U.S. not strong enough to start war, mocks U.S. “psychological war”: IRGC
Major General Hossein Salami…The newly appointed head of the IRGC, which the US views as a terrorist organization, said the US is not strong enough to start a war with Iran because it has not deployed enough forces in the region. Salami gave his best assessment to parliament in a closed and largely secretive session. Yet Iranian media received reports about the discussion, to reassure Iran that war is not coming.
https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Iran-News/Iran-Guards-chief-says-Americans-have-started-psychological-war-589464
Pakistan attack: Gunmen storm five-star hotel in Balochistan
Three gunmen who stormed a five-star hotel in the restive Pakistani province of Balochistan, killing at least one guard, have been shot dead by security forces, officials say. The attack and subsequent siege, which targeted the Zaver Pearl-Continental Hotel in the strategic port city of Gwadar, lasted several hours. A hotel spokesman said there were no guests and few staff due to Ramadan.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48238759
US states file lawsuit accusing drugs firms of inflating costs
More than 40 US states have filed a lawsuit accusing pharmaceutical firms of conspiring to artificially inflate the cost of common medicinal drugs. The lawsuit alleges that as many as 20 companies have been involved in fixing prices for over 100 drugs, including treatments for diabetes and cancer. One of the firms accused is Teva Pharmaceuticals, the world’s largest producer of generic medicine.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48241663
A new camera can photograph you from 45 kilometers away
…Zheng-Ping Li and colleagues from the University of Science and Technology of China in Shanghai show how to photograph subjects up to 45 km (28 miles) away in a smog-plagued urban environment. Their technique uses single-photon detectors combined with a unique computational imaging algorithm that achieves super-high-resolution images by knitting together the sparsest of data points.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613457/a-new-camera-can-photograph-you-from-45-kilometers-away/
How facial recognition became a routine policing tool in America
…The technology-driven revolution in policing is unfolding in big cities and small communities around the country, as more police departments purchase facial recognition software. The government “facial biometrics” market — which includes federal, state and local law enforcement — is expected to soar from $136.9 million in 2018 to $375 million by 2025, according to an estimate by market research firm Grand View Research.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/how-facial-recognition-became-routine-policing-tool-america-n1004251
More ‘Heartbeat’ Abortion Bans Advancing in South, Midwest
If a new Mississippi law survives a court challenge, it will be nearly impossible for most pregnant women to get an abortion there. Or, potentially, in neighboring Louisiana. Or Alabama. Or Georgia. The Louisiana legislature is halfway toward passing a law — like the ones enacted in Mississippi and Georgia — that will ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, about six weeks into a pregnancy and before many women know they’re pregnant.
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/national-international/Heartbeat-Abortion-Bans-South-Midwest-509800251.html
Israel reopens Gaza crossings as calm restored
Israel reopened Sunday its crossings with the blockaded Gaza Strip after closing them during a deadly escalation earlier this month, an official said, as a fragile truce held. Both the Erez Crossing for people and Kerem Shalom crossing for goods were open and operating, a spokeswoman for COGAT, the Defense Ministry unit that oversees the crossings, said in a statement.
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5507638,00.html
US Mideast envoy says ‘deal of the century’ to be delayed once more
US Special Mideast Envoy Jason D. Greenblatt said…the Trump administration’s…peace proposal…will not be unveiled until mid-June after the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. Last month, reports suggested White House senior adviser Jared Kushner…planned to unveil the proposal after Israel forms a governing coalition in the wake of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s election victory and after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends in early June.
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5507613,00.html
Pentagon eyes longer-term support on U.S.-Mexico border
Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan made his second trip to the U.S.-Mexico border…as the Pentagon looks to develop a longer-term plan to support President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Shanahan traveled to McAllen, Texas, to meet with officials and visit a migrant processing facility and Border Patrol station, two days after the White House announced Trump’s intention to nominate the former Boeing Co executive as defense secretary.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-military/pentagon-eyes-longer-term-support-on-u-s-mexico-border-idUSKCN1SH09X
Canada Moves to Ban Christians From Demonstrating in Public Under New Anti-Hate Proposal
The Canadian province of Ontario is considering legislation that would officially criminalize Christianity.
https://bigleaguepolitics.com/canada-moves-to-ban-christians-from-demonstrating-in-public-under-new-anti-hate-proposal/
Severe thunderstorms batter Houston, southeastern Texas with baseball-sized hail and flooding rainfall
A severe weather event took shape across southeastern Texas on Thursday night with large hail, gusty winds and flooding downpours – this round of storms coming just on the heels of multiple days of severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall across the region over the past couple of weeks.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/photos-severe-thunderstorms-battering-houston-southern-texas-with-baseball-sized-hail-and-flooding-rainfall/70008235
Pentagon: Obama’s DOD Gave Security Clearances to Contractors Charged with Felonies, Including Pedophilia
The Pentagon was forced last year to rescind interim security clearances granted under the Obama administration to at least 165 contractors linked to various crimes, including felony convictions for pedophilia and foreign government affiliations, revealed a report issued by the Director of the Defense Security Service (DSS).
https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2018/01/26/pentagon-obamas-dod-granted-security-clearances-to-contractors-charged-with-pedophilia/
John Quincy Adams’ Warning Ignored: Washington Has Become The World’s Dictatress
No can can deny that Adams’ prediction has come true. America has truly become the world’s dictatress – an arrogant, ruthless, brutal dictatress that brooks no dissent from anyone in the world.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-11/john-quincy-adams-warning-ignored-washington-has-become-worlds-dictatress
Pence Calls on Dems to Remove Ilhan Omar from House Foreign Affairs Committee
On Saturday, Patrick Shanahan, the current acting Defense Secretary, made it clear that the military remains committed to securing the US-Mexico border, as law enforcement officials continue struggling to address the growing numbers of migrants.
https://neonnettle.com/news/7428-pence-calls-on-dems-to-remove-ilhan-omar-from-house-foreign-affairs-committee
BREAKING: Shanahan Vows “Military Won’t Leave Until Border is Secure”
On Saturday, Patrick Shanahan, the current acting Defense Secretary, made it clear that the military remains committed to securing the US-Mexico border, as law enforcement officials continue struggling to address the growing numbers of migrants.
https://newsthud.com/breaking-shanahan-vows-military-wont-leave-until-border-is-secure/
Border crisis worsens: 100,000 border crossers arrested in April, highest since 2007
Nearly 100,000 people were taken into custody along the southern border in April after illegally crossing from Mexico into the United States, marking the highest number in one month since April 2007, according to new federal data.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/border-crisis-worsens-100-000-border-crossers-arrested-in-april-highest-since-2007
The Only Gold The US Will Show: The “Working Vault” At West Point
West Point stays silent on 11 ‘deep storage’ compartments, while parading its working stock vault.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-11/only-gold-us-will-show-working-vault-west-point
2006 Biden: ‘We Need A Border Wall’ And To ‘Punish American Employers’ Who Hire Illegals
“Now, I know I’m not supposed to say it that bluntly, but they’re the facts, they’re the facts.”
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-11/2006-biden-we-need-border-wall-and-punish-american-employers-who-hire-illegals