U.S. Justice Dept. to review Memphis police after Tyre Nichols' killing

 

The U.S. Justice Department will participate in a review of the Memphis Police Department after the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man fatally beaten by officers in the Tennessee city last month, according to city officials.

The review was disclosed in a bulletin by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland. The bulletin said the Justice Department as well as the International Association of Chiefs of Police would take part in an "independent, external review" requested by the city to assess the Memphis Police Department's special units and use-of-force policies.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

Memphis police on Friday fired a sixth officer involved in the death of Nichols. Five other officers, all Black, were previously fired and charged with second-degree murder. The sixth officer to be fired is white.

Nichols repeatedly cried, "Mom! Mom!" as the five Memphis police officers charged with the Black motorist's murder pummeled him with kicks, punches and baton blows after a Jan. 7 traffic stop, video released by the city showed.

He was hospitalized and died of his injuries three days after the confrontation in the city where he lived with his mother and stepfather and worked at FedEx.

His death has further fueled an ongoing national debate in the United States about race and police brutality.

The Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services will take part in the review, the city said.

The mother of Nichols, RowVaughn Wells, and his stepfather, Rodney Wells, are due to attend President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday in Washington.

Nichols' funeral, held in a Memphis church on Wednesday, was attended by Vice President Kamala Harris and relatives of other Black people killed by police in U.S. cities.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/FEDEX-CORPORATION-12585/news/U-S-Justice-Dept-to-review-Memphis-police-after-Tyre-Nichols-killing-42905142/

Italy sounds alarm on large-scale computer hacking attack

 

Thousands of computer servers around the world have been targeted by a ransomware hacking attack, Italy's National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) said on Sunday, warning organisations to take action to protect their systems.

The hacking attack sought to exploit a software vulnerability, ACN director general Roberto Baldoni told Reuters, adding it was on a massive scale.

Italy's ANSA news agency, citing the ACN, reported that servers had been compromised in other European countries such as France and Finland as well as the United States and Canada.

Dozens of Italian organisations were likely to have been affected and many more had been warned to take action to avoid being locked out of their systems.

Telecom Italia customers reported internet problems earlier on Sunday, but the two issues were not believed to be related.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/TELECOM-ITALIA-S-P-A-102978/news/Italy-sounds-alarm-on-large-scale-computer-hacking-attack-42905241/

Russia says Ukraine planning to blow up buildings in false flag operation

 

Russia's defence ministry accused Ukraine of preparing to blow up buildings in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk and then accuse Moscow of carrying out war crimes and targeting civilians in a false flag operation.

The defence ministry provided no evidence for the claims, which it outlined in a post shared on social media on Sunday, saying that the alleged attacks would be used by Kyiv to push for Western governments to increase weapons supplies to the country.

Reuters was unable to immediately verify the battlefield claims of either side.

A Russian missile killed at least three when it struck a residential building in the city of Kramatorsk on Thursday, police in Ukraine said. Russia has not publicly commented on that strike.

Moscow has denied targeting civilians throughout what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Kyiv and Western governments say hundreds of civilians have been killed in Russian missile strikes on residential sites across Ukraine since Moscow's forces invaded last February.

On Sunday, Russia's defence ministry said Kyiv planned to detonate three medical buildings - dispensaries and a hospital - and "accuse Russia of an allegedly 'deliberate attack' on civilian objects".

"The bombing of the medical institutions will be presented as another 'atrocity' of Russian troops, requiring a response from the world community and accelerating the supply of long-range missiles to Kyiv (to be used) for strikes on Russian territory," the defence ministry said.

There was no immediate response from Kyiv to the claims.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/currency/US-DOLLAR-RUSSIAN-ROUBL-2370597/news/Russia-says-Ukraine-planning-to-blow-up-buildings-in-false-flag-operation-42905170/

"Confidential Letters": FTX Demands Politicians Return Millions In SBF Donations

 Just when you thought the FTX travesty couldn't get any more bizarre, the now bankrupt company is trying to claw back political donations and other spending that took place at the direction of former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. 

