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The Air India B787 fatal crash and the ram air turbine, how your personal travel data is sold, next generation commercial aircraft engines, personal electric flying machines that are becoming dangerously affordable, and GippsAero is coming back to Australia to build the GA8 airvan. Aviation News Indian authorities begin investigating Air India crash in which 1 passenger survived India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the fatal crash of an Air India B787. Of the 242 passengers and crew aboard, one passenger survived. Numerous theories are being speculated in the press, including loss of power by both engines, failure to set the flaps properly for takeoff, and erroneously retracting the flaps instead of the landing gear. Some say the Ram Air Turbine appears to be deployed in one video. The Ram Air Turbine (RAT) extends from the fuselage or the wing to generate power in an emergency. Twin blades [corrected] spin a shaft connected to either an electrical generator or a hydraulic pump that drives a generator. The B787, A320, and A380 Ram Air Turbines are produced by Collins Aerospace. The company manufactures hydraulic, electric, and hybrid RATs that generate both electric and hydraulic power. Safran also produces Ram Air Turbines. Ram Air Turbine. Image courtesy Collins Aerospace. US Navy Vought RF-8G Crusader on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM) Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Virginia. Airlines Secretly Sold One Billion Passenger Records—Now The Government Can Track Where You Travel The Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) is a major provider of settlement services for the airline industry. Clients include airlines, travel agencies, and corporate travel departments. ARC is owned by the airlines and sells passenger names, full domestic flight itineraries, and payment details (e.g., credit card used) through its “Travel Intelligence Program” (TIP). Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is reportedly purchasing this data. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) is critical of this practice and wants airlines to explain why they allow ARC to resell this information. CBP claims they adhere to strong privacy policies, and only use the data for open investigations. Open Fan Would Be Suboptimal On Narrowbody, RTX Chief Scientist Says The next generation of single-aisle aircraft will need to offer at least a 20% fuel burn improvement. Some of that will likely come from the airframe, and most will come from the power plants. The next generation of turbofans under development includes the CFM International open-fan RISE demonstrator and geared turbofans from Pratt & Whitney. Thermal efficiency vs. propulsive efficiency: Thermal efficiency measures how effectively an engine converts fuel energy into mechanical work. Propulsive efficiency measures how efficiently the engine converts mechanical energy into useful thrust. Both are dimensionless ratios, typically expressed as a percentage (%). The overall efficiency of the engine is the propulsive efficiency multiplied by the thermal efficiency. Mentioned American Helicopter Museum UAV News Talk Freakonomics Airplane Food Spurwink Farm Pancake Breakfast and Fly-In Personal electric flying machines are becoming dangerously affordable Aerolite EV-103  Video: Aerolite EV-103 Electric powered aircraft - First Owner Review at Oshkosh 2021 https://youtu.be/DIaD71KOAdU?si=FTHeEU87xsSjcbto SP140 electric paramotor  GippsAero promises Gippsland jobs with new GA8 airvan launch Hosts this Episode Max Flight, David Vanderhoof, and our Main(e) Man Micah.

PHARR, TEXAS - Victor Perez, president of Pharr Economic Development Corporation, has welcomed COMCE to the city.COMCE stands for Consejo Empresarial Mexicano de Comercio Exterior, Inversión y Tecnología (Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology). It is a non-profit organization representing the Mexican private sector in international affairs, particularly focusing on promoting foreign trade, investment, and technology. COMCE Nacional has announced a new satellite office in Pharr at the Pharr Global Business Hub. Its leaders did so during a two-day tour of the Pharr area. The trip included a visit to the Pharr International Bridge and the Mexican Consulate's Office in McAllen, along with meetings with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and UT-Rio Grande Valley.“We signed a Memorandum of Understanding with COMCE National a couple of months back. And when we sign an MOU we want to make sure that we follow up. We want to make sure that we continue the collaboration, we continue the communications with those entities or organizations that we have signed an MOU with,” Perez told Ron Whitlock Reports.“So, today, we're officially designating the Pharr Global Business Hub as a headquarters of COMCE National in the Rio Grande Valley.”Asked why the MOU is important, Perez said: “Because the Pharr Global Business Park is a key component, a commercial gateway into the US market, into the Texas market.”Perez said he expects other foreign entities to sign MOUs with Pharr EDC in order to make use of the Pharr Global Business Hub.“The word is getting around, on both sides of the border, that Pharr is the place to be,” Perez said.“We are moving forward rapidly. And with the new bridge coming in, we expect more business, more trade, and more investors.”Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.

Wearable technology like Ray-Ban Meta glasses presents significant privacy concerns by enabling frequent data collection without clear user controls, potentially capturing personal information of users and bystanders unknowingly.TikTok received a €530 million fine from the EU primarily because user data was remotely accessible from China, raising surveillance risks, and the platform failed to transparently disclose data transfer practices, violating EU regulations.Recent password security analysis reveals an ongoing epidemic of weak password reuse, with easily guessable passwords like "123456" and "password" remaining common, exposing users to dictionary and brute-force attacks. Microsoft aims to combat this by making new accounts passwordless by default starting May 2025, promoting secure authentication methods like passkeys and security keys to mitigate password-based threats.Trusted social media accounts, such as the New York Post's X account, can be exploited for scams by cybercriminals who hijack them to spread fraudulent links, often involving cryptocurrency schemes. These attacks leverage social engineering tactics, underscoring the need for vigilance even with messages from reputable sources.Supply-chain attacks in e-commerce, such as those involving compromised Magento plug-ins, pose serious risks by embedding malware into widely used software. This malware can remain dormant for years before activating to steal payment card data, impacting thousands of unsuspecting websites and customers simultaneously.Modern vehicles collect extensive driver data (speed, location, braking habits) and may share this information with third parties, including insurance companies, without explicit user consent. Legal actions against automakers like Toyota highlight concerns over privacy violations and unauthorized commercial use of sensitive personal data.U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seeks to enhance surveillance by implementing facial recognition technology to capture and match passenger faces to government records at border crossings. This raises civil liberties issues due to widespread tracking and potential misidentification.

When former national security advisor Mike Waltz had a picture taken of him last week, he didn't expect for the whole world to see that he was using TeleMessage, a messaging app similar to Signal. Now the app has been hacked, with portions of data linked to government entities like Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and companies like Coinbase. Today on the show, we're joined by WIRED senior writer Lily Hay Newman to discuss what this incident tells us about the growing vulnerabilities in government communications. Articles mentioned in this episode: Mike Waltz Has Somehow Gotten Even Worse at Using Signal The Signal Clone the Trump Admin Uses Was Hacked   The Signal Clone Mike Waltz Was Caught Using Has Direct Access to User Chats You can follow Zoë Schiffer on Bluesky @zoeschiffer, and Lily Hay Newman @lhn.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

LTL carrier Saia faced a difficult first quarter, reporting a net loss and earnings per share significantly below expectations, leading to a 30% drop in its stock price. Tariffs and other market forces impacted demand, exacerbating costs from carrying excess capacity.  U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) completed audits in March that identified $310 million in duties and fees owed due to undervalued or improperly declared goods. This represents a 10,590% increase in assessed fees compared to February, which experts attribute to increased scrutiny under the administration's new trade policy.  In legal news, the patent infringement lawsuit between Omnitracs and Motive concluded with a federal jury unanimously ruling that Motive was not guilty of infringing any of Omnitracs' patents related to fleet management technology.  Additionally, FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller discussed the 'collapse' of outbound freight from China into the United States on CNBC. This situation, affecting West Coast ports with blank sailings, is driven by factors including tariffs on Chinese goods, proposed fees on Chinese carriers, and economic uncertainty impacting American consumers.  Today's upcoming FreightWaves TV programming includes 'The Stockout' and 'What the Truck?!?', and mentions upcoming events like the Freight Fraud Symposium and the Freight Fraud Fighters Awards  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

LTL carrier Saia faced a difficult first quarter, reporting a net loss and earnings per share significantly below expectations, leading to a 30% drop in its stock price. Tariffs and other market forces impacted demand, exacerbating costs from carrying excess capacity.  U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) completed audits in March that identified $310 million in duties and fees owed due to undervalued or improperly declared goods. This represents a 10,590% increase in assessed fees compared to February, which experts attribute to increased scrutiny under the administration's new trade policy.  In legal news, the patent infringement lawsuit between Omnitracs and Motive concluded with a federal jury unanimously ruling that Motive was not guilty of infringing any of Omnitracs' patents related to fleet management technology.  Additionally, FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller discussed the 'collapse' of outbound freight from China into the United States on CNBC. This situation, affecting West Coast ports with blank sailings, is driven by factors including tariffs on Chinese goods, proposed fees on Chinese carriers, and economic uncertainty impacting American consumers.  Today's upcoming FreightWaves TV programming includes 'The Stockout' and 'What the Truck?!?', and mentions upcoming events like the Freight Fraud Symposium and the Freight Fraud Fighters Awards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In early January, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents from El Centro near San Diego launched a deportation raid in Kern County, more than six hours from their usual area of operation. The man behind the effort is Gregory Bovino, head of CBP's El Centro sector. He claimed the operation targeted criminals that were illegally in the US, but arrest data show that, of the nearly 80 people that were swept up by the agents out of El Centro, Border Patrol had an arrest record for just one individual. Ultra low-budget airliner, Avelo, is shuttering its Bay Area hub at Sonoma County's Charles M. Schultz Airport, after it got tapped by the Trump Administration to conduct mass deportation flights. One Sonoma County Supervisor is condemning the move, saying it would hurt the local economy in the long-run. Prop 36, California's voter-approved "tough on crime" bill,  is still a  head-scratcher for lawmakers in Sacramento, who are still debating on how to actually fund its rollout statewide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Episode is Sponsored by: RSM US LLP It's tariff time, and companies the world over are working to better understand how their operations will be impacted. Jodi Ader from RSM US LLP joined The Food Institute Podcast to discuss which products and inputs are currently subject to tariffs, and how to best mitigate supply chain risks. More about Jodi Ader: Jodi Ader is an international tax senior manager with over 25 years of experience in international trade. She is well-positioned to assist corporations in planning and creating world-class compliance operations and food safety programs. She has substantial experience in import, export control and sanction matters, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations. E-mail Jodi: jodi.ader [at] rsmus.com Find Jodi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodi-ader-ba05b23/ More about RSM US LLP: RSM US LLP, has a robust practice supporting food and beverage brands across worldwide with a wide range of audit, tax and consulting services. The clients we serve are the engine of commerce and economic growth, and we are focused on developing leading professionals and services to meet their evolving needs in today's ever-changing business environment. RSM US LLP is part of RSM International, a global network of independent firms with 64,000 people across 120 countries. For more information, visit https://rsmus.com/, or follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/rsmusllp) and/or connect with us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/rsm-us-llp/).

Let us start our in-depth consideration of the de minimis regime with a quote published by Ms. Cindy Allen, CEO of Tradeforcemultiplier: “If the option to utilize de minimis was eliminated for goods, large marketplaces may structure the transactions differently for transportation, sale, and entry declaration to reduce costs. They would consolidate the merchandise on one entry per conveyance. They would establish a U.S. based entity, and a U.S. warehouse location, which some of the large online companies have already done. They would then structure the sale to be between the foreign online retailer as the seller, their own U.S. company as the buyer, and the goods would be delivered to the U.S. based warehouse. The sales to the individuals would be considered a domestic transaction as it takes place after the goods have arrived. The regulations state that the seller, buyer and consignee must be reported to U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP on the transaction. In this scenario the reporting parties would be the foreign marketplace seller, its U.S. company serving as the buyer, and its U.S. warehouse as the consignee recipient. This allows the seller or importer to report the shipment on one entry to CBP, instead of thousands of individual entries. It also reduces the brokerage costs associated with the customs entry.” This is the precise language that emerges from the very careful and thoughtful study provided to us by Cindy Allen.

The daily average number of known gotaways — illegal migrants who successfully entered the U.S. without apprehension — at the southern border since the beginning of February has plummeted to just 132 per day, down 93% from the highest numbers when former President Joe Biden was in office, according to a senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) source.During the Biden administration, Fox News submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for FY 2023 statistics and learned there were 670,674 known gotaways recorded that year, a jaw-dropping average of more than 1,800 per day.President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, and has taken extensive measures to secure the southern border, resulting in a 93% drop in the daily average of known gotaways, who are "known" because they are seen/tracked on cameras, sensors, or other means, but border patrol agents were not able to apprehend them. These numbers are kept internally by CBP and are typically not released to the public.

The daily average number of known got aways — illegal migrants who successfully entered the U.S. without apprehension — at the southern border since the beginning of February has plummeted to just 132 per day, down 93% from the highest numbers when former President Joe Biden was in office, according to a senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) source.During the Biden administration, Fox News submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for FY 2023 statistics and learned there were 670,674 known gotaways recorded that year, a jaw-dropping average of more than 1,800 per day.President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, and has taken extensive measures to secure the southern border, resulting in a 93% drop in the daily average of known gotaways, who are "known" because they are seen/tracked on cameras, sensors, or other means, but border patrol agents were not able to apprehend them. These numbers are kept internally by CBP and are typically not released to the public.

US President Joe Biden has proposed removing a trade exemption that allows goods made in China and shipped by popular companies such as Shein and Temu to bypass import duties if they are worth less than $800.美国总统拜登提议取消一项贸易豁免政策。该政策允许由中国制造、经中国跨境电商平台Shein和Temu等热门公司运输，价值低于800美元的商品免缴关税。A US trade association said such changes would also affect American companies and consumers who enjoy buying the low-cost goods.一家美国贸易协会表示，这种变化也会影响喜欢购买低价商品的美国公司和消费者。The "de minimis'' exemption permits such packages to be flown into the United States without levies or processing fees.“小额豁免”政策允许此类包裹进口美国时，无需支付关税或手续费。The Biden administration wants the packages to no longer be exempt from tariffs if they fall under Sections 201 or 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, or Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, according to a statement released by the White House on Friday.根据白宫13日发表的声明，拜登政府希望，如果符合美国《1974年贸易法》第201条、第301条，或《1962年贸易扩大法》第232条的规定，这些商品将不再享受关税豁免。But the administration's changes will not go into effect right away, The New York Times reported, adding that the proposal will be subject to comment by industries before being finalized in the coming months. There also is a presidential election on Nov 5.但政府的改革不会立即生效，《纽约时报》报道称，在未来几个月内最终敲定前，该提案将征求各行业的意见。总统选举也将在11月5日举行。More than 1 billion de minimis packages from across the globe came through US customs in 2023, up from 134 million in 2015, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.根据美国海关和边境保护局的数据，2023年，有超过10亿个来自全球各地的“小额豁免”包裹通过美国海关，高于2015年的1.34亿个。China is the biggest source of retail packages entering the US daily, with around 3 million falling under de minimis, CBP data shows.美国海关和边境保护局数据显示，中国是每天进入美国的零售包裹的最大来源国，其中约有300万个包裹属于“小额豁免”范围。Z. John Zhang, a professor of marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, told China Daily that Chinese fast-fashion brands are so successful because they offer international consumers several perks.宾夕法尼亚大学沃顿商学院的市场营销学教授张忠告诉《中国日报》，中国快时尚品牌之所以如此成功，是因为它们为国际消费者提供了多项优惠。"Prices are lower, helped by a significant extent by zero tariffs that the US is levying on small parcels of less than $800 in value," Zhang said.“价格的低廉，在很大程度上得益于美国对价值800美元以下的小包裹征收零关税。”张忠表示。Shein and Temu have defended their businesses.中国跨境电商平台Shein和Temu对此表态。"Since Temu's launch in September 2022, our mission has been to offer consumers a wider selection of quality products at affordable prices," a Temu spokesperson told arstechnica.com, a technology news website. "We achieve this through an efficient business model that cuts out unnecessary middlemen, allowing us to pass savings directly to our customers. Temu's growth does not depend on the de minimis policy."“自Temu于2022年9月推出以来，我们的使命一直是为消费者提供更多物美价廉的商品。”Temu发言人告诉科技新闻网站arstechnica.com，“我们通过高效的商业模式来实现这一目标，这种模式剔除了不必要的中间环节，使我们能够将节省下来的成本直接惠及顾客。Temu 的发展并不依赖‘小额豁免'政策。”A Shein spokesperson told arstechnica that the company "makes import compliance a top priority, including the reporting requirements under US law with respect to de minimis entries".Shein发言人告诉arstechnica，该公司 “将进口合规性作为重中之重，包括美国法律规定的有关‘小额豁免'包裹入境的报告要求”。The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC), a trade association based in Washington, said the changes to the rule won't affect only Chinese fast-fashion brands, but also American companies and consumers who enjoy buying the low-cost goods.全美对外贸易委员会表示，对政策规则的修改不仅会影响中国的快时尚品牌，还会影响那些喜欢购买低价商品的美国公司和消费者。In a letter dated March 6, the NFTC wrote to Jake Sullivan, national security adviser, and Lael Brainard, director of the National Economic Council of the US, on behalf of several US trade organizations.3月6日，全美对外贸易委员会代表美国多家贸易组织，致函美国总统国家安全事务助理杰克·沙利文和美国国家经济委员会主任莱尔·布雷纳德。The trade body had urged the government to "protect an essential component of America's economic health and supply chain efficiency: de minimis treatment of low-value goods entering the US".信中，该贸易组织敦促美国政府“保护美国经济健康和供应链效率的重要组成部分——对进入美国的低价商品实行‘小额豁免'待遇”。The letter was backed by the Consumer Technology Association, the Express Association of America (EAA), the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Foreign Trade Council TechNet and the US Chamber of Commerce.这封信得到了美国消费技术协会、美国快递协会、全美制造商协会、全美对外贸易委员会TechNet和美国商会的支持。"De minimis has benefitted thousands of American small businesses across all sectors," the letter said. "For example, de minimis allows businesses to obtain inputs for domestically manufactured products into the US more efficiently and with fewer unnecessary administrative requirements.“‘小额豁免'使各行各业数以千计的美国小企业受益。” 信中说道，“比如，它使企业能够更有效地获得对美国国内制造产品的投入，减少不必要的行政要求。"It has also made purchasing goods online more affordable and accessible for consumers at a time of inflation and supply chain challenges."“在通货膨胀和供应链面临挑战的时候，它还使消费者能够更实惠、更方便地在线购买商品。”Earlier this year, US lawmakers called on the federal government to amend or shut down the de minimis exemption. A group of 40 lawmakers asked Homeland Security Secretary Alexander Mayorkas in a February letter to explore amending the use of the rule.今年早些时候，美国国会议员就呼吁联邦政府修改或取消“小额豁免”政策。2月，40 位美国国会议员写信要求美国国土安全部部长亚历杭德罗·马约尔卡斯探讨修改该规则的使用。The NFTC estimates that changes to the de minimis rule will more than double the price of a $50 package based on a processing fee of $31.67 and a brokerage fee of $20 after it arrives in the US.全美对外贸易委员会估计，基于31.67美元的手续费和运抵美国后20美元的中介费，对“小额豁免”政策的修改将使价值50美元的包裹的价格翻一番以上。It also could lead 88 other countries with de minimis policies to adjust their rules, which could hurt American exporters.这也可能导致其它88个实行“小额豁免”政策的国家调整其规则，从而损害美国出口商的利益。The de minimis exemption, Section 321 of the Tariff Act of 1930, was created in 1938. Its aim was to help facilitate global commerce and allow for small packages valued at less than $5 ($160 in today's dollars) to get to customers quickly and efficiently.“小额豁免”，即美国《1930年关税法》第321条，创立于1938年。其目的是帮助促进全球贸易，使价值低于5美元（按现在的价值计算为160美元）的小包裹能够快速、高效地送达顾客手中。The value of the packages allowed under the rule has gone up steadily over the years from $200 in 1994 to $800 in 2016, per person, per day.多年来，该规则允许的包裹价值稳步上升，从1994年的每人每天200美元增至2016年的800美元。

