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| Reacher Season 3: A High-Stakes Thriller with New Twists and Unfinished Business |
| Posted on Saturday, February 22 @ 00:00:12 PST (19 reads) | |
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Reacher season 3: a high-stakes thriller with new twists and unfinished business streaming today on prime video!
the highly anticipated third season of reacher officially premiered on prime video today, and the first three episodes are available to stream. The show returns the formidable jack reacher, portrayed by alan ritchson, who has done an excellent job playing this action hero.
release schedule
three episodes of reacher were released today, while the rest will be released weekly on thursdays at midnight pt (3:00 am et). Here is the lineup for the rest of the season:
february 26: “dominique”
march 5: “smackdown”
march 12: “smoke on the water”
march 19: “l.A. Story”
plot overview
in season 3, jack reacher embarks on a perilous mission that plunges him deep into the underworld of a vast criminal enterprise. The journey begins in maine, where reacher intervenes in an attempted kidnapping of college student richard beck.
this act of bravery entangles him with richards father, zachary beck, a man whose legitimate business facade conceals a web of illicit activities. As reacher delves more deeply, he collaborates with the drug enforcement administration (dea) to dismantle a smuggling ring and rescue an undercover informant whose life hangs in the balance.
throughout this endeavor, reacher confronts shadows from his past, adding layers of personal stakes to his mission.
no spoilers here, but you don’t want to miss reacher taking down these criminals and the suspense around these characters in intense moments.
new and returning characters
the third season brings in an ensemble of familiar faces and intriguing newcomers. The cast includes alan ritchson, maria stern, anthony michael hall, sonya cassidy, johny berchtold, brian tee, and more.
many new characters play pivotal roles this season, especially several new villains. It’s unknown how much screen time or how big of a role some of the returning characters will have, but we just have to wait and see.
character dynamics and roles
the relationships between characters in season 3 add depth to the storyline, creating a tapestry of alliances, betrayals, and evolving relationships.
reacher and neagley:
their camaraderie, built on mutual respect and shared history, showcases a partnership that balances reachers brute strength with neagleys finesse and strategic thinking.
reacher and susan duffy:
their professional collaboration is played by a shared goal of justice. Duffys insider knowledge of the dea and reachers unconventional methods create a dynamic approach to tackling the criminal enterprise.
reacher and zachary beck:
a relationship marked by suspicion and manipulation, as reacher infiltrates becks operations, leading to a high-stakes game of cat and mouse.
reacher and francis xavier quinn:
their confrontations are charged with personal history and unresolved conflicts, adding emotional depth to their clashes.
what are critics and audience members saying about the first three episodes?
the third season of reacher has premiered to critical acclaim, with the initial episodes receiving a perfect 100% rating on rotten tomatoes, while audiences have it at 84%.
forbes commends the season, noting that critics all agree that its quite good, emphasizing the shows consistent quality.
similarly, dark horizons observes that with 22 reviews counted, the new season maintains its 100% rating, reflecting a strong reviewer consensus.
the initial episodes of season 3 of reacher have been well-received, with critics and audiences appreciating the shows action sequences, character development, and ritchsons performance.
while some note a darker tone compared to previous seasons, the series continues to engage its audience with compelling storytelling and dynamic character interactions.
as the season progresses, viewers can anticipate a continuation of the high-caliber drama and action that has become the hit series on prime. |
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| THON: Learn about the impact of the largest student-run philanthropy in the worl |
| Posted on Saturday, February 22 @ 00:00:12 PST (0 reads) | |
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Thon: learn about the impact of the largest student-run philanthropy in the world
thon: learn about the impact of the largest student-run philanthropy in the world
hundreds of students on their feet. Three. Two. One. Check. It’s a party for the kids. The energy that these students create that is going to take us forward. The largest student run fundraiser on earth in happy valley. Just kind of shakes your whole core. It’s something i wish on no one to go through, but she is a rock all to raise money, help families and find a cure. My goal is never to have to see another dawn because we’ve eradicated childhood cancer. This is why we thought live from the bryce jordan center. Justin being on wgal news 8. We are live for the kids here on the campus of penn state university. As you take a live look at the stage here at the bryce jordan center. Excitement in the building. We’ve got a packed house. Good evening. I’m jere gish, and i’m michael fuller. We’re coming to you live from happy valley at the bryce jordan center, where the 46 dance marathon. It is well underway. Welcome to our y wee thon special. The energy, the excitement is electric. And i’m telling you, they’re ready to dance. They are indeed. The 700 over 700 dancers are down there on the floor. Actually, miss pennsylvania is up on the stage right now. There’s going to be lots of interesting things over this weekend. And really, the it’s hard to explain if you’ve never been here before. Just the energy in this building, but the dancers feel it. Everybody here that supports them feels it. It’s a special place. Yeah. And it’s all again for a good cause, right? Raising money, raising awareness for kids and families with cancer. You cannot get any better than that. I’ve talked to several of these families, and they tell us that if it wasn’t for the four diamonds fund, they wouldn’t be able to make it through. So all of this is fun, but all of it is happening for a bigger cause. Absolutely. They got the music jamming out here again. So all this money raised goes to four diamonds that helps families and kids dealing with pediatric cancer at penn state children’s hospital in hershey. And to give you an idea, if you want to know. And these are important kind of things, $0.96 out of every dollar goes right to the cause. So that gives you an idea. So if you’re interested in contributing, and we would love if you could do so here over the next hour. There’s a qr code right there on your screen where you can donate. And again all that money goes to the four diamonds fund. All right. So over the next hour we are going to be looking at the reasons why we find. But it’s important as we start things off here to take a look back. Yeah. You know, it took many, many years to get to where we are today. And although the whole quest to be able to eradicate childhood cancer continues, the avenues have changed. They certainly have, you know, from really humble beginnings to now, worldwide prominence. Thon is taking on many different identities and many different fundraising totals over the years. Let’s take a look back at the history of thon. Almost 80 people dancing in a room at the hub. That was the first panhellenic dance marathon back in 1973. 78 dancers raised about $2,000 at the event, which lasted just 30 hours. In 1979, a partnership with four diamonds facilitated a move to a bigger dance floor in the white building. They also upped the time to 48 hours. That’s right, not 46. We’ll get back to that in a minute. 1992 saw the first time over $1 million was raised, and they never went below seven figures again. Penn state students were definitely partying like it was 1999. That year, thon moved to rec hall and raised a record $2.5 million. Then the biggest move of all to the brand new bryce jordan center. In 2007. Now remember that 48 hours number. It was here where the event was cut by two hours due to commitments to big ten athletics. The 46 hour mark stuck and it’s been that ever since the covid pandemic hit thon hard, needing to avoid large events, especially with at risk kids present, thon was mostly online in 2021. Dancers participated from home and the events inside the bjcc were broadcast live online. Despite the lack of in-person events, they still managed to raise over $10 million. Then, just last year, a record shattered. $16,955,683 and $0.63. $16,955,683. The most ever raised in one year. The question now, can the student philanthropy break its own record in 2025? Yeah, i have a feeling we can break that record this year again. Almost 17 million last year. I know it’s tough, but we’re going to raise a lot of money. I’m joined now by suzanne graney, the executive director of four diamonds. First, i just want to say how exciting is this to be here on thon weekend? It’s always just a thrill to be able to be here to see all of the students so excited, all of the spectators, all of our four diamonds families. It’s just awesome. So give us an idea of why this event is so important. This event is critical to raising funds that are needed for us to be able to fulfill our mission, to help our kids have superior care, comprehensive support, and invest in research in search of a cure. So again, give people an idea exactly what four diamonds does. And i know you do a lot of different things, but i want to start with this. It is an amazing moment. And we’ve heard this again and again. Families are there at the hospital. They’re dealing with the hardest thing they’ve ever dealt with in their life. And somebody comes up to them and says, you don’t have to worry about a single bell. That’s what it’s you know, that’s an important part of this, right? Talk about hope. Right. In a moment that feels like the whole world just stopped to be able to take away that particular piece of stress. We can’t take away everything, but we can take away that piece of stress because of the generosity of our community. It is such an amazing gift to give to a family in their hardest moment. Yeah, they can focus on their child. They can focus on what they’re going for, going through and don’t have to worry about how am i going to pay for all this? That is huge. It is a it really. There’s nothing else like it that we know of in the country. We are so very fortunate. At penn state health children’s hospital that we have four diamonds and that we have penn state thon fueling our fight. That’s right. But you know, it’s not just that as great as that is, but also it’s funding research. So hopefully someday we can find a cure for all this. It’s a huge deal. You know, here’s the thing. We have great treatments for a lot of different types of cancer, but not 100% of the people respond to those treatments. We still need to figure out why. And what do we do when somebody doesn’t respond? How do we offer them hope? Research. Finding new ways to treat this is the only thing that provides that hope, and that’s what thon is helping to fund. You know, when you look out here and you see not just the 700 dancers, but the thousands and thousands of other students that are involved in the largest student run philanthropy in the world. It makes you feel good to know that young people like this are willing to rally around a great cause. I think over and over again, this is the largest display of human kindness i have ever gotten to witness and be a part of, and it is incredible. Absolutely. All right. Thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it. Your organization does such great work. So thank you for everything you’re doing to to help spread this message. Absolutely. All right. Thank you very much for being with us. We appreciate it. All right. So we have so much more coming up for you here on why we fund including helping for diamond’s kids through music. We introduce you to a few penn state health workers using songs as therapy. And later, she’s one of the reasons why we thought lancaster county family getting the help they need through four diamonds. Stay with us more. Why we thumb is next. Hey, everybody. So we’re down here now on the floor where all the excitement is happening. You have a couple of folks who were up on the stage. I will tell you. And over here you can see some of the games happening, people just enjoying themselves and having a good time here at the bryce jordan center. So i have to tell you, as many of you know, thon is all about lending a helping hand to kids with cancer and doing whatever we can to find a cure. And now that helping hand comes through research and treatment, but it also comes through bringing a smile and just a sense of calm through a kid’s cancer journey. And we spoke to one family who is getting all of those things, and it’s happening through the gift of music. Take a look. Right here. Hey, buddy, what’s going on? What’s going on? On an afternoon at penn state hershey medical center. I got piano and i got a song. A different type of medicine is being prescribed. Right? No, it’s not just a pill or a drug of some kind. The medicine in question is music. I’ve always played piano, sort of performed by myself. It’s really good as an accompaniment instrument. But yeah, i’ve always played by myself, so it’ll be cool. Definitely to be with a bunch of other people. Three shifting to you. This is 18 year old owen victor, and he loves a good tune. Do you want to break that tie? So you repeat? It definitely takes my mind off of whatever i’m feeling, especially if it’s like headaches or nausea or whatever it is. He’s on the receiving end of a music therapy program funded by the four diamonds fund. And their goal? Well, it’s to help pediatric patients undergoing high dose chemotherapy reduce pain and relieve stress throughout their cancer journey. My diagnosis isn’t what makes me feel ill. It’s my treatment. Oh, and was diagnosed with t-cell leukemia. And although he’s in good spirits, he says it’s definitely been a rough road based on what i’m getting week by week and day by day can determine how i’m going to feel for the next three weeks or four weeks. And so it’s very unpredictable, which is probably been the hardest part. I still have months and months and months to go through this, and so that can definitely be a depressor. But that’s where the power of music therapy comes into play. Yeah. That’s right. Okay. I get the chance to be with him in the highs and the lows. Board certified music therapist and clinically trained health care professional corinne ammerman works with the 18 year old, but says the focus of their time together is more than just melodies. There are times when there are days whenever i come in and we just catch up and he fills me in on all the stuff that’s happening. That’s the therapy portion of it. It’s me sitting with him in that space and holding whatever he’s struggling with, whatever he’s going through, i can do one on c, the two are in the process of rehearsing a song for a new music video. Okay, does that look all right? And for owen, who’s a musician himself, he feels right at home. I really like the piano. Just as an instrument. It’s so uniform and it’s so familiar to me that i can just go back to it and focus on it and sort of block out everything else that’s going on alongside owen. Every step of the way is his mom, christy. I’m tired, but i’m good. Owen is. Owen makes it pretty easy to keep going day to day, and she describes the amazement of the health benefits from the program. Corinne can come in and play the rhythm on a guitar. To help owen’s heart beat lower with the music. It’s amazing, but it doesn’t stop there, owen’s mother says. The 18 year old had a series of six injections, but thanks to the four diamonds fund, it was all covered. If we were not part of thon, those would have cost $80,000 an injection. It’s life changing. I mean, i don’t know how we would do it if it wasn’t for four diamonds. With all the ups and downs, a cancer journey can bring, the coopers say they still feel blessed and are taking it day by day. And for anyone who’s fighting a battle of their own, owen has this message don’t be afraid to ask for help if you’re feeling anything, even if it’s psychological or emotional or whatever it is. Physical. Definitely, definitely, definitely reach out for help. Hi! What an inspiring story that was. I will tell you it was such an honor to meet owen and his mother. How they continue to battle through their journey with hope and with joy. It was really a blessing just to be with them. And i will tell you, it doesn’t stop there. We’re going to, in a little bit, meet the other music therapists who are behind this program. We’re going to talk to them, see what’s behind the music and how they’re working on a new anthem. So we’re really excited about that. But again, i just got to tell you, this floor is electric. The excitement, the energy, the joy is just palpable. I also want to get you to look at these guys right here. What you will see through all of the time there you are on camera. You’ll get to see these people throughout this entire arena. They’re just here. They’re holding signs. They’re supporting their friends, their brothers, their sisters in organizations who are here down on the dance floor. It is just a great time, a great energy, and we’re having so much fun here at thon. We’re going to send it back on over to jerry to see who he has there. Hey there. Jerry. Hey. Thank you very much, michael. Yeah. You know, it is such an exciting atmosphere here. And you were talking about people holding signs. If we could take a look here, paul. Right here. You kind of see behind some of the folks that are holding up some of the letters here for one of the fraternities. These guys have been here for quite a while. Their arms have to be getting tired or your arms getting tired at this point. Yeah, a little bit, but they’re still here and they’re doing it to support their dancers that are down the floor. It’s really what it’s all about. All right. We have much more to come here. On why we fund. We’ve been talking about why we thon now see who we thon four straight ahead michael will speak with a lancaster county bass for diamonds family whose daughter is dancing this weekend. She was officially diagnosed with b-cell a-l-l leukemia. And we’ll introduce you to blakely. Find out how she and her family benefit from this 46 hour dance marathon at penn state. More why we thought isblakely is two year old girl. But her parents noticed something was wrong with little b. She wasn’t walking. She would not put any weight on her right leg. And so we took her to the orthopedic doctor. Doctors couldn’t figure out why blakely was unable to walk until a different doctor tried something new. He ordered x-rays again, but he took them. The x-rays up higher, and when he came back, he said, i see something in there. We went and got the blood work done, and almost immediately the results came in. The doctors were calling us, you need to go to hershey med immediately. Not long after that, blakely’s parents finally got answers. July 29th of 2024. She was officially diagnosed with b-cell all leukemia. I started our journey blakely, our little kiddo with b-cell. Allow. You’re taking two for a walk, a blood cancer that isn’t slowing this two year old down. We’re going to get through it. That god is going to be with us through the whole thing. It just kind of shakes your whole core. Because when you hear cancer, you think of, you know, all the worst possible things. But it stopped life as the clings knew it. I immediately called both jobs and was like, hey, i can’t work, i won’t be in. We were in the hospital for, i think, 16 days. That’s when four diamonds swooped in. Finance immediately came into the picture, you know, because like, your world gets turned upside down, someone’s gonna have to stay home. Someone’s gonna have to take care. When you have a mortgage. Different things like that, that you worry about. But. And you have four diamonds that covers all medical expenses, allowing the clings to focus on their sweet toddler. Blakely. We saw one of the bills like from just one chemo treatment, and it was $16,000 from just one chemo. And i’m like, i cannot even fathom because she’s had i don’t even know how many treatments so far, at least once a week. And we’re in it for two years. Hefty medical bills that victoria and her husband no longer have to worry about. Thank you, doesn’t even begin to comprehend. Like encompass, what i’m feeling. Just the gratitude towards this huge organization. One helpful step towards blakely’s journey to healing. She’s the fighter, the strong one, a strong girl that her parents say hasn’t changed one bit. She is right at the end of that intensive portion, and we see her going to maintenance in about a month from now. Blakely, would you like to put one on your sweater? Doctor mckeon or doctor dan, as blakely calls him, says b is set to complete chemo october of 2026. Care. Blakely herself is thankful for. Say thank you for taking care of me. So caring for me. I think she’s just come out stronger and it’s really neat to see her grow through this and just develop into a little sweet toddler. Say bye bye bye. Taylor has wgal news 8. Hey everybody. So just bringing you up to speed of where we are. It was actually a fire alarm that went off here not too long ago. We thought that everybody was going to have to clear the building, but thankfully it is all good. Everybody is okay and we are here celebrating on this great night. I will tell you, i have the pleasure and the privilege to speak to a family who has had an experience with the four diamonds fund, the bush family, and we are so excited to talk to you all this evening. Sydney, we’re happy that you are here. Just tell us a little bit about what does the four diamonds fund mean to you? The four diamonds means everything to me. It means especially hope, which goes perfectly with the theme this year, a home for hope. It really just ensures that every family you know never feels alone in their journey. And that, you know, we provide emotional and financial support and that emotional support is so important to the families. And yeah, it’s just yeah. Can you tell us just briefly about your journey? Because as the people may not know, you have a personal journey with you. I was diagnosed with a brain tumor when i was two years old, and i’ve been coming to thorn since 2006. So this year is my 20th thorn. This year i’m a family relations captain. I’m