Shocker: Reuters Discovers Trump's Super-Secret Plan to 'Control the Department of Justice'

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has been declining month-on-month for over a year and has now reached the lowest rate in five years, according to data from Brazil’s National Space Research Institute (INPE) analyzed by Mongabay.The INPE’s DETER system also indicates that deforestation between August 2023 and April 2024 had dropped by 51 percent compared to August 2022 to April 2023.The downturn is especially remarkable as large swathes of the northern Amazon have been struck by extreme drought since 2023. Dry weather tends to be associated with an uptick in deforestation because it increases the risk of wildfires – but that doesn’t appear to be the case this year. Deforestation of the Amazon is driven by the clearing of land for logging, mining, and ranching, driven by increasing global demand for commodities like beef, soy, and palm oil. Many of these products end up on supermarket shelves and in fast-food restaurants across the world. Banks and financial institutions, including those based in Europe and the US, are also funneling billions of dollars into the world’s most harmful agribusinesses and profiting from activities linked to deforestation.The INPE keeps tabs on the rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon using satellite imagery that can determine how much land is being cleared of trees.Some of this recent deforestation decline in Brazil can be credited to the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. In January 2023, he took over from Jair Bolsonaro, a controversial right-wing populist whose time at the helm was marked by significant attacks on the Amazon rainforest and Indigenous peoples. Bolsonaro ditched many environmental protections, instead opting for policies that were guided by nationalism and the interests of agro-business. In turn, his tenure saw some of the highest deforestation rates in recent times. Ahead of the election, Lula ran on a platform to fight deforestation, subsidize sustainable farming, and reform Brazil's tax code as part of a green new deal. Since taking office, however, there has been some criticism that he’s drifted from his promises on climate and the environment. While the latest statistics are promising, the Amazon rainforest still faces huge challenges. A study published earlier this year found that climate change and deforestation are pushing the Amazon rainforest towards potential collapse by 2050. This radical change would see the majority of the rainforest become grasslands or degraded ecosystems with lower tree cover."We are approaching a potential large-scale tipping point, and we may be closer (both at local scales and across the whole system) than we previously thought," lead author Bernardo Flores told Agence France-Presse.

ABC reporter Karen Travers used her round of Q&A during Thursday’s White House press briefing to invite a willing accomplice in Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to join the liberal media mob against Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker for his alleged crime of giving a pro-family, pro-life, pro-parenting commencement address at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. “I want to ask you about the topic that's getting a lot of attention,” Travers began, adding Butker’s “facing criticism for his recent commencement address where he told female graduates that the most important title a woman can hold is homemaker.”     Fact-check: Pants on fire. Butker did not, in fact, say that. Here’s a transcript of his full speech, but here’s a key line: “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.” Travers’s softball wasn’t done: “He was critical about surrogacy, IVF, and Pride Month, and he also criticized the President for being a Catholic who supports abortion rights. Has the President seen those comments? Does he have a reaction to that?” Jean-Pierre had the gall to initially bat it down by saying Biden’s “been pretty busy today, so I haven't had a chance to — to focus on this particular issue” and she herself had only seen “some reports on it.” Nonetheless, Jean-Pierre pivoted to implicitly torching Butker and argued Biden won’t “back away from supporting women and reproductive rights, reproductive health care” because “it is important to fight for all of our freedoms”. She obviously had to throw in the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade and argued pro-lifers support putting women “in a position to not get the health care that they need” and “causing chaos”. Jean-Pierre’s rant dragged on, tying Butker to “extreme Republican” (click “expand”): And then you have extreme Republicans that continue to talk about — to talk about how they want to put national abortion ban. It's causing chaos. It's causing chaos for women. It’s causing chaos for families. When you're saying that a family can't make a decision on IVF, that's not what this President is about. He wants to make sure that women have the right to make these incredibly difficult decisions about their health care, so families could make a decision about how they want to build and — and move forward with building a family.  