Far More Complex Than Fat: What Is Causing Heart Disease?

 by Vance Voetberg via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

For over half a century, Americans have been taught a simple explanation for the nation’s No. 1 killer: that saturated fat clogs our arteries, leading to heart failure.

This diet-heart hypothesis, first put forth in the 1960s by physiologist Ancel Keys, remains firmly lodged in popular consciousness. But unbeknownst to most, modern medical research now understands heart disease to be far more complex than a matter of meat and butter consumption alone.

Inflammatory Link Between Immune System and Heart Disease

Inflammation is a leading theory for explaining the root of heart disease, according to Dr. Barbara Roberts, director of the Women’s Cardiac Center at The Miriam Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.

In a 2023 report published in BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, researchers made a scientific case for why inflammation may underlie heart disease, especially atherosclerotic heart disease—hardening of the arteries due to plaque buildup—which accounts for most cardiovascular events.

Just as the body mounts an immune response to infection or injury, a similar inflammatory reaction occurs in heart disease. The adaptive immune system has been shown to have an association with heart disease risk due to sustained chronic inflammation, according to the study.

“Although immune cells are integral key players of cardiac healing, an unbalanced or unresolved immune reaction after [myocardial infarction] aggravates tissue damage that triggers maladaptive remodeling and heart failure,” according to a 2021 European Heart Journal review.

In a 2022 Journal of Molecular Science report, researchers noted that atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease in which balancing inflammatory immune system agents determines disease progression or resolution.

LDL Quality–Not Just Quantity–Matters

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) act as cholesterol transporters in the body, carrying it where needed to synthesize hormones. LDL also plays a supporting immune role, defending against pathogens and oxidative stress, according to research. However, poor lifestyle factors like diet, smoking, and inactivity can overwhelm the immune system, resulting in LDL oxidation.

Emerging evidence indicates oxidized LDL—not total LDL—is key in heart disease. When oxidized, LDL carriers break down into smaller particles unable to attach to liver receptors. These particles then float freely in the blood, damaging arterial walls.

Contrary to logic, smaller oxidized particles present a higher risk than larger LDL. “Even if you have low LDL cholesterol with high LDL particle count, you can have a greater chance of heart disease than someone with cholesterol that is through the roof but has a low LDL particle count,” Jonny Bowden, who holds a doctorate in holistic nutrition and is a board-certified nutritionist and author, told The Epoch Times.

A 2020 study spanning eight years published in the Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis showed that individuals with the highest levels of small-dense LDL particles had over a five times greater risk of developing heart disease than those with the lowest levels.

High LDL particle count doubled the risk of peripheral arterial disease—where narrowed blood vessels reduce blood flow to the limbs—while LDL level had no association, according to a 2018 study of almost 28,000 women 45 years old or older published in Circulation.

“A higher amount of omega-6 in the LDL makes it more susceptible to oxidation,” James DiNicolantonio, a cardiovascular research scientist and doctor of pharmacy at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, told The Epoch Times. On the other hand, when LDL lacks antioxidants such as Coenzyme Q10 and carotenoids, and there is more inflammation in the body, LDL can also undergo oxidation, he added.

Insulin Resistance Emerges as Key Driver

Insulin facilitates glucose transportation and storage. Insulin resistance occurs when cells don’t respond to insulin and cannot easily store circulating glucose. While known as a Type 2 diabetes precursor, insulin resistance may also contribute to heart disease progression, indicates research.

A 2022 study of 110,000 adults published in Diabetes Care linked insulin resistance and heart disease risk. In prediabetic adults, only those with insulin resistance and obesity had higher cardiovascular risk versus those with normal glucose tolerance. In diabetic adults, cardiovascular risk persisted regardless of obesity.