the teen and adult coordinator on family relations, so i’m working with the teens, and it’s really full circle because i was in the teen network, which is the thorn engagement and empowerment network, where we have all the teens. Basically, it’s a place for them to build bonds with one another and get to know each other. And it’s really full circle to be the one facilitating those relationships. And i love it so much. And look at you here now, doing well, doing great. This is wonderful. I mean, you got your whole family here guys. Tell us, what does a night like this knowing what you’ve been through as a family, what does this feel like as a whole is like what we look forward to? I feel like truly, all year. Like, it’s like our christmas, basically. That’s how i would describe it. So it’s so exciting to be here for her senior year, which we’re not allowed to say that word. I know her senior year. We’re not talking about it. We’re not talking about it, but we’re taking every moment in. We’re not talking about it. But i mean also talk to us. Sydney’s parents are here. I’m going to reach over here a little bit. I mean, just talk to us guys. What does this feel like for you? Paint the picture for folks who cannot be here. Describe this atmosphere. Describe the experience. It’s just incredible love and incredible support for the families. The community comes together and it’s just amazing and just the way our children have grown up in this community and giving back so much. We’re just so proud of them. We just love it. And dad, are you feeling the love tonight? Is it great to be here? Yeah, it’s you know, i’m sure sid mentioned that this is the 20th year we’ve been here. Every year is a little different. It’s really different now that sid’s the senior and she’s friends with a lot of the people that she’s, you know, with out there on the floor. So there’s a different relationship than the little little girl with the college kids to the college kids, college kids. And it’s great to see. Yeah. And i know we have to wrap in just a second, but can i just say, sid, what do you want people to know who are giving to the four diamonds fund very quickly? What do you want them to know about how it helps families? I want people to know that this cause is truly the most amazing cause in the world, and it provides family. Again, like i said earlier, with so much emotional and financial support, but the emotional support that we are able to provide to them is just truly amazing. And it helps them know that they’re never truly alone. Thank you guys so much. Thank you for talking to us, and congratulations to you on everything and enjoy this last year. Thank you. Enjoy it. Well listen we’re going to send it on back on over to jerry. Jerry how’s it going out there on the floor. Oh it’s great down here on the floor michael i know you know that. I mean, you can feel the energy in the entire building, but it’s kind of special when you’re down here. Right close to the dancers and in the middle of everything, you know, there are over 700 dancers. We talked about that. But it takes so many people, so many students to put this on. It’s why this is the largest student run philanthropy in the world. That number is pretty incredible. There are 16,500 students involved in this. Amazing. Let’s talk to one of them now. This is isabella fernandez. You’re a thon, captain. Tell me kind of what that means. So, thon captains kind of work together throughout the entirety of the school year to put together the events that lead up to and during the weekends. We have 16 incredible committees across penn state university that each work in different divisions. So i’m a public relations captain, so i help work with any outlets related to media scheduling, dancer interviews, and helping to write pitches and coordinate any media activities with dancers and any external press dealing with people like me. Yeah, that’s one of your jobs for sure. Yeah. So, yeah, give me an idea of what you’re then doing because you’ve been working, as you mentioned, for a long time leading up to this, but what are you doing like now during the during the weekend. Yeah. So it is a lot of like dancer interview scheduling. So i’ve been able to kind of interact with different dancers and hear their stories. It’s really cool to facilitate them and be able to like sit in and hear why a dancer wants to thon and exactly why they’re choosing to do what they do. Every dancer is here for such an incredible reason, and being able to hear that is so incredible. It really is. So why are you here? In other words, why are you involved in thon? Yeah. So cancer has been a part of my life for a really long time. A lot of my family members have been impacted by different forms of cancer. So i’ve kind of been exposed to it early on. But as someone who’s from new jersey, coming into penn state, i had no idea what thorn was coming into as a freshman. I went to my first thon, fell in love with it. I knew i wanted to get involved throughout the rest of my college experience, so i decided to join as a captain my junior year. I’m here for more smiles. I’m here for more laughs, and i hopefully one day we can dance in celebration of a cure. Absolutely. Thank you so much for being with us. But also thank you for what you’re doing. It’s important. Thank you. All right. Absolutely gives you an idea of all of the different people and a lot of students that are involved. All right. Straight ahead here on why we thon i’ve got a great story about a doctor at penn state making sure that for diamonds, kids are able to get back to doing the things they love to do. We’ll be right back. Don’t do like some activities. It’s time for some fun. You jump and exercise for rowing. Gaskill. Yeah, you’re doing great. We know that with physical activity, you can improve your mental health, your physical health. Rowan is working with doctor maxim kuru. Doctor max for short to help her stay active and fit as she battles cancer. One of the activities you do, it’s really good for your body and it’s really healthy. It hasn’t been an easy time for nine year old rowan and her family. She was diagnosed with hodgkin’s lymphoma last october. It is terrible. It’s it’s something i wish on no one to go through. Yeah, but she is a rock. Rowan was a cheerleader before she got sick. Do you know how to do some squats? Doctor max is making sure you can do ten. She’s ready to jump back in after her treatment. And just as important, the exercise therapy can help her heal. All right. Oh, my goodness. Great. Work out in for the day when you engage in physical activity, regular physical activity, you can really decrease cancer related fatigue. I’ll try and do everything with you. And then if you are able to oh wow, have more energy, you are going to move a little bit more. So you are going to improve your physical function okay. Come back. These programs here help her so much to relax during all the procedures she had to have. Is it comfortable? Yeah. Okay. Great. And the exercise gives her positive energy and she can keep feeling good about herself. If you want to get back to their normal life, something very important is can be really hard to get back to their normal life because things are going to change. But something i really like about that is they are going to focus a little bit more on themselves, on their body. They’re going to listen to it and smiles and laughter certainly helped to. When you see their smiles, just make a big change in your life. And so if they can do it, i’m sure everyone can do it too. Nice. Like so many other programs at penn state children’s hospital, this exercise therapy. Like a duck and a larger research project by doctor max are all made possible by four diamonds. I can’t say enough about this. Four diamonds and this hospital and the people in it are wonderful. Oh my gosh, raleigh, i told you i’m flexible. You are flexible. I feel like for diamonds is making a big difference in the life of these patients. And for diamonds. Also supporting all of my research projects. So if we are able to develop all of this physical activity program, yes, that’s great. It’s also because of our diamonds. It’s wonderful. It is just wonderful. You did great. You are amazing. It is amazing. Isn’t it really cool to see? And i am joined now by doctor max here at thon. Thank you for joining us. We appreciate it. Thank you so much for inviting me. So i have to tell you, i have to ask you, this is your first thon. What do you think of this? It’s amazing seeing everyone together and all of these students dancing during the weekend is really great. Yeah. And, you know, are you thinking about here? Think about all the money they raise and how it helps the people you work with, the kids you work with and everything you’re kind of doing. This is what that this all goes for. Exactly. So i’m an exercise physiologist and research psychologist at penn state. So what i’m doing is developing physical activity programs for patients diagnosed with cancer and survivors. So every day i’m trying to make sure that our patients are moving a little bit more to improve a lot of different outcomes. And so all of the money that comes from for diamonds, we have a direct impact on our patients. And so i think that stone is all about that being all together for the benefit of our patients. How special is it to work with? Kids like rowan? I mean, that has to be inspirational for you. It’s very special. It’s very unique. We have a unique chance to help these patients. So when they come to the hospital, most of them don’t know that they can exercise or move a little bit more every day. And you know, they have cancer, but they are still waiting to move to do a lot of different things when they are receiving the right support. And that’s what we are doing. We are trying to provide them with the right support so it can be safe, and we can do it almost like every day. So working with them is it’s a gift. It’s amazing. It was amazing to watch you and rowan work together. It was very special. I want to make sure i ask you about this too, because for diamonds, money also goes to research and that is what you’re doing as well. So that’s really important too, because you’re trying to help people in the future through your work. Yeah. So i do a lot of clinical work, but i also do a lot of research. And i have a really strong research program at penn state. It is supported through for diamonds. And so we developed these physical activity programs for our patients. So most of the time we are trying to improve patient reported outcomes. So anxiety depressive symptoms, morbidity even pain and fatigue. And so we have this direct impact. So we are publishing a lot of papers to improve evidence based medicine to become the leader at penn state. And at the same time we have a big clinical impact. So we are answering a lot of research questions. But at the end of the day, we are answering a lot of patients needs. So that’s what is amazing about our research program. And we are all working together. It’s not just me, it’s with nurses, healthcare providers, patients and families. So it’s like everyone is together for the benefit of our patients. Why did you decide you wanted to come here and see for yourself and not, you know, in person? It’s a really great question. I’ve been at penn state for like almost four years, and i’m meeting more and more families, and i felt like it was the time to be in person. Last year i watched it online and i really miss it. And so this year i came in person and i don’t have any regrets. Like the energy is amazing. We talk about physical activity, but everyone is dancing during one or weekend, so it’s a lot of exercise. Not quite the same as seeing it online, and we’re trying to kind of show people here what it’s like, but it’s kind of hard. All right. So is it possible for you and i to do a just a real quick routine of something that you would do? Can we do a little exercise routine together? All right. Hey, by the way, no, that’s all right. That’s all right. How you doing, buddy? What’s your name? Alton. All right. It’s good to see you having fun. Oh, look at this mustache. Everybody look at that. What’s your name? Oh, okay. It’s good to see you guys. High fives. Boom, boom. Oh, okay. Is that not what it’s all about? Right? So much fun. Now mom’s like, i can’t believe they did that. That’s live tv. All right, so we got a couple seconds. But you want to do a little exercise here? Sure. Most of the time we stretch. Yeah. Okay. Got it. All right. So time. By the way, i need to. Doctor max is a cyclist and an ultra marathoner, so that’s true. All right, all right. It depends on your physical status. Okay. Can do some jumping jacks. Oh. Jumping jacks. Got it, got it, got it. All right, here we go. Ready? Go. Yeah. All right. Woo! So yeah. See we’re good. All right. Yes. All right. Thank you. Appreciate it. All right. So that gives you an idea of what doctor max does. And now i’m just even more tired. No that was a good job. That was good job. All right, we’ll we’ll send it back to michael jere gish. Man, he’s getting that workout in whatever time, whatever place. We absolutely love it. All right, jerry, thank you so much. You know, earlier on in the special, you met a family who are not only recipients of the four diamonds fund program, but also a part of a music therapy program. But with this story, we want to take you behind the scenes, take you behind the music so you can meet the music therapists who are making that program safe. Hey, emmett, how are you? Good, good. Are you ready to do a song? Yes, in the pediatric wing of the penn state hershey medical center. Yes. Let’s do the antique music is filling the halls. Takes my mind off of stuff for eight year old emmett herring, who’s battling leukemia, conquering cancer. Music is, well, a form of therapy. It makes me happy. It’s a type of medicine fueled from melodies. Stemming from a music therapy program, being with people and sharing space with people, and then combining that with music. It just honestly, it feels really surreal. Funded by the four diamonds fund, their goal. Well, it’s to help pediatric patients undergoing high dose chemotherapy reduce pain and relieve stress throughout their cancer journey. There is no feeling like walking out of a session with the kiddo and just feeling on top of the world. We felt the disappointment as the doctor walked in, board certified music therapist and clinically trained health care professionals hunter eschbach and karen edelman emphasize that music is just the jumping off point for providing hope and an escape. We were able to provide them with some sort of pain relief or relief from anxiety or depression, or provide them with a new coping skill or mechanism, and to see that in action with music and music that they prefer, and that they ask for the health professionals describe how they use evidence based research in science to help in the medical healing process of their patients. Clap your hands, i had a patient yesterday whose heart rate was through the roof. I was able to get his heart rate from like the upper 180 down to like 120, which is huge, especially at his age. So it just goes to show like it’s not just something that, you know, obviously it’s fun and it’s enjoyable and we love to do it, but there is science behind it. Let’s do the stk rocking this home. And now the two are conquering another hurdle. Creating an original song and music video to share the importance of fighting for kids with cancer. So that is literally us taking all of the tidbits and pieces of their treatment journey, putting it in the lyrics of the song so that they can truly thank all the dancers. I think we just really want people to take away like what it’s truly like to be a four diamonds family. We’re conquering cancer to this beat. This is so cool. What they do, it really is. You know what? I want to give a special shout out to ian lowry, chief dan maddox, chief photon, dan maddox and angel pena. They were the photons who worked on that shot, that edit, that piece, both of those pieces i did, they did a wonderful job. Thank you guys. I will tell you, we’re in hunter. All of those kids, they’ve been working so hard on that song for the past couple of weeks. And you are in for a treat, because tonight we have the television debut of that song and of that music video, it’s going to be playing right here on our news eight special. Why we sign. So you got to stay with us because it’s coming up a little bit later on in the show. For now, i’m going to throw it on over to jerry. How’s it looking down there, jerry? All right. Yeah, we are down here on the floor, of course. Kind of in the middle of everything. With all the excitement of thon. And coming up next, i’m going to talk to one of the dancers. We’ll be right back with much more. Why? We thought after this. All right. Welcome back to why we thought we’re at the bryce jordan center and the excitement continues. I would even say to build here as the dancing is underway, 700 more than 700 dancers have already started this 46 hour dance marathon. Let’s talk to one of them now. This is olivia. She’s from san diego. She came to penn state. I love that, by the way. Now she’s a proud nittany lion. But, olivia, give me an idea. You’re really just the beginning of this. What are your feelings and emotions right now? I came into it with, like, really high anticipation. I think a lot of nerves, i feel like. But at the end of the day, like, we’re very close with our tooth regina ahn families. And i just really boils down to like, reminding myself why i’m doing it. And i think that’s like the bare bones of it, like i’m doing it for the schweitzers and for the rodriguez family. And it’s like, absolutely beautiful. I’m like, so happy to be here. And i know, like at any point when i like face any kind of like adversity, i just like think of them and it like immediately goes away. So yeah, i’m just like, honestly, i’m stoked out of my mind. Like i’m just happy to be here. Is this something you’ve kind of dreamed about doing as a penn stater? Yeah. Before i even came to penn state, i had heard about thon and i knew i wanted to get involved. I grew up working with, like, a lot of kids, like lifeguarding, swim instructing, and my grandma passed away from cancer so that i hold that, like, very dear to my heart. So yeah, i knew i was going to be involved with on like a very early on. Yeah, yeah. And it is really kind of hard to describe for somebody that hasn’t been here. What it’s like. Right. It’s so difficult to understand what exactly thon is. I think there’s like so many people, there’s so many like good vibes going and you just like don’t really understand until you’re in the bjc experiencing it. But it’s incredible. Like it’s honestly incredible. Olivia, thank you for joining us. Good luck. You’re going to kill it. We know it. All right. Great job. Thank you. So again got to love that somebody from san diego they came to penn state here in pennsylvania a little colder here. And now she’s at thon and proud to be doing it for the kids. All right. You know there are so many different fundraisers that go on all year long. And that’s how you raise all this money again last year. Remember $16.9 million was raised. Well, that was through a lot of fundraisers throughout the year. And a lot of schools, including in the susquehanna valley, have something called mini thons. Take a look at. This is so much more than just a dance party at penn manor high school. Everyone had smiles on their faces the whole night. More than 80 students stayed up all night playing games, sports and of course, dancing. But it was more than just a good time. It was a celebration of a year long effort to raise money for a great cause. I feel really passionate about it, and i think that sometimes i get so caught up in it. Penn manor’s mini thon raises money for four diamonds at penn state children’s hospital in hershey. Just like the big event in state college, four diamonds helps families battling pediatric cancer. Families going through childhood cancer do not see a single bill from the hospital. They get gas cards. They get food cards. They stay at the hospital for free. Their children get extra care, like the music therapy, dog therapy, anything that they need just to help them through it so they don’t have to worry about anything but being with their kid. And for several of the student leaders of the event, this cause is personal. Just because of having these personal connections, i want to be able to help other families that have to go through this, because it’s not fair that any family has to go through this. It’s important because i lost my friend to childhood cancer when i was younger, so i saw the effects of it. I saw what she went through and unfortunately she did not make it. But four diamonds did everything they could to make her herself, to know that that money is going to help another kid like her is absolutely incredible. And at the end of the night, the big moment. The students raised more than $27,000 for the kids. I was actually exhilarated. I thought i would be exhausted and i wasn’t. I actually went home and i couldn’t even fall asleep. I was so excited. It was just an absolute incredible experience. Jere gish news 8 this is the moment you’ve been waiting for. The television debut of the four diamonds fund music video. See these kids put on a show. When we come right back with our week on special, stay with us. Here is the original song performed by those special kids and their music therapist. And then after that is the goodbye. Okay, here we go. Ready? For him? One, two. One two. Ready. Go! Let’s do the anthony. Rockin this home. We’ve got the heart and soul. Give us hope. Clap your hands and stomp your feet. We’re. Conquering. Pander to the beat. Twice as the doctor walked in. Explain the cause of reason. And the odds. To the wind. Chemo, radiation. You therapy do. We felt the weight of the world. Not knowing what to do. Don’t your work said the bill was already paid for. Done. Did. And made a way to show him. There are people like you fighting with us. Gives us peace of mind without all the fight. Let’s do the empty day. Rockin with home. We’ve got the heart and soul to give us hope. Clap your hands and stomp your feet. We’re. Conquer to the beat. The research, medical and psychosocial team made it possible for us to achieve our dreams. Giving us hope for our future. Bright. We share our light and help others through the curve. Wisdom, strength and honesty. Build a home of hope for the family day before, all day and night. Thank you. Dancers wearing blue and white. Let’s do the rock. And. The. And. Stop your hand and stomp your feet. Where? Conquering cancer. And.
