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The US Has Conducted 3 Consecutive Days Of Airstrikes In Syria

The US launched more airstrikes in Syria on Thursday, marking the third day of violence since President Biden ordered the bombing of facilities in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, on Tuesday night. A US official told CNN that Thursday’s strikes were launched from an AC-130 gunship and killed a number of “enemy combatants” in Deir ez-Zor. The official said the strike was in response to rocket attacks that hit US bases in eastern Syria on Wednesday, which injured three US troops.

But Washington had already launched helicopter strikes in response to the earlier rocket attacks. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a press release Thursday that over the past 24 hours, CENTCOM forces had struck “Iran-affiliated” fighters with “AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, AC-130 gunships, and M777 artillery.”

CENTCOM said that the strikes resulted “in four enemy fighters killed and seven enemy rocket launchers destroyed.”

CENTCOM announced the initial airstrikes that started the escalation on Tuesday night and said they targeted “infrastructure facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” but Iran denied having links to the groups.

According to the UK-based Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the facilities targeted in Tuesday’s strikes were used by Fatimiyoun, an Afghan Shia militia. The SOHR said six militants were killed, while Deir ez-Zor 24, another monitoring group, said 10 people were killed.

While Iran has denied links to the groups the US targeted, the Pentagon said that these strikes are a message to Tehran. The bombings come as the US and Iran appear close to reviving the nuclear deal. Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy, said that the escalation shows that US attacks on such groups “are not linked to wherever we end up on the nuclear deal.”

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Top Staffer for Major Anti-Abortion Group Arrested for Soliciting a Minor

A man who worked as a political director for Texas Right to Life, the premier anti-abortion group in the state, has been arrested for the online solicitation of a minor. 

Lucas “Luke” Bowen, 33, was charged with the second-degree felony on August 3. A minor, under that statute, refers to anyone who’s younger than 17 or who the arrested person believes to be younger than 17.

Bowen allegedly “knowingly” solicited a minor online “with the intent” of engaging “in sexual contact or sexual intercourse or deviate sexual intercourse,” according to a complaint filed by Montgomery County prosecutors obtained by The Courier of Montgomery County.

The news of Bowen’s charge was previously reported by Jessica Valenti, an independent feminist journalist.

Texas Right to Life is one of the most powerful anti-abortion groups in a state known for setting the anti-abortion agenda for the rest of the nation. As part of his work for the organization, Bowen had appeared on stage representing Texas Right to Life at a 2020 Texas Youth Summit panel, spoke to Politico in 2018, and served as its campaign treasurer, according to a Texas campaign finance report filed last month.

Now, it appears that Bowen’s name has been removed from some pages on Texas Right to Life’s website and other pages mentioning him have been removed entirely (Valenti also reported on this). In one press release from February 2020, a quote attributed to Bowen as of September last year now appears without his name but still has the quote, a cached version of the page obtained from the Internet Archive showed. The quote originally read: 

Texas Right to Life has never endorsed Kay Granger, including for this cycle,” Luke Bowen, Political Director of Texas Right to Life, said. “Republican Chris Putnam is the only Pro-Life candidate in the race. We proudly endorsed Putnam after our interview in December, and are excited for the people of Congressional District 12 to finally have Pro-Life representation in Washington.

Another press release, claiming a Texas Right to Life employee named Kim Schwartz “saved” a woman from getting an abortion, mentioned that Bowen stayed behind with Schwartz to ensure she “wasn’t left alone in the office.” That release is now erased from the website. 

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UN Declares War On ‘Conspiracy Theories’, Here Are Several That Already Came True

On August 1st, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced the beginning of a new campaign — #ThinkBeforeSharing. Intended to help counter and stop the spread of what it claims is harmful disinformation and conspiracy theories online.

They say, quite matter-of-factly, “The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a worrying rise in disinformation and conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories can be dangerous: they often target and discriminate against vulnerable groups, ignore scientific evidence and polarize society with serious consequences. This needs to stop.”