A 2023 study in the Journal of International Medical Research explained that while the mechanisms connecting insulin resistance and heart disease remain unclear, the link has been established. Altered insulin responses result in cardiometabolic disorders like obesity, low-grade inflammation, and hypertension—all atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease precursors. Lifestyle changes like proper dieting and avoiding sedentary behavior are essential to manage insulin resistance and minimize cardiovascular risk, the authors noted.

A 2019 review in Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews also argued that insulin resistance is potentially the single most important cause of coronary artery disease.

Nutrient Deficiency

The introduction of processed foods such as refined sugar and seed oils is closely linked to worsened heart health. A lack of nutrients is also to blame for increased cardiovascular disease, according to Mr. DiNicolantonio. “A lack of any essential nutrient will speed/lead to the production of atherosclerosis,” he told The Epoch Times.

Key deficiencies closely tied to heart disease include magnesium and copper. Vitamin D deficiency is also associated with cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Antioxidant vitamins A, C, E, B6, and folate also support heart health.

Despite his certainty that nutrient deficiency contributes to heart disease, Mr. DiNicolantonio said no single cause explains heart disease. “There are too many mechanisms to try and guess what is the primary cause of heart disease,” he noted.

It starts with violations of his mantra, “Eat Well, Live Well, Think Well,” according to Dr. Jack Wolfson, a board-certified cardiologist. These violations prompt immune activation, inflammation, oxidative stress, nervous system dysfunction, and cell energy issues. “Ultimately, disease is the final outcome,” he added.

Triglycerides as an Independent Risk Factor

Triglycerides, the most abundant blood fat, have a well-documented role in heart disease. Elevated triglyceride levels from poor diet and inactivity disrupt lipid metabolism, increasing the risk of heart disease. High levels of circulating free fatty acids independently contribute to atherosclerosis.

A 2021 Journal of Lipid and Atherosclerosis study of over 1.8 million Korean adults reconfirmed triglycerides as an independent heart disease risk factor, reaffirming findings from studies beginning in the late 1980s showing triglycerides and associated lifestyle factors significantly contribute to heart disease development.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/far-more-complex-fat-what-causing-heart-disease

Under VP Joe, Hunter, Pals Aided China Bid To 'Control' Global Nuclear Power Market With US Tech: Report

 Democrats just can't stop trying to sell US nuclear assets.

According to a new report, while his father was Vice President, Hunter Biden and his business partners attempted to help Chinese energy firm CEFC purchase Westinghouse, a premier US-based nuclear technology firm, in an attempt to "control" the global market and provide "significant lobbying power in Congress.

"In summary, utilising the U.S. face of Westinghouse, combined with the economic power of CEFC (China) is the perfect solution to control this global sector," wrote Hunter's partner, James Gilliar, in a 2016 CEFC strategy memo, Just the News reports.

The effort failed despite Hunter's prowess as an international energy expert.

The evidence, which includes a detailed strategy memo, shows Hunter Biden was directly involved in emails and correspondence on the project in 2016 and that the goal was to exploit the future first son's access to power and his family reputation to make Washington and Beijing comfortable with a potentially controversial deal and then to shield the acquisition of Westinghouse by China CEFC Energy behind intermediaries. -Just the News

While Westinghouse at the time was owned by Japan's Toshiba, the crown jewel of their IP portfolio was a US-designed advanced nuclear reactor, the AP1000, which was approved for final design in December 2005 by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and again, which the Hunter crew expected to provide "significant lobbying power in Washington."

In a nearly 60-page confidential report Gilliar prepared to try and sell the Chinese on the acquisition, he wrote:

"Furthermore, because the AP1000 is a U.S. design, Westinghouse has significant lobbying power in Congress," suggesting that the group could exploit said lobbying power to support China as a "new entrant to the nuclear power market."

Miscalculations in the construction of two AP1000 nuclear plants in Georgia and South Carolina resulted in a $13 billion cost overrun, bankrupting the company in 2017.

According to new memos and testimony about the plan to help CEFC "control this global sector," Hunter Biden "had an interesting last name that would probably get people in the door," former business partner Rob Walker told Congress.

