According to the Association of the U.S. Army, the crisis of doctor shortages has been increasing for years, which negatively affects military readiness. Their own report cited the inability of the Army, Navy, and Air Force to recruit and retain enough doctors. As the number of military physicians has consistently decreased, the armed services have been forced to close some hospitals, to lower other hospitals to clinic status, and to use nurses and technicians as "physician extenders.”
More recently, leading U.S. physicians have spoken out about the largest healthcare monopoly in the country that we have ever seen, which also involves our medical residency programs. This too affects military readiness.
A renowned doctor recently wrote an OpEd in the Wall Street Journal scratching the surface on this crisis. He described how the private American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) acts like a regulator, hamstringing physicians with endless fees, paperwork, and testing.
Not only doctors are sounding the alarm. Adam Candeub, leading antitrust attorney and current General Counsel to the FCC, stated in his white paper titled The American Board of Medical Specialties: Certification and The Need for Antitrust Enforcement, that “board certification serves as medicine’s gatekeeper.” He went on to say that “competition among organizations providing these certification services drives innovation and lowers healthcare costs. The domination of the American Board of Medical Specialists (ABMS) over certification is dramatically raising certification costs and indirectly accreditation costs throughout medicine, decreasing access to physicians, increasing already exploding medical budgets, and reducing healthcare innovation.”
The urgent issue is this self proclaimed “Gold Standard and Gatekeeper” has created the largest monopoly in physician care that we’ve ever seen. All the while contributing to our current and growing physician shortages. It is important to note that testing is a key component that ensures physicians meet the very standards needed for higher quality care for all Americans.
The ABMS has long been working with the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to corner the market on physician board certification. Their collusive relationship, which began when ABMS co-founded the ACGME, can be considered one of the root causes of physician shortages throughout the country, the military, and within key specialties. The impact can be seen in every aspect of our health care system, greatly contributing to shortages in specialties within primary care, especially access to much-needed specialties for 21st-century medicine throughout rural America. These include emergency and integrative medicine as well as family medicine obstetrics.
In March, the Republican leadership of the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel launched a probe into the nation’s medical residency system. The ACGME was one of the organizations asked to provide documents to the Committee along with the AMA and major universities. U.S. Representative Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), said “for years, resident wages have remained stagnant while doctor shortages have increased, which harms medical students and hospital patients, and forces us to rely on foreign talent to fill the gap.”
With the Trump Administration’s mandate to end bureaucracies and monopolies within our healthcare system, Congress and HHS need to act now. The collusive activities of the ABMS and the ACGME have suppressed innovation and restricted access across the country. In addition, their bureaucratic control has gone beyond that of federal agencies such as HHS, as they now hold the Defense Health Agency under regulatory capture. This resulted in limiting our military’s ability to access much needed physician care. This drastically impacts not just military personnel, but global readiness.
Many have spoken on the impact on maternal care, as pregnant servicewomen and military spouses often have to travel hours away or even back to mainland U.S. for months at a time to have their baby alone.
Now more than ever we need Congress and HHS to investigate the root causes of doctor shortages which in turn helps strengthen our military.
Jeff Morris, JD is CEO of American Board of Physician Specialties.
Joe Kent Sounds Alarm: Biden's Border Invasion Flooded Nation With 18,000 Known And Suspected Terrorists
In the wake of last month's shooting of two National Guard service members just blocks from the White House by a radicalized Afghan national who entered the U.S. under the Biden-Harris regime, National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent warned the House Homeland Security Committee that the Homeland faces an elevated terrorism risk tied to years of nation-killing open border policies.
On Thursday, Kent testified that the NCTC has identified 18,000 "known and suspected terrorists that the Biden administration let come into our country."
He continued, "These are individuals who, under normal circumstances, would never be allowed to enter our country because of their ties to jihadi groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda. Yet, the Biden administration not only let them into the country, but in many cases facilitated their entry into the country."
Kent's testimony and exchanges with members of Congress provided a glimpse into what some of the deepest national security circles in Washington are clearly thinking, informed by their intelligence sources both overseas and domestically.
Kent called Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 under Biden and shot the soldiers in D.C., killing one, "the Afghan terrorist."
"The individual terrorist who committed the attack in D.C. was vetted to serve as a soldier in Afghanistan. The Biden administration essentially used his tactical-level vetting, and we are seeing the tragic results of that now," he said, adding, "That Afghan attacker is just one of 88,000. We've identified 2,000 who have ties to terrorist organizations."
.@NCTCKent: "So far, NCTC has identified around 18,000 known and suspected terrorists that the Biden administration let come into our country." pic.twitter.com/XPrHdKMICK
One of the few other individuals in the public domain who has warned repeatedly, sometimes in a sensational way, is former CIA targeting officer Sarah Adams. She has warned about al-Qaeda sleeper cells.
More recently, Adams warned, "It's past time @DHSgov stops playing pretend and finally raises the terrorism threat level in this country. We have more than 10,000 Islamist terrorists on our soil, and they cannot keep looking the other way. They don't get to pad their stats by slapping the terrorist label on everyday criminals while ignoring the actual extremists already here. This is dereliction, full stop."
It’s past time @DHSgov stops playing pretend and finally raises the terrorism threat level in this country. We have more than 10,000 Islamist terrorists on our soil, and they cannot keep looking the other way. They don’t get to pad their stats by slapping the terrorist label on…
That may be the real reason the Trump administration has deployed National Guard troops in several major cities. There is clearly much the public is not being told, and the threat cannot be dismissed, given that the previous administration intentionally collapsed the nation's border and allowed for an invasion. Kent's comments reinforce the urgency in national security circles to address incoming threats to the Homeland.
Coffee is beloved for its caffeine kick and flavor, but it also helps reduce risks from chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease thanks to high levels of antioxidants and other bioactive compounds.
However, along with its nutty flavor and comforting aroma, researchers have found traces of potentially cancer-causing roasting byproducts, mycotoxins from mold, cholesterol-raising compounds, and even pesticide residues that can linger from farm to mug.
The good news is that the choices you make, from the type of coffee you buy to how you store, prepare, and drink it, can reduce these and other unwanted compounds swirling around in your favorite morning brew.
Before you pour out your cup, though, here’s what you need to know.
What Scientists Have Found in Coffee
Coffee contains high levels of antioxidants and bioactive compounds, such as phenolic acids, which studies suggest may be responsible for its health-boosting effects. However, other lesser-known compounds lurking in coffee aren’t as beneficial, and some may actually be harmful to your health.
While scientists have identified trace amounts of various compounds in coffee, the levels detected in research are generally low and do not pose significant health risks to most people. That said, the choices you make about the type of coffee you buy and how you store, prepare, and drink it can further reduce these trace substances.
Mycotoxins From Mold
Improper storage of coffee can lead to mold growth and the formation of mycotoxins, which, in high amounts, may affect kidney function and increase cancer risk, Julia Kopczyńska, microbiologist and doctoral candidate at the Polish Academy of Sciences, told The Epoch Times.
In one study, researchers found 29 different mycotoxins in 48 coffee and chicory samples they tested.
Overall, most research has shown that coffee contains low levels of mycotoxins, and scientists have found that roasting can further reduce these levels, so the overall risk for most coffee drinkers is low.
However, among potential contaminants, Brian Clark, a nurse anesthetist and founder and CEO of United Medical Education, a platform for educating medical professionals, is most concerned about mold-related toxic compounds in coffee.
He noted that people with compromised immune systems may be more sensitive to environmental toxins, such as mycotoxins, making this the compound category that warrants the most attention for vulnerable populations.
Roasting Byproducts
While roasting coffee can reduce mycotoxins, it can also lead to the formation of acrylamide, a compound that has potentially cancer-causing and nerve-damaging properties and may harm a person’s genes, one research review suggests. Acrylamide forms when processing temperatures rise above 120 degrees Celsius (248 degrees Fahrenheit).
However, most healthy adults can process small amounts of acrylamide without adverse health effects. So, it would be difficult for a person who regularly drinks coffee to exceed laboratory exposure limits and experience any neurologic and carcinogenic issues, said Clark.
