signed by more than a dozen other scientists. Russia is sticking…

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NEW YORK (Reuters) – Market volatility is back – and investors expect more wild swings in the coming weeks and months as the U.S. presidential election closes in. Regardless of who wins the Nov. 3 election, some market watchers say, markets are likely to grow more turbulent. Economic uncertainty resulting from the coronavirus pandemic still looms large, and the possibility of a delayed vote count due to a large number of mail-in ballots has also unsettled some investors. Moreover, a buildup of positions in big tech-related stocks has increased risk,…

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Too many believe our nation is fundamentally unfair, oppressive to minorities, and raging with racial injustice. That belief was on full display as hundreds gathered for a March on Alaska rally at Town Square in Anchorage on Monday. Speakers complained repeatedly about America’s embedded systematic and structural racism. Even race baiting and hard Leftist politician Mayor Ethan Berkowitz got in on the act. “In this community, as we seek to overcome structural racism, we are doing things to dismantle. We are putting forward an office of equity and justice so…

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The NSA mass surveillance program, which saw the National Security Agency collecting communication records of US citizens without warrant or probable cause, has again been found to be illegal by an appeals court … Background The NSA began collecting bulk phone, messaging, and email data of US citizens following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The surveillance came to light in 2013 when it was disclosed by Edward Snowden, a whistle-blowing contractor who worked on the program. There were allegations that Apple, Google, and other tech giants were cooperating with the NSA…

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Seventy-five years after the formal surrender of Japan on the USS Missouri, it is a little difficult to get one’s arms around how much has changed since then.  In the 75 years from V-J Day to today, America has changed, from united as we have ever been to disunited as we have ever been. In 1945, enemy cities were firebombed; in 2020, American cities are firebombed.  In 1945, food was strictly rationed; in 2020, food is plentiful, but local authorities mandate conditions under which restaurants can operate.  In 1945, the nation mourned when…

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An old Cold War joke reports an international poll that asks the same question in every country: “Excuse me, what’s your opinion of the meat shortage?” The Poles say, “What’s meat?” The Chinese say, “What’s opinion?” The Americans say, “What’s shortage?” The Israelis say, “What’s excuse me?” No Chinese has ever run a community school board, a Little League association, or a volunteer fire brigade. For the past 2,500 years, and probably the past 5,000, orders in China have flowed downward from the top, through a vertical hierarchy. Everyone in…

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Driving across Arizona, it’s hard not to notice a surge in California license plates. The reason for this is becoming more apparent every day. California is a failed state. After nearly a decade of one-party rule, the once-Golden State is tarnished, possibly beyond repair. Listing all the problems facing our neighbors across the Colorado River would require several books, so I’ll only highlight a few. The fifth-largest economy in the world and home to many of the greatest technology companies on Earth can’t keep the lights on. The state’s three…

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Attorney General William Barr told Congress on Tuesday that he doesn’t believe police departments are systemically racist, pushing back against Democrats’ overarching justification for implementing sweeping police reforms after high-profile, police-involved deaths of Black Americans. His comments came during a House Judiciary Committee hearing where Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, pressed Barr on the administration’s efforts to counter systemic racism. “I don’t agree there’s systemic racism in the police department, generally, in this country,” Barr said. In his opening statement, Barr said it was “understandable” that African Americans harbored distrust towards the…

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Police in Australia arrested a pregnant 28-year-old woman in front of her partner and two children Wednesday for allegedly planning a coronavirus lockdown protest and promoting it on Facebook. Police in the state of Victoria took the woman, Zoe Buhler, into custody at her home after she created a “freedom day” event on Facebook calling for people to peacefully gather against the government’s lockdown measures. “As some of you may have seen the government has gone to extreme measures and are using scare tactics through the media to prevent the…

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Round about a month ago, I took a closer look at Joe Biden’s retirement-related policy proposals, or, more specifically, those of the “Unity Task Force,” which had just released its final document. One of the items in that document and on the Biden campaign website is a promise to “equalize the network of retirement saving tax breaks” — a proposal that generally translates to eliminating the tax advantages currently enjoyed by retirement savings accounts and replacing them with a “credit” or “match.” The idea is that the tax advantages, or…

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