Lawmakers tell Just the News that Hunter's relationship with CEFC fits a pattern that Hunter was willing to take money from US adversaries, including an attempt to acquire prize assets such as the Michigan-based Hennings firm, which is tied to the People's Liberation Army.

"The Biden family was all about money," Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) told the "John Solomon Reports" podcast. "There was no sense of of honor or no sense of protection to the country. It was protect the brand, which was the Biden name. Joe Biden."

"I don't know if I've ever seen grifters more than the Biden family," he added.

Meanwhile, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) told the outlet "We're very concerned. And when you look at the Biden administration, there's no question in my mind that they've had a soft on China policy," adding "And there are certain policy decisions that this administration has made that are counter to what any American would want with respect to foreign policy relating to China."

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/while-joe-was-vp-hunter-and-pals-aided-chinese-bid-control-global-nuclear-power-market-us

CIA Deployed Bomb Technicians To Capitol Area On Jan. 6, New Records Show

 by Joseph Hannemann via The Epoch Times,

The Central Intelligence Agency deployed two bomb technicians to assist with a pipe bomb found at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6 and there were “several CIA dog teams on standby,” according to records obtained by Judicial Watch.

References to CIA involvement on Jan. 6 were included in text messages obtained from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) under a U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit Judicial Watch filed in 2023 against the U.S. Department of Justice.

“These striking records show that CIA resources were deployed in reaction to the January 6 disturbance,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a March 13 news release.

Among the 88 pages of heavily redacted records obtained by Judicial Watch is a group of text messages labeled “Jan. 7 Intel Chain” that includes two references to CIA assets in use or on standby on Jan. 6, 2021.

“FC I has two CIA bomb techs with us—EEO [redacted] in route,” one text read. Just prior, what appeared to be a text from the ATF said, “Our assets: SRT in Capitol with Group I, Groups II and III assisting with pipe-bomb scene on New Jersey and D St. SE.”

The CIA bomb techs are referenced in a text later that afternoon as “helping Capitol Police bomb squad clear Capitol.”

Another text refers to the availability of K9 units to assist in clearing buildings. “7 NGA dog teams, 2 ATF and several CIA dog teams on standby,” the text said.

The disclosures are the first documented references to the CIA having any involvement in response to the protests, chaos and later rioting at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Two pipe bombs were discovered near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6: one in an alley between the Capitol Hill Club and the Republican National Committee building, and the other in the bushes on the southwest side of the DNC building. Despite a three-year federal investigation and an offer of $500,000 in reward money, no arrests have been made.

The names of most of the participants in the group text are redacted in the records turned over to Judicial Watch. One name on the text chain is Ashan M. Benedict, the ATF’s incident commander in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6 who in December 2023 became assistant chief of U.S. Capitol Police.

Bomb Confusion

According to the updates sent on the text chain, there was a lot of confusion over the pipe bombs and if they were the only explosive devices found by police.

Sometime after 1:21 p.m., someone texted: “Just made contact with [redacted]. FBI is reporting an additional 3 possible devices for a total of 5 now.”

A followup message stated that one of the devices was “at the gates of the Power Plant” at 25 E St. Southeast. The Power Plant report turned out to be unfounded.

Another update read: “Sorry info is evolving. 2 devices at RNC and DNC.” A short time later, another text said, “Train traffic is stopped.”

It’s not clear what time that text was sent, but according to Capitol Police security video reviewed by The Epoch Times, trains continued to run to and from Union Station on tracks just behind the DNC building, even after the DNC bomb was discovered at 1:05 p.m.

A Virginia Railway Express train rumbles west past the Democratic National Committee during the pipe bomb incident on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. Capitol Police/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

At 1:20 p.m., a regional commuter train traveling west with 13 passenger cars ambled past. An Amtrak train traveling east pulling seven passenger cars passed the DNC at 1:22 p.m.