A press release made its way out mid-day Sunday that FTX's debtors and the company had sent "confidential messages to political figures, political action funds, and other recipients of contributions or other payments that were made by or at the direction of the FTX Debtors, Samuel Bankman-Fried or other officers or principals of the FTX Debtors" requesting the funds back. 

"These recipients are requested to return such funds to the FTX Debtors by February 28, 2023," the release states.

It continues: "The messages follow the December 19, 2022, announcement by the FTX Debtors that they have established arrangements for such recipients to return funds voluntarily by contacting (FTXrepay@ftx.us)."

Then, the release threatens legal action to those who are unwilling to return funds: "To the extent such payments are not returned voluntarily, the FTX Debtors reserve the right to commence actions before the Bankruptcy Court to require the return of such payments, with interest accruing from the date any action is commenced."

"Recipients are cautioned that making a payment or donation to a third party (including a charity) in the amount of any payment received from a FTX Contributor does not prevent the FTX Debtors from seeking recovery from the recipient or any subsequent transferee," the release says. 

We noted back in December that $73 million in political donations were now at risk as a result of the bankruptcy. SBF also donated to Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York, who last year was one of 8 members of Congress who lobbied against regulating crypto.

"Nobody ends up looking great in this," said University of Rochester political science professor, David Primo, at the time. 

While there’s precedent for forcing political entities to return contributions in cases of fraud, recovery prospects are unclear in FTX’s case. Recouping campaign funds as part of the bankruptcy proceedings is a complicated and lengthy process, and the scope of the total funds eligible for clawback depends on myriad federal and state laws. It is also subject to the bankruptcy lawyers’ judgment on what money, which may be long spent by the time the FTX trustees try to go after it, is worth the effort.

Bankman-Fried is facing additional scrutiny for recently saying he gave equally to Republicans and Democrats, but funded conservatives through  “dark money” groups that don’t identify donors. The claim is almost impossible to verify unless the recipients voluntarily disclose they received money from him. -Bloomberg

One factor noted in the debate over clawbacks is whether the bankruptcy court determines there was fraud or fraudulent intent involved in the collapse of FTX, according to Ilan Nieuchowicz, a litigator for law firm Carlton Fields. If that's the case, nearly all donations tied to FTX could be a recovery target. If not, then only those made within the 90-day period prior to FTX's insolvency, or around $8.1 million, would potentially be subject to recapture.

Meanwhile, $26.6 million of FTX-linked contributions went directly to large super PACs, including those who gave money to House and Senate leadership of both parties (and of course, the proportion isn't mentioned). 

Recall, we reminded readers back in December that SBF was being heralded as "one of the people most responsible" for Biden's 2020 win.

Somebody better flip over Hunter Biden and see how much change falls out of his pockets...

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/ftx-sends-out-press-release-telling-politicians-and-political-funds-return-money-donated

Potential fentanyl vax, test kits a ‘great breakthrough’ to combat opioid deaths

 Researchers at the University of Houston are developing a new vaccine that may prevent fentanyl addiction – a primary contributor to tens of thousands of synthetic opioid-related deaths.

Certified physician Dr. Frita Fisher joined “Fox & Friends Weekend,” Sunday, to explain how the medical breakthrough is expected to be a game changer for Americans suffering from the nation’s growing epidemic.

“In the case of fentanyl, the antibodies will block it, keep it from crossing into the brain, and if the fentanyl cannot cross into the brain, that means the person cannot get high. And so, they’re no longer motivated to do the fentanyl,” Dr. Fisher explained.

“And more importantly, the fentanyl is not able to suppress the respiratory center. So now, that cannot stop some breathing and kill them. And that’s what’s causing over 110,000 overdose deaths a year in this country,” she added.

According to the CDC, there were a reported 73,102 synthetic opioid-related deaths in the U.S. spanning from January 2022 through August 2022. 

Fentanyl addiction has become the primary contributor to tens of thousands of opioid-related deaths.

