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Armed patriots pledge continued patrols as monthly border crossings reach 100K

Victor Skinner
The American Mirror
Mon, 13 May 2019 00:00 UTC
Border Wall
© Unknown
An armed group of citizen patriots patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border in New Mexico have vowed to continue operations to assist Border Patrol despite an eviction from their previous camp.

Jim Benvie, spokesman for the newly formed Guardian Patriots, told the Las Cruces Sun News numerous "volunteer patriots" continue to patrol sections of the New Mexico border and work in conjunction with Border Patrol officials, though they've moved to a new location on private property.

"Nobody who's been on the border left. There's been no breakup. Everyone is still here," Benvie said, disputing media reports that the group had packed up after the arrest of Larry Mitchell Hopkins, the self-proclaimed "commander" of the United Constitutional Patriots New Mexico Border Ops. Hopkins is currently held without bond in Albuquerque on federal weapons charges unrelated to the border activities, according to the news site.

Just a few days after the arrest in mid-April, Union Pacific evicted the group from their camp near a border fence that company officials claimed was on railroad property. The fallout followed allegations by the American Civil Liberties Union that the Constitutional Patriots were detaining migrants and children at gunpoint.

Comment: See also:

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Bizarro Earth

'Revolutionary Communists' descend on UCLA seeking 'overthrow of the system'

Arik Schneider
Campus Reform
Tue, 14 May 2019 16:15 UTC
revolutionary communists
Members of the Revolutionary Communist Party of America launched an advertising campaign at the University of California-Los Angeles in early May by chalking and distributing signage in an apparent effort to recruit college students to subscribe to their communist ideology.

The group set up signs, handed out flyers, and wrote out chalk markings, as seen in photos obtained by Campus Reform, even after being asked by staff and housing officials to stop their activities. The group's distributed manifesto condemned capitalism, as well as "jokes" based on race, gender, nationality, etc. Chalked markings on the ground and walls asked students to speak.
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NPC

Buzzfeed & the outrage mob hound foul-mouthed 14yo off YouTube


RT
Tue, 14 May 2019 19:04 UTC
Soph Be Not Afraid video
© YouTube / Gamer Felonies
A screenshot from Soph's now-removed video
Buzzfeed's Joseph Bernstein and a horde of Twitter liberals have launched a crusade against a politically incorrect 14-year-old YouTuber, resulting in a block from the platform.

The high school freshman, who goes by the name of 'Soph,' was described by Bernstein as "YouTube's newest far-right, foul-mouthed, red-pilling star." In her videos, Soph blends pop-psychology, 4chan filth, and every form of "-ist" speech known to man to savage the social justice movement, Islam, 'men's rights activists,' and of course, feminism.

"The site's executives have only themselves to blame," tutted Bernstein, before castigating the platform for deliberately ignoring "toxic content" as a growth strategy.
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Family

Good idea: San Francisco set to make history with law banning use of facial recognition technology

Julia Conley
Common Dreams
Mon, 13 May 2019 00:00 UTC
facial recognition
© Steffi Loos/Getty Images
San Francisco could become the first city to ban the use of facial recigntion technology by city agencies.
"The harms of unchecked surveillance are very real and they often impact immigrant and communities of color disproportionately."

Civil liberties advocates on Monday eagerly awaited the results of a vote by San Francisco officials on the city's use of facial recognition technology - hoping the city's Board of Supervisors would vote to ban the surveillance tool.

The board is set to vote Tuesday on the Stop Secret Surveillance Ordinance, a law that advocates say would make history and potentially encourage other cities to ban the use of facial recognition technology, which is being used increasingly by police and private companies.

Since San Francisco is the "most technologically advanced city in our country," privacy expert Alvaro Bedoya told the Associated Press, the city's rejection of cameras which can capture anyone's image for use by the police or city agencies could send a strong message to other government officials.
"The people of San Francisco and their elected representatives deserve an open and democratic process that answers critical questions before City departments acquire or use surveillance technology." -Nathan Sheard, Electronic Frontier Foundation
The technology is also unpopular with the public. A majority of respondents in a 2018 poll by the Brookings Institution said they were opposed to facial recognition being used in stores, airports, and stadiums. Last November, 60 percent of San Francisco voters approved a measure to strengthen data privacy protections in the city.

Comment: States, cities and towns across the US should take the people of San Francisco's example and let their voices be heard on this issue.