The text messages suggested there was some question about whether the pipe bombs were a genuine threat. “What was the final in the devices?” one text asked. “Real or not?”

Some of the confusion on the number of devices was likely caused by a red GMC pickup truck found stocked with firearms, ammunition, machetes and Molotov cocktails that was parked across the street from the Capitol Hill Club, where the first pipe bomb was discovered at 12:43 p.m.

The owner of the truck, Lonnie Leroy Coffman of Falkville, Alabama, parked the vehicle at about 9:15 a.m. and walked to the Ellipse to hear former President Donald J. Trump speak. Afterward, he returned for his truck to find the area blocked off by police due to the pipe bomb, according to court records.

Police doing a sweep of the area near Mr. Coffman’s truck noticed a firearm on the truck’s front seat. During a search of the vehicle, police found a 9mm handgun, an M4 rifle, a shotgun, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, high-capacity magazines, a crossbow with bolts, machetes, camouflage smoke devices, and a stun gun.

In the pickup’s covered bed, police found a cooler containing 11 Mason jars filled with gasoline and melted polystyrene foam. When ignited, the liquid would have a similar effect to napalm, according to federal agents.

Lonnie Leroy Coffman's GMC Sierra pickup truck was stocked with firearms, ammunition, machetes, and Molotov cocktails on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. Department of Justice/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Holes were punched in the lids, and the holes were plugged with golf tees. The truck also contained cloth rags and lighters for making and lighting Molotov cocktails, court records state.

Mr. Coffman was arrested and in April 2022 sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for possession of the incendiary devices and cache of weapons. He was released from the Bureau of Prisons on Oct. 2, 2023, records show.

The records from Judicial Watch raise more questions about how widespread the federal law enforcement presence was at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Tactical teams from the FBI, Homeland Security, ATF, Metropolitan Police, and Capitol Police were in the Capitol to help clear the building of protesters after 3 p.m., security video and records show.

Tactical teams from the ATF, FBI, and other agencies clear the U.S. Capitol of protesters at 3 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. Capitol Police/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

The rest of the texts obtained by Judicial Watch include updates on the deteriorating conditions at the U.S. Capitol.

“LEOs being attacked on the west side of Capitol with pieces of restraining fence. Some officers injured,” one text read. “USCP is sending out a mutual aid request,” stated another. “MPD has declared this no longer a demonstration but now a RIOT at the Capitol.”

As House and Senate leaders were evacuated from the Capitol, the texts indicated they and other senators and House members were being taken to the Fort McNair Army base in southwest Washington.

“Capitol has been transferred to Fort McNair. It’s an alternate location so they can continue their work. …Buses are coming to transfer them.”

Another series of texts is related to the 2:44 p.m. shooting of Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, 35, by Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd.

“Capitol PD shot someone on house floor,” one text read. “Dead.”

“Shots fired house floor.”

“Per Capitol Police that’s not confirms.”

“Shots fired in the lobby of the house floor.”

“1 civilian down with a gun shot wound to the chest on the 2nd floor.”

“Gunshot victim has been extracted.” “Shooting was officer involved.”

Those texts might have, in part, been transcriptions of the Capitol Police radio transmissions, according to audio obtained by The Epoch Times. There was an initial false report of shots fired on the floor of the House Chamber just before 2:43 p.m.

Ms. Babbitt was shot just after 2:44 p.m. as she attempted to climb into a broken-out glass side panel at the entrance to the House Speaker’s Lobby.

After Ms. Babbitt was shot and lay supine on the floor, Mr. Byrd made a false radio report claiming that he was taking fire from outside the Speaker’s Lobby, according to a $30 million lawsuit filed against the federal government by Ms. Babbitt’s widower, Aaron Babbitt.

“405-B. We got shots fired in the lobby. We got fot (sic), shots fired in the lobby of the House chamber,” Mr. Byrd broadcast. “Shots are being fired at us, and we’re prepared to fire back at them. We have guns drawn. [Unintelligible.] Don’t leave that end! Don’t leave that end!”