How people store and brew their coffee can also impact acrylamide levels. Storing beans or ground coffee for at least a year at an average room temperature, then brewing it longer and at a lower temperature, can further reduce acrylamide levels.
The type of bean also makes a difference, as Arabica beans generate less acrylamide than other types.
Natural Coffee Oils (Diterpenes)
Natural oils in coffee, such as the diterpenes cafestol and kahweol, can raise cholesterol levels, particularly in people who drink unfiltered coffee, Kopczyńska noted.
A September review of 11 studies with more than one million participants found that moderate coffee intake (three to five cups per day) may be associated with higher high-density lipoprotein or HDL (good cholesterol) levels, while excessive intake may be associated with elevated low-density lipoprotein or LDL (bad cholesterol) and total cholesterol. Research suggests that diterpenes may influence lipid metabolism and how the body synthesizes and transports cholesterol.
However, diterpenes also have several health-promoting effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anticancer properties, Kopczyńska said.
“Reducing diterpenes is therefore most [important] for people who need to manage their LDL cholesterol levels,” she noted.
Pesticide Residues
In a September study,scientists analyzed nearly 900 coffee samples sold in Egypt for 126 pesticides and found that 21 percent of the roasted samples contained pesticide residues.
Espresso and traditional Turkish coffee brewing methods reduced pesticide residues, the scientists noted, with espresso methods generally being more effective. Despite the findings, the researchers’ risk assessments revealed that the health risks from pesticide exposure through coffee consumption are low.
The Clean Label Project, a nonprofit organization that tests products for contaminants, tested 57 coffee brands for chemicals, including pesticides and glyphosate, a widely used herbicide classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the World Health Organization in 2015. Its report found that only two of 57 coffee samples tested had traces of glyphosate.
However, 41 of the samples, including 100 percent of the organic samples, contained aminomethylphosphonic acid, a byproduct of glyphosate that breaks down more slowly and stays in the coffee beans for longer.
Children exposed to this byproduct may have an increased risk of liver and cardiometabolic disorders by the time they reach adulthood, a 2023 study suggests.
Pesticides and herbicides used on coffee plantations may have harmful effects on the endocrine and nervous systems, but residues in coffee are generally within safe limits, Kopczyńska said. However, she added that they can contribute to a person’s overall exposure from other food or environmental sources.
Your Choice of Coffee Matters
Everything from the type of coffee purchased to the package it comes in, and even what’s stirred into it, can change what ends up in a cup of joe.
Skip the Pods
While convenient, pod-type coffee, or K-cups, which come in plastic containers, can leach chemicals like phthalates (synthetic industrial chemicals) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or “forever chemicals,” into a person’s coffee.
PFAS are linked to a host of health concerns. For example, people exposed to high levels of PFAS in their drinking water may be at higher risk for several types of cancer, a January study found.
Research published in February found that machine-brewed pod coffee had about 2.5 times more fluorotelomer sulfonates, a type of PFAS, than the same coffee brewed through a paper filter without the pod. When the scientists brewed plastic pods made from polypropylene, perfluorooctanoic acid, a type of PFAS, increased by 39 percent to 623 percent when machine-brewed compared to manual brewing.
Heat, combined with the pressure created during the brewing process, is how PFAS leaches from plastic pods into a person’s cup, the researchers noted.
Rethink Flavored Coffee
While they may be a delicious change from plain java, artificially flavored brews like French vanilla, hazelnut, or caramel can reduce coffee’s health benefits.
These flavorings can decrease beneficial chlorogenic acids—a group of polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties—and increase the levels of harmful compounds like acrylamide, compared to coffee flavored naturally, according to one study.
Reconsider Decaffeinated Coffee
Pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions, or those who are sensitive to caffeine’s effects might choose decaffeinated coffee as an alternative. However, concerns have emerged over the health effects of methylene chloride, an industrial chemical used in the decaffeination process to extract caffeine.
In July, researchers found that decaffeinated coffee may increase the risk of bladder cancer. In the study, the scientists followed more than 121,000 men and women for 36 years and found that drinking decaffeinated coffee was not associated with total cancer risk. However, men who drank the beverage had a significantly higher risk of bladder cancer than those who did not.
Think Twice About Instant Coffee
That cup of ready-to-drink coffee, which is brewed coffee that’s been dehydrated into powder or granules, is convenient on a busy morning. However, drinking instant coffee may increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration in people genetically prone to the disease, a June study found.
While many factors may play a role, the scientists noted that instant coffee’s impact on the macula may be due to inflammation and oxidative stress induced by the harmful chemicals produced during its production. They suggest that people at high risk for age-related macular degeneration should avoid instant coffee.
Be Mindful of What You Add
Although cream and sugar may make a tasty cup of coffee, adding these could undermine coffee’s health benefits.
In one study, researchers found that drinking black coffee lowered the risk of death from all causes and heart disease. However, these health benefits diminished significantly when coffee contained added sugar and cream, as these additions can contribute to a higher calorie and saturated fat intake.
Nondairy coffee creamers might not be the best choice for people who want to replace traditional cream and sugar in their coffee, either. Typically, nondairy creamers contain partially hydrogenated oils, which are high in trans fatty acids. Trans fat can raise LDL cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease.
Nondairy creamers can also contain emulsifiers such as carrageenan and mono- and diglycerides, which may alter the gut microbiome, potentially leading to intestinal inflammation and immune system dysfunction.
Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and erythritol may be more problematic. Aspartame has been linked to gut biome disruption and increased cancer risks, and erythritol may increase the risk of blood clots, a March study suggests.
Steps to Optimize Your Coffee
If a person is concerned about what’s in their coffee, Clark suggests purchasing whole beans from suppliers who control drying and storage, and storing them in airtight containers in a cool, dry location to slow the breakdown of the beans and inhibit mold growth.
“Although the acrylamide levels in coffee have not been shown to increase cancer risk, it is best to avoid instant coffee and coffee substitutes, which contain up to 300 percent more acrylamide,” Kopczyńska said. “Darker roasts also contain less acrylamide than lighter ones.”
To reduce diterpene intake, Kopczyńska suggests switching to filtered coffee, which contains roughly 30 times less diterpenes than French press or other unfiltered methods.
She also advises people to buy organic coffee, if possible, to minimize cumulative pesticide exposure.
Though organic coffee is grown without synthetic pesticides or herbicides, which can significantly reduce exposure to these chemicals, even organic beans may have traces of pesticide residues due to environmental contamination.
By carefully choosing the type of coffee and being mindful of storage and brewing practices, a person can significantly reduce the presence of unwanted chemicals in their coffee, long before it reaches their morning cup.
At least 11 Palestinians have died in storm-hit Gaza from cold and collapsing buildings within the last 24 hours. Two children - nine-year-old Hadeel Hamdan and an infant, Taim Khawaja - died from cold in Gaza City on Friday, according to medical sources.
Another child, eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar, died in Khan Younis on Thursday after rainwater leaked into her family’s tent during overnight storms. Five people were killed when a damaged house in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, collapsed under floods and strong winds. Several others were injured.
Two more deaths occurred when a wall collapsed on tents of displaced Palestinians in the al-Rimal neighborhood, west of Gaza City. One further death from a crumbling wall was reported in al-Shati refugee camp, north Gaza.
Overall, at least 13 buildings - already partly damaged from Israeli bombing - collapsed due to heavy rain and strong winds, according to the Gaza-based Government Media Office. Some people remain trapped under the rubble, with others wounded.
Meanwhile, over 27,000 tents of displaced families have been destroyed or swept away by floods and strong winds. More than 250,000 displaced people have been affected by rain, floods, and collapsing shelters.
Over 4,300 distress calls have been made across the Gaza Strip since the storm began earlier this week, the Ministry of Interior and National Security said. Despite limited resources, the ministry said search-and-rescue civil defense teams, along with police, are doing their best to help people.