This Day in Legal History: Treaty of Fort PittOn September 17, 1778, the newly independent United States and the Lenape (Delaware) Nation signed the Treaty of Fort Pitt, marking the first formal treaty between the U.S. and a Native American tribe. The treaty established a military alliance during the American Revolutionary War, with the Lenape agreeing to assist the U.S. in its fight against the British. In return, the U.S. promised protection and the possibility of creating a 14th state for Native Americans in the future.Despite its significance as a symbol of diplomacy, the treaty was quickly undermined. U.S. forces often ignored the agreement, and American expansion continued to threaten Lenape lands. The promise of a Native American state was never realized, and tensions between the two sides worsened. This violation of the treaty set a precedent for many future treaties between the U.S. government and Native American tribes, where promises were made but rarely honored. The Treaty of Fort Pitt highlights the complex and often troubled relationship between Native nations and the U.S. government during the early years of American independence.The Biden administration is launching a new initiative to combat the smuggling of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), potent greenhouse gases used in refrigeration, across U.S. borders. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other agencies are collaborating, using new tools like artificial intelligence to identify suspicious shipments. HFC smuggling has surged as the U.S. phases out these chemicals under the 2019 American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act, which mandates an 85% reduction by 2036. Since fiscal year 2024 began, about 25 illegal shipments have been stopped, but the scale of smuggling remains large.Smugglers use various methods, such as relabeling containers and falsifying import documents, to sneak HFCs into the country. The black market for these refrigerants mirrors the illicit trade of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the 1990s after their global ban. Enforcement efforts include developing human intelligence sources, new AI technologies, and enhanced collaboration between government agencies. However, enforcement challenges persist, as it's difficult to catch every shipment and distinguish legal from illegal HFCs once they enter the market.Biden Fights Smugglers Trafficking Climate-Warming RefrigerantsCigna Group's Express Scripts is suing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over a July report that it claims unfairly portrays pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). In its lawsuit, filed in Missouri, Express Scripts calls the report “unfair, biased, erroneous, and defamatory” and demands the agency retract it. This legal action intensifies the ongoing conflict between PBMs and the FTC, which has been investigating the industry for over two years.The FTC's report accuses PBMs of steering patients to their own pharmacies and charging higher rates. Express Scripts, along with other PBM giants like CVS Health and UnitedHealth Group, disputes these claims, arguing that PBMs help control drug prices and counteract pharmaceutical companies' power. Cigna's lawsuit also accuses the FTC of ignoring data it submitted, favoring instead what it calls “unsupported innuendo.” The FTC has rejected these accusations and stands by its report, stating that it aims to clarify the complexities of the PBM market. The case is now before the U.S. District Court in Missouri.Cigna Sues Federal Trade Commission Over ‘Defamatory' ReportThe U.S. antitrust trial over Kroger's $25 billion bid to acquire rival grocer Albertsons is wrapping up, but the legal battles are far from over. Following the Portland trial, where the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and several states argued that the merger would harm shoppers and unionized grocery workers, two more trials are set to challenge the deal. Washington state's attorney general began a separate trial on Monday, arguing that the merger would raise prices, reduce competition, and allow Kroger to close unionized stores. Later this month, Colorado will bring its own case, focusing on the impact on local farmers and consumers.Kroger and Albertsons, which have already spent $864 million on merger-related costs this year, argue that the deal would lower prices and allow them to compete better with retail giants like Walmart and Amazon. Despite their assurances that no stores will close due to the merger, critics warn that closures could occur in the future. The ongoing legal challenges could prolong the merger process and add significant costs for the companies.Kroger-Albertson's US anti-trust trial to end but other legal blocks loom | ReutersIn my column for Bloomberg this week, I explore how land value taxes (LVTs) can address the inequities in the current property tax systems across the U.S.Property taxes, especially in economically disadvantaged areas, have been scrutinized for burdening low-income homeowners. A land value tax, which taxes only the land's value and not any structures or improvements, could provide a fairer alternative. LVTs can stabilize tax burdens, promote development, and reduce land speculation. This tax system would also allow for income-adjusted progressivity, helping municipalities create more consistent revenue streams while avoiding the boom-and-bust cycles tied to real estate.In contrast, traditional property taxes—which tax both land and buildings—can disincentivize property improvements, make it cheaper to hold vacant land, and unfairly burden residents in areas with declining commercial property values. This is especially evident in places like Chicago's south suburbs, where declining commercial revenue is pushing low- and middle-income homeowners to the brink. Similar stories are unfolding in towns like Harvey, Illinois, and Wake County, North Carolina, where property taxes have surged beyond many residents' ability to pay.Shifting to an LVT would alleviate these problems by taxing land rather than improvements, encouraging landowners to develop or sell underused land, and ensuring more financial stability for homeowners. The switch could be an important step in revitalizing economically depressed areas, promoting development, and creating a more equitable tax system.Land Value Taxes Can Resolve Property Tax Systems' Inequities This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

Cartel Corruption of Federal Agents, FBI, DEA, at the Border and More. The U.S.- Mexico border has long been a battleground in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime. Yet, a lesser-known and equally troubling battle involves the corruption of federal agents — from corrections officers and border patrol to FBI and DEA agents. This episode of the Law Enforcement Talk Radio show and Podcast explores how cartels corrupt federal agents, the investigations that unveil these betrayals, and the outcomes. Follow the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and most all social media platforms. Cartel corruption of Federal Agents often begins with small, seemingly harmless actions by federal agents. For instance, a border patrol officer might turn a blind eye to suspicious activity in exchange for a quick payoff or accept a small bribe for allowing contraband through. These seemingly minor transgressions can escalate, gradually entangling the agents in a web of cartel operations. Once compromised, agents find themselves increasingly beholden to criminal groups, leading to more significant acts of corruption. Listen to this interview as a free podcast on our website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and most major podcast platforms. The journey from minor misconduct to severe criminal involvement is often marked by a series of careless, even mindless, decisions. According to Ken Strange, a retired federal agent with the FBI, USAID, and the Department of Justice (DOJ), "many major corruption investigations are triggered by stupid, mindless incidents by the officers involved." Strange's insights are informed by years of experience investigating cartel corruption among federal agents. His new book, A Cop's Son: One G-Man's Fight Against Jihad, Global Fraud, and the Cartels, sheds light on the multi-faceted corruption efforts by cartels targeting FBI and DEA agents. Ken Strange's career spanned three federal agencies — the FBI, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the DOJ — and involved conflicts with jihadists, cartels, and international fraudsters. In his book, he breaks down his federal career into three parts: the fight against jihad (FBI), the fight against global fraud (USAID OIG), and the fight against the cartels (DOJ OIG). The book has received praise from notable figures in law enforcement, including former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly and former LAPD Chief William Bratton. Cartel Corruption of Federal Agents, FBI, DEA, at the Border and More.  Strange's book is more than just a recounting of his experiences; it is a unique exploration of the variety of investigative stories accrued across three distinguished U.S. government agencies. His friend, a prominent Hollywood actor, has even suggested that the book's final chapter would make for a great movie. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, MeWe and other social media platforms.  Articles about this are on Newsbreak and Medium. The FBI has intensified its focus on corruption at the Southwest border. Out of the 700 agents dedicated to combating public corruption, about 120 are assigned to this region. These agents coordinate their investigative efforts with the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG), Customs and Border Protection Internal Affairs (CBP-IA), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The results of these efforts are significant: over 400 public corruption cases have originated from this region, leading to more than 100 arrests and over 130 state and federal cases prosecuted in FY 2009 alone. To further these efforts, the FBI has established 12 border corruption task forces along the Southwest border, which share intelligence with groups such as the Southwest Intelligence Group (SWIG), the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), and Mexican legal attachés to identify and disrupt Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs). Cartel Corruption of Federal Agents, FBI, DEA, at the Border and More. The interview is available as a free podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website or most major podcast platforms. International cooperation is crucial in the fight against cartel corruption. The FBI, for example, has strengthened its ties with Mexican law enforcement. Recently, the FBI's McAllen office hosted 30 Mexican police officers for a week of training and information sharing through the Mexican American Liaison and Law Enforcement Training (MALLET) program. This week-long initiative included modules on ethics, firearms, and investigative techniques aimed at building law enforcement contacts with the Mexican government. During a Senate hearing, Senator Mark Pryor expressed concerns about cartels infiltrating U.S. law enforcement, stating, "U.S. border defenses have been beefed up, which has helped to squeeze these drug routes. However, to gain an advantage, the cartels have begun to infiltrate U.S. law enforcement." This infiltration is not limited to federal agents; state and local governments are also targets. A recent news report highlighted a 40% increase in corruption arrests within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and dozens of investigations are currently underway. While other federal agencies, like the DEA, FBI, and Transportation Security Administration (TSA), are also targeted, CBP appears most vulnerable due to its frontline role and rapid expansion in recent years. The doubling of its size over the past decade has introduced many new faces, some of whom may not be fully vetted. Cartel Corruption of Federal Agents, FBI, DEA, at the Border and More. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, MeWe, Pinterest and other social media platforms for the latest episodes and news. There is a growing concern that CBP is not employing all available tools to screen job applicants effectively. The agency aims to polygraph all applicants, but currently, only about 10% are tested. This lack of thorough screening raises concerns not just about drugs, but also about guns, money, and even the potential for terrorists entering the U.S. if border defenses are weakened. A report from U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley's office has called for a reassessment of U.S. security cooperation with Mexico. Tracing allegations of corruption back to the 1980s, the report accuses U.S. officials of overlooking Mexican corruption to secure cooperation in drug seizures and arrests. This leniency has come at a cost, placing U.S. agents at risk and undermining the long-term fight against cartels. "For the past 40 years, U.S. officials have overlooked widespread corruption in Mexico in favor of cooperating with and funneling resources to foreign actors," the report states. It urges Congress to reevaluate Washington's security cooperation policies in the Western Hemisphere. The DEA continues to pursue evidence globally, including investigations and prosecutions related to public corruption. Cartel Corruption of Federal Agents, FBI, DEA, at the Border and More. Listen to the interview which is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website and most major podcast Platforms. The corruption of federal agents by cartels at the U.S.-Mexico border remains a pressing issue that requires a multi-faceted approach, involving stricter vetting processes, stronger international cooperation, and a commitment to transparency.  The battle against corruption is ongoing, and understanding its complexities is the first step toward winning it. Stay up to date by following us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, MeWe, Pinterest, Newsbreak, Medium and other social media platforms. Breakfast With Champions in the Clubhouse Social Audio App a solution for Loneliness? It has helped countless people and might help you too. Best of all Breackfast With Champions and the Clubhouse Social Audio app are both free. Loneliness has become a significant public health concern in the United States, affecting millions across all age groups. The sense of isolation and disconnection can have serious consequences for both physical and mental well-being. Connect and make new friends from around the world daily in the Breakfast With Champions Rooms in the Clubhouse App, get more details on their website, www.TheBWCInfo.com Be sure to check out our website. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, MeWe, Pinterest and other social media platforms for the latest episodes and news. Get the latest news articles, without all the bias and spin, from the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast on the Newsbreak app, which is free. Listen to this for free in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website or most major podcast platforms. Background song Hurricane is used with permission from the band Dark Horse Flyer Find a wide variety of great podcasts online at The Podcast Zone Facebook Page, look for the one with the bright green logo. Follow us on MeWe, X, Instagram, Facebook. Get your daily dose of Motivation, Education and Inspiration in the Breakfast With Champions Rooms In The Clubhouse app, both are free. Cartel Corruption of Federal Agents, FBI, DEA, at the Border and More.  Attributions FBI.gov Reuters GovInfo.gov  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine a world where combating climate change and protecting the environment is integrated into every step of global trade.  In this episode, hosts Reid Jackson and Liz Sertl are joined by Lea-Ann Bigelow, Director of Green Trade at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). With a wealth of experience in environmental regulation and sustainability, Lea-Ann shares how U.S. Customs is evolving to meet the challenges of climate change through innovative trade practices. Lea-Ann discusses how CBP's efforts are not just about regulating imports but about leading the charge in reducing emissions, enhancing traceability, and fighting environmental crimes. By integrating sustainability into the global supply chain, these initiatives are paving the way for a cleaner, safer world.   In this episode, you'll learn: How U.S. Customs and Border Protection is pioneering green trade practices to reduce emissions and enhance sustainability across global supply chains. The implementation of advanced traceability systems to combat environmental crime and ensure compliance in international trade. The collaborative strategies between government and industry that are shaping a more resilient and environmentally responsible future for global trade.   Jump into the Conversation: [00:00] Introducing Next Level Supply Chain [00:40] Lea-Ann Bigelow Discusses Green Trade Initiatives at CBP [01:23] The Dark Side of Trade: Environmental Crime and Its Ties to Other Offenses [01:52] Why GS1 Connect Is Crucial for Environmental Compliance [02:55] The Role of GS1 Standards in Enhancing Global Trade Compliance [04:41] Developing the Green Standard for Global Trade [04:50] International Collaboration on Environmental Regulations [05:31] Navigating Complex Global Environmental Regulations [06:02] Closing Thoughts: The Future of Green Trade   Connect with GS1 US: Our website - www.gs1us.org GS1 US on LinkedIn   Connect with the guests: Lea-Ann Bigelow on LinkedIn

In this episode, Lisa Mays, an international trade attorney with Sheppard Mullin and leader of the firm's Supply Chain Industry Team, joins host Scott Maberry to discuss the state of the global supply chain, including the impact of the war in Russia, and the intensifying trade war with China.   What We Discussed in This Episode: Most trade lawyers are on the East coast. What benefits do you bring to your clients being in California?  What roles do the different government agencies play in enforcement, and why is recent inter-agency enforcement cooperation so significant? What is the compliance obligation regarding “diversion” of goods by suppliers, distributors, sales agents, and customers? How are U.S. trade wars playing out in the global supply chain?  What specific supply chain issues are created by the war in Ukraine? What recent actions has the U.S. taken as the trade war with China intensifies? How is international trade law impacting the way the solar industry operates? Why has it become critical for companies to trace their supply chains for forced labor? Will supply chain regulation continue to be a priority for the remainder of President Biden's current term?   About Lisa Mays An international trade lawyer based in Sheppard Mullin's Orange County office, Lisa Mays leads the firm's Supply Chain Industry Team and is a leading member of the Transportation Industry Team. Lisa's practice focuses on compliance counseling and investigations in the areas of export controls, economic sanctions, anti-corruption, and customs and import regulations. She regularly advises semiconductor manufacturers, automakers, airlines, aerospace and defense firms, importers, and exporters on sanctions; export controls, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR); trade agreements; the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA); Customs and imports; antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD); the False Claims Act; Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS); anti-boycott controls; cybersecurity issues; and anti-money laundering (AML) matters.  Lisa also represents clients before the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS), the Department of State Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the International Trade Commission (ITC), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and CFIUS.   About Scott Maberry An international trade partner in Governmental Practice, J. Scott Maberry counsels clients on global risk, international trade, and regulation. Scott's practice includes representing clients before the U.S. government agencies and international U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS), the Department of Commerce Import Administration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of State Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the International Trade Commission (ITC) and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS). He also represents clients in federal court and grand jury proceedings, as well as those pursuing negotiations and dispute resolution under the World Trade Organization (WTO), North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other multilateral and bilateral agreements. A member of the World Economic Forum Expert Network, Scott also advises the WEF community in the areas of global risk, international trade, artificial intelligence and values.   Contact Information Lisa Mays Scott Maberry Thank you for listening! Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive two new episodes delivered straight to your podcast player every month. If you enjoyed this episode, please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or Spotify. It helps other listeners find this show. This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.  

