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In four days, the World Health Organization will vote on resolutions that will give them emergency powers over any country they choose. The Biden administration initiated the measures but kept them under wraps until just a few weeks ago when the vote was a foregone conclusion. It was recently revealed that Israel fell into lockstep, backing the measure, though one exceptional politician has become the voice of reason in a government that has run amok. The World Health Assembly (WHA), the World Health Organization’s (WHO) governing legislative body, will be voting on Provisional agenda item 16.2 in Geneva on May...

Adding cranberries to your diet could help improve memory and brain function, and lower 'bad' cholesterol—according to new research. A new study published today highlights the neuroprotective potential of cranberries. The research team studied the benefits of consuming the equivalent of a cup of cranberries a day among 50 to 80-year-olds. "Past studies have shown that higher dietary flavonoid intake is associated with slower rates of cognitive decline and dementia. "Cranberries are rich in these micronutrients and have been recognized for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The research team investigated the impact of eating cranberries for 12 weeks on brain...

Commencement season is upon us as college graduates prepare to enter the "grown folks' world" full time. Some were already "adulting" by working their way through school and paying their own tuition. I was thinking about my college graduation last Sunday, since commencement ceremonies are often held on the "Lord's Day" at historically Black colleges and universities. HBCU ceremonies are akin to church services, as the schools' gospel choirs belt out songs of praise to celebrate those reaching this significant life milestone. A longtime, humorous saying among HBCU grads is that some graduate summa cum laude, some magna cum laude,...

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre "seems to have a habit" of characterising everything as racist, according to Sky News host Rita Panahi. Ms Panahi said she could play "several minutes" of footage showing Ms Jean-Pierre labelling "everything racist". (Several examples are given. See video at link.)

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippines president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Wednesday said his country's ties with China will expand and "shift to a higher gear" when he takes power, signalling intent to advance outgoing leader Rodrigo Duterte's pro-Beijing agenda. Marcos, who won last week's election by a landslide, said he held "very substantial" talks by phone on Wednesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who assured him of support for his "independent foreign policy", and agreed to hold more comprehensive discussions. The 64-year-old son and namesake of the notorious former dictator said Xi also acknowledged his late father's role in opening diplomatic...

A test for the common blood cancer multiple myeloma also holds clear clues that the patient has one of the most uncommon and deadly forms of this cancer, investigators say. While there is a specific test for this rare IgD multiple myeloma, the clues from standard testing are sufficient to rapidly initiate aggressive treatment to reduce or prevent kidney destruction by the excessive number of circulating proteins called light chains it produces, says Dr. Gurmukh Singh. Specific testing for IgD myeloma is available at a handful of reference labs across the country, but takes extra time and expense that may...

The New York Times had a cow over the apparent demise of President Joe Biden’s Disinformation Governance Board and painted it as a victim of — wait for it — disinformation. Times “veteran” foreign and national security correspondent Steven Lee Meyers published an asinine story headlined: “A Panel to Combat Disinformation Becomes a Victim of It.” Meyers mourned that the Department of Homeland Security was “suspending the work” of the DGB “intended to combat disinformation after what the department described as a deliberate disinformation campaign.” According to Meyers’ lament, “the fiercest denunciations came from the right,” which included correct characterizations...

Russia's Defence Ministry said on May 19 that 1,730 Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered this week at the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Ukraine's port city of Mariupol. "Over the past 24 hours, 771 militants of the Azov nationalist regiment surrendered," the Ministry said in its daily briefing on the conflict. "In total, since May 16, 1,730 militants have surrendered, including 80 wounded," it added.

Former Tel Aviv District Court vice president sworn into post Judge Khaled Kabub on Monday became the first Muslim appointed to Israel’s Supreme Court. All previous Arab Israeli justices on the 15-member court have been Christians. Kabub entered the post alongside some 81 other judges who were sworn in to various court positions at a special ceremony at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, attended by President Isaac Herzog, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut, and Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar. The 64-year-old Kabub, who until now served as vice president of the Tel Aviv District Court, will take the place of retiring...

A trio of senators plan to introduce legislation on Thursday that will require residents to acquire a Department of Justice (DOJ) license before purchasing or obtaining a legal firearm. The bill would also raise the legal age for obtaining a firearm to 21 years old. The bill was introduced by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). It has virtually no chance of becoming law given GOP opposition, but gives a sense of the breadth of restrictions on gun access that some lawmakers would favor imposing in the wake of years of mass shootings in the...

