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Pfizer CEO Flops Attempting to Defend Vax Liability Shield

The very simple — and unexpected, coming from CNBC, which usually runs cover for pharmaceutical corporations as a matter of course — question posed to Albert Bourla:

Vaccine makers like yourself [are] largely shielded from liability. If the products are safe and effective, what is the need to continue to shield, to have these liability shields, and what happens if those shields are changed or go away completely?

The very simple answer, assuming the vaccines are actually “safe and effective,” would be: “Nothing happens if we lose our liability shield. We don’t need it because our product is safe and effective, and we are willing to prove that in court if need be.”

That’s not what Bourla said. Instead, he offered a word salad about how the trustworthy FDA would never approve a dangerous and ineffective vaccine. Therefore, by virtue of the fact that the FDA allowed the COVID shots to go to market, they are by definition “safe and effective.”

Also, he adds, American juries are too stupid to decide whether an injury was caused by a vaccine or a car accident.

If the product is not safe and effective, it would never get approval from the FDA or from the other health authorities… They are very strict when they are approving products, particularly for vaccines… However, in a system that litigations can flourish, anyone can create, demand that the accident in the car happened because of the vaccine, and uh, with a jury, it’s going to be flip of the coin. And this is, I think, why the Congress — it was not an administration — had passed this legislation that is protecting those that they have approval from the FDA from federal liabilities.

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Jailing Canadians Is Just One Way Government Supports Israel

Canada supports Israel’s violence and apartheid in innumerable ways. Targeting critics of Israel has long been a way Canada assists Palestinian dispossession.

I was recently arrested for social media posts critical of Israel and spent five days in jail to win the right to discuss social media influencer Dahlia Kurtz who pursued charges against me. My experience fits a long history of Canadian police and intelligence services targeting critics of Israel and includes close ties to their Israeli counterparts.

Over the past 16 months Canadian authorities have responded to the popular uprising against Israel’s horrors in Gaza by greatly escalating their assaults on critics of Israel. As I’ve written or discussed, dozens of individuals have been jailed or had their residences raided. In the most egregious abuse of state authority, Ottawa listed the grassroots Vancouver-based Samidoun Palestinian Political Prisoners Network a terrorist organization.

While the suppression has escalated in parallel with the upsurge in activism, it’s been going on for a long time. In recent decades the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) has demonized and targeted critics of Israel. In one of the rare cases that was publicized, at least seven friends of Stefan Christoff were visited by CSIS agents over an 8-month period in 2009 and 2010. They arrived unannounced early in the morning and asked detailed and sometimes menacing questions about the Montreal activist’s work with Artists Against Apartheid or trips to the Middle East.

As Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) engaged in negotiations during the 1990s many Palestinian Canadians accused CSIS of intimidating opponents of the Oslo accords. CSIS allegedly offered cash in exchange for information on those opposed to the PLO’s compromise. A 1994 Washington Report on Middle East Affairs article explained, “CSIS is carrying out a political agenda by targeting only those who are aligned with non-Fatah groups of the PLO — those who oppose the accord signed by the PLO. More than 20 PFLP [Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine] supporters have come forward alleging that they have been interrogated by CSIS.”

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The Many Faces of Corruption: How Politicians Exploit the System

Corruption is like a hydra. Cut off one head, and two more grow in its place. It’s not just about shady backroom deals or envelopes stuffed with cash. Corruption wears many masks, and politicians have mastered the art of switching them on and off depending on who’s watching. Let’s break down the different ways those in power exploit the system—because understanding the game is the first step to beating it.

Bribery: The Classic Move

Bribery is the oldest trick in the book. It’s simple: money talks, and politicians listen. But it’s not always as obvious as a briefcase full of cash. Sometimes, it’s a “donation” to a campaign fund, a luxury vacation disguised as a “fact-finding mission,” or a lucrative job offer for a family member.

The problem with bribery is that it’s often hidden in plain sight. A corporation donates millions to a politician’s reelection campaign, and suddenly, laws favoring that corporation start popping up. Coincidence? Maybe. But when you see the same pattern over and over, it’s hard to believe it’s just luck.