And so I can't — I can't speak to those direct comments, but what I can speak to is what the President has committed to, and he has shown that over and over again and you have a Vice President that has toured the country talking exactly about that, about how we have to protect our freedoms and freedoms of — of — obviously, reproductive health as — as we're speaking right now. Travers offered a follow-up to further attack Butker and implicitly accuse him of being a partisan tool: “As the President gets ready to give his own commencement address, does he think a message like that is appropriate at a commencement address?” Jean-Pierre stuck to the same pattern with this second answer, first insisting she hadn’t “heard this in context” other than seeing “some reporting” then tearing into Butker without saying his name by arguing Biden — unlike the Chiefs kicker — views “commencement day as such an important moment for not just the students, but for their families, obviously, their loved ones” The press secretary gave a whopper of a garbled mess as she said in part that Biden wants “to talk about the future, to talk about how — how they — how in the world that we are in — that — in the world that we're in now, how do we move forward? And you’re [sic] hear with themes from this President on that particular message, and he understands how critical and important that have those messages — especially a message from the President of the United States, how much it matters.” To see the relevant transcript of the May 16 briefing, click “expand.” White House press briefing [via ABC News Live subfeed] May 16, 2024 2:32 p.m. Eastern KAREN TRAVERS: I want to ask you about the topic that's getting a lot of attention. The Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker is facing criticism for his recent commencement address where he told female graduates that the most important title a woman can hold is homemaker. He was critical about surrogacy, IVF, and Pride Month, and he also criticized the President for being a Catholic who supports abortion rights. Has the President seen those comments? Does he have a reaction to that? KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: You know — ah — the President's been pretty busy today, so I haven't had a chance to — to focus on this particular issue. I think I've heard some reports on it. Look, the President is not going to back away from supporting women and reproductive rights, reproductive health care. It is important to do that. It is important to fight for all of our freedoms, and that's what you're seeing the President do. He's not going to back away from that and look, I can't speak to this specific thing because I haven't heard it in — in — in its entirety. But, look, you know, you have a former administration that — uh — that had said — a former President that said, over and over again that they were going to do everything they can to get rid of Roe v. Wade, was successful in doing that, by putting forward judges that made that happen. We saw the Dobbs decision in 2022 and what that caused is chaos. It caused women to — to have to — do — you know — to have — you know, be in a position to not get the health care that they need. I mean, that's — should not be where we are as a country. It should not be. And then you have extreme Republicans that continue to talk about — to talk about how they want to put national abortion ban. It's causing chaos. It's causing chaos for women. It’s causing chaos for families. When you're saying that a family can't make a decision on IVF, that's not what this President is about. He wants to make sure that women have the right to make these incredibly difficult decisions about their health care, so families could make a decision about how they want to build and — and move forward with building a family. And so I can't — I can't speak to those direct comments, but what I can speak to is what the President has committed to, and he has shown that over and over again and you have a Vice President that has toured the country talking exactly about that, about how we have to protect our freedoms and freedoms of — of — obviously, reproductive health as — as we're speaking right now. TRAVERS: I know you said can't speak to the comments. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. TRAVERS: As the President gets ready to give his own commencement address, does he think a message like that is appropriate at a commencement address? JEAN-PIERRE: From — from this particular — TRAVERS: Yes. Mmhmm. JEAN-PIERRE: — look again, I haven't heard — I haven't heard this in context. I — I saw some reporting, so want to be super mindful. Look, the — the President sees commencement day as such an important moment for not just the students, but for their families, obviously, their loved ones to talk about the future, to talk about how — how they — how in the world that we are in — that — in the world that we're in now, how do we move forward? And you’re [sic] hear with themes from this President on that particular message, and he understands how critical and important that have those messages — especially a message from the President of the United States, how much it matters. I don't want to get ahead of the President. He's going to, obviously, layout and speak to his commencement address on his own, but he's done this many times before. He's done — he's done this when — he's — given commencement address as a senator, has done it, obviously as Vice President, and now President, and this is an incredible important, impactful — impactful moment.