REUTERS

“You’re right. Some are unintentional overdoses, but they’re still overdoses. For fentanyl, it literally takes 2 mg of it for it to be lethal. That’s 1/10 the weight of a single grain of rice. And, many people who don’t take fentanyl may take cocaine, or smoke marijuana casually, or take a Percocet, people are lacing those things with fentanyl,” Dr. Fisher explained in response. 

“So, it still will prevent overdose deaths, and it can help to prevent the addiction – if it works in humans. It’s only been used in rats and mice right now.”

Will Cain affirmed Dr. Fisher’s claim that a fentanyl vaccine would effectively prevent addicts from further abusing the drug, though questions remain whether it could protect an individual who unwittingly takes a drug like Adderall that may be laced with fentanyl. 

As a precautionary solution, Dr. Fisher suggested that everyone who partakes in drug use should take the fentanyl vaccine. 

“Depending on the success of the study in humans, perhaps anyone doing a drug should take the fentanyl vaccine. It’s premature to say,” Dr. Fisher urged.

Test strips can be used to test drugs to see if it mistakenly contains fentanyl. (FNC)

In terms of additional safety measures, Dr. Fisher concluded by discussing fentanyl test kits, which can be used to test drugs to see if it contains fentanyl. 

“Beyond this vaccine, we have things like testing kits where you can actually test an adderall, or test that pill, to see if it has fentanyl in it. That’s something a lot of people don’t know [about], fentanyl test strips,” Dr. Fisher said. 

https://nypost.com/2023/02/05/potential-fentanyl-vax-test-kits-could-combat-opioid-deaths/

Taiwan: Chinese balloon incident should not be ‘tolerated’ by international community

 Taiwan said that the suspected Chinese spy balloon that was flying over the U.S. “should not be tolerated by the civilized international community,” adding that Beijing should stop conduct that causes regional instability.

“Such actions by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government contravene international law, breach the airspace of other countries, and violate their sovereignty,” Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Saturday. “The CCP regime should immediately cease conduct of this kind that encroaches on other countries and causes regional instability.”

The U.S. shot down the balloon off the East Coast of the country on Saturday. China responded negatively to the action, calling it an overreaction by the U.S. government.

Even as Beijing has maintained that the balloon was used for civilian research, U.S. defense officials have said they are confident it was used for espionage. Taiwan, the self-ruled island, has experience with China floating balloons over its territory. It has also experienced Chinese military jets entering its airspace quite frequently, raising tensions between Taipei and Beijing. 

The revelation of the Chinese balloon floating over U.S. territory was met with calls from Republican lawmakers for the Biden administration to act quickly to shoot it down. After it was allowed to travel for a number of days across the country, lawmakers pointed the finger at President Biden and his administration for not dealing with the issue strongly enough.

Biden approved the downing of the balloon, holding off on the operation until it was safely over waters. Recovery efforts for the balloon have started.

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/3844258-taiwan-chinese-balloon-incident-should-not-be-tolerated-by-international-community/

Booker: TikTok 'working with US intelligence to ensure China cannot use platform for spying'

 Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said on Sunday that TikTok is collaborating with U.S. intelligence to enact precautions aimed at safeguarding the popular video-sharing platform from Chinese surveillance.

“I think there’s two ways to approach this one,” Booker told Margaret Brennan on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “The proactive step of banning and on government devices is something that the United States federal government is doing, states and even localities are doing.”

“But the other way to go about this is going directly to the company. They are now working with U.S. intelligence folks to try to make sure that the proper precautions are taken so the Chinese cannot get access and use it for spying,” he continued.

Congress and many state legislatures have passed bills banning TikTok on government devices, largely citing national security concerns. Two Republicans announced a bill last month to ban TikTok across all devices in the U.S., alleging that the application poses national security risks.

Booker also said on Sunday there’s a “strong bipartisan view” that action needs to be taken to meet potential threats that China could pose to the “safety, security and national secrets” of the U.S.

“This is something we have to take seriously,” he said. “It is an issue for American companies who have their secrets stolen. It is an issue that we have to have around our military.”

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/3844429-booker-tiktok-working-with-us-intelligence-to-ensure-china-cannot-use-platform-for-spying/