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“Summer COVID Wave” Prompts Panic In California; Masks Recommended

At least one official in California has recommended that residents wear masks indoors due to an increase in COVID-19 in recent days.

Wastewater data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday show that California is seeing “very high” levels of the virus, while all states on the West Coast are either at “high” or “very high” levels.

As Jack Phillips reports for The Epoch Times, the top health official for Yolo County, located outside Sacramento, said in a statement last week that residents are advised to wear masks indoors. No mandate was issued.

“California is experiencing a summer COVID wave,” Aimee Sisson, the Yolo County health officer, said in the statement.

“Based on current wastewater levels of the virus that causes COVID-19, I recommend that everybody in West Sacramento wear a mask when they are around others in indoor public spaces.”

“I also recommend that people in the rest of Yolo County wear masks when they are around others indoors if they are 65 or older, have a weakened immune system, have an underlying medical condition that puts them at a greater risk of severe COVID-19, or spend time around people who fall into these categories.”

Sisson’s office also said in a news release issued by the county that “wearing a high-quality mask such as an N95, KN95, or KF94 that fits well continues to provide strong protection” before touting vaccines for the virus.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health told the Los Angeles Times, in an article published Sept. 3 that suggests multiple California officials have recommended masking, that it is also recommending people “consider wearing a well-fitted mask in crowded indoor spaces, including when traveling, and to stay at home if they feel sick.”

Multiple requests from The Epoch Times to the city health department have not been returned as of Friday.

In Canada, New Brunswick’s Horizon Health Network told The Epoch Times this week that it would mandate masks for certain clinical areas due to a rise in respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19. Several weeks ago, the government of Honduras announced it had reinstated a nationwide mask mandate in health care settings due to a rise in respiratory viruses.

Last year, multiple California counties implemented mandatory mask requirements in health care settings that lasted from November 2024 until the spring of this year, including counties in the San Francisco Bay Area. Some of the countywide mandates were meant only for employees, while one county required all visitors and patients to wear a mask.

An Epoch Times review suggests that no counties in the United States have recently issued mask mandates or are planning to issue mask mandates for the coming fall or winter months.

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California Professor Indicted for Assaulting Federal Agents During Marijuana Farm Raid

A federal grand jury indicted a professor at California State University Channel Islands who is charged with throwing a tear gas canister at federal agents executing a search warrant at a marijuana farm in Camarillo this summer. The grand jury returned the indictment on Wednesday.

Jonathan Caravello, 37, of Ventura, California, is charged with one count of assault on a federal officer using a deadly or dangerous weapon. Caravello, who is free on $15,000 bond, is expected to be arraigned in the coming weeks in the United States District Court in Los Angeles.

According to the indictment and court documents previously filed in this case, on July 10, federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and United States Border Patrol executed a high-risk search warrant at a marijuana farm sitting on a 160-acre property in Camarillo. A group of protesters gathered near law enforcement personnel around the farm’s entrance and used their bodies and their vehicles to impede law enforcement from exiting the location.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Los Angeles, protesters became violent, throwing rocks at the government vehicles attempting to depart the location because of the danger posed by the protesters. The thrown rocks broke windows and side-view mirrors, among other damage to the government vehicles driven by authorities participating in the immigration enforcement action.

The indictment indicated law enforcement agents on the scene in Camarillo deployed tear gas to assist with crowd control and ensure officer safety. The measure also allowed law enforcement to depart the location. Border Patrol agents rolled tear gas canisters by protesters’ feet at which time the indictment alleged Caravello ran up to one of the canisters and attempted to kick it. After the canister rolled past him, Caravello turned around, ran towards the canister, picked it up, and threw it overhand back at Border Patrol agents.

Border Patrol agents eventually arrested Caravello, who continuously kicked his legs and refused to give agents his arms during the arrest.

Breitbart Texas reported in July that federal officials were offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of another suspect in the assaults on agents during this operation.

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Judge Orders Trump Admin To Release Billions In Frozen Foreign Aid Funding

A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration cannot withhold billions of dollars in foreign assistance approved by Congress, including aid that the White House recently said it would not spend.

The Trump administration must release $11.5 billion in foreign aid that is set to expire at the end of the month, said U.S. District Judge Amir Ali in a Sept. 3 decision.

“There is not a plausible interpretation of the statutes that would justify the billions of dollars they plan to withhold,” Ali wrote in his ruling.

“To be clear, no one disputes that Defendants have significant discretion in how to spend the funds at issue, and the Court is not directing Defendants to make payments to any particular recipients. But Defendants do not have any discretion as to whether to spend the funds.”