Our Final Verdict We give Checkpup a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars. Quality: 5/5 Ease Of Use: 4.5/5 Easy To Understand: 5/5 Thorough and Data-Driven: 5/5 Timeliness: 5/5 Check Price on Checkpup Keeping our four-legged friend’s health in check is probably the most difficult task of pet ownership and one that we are constantly improving throughout the duration of our pup’s life. From sorting out the right kind of food to feed, keeping the biome balances, and our dog’s environment conducive to health – it’s a whole lot to tackle at once. But even in the midst of seemingly doing everything right, how do you know if it’s all actually working? In comes Checkpup, a vet-developed tool to help assess your dog’s health and wellbeing. Even the most skilled veterinarians can sometimes miss things that impact our best friends, so having a Checkpup result to pinpoint what needs a more thorough look at is so helpful! This is akin to us people doing home health tests and sending them into the lab to locate more specific information. The more information we have at our fingertips, the better we can lead our lives (and help our pets lead their lives). About Checkpup Checkpup is an at-home health test in which you take a fur sample from your pup and send it to Checkpup’s lab. The test looks for your dog’s nutritional health, body functions, and more. This is very similar to various at-home health tests for people, such as saliva tests to check for imbalances. Checkpup was started by a collective of veterinarians and scientists wanting to offer nutritional and functional medicine for dogs. Interestingly enough, this is not as readily available for animals as it is for people, so there was definitely a big need for it! Checkpup promises that the entire process is a result of “Over 20 years of nutritional and functional health experience, over 45 years of laboratory analysis, over 40 combined years of pet parenting, and a commitment to invest millions into the future of pet wellness.” (via the Checkpup About page). For dogs, the fur reveals the most information about their health. Although blood tests and urine tests tend to be more standard, the fur represents a much longer and deeper nutritional and wellness time frame. The fur offers a full metabolic map and can also show what the future holds if nothing changes. According to the scientists involved in Checkpup, you can even detect minerals and toxic metals 10,000 times smaller than what blood tests are able to find, which means that this analysis can show things that blood tests would easily miss. Checkpup analyzes the fur constitution and provides a detailed report that includes a wellness check, toxic metals check, metabolism/diet check, and systems check. I did a saliva test like this for myself, and it revealed a lot of data about my nutritional needs and deficiencies, so it was a no-brainer to do this for my dog. Overview Check Price on Checkpup Here is the Checkpup overview and what you can expect from your at-home test. Pricing The Checkup Wellness Test Kit is priced at $199.00, which definitely feels hefty. However, medical costs tend to be in the triple digits, so this price tag also shouldn’t feel unusual! This includes everything from shipping to the lab results themselves. Similar types of tests (such as saliva tests) are very similar in price, so even in the comparable market, this price is right on point. In my opinion, you can’t put a price tag on health diagnostics for the ones we love so much, so $199 isn’t the worst fee. Shipping Times The test shipped very quickly to me. I believe my sample of the test was delayed by the post office when I sent it in, so it did take longer for the Checkpup lab to receive my package than it should have, but I wouldn’t put that on Checkpup’s shoulders. Once the lab received my test, I got the result within a couple of days. Sample Collection Process The sample collection process was super simple. The package itself came with very easy-to-understand step-by-step instructions. What made it really neat was that the Checkpup kit package opened in the exact order of steps for you to complete! All that needed to be done was snip some fur, fill up the little sample collection bag, add that to the prepaid package included in the kit, and drop it off at the post office. Truly could not be simpler than that. I gave my pup a bath and then waited 12 hours before taking the sample and making sure she was nice and clean. As Checkpup suggested, I took the sample from her belly, where the snipped fur wouldn’t be all that noticeable. Lab Results I found that the lab results were very thorough, with detailed explanations all the way through. Checkpup offers results in the following categories: Wellness Check: The wellness check results cover the thyroid performance, autonomic balance, adrenal stress, inflammation, blood sugar handling, energy level, and immune system. Systems Check: The systems check results cover the endocrine, autonomic, and immune systems, as well as the liver and gallbladder systems, the integumentary (skin and hair) systems, the digestive, heart, and liver systems, the muscular, kidney, and bladder systems, and the nervous systems. Metabolism + Diet: The metabolism and diet section covers oxidation, and offers suggested meal plans for your pup. Toxic Metals: The toxic metals panel covers whether your pup has been exposed to lead, mercury, aluminum, cadmium, and/or arsenic. I did have some trouble registering for the test, however. More on this in the personal experience section. Pros & Cons Pros Very detailed at-home health test for your pup Covers a full wellness check, systems check, metabolism, diet, and toxic metals exposure information – all of which are thoroughly explained Offers a detailed meal, nutrition, and vitamin curriculum for your pup based on the results Adds a list of to-dos on helping your dog gain even better health based on the results Very simple fur sample test, so no dealing with saliva or blood Free shipping to your home and to the lab Results quickly Your pup has its own webpage with detailed results Vet-created and approved Cons I had trouble