Storm Byron hit Palestine and Israel earlier this week and is expected to continue into Friday. Its impact has been devastating in the Gaza Strip, where nearly 1.5 million people live in tents, while most of the remaining 700,000 reside in partially destroyed buildings.
After two years of relentless bombing that damaged or destroyed around 92 percent of all residential buildings, Israel has blocked the entry of tents and mobile homes into the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.
Storm Byron hits Gaza as nearly 1.5 million Palestinians shelter in flood-prone camps with little protection. Aid groups say Israel’s restrictions on vital shelter materials have left families exposed. Al Jazeera's @vpietromarchi explains ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/JhZk11zZye
The move violates the terms of the ceasefire agreement signed in October, which stipulated that Israel must allow 300,000 tents and mobile homes into Gaza.
Ahead of the storm, humanitarian workers and health officials warned of "catastrophic consequences" for displaced people if shelters are not allowed into Gaza.
No Confirmation Of U.S. Fighter Jet Over Venezuelan Airspace, Flight Tracking Data Sparks False Alarm
Update (2144ET):
Flightradar24's software-generated estimate of the U.S. military F/A-18E Super Hornet (RHINO51) initially showed the aircraft's flight path entering Venezuelan airspace. The data has since shown that this was not the case.
"The black dashed line is an ESTIMATED position based on a few variables and is not the actual track, which on @flightradar24 is shown as a blue line," X account OSINT noted.
No.
The black dashed line is an ESTIMATED position based on a few variables and is not the actual track, which on @flightradar24 is shown as a blue line. https://t.co/2FzucIEIba
The flight-tracking website Flightradar24reports that a U.S. military F/A-18E Super Hornet (RHINO51) entered Venezuelan airspace near the country's northern coast just moments ago.
It appears RHINO51 switched off its transponder. More than 113,000 Flightradar24 users tracked the aircraft.
The U.S. military has not confirmed that the fighter jet entered Venezuelan airspace.
Here's what OSINT folks on X are saying:
🚨✈️ Contacto cercano confirmado
F/A-18E Super Hornet (U.S. Navy)
📛 Callsign: RHINO51
📍 Trayectoria directa hacia costa norte de Venezuela (eje Curazao–Coro)
Patrón indica push táctico bajo cobertura previa AWACS (E-2D).
No es tránsito: es presencia activa y control del… pic.twitter.com/iGn9kWeOug
Hours ago, President Trump said, "It's not only land strikes on Venezuela, it's land strikes on horrible people that are bringing in drugs and killing our people you know If we were at war and we lost 200–300 thousand… that's a war."
President Trump: “It's not only land strikes on Venezuela, it's land strikes on horrible people that are bringing in drugs and killing our people you know If we were at war and we lost 200–300 thousand… that’s a war.” pic.twitter.com/PVMymgWaCh
UBS Outlines Three Reasons For Sober Revolution Crushing Spirits Market
There are just thirteen days until Christmas. Friends and family are gathering; eggnog, spiked with bourbon, dark or spiced rum, or cognac, is flowing, and Christmas music fills homes, restaurants, and bars, blaring from speakers tuned to holiday playlists.
But this Christmas season, like the last few, the spirits market in North America is extraordinarily weak and, according to UBS analysts led by Zuzanna Pusz, unlikely to rebound in 2026.
Pusz outlined three main drivers behind these structural headwinds: generational shifts as Gen Z drinks less and adopts healthy habits; substitution from GLP-1 drugs and legalized cannabis, including Delta-9 THC beverages; and severe wholesaler overstocking that has left the industry flooded with inventory, the worst seen in years.
As the analyst explained:
Three key reasons for continued weakness of US Spirits
The expert discussed several factors behind the continued US Spirits challenges, which in his view are: (1) a generational shift, with Gen Z moving away from alcohol and adopting different drinking habits compared to previous generations (e.g., the "1:1 rule," i.e. alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks all night); (2) the impact of GLP-1 usage and cannabis legalisation, including the rise of Delta-9 THC drinks; and (3) the persistent issue of overstocking, driven by wholesale commitments, which prevents normalisation even as consumer demand softens (e.g., the holiday season so far is said to have been disappointing, with current inventory levels among the worst seen in years).
Apparently, there's no bottom in sight for the spirits market:
US Spirits market unlikely to see a material improvement
As part of last week's 4th US Luxury Field Trip (see more), we held our regular meeting with an experienced industry consultant to gain insights into the dynamics of the US Spirits market, which is relevant for LVMH (Buy, W&S ~7% of EBIT and the US ~34% of divisional sales). Similarly to the past three years, during which the expert was rightly significantly more cautious on a potential rebound in the market, the meeting reiterated the uncertain growth outlook for 2026. Looking beyond, the expert stressed increasing evidence that in the mid to long term the US Spirits market may not return to historical levels of +MSD growth and instead stabilize at +LSD. That said, he sounded more positive on the cognac category, which in his view seems to have bottomed out, with trends expected to improve from here and the category likely being flattish in the US next year, which we believe would be positive for LVMH's Hennessy.
However, the outlook for cognac shows stabilization:
Cognac likely to hit bottom in 2025
Despite the overall cautious outlook for the US spirits market in 2026, the expert's tone on cognac sounded the most positive in years. In his view, the category is finally bottoming out as cognac begins to attract new customers, thus addressing one of the industry's biggest challenges, i.e., its inability to "speak" to younger generations. This is why he expects performance to be broadly flat in 2026, compared to the wider spirits market still trending down low single digits. For LVMH specifically, the speaker highlighted an interesting collaboration with Bad Bunny aimed at recruiting new consumers and expressed admiration for the strong performance of LVMH's champagne despite challenging category conditions (UBS +1.5% organic sales growth for W&S in 2026).
As we have outlined this year, a sober revolution has swept the country:
SHOW LOW, Ariz.—The coin shop owner had seen his share of hefty deals, but this call caught him off guard. An elderly man from nearby Snowflake, Arizona, wanted to purchase gold coins valued in the tens of thousands.
The next day, when the man walked into the shop in Show Low, his nervousness was obvious. The man was clutching his phone, hanging onto every word from a woman’s voice that seemed to be directing him.
“Before we sat down and talked about price or product or anything, he had a $180,000 cashier’s check already made out,” the shop owner, who requested to remain anonymous, told The Epoch Times. “I thought it was kind of strange.”
The man stumbled over basic questions, anxious to speed through the sale.
The shop owner’s unease grew—was this elderly customer being manipulated by a scammer?
Taking care not to alert the woman on the line, he discreetly slipped the man a note asking if he needed help. Certain now that something was amiss, he reached out to the police.
The FBI and other agencies quickly took on the case. Two weeks later, they arrested a suspect and uncovered a complex scheme that had already stolen $100,000 in gold coins from the 79-year-old man.
This was far from an isolated case. Since May 2023, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center has reported a surge in these scams. In September, an FBI warning estimated that losses from the scams now total more than $186 million.
Known as the “Gold Bar” government impersonation scam, the scheme draws in unsuspecting elderly, retirement age, and vulnerable people.
The scam often begins with people pretending to be U.S. government workers or law enforcement officers, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce. In January, local media said an 89-year-old woman from Sylvania, Ohio, lost more than $1 million in a similar scheme.
A letter in the mail, an email, or a phone call informs the victim their identity has been stolen and their bank or investment accounts are in danger.
Then, the victim may be told the agency can protect their money for a short time if they act fast.
The scammers then convince the person to buy gold, silver, or other valuable metals and arrange for a courier to pick them up, claiming it will keep them safe from theft.
Scammers warn victims not to talk to their bank or anyone else about what is happening and are threatened with legal trouble if they do.
A single scheme might utilize several scammers to manipulate a victim; each playing a different role, such as an employee at a tech company,a bank representative, or a government worker.
In some cases, such as that involving the man from Snowflake, victims may be asked for funds to avoid criminal charges or prove good faith.
“Basically, this is a very common scam,” as cunning as it is cruel, Snowflake-Taylor Police Detective Amity Toth, a lead investigator in the case, told The Epoch Times.