Nepotism: Keeping It in the Family

Nepotism is the practice of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs. It’s like a family business, except the business is running a country. Politicians often hand out high-paying, influential positions to their kids, spouses, or college buddies—regardless of whether they’re qualified.

This isn’t just about fairness. When unqualified people are put in positions of power, the whole system suffers. Policies get botched, resources are wasted, and public trust erodes. But for the politicians involved, it’s a win-win. They get to reward their inner circle while tightening their grip on power.

Embezzlement: Stealing from the People

Embezzlement is when someone in power steals money they’re supposed to be managing. Think of it as a politician dipping into the public treasury to fund their lavish lifestyle. It’s not just greedy—it’s betrayal.

This type of corruption is especially insidious because it often goes unnoticed for years. By the time anyone catches on, the money is long gone, and the politician has moved on to their next scheme. And even if they’re caught, the punishment is often a slap on the wrist. After all, who’s going to hold them accountable? The same system they’ve rigged in their favor?

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Report Your Family For Wrong Think, Says German Government Initiative

Germany’s Interior Ministry, headed by Nancy Faeser – known for banning media outlets – and the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth have launched a project dubbed, “Advice Compass on Conspiracy Thinking.”

The center is there to provide advice to anyone who “suspect their friends or family members have fallen victim to conspiracy theories,” according to the Interior Ministry.

You can’t make this up, and Germany’s current authorities are no pioneers here. In one form or another, the “spying starts at home” policy – trying to get people to make the state’s population surveillance job easier – has existed before.

But, worryingly, that was/is under some of the most repressive regimes in recent history.

As serious as the matter is, hilariously enough, the German word for “advice” happens to be – “rat.”

“Holistic” is how Faeser chose to describe this approach and the inclusion of the “advice” center into Germany’s overall fight against what the authorities consider to be extremism and disinformation.

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Ohio GOP Leaders Claim Bill To Roll Back Marijuana Legalization Law Doesn’t Disrespect Voters

Ohio’s Senate president is pushing back against criticism of a bill that would scale back parts of a voter-approved marijuana legalization law, claiming that the legislation does not disrespect the will of the electorate and would have little impact on products available in stores.

“My definitive message is: If you want to go purchase marijuana products from a licensed dispensary, that is going to be unchanged by Senate Bill 56,” Senate President Rob McColley (R) said on a podcast posted on Friday. “The only difference you’ll notice is the packaging may not look as appealing to children, but you’ll still be able to buy the same products.”

McColley was speaking on a The President’s Podcast, produced and published by Ohio Senate Republicans. He and host John Fortney, the communications director for the Senate GOP caucus, spent the first half of the podcast defending SB 56, which would amend the cannabis law passed by voters in November 2023.

Among other changes, the bill would halve the number of plants that adults could grow, add new criminal penalties around cannabis conduct and remove select social equity provisions in the law.

The Senate approved the proposal on a 23–9 vote last week.

Critics, such as Sen. Bill DeMora (D), who spoke against the measures on the Senate floor, contend that the plan “goes against the will of the voters and will kill the adult industry in Ohio.”

Fortney began the podcast by acknowledging “a lot of controversy around Senate Bill 56,” asserting that “all it did was preserve access to what the voters approved in November of 2023, the initiated marijuana statute, and put some safety and security parameters around it for—of all things, Mr. President—children.”

“The far left, the Democrat narrative, the narrative of the legacy media, has been, ‘Republicans are trying to take away what the voters approved,’ which is patently false,” Fortney continued. “What a lie.”

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US Air Force’s Janet fleet planes make unexpected trip to Area 51

The planes are typically used to transport personnel to and from secure and secretive locations within the US.There are few places on Earth as notoriously secretive as Area 51 – a remote facility in the Nevada desert that has become synonymous with stories of reverse-engineered alien technology and the development of highly advanced black projects that next to nobody knows anything about.