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thon: learn about the impact of the largest student-run philanthropy in the world
thon is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, raising millions of dollars to find a cure for childhood cancer and support families of cancer patients.
hundreds of penn state students gather in the bryce jordan center for the 46-hour dance marathon, and its all for the kids.
watch the videos below to meet a 2-year-old who has benefited from thon, learn about the research being funded and find out how high school students in the susquehanna valley are also helping to support the cause.
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| The Hidden History of the Incredibly Evil Khazarian Mafia - February 21, 2025 |
| Posted on Saturday, February 22 @ 00:00:12 PST (0 reads) | |
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by preston james, ph.D
note: the history of the khazarians, specifically the khazarian mafia (km), the world’s largest organized crime syndicate that the khazarian oligarchy morphed into by their deployment of babylonian money-magick, has been nearly completely excised from the history books.
the present day km knows that it cannot operate or exist without abject secrecy, and therefore has spent a lot of money having its history excised from the history books in order to prevent citizens of the world from learning about its “evil beyond imagination”, that empowers this world’s largest organized crime cabal.
the authors of this article have done their best to resurrect this lost, secret history of the khazarians and their large international organized crime syndicate, best referred to as the khazarian mafia (km) and make this history available to the world via the internet, which is the new gutenberg press.
it has been exceedingly difficult to reconstruct this hidden secret history of the km, so please excuse any minor inaccuracies or errors which are unintentional and are due to the difficulty in digging out the true history of khazaria and its mafia. We have done the best we can to reconstruct it.
it was mike harris that connected the dots and made the actual discovery of the presence of the khazarian mafia’s secret history and blood oath to take revenge on russia for helping americans win the revolutionary war and the civil war, and their blood oath of revenge against america and americans for winning these wars and sustaining the union.
at the syrian conference on combating terrorism and religious extremism december 1, 2014 — in his keynote address, veterans today senior editor and director gordon duff disclosed publicly for the first time ever that world terrorism is actually due to a large international organized crime syndicate associated with israel. This disclosure sent shock-waves at the conference and almost instantly around the world, as almost every world leader received reports of gordon duff’s historical disclosure that same day, some within minutes.
and the shock-waves from his historic speech in damascus continue to reverberate around the world even to this very day. And now gordon duff has asked president putin to release russian intel which will expose about 300 traitors in congress for their serious serial felonies and statutory espionage on behalf of the khazarian mafia (km) against america and many middle east nations.
we now know that the khazarian mafia (km) is waging a secret war against america and americans by the use of false-flag gladio-style terrorism, and via the illegal and unconstitutional federal reserve system, the irs, the fbi, fema, homeland security and the tsa. We know for certain that the km was responsible for deploying an inside-job, gladio-style false-flag attack on america on 9-11-01, as well as the murrah building bombing on april 19, 1995.
the hidden history of the incredibly evil khazarian mafia
by preston james and mike harris
veteran today
100-800 ad – an incredibly evil society emerges in khazaria:
khazarians develop into a nation ruled by an evil king, who had ancient babylonian black arts, occult oligarchs serving as his court. During this time, khazarians become known to surrounding countries as thieves, murderers, road bandits, and for assuming the identities of those travelers they murdered as a normal occupational practice and way of life.
800 ad – the ultimatum is delivered by russia and other surrounding nations:
the leaders of the surrounding nations, especially russia, have had so many years of complaints by their citizens that, as a group, they deliver an ultimatum to the khazarian king. They send a communique to the khazarian king that he must choose one of the three abrahamic religions for his people, and make it his official state religion and require all khazarian citizens to practice it, and socialize all khazarian children to practice that faith.
the khazarian king was given a choice between islam, christianity and judaism. The khazarian king chose judaism, and promised to stay within the requirements laid out by the surrounding confederacy of nations led by the russian czar. Despite his agreement and promise, the khazarian king and his inner circle of oligarchs kept practicing ancient babylonian black-magic, also known as secret satanism. This secret satanism involved occult ceremonies featuring child sacrifice, after “bleeding them out”, drinking their blood and eating their hearts.
the deep dark secret of the occult ceremonies was that they were all based on ancient baal worship, also known as worship of the owl. In order to fool the confederacy of nations led by russia that were watching khazaria, the khazarian king melded these luciferian black-magick practices with judaism and created a secret satanic-hybrid religion, known as babylonian talmudism. This was made the national religion of khazaria, and nurtured the same evil that khazaria was known for before.
sadly, the khazarians continued their evil ways, robbing and murdering those from surrounding countries who traveled through khazaria. Khazarian robbers often attempted to assume their identities after they murdered these visitors, and became masters of disguises and false identities — a practice they have continued even to this very day, along with their child-sacrifice occult ceremonies, which are actually ancient baal worship.
1,200 ad – russia and the surrounding nations have had enough and take action:
about 1,200 ad, the russians led a group of nations surrounding khazaria and invaded it, in order to stop the khazarian crimes against their people, which included kidnapping of their young children and infants for their blood sacrifice ceremonies to baal. The khazarian king and his inner court of criminals and murderers came to be known as the khazarian mafia (km) by neighboring countries.
the khazarian leaders had a well-developed spy network through which they obtained prior warning and escaped from khazaria to european nations to the west, taking their vast fortune with them in gold and silver. They laid low and regrouped, while assuming new identities. In secret, they continued their satanic child blood and sacrifice rituals, and trusted baal to give them the whole world and all its riches, as they claimed he had promised them, as long as they kept bleeding out and sacrificing children and infants for him.
the khazarian king and his court mafia plotted eternal revenge against the russians and the surrounding nations that invaded khazaria and drove them from power.
the khazarian mafia invades england after being expelled for hundreds of years:
to accomplish their invasion, they hired oliver cromwell to murder king charles 1, and make england safe for banking again. This began the english civil wars which raged for nearly a decade, resulting in regicide of the royal family and hundreds of the genuine english nobility. This is how the city of london was set up as the banking capital of europe and launched the beginning of the british empire.
*david icke was the first ever to courageously expose the rothschilds publicly in front of hundreds. This of course makes him an international hero and we need more with his kind of courage to break open the coverup hiding the khazarian mafia and bring an end to their worldwide illegitimate power.
the khazarian mafia (km) decides to infiltrate and hijack all world banking using babylonian black-magick, also known as babylonian money-magick or the secret art of making money from nothing also using the power of pernicious usury to accumulate interest:
the km used their vast fortune to enter into a new system of banking, based on secret babylonian black-magic money-magic that they claimed to have learned from the evil spirits of baal, in return for their many child sacrifices to him.
this babylonian money-magick involved the substitution of paper credit certificates for gold and silver deposits, which allowed travelers to travel with their money in a form that offered easy replacement should they lose the certificates or have them stolen.
interesting how the very problem that was started by the khazarians also had a solution provided by them. Eventually the khazarian king and his small surrounding court infiltrated germany with a group that chose the name “the bauers” of germany to represent them and carry on their baal-powered system of evil. The bauers of the red shield, which represented their secret blood-based child sacrifices, changed their name to rothschild (aka “child of the rock, satan”).
the rothschilds as the front men for the khazarian mafia (km) infiltrate and hijack british banking and then hijack the whole nation of england:
bauer/rothschild had five sons who infiltrated and took over european banking and the city of london central banking system through various crafty covert operations, including a false report of napoleon winning against the british, when actually he lost. This allowed the rothschilds to use fraud and deception to steal the wealth of the english nobility and the landed gentry, who had made business investments with the city of london banking institutions.
the rothschilds set up a private fiat banking system that specialized in making counterfeit money from nothing — charging pernicious usury for the british people, using what should have been their own money.
this was the black art of babylonian money-magick; they claimed to insiders that such technology and secret money power was provided to them by baal, because of their frequent child bleeding-out and sacrifices rituals to baal.
once they had infiltrated and hijacked the british banking system, they interbred with the british royals and infiltrated and completely hijacked all of england and all its major institutions. Some experts believe that the rothschilds genocided the royal family members by staging secretly-managed illicit and adulterous breedings with their own khazarian men in order to replace the royals with their own pretenders to the throne.
the khazarian mafia (km) wages an international effort to eradicate kings who rule by the divine right of god almighty:
because the km claims to have a personal partnership with baal (aka the devil, lucifer, satan) because of their sacrifices to him. They detest any kings who rule under the authority of god almighty because most feel a responsibility to make sure their own people are protected from infiltrators and treasonous “enemies within the gates.”
in the 1600’s, the km murder the british royals and substitute their own fakes. In the 1700’s, they murder the french royals. Right before wwi they murder, austrian archduke ferdinand to start ww1. In 1917 they assembled their km army, the bolsheviks, and infiltrate and hijack russia, murder the czar and his family in cold blood, bayonet his favorite daughter through the chest and steal all the russian gold, silver and art treasures. Right before ww2, they murder the austrian and german royals. Then they get rid of the chinese royals and disempower the japanese ruler.
the khazarian mafia’s intense hatred of anyone who professed faith in any god but their god baal has motivated them to murder kings and royalty, and make sure they can never rule. They have done the same with american presidents — running sophisticated covert operations to disempower them.
if that doesn’t work the km assassinates them, like they did to mckinley, lincoln and jfk. The km wants to eliminate any strong rulers or elected officials who dare to resist their babylonian money-magick power or their covert power gained from their deployment of their human compromise network.
the rothschilds create international narcotics trafficking on behalf of the km:
the rothschilds then covertly ran the british empire and crafted an evil plan to recover the vast amounts of gold and silver the british had been paying to china for its high-quality silk and spices that were unavailable anywhere else.
the rothschilds, through their international spy network, had heard of turkish opium and its habit-forming characteristics. They deployed a covert operation to buy turkish opium and sell it in china, infecting millions with a bad opium habit that brought back gold and silver into the rothschild coffers, but not to the british people.
the opium addictions created by rothschild opium sales to china harmed china so much that china went to war on two occasions to stop it. These wars were known as the boxer rebellions or the opium wars.
the money the rothschilds gained from the sale of opium was so vast that they became even more addicted to the easy money than the opiate addicts were to the opium.
the rothschilds were the funding source behind the establishment of the american colonies, by incorporating the hudson bay company and other trading companies to exploit the new world of the americas. It was the rothschild’s who ordered the mass extermination and genocide of the indigenous people of north america to allow for exploitation of the vast natural resources of the continent.
the rothschild’s also followed the same business template in the caribbean and in the asian sub-continent of india, resulting in the murder of millions of innocent people.
the rothschilds start the international slave trade, an enterprise that viewed these kidnapped humans as mere animals — a view that the khazarians would impose on all the people of the world who were not part of their evil circle, which some called the “old black nobility”:
the rothschild’s next big project was to start the worldwide slave trade, buying slaves from crooked tribal chiefs in africa who worked with them to kidnap members of competing tribes for sale as slaves.
the rothschild slave traders then took these kidnapped slaves on their ships in cramped cells to america and the caribbean where they were sold. Many died at sea due to bad conditions.
the rothschild bankers learned early on that war was a great way to double their money in a short time by lending money to both warring sides. But in order to be guaranteed collections, they had to get taxation laws passed, which could be used to force payment.
the km rothschild private fiat counterfeit banksters plot eternal revenge against the american colonists and russia who assisted them for losing the revolutionary war:
when the rothschilds lost the american revolution, they blamed the russian czar and the russians for assisting the colonists by blockading british ships.
they swore eternal revenge on the american colonists, just as they had when the russians and their allies crushed khazaria in 1,000 ad.
the rothschilds and their english oligarchy that surrounded them plotted ways to retake america, and this became their main obsession.
their favored plan is to set up an american central bank, featuring babylonian money magic and secret counterfeiting.
the rothschild km attempts to retake america in 1812 on behalf of the khazarian mafia but fails, once again because of russian interference:
this failure enraged the rothschild km, and they once again plot eternal revenge against both the russians and the american colonists and plan to infiltrate and hijack both nations and asset strip, tyrannize and then mass-murder both nations and their populace.
the km’s attempts to set up a private american central bank are blocked by president andrew jackson, who called them satanic and vowed to route them out by the grace and power of almighty god.
the rothschild banksters regroup and continue their covert attempts to install their own babylonian money-magick bank inside america.
finally in 1913, the rothschild km succeeds in establishing a major beachhead inside america — and an evil enemy of all american enter the gates of america:
in 1913, the rothschild km was able to establish a beachhead by bribing crooked, treasonous members of congress to pass the illegal, unconstitutional federal reserve act on christmas eve without a required quorum. The act was then signed by a crooked, bought off president, who was a traitor to america, like the members of congress who voted for it.
the rothschild km then create an illegal taxation system in america:
the km put an illegal, unconstitutional tax system in place, in order to make sure that americans would have to pay for high-level usg spending, approved by a bought-off, crooked congress and presidential puppets, put in place by corrupt km campaign finance.
it is easy for the km to garner enough money to elect anyone they want, because when you control a bank that is a secret major counterfeiter, you have all the money made for you that you desire. At about the same time that they created their illegal tax system in america, they also bribed members of congress to approve the internal revenue service, which is their private collection agency incorporated in puerto rico.
soon afterwards, they set up the federal bureau of investigation to protect their banksters, to serve their cover-up needs and prevent them from ever being prosecuted for their child sacrifice rituals, pedophile networks; and to also serve as a covert intel operation on their behalf.
note that the fbi has no official charter, according to the library of congress, and has no right to exist or issue paychecks.
the rothschild km deployed the bolshevik revolution in russia to extract incredibly savage, bloody revenge on innocent russians, which they had plotted for many years, ever since khazaria was destroyed:
the rothschild km pre-staged and engineered the russian revolution by using its central banks to pay for the bolshevik infiltration of russia and their revolution on behalf of the khazarian mafia (km).
the bolsheviks were actually created and deployed by the khazarian mafia (km) as the essential part of their long planned revenge on the russian czar and the innocent russian people for breaking up khazaria in about 1,000 ad for its repeated robbery, murder and identity theft of travelers from countries surrounding khazaria. This little known fact explains the extreme violence taken out on russia as long standing revenge by the rothschild controlled khazarian mafia (km).
in an well-planned savage and inhuman bloodletting that stunned the world, the bolsheviks were unleashed in full fury on behalf of the km to gain revenge on the russians. This had been planned since the destruction of khazaria.
the bolsheviks, at the direction of the rothschild km, raped, tortured and mass-murdered approximately 100 million russians, including women, children and infants. Some of the torture and bloodletting was so extreme, we are not going to mention it here in this article.
but readers who want to know can do some in depth internet research on the “red terror” or the “bolshevik cheka” or watch the classic movie “the checkist” which is available on http://www.Youtube.Com.
the rothschild khazarian mafia (km) once again decided to sheep-dip themselves and infiltrated and hijacked all judaism:
the rothschild km created a master plan to control all of judaism and mind-kontrol judaics. The rothschild km has hijacked judaism, patterned it off of babylonian talmudism (luciferianism or satanism), and gained control over the banking and wall street professions in general, congress, the major mass media; along with most wealth and economic means of success.
thus, the rothschild km could pass out wealth and success to those judaics who drank their kool-aide and use them as cutouts, assets and sayanims. In this manner, the rothschilds hijacked judaism.
their financing of the israeli knesset and construction of it using freemason occult architecture displayed their commitment to the occult and babylonian talmudism and all the evil accompanying it, including child sacrifice to their secret god baal. They set up a nwo system called world zionism which taught and inculcated susceptible judaics with a paranoid group delusion of racial superiority, which assumed that all gentiles were intent on mass-murdering all judaics.
they called this racially-paranoid mass judaic delusion of world conquest, “world zionism”, which is really a form of covert babylonian talmudism or luciferianism that had been unknown to mainstream judaics. The system was designed to use judaics as cover, but also to anoint them with babylonian money-power, in order to use them as cutouts, and to later be sacrificed to lucifer in two stages.
the first stage would be a their planned wwii in nazi work camps, cut off from supplies, resulting in the deaths of about 200,000 judaics from starvation and disease, along with about 90,000 non-judaic inmates from the same causes, according to respected red cross official figures. This number is 5% of what the khazarian mafia (aka the world zionists) claim.
the second great sacrifice would be a final one, when their new world order luciferian king would be placed into power, and when all three abrahamic religions would be eradicated — especially judaism, which would be blamed for all the wars and destruction of the world.
by then, the rothschilds would once again morph themselves into a complete new identity not associated with judaism in any form, not even world zionism.
it is important to realize that the rothschild km took germany down to nothing after wwi, created a vacuum for fascism, and then rebuilt it, creating naziism and installing hitler as a counter-force to their russian bolshevism.
hitler became a problem for the km when he broke free and begin acting in the interests of the german people and the free people of the world, and developed his own banking system free of the rothschilds.
hitler introduced a financial system that was free of usury and beneficial to the working class. This mandated the utter destruction of germany and the german people, because the rothschilds and the khazarians could never allow an economic system that did not depend upon usury to exist.
we see the same thing today with the khazarian war against islam, because islam forbids usury. That is why israel is so vocal and aggressive about destroying the islamic people of the world.
the km expected this to be a large wwii and when they supported both sides, this could be used to industrialize the whole world and maximize their bankster money-power.
the rothschild km then bribed and induced members of congress to send american soldiers to their pre-stage and engineered wwi:
as a continuance of their well-proven pattern of financing both sides in any war to maximize profits, the acquisition of more federal tax monies and increased international power, the rothschild khazarians once again bribed, blackmailed and induced members of congress to declare war against germany in 1917.
this was facilitated by a km false-flag attack with the sinking of the lusitania.
the rothschild km has since developed the usual pattern of covertly staging false-flag attacks as a standard operating procedure for inducing americans to fighting wars for the khazarian mafia.
after wwii was finished, the rothschild km deployed the cold war, and used this as an excuse to bring nazi scientists and mind-kontrol experts to america under operation paperclip.
this allowed them to set up a worldwide spying and espionage system that far exceeded any of their prior efforts.