Everything Is AwesomeIn the final part of my ‘Every “Everything” series’ of Daily titles, I am obviously being sarcastic. Everything is obviously not awesome. My ‘bond yields AND commodities’ matrix was spot on again yesterday: stocks collapsed (S&P -4%, NASDAQ – 4.7%) as US retail giants spoke about the impact of inflation on consumers, and China saw worse sales of mobile phones than had been feared; US 2-year Treasury yields tumbled from an intra-day peak of 2.73% to close at 2.67%, and 10-years from 3.01% to 2.88%, bull flattening the curve; AND oil and most major commodities tumbled. Bitcoin ‘only’...

Let the hunt for scapegoats begin! In the wake of repeated military disasters in his “special military operation” in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has begun a sweeping purge of his top ranking commanders, the UK’s Defence Ministry announced today. This confirms ongoing rumors that Putin’s playing musical chairs in an effort to reverse a series of humiliations at the hands of Volodymyr Zelensky and his surprising home army... (snip) So who’s out so far? 1) Lt. Gen. Serhiy Kisel relieved of command from 1st Guards Tank Army for the loss of the battle of Kharkiv 2) Vice Admiral Igor Osipov relieved...

Republicans are already seeing a huge advantage in turnout during the 2022 primaries, according to one pollster. In Tuesday’s primary elections in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kentucky, Idaho, and Oregon, Republicans made up 54.9% of the total votes cast, according to John Couvillon, founder of the polling firm JMC Analytics. When factoring in the other five states that have already held primaries — Texas, Indiana, Ohio, Nebraska, and West Virginia, Republicans account for fully 60% of votes cast in the primaries so far.

From the Department of Whimsy Enforcement... Always Look on the Bright Side of Life - North Korean Edition

When Volodymyr Zelensky was elected as Ukraine’s new president in 2019, there was hope he would continue reforms. It evaporated quickly.We may now be watching the slow death of the Ukrainian people’s dreams of becoming a western oriented countryThe first sign of trouble came when Andriy Bohdan was appointed as Zelensky’s first Chief of Staff. He had long served as the Ukrainian oligarch Kolomoysky’s lawyer. (Kolomoysky moved back from exile in Israel to Ukraine on the day after Zelensky’s inauguration.) Things only worsened with Zelensky’s second Chief of Staff, Andriy Yermak. He has reportedly been identified as a Russian agent...

The United States confirmed a case of monkeypox infection on Wednesday in a man who recently traveled to Canada. It is not yet clear if the man, who lives in Massachusetts and who traveled to Canada by car, is connected to the growing outbreak of monkeypox cases in Europe. The case was announced in a statement posted to the website of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Confirmatory testing was done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which had warned earlier Wednesday that cases in this country were likely to begin to be detected. “Given that we have...

I really despise these people. That Democrats are desperate for anything to distract from their failures that they’re willing to lie, cheat and steal is nothing new, but the extent to which they’re taking it is simply vile. They are now blaming anyone who isn’t them for the murder of 10 people in Buffalo, essentially declaring half the country to be violent criminals. That’s evil, but still easier than defending Joe Biden’s record as President. I don’t want to see those faces on TV and hate them. Chuck Schumer is ugly, sure, but he’s just a d-bag politician. Nancy Pelosi...

President Joe Biden has yet to comment at press time on the specifics of a mass shooting in California this weekend that law enforcement officials said was motivated by hate against the country of Taiwan as he prepares to leave Thursday for a trip to Asia. David Chou (Chou Wenwei), 68, an American born in Taiwan and later identified as a member of a Chinese Communist Party umbrella organization, allegedly chained shut the doors of the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California, and opened fire on a group of Taiwanese congregants during a luncheon to honor a pastor.

The overt racism and anti-Semitism written in the Buffalo shooter's 180-page "manifesto" has been rightly denounced by civilized people. The usual questions are being asked. These include how did he get the gun after he was admitted to a hospital last year for symptoms of mental illness? Another question: Why did resident Biden go to Buffalo when as many, or more people, have been shot on an average weekend in Chicago? Thirty-three were shot last weekend in that city. The president didn't visit the sites of other recent shootings. Last July, after more than 100 people were shot in Chicago,...

VLADIMIR Putin appeared to retch and splutter through a televised meeting today - sparking fresh fears for his health after claims he's being treated for cancer. The Russian president's face looked bloated as he gripped the table in front of him during talks with Sergey Chemezov, head of state-owned defence giant Rostec. Putin, 69, sat opposite Chemezov - an ally since their KGB days in the 1980s - amid rumours he is being treated for cancer. He seemed to retch several times and struggle to speak throughout the clip released by Russian state TV. It is the latest appearance by...