registering my kit due to glitches on the website. This could very well have been my internet connection, but it was something to note! Considering follow-up tests are highly recommended, it can get pricey over time Key Features Check Price on Checkpup Easy To Collect Sample The sample collection process is painless and simple for both me and my dog. Your pup will not experience any trauma or stress. Just snip some fur samples, and that’s it. Very Detailed Results The results came back with a lot of information, broken down into very easy-to-read contexts. I am not a veterinarian, and the results don’t speak to me as if I am—the details are thoroughly explained and very digestible. I find this to be such a breath of fresh air, as I don’t feel overwhelmed with not understanding the results. Customized Health Plans Based On Results Alongside the results, Checkpup also creates a wellness checklist to help improve your pup’s health based on the results. So, the results get translated into actionable changes (which is so helpful). Is Checkpup a Good Value? At the end of the day, your pup’s health is priceless. Good health leads to a longer life, avoidance of premature death (I am sorry to be so harsh!), and a grand quality of life. Checkpup’s test is so thorough and detailed and unveils a lot of information that veterinarians miss. To me, a $200 kit is well worth the knowledge I got out of it. Plus, the process was simple and straightforward, and that has value as well. I will say they do suggest a follow-up test every three to four months, which can add up over time (so keep this in mind). Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Can Checkpup diagnose illnesses in my dog? Checkpup is aimed at finding imbalances and system distress but is not meant to diagnose any particular illness. Imbalances can lead to illnesses or make illnesses worse, but this is for your veterinarian to find, not Checkpup. Although Checkpup is vet-developed, it is not meant to provide a diagnosis. Should you do a Checkpup test more than once? Yes! It is recommended that another Checkpup kit be created in four months to assess the progress and changes. What happens if Checkpup can’t read the sample you sent in? This seldom happens. For any problems, please reach out directly to care@checkpup.com. Our Experience With Checkpup Check Price on Checkpup For background, my pup came from the animal shelter – she was found as a stray at a year of age. She came to me in a horrid condition, and her initial veterinary exams showed malnutrition, calcium deficiency, and a slew of health conditions. I’ve spent the rest of the years trying to remedy the first year of her life and manage her body as best I can, with guidance from my vet. However, much like my own medical experience in which I had to take my health into my own hands and do my own set of at-home saliva and blood tests to uncover my own imbalances, it made perfect sense to do something like this for my dog. Then the Checkpup Wellness Kit came to my door! I loved the package right off the bat – it was so cleverly designed that I wanted to give a huge high-five to their graphic designer. The package opens in such a beautiful way, with a detailed explanation of all of the steps. The box and tabs keep unfolding in the exact order you should be doing. Plus, the images were so lovely! Taking the sample was very simple, and my pup didn’t fuss at all. I gave her a bath and then waited the recommended 12 hours before collecting the sample. I started at the very top of her back so she could understand what was happening and then collected the rest of the samples from her underside. Once the samples were added to the little packet, I put that into the prepaid envelope and dropped it off at the post office. I then went to activate the kit online, which presented itself with a questionnaire about my pup’s visible health (such as her energy levels, skin, etc.). After inputting the activation code from my box and finishing the questionnaire, all that was left to do was wait for the results. I did encounter one issue: I got an email from Checkpup saying that the box was not actually activated despite going through the steps. I had to redo all of it because my registration didn’t seem to take the first time. There was a bit of a technical difficulty there! Once my results came, I was blown away by the detail of each aspect. I did learn some uncomfortable things, such as various deficiencies that my vet did not catch and I wasn’t aware of (but explained various ticks of hers that we all chalked up to be normal for her). Although it can feel a bit sad and disheartening that everything you’re doing doesn’t always come out right (she had a lot of red flags on mineral and vitamin deficiencies), it is so important to see this information and find ways to improve those results. From collecting the samples to receiving the results, I could tell how much attention to detail this company paid. Everything is so well explained; I cannot emphasize that fact enough. I felt like Checkpup was trying to educate me as much as they possibly could so that there was no way to misunderstand or misread the process and the results, and I appreciated that so much. Anything to do with the medical side of things tends to be so complex and leaves you overwhelmed, but Checkpup did the entire opposite. The checklist of ways to improve your pup’s health and results was also beyond the valley of amazing, as this made actionable suggestions to improve her health. All of these were detailed in a checklist, and I was eager to get started! I took these results to my veterinarian for a follow-up and am very much looking forward to the future with my pup. Conclusion In conclusion, the information I got out of Checkpup was worth every single penny—I would do it over and over again. Expanding my knowledge of how my dog is doing and where we can improve her health is fundamental to pet ownership, and for this, Checkpup is absolutely revolutionary. I urge everyone with a four-legged family member to do this.   The post Checkpup Dog Wellness Test Kit Review 2024: Our Expert’s Opinion appeared first on Pet Keen.