According to dispatch audio, Mr. Byrd never corrected his statements, and no one broadcast an update to indicate that the shooting was officer-involved.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/cia-deployed-bomb-technicians-capitol-area-jan-6-new-records-show

Investor made billions on Weight Watchers over 23 years, got out just before stock imploded

 Ray Debbane's legendary bet on the weight-loss brand hit its peak with Oprah and his exit now looks perfectly timed.

One year ago, in March 2023, Ray Debbane announced he would be resigning as chairman of WW International, the parent company of Weight Watchers, whose board he had joined in 1999. A day after Debbane stepped off the board in May 2023, his private equity firm, Invus, sold its 21% stake in the company, ending its 23-year ownership relationship with the company.

In the history of Wall Street, there has never been an investment quite like Debbane's legendary Weight Watchers trade, and now as the stock tanks, it's clear he nailed the exit just before Ozempic steamrolled the weight-loss brand.

On Wednesday, shares of WW International (WW) plunged another 12% after a report surfaced that the company's lenders had hired lawyers to prepare for debt talks. The stock tumbled another 28% by midday on Thursday and is now down 80% in 2024, changing hands for $1.69. Its market capitalization is just $130 million.

Debbane sold Invus' remaining 14.8 million shares last year in a block trade for $106 million, or $7.15 per share, according to data from Verity, an insider trading research and analytics firm. That means in total, the $226 million that Invus invested in Weight Watchers in 1999 turned into $4.8 billion, realized over 23 years.

Over those years, Weight Watchers would tap different celebrities to promote its weight-loss programs - Duchess of York Sarah Fergusson, Charles Barkley, Jessica Simpson, James Corden, Jennifer Hudson, Jenny McCarthy, and ultimately, Oprah Winfrey. These celebrity endorsements were all paid to push the brand, but the biggest winner over the last 24 years is nearly anonymous. A descendant of Belgian sugar barons who resides in Monaco, Eric Wittouck, is the true Weight Watchers king.

Debbane's entire private equity firm is dedicated to investing Wittouck's family office. Over the years, it sold chunks of its Weight Watchers holdings and collected some rich dividends, securities filings show. As a result, Wittouck is now worth $8.5 billion, according to Forbes.

Debbane declined to comment and WW International did not respond to a request to comment.

The Oprah years

It was Debbane who approached Winfrey in 2015 - the ultimate celebrity endorser - about joining the Weight Watchers team. Winfrey had publicly struggled with her weight for years, but signing her on seemed nearly impossible. Weight Watchers itself was struggling, its stock was falling and the company seemed like it was in trouble. Could one last celebrity deal keep this thing going?

Debbane, an excellent deal-maker, crafted a smart arrangement, and unlike the brand's previous celebrity promoters, he made Winfrey a true partner. Winfrey joined Weight Watchers' board and purchased 6.3 million newly issued WW shares, personally paying $43.2 million for the stake, or $6.79 per share. The company also issued Winfrey stock options.

The Winfrey magic worked and by 2018 WW's stock soared above $100. In 2018, Invus sold a slug of its WW stock for $1 billion in proceeds - its last big payday from its Weight Watchers bonanza.

Winfrey also scored big. In total, she made $221 million from WW stock sales after accounting for her initial payment and the exercise cost associated with stock options, Verity data shows. Winfrey sold stock in 2018 and 2021 at an average price of $49.60. In addition, Winfrey contributed some of her WW shares to her charitable foundation, which previously sold WW stock for $48.2 million, according to Verity.

Earlier this month, Winfrey announced she was leaving WW's board and donating her remaining shares and options to The National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The remaining stock options, however, are now not worth much given their higher exercise prices. The move sent WW's stock into its latest tailspin, but the challenge the company was facing goes back to last year.