While we still don’t really know what goes on there, what we do know is that there was a flurry of activity a few days ago when three flights from the enigmatic Janet (Joint Air Network for Employee Transportation) fleet landed on one of its six runways.

Comprised of Boeing 737 jets made up to look like typical airliners, Janet fleet has been used for many years to transport important personnel – such as military contractors and DoD staff – to secure and secretive locations.

In this particular case, three of the planes took off two days ago from the nearby Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas and landed at Area 51 around 18 minutes later.It is believed that such flights have been happening since as far back as 1955.

The big question is exactly what the purpose of these latest trips might be, especially within the context of recent political events in the US and beyond.

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Philadelphia schools will allow trans athletes to compete, rejecting Trump executive order

The Philadelphia School District has announced that it will not follow an executive order from Donald Trump, and that it will instead continue to allow transgender athletes to compete on teams that align with their gender identity.

Trump’s executive order, the so-called “No Men in Women’s Sports” policy, prohibits transgender Americans from participating in sports if the team or category does not align with their sex at birth. The order threatens to withhold federal funding from schools that do not comply.

Philadelphia School District officials said in a statement Tuesday via The Philadelphia Inquirer that that their schools “strive to ensure safety, equity and justice for all students regardless of gender identity or gender expression so that they can imagine and realize any future they desire.”

“The district will continue to align its practices to support its LGBTQ+ students in accordance with Board Policy 252 for transgender and gender non-conforming students,” officials said.

Philadelphia’s Policy 252 forbids the forced outing of LGBTQ+ students to their guardians, and also states that “transgender and gender nonconforming students shall be permitted to participate in physical education classes and intramural sports in a manner consistent with their gender identity. Participation in competitive athletic activities and contact sports will be resolved on a case-by-case basis.”

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FCC Chair Brendan Carr Wants More Control Over Social Media

In his short time as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Brendan Carr has been no stranger to using his power against disfavored entities. The chairman’s targets have primarily included broadcast networks and social media companies.

Recently, Carr revealed a fundamental misunderstanding about one of the most important laws governing the internet and social media.

On February 27, digital news outlet Semafor held a summit in Washington, D.C., titled “Innovating to Restore Trust in News,” which culminated in a conversation between Semafor editor-in-chief Ben Smith and Carr.

“The social media companies got more power over more speech than any institution in history” in recent years, Carr told Smith. “And I think they’re abusing that power. I think it’s appropriate for the FCC to say, let’s take another look at Section 230.”

Section 230 of the Communications Act effectively protects websites and platforms from civil liability for content posted by others. It also protects a platform’s decision to moderate content it finds “objectionable, whether or not such material is constitutionally protected.”

Like many conservatives, Carr looks askance at social media’s latitude to moderate content with what he perceives as impunity. “The FCC should issue an order that interprets Section 230 in a way that eliminates the expansive, non-textual immunities that courts have read into the statute” and “remind courts how the various portions of Section 230 operate,” he wrote in a chapter of The Heritage Foundation’s Mandate for Leadership, more popularly known as Project 2025.

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Since 2000, Measles Vaccines May Have Caused 16x More Deaths Than Measles

The recent headlines about the “measles outbreak” prompted me to examine the actual data. Notably, before the introduction of the first measles vaccine by Enders et al. in 1963, measles deaths had already declined by 97.2%, from 12,992 in 1919 to 364 in 1963—without vaccination.

After vaccination, deaths dropped to nearly zero. However, proving causality would require long-term placebo-controlled trials. Charting the pre-vaccination trend from 1949 to 1962 shows that both cases and deaths followed the expected trajectory, meaning the decline might have continued without vaccination. The sharper drop in cases may be influenced by bias, as doctors and parents—assuming vaccination prevents measles—could have attributed symptoms to other causes.

No randomized placebo-controlled trials for measles vaccination appear to exist. The renowned Cochrane Institute, while assessing measles vaccination as effective, rates the evidence as only low to moderate certainty, relying solely on observational studies rather than the gold-standard placebo-controlled trials.

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