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has taken steps to better balance transparency and privacy when it comes to what are known as Enforce and Protect Act administrative proceedings. The new procedures let parties involved in anti-dumping and duty cases see information that is otherwise protected. To hear how it works, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with the Executive Director of CBP's Regulations and Ruling Directorate, Alice Kipel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has taken steps to better balance transparency and privacy when it comes to what are known as Enforce and Protect Act administrative proceedings. The new procedures let parties involved in anti-dumping and duty cases see information that is otherwise protected. To hear how it works, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with the Executive Director of CBP's Regulations and Ruling Directorate, Alice Kipel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A 12-year-old girl is dead. She was raped and murdered by two illegal aliens who were waved into the U.S. under President Biden's intentional open borders policies.What if that was your daughter? Can you even imagine the pain of losing them and knowing what horrors she endured during her final hours on earth - and knowing it was easily preventable?That's what a mother in Texas is dealing with today, and, sadly, she's far from alone. Stories of illegal aliens attacking, killing, and sexually assaulting women are making headlines in Georgia, Maryland, New York City, and in countless other communities around America. And none of it had to happen.Today, Sara welcomes Tom Homan, who served as Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the Trump administration. Homan says the evidence is piling up every day that Biden's deliberate weakness in border policy is emboldening cartels in their relentless efforts to traffick drugs and children into the U.S.And he says if Biden gets another four years, the crisis will get so big that it will never be solved. But he says it is possible to reverse much of Biden's damage if voters choose Donald Trump again in November.Homan also highlights how U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel are so swamped by the illegal aliens coming into the country that manpower elsewhere along the border is dangerously thin and puts agents in serious danger.And who is entering the U.S.? In far too many cases we have absolutely no idea, but they still get waved through. But Homan says there is convincing evidence that adversaries like Venezuela are sending criminals and mental patients to the U.S.Finally, Sara and Homan discuss their collaboration in Border 911, a group dedicated to educating the American people about the border crisis.Thank you for being a part of the Sara Carter Show.Please visit our great sponsors:Goldcohttp://saralikesgold.comGet your free gold kit today and learn how to get $10,000 in bonus silver. My Pillowhttps://mypillow.comUse code CARTER for $25 prices and free shipping on orders over $75.Time Stamps:0:05 Borders are the number one issue now11:27 Tom Homan joins the Sara Carter Show14:54 Agents are totally overwhelmed17:12 Dumping prisons into America24:02 Border 9-11's goal31:09 We are in dangerVisit: https://border911.com

Join us as we explore crucial importing and inventory management strategies with Afolabi Oyerokun, a seasoned Amazon seller with over 20 years of experience. Afolabi takes us through his remarkable journey from Nigeria to the United States, where he transitioned from fashion design to computer animation before making his mark in e-commerce. Discover his insights on avoiding costly pitfalls when importing products from overseas, managing inventory effectively, and ensuring you don't run out or overstock. In this engaging episode, Afolabi shares essential tips on navigating U.S. customs seizures and maintaining effective communication with overseas factories. Learn about the common reasons for customs stopping a container and the importance of accurate documentation to avoid severe penalties. He also highlights the risks of using email for factory communications and suggests using platforms like WeChat to prevent scams. Plus, get the lowdown on labeling requirements for imported goods to ensure compliance with U.S. and Amazon regulations. Listen in as we discuss the critical role of third-party logistics (3PLs) in maintaining a diverse and efficient supply chain, despite Amazon's introduction of its AWD. Afolabi outlines the strategic advantages of using 3PLs for fulfilling orders across multiple marketplaces and offers practical tips for optimizing shipping. Additionally, we emphasize the importance of compliance with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations and introduce a new tool to help track and ensure compliance with U.S. government regulations. Finally, get to know Afolabi a little better as we share contact information for his services and enjoy a light-hearted exchange about Nigerian cuisine. In episode 572 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley and Afolabi discuss: 00:00 - Importing Products From Overseas 03:54 - From Fashion to Tech  10:17 - Avoiding Customs Seizures in Online Selling  11:20 - Customs Seizure, Communication, and Mold Ownership 22:45 - Factory Confiscates Mold During Dispute 25:27 - Supply Chain Visibility and Customs Compliance 28:52 - Importance of Taking CBP Seriously 31:06 - Online Contact Information for Tariff Services3 ► Instagram: instagram.com/serioussellerspodcast ► Free Amazon Seller Chrome Extension: https://h10.me/extension ► Sign Up For Helium 10: https://h10.me/signup  (Use SSP10 To Save 10% For Life) ► Learn How To Sell on Amazon: https://h10.me/ft ► Watch The Podcasts On YouTube: youtube.com/@Helium10/videos Transcript Bradley Sutton: Today's guest has got tons of strategies to help you avoid potential pitfalls that would be extremely costly when importing products from overseas, but he's also got a wealth of experience since he started selling on Amazon over 20 years ago. How cool is that? Pretty cool, I think. Hello everybody and welcome to another episode of the Serious Sellers Podcast by Helium 10. I'm your host, Bradley Sutton, and this is the show that's completely BS-free, unscripted and unrehearsed. Organic conversation about serious strategies for serious sellers of any level in the e-commerce world. And it's funny for the first time in like 570 episodes, I was recording an episode last week and then noticed that the recording wasn't working, so we're having to start all over again. So thanks to our guests for being accommodating, but at the same time, thanks to my terrible memory, I think I already forgot most of what we had talked about already. So it's going to be still new for me, just as it is for the audience right here. So, Afolabi, welcome to the show. How's it going this morning? Thank you again for coming on for a second time.   Afolabi: I'm good. Thank you, Bradley, for having me over. Thanks a lot, I'm excited.   Bradley Sutton: Awesome! Now we were talking about where I'm from right before this call, where I'm at right now. Where are you in the United States right now?   Afolabi: I'm in Pennsylvania. I'm sitting at a 3PL here in Eastern PA.   Bradley Sutton: Ah, so this is not your home, this is like where you work, your office.   Afolabi: Correct. This is our office.   Bradley Sutton: And where were you born and raised?   Afolabi: Born in Nigeria, West Africa. I came into the US this January of 97.   Bradley Sutton: Ah, okay, now hold on. This is something new already we didn't talk about last time, because this weekend I was at a church event and I met somebody from Nigeria and maybe I'll throw a picture up of that. But I asked him I'm a foodie, so I ask him if I find a good Nigerian restaurant here, what should I order? And he said something let's see if this is what you suggest too. He said fish, pepper soup. So is that a great cuisine that I should try for Nigerian food?   Afolabi: Fish pepper soup is good, beef pepper soup is good and then you can. If you like rice, you can eat jollof rice. I love rice. It's spelled j-o-l-l-o-f. It's a traditional, uh, very nice, uh tasting rice. But I have to caution you on the fish pepper soup. If you don't like hot, spicy food, don't.   Bradley Sutton: That's no problem. All right, the rest of the audience, you guys, beware. Me, I don't have to worry about that I love hot spicy food. So that makes it even more. That makes it even more exciting for me to taste it.   Afolabi: Good.   Bradley Sutton: All right, excellent. Anyways, we're not here to uh to talk about food. Otherwise, yeah, my diet is day one today and I'm already going to lose out on that if I get too hungry here. But let's talk about, let's go back more to your origin story. So did you attend university in the United States or back in Nigeria?   Afolabi: Yes, so I had some university in Nigeria and then I transferred and came here to New York at the Fashion Institute of Technology, F.I.T. as everybody knew it, and I majored in fashion design for my first two years and then the final two years was in computer animation and interactive media. Weird right?   Bradley Sutton: Yeah, that's a big contrast. Some people say oh, what's your major? Oh, I'm majoring in business and I minor in management or something like that or maybe a language, but your double major was IT and also fashion. So how did you end up like, what was your first dabble in e-commerce and what year, and what did you do?   Afolabi: I did some little freelance work here and there, and then I came up with the shoe designs while I was doing freelance for a company in New York.   Bradley Sutton: And there's your fashion design coming in already. I like it.   Afolabi: Now, bear in mind, I did not do shoe designs, I didn't do footwear designs when I was doing fashion, but I just liked all these Nike shoes and all these really cool shoes. I was just inspired. So, I started designing my own shoes. And now, when I had a computer full of shoe designs, now the next stage is how do I make these shoes? So, I was looking all over. I couldn't find any shoe manufacturer, and then I sent inquiries out. Those were the days Alibaba was just coming up. It wasn't very popular at all. Anyway, I found some Mr. Johnson somewhere in Taiwan that replied to my email and it's like no, you have to come here. We can make your shoes, but you got to come here. I'm like okay, whatever.   Afolabi: So I went to Taiwan with the last dollar in my hands. I didn't even have money for the hotel. My host had to pay for my hotel. So I went to and they didn't know I didn't have the hotel. They were just being, you know good host. So I went to Taiwan, met with Mr. Johnston and that was the beginning of me making my shoes. And after I made the shoes, I you know my wife reached out one way or the other. She reached out to Amazon that you know Amazon was just getting out of selling books, only to start it. They just opened up the platform for.   Bradley Sutton: When was this? Early 2000s?   Afolabi: 2002.   Bradley Sutton: 2002.   Afolabi: Yes, so that was 2002. And Amazon. You know, some rep in Amazon said oh wow, we like these shoes. You want, would you like, to come on board our platform? Like, yeah, I don't have any other choice. You know how come? You know? So I, uh, I started selling those shoes there and they were doing really good until we realized that they were made too small, they were like a size smaller and uh, by the way, these are some of the things, things I shared in the model, you know, in the Freedom Ticket. For people that are listening, you know, I would say for them to go get that and listen to my full story there.   Bradley Sutton: Okay, interesting, all right, so now was that? So then Amazon kind of became your main income in the early two thousands? Or were you also selling online, or how? How did you end up, you know? Cause you're down to your last dollar when, when you got started here. So what happened?   Afolabi: So, I was selling on Amazon but it wasn't, there was no FBA right, so we were fulfilling it by ourselves. It was so hard and I had a side gig which I was doing, you know, graphics and web for people on the side, and I went to a footwear show in New York. It's called Fanny, F-F-A-N-Y. And I met some people and they were like “How did you make these shoes?” And I told them and they said, oh, can you make us shoes too? So I started doing consulting for other individuals that want to make their own shoes. So that's how I kept on keeping the body and soul together while I was building the brand on Amazon and when the shoes were made small, so we started getting a lot of returns, people saying, oh, I have to return this and buy a higher size. So people were returning it, they'll buy a size eight, They'll return it and buy a size nine. And it was just a nightmare and I couldn't take it. So I found a liquidator or some guy out of Florida and he bought all my inventory and that's how I ended that part to sell off all my inventory.   Bradley Sutton: So then, but now you kind of found out that, hey, I've got a thing for this, you know design, I've got a thing for importing. This is maybe something I can help out with.   Afolabi: Correct.   Bradley Sutton: And then, was that the kind of start of your consulting company?   Afolabi: Yes.   Bradley Sutton: That you've been doing ever since.   Afolabi: Yes, so that's how sourcing and logistics started for me. I started sourcing for a lot of companies providing logistical support and then somehow, in 2014, my friend you know came to me and said, hey, let's sell on Amazon. I'm like I've done that before. You know, it was too hard. He's like no, no, no, it's different now. You know they have something called FBA. I said what's that? He's like no, they'll fulfill the order for you. You just ship it to their warehouse. They'll do the pick and pack and ship them. Oh, that's easy. So we came up. He came up with some cool designs and signs and banners and school supplies. So that's how we went back into Amazon. We were selling craft vinyl, we were selling anything we could lay our hands on. It was so easy to rank, it was so easy to launch. Those were the days that viral launch was also, you know, getting started and stuff. And so we were. We were growing really fast because, you know there was there were no competition. You know people hadn't woken up to Amazon. So selling on Amazon became our main income at that time.   Bradley Sutton: OK, all right, interesting. Now you reference that you're in in Freedom Ticket. So, yes, anybody who has a Helium 10 and has a Starter plan, Platinum plan or above has full access to our full Freedom Ticket course, which is more than 20 hour course with every aspect of selling online that you would need and Afolabi 's module is under compliance and risk management. It's called mistakes to avoid when importing products. We're not going to do the whole thing today, but I want to give some highlights from here, just so that people can understand some of your expertise and you can go ahead and help people out with some things. But my first question is one of the things that you mentioned in your module was about custom seizures and how people can avoid that. So, first of all, what is a custom seizure? Sounds very dramatic. And then how can people avoid? Or, you know, nobody can 100% fully make themselves foolproof, but what are the things that people can do to make that less likely of happening?   Afolabi: Yes, correct, thanks. So custom seizure is when the US customs just flags your container or flags a container containing your product for examination because they're suspecting something. It could be randomly done, or it might be that your freight forwarder or your broker has been under their watch list and they want to start looking deeper into all the imports that this cheaper or freight forwarder has been doing. So they would stop your container for examination, so they'll bring it to a yard and they will open it up and see what's in it. Now you cannot really protect yourself from being, you know, spotted or from your container being stopped, but when it gets stopped, that's what you can protect. What happens after it gets stopped is what you can protect. You can, you know, can help yourself out. Some of the things that make customs stop a container could be you're importing from a factory that has a forced child laborer. You are importing products under the anti-dumping laws or countervailing laws, whereby it's almost like you're smuggling those products because the quota for those products is already filled out and you're still bringing in those products. They don't want you coming to flood the US market with those products. Above all, the most annoying one is the False Claims Act, which is you're not paying the right duty. You are falsifying your duty classification of your product so that you can pay the lower duty. You are bringing in a pencil and then you're lying in your. It may not be you. Actually it would be your shipper. Unknowingly to you, your shipper may be falsifying your customs form to declare a lower value, or you're declaring a lower value than the amount you ordered the product for. So these are all the things.   Afolabi: For me one time that my container was stopped and it was actually destroyed. The problem was that I had been ordering this giant industrial product for a long time and one time it was stopped at the port of Jacksonville and they looked at it. They said there was the power cable. Can you imagine the power cable that has the UL logo on it. They wanted me to prove that the cable came out of a UL certified factory. And then there's another capacitor in that product that has the logo CMA on it, which is a big association. And I went to my factory. I said, hey, you know my container was stopped. Can you send me certification and proof that your factory is a member or is approved by UL and you are also authorized to use the CMA logo and they ran away. They disappeared.   Afolabi: So I told the customs can I come and just stick all these things out and I can cut out the cable. I can do this. They're like nope, it's going in the trash. So the whole container about who knows 50,000 worth of product was trashed. On top of all the penalties, examination, demurrage, all manner of fees climbed on top of it. So if I had falsified the document and say, oh, I'm bringing something else that is duty-free, the penalty would have been a lot severe. So those are some of the things you should watch out for as an importer. Make sure that you're using the right HTS code, the right tariff code, to correctly declare your goods, so that they will not penalize you under the False Claims Act.   Bradley Sutton: Now, another thing you mentioned was that you do not suggest that anybody communicate with their factories using email and instead another means. So why is that? And then what? How do you think people should be doing 100% of their communication with their factories?   Afolabi: Great, well, I learned that from experience. So I was using my Gmail account to talk to my factory. I didn't know that there was a scammer that intercepted my factory's email as acting to my factory's email, as acting to my factory's email address and hijacked our conversation. So all the while I was talking to the scammer, I didn't realize it was the scammer, because he was impersonating my factory through email and I was able to send money to the scammer. The scammer changed the bank account on the invoice and everything and I sent the money to him, not realizing that it was a scam. If I had been communicating with my factory through WeChat, I wouldn't have fallen for that, because from the very beginning of my conversation now when I'm talking to factories, I take it out of Alibaba, I take it out of every platform and I put it in my WeChat. That way, before I even start talking about sending money or whatever, I already have a communication directly with the factory from my WeChat. So if anybody hijacks that, I would know I will double check through WeChat. I can double check through both emails and WeChat and I also secure the transaction with the Alibaba trade assurance.   Bradley Sutton: All right. Yeah, that's crazy. Your email might have been secure but not the uh. You know not the uh, not the suppliers there, okay. So, yeah, we chat is the way, uh, to go. Now, another thing that sometimes I struggle with and then you talk about in your module, is knowing which labels is a requirement of the country and then also what's requirement of Amazon. So, for example, united states at what? What kind of bags need that? No suffocation like, is it only a bag that has an opening, but if it's fully vacuum sealed bag, it doesn't. Or explain when I need to have that, that, those child warnings on my bagged products coming from China.   Afolabi: Well, uh, for safety, I just put it in, uh, all kinds of anything. Anytime I'm bringing a product that has bags in general. Uh, I know for Amazon it has to have an opening that you put the product in. It's not like those uh uh bubble bags, but it is a bag you open and put a product in. But me, just for the sake of sanity and safety, I just put it on anytime. Anytime I'm bringing the product.   Bradley Sutton: What does it say? What exactly does the label say that you're putting on these bags?   Afolabi: Yeah the suffocation. It's a generic suffocation warning which you can find the text anywhere online.   Bradley Sutton: All right, so that's important too. Another thing that was new to me that you talked about was mold ownership. Now, me, I don't have any molds, or actually I do for a couple of accounts. But obviously, project X, we know, we're doing egg trays, we're doing, we're doing, you know, coffin shelves and things like that Wooden products. It didn't require a mold like for plastic product. But a lot of people, when they're making original designs or you know, brand new product, that requires tooling and molds. Hey, this is a kind of a big investment at the beginning. What are some things that that sellers should avoid? Because one thing that you know some people might think is logical is well, maybe we can split costs or with the supplier on this mold, but you actually said that's not a good idea, right?   Afolabi: Yes, correct. So when your, when your product involves or requires a mold and the supplier says, well, you know, we can share the mold cost with you, you know, so that we can make it easy and cheaper for you to get into production, it's a no-no, because the moment they share the mold cost with you, they jointly own that mold and you're bind and married to that factory forever. If you try to move that mold, they'll say no, it's our mold too. We paid for it together. Another thing is to always have a mold ownership agreement when mold comes into play, have it in writing, both in Mandarin and English or Cantonese and English, and say I own this mold and I can take it anytime I want. I can move it to any factory. Okay, what if this factory gets into trouble? Or what if they run out of capacity and they can't even? They don't even have the capacity to fulfill your production anymore. What are you going to do your stuck? So it's better to always have that clause in your mold that you own your mold 100% and you can take it anywhere you want.   Afolabi: Another thing I tell importers or product innovators is that when you're doing mold, make sure you don't ask your factory for their input on your design, you say, hey, what do you think? This is the way I want to make this product. What do you think? The moment your factory contributes to your designs, then by Chinese law they are co-inventors with you. If they're co-inventors, they have legal claims on your idea and they can sell it to whoever they want. They can make that product for anybody they want because you jointly developed it together with them. So you got to be very careful on contribution or collaboration. You don't collaborate with your factory. Hire your own industrial engineering or structural engineer or whoever, and you guys talk about it, come up with your product and then you give it to the mold maker. Sometimes people use their factory to negotiate the mold. I don't do that, honestly. I take my molds to the mold maker. I go to a mold maker to make my mold and then I bring it from the mold maker and I bring it to the factory. Many factory will want to say, oh, this is our mold. It's $2,000 for the mold. You don't know where they made the mold from. And if you don't have the connection to the mold, how would you retrieve the mold. If something falls apart between you and the factory, right, they would tell you where the mold came from.   Afolabi: I actually had a situation and this is one out of a million whereby we made a mold and we stopped production of that product and the factory thought we were going to move the production to another factory, but that was not the case. But he's like no, I'm not going to release this mold. We were like but we paid for it, it's ours. He says I know, but I'm not giving it back. Why? Because this mold was made from a mold maker that we don't even have a contact of, so we don't even know how to reach this mold maker. Only the factory knows how to get to them. And they said nope, we're not telling you nothing, we're not releasing the mold. We went back and forth. They said okay, we can pay you for the fraction of the mold. I'm like why would you want to pay us for the mold? We don't want you making it for anybody else. They said nope, we will pay you $600 and we'll take the mold. We're not making it for anybody, but we need to safeguard it, we need to make sure it doesn't go. I'm like that doesn't even make any sense. Yeah, we, we, unfortunately, we had to abandon the factory, abandon the mold and just get out. But the, the, the confiscated the mold. They did not release it.   Bradley Sutton: Wow. Okay, so that's definitely something to keep in mind as well. Let's switch gears and talk about stuff that's not in your Freedom Ticket module. For the rest of what you're talking about there, the Freedom Ticket students definitely can and should go check it out, but I didn't even know until today, for some reason, that you also did the 3PL services. Now, since you said that you're in a 3PL right now you know, in 2024, obviously the biggest change you know you've been selling on Amazon for 20 years, but, uh, probably you'd agree that one of the bigger changes that Amazon sellers are worried about this year is the new um fees. You know, like, of course, we've got a high return product rate fee and there's also uh, but now there's inventory fee, low inventory fee, and then the big, the big one that affects literally everybody using FBA is the inbound cost when you are inbound placement fee. So, as a 3PL, what you know more than just one seller who only has their situation, you're dealing with many, many sellers and who are all navigating these things differently. Yes, what's the consensus Like? What are your clients doing? What are you suggesting to them to do in order to help alleviate the cost of these new fees? What are they doing differently than they did before these fees?   Afolabi: Well, we have different customers that have unique situations. Many people think that when Amazon came out with the AWD, which is the warehouse distribution, that they go ahead and fire their 3PL. We don't need 3PLs anymore and stuff like that. But they're learning more and more that I think it's Amazon's way of controlling and maintaining visibility and shutting you out of visibility, where they kind of control your whole entire supply chain. So if you're selling in other marketplaces, I still feel that you need your 3PL for you to be able to diversify, sell at Walmart, Ebay, whatever anywhere else, Shopify your own store to be able to fulfill from all those places. I know Amazon wants to fulfill those places so that you can get access to your customer data, but I want to maintain visibility. But in terms of fees placement fees I know even the AWD is not for all products, it's only for a certain small number of you know product catalog I still believe that if you can be sending your product, if you time it really well and you're watching all your inventory very well, I think you can be. If you're on top of it, you send, you know, maybe case basis or pilot basis or using freight like here we use a lot of freight for our customers and it saves them a lot of money and the products get there on time, because we have UPS freight truck come here every time and when they come here they take it straight to the depot. When they take it straight to depot, it ends up in Amazon within a day or two, so they're able to save.   Afolabi: Also, if you want to use Amazon Freight from your 3PL, that's also advisable. What do I mean by that? So if you're shipping sometimes more than 10 or 12 pallets of goods, it may be better to just request for Amazon to send you an empty truck from their freight service. So you go to freightAmazoncom, they will send you an empty truck and you pay for everything you fill that truck with. So the truck rate could be 750 bucks or 600 bucks, depending on where it's going to, but they send you that truck. You could fill it with either 15 pallets or up to maybe up to 26 pallets or something. It's the same 750 bucks, which saves you a lot of money when you're, you know, shipping your products to all the fulfillment warehouses. So that's what, uh, that's my number one way. I would, you know, number one thing that I'll tell uh uh sellers to make sure they're able to consolidate and sell box shipments in chunks like that. If you're not that big, you can just be sending. SPD is still okay, whereby you send a few boxes today, keep watching your inventory and then send another few boxes next week or two weeks time, based on your velocity.   Bradley Sutton: What's your 30 or 60 second tip? We call this that 60 second tip of the day that you can give. You know you've been giving strategies throughout this whole episode, but if you were to have a quick hitting one that you think people should be following, what is it?   Afolabi: What I would think would be good now is it's not sexy, but it's very important and is to start taking the CBP, which is Customs and Border Protection, to start taking them seriously, because they have started to check all these cargos, especially coming from China. They already know that people are rerouting their products. They already know that people are falsifying their documents and stuff like that. They're clamping on forced child labor a lot. I was just talking to somebody last week and his product had been stopped since December because one component in his product was made out of a region in China that was known for forced child labor and for that they sent his container back to China after detaining it for many months. They had to send it back and I see that popping up in Mexico as well.   Afolabi: So start taking CBP seriously in terms of check with your broker. Check that your products are compliant to US government regulations. We're actually rolling out a product this end of this month that can actually help you track all your products and cross check it across all governmental agencies. If your supplier or if your product has something that the US government doesn't like, it will flag it so that can be found on a tariff terminator website. Very soon, like end of this month, you will start being able to track and monitor your ASINs to make sure that your risk of being stopped or your product being destroyed or being prohibited from coming into the US. You would be better prepared and know ahead of time to know all the watch lists, to be aware of the watch lists of all the people and factories and things that the government doesn't like, because it's not pretty for them to stop your goods and don't let it come in.   Bradley Sutton: All right, Good to know. Good to know. Now, if people want to get more information from you or reach out to find out more about your services. How can people find you on the interwebs out there?   Afolabi: So they can find us at honuworldwide.com or tariftaminator.com Tariff as in T-A-R-I-F-F-T-E-R-M-I-A-N-A-T-O-R. Tarifterminator.com, or Honu Worldwide as H-O-N-U Worldwide.com, or you can send us an email at savings at HonuWorldwide.com.   Bradley Sutton: All right, Afolabi, thank you so much for coming on the show. I'll let you know what I think of the fish pepper soup and maybe we'll reach out to you next year to see what's new in your world. Knowing you, you'll probably be on five different things already in this short year. So thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us.   Afolabi: You're welcome. Let me know how the fish pepper soup tastes. I always want to. I'm curious.   Bradley Sutton: All right, All right, I'll let you know. I'll let you know.