Drug companies like Novo Nordisk (DK:NOVO.B) and Eli Lilly (LLY) shocked the world in 2023 with advancements in GLP-1 diet medicines like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound. Even Winfrey announced last year that she was taking a weight-loss medication.

In March of 2023, WW announced it was buying Sequence for $106 million to get into the business of remotely prescribing weight-loss drugs, but the move has done little to convince investors that the Weight Watchers brand can withstand the pressure of GLP-1 drugs.

Debbane, originally from Lebanon and based for decades in New York, understood what the company was confronting. Biotechnology is a big area of focus for him and Invus. He made an early investment in BioNTech (BNTX), the German company that co-developed the mRNA COVID vaccine with Pfizer (PFE). His firm currently has a sizable stake in Lexicon Pharmaceuticals. It's also a big owner of Cava Group (CAVA), the Mediterranean culinary brand and restaurant company. Its healthier foods appear better positioned to withstand the Ozempic and diet pill phenomenon than other food or diet companies.

https://www.morningstar.com/news/marketwatch/20240314824/this-investor-made-billions-on-weight-watchers-over-23-years-and-got-out-just-before-the-stock-imploded

Intuitive: FDA OKs 5th-Generation Robotic System, da Vinci 5

  Intuitive (NASDAQ:ISRG), a global technology leader in minimally invasive care and the pioneer of robotic-assisted surgery, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provided 510(k) clearance for da Vinci 5, the company’s next-generation multiport robotic system.

“We are pleased to receive FDA clearance for our fifth-generation robotic system, da Vinci 5,” said Gary Guthart, CEO. “Intuitive is committed to meaningful improvements in surgery that enable better patient outcomes, enhance the patient and care team experiences, and ultimately lower the total cost of care. After more than a decade of careful research, design, development, and testing, we believe da Vinci 5 will deliver on these goals and help drive the future of robotic-assisted surgery.”

Da Vinci 5 builds on Intuitive’s da Vinci Xi’s highly functional design, which surgeons and care teams around the world have used in more than 7 million procedures to date. The system includes more than 150 enhancements

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/03/14/2846718/7637/en/Intuitive-Announces-FDA-Clearance-of-Fifth-Generation-Robotic-System-da-Vinci-5.html

'Excess Mortality Skyrocketed': Tucker Carlson, Dr. Pierre Kory Unpack 'Criminal' COVID Response

 As the global pandemic unfolded, government-funded experimental vaccines were hastily developed for a virus which primarily killed the old and fat (and those with other obvious comorbidities), and an aggressive, global campaign to coerce billions into injecting them ensued.

Then there were the lockdowns - with some countries (New Zealand, for example) building internment camps for those who tested positive for Covid-19, and others such as China welding entire apartment buildings shut to trap people inside.

It was an egregious and unnecessary response to a virus that, while highly virulent, was survivable by the vast majority of the general population.

Oh, and the vaccines, which governments are still pushing, didn't work as advertised to the point where health officials changed the definition of "vaccine" multiple times.

Tucker Carlson recently sat down with Dr. Pierre Kory, a critical care specialist and vocal critic of vaccines. The two had a wide-ranging discussion, which included vaccine safety and efficacy, excess mortality, demographic impacts of the virus, big pharma, and the professional price Kory has paid for speaking out.

Keep reading below, or if you have roughly 50 minutes, watch it in its entirety for free on X:

"Do we have any real sense of what the cost, the physical cost to the country and world has been of those vaccines?" Carlson asked, kicking off the interview.

"I do think we have some understanding of the cost. I mean, I think, you know, you're aware of the work of of Ed Dowd, who's put together a team and looked, analytically at a lot of the epidemiologic data," Kory replied. "I mean, time with that vaccination rollout is when all of the numbers started going sideways, the excess mortality started to skyrocket."

When asked "what kind of death toll are we looking at?", Kory responded "...in 2023 alone, in the first nine months, we had what's called an excess mortality of 158,000 Americans," adding "But this is in 2023. I mean, we've  had Omicron now for two years, which is a mild variant. Not that many go to the hospital."