under this new system, they continue to infiltrate and hijack all american institutions, including the various american church systems, freemasonry (especially the scottish rite and york rite), the us military, us intel, and most private defense contractors, the judiciary and most agencies of the usg, including most state governments, and both major political parties as well.
the rothschild km sets up nazi work camps as a pretext to later manipulate the allies into granting them their own private colony in palestine, using land stolen from the palestinians:
the rothschild km was able to use their self mis-labelled, so-called “holocaust” to serve as a mind-kontrol trigger to thwart and resist any criticism of their zionist ways.
the truth of the matter was that the rothschild km set up the nazi work camps to make huge profits for their corporations that ran their work camps and supplied their nazi war machine.
once the rothschild km gained their own private homeland in israel in 1947 through their covert political manipulations, they began to secretly view all of palestine as their new khazaria, and began plotting how to genocide all the palestinians and steal all of palestine for themselves. Their plans include their fantasy of constructing a “greater israel” by taking over the whole middle east and manipulating dumb american goyim to fight and die on their behalf, taking all the arab lands for israel and the khazarian mafia (km), so they can asset strip their wealth and natural resources, especially their crude oil.
recent peer-reviewed johns hopkins genetic research by a respected judaic md shows that 97.5% of judaics living in israel have absolutely no ancient hebrew dna, are therefore not semites, and have no ancient blood ties to the land of palestine at all. By contrast, 80% of palestinians carry ancient hebrew dna and thus are real semites, and have ancient blood ties to palestinian land. This means that the real anti-semites are the israelis who are stealing palestinian lands in order to build israeli settlements, and it is the israelis who are the ones tyrannizing and mass-murdering innocent palestinians.
the rothschild km decides to morph again and expand their ranks:
in the meantime the rothschild km realized that they could not stay hidden much longer from the public unless they morphed again and expanded their secret leadership.
so they worked hard to further infiltrate and hijack freemasonry and its secret offshoots, and inducted top members into their pedophile network and child sacrifice rituals.
also, key members of congress were inducted into their secret satanic network by giving them special power, high usg, military and intel positions, accompanied by great monetary rewards and high status. Massive km espionage fronts using israeli-american “israeli-first” dual citizens as cutouts were set up inside america to funnel the khazarian banksters’ counterfeit money to politicians for their election campaigns, in order to own and control them when elected.
the rothschild km decides to mind-kontrol the american masses to make it much easier to manipulate them into approving their illegal, unconstitutional unprovoked, undeclared, unwinnable, perpetual wars needed to make huge profits and gain more world power:
the rothschild km decided to gain complete control over all public education by setting up the department of education and creating globalist and socialist curriculums based on political correctness, diversity and “perversion is normal” teachings. Fluoride is added to the public water and toothpaste, and dentists are mind-kontrolled to believe that fluoride prevents cavities, and is not harmful to brain function or thyroid function, which it is.
the addition of fluoride to the public water supply and to toothpaste is to dumb-down americans by on average lowering the operational iq and making folks much more docile than they would normally be. Programs to develop and deploy vaccinations to dumb-down children and create huge numbers of future chronic health problems were initiated.
doctors have been mind-kontrolled and misled by biased research that was cherry-picked, ignoring any studies that were negative — and that included most of them. All vaccine cell lines are contaminated with sv-40, a known carcinogenic slow-acting virus.
the km used its monetary power to gain control over all of the allopathic medical schools, and set up and controlled the american medical association and other medical societies, in order to make sure their agenda based on lies and deceit was continued.
part of this massive plan to dumb-down and mind-kontrol the american masses was the km’s buying up and consolidating all the american mass media into six controlled major mass media (cmmm), owned and controlled by their cutouts on their behalf. The cmmm functions as an illegal news cartel, and it should be broken up under antitrust laws and for inflicting espionage and illegal propaganda as a weapon of war against the american people.
the rothschild km chieftains decide that it is time to use america to complete their final take-down and occupation of the whole world by instituting a major false-flag attack inside america to blame on the islamics whom they want america to wrongly attack on their behalf:
so the km chieftains use their top israeli-american “israeli-first” dual citizens living in america (aka, the pnacers and top neocon cutouts) to plan a major nuclear attack on america on 9-11-01.
bibi netanyahu, the operational head of the km, deployed the mossad and these dual citizens to set up and institute this attack on america which was to be blamed by the cmmm on muslims.
they informed their top rabbis and “friends of world zionism” not to fly on that day and to stay out of nyc, as did “larry silverstein”, one of the primary men involved in the operation.
they used their main cutout in the dod to lure the able danger investigators to the pentagon naval intel meeting room, where they would be assassinated by a tomahawk cruise missile that was fired from an israeli dolphin class diesel submarine bought from germany.
thirty-five of the able danger investigators who were investigating and tracking the israeli theft of 350 decommissioned w-54 davy crockett nuclear pits out of the backdoor at pantex in texas were murdered by this tomahawk hit, which was timed with the detonation of bombs pre-planted in the naval intel wing, which was newly hardened to no avail.
the israeli mossad front company, urban moving systems, was used to transport the mini-nukes made from the stolen w-54 nuclear pits from pantex (and originally made at the hanford processing plant), where they were stored in the israeli embassy in nyc and transported to the twin towers for detonation on 9-11-01.Baal aka moloch, lucifer, satan. Take your pick it’s the same evil spirit that wants to mass-murder all humans. In exchange for doing his “dirty work” he rewards those allow him to snatch their souls by giving them incredible riches, fame and power. This is the secret blood contract called “selling one’s soul.”
the incredibly evil secret agenda of the khazarian mafia (km) is now revealed publicly for the very first time by veterans today’s own gordon duff. We now know that bibi netanyahu ran the nuclear attack on america on 9-11-01 and did it as an overall khazarian mafia (km) agenda.
hold on to your chair, this is very big secret and explains a lot of what has been going on inside america, all caused by israel and the khazarian mafia (km) which has infiltrated almost all of americas institutions of government and society.
now for the first time ever the very specific secret incredibly evil agenda of the khazarian mafia (km) is going to be revealed, thanks to an interview that mike harris had with veterans today senior editor and director gordon duff on his talk-show “the short end of the stick” on 3-10-15.
i have heard a lot of shocking insider’s secrets over the years but this one really takes the cake and explains exactly what israel and its minions in america have been to us on behalf of the rothschild khazarian mafia (km) that has screwed up almost every aspect of our lives creating a poor economy, lots of unemployment and underemployment, massive crime, alcoholism and drug, screwed up schools that dumb down the kids, various eugenics programs like fluoride in the public water and toothpaste, and mercury in vaccines which are a big fraud, and rampant political corruption.
this interview is now sending shock-waves around the world and when you consider the content that gordon duff disclosed for the first time anywhere publicly, you will be shocked. And you will understand that bibi netanyahu is the operational head of the khazarian mafia (km) and was the one that ordered and supervised the israeli nuclear attack on america on 9-11-01.
in this interview gordon duff disclosed from a written transcript of what was said at a meeting between bibi netanyahu and american traitor and some other spies in 1990. Gordon duff disclosed that netanyahu was a kgb spy like jonathan pollard. And we know now that israel was started as a satellite of bolshevik russia and was quite unhappy when the soviet union fell.
benjamin netanyahu was meeting in at finks bar in jerusalem, a well-known mossad watering-hole. Here is what he said as taken directly from the transcript of the recording which was witnessed and has been 100% fully authenticated:
“if we get caught they will just replace us with persons of the same cloth. So it doesn’t matter what you do, america is a golden calf and we will suck it dry, chop it up, and sell it off piece by piece until there is nothing left but the world’s biggest welfare state that we will create and control. Why? Because it’s god’s will and america is big enough to take the hit so we can do it again, again and again. This is what we do to countries that we hate. We destroy them very slowly and make them suffer for refusing to be our slaves.”
this is exactly what the rothschild khazarian mafia (km) has been doing to america since it successfully infiltrated and hijacked america in 1913. Knowledge of what bibi said on behalf of the rothschild khazarian mafia (km) should make us all furious and get motivated to drive these evil creatures out of america and take our great republic back.
when bibi netanyahu mentions god’s will, the god he was referring to is baal (also known as the great owl or moloch), the god these khazarians believe requires them to worship him by constant bloodletting and painful human sacrifice and mass-murder and that if they “sell their souls” to baal (aka lucifer or satan) do this they will be rewarded with incredible riches, fame and great power. When they “sell their souls” what actually happens is that their souls are snatched away and they become inhuman or soulless and take on the characteristics of baal, that is they become increasingly psychopathic and evil.
what bibi netanyahu was discussing was the upcoming nuclear attack on america on 9-11-01, and when he mentioned “they will just replace us” he was referring to the top circle of twelve, the group he answers to that veterans today’s own columnist and talk show host stew webb disclosed to the world by identifying 11 of the 12 who call themselves the “illuminati” or “disciples of satan.” These men do semi-annual child sacrifice in denver and eat the hearts of children, drink their blood after they pedophile them.
folks, we must get this information out to everyone we can, then unite and drive these soulless baal worshiping scum out of every nook and cranny of america and bring them all to justice and final judgement for all their incredible evil.
anyone who understands what bibi netanyahu thinks of americans as a golden calf to asset strip and slaughter should be enraged and driven to community organizing, and political action against israeli espionage inside america through the federal reserve system, aipac, jinsa, the defense policy board, the cfr and the like.
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the rothschild km planted has 25 nukes in major american cities and other major cities in europe in order to blackmail the associated government. This is referred to as their samson option, and was first discovered and disclosed by seymour hersh:
the rothschild km also gained some s-19 and s-20 warheads from a corrupt member of congress assigned the task to buy up ukrainian mirvs on behalf of the usg in order to decommission them. Instead, he sold them to the israelis and split the money with other key congressmen involved.
this is high treason and a capital offense punishable by execution. Right after their attack on america, the rothschild km told the us administration that they would detonate city-buster sized nukes in some american cities, including dc, if the administration refused to allow israel to create their own large police state occupation force inside america, based on the consolidation of all american law enforcement and alphabets under one central israeli control.
this new israeli occupation force called homeland security (dhs) was initially run by dual citizens and perverts. Former dhs director janet napolitano is being sued for sexual harassment of men working at dhs whom she ordered to move their offices into the men’s lavatory.
dual citizen traitor michael chertoff, (a name translated from russian as “son of the devil”), was the criminal mastermind that set up dhs, along with former head of the east german stasi, marcus wolfe, who was hired as a special consultant and died mysteriously as soon as his mission was completed.
the rothschild km never thought they would get exposed for their nuclear attack on america on 9-11-11, but they made one of the biggest tactical mistakes in history and overplayed their hand from excess hubris, based on too much easy success due to their extreme money power in the past.
soon mainstream america will know that bibi netanyahu and his likudist party deployed the attack on america on 9-11-01 on behalf of the rothschild km:
they thought that they had complete control over the cmmm and could prevent any of the secret iaea and sandia labs investigation from ever being released to the american public.
they made a serious tactical error, because now the truth about their role in the 9-11-01 attack on america is being published on the worldwide internet, the world’s new gutenberg press. What the rothschild km did not understand was the power of the internet and how truth-nuggets published and broadcast on it resonate with the people of the world and spread like wildfire, at the speed of light. Truth is being diffused to the masses everywhere.
this incredible tactical error by the km is so great that it will actually doom them to the complete exposure and eventual complete destruction they deserve. Bibi netanyahu’s order to proceed and deliver the nuclear attack on america on 9-11-01 will go down in history as one of the km’s biggest mistakes, and the one that will be blamed for their exposure and destruction by the world that is now ganging up against them.
the russians have now leaked the iaea and sandia labs and able danger files given to them by edward snowden. Soon all of these files will be provided to all americans and the world via the internet, and this cannot be stopped.
a number of russians in the high military command in russia, and in the highest positions of leadership in the russian government realize that it was the same organized crime cabal that organized the khazarians into bolsheviks to mass-murder 100 million innocent russians — and these men want payback.
that is why they are making sure that the rothschild banksters will be put out of business, which will decapitate the khazarian mafia from its endless, elastic counterfeit money supply. This is why the brics development bank was created — to replace the us petro dollar as the world’s reserve currency, but this one, unlike the us petro dollar is backed by gold, silver and real commodities, with no counterfeiting allowed.
the cmmm is failing, and most americans no longer believe any of their prime-time national stories, especially the under-thirty crowd, who cherry pick facts from the internet and construct their own beliefs.
so many internet users now reject the cmmm that the truth about the israelis attacking america on 9-11-01 is becoming easier each day to believe. Soon all of mainstream america will know that bibi netanyahu and his mossad and dual citizens did the 9-11-01 attack on america.
the american military high command knows that bibi netanyahu ordered his mossad and stateside dual citizens to attack america using nukes on 9-11-01 on behalf of the rothschild khazarian mafia (km):
various deep cover covert operations are now being deployed globally to expose and decapitate the rothschild km from their endless, elastic money supply.
their days of anti-human power are now limited. The secret, incredibly well-trained us team called the “nuclear snake-eaters” is now hard at work searching all incoming israeli diplomatic pouches and shipments; driving by and flying over synagogues and israeli embassies and mossad safe-houses with high tech gamma ray and helium-3 neutron detectors; and using ultra high-tech custom-tuned and -focused satellites to search for any stored nuclear pits, as well as working hard to recover all stolen nuclear pits by the israelis anywhere in the world outside of israel.
this super-elite team was alerted by michael shrimpton’s phone call to mi-6 notifying them that an israeli “city buster” was planted near the olympic stadium. This call wrongly has landed him in jail. The city buster was recovered by the “nuclear snake-eaters”, who entered england and recovered and disarmed a large city buster. Sadly mi-6, wanted this nuke detonated in order to gain more power for the khazarian mafia in england — their home base inside the city of london financial district — since it has been losing power fast.
a secret name for these km chieftains which run much of the world out of the city of london is gog and magog, despite what so many historians believe is the secret name of russia which it is not. It is the secret name of the top km, and apparently represents where they originally came from.
the secret team of super-elite “nuclear snake-eaters” is ready to be deployed to israel anytime, should the nation collapse after most european corporations divest from israel, and the us cuts off all aid, in order to comply with american law. It is illegal to give aid to a nation that has nukes, and which has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation agreement. Israel has nukes detectable from satellite-based helium-3 sensors and has never admitted it, nor has it signed the nuclear non-proliferation agreement. We must all demand that our congress and administration obey the law and immediately cut off all aid monetary and military aid to israel, and arrest all israeli espionage front directors of aipac, jinsa, the defense policy board, the “joint” in nyc, and the adl, etc.
it is unknown but suspected that a significant number of these stolen nukes have been already recovered. It has been reported by insiders that a very solemn message was communicated to bibi netanyahu and his likudists, as well as all top members of israeli espionage fronts in america, like aipac, jinsa, the defense policy board, the adl and the like.
what was this serious warning? If insider reports are accurate, these folks were told that if there is one more israeli based false-flag attack, those who ordered it or were involved will be hunted down under american national security and eliminated, and the israeli defense structures associated with such will be turned to dust.
the rest of rothschild km history will likely be determined by you:
the future of the rothschild km will likely be determined by veterans today readers and we the people who learn the secret, forbidden history of the khazarian mafia that was excised from the history books and libraries by the km to protect their evil history that no one would accept if it was known.
so share this story with your family, friends and associates and take it viral. Be clear about this — unless the km is able to operate in abject secrecy, it will be attacked from all sides and destroyed forever. So take away their secrecy by exposing their hidden history for all americans to know and understand.
that is why they have worked so hard to buy up and control the cmmm and public mass education including colleges and universities, to make sure the people of the world would never find out about their secret evil, which is so inhuman, so homicidal that the whole world would gang up on them and attack them from all sides at every level they exist at.
the big question remains: was the true cause of leaders of the khazarian mafia’s incredible evil and savagery toward the human race a byproduct or nature or nurture? Some believe that this gross parasitism and inclination to mass-murder, engage in pedophilia and child bloodletting and child sacrifice is due to a toxic culture, best described as malignant tribalism, characterized by a paranoid group racial superiority delusion. Others think the leaders of the km are the bloodline of cain, that is, “children of cain”, that are the devil’s own and have absolutely no soul or human conscience, but are pure predators like a wild beast — while at the same time being incredibly two-faced, that is able to put on a good con and a nice face on the outside. Perhaps it could be both factors. In any case, it is time to expose this evil, the greatest evil the world has ever experienced. It is time for the world to work together to eradicate this problem now and forever, by whatever means necessary.
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mike harris is the financial editor of veterans today, a radio host, a former gop finance chairman, gubernatorial candidate for arizona, and a senior vice president of adamus defense group, switzerland. Mike is an expert in full-contact mixed martial arts. His long term expertise in such has gained him a lot of respect and the nickname “iron mike”. Mike was a part of the veterans today group that attended the damascus conference to combat terrorism and religious extremism. Mike gave about twenty five televised interviews that were broadcast to millions of viewers in syria, iraq, lebanon and iran. In these interviews mike emphasized and supported the historical declaration by keynote speaker, veterans today senior editor and chairman gordon duff that the real problem behind world terrorism is a large organized crime syndicate.
for those who have time and interest on the head of the khazarian mafia (km) snake.