Britain's Community Security Trust, an anti-Semitism watchdog, observed a massive spike in hate incidents against Jewish citizens following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel. This increase coincided with the mainstreaming of the kinds of genocidal and anti-Israel rhetoric that have since been recycled at various Democrat-supported campus protests in the United States. Douglas Murray, the founder of the Center for Social Cohesion, noted in an Oct. 12 piece for the Spectator, "Within hours of the slaughter, people in London were driving around flying Palestinian flags and blaring their horns in celebration of the massacre. In Manchester the president of the local 'Friends of Palestine,' Dana Abuqamar, told Sky News, 'We're really full of joy, full of pride at what has happened.' At a Free Palestine rally in Brighton one speaker who claimed she was a Palestinian said: 'Yesterday was a victory.' She described the massacres in Israel as 'so beautiful and inspiring to see.'" It appears that Britain and its Jewish population have something more to fear than murderous rhetoric. A pair of Islamic extremists were arrested last week and charged with preparing acts of terrorism. 36-year-old Walid Saadaoui of Abram and 50-year-old Amar Hussein of no fixed address were hauled before the Westminster Magistrates Court and charged with planning an attack on "the Jewish community in the North West of England and members of both law enforcement and the military," reported the BBC. Bilel Saadaoui, the brother of one of the alleged terror plotters, was also arrested. He has been accused of failing to disclose the details of the terror plot to the authorities, reported the Guardian. Prosecutor Rebecca Waller indicated the duo set their plan in motion in December and planned "to conduct an ISIL [Isis] or Daesh-inspired terrorist attack in the UK during which they intended causing multiple fatalities using automatic weapons," not unlike the gruesome November 2015 Bataclan massacre where Islamic terrorists murdered 90 people and committed various other atrocities against their victims, or the March 22 ISIS terror attack in Moscow Oblast, Russia, where 145 victims were murdered and 551 were injured. The plotters reportedly had designs on securing a machine gun, 1,200 rounds of ammunition, a handgun, and a safe house to store their weaponry. Saadaoui allegedly traveled with Hussein to Dover in March "with the aim of conducting reconnaissance of the port security" where the guns were to be imported, reported the Daily Mail. "Both defendants took significant steps to prepare, and by May 2024, had reach the point at which, they believed, they were in a position to launch their attack," said Waller. Police nabbed Saadaoui when he went to pick up the weapons. Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts of the Greater Manchester Police said in a statement Tuesday, "Today's first court appearance has outlined some concerning and distressing details about a suspected terrorist plot that we allege was being planned by suspects from Greater Manchester." "Firstly, we know how significant the impact of this will be. Particularly for our Jewish community in Greater Manchester and across the country," continued Potts. "We have worked closely with the Community Security Trust, community groups and key stakeholders prior to today's hearing, and we will continue to update them and support them throughout the course of this case. The wider public will understandably be alarmed too." Amanda Bomsztyk, the northern regional director of the Community Security Trust, said, "These are very serious allegations of a plan to commit a terrorist attack against British Jews at a time of record anti-Semitic hate crime levels. This is one of a number of recent and ongoing cases that demonstrate why the Jewish community needs such extensive security measures and why our continuing partnership with police and government is so vital." When asked whether he wanted to apply for bail, Hussein reportedly answered, "Do whatever you want to." Bilel Saadaoui applied for bail unsuccessfully and blubbered on his way out of court. Blaze News previously reported that German and Dutch officials similarly foiled an Islamic terrorist plot in December, capturing four Hamas terrorists who had been targeting "Jewish institutions in Europe." Those arrests coincided with Denmark's capture of another four suspected terrorists. Prosecutors indicated that four of the radicals "have been long-standing members of HAMAS and have participated in HAMAS operations abroad. They are closely linked to the military branch's leadership. This included Khalil Hamed Al Kharraz, the second in command at the 'Izz al-Din al-Qassem' Brigades." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The White House claimed Biden has a ‘longstanding commitment to protecting the integrity, effectiveness, and independence of the Department of Justice.’

SURPRISE, SURPRISE: Harrison Butker Becomes Top-Selling Chiefs Jersey With Men AND Women

MO AG Andrew Bailey Calls Down the THUNDER on KC Mayor Q's Admin for Violating Harrison Butker's Rights

Friday Morning Minute

Two Jordanians Pose As Amazon Drivers, Try to Breach Gates at Marine Base; WH and ICE Response Is Unreal