Toth said victims often go along with the scam out of fear of arrest on a false accusation or because they lack knowledge of the law.
In this case, the man from Snowflake told investigators a woman with a foreign accent called him in October, identifying herself as Holly O’Brien, a U.S. Marshal.
She told him that someone had stolen his identity and used it to rent a car, which was later left in El Paso, Texas.
The caller then claimed police had found illegal drugs and blood in the driver’s seat of the car. She warned the man that he would be charged with a crime unless he could prove his identity by sharing details about his possessions.
He did as she asked. He then agreed to hand over $100,000 in gold coins from his private collection to a courier on Oct. 27.
But the scammer wasn’t yet satisfied, Toth said.
The man was instructed to withdraw $180,000 from his bank and buy more gold coins, all to be picked up by a courier on Nov. 14.
“I think that they would have stopped at nothing. They would have ruined him,“ Toth said. ”They would have found some other way to continue” to extort money from the victim.
The scams are “a significant national problem,” said Toth, who has been investigating fraud cases for more than a decade.
Cash-for-gold scammers often choose their victims at random, she said.
“They cast a wide net. Basically, this is just a cold call situation,” Toth said. “They create a sense of urgency.”
“Most people hang up or don’t answer, but one out of a thousand people believes them,” she said.
Just as in the Show Low case, victims are told to turn their assets into cash or buy gold, silver, or other valuable metals for safe keeping.
“Unfortunately, victims never hear from the scammers again and end up losing all their money,” the Ohio Department of Commerce said.
At least four people have been convicted for similar crimes this year.
In June, an Indian national living in the United States on a student visa pleaded guilty in a case in which elderly victims lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
Dhruv Rajeshbhai Mangukiya, 21, was sentenced in a federal court in Austin to more than eight years in prison, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was ordered to pay more than $2.5 million in restitution.
Kishan Rajeshkumar Patel, 20, conspired with Mangukiya and others in the multi-million dollar 2024 scheme, according to the Department of Justice. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to more than five years in prison.
The group sent fake online messages and impersonated U.S. government officials, while Patel collected cash and gold from victims, passed some to others in the group, and kept some for himself.
In November, two Southern California men pleaded guilty to scamming a Carlsbad, California, woman out of almost $1.5 million over a period of months.
The men, Xilin Sun, 35, and Alexander Charles James, 21, posed as government, bank, and tech support personnel, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
The scheme started with a pop-up message warning the victim her computer had been hacked.
The men then convinced the victim that she could safeguard funds by sending them to a supposed U.S. Treasury locker. A sting operation cut short the final payment of $100,000 in gold bars, and led to the arrest of the fraudsters.
In their plea agreements, Sun and James admitted to participating in an organization that operated technical support, bank impersonation, and government impersonation scams targeting victims across the United States, according to the release. They will be sentenced in February 2026.
Toth said that in the Show Low case, the scam caller, who identified herself as a U.S. Marshal, used an official tone and made the victim fearful and anxious.
She persuaded him to give her important details, including his name, date of birth, Social Security number, and a list of his financial assets.
“I sat with the victim multiple times when he was on the phone with her,” Toth said. “She would talk to him, and it was pretty noisy in the background. So, my assumption is that she works at a call center. The likelihood of the call center being in the United States is slim to none.”
Toth said the owner of the Show Low coin shop was able to delay the second installment of gold coins for two weeks. This gave authorities extra time to gather evidence and prepare to catch the courier who was expected to pick up the gold coins.
On Nov. 14, authorities in Navajo County arrested Ankit Sahoo, 27, of New Jersey, near the victim’s home in Snowflake, as he tried to leave in an SUV. Sahoo tried to flee the scene and was arrested before the victim could deliver the payment in 43 Australian one ounce gold coins.
Investigators found that Sahoo was in the country on an expired student visa from India and had been flown from St. Louis to Phoenix to collect the money.
“He flew in that night. He rented the car just after midnight that day and was supposed to return the vehicle that night. I’m sure he was going to be flying back to wherever it was” he was from, Toth said.
Sahoo is being held on $400,000 bond; he pleaded not guilty on Dec. 4. The Epoch Times contacted Sahoo’s attorney for comment but did not receive a response.
But the victim’s $100,000 in gold coins is gone for good, Toth said.
“They’re extorting people in different ways. They don’t use receipt numbers. These are hand-to-hand transactions, so it’s almost impossible to trace,” she said.
The table below includes each state’s share of income taxes paid by the top 1% and the total amount of income tax they paid.
Wyoming leads the nation, with the top 1% paying 54.67% of all state income taxes.
Florida and Nevada follow closely, both surpassing the 50% threshold.
These states attract high-income individuals in part due to tax-friendly policies and large concentrations of wealthy households.
Rank
State
Income taxes paid by top 1%
Total income tax paid by 1% (thousands of dollars)
1
Wyoming
54.67%
$2,460,940
2
Florida
53.62%
$96,264,565
3
Nevada
51.12%
$11,010,104
4
New York
46.26%
$79,488,609
5
Texas
44.52%
$81,990,700
6
Connecticut
43.85%
$16,284,881
7
Montana
42.92%
$2,690,156
8
Arkansas
42.22%
$4,814,153
9
Utah
41.16%
$7,477,634
10
Tennessee
41.04%
$14,547,566
11
South Dakota
40.46%
$2,020,508
12
Louisiana
38.72%
$6,806,423
13
California
38.60%
$122,452,981
14
Illinois
38.39%
$32,677,874
15
Georgia
38.31%
$21,001,340
16
Mississippi
38.29%
$3,297,109
17
Idaho
38.20%
$3,392,957
18
Massachusetts
38.19%
$26,646,912
19
Arizona
38.00%
$14,438,918
20
Oklahoma
37.80%
$5,622,529
21
Missouri
37.16%
$10,481,163
22
South Carolina
37.05%
$8,867,845
23
Nebraska
37.03%
$3,704,671
24
Alabama
36.15%
$6,778,809
25
Kansas
35.79%
$5,066,051
26
Wisconsin
35.54%
$11,024,109
27
Indiana
35.52%
$10,518,818
28
New Hampshire
35.41%
$3,946,877
29
North Carolina
35.28%
$19,037,365
30
Pennsylvania
35.09%
$26,128,752
31
Michigan
35.01%
$16,650,121
32
Ohio
34.60%
$18,842,538
33
Colorado
34.51%
$14,894,687
34
North Dakota
34.41%
$1,521,767
35
Kentucky
34.26%
$5,451,182
36
New Jersey
33.78%
$26,899,308
37
Rhode Island
33.58%
$2,150,700
38
Hawaii
33.57%
$2,455,554
39
Iowa
33.16%
$4,813,252
40
Virginia
32.94%
$19,239,261
41
Minnesota
32.64%
$11,524,941
42
New Mexico
32.30%
$2,380,544
43
Washington
32.06%
$20,012,467
44
Vermont
32.04%
$1,078,255
45
Maine
30.48%
$1,976,671
46
Maryland
30.45%
$12,675,749
47
Delaware
30.38%
$1,647,326
48
Oregon
30.37%
$6,773,041
49
West Virginia
30.28%
$1,647,747
50
Alaska
26.37%
$1,016,945
High-Population States with High-Dollar Contributions
In states like California, Texas, and New York, the share of taxes paid by the top 1% ranges from 39% to 46%, but the dollar amounts are higher due to population scale.
California’s top earners alone account for more than $122 billion in income taxes, the largest total contribution of any state.
High adjusted gross incomes—often above $2 million—mean that even moderate tax-share percentages translate into substantial revenue.
States with More Evenly Distributed Tax Burdens
States further down the ranking, such as Oklahoma, Arizona, and Idaho, still see the top 1% paying about 38% of income taxes.
Alaska sits at the bottom, with top earners paying 26%.
Across nearly every state, the top 1% shoulder between one-third and one-half of total income taxes.
The National Consumers League is America’s oldest consumer advocacy organization and a group trusted by the left, especially, to stand up for consumers’ interests.