___http://www.Veteranstoday.Com/2015/03/08/the-hidden-history-of-the-incredibly-evil-khazarian-mafia/
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| The Bidenomics Atrocity: 7 Migrant Jobs for Each American Job |
| Posted on Saturday, February 22 @ 00:00:12 PST (0 reads) | |
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The bidenomics atrocity: 7 migrant jobs for each american job ? The results are in: the democratic party’s bidenomics strategy produced a disastrous score of just 160,000 extra jobs for americans during each year of president joe biden’s presidency.
president joe biden’s dismal bidenomics also created jobs for 4.7 million migrants — including almost three million illegals, according to federal data collected by the center for immigration studies and reported on february 7.
so bidenomics created 7.3 migrant jobs for every job gained by an american, even as it also exploded the national debt by $8 trillion .
bidenomics also flatlined wages, spiked housing costs, and slowed workplace investment.
the bidenomics 7:1 policy — 4.7 million jobs for migrants, 645,000 for americans — was deliberate.
bidenomics deliberately stranded millions of working-age americans outside the workforce, without jobs or prospects, often homeless and on drugs, and usually dependent on expensive government aid.
“the share of working-age (16 to 64) u.S.-Born men not in the labor force — neither working nor looking for work — is likely 22.1 percent in january 2025 and remains near a historic high for an economic expansion,” the center for immigration studies reported february 7. The 22 percent — one in five! — Is far above the 16.6 percent seen in january 2000.
if biden and congress had cared, roughly 5 million working-age american men could have been found, trained to use work-multiplying machinery, de-toxified, put back on their feet, and hired into starter jobs.
but biden’s deputies repeatedly showed that they favored importing more migrants than the once-normal option of helping millions of ordinary americans get ready for high-productivity jobs.
“as our economy grows, we need workers that we just don’t have enough of,” katie tobin, the senior director for transborder security on the national security council, told a d.C. Audience in may 2023. “So it is in our interest to bring people in and to stay competitive globally.”
“we look to the north, with canada,” migration czar alejandro mayorkas told a texas audience in september:
canada takes a look at its market needs, and it says, “you know what? We need 700,000 foreign workers to address our labor needs domestically.” And, so, they build a visa system for that year to address the current market condition. And they say, “we’re going to bring in a million people.” And it’s market sensitive.
we [in the united states] are dealing with numerical caps on labor-driven visas that were set in 1996. It’s 2024. The world has changed. It is remarkable how there can be [elite] agreement that [the visas system] is broken and not have an agreement on a solution. The country is suffering as a result of it. Click to expand...
during their four years, buden’s deputies replaced those americans with a flood of roughly 9 million southern migrants, roughly three million legal airport migrants, and roughly 4 million temporary migrants. Those airport arrivals included roughly 1.5 million white-collar workers carrying h-1b, j-1, l-1, and opt/ead visa documents that allow them to take jobs from american college graduates.
that huge inflow displaced many americans from jobs, cities, and the workforce. The displacement was so massive that the share of americans who held jobs arguably declined during biden’s years . In a chart posted by harvard economist jason furman, the other countries that did badly on that measure were the migration-flooded united kingdom, canada, and germany.
mayorkas, tobin, and biden’s other deputies had several reasons to prefer inviting migrants over helping their fellow americans.
first, migration is a rapid way to expand the national pool of consumers, workers, and renters before the next election. Migration means there is no need to wait 25 years for americans to marry, raise their kids, and get them into jobs. Their get-rich-quick policy worked; the inflow of migrants quickly expanded the economy, creating a rush of extra profits and new stock values for investors — even as the rush of migrants pushed down wages and pushed up housing costs for ordinary americans.
second, the rush of migrants held down the wage-driven inflation once the gusher of biden spending spilled into pay packets and weekly wages. That was good for the white house’s friends on wall street. For example, goldman sachs celebrated the inflow of wage-cutting migrants because it would reduce inflation.
third, biden’s deputies favored more migration because it reduced the pressure on employers to divert their profits and stock values toward greater workplace productivity.
normally, productivity improvements — such as better-skilled workers, swifter robots, and subtle software — are very desirable because they generate both extra profits for ceos and higher wages for workers. However, productivity improvements are expensive, so they reduce near-term quarterly profits, stock values, and executive bonuses. This means that most investors are loath to invest in productivity — especially because the government has deliberately helped them by extracting millions of workers and consumers from poor countries since 1990.
the results of this cheap labor vs productivity trade-off can be tracked over a few years. For example, the loss of migrant labor during trump’s first-term crackdown and the coronavirus disease “spurred approximately an additional $55 billion in investment in the u.S. Economy,” the federal reserve bank of st. Loius reported in june 2024. But the investment fell — and so did productivity gains — once biden’s deputies flooded the labor market with cheap migrant workers.
basically, biden’s team stuffed the economy with more federal dollars, unproductive workers, consumers, and renters — and the stock market zoomed to record levels. Morningstar.Com reported :
the 46th president of the united states is bringing his time at the white house to a close with the s&p 500 spx up over 55% since he took office on jan. 20, 2021. The dow jones industrial average djia advanced more than 39% over the same period, while the tech-heavy nasdaq composite comp jumped nearly 46%, according to dow jones market data. Click to expand...
but there was a flaw. The migrant workers also need to sleep and eat, and so they fuelled rent, housing, and food inflation far more than biden’s deputies expected. “On net [after inflation], real wages have fallen since january 2021.” Former white house economist furman wrote in a february 10 article for foreign affairs. Once inflation ate into wages, ordinary americans averaged a wage gain of less than half a percent during biden’s four years.
furman’s economic analysis is titled “ the post-neoliberal delusion and the tragedy of bidenomics .”
the analysis is echoed by one of elon musk’s investor friends, chamath palihapitiya. He is an immigrant from sri lanka who founded social capital , which seeks to make money from the health, financial services, and education sectors.
ironically, trump and his gop deputies gained many new jobs in january 2025 when the understandably angry voters defenestrated biden and his deputies in november.
despite the obvious damage and chaos, the establishment’s media is still hiding the biden/mayorkas economic disaster from citizens, mostly by posting sympathetic stories urging americans to empathize with unlucky but hard-working migrants.
on february 4, the washington post reported on two imported workers who mayorkas “paroled” into u.S. Jobs to reduce the pressure on u.S. Employers to raise wages:
among them were a 25-year-old man from the boston area who asked that his name not be used, because he, his wife and their 3-year-old daughter fear losing their temporary protection and being deported to venezuela. He said they fled extreme poverty and fear under the authoritarian regime of nicolás maduro in 2023, and trekked for three months through a hazardous jungle and north into mexico in order to reach the u.S. Border.
in venezuela, he worked as a construction worker for $30 a week, unable to pay for basics such as milk. In massachusetts, he earns $180 a day working on a demolition crew and moonlights cleaning at a hotel. His wife also has a job cleaning at a hotel. He said trump is wrongly portraying venezuelans as criminals. “We came to this country to work,” he said. Click to expand...
for the moment, president donald trump is helping to fix the mess by blocking the arrival of mayorkas’ illegal and quasi-legal migrants. He is also helping by deporting perhaps 1,000 migrants a day, starting with criminals and migrants who have lost their legal appeals to stay.
predictably, establishment media outlets worry that trump’s shutdown of the mayorkas migration might raise wages for ordinary americans. For example, politico.Com reported on february 7 that “a broad-based crackdown on immigrants could slow the economy’s expansion and choke off a supply of workers that kansas city fed researchers and others say have alleviated staffing shortages and eased wage pressures [emphasis added].”
rationally, business lobbyists are now working to ensure mayorkas’ roughly 9 million illegals can stay — and to ensure the continued inflow of more migrants and visa workers.
on february 10, businessinsider.Com reported that a “make america wealthy again” [mawa] lobbying campaign seeks to persuade trump to keep most migrants:
“trump as a businessman understands that if he doesn’t have 200 guys cutting the grass at his golf courses, then they don’t look right, and people won’t want to play golf there,” says cristina antelo, the founding principal at ferox strategies, a lobbying firm that counts the national retail federation, walmart, and the tobacco giant reynolds america among its clients. “There’s a way to get to trump and make him realize that. How many businesses does he need to hear from before he’s like, ‘crap, i really am going to paralyze the entire us labor market if i do this’?”
the mawa plan is to apply pressure on business allies in trump’s inner circle, rather than on the president directly, and to steer clear of stephen miller, the administration’s most outspoken anti-immigration hard-liner. “Stephen miller won’t ever be convinced. Forget that,” says a lobbyist from a prominent trade association. “But trump can be convinced not to screw over fellow businesspeople. Miller isn’t the only dude who has trump’s ear.”
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in addition, lobbyists have already begun reaching out to members of congress and their staffs — both on capitol hill and in their districts back home — via phone, zoom, and in-person meetings. Several lobbyists describe a campaign of “shock and awe,” one that will seek to apply “1,000 points of pressure” to gop members of congress who understand that immigrants are willing to take low-paying, high-risk jobs that are shunned by most americans. Among those being targeted is rep. Glenn thompson of pennsylvania, who chairs the house agriculture committee. Click to expand...
trump’s voters backed him because he seemed to promise he would make americans great again — not just america.
if he resists pro-migration pressure from businesses, he may show americans how a low-migration policy of “tight labor” can create greater productivity, higher wages, more trade, more innovation, and a stronger economy, as blackrock ceo larry fink argues .
but trump is zig-zagging under lobbying pressure from people such as elon musk.
on sunday, february 9, for example, trump again touted a misleading article that defended the h-1b visa program which has been used since 1990 to push millions of american graduates — and their families — out of good careers.
the wall street journal article echoed mayorkas as claimed “u.S. Companies find it crucial … and [because] one way to reduce illegal immigration is to allow more legal pathways to meet the needs of the u.S. Economy.”
trump has yet to issue a formal policy statement on the increasingly unpopular inflow of white-collar visa workers.
but he may be forced to show his cards this week at his white house meeting with india’s prime minister . |
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| Missoula Police Uncover Drugs, Weapons, and Explosives |
| Posted on Saturday, February 22 @ 00:00:12 PST (0 reads) | |
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Missoula police uncover drugs, weapons, and explosives
missoula, mt (kgvo-am news) - on february 12, 2025, a missoula police department detective applied for and was granted a search warrant for the apartment of 21-year-old kolten ewart. The detective was conducting a follow-up on a report of a minor female, jane doe, who disclosed that she had been drugged and raped by ewart in his apartment.
doe reported that she knows ewart deals drugs such as ‘shrooms, xanax, and marijuana and further stated she observed ewart to be in possession of shrooms previously. Officers arrived and executed the search warrant on ewart’s apartment. Ewart was found inside the apartment and was detained.
officers located a large safe in the back room of the apartment. The detective located several pounds of an over-the-counter explosive known as “tannerite” on top of the safe. While searching the safe, the detective found a box containing a large amount of cash.
recognizing that his warrant did not include property subject to forfeiture, the detective applied for and was granted an additional warrant. Officers seized large empty needles, an ammunition can with various rounds of ammunition, a plastic bag that contained what later tested presumptively positive for cocaine, and a .22 caliber revolver.
the detective also located a black backpack at the bottom of the safe. The backpack contained mdma, a wrapped-up piece of tinfoil with red translucent plastic paper, and a bag of ketamine.
the detective noted that the paper appeared to be precut pull tabs, which he suspected to be lsd. Within the main compartment of the backpack, the detective located a large zipper bag of psilocybin mushrooms. In the bottom of the safe, the detective located a louis vuitton box which contained $988, and an open plastic bag that contained more psilocybin mushrooms.
read more: missoula news - crime reports
while searching the kitchen of the apartment, the detective located a black dropper bottle with trace amounts of a dark brown liquid inside. Additionally, the detective located a package that was shipped to ewart and contained nine “dance safe drug checking kits.”
while searching the bathroom, the detective located various pill bottles that were prescribed to ewart and one that did not have a name present but was found to be an empty bottle of xanax. Within another bedroom of the apartment, the detective seized several items related to the ongoing investigation of the rape, as well as a black ordnance ar-style rifle. The detective noted the rifle contained an extra-long magazine with rounds in the magazine.
following the search, ewart was placed under arrest and was informed that the detective’s search warrant also allowed him to obtain a dna reference sample for ewart. Ewart asked what would happen if he refused to provide a sample. The detective responded that he would be held down and a sample would be taken from him. Ewart allowed the detective to obtain a sample.
ewart is currently being charged with felony criminal possession with intent to distribute and three counts of felony unlawful use/possession of property subject to criminal forfeiture. His bond was set at $25,000.
the information in this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.
look: highest-paying jobs in missoula that dont require a college degree
stackerranked the 50 highest-paying jobs in missoula that dont require a college degree, using annual compensation data from the
bureau of labor statistics.
gallery credit: stacker |
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| Big Ss Sudden Passing: Urgent Call to Combat Deadly Bacteria After Flu - Chinese |
| Posted on Saturday, February 22 @ 00:00:12 PST (0 reads) | |
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Deadly duo: influenza and streptococcus pneumoniae fuel pneumonia deaths pneumonia claims over 16,000 lives annually in china, ranking as the third leading cause of death. This alarming statistic highlights the urgent need for increased awareness and preventative measures. More than 20% of community-acquired pneumonia cases involve streptococcus pneumoniae , a bacterium capable of causing severe, even fatal, pneumonia. The recent death of a prominent female star from influenza and pneumonia underscores this critical public health concern.
the deadly synergy between influenza and bacterial pneumonia is a notable factor in these fatalities.Dr. Qiu zhengxun, chairman of the taiwan society of child infectious diseases, explains that influenza can trigger two types of pneumonia complications. In adults and the elderly, influenza can induce an immune storm , damaging lung barriers and allowing bacteria to invade. This can lead to “ big white lung ,” a severe condition characterized by acute lung infection and inflammation, potentially accompanied by sepsis. When the patient develops “big white lungs,” lung respiratory failure will occur, and severe treatments such as intubation and leukemia are required, dr.Qiu zhengxun stated. This severe form of pneumonia carries a high mortality rate, especially among the elderly and immunocompromised.
children, though, experience different complications. Influenza in children can sometimes cause rare conditions like myocarditis, pericarditis, or encephalitis, as well as persistent bacterial infections such as otitis media, sinusitis, and pneumonia. Pneumonia in children is more manifested as a continuous bacterial infection, which means that the complications of pneumonia will be different in the performance of adults and children, dr. Qiu zhengxun noted.While adults can also experience these persistent infections, the frequency differs between age groups.
streptococcus pneumoniae : the primary culprit among the bacteria causing these secondary infections, streptococcus pneumoniae stands out as a major threat. Simply put, influenza will cause continuous bacterial infections, and streptococcus pneumoniae is the biggest demon! This bacterium can cause pneumonia, and its presence after an influenza infection warrants serious attention. Even without influenza, streptococcus pneumoniae can cause illness ranging from mild upper and lower respiratory tract discomfort to severe complications like pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis.
high-risk groups and treatment streptococcus pneumoniae , a gram-positive bacterium with a capsular membrane, has over 90 known serotypes, with approximately 30 causing human infections. High-risk groups for severe invasive infections include individuals with spleen dysfunction or resection, congenital or acquired immunodeficiency (including hiv), artificial ear implants, chronic diseases (kidney, heart, lung, diabetes, liver disease, cirrhosis), alcohol or tobacco use, cerebrospinal fluid leaks, and those undergoing immunosuppressant therapy or radiation treatment for cancer or organ transplants.These individuals, with their compromised immune systems, are notably vulnerable and should prioritize vaccination.
the world health organization (who) classifies streptococcus pneumoniae as a “superbug” due to its increasing antibiotic resistance. While treatment options exist, they frequently enough require third-generation cephalosporin antibiotics or stronger medications. Dr. Qiu zhengxun emphasizes the importance of prevention through vaccination,stating, although there are still drugs that can treat streptococcus pneumoniae ,when using antibiotics is restricted,prevention is still the key to treating treatment,and vaccination is the best protection.
vaccination: the most effective defense in 2023, taiwan’s government initiated a public-funded vaccination program for individuals over 65 and high-risk groups. This program includes a streptococcus pneumoniae conjugate vaccine (pcv13/pcv15) followed by a polysaccharide vaccine (ppv23) a year later. Infants also receive a pcv13/pcv15 vaccination schedule starting at two months of age. Director wu zhixing, of the department of family medicine at chengda medical college, explains that while many serotypes exist, only about one-third are highly toxic and cause significant human infection. Vaccines target these most perilous serotypes, with newer versions offering broader protection. The 15-valent vaccine, such as, specifically targets serotype 3, a particularly problematic strain.
the benefits of vaccination are clear: administering the streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine can reduce the chance of infection with streptococcus pneumoniae and can also reduce the severity of the infection, dr. Wu zhixing stated. He highlights the challenges posed by serotype 3,which has immune-escape characteristics. The 15-valent vaccine offers protection against this strain, and even those who have received the 13-valent vaccine may benefit from receiving the 15-valent version for enhanced protection. Dr. Wu zhixing recommends simultaneous influenza and streptococcus pneumoniae vaccination, especially for high-risk individuals and frequent travelers.
interview: decoding the deadly duo: influenza and streptococcus pneumoniae’s role in pneumonia deaths a deadly partnership: understanding the impact of influenza and streptococcus pneumoniae on pneumonia fatalities editor: welcome. Today, we delve into the intricate relationship between influenza and streptococcus pneumoniae and how they fuel pneumonia deaths , an issue that demands global attention and action. To start, can you explain why this combination is especially deadly?
expert: the conjunction of influenza and streptococcus pneumoniae is indeed lethal, but it’s the synergy of their effects that’s truly alarming. Influenza weakens the immune system and disrupts the respiratory tract’s natural defenses, making it easier for streptococcus pneumoniae , a bacteria found in the human nasopharynx, to invade and cause severe infections. This can be especially hazardous for high-risk populations such as the elderly and immunocompromised individuals, as they are more prone to the devastating effects of both diseases.
editor: dr. Qiu zhengxun spoke about “immune storms” in adults and the elderly. Could you elaborate on what these are and how they contribute to pneumonia complications?