In early June 2024, a significant fentanyl seizure took place in Kentucky, marking a major success in the fight against the opioid epidemic. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers intercepted a shipment containing nearly 900,000 fentanyl pills, highlighting the ongoing efforts to curb the influx of synthetic narcotics into the United States.The fentanyl, with a street value estimated to be in the millions, was discovered during a routine inspection at a port of entry. The seizure is part of a broader initiative by CBP to combat the smuggling of illicit drugs, which includes deploying advanced detection technologies and canine units at border checkpoints​. The amount of Fentanyl that was interdicted was enough to kill over 50k people. Even though this load was kept from hitting the streets, how many are slipping the net and making it's way to a community near you? (commercial at 7:50)to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:https://www.wdrb.com/news/crime-reports/50-000-doses-of-fentanyl-intercepted-in-louisville-raises-concerns-for-several/article_f8a66f6e-1425-11ed-b1e3-4b87f6ec658d.html

Illegal migrants are increasingly turning toward California's beaches as a pathway to enter the U.S., The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. While illegal migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have surged under the Biden administration, the number of successful and failed attempts to enter via boat in California has also jumped from 308 in fiscal year 2020 to 736 in fiscal year 2023, according to the WSJ, which cited Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Most of the migrants come through the San Diego area, but many have made their way north to Santa Barbara County. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darien-dunstan3/message

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) last month issued a Withhold Release Order for products made by Shanghai Select Safety Products Company Limited and two of its Chinese subsidiaries, Select Safety Products and Select Protective Technology Limited. CBP officers were instructed to detain any work gloves made by the companies and deny them entry into the country. Download and listen to the audio version below and click here to subscribe to the Today in Manufacturing podcast.

Trade with other countries, is something nations both promote and protect like crown jewels. Now U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has launched two oversight platforms anyone can view to see what's going on in trade violation and enforcement actions. For details on the two new dashboards, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with CBP's Executive Assistant Commissioner for Trade, AnnMarie Highsmith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trade with other countries, is something nations both promote and protect like crown jewels. Now U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has launched two oversight platforms anyone can view to see what's going on in trade violation and enforcement actions. For details on the two new dashboards, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with CBP's Executive Assistant Commissioner for Trade, AnnMarie Highsmith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of Justice announced that Ford Motor Company agreed to pay the U.S. government $365 million to resolve allegations of Tariff Act of 1930 violations. According to the DOJ, the American automaker misclassified and understated the value of hundreds of thousands of its Transit Connect cargo vans.U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official Troy A. Miller called the settlement one of the largest customs penalties in recent history.Download and listen to the audio version below and click here to subscribe to the Today in Manufacturing podcast.

This week, host Troy Edgar meets with Jeff Caine, the Chief Financial Officer of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), at the Prospect House in Washington, D.C.  CBP is the nation's largest law enforcement agency, overseeing border security, customs, immigration enforcement, and trade facilitation. Jeff manages a $19.5B budget that employs a workforce of over 65,000.  Troy and Jeff have an interesting discussion on the differences between political and career CFO roles in federal agencies. Amidst talks recently in Washington, D.C. about decreasing the number of presidential appointments due to Senate confirmation challenges, the focus has shifted to evaluate roles including the 16 Department level CFOs.  Positions mandated by legislation to require Senate confirmation. This requirement often leaves many Federal departments without a CFO for extended periods. With 37 years of federal service, Jeff provides great insight into this issue and his view of the benefits of the political CFO at the Department level. Lastly, Jeff also encourages young people to consider a career in government emphasizing the ability to make a difference and the stability and benefits that federal service provides. Two great follow-up episodes that deep dive into the role of Federal CFO are Ameritocracy E33: U.S. Secret Service CFO Stephen Roncone on Finance in Law Enforcement and E23: Former TSA CFO Pat Rose on Federal Funding and Technology Modernization.   Ameritocracy™ is produced by Prospect House Media and recorded in studio locations in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.

Cameron Hamilton is a good friend of mine, a former Navy SEAL medic, and a former Director of Medica Services at DHS. He has valuable insights into the workings of DHS and the border crisis through his work at DHS at the national level, supporting the field operations of Customs & Border Protection (CBP) and the US Border Patrol. Cameron is one of the finest men I know.Guest Links:Website: cameronhamilton.comCampaign Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne_fQsd6F9kCivil Defense Radio InformationWebsite: www.civildefenseradio.comContact Us: https://civildefenseradio.com/contact/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CivilDefenseRadioTwitter: https://twitter.com/Civil_Def_RadioResources www.civildefenseradio.com/Resources

Newly released figures released by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) show that the number of Chinese migrants pouring across the southern border has surged since this time last year, raising national security concerns, and Breaking News of a Shooter at the Kansas City Chiefs Victory Parade. We go Live to the Mayor's press conference to get the latest details.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A person with historic connections to a Colombian group, identified in the past as a terrorist entity, was detained by Border Patrol officers on Tuesday as he unlawfully traversed the southern-border region, as per a confidential Customs and Border Protection (CBP) memo that landed in the hands of the Daily Caller News Foundation. The scenario unfolded on February 6, as agents interacted with Oscar De Leon-Ramirez, who was discovered within a compilation of eight individuals from Colombia and El Salvador in the region of Texas' El Paso sector. Subsequently, the National Targeting Center alerted agents about De Leon-Ramirez's likely history of involvement in 'terrorist activities', revealed by the memo. Upon investigation with De Leon-Ramirez, the person in question confessed his former engagement with the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), an organization that the U.S. government once categorized as a terrorist outfit. De Leon-Ramirez's testimony acknowledged his illegal border crossing event, thereby solidifying the nature of his current predicament. He verbalized that on the mentioned date (02/06/2024), he had undertaken an illicit venture across the U.S./Mexico International Boundary. In addition to his violation, De Leon-Ramirez recounted that, during 2004/2005, he had willingly subscribed to the AUC in Colombia, as stated in the memo.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senator Josh Hawley, a Representative from Missouri, has expressed concern over an apparent initiative by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to allow migrants to confirm their documents using the CBP One app, circumventing the need for the agency to take their photograph during airplane boarding processes. The Senator expressed his anxieties in an official letter addressed to the TSA administrator David Pekoske. His main critique was aimed at a budding joint venture between the TSA and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which is purportedly permitting migrants to use the CBP One app for the verification of their travel records. He asserted that such practice could potentially hamper the enforcement of laws, aside from posing substantial threats to commercial airline safety. Since the start of last year, the app has been employed to grant migrants who make their appearance at an entry point, admission into the country. This measure was first accepted as an exception to the Title 42 public health protocol but has been used since May as an arrangement to provide 'lawful pathways' into the U.S. as part of the Biden administration's policies. It offers the convenience of uploading a photograph in preparation for a scheduled meeting, and to furnish additional information before the designated appointment.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former CBP Commissioner Alan Bersin discusses his career journey and leadership transforming US border security post-9/11 to better balance facilitation of low-risk international trade and imports/exports while enhancing security. Guest Biography: Alan Bersin - Former Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Policy at the Department of Homeland Security. Also previously served as Superintendent of San Diego city schools. Key Discussion Points: - Development of the Advanced Cargo Information (ACI) system in collaboration with private sector to facilitate low-risk trade through advance electronic data and risk assessments. - Efforts through public-private working groups to simplify the import entry process and enable earlier release of low-risk shipments. - Leadership lessons on change management and paradigm shifts to transform border security approaches at CBP. Enjoy the show! Host: Andy Shiles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyshiles/  Host/Producer: Lalo Solorzano: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lalosolorzano/  Co-Producer: Mara Marquez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mara-marquez-a00a111a8/ Show references: Global Training Center - www.GlobalTrainingCenter.com Simply Trade Podcast - twitter.com/SimplyTradePod  Alan Bersin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-bersin-315523177/ Altana AI - https://altana.ai/  Contact SimplyTrade@GlobalTrainingCenter.com or message @SimplyTradePod for: Advertising and sponsoring on Simply Trade Requests to be on the show as guest Suggest any topics you would like to hear about Simply Trade is not a law firm or an advisor. The topics and discussions conducted by Simply Trade hosts and guests should not be considered and is not intended to substitute legal advice. You should seek appropriate counsel for your own situation. These conversations and information are directed towards listeners in the United States for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes only and should not be In substitute for legal advice. No listener or viewer of this podcast should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information on this podcast without first seeking legal advice from counsel. Information on this podcast may not be up to date depending on the time of publishing and the time of viewership. The content of this posting is provided as is, no representations are made that the content is error free. The views expressed in or through this podcast are those are the individual speakers not those of their respective employers or Global Training Center as a whole. All liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on the contents of this podcast are hereby expressly disclaimed.