'Safe and Effective'

Tucker also asked Kory why the people who claimed the vaccine were "safe and effective" aren't being held criminally liable for abetting the "killing of all these Americans," to which Kory replied: "It’s my kind of belief, looking back, that [safe and effective] was a predetermined conclusion. There was no data to support that, but it was agreed upon that it would be presented as safe and effective."

Carlson and Kory then discussed the different segments of the population that experienced vaccine side effects, with Kory noting an "explosion in dying in the youngest and healthiest sectors of society," adding "And why did the employed fare far worse than those that weren't? And this particularly white collar, white collar, more than gray collar, more than blue collar."

Kory also said that Big Pharma is 'terrified' of Vitamin D because it "threatens the disease model." As journalist The Vigilant Fox notes on X, "Vitamin D showed about a 60% effectiveness against the incidence of COVID-19 in randomized control trials," and "showed about 40-50% effectiveness in reducing the incidence of COVID-19 in observational studies."

Professional costs

Kory - while risking professional suicide by speaking out, has undoubtedly helped save countless lives by advocating for alternate treatments such as Ivermectin.

Kory shared his own experiences of job loss and censorship, highlighting the challenges of advocating for a more nuanced understanding of vaccine safety in an environment often resistant to dissenting voices.

"I wrote a book called The War on Ivermectin and the the genesis of that book," he said, adding "Not only is my expertise on Ivermectin and my vast clinical experience, but and I tell the story before, but I got an email, during this journey from a guy named William B Grant, who's a professor out in California, and he wrote to me this email just one day, my life was going totally sideways because our protocols focused on Ivermectin. I was using a lot in my practice, as were tens of thousands of doctors around the world, to really good benefits. And I was getting attacked, hit jobs in the media, and he wrote me this email on and he said, Dear Dr. Kory, what they're doing to Ivermectin, they've been doing to vitamin D for decades..."

"And it's got five tactics. And these are the five tactics that all industries employ when science emerges, that's inconvenient to their interests. And so I'm just going to give you an example. Ivermectin science was extremely inconvenient to the interests of the pharmaceutical industrial complex. I mean, it threatened the vaccine campaign. It threatened vaccine hesitancy, which was public enemy number one. We know that, that everything, all the propaganda censorship was literally going after something called vaccine hesitancy."

Money makes the world go 'round

Carlson then hit on perhaps the most devious aspect of the relationship between drug companies and the medical establishment, and how special interests completely taint science to the point where public distrust of institutions has spiked in recent years.

"I think all of it starts at the level the medical journals," said Kory. "Because once you have something established in the medical journals as a, let's say, a proven fact or a generally accepted consensus, consensus comes out of the journals."

"I have dozens of rejection letters from investigators around the world who did good trials on ivermectin, tried to publish it. No thank you, no thank you, no thank you. And then the ones that do get in all purportedly prove that ivermectin didn't work," Kory continued.

"So and then when you look at the ones that actually got in and this is where like probably my biggest estrangement and why I don't recognize science and don't trust it anymore, is the trials that flew to publication in the top journals in the world were so brazenly manipulated and corrupted in the design and conduct in, many of us wrote about it. But they flew to publication, and then every time they were published, you saw these huge PR campaigns in the media. New York Times, Boston Globe, L.A. times, ivermectin doesn't work. Latest high quality, rigorous study says. I'm sitting here in my office watching these lies just ripple throughout the media sphere based on fraudulent studies published in the top journals. And that's that's that has changed. Now that's why I say I'm estranged and I don't know what to trust anymore."

Vaccine Injuries

Carlson asked Kory about his clinical experience with vaccine injuries.

"So how this is how I divide, this is just kind of my perception of vaccine injury is that when I use the term vaccine injury, I'm usually referring to what I call a single organ problem, like pericarditis, myocarditis, stroke, something like that. An autoimmune disease," he replied.

