End Times Headline News. April 17 2024

RFK Jr Won't Pursue Libertarian Nomination. Iran threatens ‘massive response’. (NSA) is only days away from “taking over the internet”. Canadian Hate Science is COMING to U.S.

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RFK Jr Won't Pursue Libertarian Nomination, Says Team Trump Asked Him To Be VP

After seriously considering the possibility, 2024 presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy, Jr has declared he will not seek the Libertarian Party nomination, saying he's confident he'll achieve ballot access across the country on his own.

Meanwhile, in a social media skirmish with Team Trump, Kennedy said Trump associates asked him to consider becoming the former president's running mate. In a political system with formidable ballot-access barriers that protect the Democrat-Republican duopoly, outsider presidential candidates are frequently attracted to the idea of running as a Libertarian -- if only to access the party's hard-earned, 50-state ballot qualification. 

Biden Refuses to Testify in GOP Impeachment Inquiry

President Joe Biden will not be testifying to U.S. House of Representatives members who are engaged in an impeachment inquiry against him, the White House said on April 15.

Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, told House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) that the president would not testify in the “partisan charade.” “Your committee’s purported ‘impeachment inquiry’ has succeeded only in turning up abundant evidence that, in fact, the president has done nothing wrong,” Mr. Sauber said in a letter to Mr. Comer.

MF chief economist sees wider Israel-Iran conflict pushing up oil prices, rates

International Monetary Fund Chief Economist said on Tuesday that a wider conflict between Israel and Iran would likely lead to higher energy prices, which would in turn prompt central banks to tighten monetary policy to control inflation, hurting growth.

Gourinchas told a news conference that an "adverse scenario" in the IMF's World Economic Outlook shows that a 15% increase in global oil prices due to a wider Middle East conflict, along with higher shipping costs to avoid Red Sea attacks, would likely increase global inflation by 0.7 percentage point.

Iran threatens ‘massive response’ if Israel launches ‘tiniest invasion’

Iran’s president warns that the “tiniest invasion” by Israel would bring a “massive and harsh” response, as the region braces for potential Israeli retaliation after Iran’s attack over the weekend.

President Ebrahim Raisi speaks at an annual army parade that was relocated to a barracks north of the capital, Tehran, from its usual venue on a highway in the city’s southern outskirts. Iranian authorities give no explanation for its relocation, and state TV does not broadcast it live, as it has in previous years. Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel over the weekend in response to an apparent Israeli strike on Iran’s embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed 12 people, including two Iranian generals.

Response to Iranian attack a must, but Israel will be smart about it, officials say

Gantz promises to act out of strategic wisdom, not rush reaction, as war cabinet meets for third time in three days to hash out retaliation that won’t lead to regional escalation

The Israeli military said Iran would not get off “scot-free” following its unprecedented missile and drone attack early Sunday, as the country’s leaders continued to mull how to balance a forceful response with calls by the United States and other allies to keep the round of fighting from snowballing further. “We cannot stand still from this kind of aggression,” Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters in English at Julis military base near Kiryat Malachi, while displaying the remains of an intercepted ballistic missile. “Iran will not get [off] scot-free with this aggression.”

‘Bad for business’: Between Israel and Iran, Gulf states scramble to avert wider war

Gulf nations playing a key mediating role, but also fear that Iran could choose to strike them if it can’t effectively hit Israel

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Gulf states are grappling with the widening Middle East conflict as hostilities between Iran and Israel threaten their security and ambitious plans to reshape their economies. Leaders of the resource-rich Gulf monarchies engaged in a rapid round of diplomacy after the weekend’s Iranian drone and missile strikes on Israel raised the specter of a regional conflagration.

US to impose new sanctions targeting Iran's missile and drone program

The new sanctions and other measures will "continue a steady drumbeat of pressure" to contain and degrade Iran's military capacity and effectiveness, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said. 

New sanctions targeting Iran and sanctions against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran's Defense Ministry will be imposed in the coming days, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement on Tuesday evening. "Following Iran's unprecedented air attack against Israel, President Biden is coordinating with allies and partners, including the G7, and with bipartisan leaders in Congress, on a comprehensive response," Sullivan said. 

German FM Annalena Baerbock, David Cameron arrive in Israel

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron arrived in Israel on Wednesday morning.

The two met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who thanked them for their support in a post on X. "Thank you, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock; I appreciate our warm discussion together this morning in Jerusalem. Thank you for both the UK and Germany’s strong stand alongside Israel in the face of the reprehensible attack by Iran. The whole world must work decisively and defiantly against the threat posed by the Iranian regime, which is seeking to undermine the stability of the whole region," Herzog said in his post.