Prominent rapper, Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson took to social media on Wednesday to voice his misconduct with an ongoing policy in California that affirms healthcare services to undocumented inhabitants, funded by taxpayer dollars. This amendment to the Medi-Cal program, which came into effect on January 1st, extends medical coverage to an estimated 700,000 undocumented residents between the ages of 26 and 49. Despite the intention to provide health services to those who might not otherwise have access, Jackson believes that the ramifications of this policy may be felt by American taxpayers and veterans, both of whom are in need of comparable health services. Jackson's grievance revolves around the notion that this new policy is expected to set back taxpayers an estimated $2.6 billion. The rapper juxtaposed this decision with the lack of systematic health insurance provision for United States veterans, an idea that he seemed to find incomprehensible. Jackson's sentiment underscores a wave of concern for the allocation of public funds to programs such as these. The issue of illegal migration has been increasingly prominent, with the US seeing over 2 million attempts of unlawful entry across the southern border in the fiscal year of 2023 alone. Furthermore, the previous fiscal year was marked by a slightly higher count of over 2.2 million. These figures were published by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), emphasizing the magnitude and implications of the situation at the southern border. The precedent for the recent healthcare expansion was set in 2015 when former governor Jerry Brown sanctioned a law permitting undocumented children to be eligible for Medi-Cal coverage. The regulations surrounding medical assistance for undocumented immigrants were further extended during Governor Gavin Newsom's tenure in 2019, at which point he increased the coverage to encompass those aged 19 to 25.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GDP Script/ Top Stories for Dec 29th    Publish Date:  Dec 28th    HENSSLER 15 From the Henssler Financial Studio Welcome to the Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast. Today is Friday, December 29th and Happy 84th Birthday to actor Jon Voight. ***12.29.23 - BIRTHDAY - JON VOIGHT*** I'm Bruce Jenkins and here are your top stories presented by Peggy Slappy Properties. Red Cross In Need Of Blood Donations Gwinnett School Board Member Mary Kay Murphy Makes It Official: She Will Not Seek Re-election PDI Lawrenceville and Georgia State Patrol collect Toys for Tots All of this and more is coming up on the Gwinnett Daily Post podcast, and if you are looking for community news, we encourage you to listen daily and subscribe! Break 1: PEGGY SLAPPY   STORY 1: Red Cross In Need Of Blood Donations During December, the American Red Cross encourages blood and platelet donations to meet the demand during the busy holiday season. Donor availability is impacted, making it crucial to collect enough blood and platelets for hospital needs. Donors giving blood, platelets, or AB Elite plasma until Jan. 5 will receive an exclusive Red Cross long-sleeved T-shirt, and those donating from Jan. 1 to Jan. 31 will be entered for a chance to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LVII in Las Vegas. Scheduling appointments can be done through the Red Cross Blood Donor App or at www.RedCrossBlood.org.   STORY 2: Gwinnett School Board Member Mary Kay Murphy Makes It Official: She Will Not Seek Re-election Mary Kay Murphy, a member of the Gwinnett County Board of Education for nearly three decades, has announced her retirement, confirming she won't seek re-election in 2024. Murphy, in her seventh term, believes the school system needs new voices and views. She has been a strong advocate for safe schools, fiscal responsibility, parental engagement, and quality educators. The decision opens up her District 3 seat, with several candidates already vying for the position in the upcoming nonpartisan elections. Murphy has yet to decide whether she will endorse any of the candidates. STORY 3: PDI Lawrenceville and Georgia State Patrol collect Toys for Tots Plumbing Distributors Inc. (PDI), a family-owned business, donated hundreds of toys to the Marine Corps Reserve's Toys for Tots initiative. PDI, established in 1973, has actively participated in this charitable effort for the last seven years, involving employees, customers, friends, and family members across its 19 branches and 14 showrooms. Toys for Tots, a program founded by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 1947, aims to collect and distribute holiday gifts to less fortunate children. PDI's philanthropic efforts were recently recognized with the 2023 Giving Back Award as part of the Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Piping Spirit of Independence Awards.   We have opportunities for sponsors to get great engagement on these shows. Call 770.874.3200 for more info. We'll be right back   Break 2: MOG – TOM WAGES – DTL   STORY 4: REVIEW: 'The Color Purple' a tale of feminine strength, perseverance and solidarity Blitz Bazawule's new movie adaptation of "The Color Purple," based on Alice Walker's novel, delivers a powerful and energetic portrayal of female strength, solidarity, and perseverance. The film, set on the Georgia coast in the early 20th century, follows Celie's journey from abuse to finding inspiration and empowerment through her relationships with two strong women, Sofia and Shug Avery. With modern sensibilities and Broadway-style song-and-dance numbers, the film captures the emotional essence of the story. The cast, led by Danielle Brooks, Fantasia Barrino, and Taraji P. Henson, delivers breathtaking performances, making this rendition of "The Color Purple" a compelling and emotional experience.   STORY 5: Ossoff's efforts help Georgia farmers sell more pecans U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff has successfully influenced U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to start collecting assessments on imported pecans, a move aimed at supporting Georgia farmers and boosting sales of American pecans. The collected assessments fund the American Pecan Promotion Board, which works to level the playing field for domestic pecan producers. Ossoff had urged CBP to initiate the collection, and now, with the senator's request, CBP has started this process. The assessments will strengthen the Pecan Research and Promotion Program, benefiting the pecan industry in Georgia and across the nation.   We'll be back in a moment   Break 3: ESOG - INGLES 4 – GCPS   STORY 6: State Sen. Clint Dixon Target Of 'Swatting' Hoaxes At His Buford Home State Sen. Clint Dixon and his family experienced two consecutive "swatting" incidents, where 911 hoaxes prompted police and SWAT teams to respond to their home on Christmas and the following day. Swatting involves false emergency calls claiming serious threats, leading to a significant police response. The incidents occurred after Dixon had faced lewd and threatening calls earlier in the year related to his actions in calling for an investigation of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Dixon is now considering legislation to address swatting and impose harsher penalties for such dangerous and disruptive acts.   STORY 7: LAKO: Building wealth and security: Strategies for self-employed retirement success The rise in self-employed and gig-economy workers has prompted a surge in entrepreneurship, contributing to economic recovery. Self-employed individuals should consider establishing a retirement plan early for financial security and tax benefits. Factors influencing the choice of plans include cash flow, short- and long-term tax benefits, and the number of employees. For those in the gig economy, starting with a Traditional or Roth IRA is suitable, with a contribution limit of $7,000 in 2024. The SEP IRA and Solo 401(k) are popular options for higher contributions, offering flexibility and tax advantages. Regular contributions and plan adjustments with business growth are advisable.   We'll have final thoughts after this.   Break 4: Henssler 60   Signoff – Thanks again for hanging out with us on today's Gwinnett Daily Post podcast. If you enjoy these shows, we encourage you to check out our other offerings, like the Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast, the Marietta Daily Journal, the Community Podcast for Rockdale Newton and Morgan Counties, or the Paulding County News Podcast. Read more about all our stories, and get other great content at Gwinnettdailypost.com. Did you know over 50% of Americans listen to podcasts weekly? Giving you important news about our community and telling great stories are what we do. Make sure you join us for our next episode and be sure to share this podcast on social media with your friends and family. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home Briefing and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Produced by the BG Podcast Network   Show Sponsors: henssler.com ingles-markets.com wagesfuneralhome.com psponline.com esogrepair.com mallofgeorgiachryslerdodgejeep.com downtownlawrencevillega.com jacksonemc.com   #NewsPodcast #CurrentEvents #TopHeadlines #BreakingNews #PodcastDiscussion #PodcastNews #InDepthAnalysis #NewsAnalysis #PodcastTrending #WorldNews #LocalNews #GlobalNews #PodcastInsights #NewsBrief #PodcastUpdate #NewsRoundup #WeeklyNews #DailyNews #PodcastInterviews #HotTopics #PodcastOpinions #InvestigativeJournalism #BehindTheHeadlines #PodcastMedia #NewsStories #PodcastReports #JournalismMatters #PodcastPerspectives #NewsCommentary #PodcastListeners #NewsPodcastCommunity #NewsSource #PodcastCuration #WorldAffairs #PodcastUpdates #AudioNews #PodcastJournalism #EmergingStories #NewsFlash #PodcastConversationsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like every agency, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) relies on its acquisition workforce to keep it supplied. In the ongoing crisis at the U.S. southern border, CBP appears to have a secret weapon in the person of its assistant commissioner for the office of acquisition. This long-serving official has received a Presidential Rank Award. Federal Drive Host Tom Temin talked with Diane Sahakian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Like every agency, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) relies on its acquisition workforce to keep it supplied. In the ongoing crisis at the U.S. southern border, CBP appears to have a secret weapon in the person of its assistant commissioner for the office of acquisition. This long-serving official has received a Presidential Rank Award. Federal Drive Host Tom Temin talked with Diane Sahakian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Wednesday, October 25th, 2023. Page50 ad read concepts: Page50 is a distinctly Christian marketing company striving to help Christian-owned businesses grow and succeed in our digital age. They don’t want to just make a paycheck, they want to change the world, and that means building it alongside you. The mission is bigger than just Sunday. Page50 wants to help Christians recapture the work week, economic and political influence, and the public square. Page50 doesn’t work with just anybody, but if you’re a believer they want to work with you. Visit pagefifty.com (ya gotta spell it out) and see what they can do for you. That’s pagefifty.com. https://dailycaller.com/2023/10/24/tom-emmer-wins-gop-nomination-speaker/ Tom Emmer Wins GOP Nomination For Speaker Of The House On Secret Ballot House Majority Whip Tom Emmer won the nomination for Speaker of the House on Tuesday after five rounds of votes. Republicans were voting by secret ballot until they were able to get to a candidate who received a simple majority of the conference votes. After each round of votes, the member who received the lowest numbers was eliminated. Candidates running had the option to drop out before each round of votes if they felt that they did not have enough support. 109 votes were needed to win. Before the first round, there were seven GOP Republicans running for Speaker. Reps Tom Emmer, Mike Johnson, Byron Donald’s, Kevin Hern, Austin Scott, Jack Bergman and Pete Sessions. Sessions received the lowest amount of votes during the first round of votes and dropped out. Bergman dropped out after the second round of votes, as he received the least amount of votes. After the third round, Scott received the least amount of votes and dropped out of the race. After the fourth vote, Hern dropped out of the race after receiving the least amount of votes. Donalds then voluntarily dropped out of the race. Emmer secured the majority of votes during the fifth vote. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan was voted out of the race for speaker of the House on Friday after failing to receive the necessary votes on three separate ballots. Jordan lost in a secret ballot vote 86-112. https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/nearly-1-million-residents-left-california-2022-fueled-cost-living Nearly 1 million residents left California in 2022 fueled by cost of living The exodus from California accelerated in 2022, with 817,000 residents leaving the state in 2022 for an annual net loss of over three hundred thousand residents to other states, according to new U.S. Census data. Should outmigration continue, California could lose more than the five, already projected, congressional seats it’s expected to shed after the 2030 census. During the COVID-19 pandemic and switch to remote work, California lost population for the first time in its existence as a state, leading to the loss of a single congressional seat in 2021 during the nation’s reapportionment of census-based distribution of the nation’s 435 congressional representatives. With a smaller congressional delegation, the state would have less power to shape federal spending. While California Governor Gavin Newsom has not addressed the new numbers directly, when challenged by Fox News host Sean Hannity on California’s population decline in a June 2023 interview, he said, “.3% [population loss] during COVID. My gosh.” Just before the interview, Newsom’s Department of Finance estimated the state’s population had declined by 138,443 during 2022, making for a .36% population loss in a single year. Also using Department of Finance Data, the Public Policy Institute of California estimated a decline of 211,000 residents in 2022. Meanwhile, the latest Census data cited above, once accounting for a sharp rebound in immigration and decrease in deaths that offset the increase in outward immigration, estimates a population decrease of 113,000 for 2022. While the reason for the differences is not clear — the finance department notes that the discrepancy between its numbers and the Census reporting is due to different time frames being measured — the general trend of data demonstrating the state’s general population decline is consistent. According to PPIC polling, 45% of Californians are considering leaving the state due to the high cost of housing. Will Swaim, founder of the California Policy Center, acknowledges that housing is a major factor but that other costs, the lack of opportunity, and even the poor state of public education are leaving many Californians, especially parents, looking to move elsewhere. “There’s no question that housing costs are huge, but that really ignores the myriad other ways that California has simply destroyed business opportunity, especially for the working class,” said Swaim to The Center Square. “It is a very expensive state to live in and the poorer you are the more that housing cost number hurts. But how about gasoline? Every week people are putting almost double what our fellow Americans in other states are putting in their cars.” Those leaving the state are disproportionately younger and lower income. For many families, buying property and raising children in the state is no longer a viable option. “We are losing younger folks, and I think we will see people continuing to migrate where housing costs are lower,” Manuel Pastor, a professor of sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California, said in an interview with the Associated Press. “There are good jobs in California, but housing is incredibly expensive. It hurts young families, and it hurts immigrant families.” Swaim, who raised his children in California, noted that his now-adult children are left looking elsewhere for alternatives. Sharing his children’s thoughts, he said, “We don’t want our children to be educated in California's public schools, but we want them to be educated in private schools that we can’t afford.” The majority of students in California public schools do not meet the state’s moderate standards for math, science, and English. When combining all sources of funding, California public schools spend approximately $27,000 per student. The Education Data Initiative estimates the average K-12 private school tuition in California is $16,337. https://townhall.com/tipsheet/spencerbrown/2023/10/23/us-border-agents-warned-to-look-out-for-hamas-fighters-n2630232 CBP Agents Receive New Warning in Light of Israel-Hamas Conflict Authorities along the U.S.-Mexico border are being warned by the San Diego Field Office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to keep an eye out for "foreign fighters" connected to the terrorist groups waging war against Israel for the last two-plus weeks, another sign that the border crisis has wide-ranging national security implications. First reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation's Jennie Taer, the "Situational Awareness" bulletin sent Friday is titled "Foreign Fighters of Israel-Hamas Conflict May Potentially be Encountered at Southwest Border" and is marked "unclassified/law enforcement sensitive." The bulletin explains: San Diego Field Office Intelligence Unit (SDFO-FITU) assesses that individuals inspired by, or reacting to, the current Israel-Hamas conflict may attempt to travel to or from the area of hostilities in the Middle East via transit across the Southwest border. Foreign fighters motivated by ideology or mercenary soldiers of fortune may attempt to travel to or from the US to or from countries in the Middle East through Mexico. Among the items border agents are advised to watch for are military patches for Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and Hezbollah terrorist organizations — all funded by the regime in Iran. Other possible indicators are military age males, military gear including weapons, camouflage, and the previously mentioned terror group patches, single travelers, and those with undetermined return plans or associations to Israel, the Palestinian territories or regional affiliations. Agents are also given "questions of interest" to ask potential suspects with ties to the terrorist organizations to probe whether individuals have any "association with military or security services or government civilian agencies?" or "personal or familial association with Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP) or any other similar groups?" It's unsurprising that there's growing fear that terror-linked individuals may be seeking to take advantage of the border crisis after a record-setting number of apprehensions and "gotaways" have been recorded on the Biden administration's watch, including an alarming number of individuals whose names matched with people listed in U.S. terror watch lists. https://www.foxnews.com/world/iceland-pm-goes-strike-womens-equal-pay-gender-based-violence Iceland PM goes on strike over women's equal pay, gender-based violence The prime minister of Iceland went on strike Tuesday in protest of gender discrimination. Prime Minister Katrin yaker-stoder joined women across the country in a national demonstration against pay discrimination and gendered violence. "We have not yet reached our goals of full gender equality and we are still tackling the gender-based wage gap, which is unacceptable in 2023," Jakobsdóttir told news outlet mbl.is. The nationwide protest, referred to as a "women's strike," is the first full day of widespread female absence from the workforce since 1975. "I will not work this day, as I expect all the women [in cabinet] will do as well," Jakobsdóttir said. The original protest aimed to emphasize the importance of women in the workforce and urge an end to disparate wages between female and male workers. Women in Iceland earn approximately 10% less on average compared to their male counterparts, according to the World Economic Forum. As Icelandic women's rights movements have made greater headway in their campaigns, the scope and meaning of the protests have expanded to include other issues. "We are still tackling gender-based violence, which has been a priority for my government to tackle," yakob-stoder said. Iceland consistently ranks among the most gender-equal countries in the world in terms of education, employment and health care. Jakobsdóttir's cabinet maintains an equal number of men and women and Iceland's national parliament hovers just under 50% female. Past Icelandic women's strikes have sparked similar protests in other European countries. https://thepostmillennial.com/coca-cola-quietly-deletes-mentions-of-hamas-supporting-blm-from-company-website?utm_campaign=64487 Coca-Cola quietly deletes mentions of BLM from company website Coca-Cola has been a financial sponsor of Black Lives Matter for years, however, references to its support of the organization appeared to have vanished from its website in light of recent posts shared by the group siding with Hamas. BLM Chicago and an organizer from Los Angeles are among those associated with the purported civil rights group to have publicly voiced support for the Iranian-backed Palestinian terrorist group following its latest wave of violence. On Friday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) revealed that he had caught the beverage giant "red-handed," posting two screenshots of its website, one of which included references to BLM, and an updated version that does not. Coca-Cola had originally stated on its website that Sprite, which it owns, had donated $500,000 to the Black Lives Matter Global Network to "support the group's voting education efforts and their February 2021 Black Future Month program." "We're in this for the long haul," brand lead Aaliyah Shafiq noted. "Lasting change will not happen overnight, so we're committed to continuing to amplofy the voices and efforts of our community, to listen and learn, and to actively help create a better shared future for America." In the updated version of their website, Shafiq's quote is still there, however, the entire sentence highlighting the $500,000 contribution has been deleted. "Editing your website is not enough," Cruz said. "Americans DEMAND an apology." The posts in question were shared in the days following Hamas' brutal massacre of civilians in Israel. BLM Chicago featured an image of a paraglider with a Palestinian flag attached to his parachute. "That is all that it is!" was the caption. Before long, users utilized X's Community Notes feature to point out important context. "The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas used armed gun men on Paragliders to enter a rave in Israel to kill over 260 innocent people partying," the note read, adding that, "previous to this incident, Palestinians were not know[n] for paragliding." It was later deleted, though the group did remain steadfast in its support for the Palestinians over Israel. "For every corporate donor who sent millions to BLM—including Amazon, Apple, BlackRock & Bank of America—do you regret supporting such an antisemitic organization?" Cruz asked on his podcast Wednesday, according to Fox News. The organizer from Los Angeles, Dr. Melina Abdullah, said in her post that "we must stand unwaveringly on the side of the oppressed," adding, "when a people have been subject to decades of unimaginable violence, their resistance must not be condemned, but understood as a desperate act of self-defense."