But according to a review of its tax filings by the Washington Examiner, it has also become part of a web of astroturf groups shilling for the corporate interests of PhRMA, the massive drugmaker trade association that operates in Washington, DC, which donated close to $1 million to it just last year.
The organization’s 2024 tax form, which became available a few days ago, shows that the non-profit spent close to $600 million last year advocating for Big Pharma’s financial interests and policy agenda in Washington, DC, and state capitals across the country.
And a key way in which that advocacy was accomplished was through the National Consumers League, also known as NCL.
The Examiner reports that “PhRMA donated roughly $2 million to NCL between 2020 and 2024, including $875,000 in 2024 alone.”
During that time, NCL has hewed closely to PhRMA issue positions on matters including regulation of insurers that negotiate for lower drug prices for Americans (also known as PBMs), and the 340B drug discount program that disproportionately benefits red, rural America.
But a review of content historically featured on NCL’s website indicates that prior to taking PhRMA money, the group never criticized PBMs or 340B.
When asked for comment by the Examiner, NCL did not deny that their criticism of PBMs and 340B was related to the PhRMA funding, and they confirmed “that contributions from PhRMA support [the group’s] ‘healthcare work.'”
The Examiner has previously reported on apparent astroturf, “pay-to-play” advocacy efforts undertaken by PhRMA.
The Wall Street Journal also ran an exposé about PhRMA’s tactics in the nation’s capital, including what critics say looks like a “buying off” of supposed progressive “identity” groups like Black, Gifted & Whole– a group focused on “Black Queer men”– and MANA, A National Latina Organization.
NCL has also engaged on other issues where major industries have policy issues at stake, including higher interest rate short-term small dollar lending. Some credit unions support regulation of the annual percentage rate attached to such loans, but not the regulation of APRs on overdraft fees, which sometimes exceed more than 1000%.
Ironically, none other than Elizabeth Warren has recently taken to blasting credit unions for high overdraft fees.
The new report about PhRMA’s backing of NCL, coupled with these prior exposes, is a reminder that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., will have his work cut out for him diminishing Big Pharma’s influence over national health care policy.
AI Is A "Supersonic Tsunami"; Musk Bullish On Global Trajectory
It has been a month since Elon Musk and Joe Rogan spoke, but, as 'Camus' pointed out this week, this seven-minute exchange, buried in the middle of a three hour conversation, could very well be one of the most important conversations of the decade.
Musk laid it out bluntly:
AI is a “supersonic tsunami” already erasing every purely digital job—coding, emails, spreadsheets, customer support—faster than any shift in history.
"I think there will be actually a high demand for jobs, but not necessarily the same jobs," Musk told Rogan on the comedian's podcast.
"So I mean this is actually, this process has been happening throughout modern history."
The xAI CEO says AI is already replacing and will continue to replace desk jobs that are digitally centric, "at an accelerated rate."
What survives longest?
Musk says
"Anything that's physically moving atoms, like cooking food or farming, anything that's physical, those jobs will exist for a much longer time," he said.
"But anything that is digital, which is just someone at a computer doing something, AI is going to take over those jobs like lightning."
Simply put, as 'Camus' notes: hands-on stays human.
Musk is mostly bullish on the long-term benefits of artificial intelligence, provided a Terminator-esque scenario doesn't come to fruition.
And it is with regard to this "more benign scenario" that Musk drops the most shocking line:
“In the best future, work becomes optional. We don't get universal basic income... we get universal high income. Abundance so extreme that anything you want costs almost nothing and poverty effectively disappears.”
He compares it to the 1900s when entire skyscrapers were filled with human “computers” doing math by hand—then digital computers arrived and those jobs vanished overnight... while the world exploded with new opportunity.
This isn’t sci-fi, noted 'Camus', it’s the trajectory we’re already on.
Musk said that his ideal version of the future "kind of sounds like heaven."
"Like I said, not every path is a good path," Musk said.
"But I think if we push it in the direction of maximally truth-seeking and curious, then I think AI will want to take care of humanity and foster humanity because we're interesting."
Watch these 7 minutes... It’ll change how you see your career, money, and the next 20 years.
This 7-minute exchange between Elon Musk and Joe Rogan is quietly one of the most important conversations of the decade.
Elon lays it out plainly:
AI is a “supersonic tsunami” already erasing every purely digital job—coding, emails, spreadsheets, customer support—faster than any… pic.twitter.com/FA9U7z199z
Snow Threat For Mid-Atlantic I-90 Corridor This Weekend
Ahead of next week's return to global warming, thank you, Al Gore, for listening to our prayers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast after weeks of below-average temperatures that felt like the Arctic. A weekend snowstorm is set to blanket the region with accumulating snow.
The NWS Weather Prediction Center published a new snowfall forecast for a weekend winter storm that stretches from the northern High Plains of Montana through the Ohio Valley, the central Appalachians, and the Northeast, including major cities from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston.
Private weather forecaster Weather Madness noted on X, "I expect an Arctic low to develop along the Arctic front, which could produce extra snow along the I-95 corridor from NYC to DCA."
Weather Madness expects parts of the Mid-Atlantic to receive 4 to 8 inches.
Meteorologist Steven DiMartino at NY NJ PA Weather published a short video earlier that details the incoming snow threat for the Mid-Atlantic area.
Mother Nature will take out her paint brush and color in the Northeast along the coast including NYC and Boston with "blue coloring" or more than 2" of snowfall ❄️and then just about everyone will have had snow before December 15th.
Meteorologist Ben Noll said, "A whopping 235 million people across the United States have experienced well below-average temperatures so far this December."
Next week, much milder air from the West will erase the chill in the East.
There are signs these warmer conditions may stick around leading up to Christmas. pic.twitter.com/0AlWkQYWvp
Gov. Gavin Newsom has made reducing the homelessness crisis in California a top priority, saying the scale of the state’s efforts is “unprecedented” and calling for the continued expansion of his signature effort – Project Homekey – that has already cost $3.75 billion.
But in a state with more than 181,000 homeless individuals, or about one-third of the U.S. total, Homekey has been marred by failures and scandals, including a lack of government oversight and accountability as well as a federal investigation into allegations of fraud in Los Angeles.
Newsom, who appears to be preparing for a presidential bid in 2028, could make Homekey, which he calls a “national model,” a talking point in his campaign. The state claims the program has created almost 16,000 permanent housing units that will serve over 175,000 people. But since the state doesn’t track outcomes – whether people placed in housing saw their lives improve or if they returned to the streets – the program’s effectiveness is unclear, according to a critical 2024 state auditor’s report.
“[Our budget] is bloated with homeless spending, a bottomless pit and taxpayer boondoggle that doubles down on failure year after year,” the Republican-turned-Democrat Los Angeles Councilwoman Traci Park said at a meeting in May. “Hundreds of millions of dollars on bridge homes and Homekeys and interim housing sites, and no one can even tell us which ones are operational.”
What is clear is that homelessness in California has skyrocketed in the five years Homekey has been in place, growing by more than 20%, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. That’s an increase of some 36,000 people between 2019 and 2024.
Homekey has been touted by officials as a more cost-effective way to house the homeless. By hiring developers to convert excess motel and hotel rooms and other existing structures into permanent housing, the costs are two to three times lower than building new units, according to the auditor’s report.
But with huge contracts available to developers and very little oversight of their activities, some of that cost savings was lost to fraud, according to federal prosecutors. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California launched a fraud and corruption task force to find out where the money went, and in October filed criminal charges involving two developers who allegedly defrauded the system.
In one case, Cody Holmes, the former CFO of developer Shangri-La Industries, allegedly falsified bank records to obtain $26 million in Homekey funds, only to siphon off more than $2 million to pay his own credit card bill, Essayli told the media.
“Accountability begins today,” Essayli said. “Too often, this money has been wasted, mismanaged or outright stolen.”