The Trump administration last week requested that Congress rescind $4.9 billion in foreign aid. The $11.5 billion figure includes the $4.9 billion.

In accordance with the Impoundment Control Act, a rescission is when the White House requests Congress to reverse government funding that has been appropriated by Congress. Typically, it must be approved within 45 days of the request being sent to Congress, or else the money must be spent.

Given that this request was made within 45 days of the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, the cancellation could take effect without Congress approving it. This maneuver is known as a pocket rescission.

Ali wrote that the funding is to be spent since Congress appropriated it.

“It is undisputed the relevant appropriations acts have been valid law from the time they were enacted to today. For almost all that period, Defendants did not even dispute that the laws were mandatory and required them to spend the funds,” he wrote. “The President never asked Congress to rescind the funds at issue even though he successfully sought rescission of analogous funds in May 2025.”

The Trump administration filed a notice of appeal on Sept. 4.

“President Trump has the executive authority to ensure that all foreign aid is accountable to taxpayers and aligns with the America First priorities people voted for,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.

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Trump orders removal of protest tent near WH

President Donald Trump has ordered that the long-standing blue tent in front of the White House be taken down.

Trump pledged to remove homeless encampments in Washington by the United States’ 250th Independence Day next year.

A reporter informed him in the Oval Office on Friday of the tent, which represents an ongoing protest, describing it as an “eyesore” supported by the “radical left.” The reporter explained that it had “morphed” from its original intent into something “anti-America,” and expressed concern that it could pose a threat to national security.

“I didn’t know that,” Trump said, immediately turning to his staff. “Take it down. Take it down today, right now.”

“We’re going to look into it right now. We have removed over 50 tent sites, not 50 tents, hundreds and hundreds, maybe 1,000, … but 50 sites,” he continued.

The blue tent, known as the peace vigil, in Lafayette Park is regarded widely as the longest continuous act of political protest in U.S. history.

Activist William Thomas erected the structure in 1981, facing the North Lawn of the White House, where dignitaries and world leaders arrive for meetings. Thomas remained at the vigil calling for an end to global conflict and nuclear disarmament until he died in 2016. The demonstration needs to be staffed constantly to maintain its spot across Pennsylvania Avenue.

Philipos Melaku-Bello took over the structure with a group of rotating volunteers.

The tent is covered with flags and banners that read, “War is not the answer,” “Ban all nuclear weapons or have a nice doomsday,” and “Live by the bomb, die by the bomb.”

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Trump Warns Any Venezuelan Plane Threatening US Ships Will Be Shot Down

On Friday, for the second time in just two days, a Venezuelan F-16 jet flew near a US warship in the southern Caribbean. At least eight American navel vessels have been deployed off the Latin American country which possesses the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves.

President Trump the same day warned that if Venezuelan jets fly over US naval ships and “put us in a dangerous position, they’ll be shot down.”

CBS late Friday cited Pentagon officials who said a Venezuelan plane flew over the US destroyer “Jason Dunham” for the second time.

Some observers have begun to question the circumstances behind the prior US strike on a “drug-carrying vessel from Venezuela” operated allegedly by a drug trafficking gang, which killed all eleven people on board. Assuming they weren’t military, it could be classified as an extrajudicial killing in international waters, with no warning issued or attempt at intercept.

The Commander-in-Chief has put US forces deployed there on a war footing, it appears:

When asked by reporters in the Oval Office on Friday what would happen if Venezuelan jets flew over US vessels again, Trump said Venezuela would be in “trouble”.

Trump told his general, standing beside him, that he could do anything he wanted if the situation escalated.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has responded by rejecting the state-linked narcotrafficking allegations, and explained that current problems and differences between the nations do not justify a “military conflict”.

Maduro continued, “Venezuela has always been willing to talk, to engage in dialogue, but we demand respect.”

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Russia Attacks Ukraine Overnight With Record 1,000 Drones

Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with an estimated over 1,000 drones and missiles, possibly a record.

Since the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, the bombing campaign from Moscow has intensified, with Russia sensing complete victory as the Ukrainian army slowly retreat in the face of the Russian onslaught.

Kyiv has resorted to increasing long-range attacks against the Russian Federation via its growing high-tech capability to produce drones and other projectiles.

The conflict now seems to be a numbers game.

Europe is feckless, although continues to provide aid to Kyiv, militarily and financially.

Arms deals are being consummated between the U.S. and Europe, destined for Ukraine. Although, it is becoming murky as to the exact money flows being routed.