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Wednesday, October 25th, 2023. Page50 ad read concepts: Page50 is a distinctly Christian marketing company striving to help Christian-owned businesses grow and succeed in our digital age. They don’t want to just make a paycheck, they want to change the world, and that means building it alongside you. The mission is bigger than just Sunday. Page50 wants to help Christians recapture the work week, economic and political influence, and the public square. Page50 doesn’t work with just anybody, but if you’re a believer they want to work with you. Visit pagefifty.com (ya gotta spell it out) and see what they can do for you. That’s pagefifty.com. https://dailycaller.com/2023/10/24/tom-emmer-wins-gop-nomination-speaker/ Tom Emmer Wins GOP Nomination For Speaker Of The House On Secret Ballot House Majority Whip Tom Emmer won the nomination for Speaker of the House on Tuesday after five rounds of votes. Republicans were voting by secret ballot until they were able to get to a candidate who received a simple majority of the conference votes. After each round of votes, the member who received the lowest numbers was eliminated. Candidates running had the option to drop out before each round of votes if they felt that they did not have enough support. 109 votes were needed to win. Before the first round, there were seven GOP Republicans running for Speaker. Reps Tom Emmer, Mike Johnson, Byron Donald’s, Kevin Hern, Austin Scott, Jack Bergman and Pete Sessions. Sessions received the lowest amount of votes during the first round of votes and dropped out. Bergman dropped out after the second round of votes, as he received the least amount of votes. After the third round, Scott received the least amount of votes and dropped out of the race. After the fourth vote, Hern dropped out of the race after receiving the least amount of votes. Donalds then voluntarily dropped out of the race. Emmer secured the majority of votes during the fifth vote. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan was voted out of the race for speaker of the House on Friday after failing to receive the necessary votes on three separate ballots. Jordan lost in a secret ballot vote 86-112. https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/nearly-1-million-residents-left-california-2022-fueled-cost-living Nearly 1 million residents left California in 2022 fueled by cost of living The exodus from California accelerated in 2022, with 817,000 residents leaving the state in 2022 for an annual net loss of over three hundred thousand residents to other states, according to new U.S. Census data. Should outmigration continue, California could lose more than the five, already projected, congressional seats it’s expected to shed after the 2030 census. During the COVID-19 pandemic and switch to remote work, California lost population for the first time in its existence as a state, leading to the loss of a single congressional seat in 2021 during the nation’s reapportionment of census-based distribution of the nation’s 435 congressional representatives. With a smaller congressional delegation, the state would have less power to shape federal spending. While California Governor Gavin Newsom has not addressed the new numbers directly, when challenged by Fox News host Sean Hannity on California’s population decline in a June 2023 interview, he said, “.3% [population loss] during COVID. My gosh.” Just before the interview, Newsom’s Department of Finance estimated the state’s population had declined by 138,443 during 2022, making for a .36% population loss in a single year. Also using Department of Finance Data, the Public Policy Institute of California estimated a decline of 211,000 residents in 2022. Meanwhile, the latest Census data cited above, once accounting for a sharp rebound in immigration and decrease in deaths that offset the increase in outward immigration, estimates a population decrease of 113,000 for 2022. While the reason for the differences is not clear — the finance department notes that the discrepancy between its numbers and the Census reporting is due to different time frames being measured — the general trend of data demonstrating the state’s general population decline is consistent. According to PPIC polling, 45% of Californians are considering leaving the state due to the high cost of housing. Will Swaim, founder of the California Policy Center, acknowledges that housing is a major factor but that other costs, the lack of opportunity, and even the poor state of public education are leaving many Californians, especially parents, looking to move elsewhere. “There’s no question that housing costs are huge, but that really ignores the myriad other ways that California has simply destroyed business opportunity, especially for the working class,” said Swaim to The Center Square. “It is a very expensive state to live in and the poorer you are the more that housing cost number hurts. But how about gasoline? Every week people are putting almost double what our fellow Americans in other states are putting in their cars.” Those leaving the state are disproportionately younger and lower income. For many families, buying property and raising children in the state is no longer a viable option. “We are losing younger folks, and I think we will see people continuing to migrate where housing costs are lower,” Manuel Pastor, a professor of sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California, said in an interview with the Associated Press. “There are good jobs in California, but housing is incredibly expensive. It hurts young families, and it hurts immigrant families.” Swaim, who raised his children in California, noted that his now-adult children are left looking elsewhere for alternatives. Sharing his children’s thoughts, he said, “We don’t want our children to be educated in California's public schools, but we want them to be educated in private schools that we can’t afford.” The majority of students in California public schools do not meet the state’s moderate standards for math, science, and English. When combining all sources of funding, California public schools spend approximately $27,000 per student. The Education Data Initiative estimates the average K-12 private school tuition in California is $16,337. https://townhall.com/tipsheet/spencerbrown/2023/10/23/us-border-agents-warned-to-look-out-for-hamas-fighters-n2630232 CBP Agents Receive New Warning in Light of Israel-Hamas Conflict Authorities along the U.S.-Mexico border are being warned by the San Diego Field Office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to keep an eye out for "foreign fighters" connected to the terrorist groups waging war against Israel for the last two-plus weeks, another sign that the border crisis has wide-ranging national security implications. First reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation's Jennie Taer, the "Situational Awareness" bulletin sent Friday is titled "Foreign Fighters of Israel-Hamas Conflict May Potentially be Encountered at Southwest Border" and is marked "unclassified/law enforcement sensitive." The bulletin explains: San Diego Field Office Intelligence Unit (SDFO-FITU) assesses that individuals inspired by, or reacting to, the current Israel-Hamas conflict may attempt to travel to or from the area of hostilities in the Middle East via transit across the Southwest border. Foreign fighters motivated by ideology or mercenary soldiers of fortune may attempt to travel to or from the US to or from countries in the Middle East through Mexico. Among the items border agents are advised to watch for are military patches for Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and Hezbollah terrorist organizations — all funded by the regime in Iran. Other possible indicators are military age males, military gear including weapons, camouflage, and the previously mentioned terror group patches, single travelers, and those with undetermined return plans or associations to Israel, the Palestinian territories or regional affiliations. Agents are also given "questions of interest" to ask potential suspects with ties to the terrorist organizations to probe whether individuals have any "association with military or security services or government civilian agencies?" or "personal or familial association with Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP) or any other similar groups?" It's unsurprising that there's growing fear that terror-linked individuals may be seeking to take advantage of the border crisis after a record-setting number of apprehensions and "gotaways" have been recorded on the Biden administration's watch, including an alarming number of individuals whose names matched with people listed in U.S. terror watch lists. https://www.foxnews.com/world/iceland-pm-goes-strike-womens-equal-pay-gender-based-violence Iceland PM goes on strike over women's equal pay, gender-based violence The prime minister of Iceland went on strike Tuesday in protest of gender discrimination. Prime Minister Katrin yaker-stoder joined women across the country in a national demonstration against pay discrimination and gendered violence. "We have not yet reached our goals of full gender equality and we are still tackling the gender-based wage gap, which is unacceptable in 2023," Jakobsdóttir told news outlet mbl.is. The nationwide protest, referred to as a "women's strike," is the first full day of widespread female absence from the workforce since 1975. "I will not work this day, as I expect all the women [in cabinet] will do as well," Jakobsdóttir said. The original protest aimed to emphasize the importance of women in the workforce and urge an end to disparate wages between female and male workers. Women in Iceland earn approximately 10% less on average compared to their male counterparts, according to the World Economic Forum. As Icelandic women's rights movements have made greater headway in their campaigns, the scope and meaning of the protests have expanded to include other issues. "We are still tackling gender-based violence, which has been a priority for my government to tackle," yakob-stoder said. Iceland consistently ranks among the most gender-equal countries in the world in terms of education, employment and health care. Jakobsdóttir's cabinet maintains an equal number of men and women and Iceland's national parliament hovers just under 50% female. Past Icelandic women's strikes have sparked similar protests in other European countries. https://thepostmillennial.com/coca-cola-quietly-deletes-mentions-of-hamas-supporting-blm-from-company-website?utm_campaign=64487 Coca-Cola quietly deletes mentions of BLM from company website Coca-Cola has been a financial sponsor of Black Lives Matter for years, however, references to its support of the organization appeared to have vanished from its website in light of recent posts shared by the group siding with Hamas. BLM Chicago and an organizer from Los Angeles are among those associated with the purported civil rights group to have publicly voiced support for the Iranian-backed Palestinian terrorist group following its latest wave of violence. On Friday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) revealed that he had caught the beverage giant "red-handed," posting two screenshots of its website, one of which included references to BLM, and an updated version that does not. Coca-Cola had originally stated on its website that Sprite, which it owns, had donated $500,000 to the Black Lives Matter Global Network to "support the group's voting education efforts and their February 2021 Black Future Month program." "We're in this for the long haul," brand lead Aaliyah Shafiq noted. "Lasting change will not happen overnight, so we're committed to continuing to amplofy the voices and efforts of our community, to listen and learn, and to actively help create a better shared future for America." In the updated version of their website, Shafiq's quote is still there, however, the entire sentence highlighting the $500,000 contribution has been deleted. "Editing your website is not enough," Cruz said. "Americans DEMAND an apology." The posts in question were shared in the days following Hamas' brutal massacre of civilians in Israel. BLM Chicago featured an image of a paraglider with a Palestinian flag attached to his parachute. "That is all that it is!" was the caption. Before long, users utilized X's Community Notes feature to point out important context. "The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas used armed gun men on Paragliders to enter a rave in Israel to kill over 260 innocent people partying," the note read, adding that, "previous to this incident, Palestinians were not know[n] for paragliding." It was later deleted, though the group did remain steadfast in its support for the Palestinians over Israel. "For every corporate donor who sent millions to BLM—including Amazon, Apple, BlackRock & Bank of America—do you regret supporting such an antisemitic organization?" Cruz asked on his podcast Wednesday, according to Fox News. The organizer from Los Angeles, Dr. Melina Abdullah, said in her post that "we must stand unwaveringly on the side of the oppressed," adding, "when a people have been subject to decades of unimaginable violence, their resistance must not be condemned, but understood as a desperate act of self-defense."

Charles Taylor is a board member of the WABE Foundation and the principal owner of H.T. West End LLC, the ownership group of The Mall West End. He joins “Closer Look” to provide an update about the future of the shopping mall. Plus, Emily Creighton, the legal director at the American Immigration Council, and Tsion Gurmu, legal director at Black Alliance for Just Immigration, discuss new open records documents that show how Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had a direct role in policing racial justice protests in summer 2020.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

LA County institutes a Zero-Bail policy which is like catch and release. Communities aren't happy especially in the wake of high profile smash and grab robberies that are likely considered non-violent and would then be part of the zero-bail program. There are too many deer on Catalina Island but locals don't want a cull. Nature is savage and many humans just aren't. We're spoiled. Eyes are on the balance of the Senate as one member faces expulsion and another passes away. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources tell Fox News that total migrant encounters for September have exceeded 260,000, which is the highest monthly total ever recorded. That number includes both Border Patrol encounters between ports of entry and Office of Field Operations (OFO) encounters at ports. It's all on KFIAM-640!

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) flagged 74,904 illegal migrants nationwide for potentially posing risks to national security. The Biden administration doesn't have information to locate more than 177,000 illegal immigrants it released into the interior of the United States and there are 85,000 missing unaccompanied children, which, according to the president, is not the government's problem. We delve into this national catastrophe.

Welcome to a brand new episode of the Simply Trade podcast, where we simplify complex trade matters through captivating discussions and unconventional perspectives. In this episode, we break down some important conversations surrounding current trade topics, including: China's electric vehicle subsidies: Are they sparking an unfair advantage in the global market? We explore the European investigation probing this matter. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) interoperability standards in supply chain transparency: Learn how these standards facilitate streamlining data exchange and enhance decision-making processes at ports of entry. The Panama Canal drought situation and its wider impact on global trade and logistics: Our hosts delve into the consequences of reduced vessel transits and extended backlogs on international trade. Join us for an enlightening and engaging discussion. Enjoy the show. Host: Annik Sobing: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annik-sobing-mba-b226251a2/  Host: Andy Shiles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyshiles/  Host/Producer: Lalo Solorzano: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lalosolorzano/  Co-Producer: Mara Marquez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mara-marquez-a00a111a8/ Contact SimplyTrade@GlobalTrainingCenter.com or message @SimplyTradePod for: Advertising and sponsoring on Simply Trade Requests to be on the show as guest Suggest any topics you would like to hear about Simply Trade is not a law firm or an advisor. The topics and discussions conducted by Simply Trade hosts and guests should not be considered and is not intended to substitute legal advice. You should seek appropriate counsel for your own situation. These conversations and information are directed towards listeners in the United States for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes only and should not be In substitute for legal advice. No listener or viewer of this podcast should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information on this podcast without first seeking legal advice from counsel. Information on this podcast may not be up to date depending on the time of publishing and the time of viewership. The content of this posting is provided as is, no representations are made that the content is error free. The views expressed in or through this podcast are those are the individual speakers not those of their respective employers or Global Training Center as a whole. All liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on the contents of this podcast are hereby expressly disclaimed.

Conflict has erupted at the Texas-Mexico border between two different arms of law enforcement – Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). CBP has been instructed by the Biden administration to bring migrants they encounter into the country, after which they are released with a notice to appear, and […]

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Friday, May 12th, 2023. Concordis Education Partners: Classical Christian education has reminded us to aim education at truth, but the trivium has been used as a formula rather than a way of training students in discernment. To teach well, you must coach. Concordis Foundation is offering their third annual BOOT CAMP – a faculty summit – July 11-13th in Moscow, Idaho. This is a three-day intensive teaching training where you learn to coach students, using the trivium, so that you can meet students at all learning levels. Learn more at concordispartners.com https://www.foxnews.com/politics/border-patrol-chief-authorizes-release-migrants-us-without-court-dates-title-42-ends Border Patrol chief authorizes release of migrants into US without court dates as Title 42 ends The head of U.S. Border Patrol has sent out a memo authorizing the release of illegal migrants into the U.S. without court dates if agents face overcrowding as the Biden administration scrambles to deal with a historic surge in migration at the border ahead of the end of Title 42. The memo says that migrants can be allowed into the country on parole — a process typically reserved for "urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit" — if Customs and Border Protection (CBP) faces overcrowding. The memo calls the practice "parole with conditions" as migrants are required to make an appointment with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or request a Notice to Appear by mail. Under a parole release, migrants are rapidly released into the country, do not get an alien registration number and do not receive a court date. The use of parole is being authorized if a sector capacity goes above 125%, if agents apprehend 7,000 a day over 72 hours or if average time in custody goes above 60 hours. Agents have been encountering over 10,000 migrants a day since Monday, and there are no signs of that slowing down with the looming end of Title 42, which is expected to bring an even bigger wave with it. The memo noted the enormous numbers agents are encountering. "For the past 7 days, USBP has averaged over 8,750 encounters per day. This is over double the average daily encounters of 4,284 in May of 2019, the highest month of the 2019 surge. Even with significant personnel along the SWB, a significant detention capacity, and interagency resources supporting the effort, this situation requires urgent action," the memo states. The public health order has been used since March 2020 to expel over two million migrants due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Biden administration has told migrants that it will not be easier to enter the U.S. once the order drops as there will be stiffer penalties until Title 8. Parole is not a Title 8 authority. The use of parole is legally questionable, with critics arguing it is not supposed to be used to wave in thousands of migrants. The state of Florida successfully sued the Biden administration in March to block a similar policy, "Parole + ATD." On Thursday, Fox Digital reported that Florida sued this week over the latest plan to release migrants into the U.S. interior, saying it is "materially identical" to the policy that the federal court enjoined. "Florida seeks a temporary restraining order to preserve the status quo until the parties can brief motions for a preliminary injunction or to postpone the effective date of the new policy," the lawsuit states. "The Biden Administration’s behavior, if left unchecked, makes a mockery of our system of justice and our Constitution." The judge has given the Biden administration a 4 p.m. deadline Thursday to respond to the request for a temporary restraining order, adding that it appears the administration is "preparing to flout" the court’s order. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson this week claimed that the releases are similar to those conducted by prior administrations. https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-house-votes-yes-on-measure-to-secure-us-mexico-border?utm_campaign=64487 House votes YES on Secure Border Act in 219-213 vote, includes e-Verify requirement, with 2 Republicans joining Democrats to vote against border security On Thursday, House Representatives debated the Secure the Border Act of 2023 as Title 42 expired at the southern border, which lays out sweeping new requirements and restrictions for securing the southern border. The bill passed 219-213. Two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie and John Duarte voted along side all Democrat members against the bill. The bill was introduced to the House of Representatives on May 2 in anticipation of the flood of illegal immigrants expected in the wake of Title 42, which allowed expulsions due to the pandemic emergency. The bill calls for the "immediate resumption of border wall construction" no later than seven days after the bill is enacted, using previously set aside funds and materials for its construction. No later than 180 days after the bill is enacted, a report shall be submitted to congressional committees that outlines a strategic 5-year technology investment plan for border security, including potential upgrades in security technology, communications equipment, screening equipment, incorporating in input from the private sector. In an effort to retain Border Patrol personnel, the bill will authorize up to $100,000,000 in appropriated funds for the Commissioner of the US Customs and Border Protection to give to front-line agents who hold a position equal to or below level GS-12, has been with Border Patrol for five years or longer, and commits two additional years of service with Border Patrol upon acceptance of the bonus. The bill also requires that the Commissioner hire and train enough Border Patrol agents to maintain an active duty presence of no less than 22,000 full-time agents. The bill also includes a provision prohibiting the requirement to take a Covid-19 vaccine or adverse actions taken against a Department of Homeland Security employee. The Secretary of Homeland Security would be required to send a report no later than 60 days after the bill is enacted on whether Mexican drug cartels meet the criteria for being designated as a foreign terrorist organization. The bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act, stating that those found not to be eligible for parole shall be deported from the country. The bill also increases penalties for illegal entry or presence in the country from $50-$250 up to $500-$1000. Illegal immigrants who overstay a visa are subject to imprisonment of no more than six months and/or a fine for the first offense, and a fine and/or no more than two years of imprisonment for subsequent offenses. The bill also mandates the use of e-Verify, a system used to check if a person is authorized to work in the United States. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/education/connecticut-wesleyan-pay-for-students-abortions Connecticut liberal arts college says it will pay for students to get abortions A liberal arts university in Connecticut says it will now cover the costs of any student who wishes to get an abortion or a Plan B contraceptive, regardless of their insurance status. Wesleyan University announced last week that, following a pressure campaign from the university's Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter, the school would now pay for any student to get an abortion or emergency contraceptives. The school has also committed to footing the bill for any transportation costs incurred by students seeking abortions. “Consistent with the health center’s mission to provide education and support in the decision-making process, students will be able to access emergency contraceptives by consulting with a nurse at Davison Health Center," the university told NBC Connecticut in a statement. The decision comes after the Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter at Wesleyan collected over 700 signatures on a petition that urged the school to "ensure all students are able to overcome financial burdens to and lack of transportation for abortion procedures." "This victory comes in the wake of landmark efforts by Barnard College students to secure abortion pills on campus as well as a broader movement for reproductive justice nationwide," the student organization said in a press release. "Wesleyan now plays a pioneering role in reproductive healthcare among private liberal arts colleges by committing to cover the entire cost of abortion after insurance for all students." After the Supreme Court issued a ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade last year, the availability of abortion for college students has gained increased attention, as numerous states with widely recognized state universities have banned abortion altogether. Students have increasingly reported that access to abortion has become a factor in their college decision-making process. Democratic-controlled states, meanwhile, have taken steps to make abortion as available to college students as a flu shot. The entire University of California and California State University systems are required by law to provide abortion pills to students at their respective university health centers, and last year, the University of Massachusetts Amherst announced it would be providing abortion pills on campus as well. https://www.foxnews.com/us/marine-veteran-charged-manhattan-da-jordan-neely-subway-chokehold-death Marine veteran to be charged by Manhattan DA in Jordan Neely subway chokehold death A New York City subway rider accused of choking a homeless man to death is expected to turn himself in to police on Friday morning to face a manslaughter charge. "We can confirm that Daniel Penny will be arrested on a charge of Manslaughter in the Second Degree," a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said. "We cannot provide any additional information until he has been arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court, which we expect to take place tomorrow." On May 1, Penny, a 24-year-old Marine veteran and college student, put 30-year-old Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold after what police described as an altercation on a northbound F train. Neely was allegedly threatening passengers on the subway and having a mental episode. He was yelling and pacing back and forth, when Penny interjected, tackled him to the ground and put him in a chokehold, witnesses and police said. The incident sparked protests and violent clashes last week after the Marine veteran was taken into custody and released. And now for my favorite topic… sports! https://www.boundingintosports.com/2023/05/prosecutors-confirm-former-buffalo-bills-punter-matt-araiza-was-not-present-when-alleged-gang-rape-occurred/ Prosecutors Confirm Former Buffalo Bills Punter Matt Araiza Was Not Present When Alleged Gang Rape Occurred After having the criminal charges against him dropped, former Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza now has to undergo a stressful process of fighting the civil lawsuit against him for an alleged gang rape at a college party that occurred when Arazia and the plaintiff were attending San Diego State University at the same time. However, based on new information, that might be over soon, and potentially in Araiza’s favor. During a nearly year long investigation by San Diego police and detailed review by prosecutors, they have come to the conclusion that the alleged gang rape that the female plaintiff accused Araiza of being part of stands in question since evidence shows that Arazia, then a college student at the time when the plaintiff was 17-years-old, was not even present during the alleged crime. Yahoo Sports has obtained a 200-plus page transcript, covering a meeting in which a San Diego deputy district attorney broke the back of the case. According Yahoo Sports’ summary, “Araiza couldn’t have led the girl into the alleged gang rape because he had ‘left’ the home at about 12:30 a.m., an hour prior to when evidence suggested the alleged gang rape would have occurred.” Deputy district attorney Trisha Amador stated that “He wasn’t even at the party anymore. All I know is that at that point, suspect Araiza is gone from the party.” Prosecutors additionally told the plaintiff that the recordings that were made of the situation “made it impossible” to identify Araiza or any other potential suspects since their faces and voices aren’t clear enough to make a prosecution. Further, there are questions as to whether a rape occurred at all as the plaintiff claimed, and not a consensual sexual situation. “In looking at the videos on the sex tape, I absolutely cannot prove any forceable sexual assault based upon what happened,” said Deputy DA Amador. Because of this lawsuit, then-rookie Araiza was cut from the Bills team, crippling his rookie season so he could “take care of this situation,” according to Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane. But Araiza isn’t out of the woods yet, despite the prosecutors themselves admitting he wasn’t present at the event – civil suits have a much lower standard of proof than criminal cases do. As news broke of the developments in the civil suit, online figures in sports and media began to defend Arazia, including Daily Wire columnist Matt Walsh and Outkick.com founder Clay Travis. “False rape accusers should receive the same penalty that we give to rapists,” Walsh posted to Twitter. “Instead, in a vast majority of cases, they receive no penalty at all and are free to move on like nothing happened.” “The Bills released punter Matt Araiza for an allegation of sexual assault that police proved was 100% a lie,” tweeted Travis. “Why shouldn’t his accuser face criminal charges for lying? He’s lost a year of his career & his good name. She has zero consequences. Not right.” Thanks to all the legal trouble, Araiza is still a free agent. We’ve seen plenty of comebacks from legal trouble in the National Felon League. Araiza could be the next to move on to a respectable career.