UN committee unable to agree on Palestinian bid for full membership

UN Security Council deliberating on Palestinian membership, which would effectively recognize it as a state.

A United Nations Security Council committee considering an application by the Palestinian Authority to become a full UN member "was unable to make a unanimous recommendation" on whether it met the criteria, according to the committee report seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The Palestinian Authority is still expected to push the 15-member Security Council to vote - as early as this week - on a draft resolution recommending it become a full member of the world body, diplomats said. Such membership would effectively recognize a Palestinian state.

Russian attack kills people in Ukraine's Chernihiv, hits infrastructure, governor says

A Russian missile attack killed and injured residents and damaged social infrastructure in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Wednesday, regional governor Vyacheslav Chaus said.

"The enemy hit with three missiles almost in the city center. There are victims among civilians and many injured," Chaus said in a video as sirens blared in the background. He said on the Telegram messaging app that emergency services and medics were working on the site of the strike in the historic city, about 150 km (93 miles) from the capital Kyiv. No further details were immediately available.

Zelensky signs draconian mobilization bill

The new legislation further simplifies mobilization procedures and introduces new penalties for draft dodgers

President Vladimir Zelensky signed a controversial military mobilization bill into law on Tuesday, a legislation card publicly available on the Ukrainian parliament’s website indicates. The new legislation was passed by the Verkhovna Rada earlier this month, following a drawn-out debate over its contents. In a last-minute turn of events, its provisions became even stricter than originally proposed, with a demobilization clause withdrawn.

Orban Slams Brussels for Violating Freedom of Speech by Canceling Conservative Conference

BUDAPEST (Sputnik) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Tuesday accused Brussels of violating freedom of speech after local authorities prevented a conference of right-wing European politicians from taking place in Belgium's capital.

Earlier on Tuesday, the mayor of Brussels' Saint-Josse-ten-Noode municipality, Emir Kir ordered the shutdown of the National Conservatism Conference (NatCon) "to guarantee public security." Orban was scheduled to participate. "The Belgian police decided to shut down the [National Conservatism] conference in #Brussels, just two hours after it started. I guess they couldn't take free speech any longer. The last time they wanted to silence me with the police was when the Communists set them on me in [1988]. We didn’t give up then and we will not give up this time either! #NoMigration #NoGender #NoWar," Orban said on X.

Poland wants to join European air-defense shield project

The proposed system is intended to protect member countries from drone and missile attacks

Poland plans to take part in the development of a European air-defense system that would protect states against potential drone and missile attacks, Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced. The so-called European Sky Shield Initiative was first announced by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a speech in Prague in August 2022. Since then, 21 countries have joined the project.

China's military plans more drills near Myanmar border

China will hold air defense and live-fire drills near its border with Myanmar from Wednesday, state media said, in this month's second round of such exercises as fighting between Myanmar's ruling junta and rebel forces intensifies.

The drills follow a significant escalation of the conflict last week, when rebel forces captured the Myanmar town of Myawaddy, a key trading outpost near the Thai border, prompting a stream of refugees into Thailand. State broadcaster CCTV said this week's drills, conducted by China's Southern Theater Command, were part of an annual training exercise without referring to the fighting in the neighboring nation.

Aussie Govt Orders Facebook And X To Remove Muslim Knife Attack Video

Parishioners and live stream audience members for the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Sydney, Australia were enjoying a sermon by popular conservative Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel when a young male Muslim assailant entered the church and stabbed him repeatedly with a knife. 

The live stream clip was immediately shared far and wide on social media with X and Facebook being the easiest sites to view the video. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel is a leader of the Assyrian Orthodox sect who has a global following. He has expressed stalwart conservative views on Islam, the LGBT community, and was vocal in his sermons against lockdowns and vaccinations during COVID-19.  Four other member of the church were injured while subduing the attacker; the young man also reportedly cut off some of his own fingers during the struggle. 

Head Of German Spy Agency Advocates For Spying On People’s Speech And Thoughts

Thomas Haldenwang, the head of Germany’s intelligence agency the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), recently contended in an op-ed published in a German paper the necessity for the government to snoop in on and mitigate people’s speech and thoughts.

Published earlier this month in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), the theme of Haldenwang’s argument is the “Freedom of expression is not a license for enemies of the constitution.” This agency is openly looking to become more and more like a secret police, some German critics have posited, as evidenced by quotations by Haldenwang such as monitoring “thought and speech patterns.”