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Damning New Evidence Emerges In Biden Autopen Scandal

Fresh revelations about Joe Biden’s autopen scandal paint a picture so damning that even his most loyal defenders should be squirming in their seats. Internal emails obtained by the New York Post show a White House in complete disarray, with staff frantically scrambling to figure out whether Biden actually knew what documents were being signed in his name.

The timeline alone should make every American’s blood boil. On Jan. 11, Biden allegedly gave verbal approval for commuting the sentences of crack cocaine offenders. But those documents weren’t signed until Jan. 17, and only after a series of panicked late-night emails between White House staff trying to establish some semblance of proper authorization.

Staff Secretary Stef Feldman, clearly the only adult in the room, demanded verification of Biden’s approval before allowing the autopen to do its work. At 9:16 p.m. on Jan. 16, she wrote to Biden’s aides, “I’ll need an [email] from [Deputy Assistant to the President Rosa Po] confirming the president’s sign-off on the specific documents when they are finalized.”

But here’s where it gets really ugly. Deputy White House Counsel Tyeesha Dixon forwarded concerns to Chief of Staff Michael Posada, asking, “Michael, any thoughts on how to address this?” Most tellingly, Dixon noted in her email that “the president did not review the warrants.”

The expectation that autopen would handle Biden’s pardons and commutations says everything about how his White House operated and raises legitimate questions about who was really running the country. Staffers routinely mechanically applied Biden’s signature to legal documents, and now we know his own counsel admitted he never actually reviewed what he was supposedly signing.

Among those benefiting from this constitutional chaos was Russell McIntosh, a 51-year-old involved in the 1999 murder of a woman and her two-year-old child in North Carolina. This is the caliber of individual Biden’s team was cutting loose while the president remained blissfully unaware of the specifics.

The Justice Department wasn’t faring any better. 

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Aspartame Alters Gut Bacteria and Triggers Cancer Genes in Glioblastoma

Aspartame Activates Brain Cancer Genes, Study Finds

A recent animal study published in Scientific Reports investigated the effects of aspartame on gene expression and gut bacteria in mice with glioblastoma. Researchers assessed whether aspartame could influence tumor progression on a molecular level, even in the absence of visible tumor growth.1

•The mice used in the study had gliomas induced by transplanting cancerous cells — These test subjects were then split into two groups. One received aspartame in their drinking water, while the control group was given plain water.

•One of the most striking findings was the activation of cancer-linked genes — The researchers discovered dramatic internal changes — particularly at the genetic and microbial level — in the aspartame-exposed group. Specifically, they observed a significant upregulation of three key genes — myelocytomatosis (MYC), cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (CDKN1A), and transforming growth factor-β (TGFB1).

•These three genes are well-established contributors to cancer progression — MYC is an oncogene, meaning it plays a direct role in driving uncontrolled cell growth, while TGFB1 is often associated with a poor prognosis in glioblastoma due to its ability to suppress immune function and promote tumor cell survival. CDKN1A is typically involved in controlling the cell cycle, but when dysregulated, it contributes to tumor aggressiveness.

•The most unsettling part? These changes happened without any measurable increase in tumor size. That means even if your tumor isn’t growing, it could still be genetically evolving into something far more dangerous.

Aspartame Alters Your Gut Microbiota by Affecting the Gut-Brain Axis

Aspartame was accidentally discovered in 1965 and had been used in consumer products since the 1980s. Being a low-calorie sweetener that’s 200 times sweeter than regular sugar, it became widely popular among people who want to cut back on their calorie consumption. It’s now used in over 6,000 different products worldwide, including diet soda, sugar-free gum and candy, and even condiments like ketchup and salad dressings.2

However, aspartame is not as safe as it seems — in fact, it has been associated with a long list of health problems, such as obesity, headaches, and depression.3 In 2023, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) declared aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans4 — and now, this animal study provides stronger evidence backing up this classification.

•The changes in gene activity were traced to a powerful biological process called RNA methylation — These changes occurred specifically along the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) pathway. RNA methylation is a chemical modification of messenger RNA (mRNA), the molecule your body uses to translate DNA into proteins.

This modification acts like a dimmer switch — it fine-tunes how active a gene becomes. When aspartame exposure elevated this process, the dimmer switch turned all the way up on cancer-promoting genes.

•Aspartame increases glioblastoma risk by affecting the gut-brain axis — This is the bidirectional pathway by which your gut and brain communicate with each other. Your gut bacteria synthesize short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate and metabolize dietary components like tryptophan into molecules that regulate the tumor microenvironment.

When these metabolites reach tumor sites, they improve immune surveillance mechanisms and alter cellular metabolic processes to inhibit tumor growth.