expert: certainly. When a person falls ill with influenza, their body’s immune response can go into overdrive, leading to an “immune storm.” This phenomenon overproduces cytokines, which can cause notable tissue damage and compromise the lung’s barrier functions. As these defenses are breached, it provides an entryway for bacteria like streptococcus pneumoniae to invade and cause a condition known as “big white lung.” This involves extensive lung infection and inflammation, potentially leading to respiratory failure and a high mortality rate if not promptly and adequately treated.
editor: children experience different complications from influenza compared to adults. How do these complications manifest, and what preventive measures can be taken?
expert: children often experience a different spectrum of complications due to influenza.While adults are more susceptible to severe bacterial infections like pneumonia, children might develop conditions such as myocarditis, pericarditis, encephalitis, or persistent infections like otitis media and sinusitis. This is as the immune system of children, while more adaptable, doesn’t have the same exposure or experience to fend off these pathogens as effectively. Ensuring that children receive the influenza vaccine can help prevent these initial complications,and increased hygiene practices can mitigate the spread of infections.
editor: according to the article, streptococcus pneumoniae emerges as the key antagonist in community-acquired pneumonia cases. What makes it such a formidable pathogen?
expert: streptococcus pneumoniae is particularly formidable due to its ability to transform from a harmless commensal organism to a perilous pathogen.With over 90 known serotypes and about 30 known to cause human infections, it can lead to a range of diseases from mild respiratory discomfort to severe conditions like pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis. Its capsular membrane gives it additional defense mechanisms, making it a potent pathogen. The continuous evolution and increasing antibiotic resistance of streptococcus pneumoniae classify it as a “superbug,” necessitating vigilant measures like vaccination for control.
editor: taiwan has implemented a complete vaccination strategy targeting high-risk groups. Why is vaccination emphasized over other treatment options, particularly for streptococcus pneumoniae ?
expert: vaccination represents the most effective strategy as prevention is always more beneficial than treatment. The pneumococcal vaccines,such as pcv13/pcv15 and ppv23,are formulated to cover the serotypes most responsible for severe infections. They not only decrease the incidence of infection but also lessen the severity of any breakthrough cases. For streptococcus pneumoniae , vaccines offer protection against the most virulent serotypes, like serotype 3, which is known for its immune-escape properties. When coupled with the influenza vaccine,these pneumococcal vaccines provide a robust shield against respiratory infections,especially in vulnerable populations.
conclusion: key takeaways for public health
vaccination: the linchpin in preventing severe respiratory infections caused by the influenza and streptococcus pneumoniae duo. Public awareness: increased awareness and education about the risks, especially in high-risk groups, can lead to better preventive measures. Continued research: ongoing research into vaccines and treatments is vital as these pathogens evolve and present new challenges. We hope this conversation underscores the critical importance of vaccination and preventive strategies in combating pneumonia deaths.
the deadly duo: influenza and streptococcus pneumoniae —a lethal combination in pneumonia deaths q: what makes the combination of influenza and streptococcus pneumoniae so especially deadly?
a: the synergy between influenza and streptococcus pneumoniae creates a formidable challenge for public health. Influenza weakens the immune defenses and damages the respiratory tract, making it easier for streptococcus pneumoniae —a bacterium residing as a commensal in the human nasopharynx—to invade and cause severe infections. This is particularly dangerous for high-risk populations such as the elderly and immunocompromised individuals.Historical records show that previous pandemics, such as the 1918 flu, saw increased secondary bacterial infections, highlighting the persistent threat this combination poses.
q: could you elaborate on the concept of “immune storms” in adults and the elderly, and how they contribute to pneumonia complications?
a: certainly. During an influenza infection, the body’s immune response can become hyperactive in what’s known as an “immune storm.” This excessive activation leads to the overproduction of cytokines, which causes significant tissue damage and undermines the lungs’ barrier functions. As these defenses are compromised, streptococcus pneumoniae can invade more easily, causing a severe condition known as “big white lung.” This situation frequently enough progresses to extensive lung infection, inflammation, and possibly respiratory failure, leading to a high mortality rate if not swiftly and adequately treated.
q: how do influenza complications in children differ from those in adults, and what preventive measures can be taken?
a: children often experience a different set of complications from influenza compared to adults. While adults are more prone to severe bacterial infections like pneumonia, children might develop conditions such as myocarditis, pericarditis, encephalitis, or persistent infections like otitis media and sinusitis. Children’s immune systems, though adaptive, lack the experience to combat these pathogens as effectively as adults. Encouraging children to receive the influenza vaccine can help prevent these initial complications. Implementing enhanced hygiene practices also mitigates infection spread.
q: why is streptococcus pneumoniae considered such a formidable pathogen in community-acquired pneumonia cases?
a: streptococcus pneumoniae is formidable due to its capacity to shift from being a non-pathogenic commensal organism to a dangerous pathogen. With over 90 serotypes known, about 30 are capable of causing human infections, ranging from mild respiratory discomfort to severe conditions like pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis. Its capsular membrane provides strong defense mechanisms, increasing its virulence. Additionally, the growing antibiotic resistance leads it to be classified as a “superbug,” requiring vigilant measures such as vaccination for control. |
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| Discussing Bringing the Sea to Inland and Rural Youth initiative with Keri Kaczo |
| Posted on Saturday, February 22 @ 00:00:12 PST (0 reads) | |
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Discussing “bringing the sea to inland and rural youth” initiative with keri kaczor feb 21, 2025 1 hr ago facebook twitter whatsapp sms email print copy article link save facebook twitter whatsapp sms email print copy article link save currently in bangor 21° clear30° / 21° 10 pm 20° 11 pm 19° 12 am 18° 1 am 16° 2 am 15° storm cancellationssubmit cancellations here trending articles videos articlesseven charged in mahomes, kelce, burrow burglariesmaines top federal prosecutor firednautica malone called brother before committing suicide, left note for wifeman arrested shortly after fleeing from authoritiesnew pet justice law proposed in maineunity family will rebuild flower shop after unprecedented community support following firefour more sentenced in penobscot and aroostook county drug trafficking ring casefor nearly 20 years, one man has been the voice of hancock county high school basketball: you can never tell whats going to happenellsworth high school wrestlers raise concerns over poor conduct from parentsbangor man fatally struck by vehicle videos whats on tonight? Fox bangor image time programme 7:00 pm family feud 7:30 pm family feud 8:00 pm college basketball 10:00 pm fox 22 news at 10pm wvii image time programme 7:00 pm wheel of fortune 7:30 pm jeopardy! 8:00 pm shark tank 9:00 pm 20/20 11:00 pm abc 7 news at 11pm © copyright 2025 bangor communications - wvii-tv/wfvx-tv 371 target industrial circle, bangor, me | terms of use | privacy policy powered by blox content management system from blox digital. |
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| Alan Guebert: Were about to find out |
| Posted on Saturday, February 22 @ 00:00:12 PST (0 reads) | |
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During the final stages of building the worlds first atomic bomb, scientists at the secret new mexico research site worried that the initial test of their new weapon might ignite the atmosphere and wipe out every living thing.
the projects anxious physicists, however, considered it extremely unlikely and ultimately downplayed the possibility as a realistic threat but not an unreasonable concern.
farmers, ranchers, and rural communities are experiencing similar anxieties as the white house and congressional republicans rev up their efforts to slash federal spending. Unlike the nuclear pioneers, however, neither gop group has produced quantifiable numbers to support their views.
moreover, any voter with an internet connection can quickly disprove key claims the budgeteers are using to underwrite their claims.
for example, in the attention-grabbing jan. 27 white house directive labeled temporary pause of agency grant, loan, and other financial assistance programs, the office of management and budget (omb) predicated its spending cuts on this hardworking phrase: in the fiscal year 2024, of the nearly $10 trillion that the federal government spent…
theres a problem with that case-building opener; its simply not true. Indeed, according to the june 2024 estimate by the congressional budget office.. In fiscal 2024, the federal government spent $6.9 trillion…
so 2024 spending by the federal government — as reported by the federal government — was about 30 percent smaller than what the administrations current budget office used to justify its government-wide spending pause.
what happens when deep spending cuts and future government budgets are based on numbers that are at least 30 percent out of line with reality? Were about to find out.
in the meantime, mandated federal spending cuts are coming to rural america with or without the white house working with honest numbers. For example, the university of illinois (ui) recently reported its college of agriculture, consumer and environmental sciences received $61 million in direct federal funding last year.
how does folding up federal programs at a land grant universitys ag teaching and research umbrella affect that states farmers and rural communities? Well soon know.
caught in the washington, d.C. Crossfire is the universitys soybean innovation lab that receives vital funding from the u.S. Agency for international development, or usaid. That agency was one of the first targets for deep cuts and dramatic overhaul by the trump white house team.
after usaids mid-february gutting, peter goldsmith, the executive director of the illinois soybean research facility, announced the lab will shut down in april as [usaid] terminated its funding… thirty soybean experts working in the local lab were let go last friday.
what happens to those experts and their work– described as one of u.S. Farmers best tools to expand their markets… globally–when it is dismantled without thought, understanding or appeal?
the united states more than 500,000 soybean growers in nearly 30 states are about to find out.
and what about trade dependent american farmers; how will the recently advanced trump trade policy of reciprocity –essentially a country-by-country, eye-for-an-eye mashup of arcane, trade-killing rules–reverse u.S. Ags fast-growing trade deficit?
even more worrisome, can the pared back and still-being pared usda handle todays fast-moving avian flu outbreak before the disease discovers a pathway to a covid-like pandemic as the white house continues to cut, freeze or eliminate funding and jobs at usda testing facilities and national institutes of health research programs?
and what impact will robert f. Kennedy jr., The trump administrations newly approved secretary of health and human services, have in upcoming food debates as the boss over the food and drug administration?
no one knows, but were about to find out. |
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| Whats the status of possible tiny homes in Aiken County? |
| Posted on Saturday, February 22 @ 00:00:12 PST (0 reads) | |
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What’s the status of possible tiny homes in aiken county?
aiken, s.C. (Wrdw/wagt) - as talks of tiny homes and tiny cottages continue around the csra, aiken county appears to be close to deciding if tiny homes could appear within the county.
aiken county’s city council voted unanimously to approve the second and final reading of the tiny homes earlier this month.
the goal is to move people experiencing homelessness into tiny homes and help get them back on their feet.
a nonprofit, aiken county homeless housing, is behind the idea.
construction to begin on new trail, pedestrian bridge at augusta canal
soon, construction will begin on a $2.5 million access trail to the augusta canal from behind top golf and bass pro shop on riverwatch parkway.
aiken county homeless housing says they plan to call the tiny homes community “arbor ridge”, and it would be built on dyches road.
there’s already a contract to purchase the property. The contract is dependent on the city council’s approval of a concept plan, which they are waiting to get from aiken county homeless housing.
the community will have single and double bedrooms and a community building with laundry facilities, offices and a meeting room.
it’s all to help solve a big problem in aiken.
the recent “point in time” count shows that the homeless population is higher than ever.
finding solutions: kroger, paine college partner to stop food insecurity
one large grocery chain is joining forces with historically black colleges and universities in honor of black history month.
some say the tiny homes are a long time coming.
“several groups have been advocating for at least since 2015. My knowledge, probably even before that. But it is a much-needed idea that i hope comes to fruition,” said aiken resident jacob ellis.
now, the nonprofit is one step closer.
before the ordinance was passed on feb. 10, the smallest building that could be built for residential use had to be a minimum of 450 square feet.
the new ordinance allows certain areas to be zoned to allow tiny homes.
columbia county leaders postpone vote on tiny cottages
columbia county commissioners voted to postpone a vote on approving the land development contract to bring more than 100 tiny cottages to mullins colony in evans.
“passed an amendment to our zoning ordinance, which will allow for zoning for potential tiny homes. Before that ordinance passed the smallest building that could be built for residential use would be a standalone structure that had to be a minimum 450 square feet,” said bedenbaugh.
the proposed homes are about 160 square feet, and they are expected to build around 45 of them.
“addressing those homeless individuals that are homeless due to addiction issues to drug and alcohol and mental health issues,” said bedenbaugh.
ellis has lived in aiken his entire life, and he says the homeless population has increased.
“we do have a homeless problem and we do need to take steps to hopefully fix it and eventually get rid of the entire homeless population to help them and benefit them,” said ellis.
kimberly-clark looks to expand as aiken county passes tax incentive
kimberly-clark has been part of aiken county’s landscape for 57 years as one of the largest private employers in the area.
he says this is a big step in helping to solve the crisis.
ellis says the location of the community is what’s needed.
“most brilliant idea for a location i’ve heard of in a very long time. Will be near the mental health clinic, christ central job training, walmart. The hospital will be just a couple of blocks away. It couldn’t have been a better location,” said ellis.
aiken county homeless housing says they are taking a phased approach, where they build about 24 homes with seven single and six double in the first year. If all goes well, they plan to build nine more singles and seven more doubles. If needed, the final phase will consist of 15 more houses.
the group says they will be proposing transitional phases within the next few days.
copyright 2025 wrdw/wagt. All rights reserved. |
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| UVa Health to Continue Transgender Care For Now, New Patients Will Be Directed E |
| Posted on Saturday, February 22 @ 00:00:12 PST (0 reads) | |
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State news
uva health to continue transgender care for now, new patients will be directed elsewhere
the university of virginia’s hospital will continue to provide gender-affirming care for existing patients, but new patients will have to seek treatment elsewhere. In a closely watched meeting friday, the uva board of visitors approved a resolution limiting access, adding another layer of uncertainty for transgender youth and their families.
the decision comes after an executive order from president donald trump led uva health and other hospitals to temporarily pause gender-affirming care for patients under 19. Though federal judges in baltimore and seattle have since blocked the order, the legal battle is far from over as appeals loom.
in response, uva’s queer student union and other advocacy groups gathered at the university’s rotunda friday to protest the board’s decision. Demonstrators moved closer to the meeting room in an effort to ensure their voices were literally heard during the deliberations.
elisabeth doty, a uva student, was among the dozens to show up.
“i’m relieved for the trans patients that are able to continue care, but obviously, it’s extremely disappointing to hear that new patients won’t be able to get care,” she said following the closed-door decision.
support for trans communities at uva also came from beyond the protest. More than 1,000 people signed a petition urging continued care, while faculty and staff issued a joint letter, and several lawmakers sent one as well.
sen. Danica roem, d-prince william, and mark levine, a former democratic delegate from alexandria, cautioned that limiting access to such care could violate federal and state law.
“when the law is clear, even the highest executive official must obey it,” they wrote in a joint statement. “Similarly, the board of visitors likewise has no power to make laws or to disregard them.”
roem, virginia’s first openly transgender lawmaker, and levine, one of the first openly gay state legislators, have long been vocal on lgbtq+ rights. Roem said she has heard directly from families who have “been made to panic for weeks” amid policy shifts from state republicans, including gov. Glenn youngkin, and trump.
roem believes these actions — ranging from bans on gender-affirming care and restrictions on trans student athletes to the removal of transgender history and resources from government websites — are part of a broader effort to “eradicate” transgender identities.
“(republicans) mean for trans people in general, to not be recognized by the federal government for who we are, and to say that our lives are lies,” she said.
for students like doti, the impact is inescapable. She pointed to missouri, where the state’s attorney general fought to obtain medical records of transgender minors and lawmakers passed a ban on gender-affirming care for minors.
“these policies sort of follow you wherever you go,” doty said.
meanwhile, youngkin took to social media friday to celebrate uva’s decision to stop accepting new transgender patients under 19, stating that “common sense and medical ethics have prevailed.”
vcu health doctors sort out ‘how best to help these children’
while vcu health’s administration has yet to change its stance on resuming gender-affirming care, some of its medical staff are already preparing for the potential mental health repercussions of the ongoing pause.
emails obtained through a freedom of information act (foia) request by roem that she shared with the mercury reveal doctors organizing meetings to prepare for an anticipated increase in emergency department visits and mental health crises stemming from the disruption in care.
“i know many of us are anticipating a large spike in children who are in acute mental health crises,” wrote dr. Frank petruzella, division chief of emergency pediatric medicine, in an email sent shortly after trump’s order.
he urged colleagues to meet within days to assess the scope of at-risk patients and to develop a contingency plan for treating those affected.
“i think we should try to get this group together in the next few days to try to get an idea of the potential scope of patients at risk, as well as to develop a contingency plan for how best to help these children,” he wrote.
petruzella also warned that some cases could be so severe that discharging patients to their home could be unsafe, and that medical staff should prepare for a surge in consultation calls seeking guidance.
with transgender youth already at higher risk for self harm or suicidal ideation, ongoing restrictions on gender-affirming care have left families in panic mode, roem said.
she has heard directly from parents of transgender children, many of whom are struggling with uncertainty as trump administration policies continue to target trans identities.
despite the turmoil, roem said she found the correspondence between vcu health doctors, obtained through her foia request, to be a rare moment of encouragement.