A COVID Baby
Homekey began in 2020 as a FEMA-funded program to provide temporary housing in response to the COVID-19 emergency. Hotel rooms were rented to get homeless people out of encampments and shelters where the virus could spread rapidly. The high rental costs were justified to avoid mass casualties from infection. In San Francisco, City Journal reported that rooms were rented at $6,000 a month, nearly double the average cost of a one-bedroom apartment.
Before the emergency measure ended in late 2020, Newsom announced that the program would morph into a provider of permanent housing for the homeless. “We’ve long dreamed about scooping up thousands of motel rooms and converting them into housing for our homeless neighbors,” Newsom said at the time. “The terrible pandemic we’re facing has given us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy all these vacant properties, and we’re using federal stimulus money to do it.”
Under Homekey, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) began administering grants to local governments to help fund the purchase of commercial buildings to be converted into housing units. The money came from federal and state sources, including the American Rescue Plan and California’s general fund. Critics say one problem with Homekey is that it didn’t pay for the mental health and drug treatment services that most homeless people desperately need to truly benefit from housing and get back on their feet.
A 2023 study found that 66% of California’s homeless population suffers from mental illnesses. Twelve percent reported experiencing hallucinations. And 31% reported regular use of methamphetamines and 11% non-prescribed opioids. Sixteen percent reported heavy episodic drinking.
Rather than helping the homeless, Homekey units have allowed people to privately take drugs and overdose. Drug overdose was the cause of death in seven out of eight cases at the Airtel Plaza Hotel in Van Nuys from April 2020 through June 2021, according to L.A. agencies.
“I think local leaders knew that there was a risk in placing people addicted to hard drugs like heroin or fentanyl or meth into private rooms where no one is around to act in case of an overdose,” a former Homekey service provider from Oakland said on the condition of anonymity. “Think about how stupid it is to place an addict in a room alone where no one can administer Narcan,” a medicine that can prevent overdose death.
Homekey relied on local governments to provide mental health services, although they have a severe shortage of treatment spots, according to an L.A.-based mental health professional whose office provides services at several Homekey buildings. Social workers and therapists meet with clients assigned to Homekey units and sign them up for Medicaid, but most of them haven’t received the treatment they need, the professional said.
State officials didn’t return calls seeking comment about Homekey.
The latest version of Homekey aims to bolster mental health services. Newsom recently announced Homekey+, made possible by a $6.4 billion Behavioral Health Bond approved by voters. Half of the money is for projects that serve homeless veterans, and some of the resources will help fund other mental health services within Homekey.
Overpaying and Underperforming
Homekey’s main pitch was that it would save taxpayers money by rehabbing existing buildings rather than constructing new housing. But those calculations are based on developers charging market rates and units being occupied, which hasn’t always been the case.
L.A. County received $550 million in Homekey funds between 2021-2024, which was used to acquire 32 buildings with 2,157 rooms. An investigation by Westside Current found that 71% of units remained vacant as of May 2025 due to construction delays.
In the city of L.A., the housing authority used $48.9 million in Homekey money to acquire and complete a building that was under construction. Developer Haroni Investments was chosen to construct a 75,105-square-foot building with 127 housing units. A similar project in the area would typically cost roughly $18.8 million, according to experts who spoke to local reporters. HACLA’s purchase price of $48.9 million represents a 165% profit at taxpayer expense, the story noted.
A June 2025 memo from L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ office estimated that the building would be completed later that month. In August, city officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony even though the building was not yet finished. As of December, the LA Housing Department’s website says the building “is not yet built,” and there are no listings for available units. Requests for comment from Bass’ office have not been returned.
In addition to overspending and delays, there are allegations of fraud. One case involves homeless service provider Weingart Center Association using $27.3 million in Homekey grants to purchase a 76-unit senior living complex in L.A., which it planned to convert into housing units with additional funding from the city.
But federal prosecutors say the deal was shady and shrouded in secrecy. Steven Taylor, the real estate developer who sold the property to the Weingart Center, used fake bank statements to obtain loans and credit to buy the property for $11.2 million, just months before flipping it for a $16.1 million markup. Taylor made no improvements or renovations to the building. A contract clause ensured that his involvement would be kept secret.
While the property was in escrow, the Weingart Center submitted an application for additional Homekey funds. The application, according to prosecutors, made no mention of the pending sale involving Taylor. Bass allocated $20 million in city dollars toward the project.
Bass and Newsom celebrated the purchase as a critical tool in solving homelessness. A spokesperson with the Weingart Center said the property isn’t expected to open until next year, even though the grant agreement required it to be fully occupied by February 2025.
In August, federal authorities arrested Taylor, who is facing nine felony counts of bank fraud and money laundering. Taylor maintains his innocence and is free on a $3.6 million bond. Bass is cooperating with the ongoing federal investigation.
The case highlights the lack of oversight into Homekey-related grants to the Weingart Center, which has been out of compliance with federally required annual audits. The most recent audit, submitted in July 2025 for fiscal year 2023, did not disclose over $50 million in federally funded Homekey grants. A 2023 fiscal audit of the Weingart Center found that it has repeatedly failed to properly document cash flows into the organization.
Calls for comment to the Weingart Center were not immediately returned. In November, the homeless service provider placed its CEO, Kevin Murray, who was previously a state senator, on leave as an independent law firm investigates the valuation of its homeless housing projects.
Homekey ran into other problems with L.A.-based developer Shangri-La Industries, which was hired to purchase and convert properties across the state. Federal prosecutors allege that the developer defrauded the HCD by misrepresenting its financial assets in order to qualify for a $26 million Homekey grant related to a housing project in Thousand Oaks. After securing the money, Holmes, the CFO, allegedly spent lavishly on himself and his girlfriend. Prosecutors say that Holmes rented a sprawling $46,000-a-month mansion in Beverly Hills, where Holmes was ultimately arrested.
Overall, the HCD awarded the Shangri-La a total of $117 million in grants for seven housing projects. The only two projects that Shangri-La managed to complete amount to 174 homeless housing units, costing the state $672,000 a pop. Holmes pleaded not guilty in November, and a trial is set for Jan. 5.
Essayli says his investigation into Shangri-La is “just the beginning” in the Justice Department’s quest to recoup billions in misused public funds for the homeless.
Newsom Rejects Accountability
By the summer of 2024, the lack of progress in reducing homelessness in California spurred Newsom to issue a threat to local leaders across the state. The governor gathered a group of reporters at a homeless encampment in the Pacoima neighborhood of L.A. so cameras could capture him picking up piles of trash.
“If we don’t see demonstrable results [in reducing homelessness], I’ll start to redirect money,” Newsom said.
But today, Californians continue to see headlines revealing more alleged fraud within the state’s prolific homeless housing programs, most of which involve the misuse of Homekey funds.
The latest example involves the nonprofit Urban Alchemy, which was awarded a $2.3 million Project Homekey contract to provide 88 designated tent spaces in a parking lot so homeless individuals can legally set up tents and access meals, bathrooms, and other services. A city inspection revealed that the lot was operating at half capacity, with only 44 bare wooden platforms on site.
One of the state audit’s main critiques centered on how officials weren’t tracking the progress of its homeless programs. California is not ensuring “that it collects accurate, complete, and comparable financial and outcome information from homelessness programs,” according to the report.
Following the audit, California’s lawmakers unanimously passed legislation requiring the Newsom administration to submit annual evaluations of the homeless programs that receive public grants. But Newsom vetoed the bill, saying it “creates an unnecessary ongoing workload for the Department without providing additional accountability or transparency to taxpayers.”
“Our state has spent billions of taxpayer dollars in recent years only to see homelessness get worse,” Republican Assemblyman Josh Hoover said in a September 2024 statement. “We will not solve this crisis and get people the help they need until we get serious about accountability.”
One year later, Newsom hasn’t lost faith in Homekey. He announced the allocation of $106.2 million toward six Homekey+ awards to pay for the development of 321 permanent supportive homes.
“No more excuses,” Newsom declared in a press release announcing the grants. “Everyone must step up to address this crisis.”