"What I specialize in my practice, is I treat patients with what we call a long Covid long vaxx. It's the same disease, just different triggers, right? One is triggered by Covid, the other one is triggered by the spike protein from the vaccine. Much more common is long vax. The only real differences between the two conditions is that the vaccinated are, on average, sicker and more disabled than the long Covids, with some pretty prominent exceptions to that."

https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/excess-mortality-skyrocketed-tucker-carlson-and-dr-pierre-kory-unpack-criminal-covid

Biden Grants Iran Billions In Sanctions Relief Amid Secret Talks Over Red Sea Attacks

 President Joe Biden late in the day Wednesday reapproved a $10 billion sanctions waiver for Iran, drawing immediate ire from GOP lawmakers who see it as appeasing a 'rogue regime' at a moment a proxy war is still unfolding in Iraq and Syria, and as Israel's war against Hamas and Tehran-backed Hezbollah threatens to spillover in the broader region.

The State Department has sought to emphasize that the waiver program to release funds is conditioned on Iran only being able to access humanitarian supplies, including food and medicine, with it. Key exemptions have also focused on being granted access to Iraq electricity supplies.

Republican hawks have seen this as an example of another Democratic administration caving, but this time at a crucial moment where the war against Hamas is raging, and the Islamic Republic has long been seen as a key backer of terrorists in Gaza.

Iran International has concluded of the Biden administration controversy, "If the administration’s plan was to keep the region – and Iran – quiet until after the 2024 US election – the recent developments have proven that plan to have backfired."

The way that Iran has utilized previously unfrozen funds remains largely unclear, according to international reports, with critics alleging the policy frees up Tehran to pursue terror funding abroad, also in places like Yemen amid Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping.

According to further details of Biden's Wednesday renewal of the waiver via the Free Beacon:

The sanctions waiver—which has drawn fierce GOP opposition on Capitol Hill—allows Iraq to transfer electricity payments to Iran via third-party countries. The sanctions waiver was last approved by the Biden administration in November and set to expire this month, putting the White House in a tight position as a mounting chorus of GOP lawmakers express concern about sanctions being bypassed. The authority granted in the latest waivers allows Iraq to convert dinars into Euros and transfer payments into Iranian banks accounts in Oman.

Ever since the US pullout of the JCPOA nuclear deal by the Trump administration, there's been a perpetual Republican-Democrat fight over sanctions bills, with the Dems opting to pursue compromise with Tehran based on things like prisoner exchanges and promises of good behavior. 

After Oct.7, pro-Iranian militias across Iraq and Syria began regularly sending drone and mortar attacks against US bases there. There have been well over 100 of these attacks so far, but recent weeks have been without any major incident. In Syria especially, Damascus and Hezbollah want to see the illegal American occupation ended by any means possible.

As for the ongoing Houthi attacks on US warships and international shipping in the Red Sea, Financial Times has revealed that the Biden administration has been holding secret talks with Iran, seeking to pressure Tehran to stop the Houthis:

The US has held secret talks with Iran this year in a bid to convince Tehran to use its influence over Yemen’s Houthi movement to end attacks on ships in the Red Sea, according to US and Iranian officials.

The indirect negotiations, during which Washington also raised concerns about Iran’s expanding nuclear program, took place in Oman in January and were the first between the foes in 10 months, the officials said.

The US delegation was led by the White House’s Middle East adviser Brett McGurk and its Iran envoy Abram Paley. Iranian deputy foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani, who is also Tehran’s top nuclear negotiator, represented the Islamic republic.

These backchannel negotiations have also been described by US officials as "a method for raising the full range of threats emanating from Iran." But it is increasingly clear that Tehran and its regional proxies are increasingly in the driver's seat, and Washington is left with fewer and fewer options.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/biden-reapproves-sanctions-waiver-unlocks-some-10bn-iran