2nd Boeing-Linked Whistleblower Dies

 A whistleblower at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems died Tuesday morning following a struggle with a 'sudden, fast-spreading infection,' the Seattle Times reports.

45-year-old Joshua Dean, a former mechanical engineer and quality auditor from Wichita, Kansas, alleged that Spirit leadership ignored manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX, including 'mechanics improperly drilling holes in the aft pressure bulkhead of the MAX.' When he brought this up with management, he said that nothing was done about it. So he filed a safety complaint with the FAA - and said that Spirit had used him as a scapegoat while they lied to the agency about the defects.

"After I was fired, Spirit AeroSystems [initially] did nothing to inform the FAA, and the public" regarding the bulkhead defects, said Dean in his complaint.

In November, the FAA suggested to Dean in a letter that his claims had merit, writing "The investigation determined that your allegations were appropriately addressed under an FAA-approved safety program," adding "However, due to the privacy provisions of those programs, specific details cannot be released."

Dean also gave a deposition in a Spirit shareholder lawsuit.

The shareholder lawsuit alleging that Spirit management withheld information on the quality flaws and harmed stockholders was filed in December. Supporting the suit, Dean provided a deposition detailing his allegations.

After a panel blew off a Boeing 737 MAX plane in January, bringing new attention to the quality lapses at Spirit, one of Dean’s former Spirit colleagues confirmed some of Dean’s allegations. -Seattle Times

He had been in good health, and 'was noted for having a healthy lifestyle,' according to the report.

He had been in critical condition for two weeks, according to his aunt Carol Parsons, who said he became ill and went to the hospital due to breathing difficulties. He was intubated, after which he developed pneumonia and then MRSA, a serious bacterial infection.

His condition deteriorated rapidly, and he was airlifted from Wichita to a hospital in Oklahoma City, Parsons said. There he was put on an ECMO machine, which circulates and oxygenates a patient’s blood outside the body, taking over heart and lung function when a patient’s organs don’t work on their own. -Seattle Times

Doctors had considered amputating both hands and both feet.

"It was brutal what he went through," said Parsons. "Heartbreaking."

Dean was fired in April 2023, after which he filed a complaint with the Department of Labor, alleging he had been terminated in retaliation for blowing the whistle.

He was represented by the South Carolina law firm that represented Boeing whistleblower John "Mitch" Barnett, who was found dead in an 'apparent suicide' in March in Charleston.

Barnett was in the middle of giving depositions suggesting that Boeing retaliated against him over complaints related to quality issues when he was found dead from a gunshot wound.

The Charleston County Coroner’s Office reported Barnett’s death appeared to be “from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.” Almost two months later, the police investigation into his death is still ongoing. -Seattle Times

"Whistleblowers are needed. They bring to light wrongdoing and corruption in the interests of society. It takes a lot of courage to stand up," said Brian Knowles, one of Dean's lawyers. "It’s a difficult set of circumstances. Our thoughts now are with John’s family and Josh’s family."

In March, Boeing was rumored to be in talks to buy Spirit, as both companies have come under increasing pressure from airline customers and federal regulators to shore up quality issues following a January 5th incident in which a door plug blew out mid-flight on a 737 MAX 9.

Four days later, United Airlines found "loose bolts" on 737 MAX doors following an emergency inspection.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/it-was-brutal-2nd-boeing-linked-whistleblower-dies

Trump campaign calls commission’s refusal to move up debates ‘unacceptable’

 Former President Trump’s campaign called the Commission on Presidential Debate’s refusal to move up its debate schedule “unacceptable” Tuesday and suggested the 45th president could go around the body that’s sponsored all general election presidential debates for decades. 

“The Presidential Debate Commission’s schedule does not begin until after millions of Americans will have already cast their ballots. This is unacceptable, and by refusing to move up the debates, they are doing a grave disservice to the American public who deserve to hear from both candidates before voting begins,” Trump campaign spokespeople Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a statement. 

The Trump campaign had asked the commission earlier this month for debates “much earlier” than the planned kickoff of a first debate in mid-September, as the former president pressures President Biden to go head-to-head.

“We are committed to making this happen with or without the Presidential Debate Commission. We extend an invitation to every television network in America that wishes to host a debate, and we once again call on Joe Biden’s team to work with us to set one up as soon as possible,” LaCivita and Wiles said.

The CPD on Wednesday hit back at the Trump campaign’s claims, stressing that the first debate, scheduled for Sept. 16, will be “the earliest televised general election debate ever held.” 

“Yesterday, it was claimed that the CPD’s schedule does not begin until after ‘millions of Americans will have already cast their ballots.’ The CPD purposefully chose September 16 after a comprehensive study of early voting rules in every state,” the nonprofit said in a release, referencing the Trump campaign’s comments. 