Due to the tens of thousands of migrants waiting in Mexico and the quick spread of knowledge about U.S. policy changes by traffickers, U.S. authorities have said that they anticipate an increase in the number of border crossings after Title 42 expires. After Title 42 is no longer in effect, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has warned Congress to be ready for as many as 10,000 migrants a day crossing the southern border. This is roughly twice the daily average in March. Without a significant shift in policy, other official estimates imply daily migrant numbers might reach 11,000 to 13,000.  

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Thursday, March 23rd, 2023. Alps Precious Metals Group THE PAST WEEK HAS BROUGHT SOME “EXCITEMENT” TO THE MARKETS. BANK RUNS. STOCK COLLAPSES. WHAT WAS THOUGHT TO BE STABLE SUDDENLY APPEARS UNSTABLE. AND YET, GOLD’S PRICE *WENT UP* AS THE HEADLINES BECAME MORE OMINOUS. ALPS PRECIOUS METALS WAS ESTABLISHED BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT ONE’S HARD-EARNED WEALTH FROM THE SERIOUS FINANCIAL PROBLEMS THAT ARE UPON US IS BY OWNING PHYSICAL GOLD AND SILVER. CALL JAMES HUNTER OF ALPS AT 251-377-2197, AND VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.ALPSPMG.COM TO DISCOVER HOW YOU CAN BUY PHYSICAL PRECIOUS METALS FOR YOUR INVESTMENT AND IRA PORTFOLIOS. OWN THE ASSET GOD SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED AS “GOOD” IN THE 2ND CHAPTER OF GENESIS, AND OBTAIN A PEACE OF MIND THAT CAN BE HAD WITH FEW OTHER INVESTMENTS. AGAIN, CALL JAMES HUNTER OF ALPS PRECIOUS METALS AT 251-377-2197, AND VISIT WWW.ALPSPMG.COM TO LEARN HOW TO OWN THE BEDROCK ASSET OF THE AGES.   https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-grand-jury-investigating-trump-over-hush-money-called-off-for-wednesday-delaying-possible-indictment-vote?utm_campaign=64487 Grand jury investigating Trump over 'hush money' called off for Wednesday, delaying possible indictment vote According to two law enforcement officers, the grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump for his alleged involvement in a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels on the eve of the 2016 election has been canceled for Wednesday. The grand jury has been meeting on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to hear evidence related to the payments made to Daniels. It is unlikely the grand jury will meet for the rest of the week, delaying the process into next week, one source said to Business Insider. The grand jury's deliberations are secret, and prosecutors are prohibited from discussing what happens during them. The pause in the grand jury's activity follows the unexpected testimony on Monday of Robert Costello, who was allowed to address the grand jurors at the defense's request. Business Insider reports: "Star prosecution witness Michael Cohen had told reporters as recently as last week that he had expected to be the grand jury's final witness. Had that remained the plan, Cohen's testimony, which concluded last Wednesday, would have been quickly followed by deliberation and a vote." Costello, who previously served as Cohen's legal advisor, said he attacked his former client's credibility during his testimony. It is not known why Alvin Bragg, the District Attorney, temporarily halted the grand jury's proceedings. Trump commented on the grand jury's proceedings on Truth Social, claiming that Bragg is having a hard time with the grand jury. Prosecutors are prohibited from disclosing grand jury details. Bragg's office has not yet commented on the matter. https://www.dailywire.com/news/deadly-drug-resistant-fungus-spreading-in-hospitals-across-u-s?fbclid=IwAR0ou0XGKdkBSFMurCwvw59_oBlcsNrLTuKNvt1GkEw4_luK0NsSgBLc2I4 Deadly Drug-Resistant Fungus Spreading In Hospitals Across U.S. A new report warns of a potentially deadly fungus — that resists drugs — spreading in hospitals around the country. Candida auris, or C. auris, can be fatal for people who already have weakened immune systems; roughly one-third of people who contract the fungus die, as the fungus attacks through infections in the bloodstream, brain, and heart. Healthy people are not at risk of dying from the disease. “Unfortunately, multi-drug resistant organisms such as C. auris have become more prevalent among our highest risk individuals, such as residents in long-term care facilities,” Tammy Yates, spokesperson for Mississippi State Department of Health, stated. Since November, four people have suffered “potentially associated deaths,” due to the fungus in Mississippi, Yates noted. “If [the fungi] get into a hospital, they are very difficult to control and get out,” William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University Medical Center said. “They can persist, smoldering, causing infections for a considerable period of time despite the best efforts of the infection control team and everyone else in the hospital.” The fungus’ existence in the U.S. was first widely reported in 2016; four people reportedly died from the disease. The report released by the CDC contends that clinical cases in the United States soared from 476 in 2019 to 1,471 in 2021. “We’ve seen increases not just in areas of ongoing transmission, but also in new areas,” Dr. Meghan Lyman, who led the study, asserted, Acknowledging the findings are “worrisome,” infectious disease expert Dr. Waleed Javaid cautioned, “But we don’t want people who watched ‘The Last of Us’ to think we’re all going to die. This is an infection that occurs in extremely ill individuals who are usually sick with a lot of other issues.” The fungus can be spread not only through people but also through contact with patient rooms. “By its nature it has an extreme ability to survive on surfaces,” Javaid explained. “It can colonize walls, cables, bedding, chairs. We clean everything with bleach and UV light.” Dr. Graham Snyder, medical director of infection prevention at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, warned that stopping the spread of the fungus was imperative, recalling how the bacteria MRSA, also drug-resistant, spread. https://www.dailyfetched.com/biden-admin-spending-50-million-a-year-just-to-store-trumps-border-wall-materials/ Biden Admin Spending $50 Million a Year Just to Store Trump’s Border Wall Materials The administration pays private landowners to store 20,000 unused border wall sections at 20 project sites. Other costs associated with storing the border wall materials included security cameras, electrical and stormwater materials, and overhead lights, Fox News reported. Republican Senate Armed Forces Committee members sent a letter to assistant secretary of defense for homeland Defense and hemispheric affairs Melissa Dalton detailing the situation. “Every day, the Department of Defense pays $130,000 to store, maintain, and secure these materials,” the senators wrote. “Since you were sworn in as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs a year ago, you have allowed the Department to pay over $47 million to store these panels,” they said. Dalton was asked why the Defense Department did not dispose of the unused materials. The Defence department is required to remove such materials in coordination with the Defense Logistics Agency to reutilize, resell, or demilitarize military property. “We assume you are well aware of this capability since the Department used the program to transfer 1,700 border wall panels to the state of Texas early in your tenure,” the senators wrote. The USACE confirmed President Biden’s administration’s cancelation of the border wall contracts in 2021 “left a variety of excess materials,” and the “total costs to store, maintain, and secure all the materials across all sites is estimated to be approximately $130,000 per day.” “Some of these materials, including security cameras, overhead lights, and electrical and stormwater materials, are being disposed of in accordance with federal excess material disposal laws and regulations,” the USACE stated. “Overall, 61% of non-bollard panel materials and 4% of bollard panel materials have been transferred to other government agencies or disposed of through the DLA disposition process. The total value of these materials is estimated at approximately $300 million. However, the cost to the government cannot be finalized until audits are completed and negotiations with contractors are concluded.” As The Epoch Times noted: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has so far apprehended 2,999 Chinese nationals who illegally attempted to cross the southern border in the fiscal year 2023, a 719 percent increase over 2022. Most of the illegal fentanyl in the United States is manufactured in Mexico by cartels and then trafficked into the United States with the support of the Chinese Communist government in Beijing. According to a report issued by Senate Republicans in 2021, Biden’s attempt to suspend or end border wall construction cost American taxpayers $3 million per day. On March 9, Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and several Republican senators introduced a bill that would allow the Biden administration to resume construction of Trump’s border wall to stop the massive influx of illegal immigrants Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, who is largely to blame for the mess at the border, is facing impeachment charges in the Republican-controlled House over his handling of the crisis. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) filed his second article of impeachment against Mayorkas in February, accusing him of exacerbating the crisis. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy-environment/biden-to-create-two-new-national-monuments Biden to limit development on 500,000 acres in Texas and Nevada with new monuments The White House announced plans to establish two new national monuments as part of President Joe Biden's land conservation agenda, which it said would protect and conserve 514,000 acres of public land in the West. Biden will sign a proclamation Tuesday at the White House Conservation in Action Summit establishing the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada and the Castner Range National Monument in El Paso, Texas. The designations will restrict development in the areas, including drilling and mining and possibly the construction of renewable energy facilities. The Avi Kwa Ame designation honors tribal nations that consider the area sacred, the White House said. Avi Kwa Ame is home to one of the world’s largest Joshua tree forests. The monument at Castner Range covers the site of a former training and testing site used by the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. It also contains cultural sites significant to tribal Biden set a goal of conserving at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 and, in October, established a new national monument encompassing Camp Hale, another former U.S. Army base, and the site of the Continental Divide in north-central Colorado. In a separate action Tuesday, Biden will direct Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to consider initiating a new National Marine Sanctuary designation to protect all U.S. waters around the Pacific Remote Islands.

Mayra Nohemi Flores is an American politician who represented Texas's 34th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2022 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, and is the First Mexican-born Congresswoman in American History and is a conservative leader. Mayra was born and raised with humble beginnings in Burgos Tamaulipas, Mexico. Her parents and grandparents raised her with strong conservative values and to always put God and family first. She came legally to the United States at six years old with the help of her father. Her father gave her family the biggest gift, the gift of becoming a proud, naturalized American Citizen. Mayra believes in fortifying our legal immigration system, in securing our borders, lowering the costs of healthcare, lowering taxes, promoting small businesses, and less government. She is a Pro-Life, Pro-Second Amendment, and Pro-Law Enforcement candidate that wants to earn your vote. She is a proud U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) wife and a mother, fighting for a better future for the children of South Texas. Find out more about Mayra at: Website: https://www.mayrafloresforcongress.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mayrafloresforcongress Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayrafloresforcongress/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MayraFlores2022 Check out our YouTube Channel: Jeremyryanslatebiz See the Show Notes: www.jeremyryanslate.com/1061 Unremarkable to Extraordinary: Ignite Your Passion to Go From Passive Observer to Creator of Your Own Life: https://getextraordinarybook.com/  Sponsors: MyPillow: Use the promo code: CYOL to get up to 60% off https://www.mypillow.com/ Parasite Control: Detox today at  bravetv.store/cyol

Mayra Nohemi Flores is an American politician who represented Texas's 34th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2022 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, and is the First Mexican-born Congresswoman in American History and is a conservative leader. Mayra was born and raised with humble beginnings in Burgos Tamaulipas, Mexico. Her parents and grandparents raised her with strong conservative values and to always put God and family first. She came legally to the United States at six years old with the help of her father. Her father gave her family the biggest gift, the gift of becoming a proud, naturalized American Citizen. Mayra believes in fortifying our legal immigration system, in securing our borders, lowering the costs of healthcare, lowering taxes, promoting small businesses, and less government. She is a Pro-Life, Pro-Second Amendment, and Pro-Law Enforcement candidate that wants to earn your vote. She is a proud U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) wife and a mother, fighting for a better future for the children of South Texas. Find out more about Mayra at: Website: https://www.mayrafloresforcongress.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mayrafloresforcongress Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayrafloresforcongress/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MayraFlores2022 Check out our YouTube Channel: Jeremyryanslatebiz See the Show Notes: www.jeremyryanslate.com/1061 Unremarkable to Extraordinary: Ignite Your Passion to Go From Passive Observer to Creator of Your Own Life: https://getextraordinarybook.com/  Sponsors: MyPillow: Use the promo code: CYOL to get up to 60% off https://www.mypillow.com/ Parasite Control: Detox today at  bravetv.store/cyol