Leaked Video: Woke Elite College Held "Disgusting" Sexual Orientation Performance
Amherst College, proudly one of America’s wokest institutions, has once again outdone itself in the name of “sexual respect.”
A group of traumatized students claim they were effectively coerced into a mandatory orientation spectacle where student performers humped under blankets, moaned theatrically, and pelted the audience with condoms “like confetti,” footage leaked to the Washington Free Beacon shows.
Junior Isabella Niemi, who endured an earlier edition of the show, told the Free Beacon the “grossly sexual” skit nearly broke her impeccable rule-following streak.
“I thought about leaving 10 minutes in. I’m not someone who breaks rules or skips mandatory events, but it was disgusting enough it almost forced me to leave,” Niemi lamented.
Even some students who normally cheer the de-tabooizing of everything admitted the administration may have gone off the deep end.
“I understand that Amherst is trying to remove the taboo behind sex on campus, but this has gone way too far,” John Collier, a student at the school, said. “The way it’s forced in our faces does the exact opposite.”
On the anonymous campus app Fizz, posts ripping the performance racked up hundreds of upvotes—663 on one alone, roughly 35 percent of the entire student body, according to screenshots shared by the Beacon.
"WTFF WAS THAT SEX PERFORMANCE AT VOICES,” a user wrote.
"Seeing the Voices’ actors around campus is giving me involuntary flashbacks to the scarring experience that was the Voices of the Class of 2029,” another post said.
Every first-year was urged to attend the performance by their orientation leader. The administration advertises the event as a "lighthearted tradition" to "celebrate the humor, creativity, and individuality of your class." The school funds the performance, and Amherst administrators work closely with the student performers, offering feedback and approving the script.
"‘Voices of Amherst’ has been part of New Student Orientation since 2007 and is coordinated by New Student and Family Programs in Student Affairs. Each year, the script is newly written by junior and senior students using excerpts from the incoming class’s admissions essays," the Office of Student Affairs told the Free Beacon. "The final script is reviewed and approved by staff before the performance. Funding for production comes from the Orientation budget; student performers are not paid, and Johnson Chapel serves as the traditional venue."
In a surprising twist, Amherst College’s Office of Student Affairs pushed back against the criticism, claiming that the “Voices of the Class” performance is “not graphic.”
Amanda Vann, the college’s director of health and wellbeing education, also defended the event in a statement to the Free Beacon.
"The skits are part of our broader commitment to promoting wellbeing and sexual respect on campus,” Vann said. “They encourage conversations about topics that can sometimes feel difficult to discuss, from sexual health and communication to harm reduction and self-care. By presenting these subjects in a relatable, engaging format, the skits help students build the skills and awareness needed to care for themselves, support one another, and contribute to a healthy, respectful community.”
Linda Sun, former aide to New York governors, did Beijing’s bidding to enrich herself and her family, prosecutors said in closing arguments on Dec. 10 after a month-long trial.
In his summing-up, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Solomon described Sun, who served under both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as a “valuable asset” for New York state’s Chinese Consulate.
Sun faces allegations of acting as a Chinese agent and of bribery in connection with state contracts, among other charges. Her husband, Chris Hu, is charged as a co-conspirator.
Due to procedural delays, the jury will begin deliberating on her case on Dec. 12.
The prosecution alleged that Sun sold her access in the state government to China to “grease the wheels” and aid her husband’s seafood export business in that country.
Hu’s business was a flop in early 2016, but when a Chinese businessman with state connections stepped in, Hu’s business boomed, Solomon said.
“[Sun] did the bidding of the Chinese government so that she and her husband, Hu, could get rich,” he said.
The defense argued that the government failed to provide evidence of a clear quid pro quo agreement between Sun and Chinese Communist Party officials. The defense argued that there was no link between Hu’s business and Sun’s assistance to the consulate.
“The government wants you to assume that because Chris Hu’s business started doing well, it was connected to Linda,” said Ken Abell, Sun’s attorney, in closing arguments.
Abell said Sun’s actions were not contrary to the interests of the United States or New Yorkers. Sun’s connection with the consulate helped secure a donation of 1,000 ventilators at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
However, the government characterized Sun’s work at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as self-interested.
“As COVID-19 was wreaking havoc on New York City, she thought to enrich herself,” Solomon said.
Sun first received benefits from Chinese officials in May 2016, Solomon said. As a representative of New York state, she traveled to Jiangsu Province, China, to promote business ties with New York state, according to prosecutors. While in China, Sun allegedly met with the chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, an organization under the United Front Work Department. The chairman agreed to hire Sun’s cousin, who was looking for a job, according to prosecutors.
Almost immediately thereafter, Sun began to reciprocate, prosecutors said. In June 2016, she alerted the Chinese Consulate that Taiwan had invited then-Lt. Gov. Hochul to a banquet in Washington. Hochul ended up attending a banquet hosted by the Chinese Embassy instead, the prosecution said.
Solomon cited several other incidents in which Sun allegedly exerted her influence to thwart Taiwan from reaching the governor’s office, including blocking an invitation to Cuomo to join a banquet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in New York City and convincing Hochul’s staff to decline an invitation to visit Taiwan.
Sun’s attorney Abell said the “government left out facts that didn’t fit its narrative.” He argued that important context was not presented and that Sun, at times, had pushed back on Chinese Consulate requests.
The defense argued that Sun was just doing her job and that the Asian American community was her portfolio.
Linked to Consul
Solomon said Sun was answerable to Huang Ping, the consul general of the Chinese Consulate in New York from 2018 to 2024.
“But who’s the boss?” Solomon asked. “The people she keeps in the dark, or the people she’s reporting back to? She’s talking to her real boss, Huang Ping.”
Sun was in frequent contact with Huang, as email communications released by prosecutors show.
After assisting Huang with a welcome event for Chinese officials at John F. Kennedy International Airport, she told the consul general, “I want to eat salted duck,” according to text messages.
Sun was telling Huang that “she did her job” and should be compensated, Solomon said.
“[Sun] bragged repeatedly to her handlers [about] what a good asset she had been,” he said.
Solomon said that in communications with the Chinese Consulate, Sun did not hesitate to share the inner workings of the governor’s office, including the fact that in 2018, Cuomo was considering replacing Hochul on the ticket in the coming election.
“Did she want to be viewed as an important person in the relationship between New York state and the Chinese consulate?“ Abell asked. ”Maybe she did.”
He argued that Sun did make inappropriate comments in text messages but that they should be seen as self-promotion, not as betrayal.
Sun also revealed to the Chinese Consulate that the governor was reconsidering a trip to China in 2018 when Chinese leader Xi Jinping was getting rid of term limits, telling the Chinese officials that she spent a long time arguing on their behalf, Solomon said.
Solomon argued that revealing such internal discussions of the governor’s office is an example of Sun’s familiarity with the consulate, demonstrating which team she was really on.
"The fire consuming you is the fire that tempers."
- EKO on "X"
'Tis the season to be flummoxed.
Now you see what it’s like when all authority is suspect and nobody can believe anything.
The question, of course, is how much of that is engineered by interested parties. . . and who are those parties?
There’s the legion of monied orgs and foundations supported by sinister billionaires, starting with George and Alex Soros’s Open Society Foundations, a bewildering matrix of worldwide political activism ops aimed at sowing Marxist-inflected chaos wherever a polity is threatened by stability and coherence. Or Singapore-based Neville Roy Singham, the American tech honcho (Thoughtworks) who funds the Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party, the Shut It Down for Palestine org, and Code Pink, for spicing up every political quarrel in Western Civ with Feminist psychodrama. Or Arabella Advisors (re-branded in November as Sunflower Services), founded by Clinton alum Eric Kessler, a “dark money” spigot for social justice and equity initiatives (i.e., race and gender hustles), climate agitation, ballot harvesting, and anti-deportation efforts. Or Linked-In billionaire Reid Hoffman’s cattle-drive of Democratic party-aligned political action committees, starting with super-PAC Future Forward — more ballot harvesting and other election shenanigans. (Hoffman notoriously financed the E. Jean Carroll fake rape defamation lawsuit brought against Donald Trump — for denying the incident took place.) Or the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with its tentacles suckered onto Big Pharma and government medical bureaucracies around the world, including the USA (until Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., came on the job), especially vis-a-vis Covid-19 vaccine advocacy.