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Newspaper

'5G ties uncovered': RT America's Rick Sanchez on what's behind NY Times hit piece


RT
Tue, 14 May 2019 21:40 UTC
The New York Times vs. RT
© RT
RT America news anchor Rick Sanchez hit back at the New York Times over the paper's claim that airing any questions about the safety of 5G technology is a Russian plot. The Times has a vested interest in 5G through Verizon.
"This weekend the New York Times wrote a malicious hit piece about us, which had an impact on me personally, because I've always admired the New York Times," Sanchez said on Monday night's newscast.
Sanchez called the NY Times headline "completely biased and wrong," reminding viewers that The News With Rick Sanchez and other RT America shows have aired concerns from scientists and scholars that the radiation involved with 5G technology might pose a health hazard - something that is very much an open question still.
"Only the New York Times chose to make this about us - not even so much about our coverage, but rather about our intentions, suggesting that we only covered this story because of President Putin. The Times argues that we are conflicted and they question our integrity and our intentions," Sanchez said. "They're wrong."
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Fire

Fire hazard: Tesla electric car bursts into flames at Hong Kong parking lot

Donny Kwok and Shellin Li
Reuters
Tue, 14 May 2019 06:22 UTC
Tesla Model S 85 KWH
A Tesla Inc electric car caught fire in a parking lot in a Hong Kong shopping mall, the Apple Daily newspaper said on Tuesday, but no one was injured in the blaze, whose cause was not immediately known.

The electric car burst into flames 30 minutes after being parked in the city's San Po Kong district on Sunday, the newspaper said, with three explosions seen on CCTV footage.

Firemen took 45 minutes to douse the fire.

The vehicle was a Tesla Model S 85 KWH dual power version, added the paper, which gave no explanation of what might have caused the blaze.

Comment: See also:

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Bad Guys

Sri Lankan Easter attack suspect was under Indian surveillance for ISIS ties

Shihar Aneez, Shri Navaratnam, Sanjeev Miglani
Reuters
Tue, 14 May 2019 16:15 UTC
Shangri-La hotel
© REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte/File Photo
A police officer inspects the explosion area at Shangri-La hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka April 21, 2019.
A Sri Lankan software engineer suspected by authorities in Sri Lanka of having provided technical and logistical support to the Easter Sunday suicide bombers was monitored by Indian intelligence agencies three years ago for links with Islamic State suspects, investigators said.

Four sources in Sri Lankan investigating agencies said they believed Aadhil Ameez, a 24-year-old, was the link between two groups that carried out the attacks on churches and hotels that killed more than 250 people and wounded hundreds more.

Aadhil has been arrested and is in police custody, the sources said. His arrest has not been made public, but when asked by Reuters, Ruwan Gunasekera, the main spokesman for the Sri Lankan police, confirmed Aadhil was taken into custody on April 25, four days after the attacks.
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Cell Phone

Huawei chairman: Company willing to sign 'no-spy' agreements with world govts


RT
Tue, 14 May 2019 16:48 UTC
huawei
© Global Look Press
Huawei chairman Liang Hua has stated that his company would be willing to sign "no spy" agreements with governments, while vehemently denying any Chinese laws forcing companies to spy on foreign countries.

Hua said he has not met with any British government officials on this current trip to the UK but claimed his company has long-cooperated with Britain's National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) and established good cybersecurity measures.

The businessman called for industry-wide, technical solutions to improve cybersecurity while calling on world governments to adopt an "evidence-based approach" to cybersecurity risks.
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Arrow Up

Russian LNG exports surge 20 percent, boosting revenues to $2 billion


RT
Tue, 14 May 2019 16:34 UTC
LNG carrier
© Global Look Press
LNG carrier "Velikiy Novgorod"
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments from Russia increased to 11.7 billion cubic meters in the first three months of this year - a 19.7 percent growth compared to the same period of 2018.

The surge in the country's LNG exports ensured a year-on-year growth in revenue for Russian firms in the sector. Sakhalin Energy and Yamal LNG revenues spiked by 49.8 percent, reaching $1.95 billion, the Federal Customs Service (FCS) said on Monday.

In March alone the shipments amounted to 2.6 billion cubic meters and generated $510 million.

Meanwhile, Russian exports of natural gas decreased by 0.4 percent over the indicated period to 61.5 billion cubic meters, the FCS added. However, the profits from those exports still rose to $14 billion, posting a 10.7 percent increase compared to January-March 2018.
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Stock Down

Roundup revenge: Bayer's stock continues landslide after $2 billion award in glyphosate cancer trial

Ludwig Burger
Reuters
Tue, 14 May 2019 02:46 UTC
monsanto und bayer
Shares in Bayer fell as much as 5% on Tuesday after a jury awarded more than $2 billion to a California couple in the largest U.S. jury verdict against the company over allegations its Roundup weed killer causes cancer.

That put the stock on course to close at its lowest level in almost seven years, even though the punitive damages award is likely to be reduced due to U.S. Supreme Court rulings that limit the ratio of punitive to compensatory damages to 9:1.

The jury set the total punitive damages at $2 billion and added $55 million in compensatory pay, concluding that Roundup - based on herbicide glyphosate - had been defectively designed, and that the company failed to warn of the herbicide's alleged cancer risk.

The shares were down 2.5% at 55.05 euros at 0905 GMT.

Bayer said in a statement on Monday that it was disappointed with the verdict and would appeal. A spokesman called the jury's decision "excessive and unjustifiable".

It was the third consecutive U.S. jury verdict against the company in litigation over the chemical, which Bayer acquired as part of its $63 billion purchase of Monsanto last year.

Comment: Recent Monsanto / Bayer news:

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