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily Newsbrief for Thursday, January 12th, 2022. We’ve got a lot of news to get to folks, so let’s get right to it. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrats-vote-against-bill-requiring-medical-care-babies-born-alive-abortion-attempt 210 Democrats vote against bill requiring medical care for babies born alive after abortion attempt Nearly every House Democrat on Wednesday voted against legislation that would require immediate medical attention for babies who are born alive after an attempt was made to abort them. The House passed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which says any infant born alive after an attempted abortion is a "legal person for all purposes under the laws of the United States." Doctors would be required to care for those infants as a "reasonably diligent and conscientious health care practitioner would render to any other child born alive." The bill passed 220-210, and all 210 of the "no" votes came from Democrats. Only one Democrat voted for the bill — Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas — and one other Democrat, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, voted "present." Following that level of care, doctors would be required admit those infants to a hospital for further care. Any violation of this standard would result in fines and imprisonment for up to five years, or both. Republicans argued on the floor that comments from Virginia’s former Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam are an example of why the law needs to be clarified to protect newborn infants who survive abortions. Northam was talking about third-trimester abortions and appeared to indicate support for delivering babies that might still be alive before taking their life outside the womb. "We all know in 2019, then-Gov. Northam of the state of Virginia stated this: 'The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother,'" said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. "The cavalier attitude he displayed towards human life is just wrong," Jordan said. "It is simple. Infants born alive following an abortion are kids, are children. All newborns deserve the same level of care." Nonetheless, Democrats overwhelmingly rejected the bill. Some, like Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., argued that the bill would set up new requirements that would "directly interfere with the doctors’ medical judgment and dictate a medical standard of care that may not be appropriate in all circumstances." He and other Democrats said the requirement to eventually take infants who survive abortion to a hospital may not be in the best interest of the family. Some Democrats said the bill is unnecessary because it is already illegal to kill newborn infants, but Republicans accused Democrats of opposing the legislation to further their radical agenda of abortion on demand. https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2023/01/11/breaking-faa-grounds-all-outbound-domestic-flights-as-system-crashes-n523027 FAA grounds all outbound domestic flights as system crashes; Update: FAA lifts ground stop As of this writing, the FAA has grounded all outbound domestic flights until at least 9 am ET. It may take longer than that to restore service to its NOTAM system, the on-line platform that all commercial and military pilots must consult before taking off. The disruption began hours earlier, and the FAA has apparently struggled to overcome it. Savannah Guthrie calls it a “sweeping outage,” and it will almost certainly impact flights for hours even after the FAA restores it: https://twitter.com/i/status/1613145694923096065 - Play Video The FAA lifted the national ground stop a few minutes ago, but it’s not clear whether the NOTAM system has been fully restored or they’re using work-arounds. They reopened two airports without out NOTAM due to “air congestion” prior to ending the ground stop: Well over 500 flights got cancelled this morning and over three thousand delayed. The snarl in air travel today will be massive. Stay tuned. https://www.theepochtimes.com/mexican-president-praises-biden-for-not-building-border-wall-even-when-conservatives-dont-like-it_4977673.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=BonginoReport Mexican President Praises Biden for Not Building Border Wall Even When ‘Conservatives Don’t Like It’ Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has praised President Joe Biden for taking a stand against the U.S. border wall, and criticized conservatives during the North American Leaders’ Summit on Tuesday. It comes as the United States sees a surge in illegal immigration across the southern border. “You, President Biden, you are the first president of the United States in a very long time that has not built not even one meter of wall. And that—we thank you for that, sir, although some might not like it—although the conservatives don’t like it,” Lopez Obrador said in a joint press conference. He thanked Biden for maintaining a “relationship of cooperation” with Mexico and for not subjecting Mexicans who “live and work in a very honest fashion” in the United States to harassment. “They’re not suffering raids as it unfortunately used to happen in the past,” the Mexican president added. Lopez Obrador asked Biden to insist that Congress “regularize the migration situations” of millions of Mexicans who have been living in the United States. On Jan. 21, 2021, a day after becoming president, Biden issued an executive order that halted construction of the border wall, commenting that a massive wall spanning the entire southern border is “not a serious policy solution” and a “waste of money.” Between 2017 and 2020, 450 miles of the wall were authorized and built under the Trump administration. In July last year, the Department of Homeland Security announced that the remaining funds, which were allocated for the construction of the wall along the Mexico–U.S. border, would be spent on “environmental remediation and mitigation” as well as for installing cameras, lighting, and detection technology in places where barriers are already built. Under the Biden administration, illegal immigrants entering via the southern border have surged. During fiscal year 2020, there were 458,088 apprehensions. This rose to 1.73 million in fiscal year 2021, a jump of 278 percent, data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) show. During fiscal year 2022, apprehensions rose to 2.3 million. In the first two months of fiscal year 2023, apprehensions exceeded the total apprehensions of fiscal year 2020. According to Steven Kopits with Princeton Policy Advisors, the rise in border crossers is set to continue its upward trend this year as well. Kopits had earlier predicted around 2 million apprehensions for 2021 and 2.3 million for 2022, which is close to the actual numbers. For 2023, Kopits is predicting apprehensions to hit 2.6 million, another record in terms of annual illegal immigration. If Kopits’s projections are true, it would mean that 6.9 million illegal aliens would have been apprehended between 2021 and 2023 under the Biden administration. Club Membership Plug: Let’s stop and take a moment to talk about Fight Laugh Feast Club membership. By joining the Fight Laugh Feast Army, not only will you be aiding in our fight to take down secular & legacy media; but you’ll also get access to content placed in our Club Portal, such as past shows, all of our conference talks, and EXCLUSIVE content for club members that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. Lastly, you’ll also get discounts for our conferences… so if you’ve got $10 bucks a month to kick over our way, you can sign up now at fightlaughfeast.com. https://www.foxnews.com/us/pro-life-pregnancy-center-hires-private-investigators-look-attack-blasts-fbi-wheres-the-manhunt?intcmp=tw_fnc Pro-life pregnancy center hires private investigators to look into attack, blasts FBI: 'Where's the manhunt?' A network of pro-life pregnancy centers in New York hired private investigators to probe a firebomb attack against a facility last June after what they describe as an inadequate response from federal law enforcement. "They've been responsive, but what they've done we don't know," Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Society, told Fox News Digital of the FBI. CompassCare, which has multiple pro-life pregnancy centers in upstate New York, announced last week that it was joining forces with the society, a nonprofit law firm, to hire private investigators to find those behind the incident at their Buffalo office last summer. Vandals reportedly smashed windows and lit fires in the building's reception room and nurses’ office, then defaced the building with "Jane was here" graffiti, an apparent reference to the radical pro-abortion group Jane's Revenge. The pro-life pregnancy center was able to rebuild quickly, but the individuals responsible have not been apprehended. Brejcha, who told Fox News Digital that his own home was targeted last July by "40 to 50 masked, black-clad thugs," said the investigation has expanded to include all 78 of the attacks against pro-life facilities in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned last year. "Along with CompassCare and others, we're looking to investigate connections here," the lawyer explained. "We have security video of attackers. We have license plates. We're pursuing the kind of investigation that lawyers pursue when they're looking to achieve justice on behalf of their clients, civil and criminal. So we're not sitting on our hands just writing letters to the editor about it." Brejcha said they hope to reveal "some of the folks that are behind this," and he is optimistic that they will succeed. https://thepostmillennial.com/biological-males-blocked-from-competing-in-womens-school-sports-in-west-virginia-federal-court?utm_campaign=64487 Biological males blocked from competing in women's school sports in West Virginia: federal court A federal judge in West Virginia has upheld a state law preventing male athletes who identify as female from participating in female school sports. In a ruling on January 5, Judge Joseph R. Goodwin of the Southern District of West Virginia said that HB 3293, the Save Women’s Sports Bill, was "constitutionally permissible." The bill defines "girl" and "women" as biologically female for the purpose of secondary school sports and Goodwin found that this was "substantially related to its important interest in providing equal athletic opportunities for females." The law was first introduced in March 2021 but was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU represented trans-identified male middle school student Becky Pepper-Jackson who was barred from the girls' cross-country team. This, the ACLU argued, was a violation of Pepper-Jackson’s rights under the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause and Title IX, the federal state statute that prohibits sex-based discrimination, reports Fox News. At the time, Goodwin ruled in favor of the ACLU and blocked the law at the preliminary stage, ruling that Pepper-Jackson was being excluded from school sports on the basis of sex making it a Title IX violation. While Goodwin acknowledged in his new decision that the law was seeking to "prevent transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams," he highlighted the biological differences between males and females that give males a significant sporting advantage. "While some females may be able to outperform some males, it is generally accepted that, on average, males outperform females athletically because of inherent physical differences between the sexes. This is not an overbroad generalization, but rather a general principle that realistically reflects the average physical differences between the sexes," said the judge. Goodwin also noted that while Pepper-Jackson had taken puberty blockers, not all transgender athletes do. Some only socially transition, while others take blockers and hormones at a later stage in puberty. Goodwin stated that "there is much debate over whether and to what extent hormone therapies after puberty can reduce a transgender girl's athletic advantage over cisgender girls." "The fact is, however, that a transgender girl is biologically male and, barring medical intervention, would undergo male puberty like other biological males. And biological males generally outperform females athletically. The state is permitted to legislate sports rules on this basis because sex, and the physical characteristics that flow from it, are substantially related to athletic performance and fairness in sports," Goodwin ruled. The West Virginia ACLU had filed the lawsuit alleging that banning girls from participating in school sports because they are transgender is unconstitutional. In a 2019 speech, developmental biologist Dr. Emma Hilton demonstrated just how wide the gap between the athletic performance of biological males and females is. "So big is the gap, there are 9000 males between 100m world record holders Usain Bolt and FloJo. So early does the gap emerge, the current female 100m Olympic champion, Elaine Thompson, is slower than the 14-year-old schoolboy record holder," said Hilton. Redballoon Not so long ago, the American dream was alive and well. Employees who worked hard were rewarded, and employers looked for people who could do the job, not for people who had the right political views. RedBalloon.work is a job site designed to get us back to what made American businesses successful: free speech, hard work, and having fun. If you are a free speech employer who wants to hire employees who focus on their work and not identity politics, then post a job on RedBalloon. If you are an employee who is being censored at work or is being forced to comply with the current zeitgeist, post your resume on RedBalloon and look for a new job. redballoon.work, the job site where free speech is still alive! www.redballoon.work https://www.outkick.com/peyton-hillis-is-reportedly-still-in-critical-condition/ PEYTON HILLIS IS REPORTEDLY STILL IN CRITICAL CONDITION Doctors have given an update on the condition of former NFL running back Peyton Hillis. Last week, Hillis was rushed to the hospital after a swimming incident at a Florida beach. He reportedly rescued his two children who were in danger of drowning in the ocean. Both children were reportedly uninjured in the incident WREG Memphis reporter Otis Kirk reported that he had been told that Hillis is “battling and definitely needs as many prayers as he can get.” He also reported that the former Razorback’s kidneys and lungs were the primary reasons why he was still in the hospital. WREG’s report mentioned that Hillis’ kidneys are now the main concern. Kirk did not reveal who gave him this information or their relationship with Hillis. He played both high school and college football in the state, before embarking on an NFL career that took him to Cleveland, Denver, New York, and Kansas City. While at Arkansas, Hillis was one part of a running back triumvirate comprised of himself, Darren McFadden, and Felix Jones. The report on Hillis’ condition comes just as a prayer vigil was being held in his native Arkansas. Hillis volunteers as an assistant for his son’s football team. Bryant Davis, who is coach and head of the program, was at the vigil and spoke to KSFM-TV. He talked about the importance of community support. “One of the great things about being a body of believers is relationship and community, and it’s about being not only here to pray for people, but it’s also here, Bryant said. “It’s also to be here to support them through times like this.”

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily Newsbrief for Wednesday, December 7th, 2022. Before I get to the news today, how about a little on this day in history? On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl HarborExternal, Hawaii Territory, killing more than 2,300 Americans. The U.S.S. Arizona was completely destroyed and the U.S.S. Oklahoma capsized. A total of twelve ships sank or were beached in the attack and nine additional vessels were damaged. More than 160 aircraft were destroyed and more than 150 others damaged. A hurried dispatch from the ranking United States naval officer in Pearl Harbor, Admiral Husband Edward Kimmel, Commander in Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet, to all major navy commands and fleet units provided the first official word of the attack at the ill-prepared Pearl Harbor base. It said simply: AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NOT DRILL. The following day, in an address to a joint session of Congress, President Franklin Roosevelt called December 7, 1941 “a date which will live in infamy.” Congress then declared War on Japan, abandoning the nation’s isolationism policy and ushering the United States into World War II. Within days, Japan’s allies, Germany and Italy, declared war on the United States, and the country began a rapid transition to a wartime economy by building up armaments in support of military campaigns in the Pacific, North Africa, and Europe. So there ya go, a little history for you guys on this Wednesday morning. Let’s start the news off with this: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/vladimir-putin-bans-all-lgbt-propaganda-far-reaching-move Vladimir Putin bans all 'LGBT propaganda' in far-reaching move Russian President Vladimir Putin signed legislation banning all LGBT "propaganda" on Sunday, according to Russian media. The far-reaching bill prohibits the creation or sharing of content depicting nontraditional sexual relations, gender reassignment and pedophilia in a positive lights, according to state-run media. The law reportedly extends to social media platforms, as well as mass media like films and advertisement. The law also has a provision pertaining to minors and empowers to country's media watchdog to implement systems preventing minors from viewing such content. The law went into effect the same day it was signed, on Sunday. Putin has long waged a political war against the LGBT movement in Russia, and his allies have in the past cited the movement's success in the U.S. as an excuse for expansive actions. State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin, who authored the bill, cited trends in the U.S. and Europe as a reason to pass it in November. "He cited data from opinion polls, according to which 16% of Europeans aged 14 to 29 identify themselves as LGBT," the Duma reported at the time. "And in the U.S. state of Maryland, the number of students who have not decided on their gender due to the promotion of non-traditional relationships has grown almost six times in two years and today makes up 45% of all students in the state." The Duma did not cite where it received the polls, and it was not immediately clear if the polls are in fact accurate. Violations of the new law are mostly punished with fines, ranging from $800 for citizens infringing on the lowest tier to $160,000 for legal entities that infringe on the highest tier, which is pedophilia. Now moving on to our stellar economy: https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2022/12/06/u-s-trade-deficit-rises-5-4-to-four-month-high/ U.S. Trade Deficit Rises 5.4% to Four-Month High The nation’s trade deficit widened 5.4 percent in October to a four-month high of $78.2 billion, data from the Commerce Department showed Tuesday. This was lower than expected. Economists had forecast the deficit would rise to around $80 billion. The October increase in the goods and services deficit reflected an increase in the goods deficit of $6.1 billion to $99.6 billion and an increase in the services surplus of $2.1 billion to $21.4 billion. The U.S. is typically a net exporter of services to the rest of the world and an importer of goods. So far this year, the goods and services deficit is up $136.9 billion, or 19.9 percent, from the same period in 2021. Exports increased $415.3 billion or 19.8 percent. Imports increased $552.2 billion or 19.8 percent. Economic weakness around the globe, particularly in Europe, has softened demand for U.S. energy imports, including natural gas and petroleum products. Crude oil exports, however, grew by $1.6 billion. The numbers are not adjusted for inflation so the declines also reflected the recent weakening of the dollar against many other currencies .Exports of consumer goods were also lower, led by a decline in pharmaceuticals due to lower demand for drugs to treat or prevent infection of China’s coronavirus. The U.S. spent more on imported cars and pharmaceuticals. Imports of cell phones, toys, games, and sports equipment slipped lower. Let’s check in on our southern border: https://dailycaller.com/2022/12/06/ice-biden-immigration-border/ ICE Is Massively Misreporting How Many Illegal Immigrants Are Being Released With GPS Trackers Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is significantly misreporting the number of illegal immigrants released into the country with GPS tracking technology by nearly 600%, according to an internal document exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. ICE disclosed privately to participants of a closed-door event about the agency’s “Alternatives to Detention” Thursday, attended by ICE Director Tae Johnson along with several agency officials and non-profits, that 8,118 illegal immigrants are monitored with GPS tracking through the program as of Nov. 14. Publicly, however, ICE says on its website that 56,805 illegal immigrants are monitored by GPS as of Nov. 19. Former ICE Chief of Staff Jon Feere, who now serves as director of investigations at the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), believes that the Biden administration is seeking to appease groups that have fought ICE detention, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which was listed as an attendee at Thursday’s event. The ACLU has a campaign on its website titled “SHUT DOWN THE ICE DETENTION MACHINE,” which encourages the public to email Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to urge ICE against any new detention contracts. The ACLU didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The program given to the Thursday event’s attendees also showed that ICE underreported illegal immigrants without tracking technology by more than 18,000%, as previously reported by the DCNF. ICE disclosed to the attendees that as of Nov. 14 there are 49,459 illegal aliens that aren’t monitored with any tracking equipment, while its own website says that as of Nov. 19 there are 266. The Biden administration continues to see record numbers of migrants illegally cross the southern border, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountering over 2.3 million in fiscal year 2022 and more than 230,000 in October. Story Real Estate: Home. It’s where you build your legacy. Where traditions are started, seeds are planted, meals are shared, and stories are told. Home is where you prepare to go out into the world. Finding the home that’s perfect for your family is a big job. Story Real Estate is Moscow’s top real estate team. They give people real estate advice all over the country. Family homes, investments, land, new construction, or commercial— they know real estate. If you’ve thought about a move to Moscow or anywhere in the country, reach out to get connected with a Story Real Estate agent. Wherever you’re going, they can help guide you Home. Visit storyrealestate.com. How about a word from our friends across the pond? https://www.dailyfetched.com/uk-government-approves-climate-lockdown-trials-for-2024/ UK Government Approves Climate Lockdown Trials for 2024 Residents would be confined to their local neighborhood and would not be able to leave unless they requested permission from the government. As part of the climate lockdown plan, the ’15 minute cities’ would place electronic gates on key roads in and out of the city, so the government would be instantly alerted by anyone trying to leave. Those who request permission to leave their city would be profiled by the government, which would make a decision on whether to let that person out. Under the new scheme, residents would be permitted to leave their zone a maximum of 100 days per year, according to reports. However, every resident must register their car details with the government, enabling them to be tracked via smart cameras around the city. As Vision News reported: Oxfordshire County Council, which is run by Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and the Green Party, secretly decided to divide up the city of Oxford into six ’15 minute’ districts in 2021 soon after they were elected to office. None of the councilors declared their intention of imprisoning local residents in their manifestos of course, preferring to make vague claims about how they will ‘improve the environment instead. Every resident will be required to register their car with the County Council, which will then monitor how many times they leave their district via number plate recognition cameras. And don’t think you can beat the system if you’re a two-car household. Those two cars will be counted as one, meaning you will have to divide up the journeys between yourselves. 2 cars, 50 journeys each; 3 cars, 33 journeys each and so on. Under the new rules, your social life becomes irrelevant. By de facto, Councils dictate how many times per year you can see friends and family. You will be stopped from fraternizing with anyone outside your district, and if you want a long-distance relationship in the future, forget it; you are confined to dating only those within a 15-minute walk of your house. A single person’s life will be at the mercy of Communists in the central office, dictating the same draconian rules we had to avert the last crisis, a mild flu virus so deadly 80% of people didn’t even know they had it. An entirely new social structure is being imposed on Oxford’s residents ( and more cities are to follow) under the lie of saving the planet. but what it really is, is a plan for Command and Control. There will be permits, penalties and even more ubiquitous surveillance. Council officials will determine where you can go and how often, and will log every time you do. 15-minute cities, or 15 minute prisons? According to an article on The World Economic Forum’s website, ’15 minute’ cities are a powerful tool for action: Would Paris’s Mayor Anne Hidalgo have pushed for progressive urban design without this framing? Undoubtedly. But with COVID-19 and its variants keeping everyone home (or closer to home than usual), the 15-minute city went from a “nice-to-have” to a rallying cry. Meeting all of one’s needs within a walking, biking, or transit distance was suddenly a matter of life and death. The pandemic created an urgency around equitable urbanism that sidelined arguments about bike lanes and other “amenities” that have roiled communities for years. Such calls for draconian measures to fight climate change are nothing new. In November 2020, the Red Cross declared climate change is a more significant threat than COVID, saying it should be confronted with “the same urgency.” Meanwhile, Bill Gates demanded dramatic measures to stop climate change, arguing it would be worse than the pandemic. Former governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, said that climate deaths would dwarf those of the pandemic. So what is the solution? More lockdowns. Politicians and government know that fear helps the public to accept dramatic curtailing of freedoms, especially with vague promises of safety. The COVID lockdowns proved this. So now power-hungry bureaucrats can utilize the precedents for more comprehensive lockdowns in the future. And finally, from California: https://thepostmillennial.com/california-english-teacher-says-proper-grammar-is-white-supremacist-refuses-to-teach-it?utm_campaign=64487 California English teacher says proper grammar is ‘white supremacist,’ refuses to teach it A California high school English teacher claimed that she undermines "white supremacy" in her classroom by educating students about the overemphasis placed on writing rules and grammar usage. According to Fox News, as a tenured English teacher at Oroville High School, Marta Shaffer began this school year by teaching parts of linguistics as a way of "fighting white supremacy in my classes." She posted on TikTok that her goal was to be "inclusive of all kinds of ways we use the language." https://twitter.com/i/status/1599466639740706816 - Play Video Schaffer said in another video obtained by the outlet that a student's "codes" – how they speak at home or with friends – is "just as important, if not more than important," than a boss's expectations of how their employee communicate. "Just because your teachers, your professors, and your boss may expect you to write and speak in a certain way that may not be natural to you, does not mean that your more natural… languages are not important. They are just as important, if not more important than the ‘language of respectability.’" Schaffer said she feels like a "cringe white lady" when "teaching students of color" about linguistics. Hey something we can both agree on ms. schaffer!