“that was a kids-first statement,” she said.
while uva health has resumed gender affirming care, both vcu health and children’s hospital of the kings daughters (chkd) have yet to restore services. A spokesperson for vcu health did not respond before publication to confirm whether its policies had changed, and the hospital has not made an announcement.
even as uva moved forward, concerns about financial and legal risk loomed. The resolution adopted by the uva’s board of visitors explicitly noted that the hospital could be in jeopardy of losing federal funding, stating that there “remains significant legal uncertainty and institutional risk.”
though trump’s executive order is currently blocked by federal judges, the legal battle isn’t over — appeals are likely on the horizon. If reinstated, the order would t direct the federal government to impose regulations restricting transgender health care, with a focus on medicare and medicaid conditions of participants and coverage.
beyond affecting individual health insurance access, these policies could have sweeping financial consequences for hospitals nationwide, many of which rely on medicaid and medicare funding to support operations.
for uva student doty, recent weeks have been a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle for transgender rights. “It sometimes feels like we love our community more than (the country) loves us back,” she said. But i also think that i have seen solidarity in ways that i’ve never seen before.”
by charlotte rene woods, virginia mercury
virginia mercury is part of states newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact editor samantha willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.Com.
state news
foia reform bill stalls in virginia house, keeping high public records fees intact
for virginians seeking public records from universities, police departments, or government agencies, the freedom of information act (foia) ensures access — but that access often comes with a hefty price tag. When agencies set sky-high fees, the cost alone can prevent the public from obtaining critical information.
enter sen. Danica roem, d-prince william, who has spent years pushing for limits on foia processing fees. This year’s effort, senate bill 1029, aimed to cap hourly rates at either the median salary of a public body or the actual salary of the person handling the request. The proposal also allowed agencies to seek court approval if they believed higher fees were justified.
transparency advocates, including the virginia coalition for open government, backed the measure, and after sailing through the senate with near-unanimous support, it looked poised to finally reach gov. Glenn youngkin’s desk.
but in a last-minute move, the bill hit a roadblock in the house of delegates this week, just moments before final passage. Instead of an outright vote — which would have recorded who supported or opposed it — lawmakers sent it back to the general laws committee by an unrecorded voice vote, effectively killing it for the session.
with the 2025 legislative session wrapping up this weekend, committees have stopped meeting, and bill deadlines have passed.
last year, roem called the system “broken” after a constituent was charged $8,800 just to obtain a video showing how a school bus driver handled her autistic daughter.
the bill’s defeat is particularly frustrating for megan rhyne, the director of the virginia coalition for open government. The foia advisory council held multiple work sessions in 2024, bringing together lawmakers, police departments, localities and transparency advocates to address concerns on both sides.
while high fees are often seen as a deterrent to public record requests, rhyne acknowledged that some local governments worry about “nuisance” requesters who flood agencies with excessive demands.
still, she believes the legislation was a necessary step towards transparency. In an email to lawmakers earlier this week, she pointed out that best practices guidance had already been developed by the foia council to help both requesters and public agencies to navigate the process fairly.
“i was trying to point out ‘you’re making it so that your constituents of limited means don’t have a right to know what their government’s doing,’” rhyne said.
despite the setback, roem isn’t backing down — she’s already planning to bring the bill back next year.
by charlotte rene woods, virginia mercury
virginia mercury is part of states newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact editor samantha willis for questions: [info@virginiamercury.Com](mailto:info@virginiamercury.Com).
[state news](https://royalexaminer.Com/category/state-news/)
3 interesting bills: baby mammals, forced labor and accessible playgrounds
more than 1,000 bills are filed for general assembly consideration each year. In this weekly series, the mercury takes a look at a few of lawmakers’ 2025 proposals that might not otherwise make headlines during the whirlwind legislative session.
[senate bill 1125](https://lis.Virginia.Gov/bill-details/20251/sb1125): prohibiting premature separation and hybridization of mammalian wildlife
sen. Jennifer boysko’s bill would make it unlawful to prematurely separate any mammal baby from its mother before the natural time of weaning.
the rule would not apply in cases of medical necessity or if the separation is done by accredited zoological facilities or a person operating under a wildlife rehabilitator permit issued by the department of wildlife resources.
the legislation would also prohibit the intentional breeding of two different species, known as hybridization.
boysko, d-fairfax, told the senate companion animal subcommittee last month that while virginia prohibits premature separation for companion animals like cats and dogs, no such law exists to protect wildlife or exotic animals.
premature separation, “can lead to self-injurious behavior, aggression, immune deficiency and anxiety,” boysko said. “Despite the clear evidence and scientific studies showing that this is harmful to them, they’re routinely taken away weeks, days, sometimes even hours [after birth] for profit or entertainment.”
between 2020 and 2023, boysko said 52 animals — including a 1-week-old tiger, a 9-day-old serval and 13 giraffes aged 2-weeks to 2-months-old — were shipped to other states from virginia by six different facilities.
daphna nachminovitch with people for the ethical treatment of animals said the bill was crafted in consultation with accredited virginia zoos, the global federation of animal sanctuaries, the big cat sanctuary alliance and other animal advocacy groups with a strict focus on “targeting bad actors who do things strictly for profit.”
individuals representing farm, agriculture and animal owner groups told the house agriculture subcommittee this month the bill is unnecessary because many animals have been bottle-fed and raised by humans for centuries in a humane way.
shirley johnson, president of leesburg animal park, said she was alarmed because the bill would impact her facility, which is licensed by the u.S. Department of agriculture, but isn’t accredited by the zoological association of america or the association of zoos and aquariums.
she argued the bill is “government overreach,” as her facility staff is fully trained and licensed, regularly works with veterinarians and is compliant with the federal animal welfare act.
nachminovitch countered that the animal welfare act is poorly enforced, pointing to thevirginia beagle-breeding facility, envigo, which was [shut down](https://virginiamercury.Com/briefs/beagle-breeding-facility-shutting-down-over-violations-will-be-allowed-to-sell-500-dogs/) in 2022 only after hundreds of dogs and puppies were found to be “in acute distress.”
boysko emphasized the bill targets wildlife born in captivity, “not cows or squirrels,” and doesn’t impact birds or reptiles.
the legislation passed both chambers on a party-line vote, with republicans in opposition. Once signed by the head of the house and senate it will go the governor.
[senate bill 913](https://lis.Virginia.Gov/bill-details/20251/sb913): prohibiting public contracts for goods that use forced or child labor
legislation from sen. Bill stanley, r-franklin, would prohibit public bodies from entering into a contract for goods or services that use forced or indentured child labor.
stanley told the senate committee on general laws and technology last month his bill expands upon [legislation](https://www.Richmondsunlight.Com/bill/2025/sb492/) he presented last year, which would have assured the cobalt used in electric vehicles procured by public bodies weren’t sourced from countries using these labor practices, such as in the congo.
stanley said his current legislation has bipartisan support and unanimous backing from the state manufacturing commission.
“i think it demonstrates that here in the commonwealth of virginia, we uphold ethical standards in public procurement,” stanley said.
under the latest version of the bill, public bodies would be prevented from entering into a contract with businesses selling a product included on a [list of](https://www.Dol.Gov/agencies/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-products) goods produced by forced or indentured child labor and maintained by the u.S. Department of labor’s bureau of international labor affairs. The department of general services would enact regulations to enforce the rules no later than oct. 1.
a senate committee [substitute](https://lis.Virginia.Gov/bill-details/20251/sb913/text/sb913s1) to the bill made last month, which stanley said was at the recommendation of the office of the attorney general, would apply these requirements only to contracts over $10,000. Additionally, it would require public bodies to explicitly include the prohibition of such labor practices in the contracts made with companies instead of using state regulations to enforce the law.
lawmakers in a house subcommittee this month amended the bill to its latest form, after voicing concern over the necessity of setting a minimum dollar amount.
“i will fight for the original bill because it’s not limited to $10,000 and above, which is a firm statement,” stanley said.
del. Rob bloxom, r-accomack, who works in public procurement, argued the $10,000 amount should remain in the bill, so, “we don’t catch small businesses that have no way of checking where we source our product.”
the legislation initially cleared the senate unanimously with the senate committee’s substitute and passed the house with opposition from bloxom and del. Lee ware, r-powhatan. However, the senate rejected the version of the legislation amended by the house in favor of the senate committee’s prior iteration of the bill which set the minimum $10,000 amount.
lawmakers in both chambers will be discussing the legislation during a conference committee.
[house bill 1800](https://lis.Virginia.Gov/bill-details/20251/hb1800): requiring accessible public playgrounds
public playgrounds would be added to the list of places in virginia required to be fully accessible for people with disabilities, under legislation from del. Laura jane cohen, d-fairfax.
while current virginia code explicitly states public facilities must be fully accessible for people with disabilities, cohen told a house subcommittee last month some localities and public school systems are not following those practices when building playgrounds.
“it would seem that ‘public facility’ would certainly apply to a public playground, but we have not seen that’s the case in practice,” cohen said. “This would just make sure that it is crystal clear.”
del. Marcus simon, d-fairfax, said he agrees with the bill’s intentions, but cautioned of the “unintended consequences,” saying it could set a precedent of continually listing more specific things in state code each time a problem arises.
“the more we add to the list, the harder it gets to make the argument that the list is not exclusive and is, in fact, expansive,” simon said.
del. Cia price, d-newport news, countered that virginia has to weigh those unintended consequences because at some point if the list isn’t made longer, “then we’re just going to relegate those with disabilities into boxes in rooms, as has been unfortunately a thing in the past.”
currently, cohen said a family’s only recourse is to sue the public entity that owns the non accessible playground. However, she emphasized not everyone has the means, ability or knowledge to be able to push back.
“that burden on our families with disabilities is already so great that i think we owe it to them to add this into the code,” cohen said.
cohen said localities would not have to retrofit existing inaccessible playgrounds, but instead make sure that new or renovated facilities are compatible.
the bill cleared the senate unanimously and passed the house 61-35 with the majority of the opposition from republicans. It now heads to gov. Glenn youngkin’s desk.
by meghan mcintyre, [virginia mercury](https://virginiamercury.Com)
[virginia mercury](https://virginiamercury.Com) is part of states newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact editor samantha willis for questions: [info@virginiamercury.Com](mailto:info@virginiamercury.Com).
[state news](https://royalexaminer.Com/category/state-news/)
virginia cracks down on illegal street takeovers and reckless driving
reckless drivers tearing up virginia’s highways and public spaces may soon face tougher penalties, as legislation targeting exhibition driving heads to the governor’s desk.
lawmakers moved swiftly this week, approving legislation that aims to curb street racing, burnouts, and illegal road takeovers — dangerous stunts that have turned deadly in recent years.
between 2023 and 2024, virginia circuit courts convicted four defendants for [racing](https://law.Lis.Virginia.Gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-865.1/) that resulted in fatalities, according to legislative records. One average, they served three and a half years in jail.
the problem extends beyond deadly crashes. Data from virginia’s general district court case management system, shows that 126 people were convicted of class 1 misdemeanor [racing](https://law.Lis.Virginia.Gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-865/) over the past two years. While most avoided jail, 42.1% served an average of 20 days behind bars.
illegal racing and reckless driving incidents have cropped up across the state, from northern virginia to hampton roads, richmond and virginia beach. One particularly alarming case shared with lawmakers involved a fairfax county police officer being surrounded by masked participants in a street takeover at 3 a.M. — An event where drivers and spectators block roads for dangerous stunts. Some struck the officer’s cruiser in the chaos.
“it’s not just an annoyance, it’s something that’s very, very dangerous and, quite honestly, potentially deadly,” said del. David bulova, d-fairfax, who sponsored [house bill 2036](https://lis.Virginia.Gov/bill-details/20251/hb2036).
bulova’s bill broadens virginia’s reckless driving laws to include exhibition driving—defined as aggressive driving near groups of two or more people. It specifically targets burnouts, doughnuts, drifting, street racing, and illegal takeovers on state highways, as well as driveways and parking lots of churches, schools, recreation centers, and businesses open to the public.
senate majority leader sen. Scott surovell, d-fairfax, said on the senate floor wednesday that the proposal will also clarify and enhance some penalties for certain types of driving, “which you might think could be reckless driving, but don’t always constitute reckless driving.”
drivers caught participating in illegal street takeovers and reckless stunt driving could soon face harsher penalties, including up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine — either or both — under the proposal now headed to gov. Glenn youngkin’s desk. The measure also calls for a six-month license suspension and vehicle impoundment for offenders behind the wheel.
passengers aren’t off the hook either. Those caught riding on a car’s hood or roof during such events would face a $500 fine.
the bill expands virginia’s definition of reckless driving to include injuries and deaths caused by exhibition driving. Under existing state law, street racing that results in injury is a felony punishable by 1 to 20 years in prison. If a death occurs, offenders already face an additional mandatory year behind bars — but the proposal removes that minimum requirement.
a fiscal impact [statement](https://lis.Blob.Core.Windows.Net/files/1051547.Pdf) from the virginia criminal sentencing commission warns that the proposal could increase demand for bed space and resources at correctional facilities across the commonwealth.
shortly after discussing the bill in committee, two house lawmakers said they unexpectedly encountered a street takeover not far from the state capitol in richmond.
on the night of feb. 3, at the intersection of north 18th street and east broad street, dels. Laura jane cohen, d-fairfax, and elizabeth bennett-parker, d-alexandria, found themselves stopped as a group of motorcyclists — unmasked and without helmets — performed stunts and wheelies in the middle of the road.
cohen, who was driving behind bennett-parker, described the incident as “minor” but still “dangerous,” noting the risk posed to cyclists and other drivers stuck at the blocked intersection.
“i already was supportive of the legislation, but it certainly gave a renewed perspective,” cohen said before the bill’s passage.
some lawmakers raised concerns over the bill’s wording, particularly the use of terms like “close proximity” and “spectators” in defining exhibition driving. Before it reached the full senate, bulova amended the language to remove references to spectators.
bulova acknowledged that holding onlookers accountable would have strengthened the bill but said a clear-cut solution proved elusive because he and others could not find a solution without inadvertently capturing individuals who happened to be in near vicinity of such events.
with final approval now in youngkin’s hands, virginia is one step closer to tightening its grip on reckless driving and illegal street stunts.
by nathaniel cline, [virginia mercury](https://virginiamercury.Com)
[virginia mercury](https://virginiamercury.Com) is part of states newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact editor samantha willis for questions: [info@virginiamercury.Com](mailto:info@virginiamercury.Com).
[state news](https://royalexaminer.Com/category/state-news/)
maternal health bills move forward, now youngkin holds the final say
for the first time in her career, nichole wardlaw feels like policymakers are finally listening — not just to her, but to black maternal health professionals and the patients they serve.
“i feel like i’ve been seen and heard, and i’ve been doing this work for a long time,” said wardlaw, a certified nurse midwife with two decades of experience.
wardlaw has been a steady presence for parents in need, but in recent years, virginia lawmakers have also begun to take notice. Their efforts, shaped by voices like wardlaw’s, have led to [a slate of](https://virginiamercury.Com/briefs/maternal-health-bills-continue-moving-through-the-virginia-legislature/) maternal health-focused bills moving through the general assembly — collectively dubbed the “momnibus” package.
the legislative push follows last fall’s [black maternal health summit](https://virginiamercury.Com/2024/10/18/momnibus-bill-plans-announced-at-virginias-black-maternal-health-summit/) at the virginia capitol, where medical professionals, advocates, and lawmakers from across the state and beyond convened for roundtable discussions and panels.
alongside these conversations, a rural health committee spent months touring virginia, gathering firsthand accounts of maternal care gaps in underserved communities.
the result: a range of proposals aimed at addressing disparities, from requiring implicit bias training for medical license renewals to strengthening obstetrics training in hospitals and expanding support for midwives and doulas — both critical players in bridging maternal healthcare gaps.
one piece of the package, [senate bill 1352](https://lis.Virginia.Gov/bill-details/20251/sb1352), sponsored by sen. Kannan srinivasan, d-loudoun, builds on a 2021 law that allowed midwives to establish private practices after completing 1,000 hours under agreements with other physicians. His proposal, along with [house bill 1635](https://lis.Virginia.Gov/bill-details/20251/hb1635) by del. Joshua cole, d-spotsylvania, would extend that opportunity to other types of midwives, expanding access to maternal care statewide.
for wardlaw, spending 15 years working in hospitals revealed a stark reality — many black patients didn’t feel safe in those settings. Now, as a certified nurse midwife providing care outside hospital walls, she’s able to meet clients where they are, which is especially critical for rural patients who face longer travel times after a wave of [obstetrics unit closures](https://virginiamercury.Com/2024/06/17/virginias-state-budget-will-fund-ob-gyn-medical-residencies-amid-obstetrics-closures/) in recent years.
“what i was finding is that being in the hospital was not beneficial for many black women,” wardlaw said. “A lot were leaving the hospital system because they were afraid.”
studies show black parents-to-be experience [disproportionately negative](https://pmc.Ncbi.Nlm.Nih.Gov/articles/pmc7384760/) maternal health outcomes, often due to provider bias. Black women are also [more likely to die](https://www.Cdc.Gov/nchs/data/hestat/maternal-mortality/2021/maternal-mortality-rates-2021.Htm) from pregnancy-related complications, a disparity [confirmed](https://rga.Lis.Virginia.Gov/published/2024/rd151) by virginia’s maternal mortality review team.
still, unassisted home births can pose risks if medical complications arise, making midwives like wardlaw an essential bridge in maternal care. Certified nurse midwives are not only registered nurses but also trained specialists in pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. Other types of certified midwives may come from different healthcare backgrounds but provide similarly vital services.
several bills in the “momnibus” package focus on strengthening midwifery. [House bill 1923](https://lis.Virginia.Gov/bill-details/20251/hb1923), sponsored by del. Jeion ward, d-hampton, seeks to establish pay parity for midwives, while [hb 1904](https://lis.Virginia.Gov/bill-details/20251/hb1904), from del. Rodney willett, d-henrico, would ensure midwives and nurse practitioners have 24-hour on-call services.
katie page, a certified nurse midwife serving farmville and lynchburg, sees this legislative session as a turning point. She recalled speaking with lawmakers last summer when the rural health committee [visited farmville](https://virginiamercury.Com/briefs/rural-health-committee-hears-from-maternal-health-dental-specialists-in-farmville/), urging them to find ways to support midwifery.
“magic” is happening around maternal health support this legislative session, page said.
access to maternal care remains a challenge in virginia, where 15% of residents lack a birthing hospital [within a 30 minute drive](https://www.Marchofdimes.Org/peristats/reports/virginia/maternity-care-deserts), according to a march of dimes report. Last year, lawmakers allocated state funding to expand ob-gyn and family medicine residencies, hoping to strengthen the workforce. But while doctors trained in virginia sometimes leave for other states, midwives tend to remain in the communities they serve.
still, page is encouraged by lawmakers’ effort to support a broad range of maternal health professionals and the governor’s expressed support for addressing maternal healthcare.