Later quoting the UNESCO director general who says,

“Conspiracy theories cause real harm to people, to their health, and also to their physical safety. They amplify and legitimize misconceptions about the pandemic, and reinforce stereotypes which can fuel violence and violent extremist ideologies.”

Going on to affirm,

“A new campaign helps you learn how to identify, debunk, react to and report on conspiracy theories to prevent their spread. Check out the infographics and social media pack below and help spread the word that facts matter and no one is to blame. Thinking critically and being informed about conspiracy theories is key to challenging them.

This UNESCO campaign is implemented jointly with the European Commission, Twitter and the World Jewish Congress.”

Surly these would be noble sentiments, if they were genuine. But as you continue to peruse through the infographics it becomes quite apparent that the architects of this campaign only have one interest in mind: stifling public discourse, and discrediting anyone who dares to challenge the status quo narrative.

Indeed, upon browsing through the material provided it quickly establishes an air that only the supposed authorities are to be trusted, they would never lie to you or purposefully peddle false information. No, only those with whom the establishment has deemed fair, just, and honest are to be trusted. While seemingly encouraging critical thinking, they demand that you toss aside any critical thinking skills and blindly trust the figures whom you are told represent the best interests of everyone. While going on to paint anyone who disagrees and/or promotes alleged conspiracy theories as a dangerous bigot, and how one should react if you encounter one these dangerous people and their harmful ideas.

It is a carefully crafted package on how to identify “wrong think”. The latest salvo in the ongoing information war, paired with just enough of a Limited Hangout to appear good natured to the unaware.

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NBC Journalist Who Attacked Libs Of TikTok Once Took Credit For Deplatforming Pedophile Sting Groups

An NBC journalist who criticized the Twitter account Libs of TikTok for reporting on transgender surgery for minors at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) also authored an article in 2019 where she appears to take credit for Facebook removing the accounts of privately-run pedophile sting groups.

The efforts of Brandy Zadrozny, one of NBC’s “disinformation” reporters, in both cases follow a nearly identical pattern. First, identify a perceived right wing element online that is highlighting or covering a contentious, questionable or perhaps even criminal issue. Then, cast the subjects of the coverage as victims of “harassment.” Source the public outrage, or “harassment campaign,” to the coverage itself, rather than the contentious, questionable or criminal behavior of the subject. Contact massive tech corporations and alert them that these groups are operating on their platforms.

Zadrozny reported that Libs of TikTok, who tweeted out videos the Boston Children’s Hospital produced and posted publicly promoting puberty blockers for children, were directing “waves of harassment to the hospitals’ larger accounts.” The hospital offers surgeries to artificially construct a penis out of a girl’s vagina, breast removal, and “facial harmonization” to “eligible” patients which include “adolescents and young adults,” according to the hospital’s website. A review of publicly available documents by the Daily Caller News Foundation found that doctors at the medical facility performed at least 65 mastectomies on biological females under between the ages of 15 and 18. Since the blow back, Boston Children’s Hospital has amended its policy for vaginoplasties from 17 to 18 years old.

Boston Children’s Hospital did not respond to a request for comment.

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Nate Silver: ‘Liberal elites’ pressured Pfizer to delay vaccine until after 2020 election

Nate Silver claimed “liberal public health elites” pressured Pfizer to delay fast-track approval of its COVID-19 vaccine until after the 2020 presidential election — thus denying then-President Donald Trump a political win before voters headed to the polls.

The number-crunching data journalist reacted to an article by Politico that cited a House report that claimed the Trump administration sought to expedite approvals for both vaccines and “unproven treatments” for COVID-19.

“‘Trump pushed for vaccine approvals too fast’ is the worst possible critique of the Trump administration’s COVID policy,” Silver, founder of the Disney-owned FiveThirtyEight political news and analysis website, tweeted.

“That probably saved a lot of lives. If anything approval should have been faster.”

In a subsequent tweet, Silver wrote that “liberal public health elites” pushed Pfizer to “change its original protocols” that govern its authorization of vaccines so that the decision would be put off until after Election Day two years ago.