All of the above orgs have a bought-media component, meaning news designed to subvert reality.
The object is to prevent Mr. Trump from interfering with any of the racketeering activities run by the Democratic Party benefitting its clients (the “marginalized”).
Case in point: the recently revealed billion-dollar welfare fraud case perped for years by Somali Immigrants in Minnesota through fake billing for undelivered services in child nutrition, autism therapy, and housing programs, all under the watch of Governor Tim Walz.
The state’s news media ignored the story until it got too garish to cover up. Now they’re suitably humiliated.
At the national level, it’s unclear who is serving whom.
Do the managers of The New York Times actually still believe the Russia Collusion story they were awarded a Pulitzer for, or their 1619 Project Woke-rewrite of US history?
Or their mulish defense of the Covid vaccines. Or their florid esteem for the leadership of “Joe Biden.” Or are they simply ruled by blind Trump derangement?
(Or do they receive instructions from nefarious others about how to report and opine on things?)
The so-called deep state is a set of interested parties not directly controlled by billionaires but with agendas of their own. For instance, the millions of bureaucrats at every level — federal, state, and local — who receive comfortable salaries and first-rate benefits (pensions, medical insurance), in many cases for doing little-to-nothing in their offices all day every day (or else obstructing Americans not in government from making a living).
Mr. Trump, who would like to fire many of them, is a clear and present danger to their cushy sinecures. Unsurprisingly, they have taken to styling themselves as “the Resistance.”
There are the mysterious denizens of the furthest, darkest backwaters of the Swamp: the CIA, with its fabulous black budget for black ops, and the purported sixteen other nodes of the Intel Community, the folks who have — as Sen. Schumer mis-put it to Mr. Trump years ago — “. . . six ways from Sunday to get you. . . ”).
Rumors are flying around that John Brennan is still running the CIA, or at least some operational wing of it. CIA Director John Ratcliffe has not been exactly reassuring on this.
There are likewise rumors that Mr. Ratcliffe is “compromised.” Something about a “honeypot.”
This is no time to lack faith in the authority of the CIA Director, but you must for now because hardly anybody commands authority except Mr. Trump, the president, and he has been busy frittering it away on childish tweets, calling his enemies names as though we were back in the third grade.
He better cut that out and show some decorum or his enemies will peel away the authority that he has left in this epic battle to preserve the republic from utter ruin.
His role in this ghastly melodrama is to play the lonely figure that people still have faith in. Perhaps the strain is getting to him.
He’s had his moments of remarkable pluck, but the forces arrayed against him are many, and vicious, and determined, and a bit worried about going to jail for their crimes, and this is no time for presidential tantrums.
And, just sayin’, perhaps he might also shut up about how much people love him.
(There are plenty who don’t, and who would like to act-out how much they don’t.)
Mr. Trump needs to take a cue from the name of that desk he sits behind in the Oval Office: it’s called Resolute.
Please stop yapping idly and just be resolute in the face of your enemies.
Январь 2023. VR340 купил для запланированной поездки, но потом решили обойтись телефоном, и правильно сделали – у камеры барахлит одна из кнопок, поэтому этой камерой пользуюсь очень редко. К тому же в коллекции есть более продвинутая VR370.
E-PL1 – одна из первых беззеркалок (третья, по-моему) у Олимпуса, поэтому и купил именно её – более поздние стоили дороже. ( Olympus E-PL1 )
Trump Signs Order Cracking Down On 'Politically Motivated Agendas' Of Proxy Advisors
President Donald Trump on Dec. 11 signed an order directing the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to review rules on proxy advisors, saying they wield influence that “prioritize radical political agendas over investor returns.”
Trump’s order directs the SEC to conduct a review and potentially revise or rescind any rules, guidance, bulletins, and memoranda related to proxy advisors that implicate “diversity, equity, and inclusion” or “environmental, social, and governance” policies.
Under the directive, the SEC must enforce anti-fraud provisions in securities laws against proxy advisors, evaluate whether they should be required to register as investment advisers or to provide increased transparency on conflicts of interest, and examine “whether proxy advisors serve as a vehicle for investment advisers to coordinate their voting decisions.”
The regulator is also required to assess whether investment advisers breach their fiduciary duties by hiring proxy advisors to advise on “non-pecuniary factors” in investment decisions and following their recommendations, according to a White House fact sheet.
As Alkdgra Fredly details below for The Epoch Times, in his order, Trump singled out two foreign-owned proxy advisors—Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass, Lewis & Co.—that advise clients on how to vote their shares, alleging they use their influence to advance “radical politically motivated agendas” by supporting shareholder proposals that require U.S. companies to conduct racial equity audits and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Their practices also raise significant concerns about conflicts of interest and the quality of their recommendations, among other concerns,” the order states.
“The United States must therefore increase oversight of and take action to restore public confidence in the proxy advisor industry, including by promoting accountability, transparency, and competition.”
The order states that the Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis control more than 90 percent of the proxy advisor market, and their clients’ holdings represent “a significant ownership stake in the United States’ largest publicly traded companies.”
In addition, Trump instructed the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chairman, currently Andrew Ferguson, to consult with the attorney general to review ongoing state antitrust probes into proxy advisors for violations of federal law and determine whether proxy advisors are engaged in “unfair methods of competition” or deceptive practices.
The Epoch Times reached out to both of the proxy advisors for comment and did not receive any response by publication time.
Institutional Shareholder Services is majority-owned by Deutsche Börse Group, a Germany-based company, while Glass Lewis is owned by Canadian private equity firm Peloton Capital Management.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said in his chairman and CEO letter to shareholders last year that the two companies are the main proxy advisors in the United States with potential “undue influence” on shareholder votes.
“These proxy advisors started out providing reams of data from companies to help their institutional investor clients vote on proxy matters (information on executive compensation, stock returns, detail on directors, policies and so on). However, they soon also began to provide advice on how shareholders should vote on proxy matters,” he stated.
Russia Retaliates: Turkish-Owned Cargo Ship Attacked At Ukrainian Port
Turkey's Foreign Ministry has warned against the ongoing escalation of the war on maritime shipping in the Black Sea, after on Friday serious damage was sustained by a Turkish-owned vessel during a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk, in Odesa oblast.
The ministry confirmed that a ship operated by a Turkish company is on fire. At least one person, possibly a dockworker, was reported injured - but there doesn't appear to be further casualties. The forward section of the vessel is ablaze, based on several social media images and videos, amid a large emergency response.
The vessel identified as the RoPax, appeared to be docked while transporting cargo to Ukraine. It was a rare midday attack on the busy port.
"The Ukrainian Air Force had issued the alert at around 1500 local time, reporting high-speed targets coming from the south," Maritime Executive reports. "It is believed that at least two ballistic missiles had been fired, as well as a launch of drones.
The report adds: "It followed an overnight barrage on the same region, which reportedly left more than 90,000 families without electricity. The missiles were targeting Odesa and Chornomorsk, while the drones also targeted Pivdenne."
Turkey in the wake of the attack called for an immediate stop to the war and especially urged for escalation to cease in the Black Sea.
Likely Moscow views this as retaliation for several recent Ukrainian drone attacks on tankers transporting oil and gas from Russian ports. These attacks have been stepped up of late, and long-range drones have even damaged a Lukoil oil and gas platform all the way in the Caspian Sea this week.
Watch: The moment of Russian kamikaze drone strike on a Turkish cargo ship at Ukraine’s Odesa Port...
Turkey's official statement reiterated "concerns regarding maritime security and freedom of navigation, as the ongoing war in our region is spreading to the Black Sea… we once again emphasize the importance of urgently ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, and we recall the need for an arrangement to ensure navigation safety in the Black Sea and for the parties to suspend attacks targeting energy and port infrastructure in order to prevent escalation."
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