“i’m glad to see lawmakers taking a both/and approach rather than an either/or one” page said.
wardlaw had high hopes for [hb 2102,](https://lis.Virginia.Gov/bill-details/20251/hb2102) sponsored by del. Michael feggans, d-virginia beach, which would have made pregnancy an automatic qualifier for medicaid enrollment. However, the measure failed.
youngkin has signaled support for some maternal health initiatives, including funding doulas and perinatal hubs in his [proposed budget amendments](https://virginiamercury.Com/briefs/youngkin-unveils-plan-to-improve-maternal-health-in-virginia/). But he could still block certain bills that reach his desk.
one proposal that previously met resistance is [sb 740 ](https://lis.Virginia.Gov/bill-details/20251/sb740)by sen. Mamie locke, d-hampton, and [hb 1649](https://lis.Virginia.Gov/bill-details/20251/hb1649) by del. Cliff hayes, d-suffolk, which would require implicit bias training for medical professionals during license renewals. Sen. Chris head, r-botetourt, co-patroned locke’s bill this year, but a similar measure was rejected in 2023.
rather than outright vetoing it last time, youngkin proposed an amendment requiring two hours of continuing education on maternal health disparities instead of a broader bias training program.
locke rejected the revision, arguing that his approach fell short.
it was “a case of unconscious bias and a lack of cultural competency,” she said.
with the 2025 legislative session wrapping up this week, youngkin has until march 24 to sign, veto or amend the maternal health bills that make it to his desk.
by charlotte rene woods, [virginia mercury](https://virginiamercury.Com)
[virginia mercury](https://virginiamercury.Com) is part of states newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact editor samantha willis for questions: [info@virginiamercury.Com](mailto:info@virginiamercury.Com).
[state news](https://royalexaminer.Com/category/state-news/)
virginia gop feud with conservative wing spills into critical election year
with all 100 seats in the house of delegates and three statewide offices on the ballot this year, virginia republicans are navigating internal disagreements that could shape the party’s strategy heading into a pivotal election cycle. Tensions between the 5th congressional district leadership and the republican party of virginia (rpv) have resurfaced, highlighting broader divisions within the state gop.
the latest salvo in the intra-party battle came in the form of an open letter, signed by six republican officials from the hardline conservative 5th district — including chairman rick buchanan and five members of the state central committee.
the letter, sent to the committee last week, takes aim at the 80-member body’s executive committee, which, during a dec. 8 meeting, attempted to penalize four local gop officials by banning them from leadership roles for two years. The officials [were ousted](https://cardinalnews.Org/2024/06/06/top-gop-leaders-in-the-5th-district-urge-trump-to-reconsider-mcguire-endorsement/) in september for refusing to sign a renewed locality pledge of loyalty to former state sen. John mcguire, r-goochland, the party’s congressional nominee, who went on to win the nov. 5 election.
“as we step into a new year, it is vital to reflect on past actions, recognize missteps, and consider how we can position our party for success,” the letter reads. “Leadership requires not only vision but also wisdom — the ability to guide, not punish, and to inspire, not alienate. One recent decision by party leadership warrants serious discussion.”
at issue is a requirement for party officials to reaffirm their support for mcguire following his victory over u.S. Rep. Bob good, r-farmville, in last year’s bruising primary. The demand, framed as a “reaffirmation statement,” sparked outrage among some 5th district republicans, who viewed it as an unprecedented and punitive measure.
“has there ever been such a demand in the history of our party?” The letter continues. “Have party members, after vigorously supporting a candidate in a primary, ever been forced to sign a statement of loyalty?”
the conflict first flared up in june, when 25 gop officials from the district [signed a letter](https://cardinalnews.Org/2024/06/06/top-gop-leaders-in-the-5th-district-urge-trump-to-reconsider-mcguire-endorsement/) urging then-presidential nominee donald trump to reconsider his endorsement of mcguire and instead back good, the then-chairman of the ultra-conservative house freedom caucus and a staunch trump ally who had fallen out of trump’s good graces after endorsing florida gov. Ron desantis in the republican presidential primary.
that act of defiance by some of the district’s republican leadership set off months of tension that culminated in september when each of the 25 officials were asked to sign the renewed pledge. Five refused, arguing they had previously pledged their support for the republican nominee ahead of the june 18 primary election. As a result, four were stripped off their titles while one submitted his resignation.
rich anderson, chairman of the republican party of virginia, defended the initial reaffirmation requirement but acknowledged that the state central committee ultimately determined that banning the four officials from leadership roles for two years was excessive.
however, for buchanan and his allies, the issue remains far from resolved. Their letter criticizes what they see as an attempt to “humiliate, ostracize, and ultimately expel” certain members from leadership for political retribution. They argue that internal divisions, if left unchecked, could weaken the party heading into a critical election year.
“we must ask ourselves: did these actions help us elect more republicans?” The letter said. “Did they energize our base? Did they serve to strengthen our party? The answer is a resounding no. Such divisive tactics do not build a winning coalition; they discourage participation, suppress enthusiasm, and fracture the unity we so desperately need.”
buchanan clarified in a phone interview monday that the purpose of the letter was not to further divide, but unite the party in order to replicate the 2021 victory of republican gubernatorial nominee glenn youngkin, who flipped virginia red by increasing turnout in the deeply republican districts in southside and southwest virginia.
“they are attacking the red counties via us, and yet they’ve got the governor telling them that’s where we need to win elections, that we need to get more people in the red counties out to vote,” buchanan said, referring to the party’s state leadership.
if republicans want to win back the majorities in the state legislature and ensure a victory for lt. Gov. Winsome earle-sears, the party’s presumptive gubernatorial nominee, they need to “come up with a message and reach into the homes of the folks that are my neighbors,” buchanan said.
“that’s the only way, that’s what youngkin did, and he did it very well. He pushed it, he had a bus tour in southside and southwest virginia, and he came to see us, which is almost unheard of. You’re not going to turn those democrats, but you can get the people out around here that don’t normally vote except in presidential elections. [But] they are attacking us for something that nobody has ever heard of, they are running people away from the party, they are splitting the party, and i’m very concerned about that.”
a threat to earle-sears’ campaign
john massoud, chairman of the 6th district gop committee, also weighed in on the controversy, taking issue with the state central committee’s disciplinary measures.
“as a person intimately familiar with what happened in the 5th congressional district, i vehemently disagreed with the rpv’s insistence that people who did not sign a second loyalty oath be removed,” he said. “My opinion is once you sign the loyalty oath, unless you have broken it, there’s no need to sign a second.”
massoud emphasized that in his district, where u.S. Rep. Ben cline, r-botetourt, faced no primary challenge last year, such disputes did not arise.
“rpv respects us and we respect rpv, we work well together, and sometimes we agree to disagree, and i think a disagreement is not a bad thing,” he said.
while massoud said he believes free speech and open debate strengthen the party, he remains firm in his opposition to how the committee handled the 5th district situation. “I vehemently disagree with how rpv handled whatever happened in that district with those few people who didn’t sign a second loyalty oath. It wasn’t needed, and rpv knows my opinion on this.”
ongoing republican divisions — even if not a widespread issue — could threaten earle-sears’ path to the governor’s mansion, warned david richards, a political science professor at the university of lynchburg.
“in 2021, youngkin unified the party by focusing on broad conservative issues like parental school choice, appealing to both moderates and the far right. At the time, the maga wing was still recovering from trump’s loss, and election denialism had not yet become a party loyalty test. That unity boosted gop turnout in rural areas, helping youngkin offset democratic strength in northern virginia,” richards said.
the 2025 election presents a different challenge, richards added. With the gop in control of the federal government, democrats will be more motivated to vote, making party unity even more critical for republicans.
“if the far right sits out, either due to frustration with virginia’s gop leadership or opposition to earle-sears, her path to victory narrows significantly. Earle-sears will need a united party behind her to counter what is sure to be a very united democratic party,” richards said.
clashes in the suffolk
and the 5th district isn’t the only place where local republicans are clashing over party control and loyalty tests.
in suffolk, gop infighting reached a boiling point in 2023 when the 2nd congressional district gop committee took the extraordinary step of dissolving the city’s entire republican committee, erasing a 156-member organization that had been growing its conservative base.
the controversy began during the republican nomination fight for senate district 17, when then-suffolk gop chair dawn jones [filed a lawsuit](https://cardinalnews.Org/2023/03/27/court-weighs-emergency-injunction-in-intraparty-gop-election-feud/) against the virginia department of elections and the state board of elections.
jones alleged that the state agencies improperly changed the nomination contest from a party-run convention to a primary election, a move she claimed was designed to benefit then-del. Emily jordan, r-suffolk, who was backed by youngkin, over former nascar driver hermie sadler. A court eventually [ruled in favor](https://cardinalnews.Org/2023/03/29/judge-orders-primary-in-brewer-sadler-contest-for-republican-state-senate-nomination-in-southside/) of a state-run primary, and jordan went on to win the gop nomination and the general election that year.
jones believes the lawsuit put a target on the suffolk republican committee, particularly as it had allowed sadler to speak at its meetings — a move she argues was simply in line with party rules, since jordan was also given the opportunity but chose not to attend. “She was the chosen one,” jones said in a phone interview monday.
shortly after the lawsuit, tensions escalated when the suffolk committee debated censuring then-house majority leader todd gilbert, r-shenandoah, for his refusal to introduce legislation the committee wanted.
instead of removing jones, the 2nd district gop committee took the unprecedented step of dissolving the entire suffolk republican committee. The panel later appointed a former committee chair to lead a reconstituted suffolk gop.
jones and her allies appealed the decision to the state central committee, which upheld it by a majority vote. She claims the move was a calculated purge of strong conservative voices, particularly those seen as too independent of richmond’s gop leadership.
“i have come to realize that their objective isn’t to win, it’s to control,” jones said. “And that’s really the way that i view this.”
jones argued that virginia gop leadership is handpicking candidates behind the scenes, manipulating the process to ensure their preferred individuals secure nominations. According to her, party insiders create an environment where members feel pressured to fall in line, and those who refuse to endorse the “chosen” candidates face retaliation.
she also claimed that party operatives disrupt local gop meetings, stirring division and chaos to weaken independent-minded committees. “They have what we call disruptors present inside of our meetings, and they will continue to create havoc,” jones said, adding that she believes this strategy is designed to fracture committees from within, turning members against leadership to justify removals.
in the case of the suffolk gop committee, jones alleged that party leaders fabricated rule violations to justify its dissolution, specifically because the committee was seen as too independent.
“they try to separate the unit,” she said. “They try to create so much chaos within your local unit that they either are going to try to get people to go against you as a chairman, or, in our case, because we had a very strong unit, they fabricated rules that we may have supposedly broken to basically get rid of us as a unit.”
she also said that before its removal, the suffolk gop had been an effective, growing force within the party. “We were 156 people strong. We were making strides. We had moved the needle to the conservative way here in suffolk by five percent. That’s significant. Since we’ve been dissolved, and they put this other group back in charge, they have lost all those gains,” she said.
as a consequence, many conservative voters in suffolk now feel alienated from the political process, believing that gop leadership is rigging the system to favor establishment-backed candidates, jones said. “I’ve run into people who don’t want to show up because they feel the process has been rigged and that it’s already set. They don’t like the candidates that have been picked, and they’re not going to show up to vote for them.”
however, anderson, the rpv chair, pushed back against the allegations and defended the decision to dissolve the suffolk committee, arguing that the panel was dysfunctional and had become a roadblock to gop success.
“our job is to elect republicans, not punish republicans,” anderson said, referencing the suffolk committee’s potential plan to reprimand gilbert over legislative decisions. He emphasized that lawmakers answer to all voters in their jurisdiction, not just local party activists.
anderson also said multiple gop candidates had complained that the suffolk committee was not working cooperatively with campaigns and was instead undermining party efforts.
he also strongly denied claims that state party leadership manipulates nomination processes or favors certain candidates over others. He insisted that the state gop remains neutral in contested primaries and does not engage in efforts to anoint preferred candidates.
“the republican party of virginia does not push any candidates, we don’t run any candidates,” he said. “Candidates step forward on their own and seek the nomination on their own. We don’t sponsor candidates, nor do i or other leaders at the republican party of virginia endorse or even privately indicate who we think the nominees should be in a given nomination contest.”
instead, anderson emphasized that the party’s role is to act as a neutral arbiter, ensuring that nomination contests are fair and conducted according to party rules. “Our job is to remain as the honest broker, enforce party rule, and ensure a level playing field so everyone gets an equal crack,” he said.
while jones and other conservatives believe youngkin’s endorsements influenced nomination battles, anderson defended the governor’s involvement, arguing that it is separate from the party’s official role.
“he is the leader of our party,” anderson said of youngkin. “He’s elected to make tough decisions. He’s in a position where i think he can assess the electability of a given candidate, but one of the things he does not do is enforce party rules.”
anderson maintained that accusations of backroom maneuvering and forced candidate selection were unfounded, portraying the suffolk gop’s removal as a necessary step to restore party order in a unit that was working against republican interests rather than for them.
“the necessity to take an extreme action of this sort is rare,” anderson said. “In fact, the suffolk reconstitution is the only time that there’s been a reconstitution in the five years that i’ve been the state party chairman.”
by markus schmidt, [virginia mercury](https://virginiamercury.Com)
[virginia mercury](https://virginiamercury.Com) is part of states newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact editor samantha willis for questions: [info@virginiamercury.Com](mailto:info@virginiamercury.Com).
[state news](https://royalexaminer.Com/category/state-news/)
overdose crisis spurs school notification bills, but key details still up for debate
with drug overdoses continuing to strain virginia communities, a proposal requiring schools to notify parents of overdose cases is gaining momentum in the general assembly. However, lawmakers remain divided on whether schools should report “suspected” overdoses or only “confirmed” cases, a key sticking point that could shape the bill’s final language.
virginia recorded 21,881 drug overdose emergency department visits in 2023, a 2% decrease from 2022, according to [recent data](https://www.Vdh.Virginia.Gov/drug-overdose-data/) by the virginia department of health (vdh). Despite the slight decline, fentanyl overdoses remain a major concern, prompting legislative action.
sen. Glen sturtevant, r-chesterfield, who sponsored [senate bill 1240](https://lis.Virginia.Gov/bill-details/20251/sb1240), supports a house amendment expanding the reporting requirement to include colleges and universities. His bill cleared the house education committee on monday, but now faces further scrutiny in the full house. This comes after a [similar proposal ](https://legacylis.Virginia.Gov/cgi-bin/legp604.Exe?241+sum+sb498)by sen. Jennifer carroll foy, d-prince william, failed in the democratic-controlled house by 42-57 last session.
“we don’t want schools to wait until law enforcement confirms it, or the hospital does the toxicology or the blood work to confirm that it was, in fact, an overdose,” sturtevant said. “We want them to sort of err on the side of providing more information sooner to parents because if we [wait] … it can take a week or longer for lab results to get back.”
a related measure, [house bill 2774](https://lis.Virginia.Gov/bill-details/20251/hb2774), sponsored by del. J.J. Singh, d-loudoun, also advanced to the senate floor. Singh’s proposal was merged with [hb 2424](https://lis.Virginia.Gov/bill-details/20251/hb2424) and [hb 2287](https://lis.Virginia.Gov/bill-details/20251/hb2287), carried by dels. Geary higgins, r-loudoun, and del. Carrie coyner, r-chesterfield, showing strong bipartisan interest in addressing the crisis.
“i think we would do well to take the input from everybody, from the governor’s office, from the senate and the house, and come up with [the right] approach,” singh said, expressing confidence in the bill’s final passage.
gov. Glenn youngkin’s administration has made fentanyl prevention a priority, signing two executive orders related to overdose response during his tenure.
[executive order 26](https://www.Governor.Virginia.Gov/media/governorvirginiagov/governor-of-virginia/pdf/eo/eo-26-crushing-the-fentanyl-epidemic-strengthening-virginias-interdiction-and-enforcement-response-to-fentanyl-crisis.Pdf) outlined a “comprehensive” strategy to combat fentanyl and opioid abuse, while [executive order 28](https://www.Governor.Virginia.Gov/media/governorvirginiagov/governor-of-virginia/pdf/eo/eo28---parental-notification-law-and-student-education.Pdf) directed the virginia department of education (vdoe) to ensure school divisions notify parents of school-connected overdoses within 24 hours.
the urgency behind the second order came after nine opioid overdoses were documented in loudoun county public schools in october 2023. The administration criticized the district for waiting more than 20 days to notify parents, despite evidence of multiple such cases.
however, executive order 28 did not specify a deadline for when vdoe should issue guidance, and lawmakers say a legislative mandate for vdoe and tvdh to set clear school protocols is long [overdue](https://rga.Lis.Virginia.Gov/overdue/1.1.2025/27296).
higgins said he doesn’t understand why schools hesitate to notify parents but hopes the bill will require school divisions to report where an overdose occurred and include “suspected” cases — not just confirmed ones.
“we’re not trying to point out anybody or anything,” higgins said. “We’re trying to make sure parents know what’s going on and if you don’t know what’s going on, how do you fix it?”
with both bills now reaching each chamber, lawmakers have until saturday’s session deadline to hammer out the final language — ensuring schools balance transparency with accuracy in overdose reporting.
by nathaniel cline, [virginia mercury](https://virginiamercury.Com)
[virginia mercury](https://virginiamercury.Com) is part of states newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact editor samantha willis for questions: [info@virginiamercury.Com](mailto:info@virginiamercury.Com). |
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