Silver noted that Pfizer’s decision “had the convenient side-effect of delaying any vaccine announcement until after the election” and that the story “deserves more scrutiny.”

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DC Mayor Says No Virtual Learning, Giving Unvaccinated Black Teens Zero Alternative Options 

The District of Columbia does not appear to have a contingency plan for unvaccinated students, who are banned from attending schools in person this fall after the first twenty days, according to comments made by Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Thursday. 

During a press conference, Bowser, a Democrat, admitted there are no alternative options, including virtual learning, for students who cannot attend school due to the District’s vaccine mandate, meaning unvaccinated children will effectively be left without an education.  

Over 40% of blacks ages 12-17 are not vaccinated, according to city data. 

The Daily Signal asked Bowser what the plan was for unvaccinated students. Washington, D.C. public schools start Monday.  

Bowser responded “They can go to school on Monday. But they need to get their vaccinations… and their families will be alerted as to the dates.” 

Students get 20 days to provide their vaccination certificate. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education for D.C. announced that “all students must have up-to-date immunization certification on file with the school within the first 20 school days or they will not be allowed to attend school or school activities until the immunization certification is secured by the school.” 

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You and Your Doppelganger Might Have More in Common Than Just Looks

It turns out that unrelated doppelgangers may have quite a bit in common beyond just twin faces. New research suggests that lookalikes with incredibly similar faces tend to share many genetic variants—variants that don’t just seem to shape their appearance but general aspects of their life. At the same time, other important influences, such as the microbiome, appear to contribute little to their symmetry.

Study author Manel Esteller, a geneticist and director of the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute (IJC) in Barcelona, Spain, is interested in what makes people the way they are. In 2005, he and his colleagues published research showing that identical twins weren’t as identical as they appear at first glance. While they had the same basic genetic patterns, they differed noticeably in their epigenetics: changes in how our genes express themselves, which are caused by environmental or behavioral factors, such as smoking or age.

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Jeffrey Epstein associate and one-time New York Post owner Steven Hoffenberg dies aged 77: Disgraced financier was found dead in his Connecticut bedroom a month after testing positive for Omicron

Steven Hoffenberg, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s associates and the one-time owner of The New York Post, has died at the age of 77. 

Police were called to his Hoffenberg’s home in Derby, Connecticut, yesterday by a concerned friend. They found Hoffenberg lying on the floor of his bedroom. 

The cause of his death remains unconfirmed, but there were no visible signs of trauma to his body, a police source says. 

His body was so decomposed that police believe he had been there for at least a week. A medical examiner is now using his dental records to make an identification. 

Hoffenberg rose to notoriety in the 1990s with his scandal-ridden Towers Financial Corp, a firm he ran with Epstein and the vehicle in which swindled $460million out of 200 victims. 

He spent 18 years in prison for the crimes and emerged a changed man who befriended Epstein’s victims and joined their fight against the late pedophile. 

In his final days, Hoffenberg lived alone in an apartment in Derby, Connecticut. DailyMail.com can reveal that it was Maria Farmer, the first woman to report Epstein to police, who called the police asking them to check on Hoffenberg. 

She says he was diagnosed with Omicron a month ago, and was struggling to recover. 

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Psychedelic Drugs Change Outlook On Life As Much As Near-Death Experiences

Near-death experiences often change how someone views the world. In many cases, the person who “cheats death” ends up overcoming their fear of dying in the future. Now, a new study has found something that can mimic this life-altering experience — psychedelic drugs.

A team from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine compared the differences in people’s attitudes about death after a psychedelic drug experience versus a near-death experience not involving drugs. Overall, they analyzed survey data from 3,192 people who spoke with researchers after one of these events. Specifically, the study examined the attitudes of 933 people who had a near-death experience and 2,259 people who used psychedelic drugs to have a similar experience.

For interviews involving psychedelic drug experiences, the participants either used lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin (magic mushrooms), ayahuasca, or N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) to trigger their psychedelic episode.

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