NSA "Just Days Away From Taking Over The Internet" Warns Ed Snowden

The United States National Security Agency (NSA) is only days away from “taking over the internet” with a massive expansion of its surveillance powers, according to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

In an April 16 post to X, Snowden drew attention to a thread originally posted by Elizabeth Goitein — the co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice — that warned of a new bill that could see the U.S. government surveillance powers amplified to new levels. he bill in question reforms and extends a part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) known as Section 702. Currently, the NSA can force internet service providers such as Google and Verizon to hand over sensitive data concerning NSA targets.

Movie Industry’s Push for ISP Site-Blocking Legislation Sparks Controversy Over Internet Censorship

The MPA's latest campaign to block piracy sites could transform internet freedom and ignite a fierce battle over digital rights.

The US Motion Picture Association (MPA), a trade association representing half a dozen huge film and TV studios, is gearing up for a big campaign to get lawmakers to pass legislation that would force ISPs to block sites – yet another way the industry hopes to fight its long “war on piracy.” Association CEO Charles Rivkin revealed that this essentially lobbying effort of “working with Congress members” has the goal of mandating that internet providers must block sites accused of piracy.

This Is The Weapon That Is Being Used To Destroy America’s Middle Class

The middle class in the United States has been steadily shrinking, and the gap between the ultra-wealthy and the rest of us has grown to absurd proportions. 

But it wasn’t always this way.  When I was growing up in the 1980s, it seemed like almost everyone was middle class.  Of course there were wealthy people and poor people in the 1980s too, but the vast majority of the population was comfortably somewhere in the middle.  Sadly, things have changed so much since that time.  Today, most of the people that I know are struggling.  According to a report that was just released, in all 50 states it now takes an income of more than $100,000 in order for a family of four to live “the American Dream”…

US Bank closes ten branches in a single week while Bank of America shuts three

Official data shows that US Bank filed to close ten branches in a single week, while Bank of America will shutter three.

The closures add to the hundreds of branches that have shut down this year amid concerns Americans are being left without access to basic financial services. According to figures from the Office of Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), 14 bank branches were closed in the week ending April 7.

Canada to increase capital gains tax on firms, individuals

Lisa Raitt, vice-chair of global investment banking at CIBC Capital Markets and former deputy leader of the Conservative Party, and Mark McQueen, founder of Wellington Growth Partners, join BNN Bloomberg for breaking reaction to the Canadian Federal 2024 budget.

Dubai airport looks like an apocalyptic movie. Videos of the flooding are insane.

Tens of millions of Americans are under storm warning as FAA reroutes flights in Kansas and Missouri to avoid tornadoes, hail and winds -  are you in its path of destruction?

A storm system comprised of tornadoes, hail, and damaging winds will push through the Midwest midweek before making its way east - and the FAA is already scrambling to reroute flights.

Thunderstorms were already seen rolling across the Plains at sunrise as well as several tornadoes, spurring the agency to announce the changes Tuesday at 12:15pm. One touched down in Kansas, injuring at least two, and the other in southern Nebraska some eight hours before, as the system continues to move northeast of speeds of about 45 mph. 

Dept. of Ecology declares drought emergency for most of Washington state

A lower-than-average snowpack and forecasted warm spring and summer seasons are leading the department to make a drought emergency declaration for most of the state.

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Department of Ecology (Ecology) declared a drought emergency for most of Washington state on Tuesday due to low snowpack and forecasts predicting dry and warm spring and summer seasons. Service areas encompassing Everett, Seattle, SeaTac and Tacoma are the only spots excepted from the declaration. It's the fourth-earliest drought declaration on record in Washington, according to Ecology. 

'Alien mummies' press conference descends into chaos as Peruvian officials try to seize new 'pregnant specimen' with three fingers and toes

In a scene straight out of a sci-fi thriller, a press conference showcasing 'alien mummies' took a bizarre turn after Peruvian authorities attempted to seize a 'pregnant' new specimen.

As part of the event, hosted by ufologist Jaime Maussan in Peru, a new 'alien' specimen named Montserrat was presented to those in attendance. Maussan, 70, known for his prolific research into extraterrestrial phenomena, had previously made headlines by presenting two alleged mummified aliens - found in Palpa and Nazca in Peru in 2016 - at the Mexican congress in September 2023.

Canadian Hate Science is COMING to U.S. and we MUST STOP IT

Canadian Hate Science is coming to the U.S.! The same bonkers science that Canada used to instate vaccine mandates and lockdowns was not only updated recently, but it is being sold to U.S. publications to put some hate on Americans. Dr. Regina Watteel, who exposed the fraudulent study by Dr. Fisman, joins us to tell us what is happening and how it could effect us all!