•Conversely, tumors also influence gut microbial composition — Certain gut bacteria that colonize tumor tissues contribute to carcinogenesis through multiple mechanisms — they induce DNA damage, suppress the immune system’s ability to recognize tumor antigens, and disrupt vital metabolic pathways. These create conditions conducive to tumor survival and proliferation.

To put it simply, some gut bacteria produce substances that help fight cancer, while others actually help tumors grow and spread; Aspartame alters your gut to increase the growth of tumor-spreading bacteria.

•Mice fed aspartame had a significant drop in bacteria from the Rikenellaceae family — Rikenellaceae are part of a group of microbes involved in producing SCFAs, which, as mentioned above, help inhibit cancer formation. According to the study authors:

“The composition and abundance of gut microbiota, particularly the Rikenellaceae family, are closely associated with the levels of volatile fatty acids, such as acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid.

Numerous findings have provided compelling evidence of a robust connection between the abundance of the Rikenellaceae family in the gut and a diverse array of metabolic health conditions, including Parkinson’s disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Our study concluded that although the aspartame diet did not significantly affect tumor growth, it did induce changes in the composition of the gut microbiota, particularly a decrease in the relative abundance of the Rikenellaceae family. We speculated that gut microbiota could influence the progression of glioblastoma multiforme by gut-brain axis.”5

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Google pockets $45m to fuel Netanyahu’s propaganda denying Gaza famine

Google is executing a $45-million advertising contract with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office to spread propaganda denying famine in Gaza, Drop Site News reported on 3 September.

The six-month campaign, launched in June, is run through Google’s YouTube and its Display & Video 360 service, and is described in the government contract as hasbara. 

The details were disclosed in official Israeli government contract filings from the state advertising bureau, Lapam, which reports directly to Netanyahu’s office.

A video produced by Israel’s Foreign Ministry declaring “There is food in Gaza. Any other claim is a lie” was placed on YouTube in late August, gaining over six million views. 

Its wide reach was fueled by the ongoing ad campaign coordinated by Lapam.

Records show $3 million was also spent on ads with X, while the Israeli digital advertising company Outbrain (that recently acquired the French company Teads) is set to receive about $2.1 million. Other ads accuse the UN of “deliberate sabotage” of aid deliveries and promote the US-backed, deadly Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid scheme. 

Campaigns have also sought to discredit the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), which documents Israeli war crimes, labeling it tied to “extremist ideologies.”

The propaganda drive comes as famine spreads across Gaza. In late August, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) officially declared famine in Gaza City and its surrounding towns for the first time, and warned that Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis were next by the end of September. By then, a total of over 640,000 people will face “catastrophic levels” of food insecurity – classified as IPC Phase 5 – across the strip.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Friday that the strip faced “a descent into a massive famine.” The Health Ministry in Gaza reports at least 367 deaths from hunger and malnutrition, including 131 children, since October 2023.

Despite these figures, Israeli officials have openly called for starvation as policy. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “No water, no electricity, they can die of hunger or surrender.” 

Israeli Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu declared that Palestinians “need to starve” and should flee under an emigration plan.

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BOMBSHELL: President Trump Was an FBI Informant Against Epstein

House Speaker Mike Johnson made a stunning revelation Thursday in response to questions from CNN’s Manu Raju about President Donald Trump’s use of the term “hoax” to describe the ongoing controversy surrounding the Epstein files. In defending the president, Johnson disclosed that Trump had once acted as an FBI informant against Jeffrey Epstein—a fact that has never before been publicly acknowledged by a sitting congressional leader.

“What Trump is referring to is the hoax that the Democrats are using to try to attack him,” Johnson said. “He has never said or suggested or implied—I’ve talked to him about this many times, many times. He is horrified. It’s been misrepresented. He’s not saying that what Epstein did is a hoax. It’s a terrible, unspeakable evil. He believes that himself.”

Johnson then dropped the bombshell revelation.

“When he first heard the rumor, he kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago. He was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down,” Johnson said, appearing to confirm for the first time that Trump had assisted federal authorities in building a case against Epstein.

The speaker emphasized that Epstein’s crimes had long disgusted Trump. “The president knows and has great sympathy for the women who have suffered these unspeakable harms. It’s detestable to him. He and I have spoken about this as recently as 24 hours ago,” Johnson explained. “What he’s talking about is the Democrats who are doing this with impure motives. If they cared so much about this, why didn’t they do something during the four years of the Biden administration when the Biden DOJ had all the records? They didn’t say a word about it. Now, they’re doing it for political purposes. Not everybody, but a lot of them, and that’s what the President’s frustrated about.”

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