“The CPD has only one mission: to sponsor and produce general election debates that inform and educate the public. Our schedule is designed with that single mission in mind. The colleges and universities preparing to host these debates look forward to being part of an historic 2024 series of forums.”

Biden said last week that he’s “happy” to debate Trump, now that both 2024 hopefuls have secured the delegates they need to become their respective party’s presumptive nominees. Biden and his campaign have largely sidestepped directly addressing debates with Trump, while the Republican has gotten more vocal with his calls for the incumbent to take the stage and face off with him.

“Crooked Joe Biden just announced that he’s willing to debate! Everyone knows he doesn’t really mean it, but in case he does, I say, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE, an old expression used by Fighters,” Trump said in a response post on Truth Social.

For now, the first presidential debate on the commission’s calendar is set for Sept. 16 at Texas State University in San Marcos, followed by a vice presidential debate Sept. 25 at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. Two more presidential debates are slated for October in Virginia and Utah.

Trump notably skipped all the GOP primary debates held this cycle, citing his polling advantage over his Republican rivals. He’s currently on trial in New York, facing criminal charges in connection with a hush money payment made during the 2016 cycle.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4634227-trump-campaign-calls-commissions-refusal-to-move-up-debates-unacceptable/

Therapy to kill hypervirulent bacteria developed

 University of Central Florida College of Medicine researcher Renee Fleeman is on a mission to kill drug-resistant bacteria, and her latest study has identified a therapy that can penetrate the slime that such infections use to protect themselves from antibiotics.

In a study published recently in Cell Reports Physical Science, Fleeman showed that an antimicrobial peptide from cows has potential for treating incurable infections from the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae. The bacteria, commonly found in the intestines, is usually harmless. It becomes a health hazard when it enters other parts of the body and can cause pneumonia, urinary tract and wound infections. Those at highest risk include seniors and patients with other health problems such as diabetes, cancer, kidney failure and liver disease. However, younger adults and people without additional health problems can acquire urinary tract and wound infections from the bacteria that cannot be treated by antibiotics available today.

The CDC reports that antibiotic resistant bacteria are a growing global health threat. A 2019 study found that nearly 5 million people died worldwide that year from drug-resistant infections. A large portion of those deaths are attributable to K. pneumoniae because it has a 50% death rate without antibiotic therapy.

These bacteria are more resistant to drugs when they live in a biofilm -- microorganisms that stick together and are embedded in a protective slime. Recent studies have shown that 60-80% of infections are associated with bacteria biofilms, which increase their drug resistance.

"It's Iike a coat that bacteria put around itself," Fleeman says.

Her research is examining ways to remove the protective coat and expose the bacteria so it can be killed by the body's immune system or antibiotics that currently cannot pass through the biofilm. Through that research, Fleeman discovered how the peptides made by cows can quickly kill K. pneumoniae.

She determined that the peptides interact with sugar connections that keep the slime intact. She likened the process to cutting into a chain-linked fence. Once multiple chains are cut, the integrity of the slime structure is damaged, and the peptide can enter and destroy the bacteria that are no longer protected.

"Our research has shown polyproline peptide can penetrate and begin to break the slime barrier down in as little as an hour after treatment," says Fleeman.

The peptide has another advantage -- once it breaks through the protective slime barrier, tests showed it killed the bacteria better than antibiotics used as a last resort to treat incurable infections. Peptides kill the bacteria by punching holes in their cell membrane, causing death quickly compared to other antibiotics that inhibit growth from inside the cell.

The peptide could also be used as a topical treatment for a wide range of uses, especially for the military, to treat open wounds in the field. "Bacteria divide every 30 minutes, so you have to act fast," Fleeman says.

The next phase of her research will seek to understand the biology behind the peptide's efficacy and if combinations of other drugs would aid in its application.

Her research is funded through a three-year National Institutes of Health funding Pathway to Independence R00 grant and is in its second year. Her study initially started as a K99 award at University of Texas at Austin, where she worked before joining UCF in September of 2022.

Fleeman says research into resistant infections must continue because they pose such a threat to health.

"It is estimated that by 2050, antibiotic resistant bacterial infections will be the number one cause of human deaths," she says. "Our work is focused on preparing for this post-antibiotic era battle, where common antibiotics that we take for granted will no longer be effective, jeopardizing cancer therapy, organ transplants, and any modern medical advancement that relies on effective antibiotic therapies."

Journal Reference:

1. Laura De los Santos, Robert L. Beckman, Christina DeBarro, James E. Keener, Marcelo D.T. Torres, Cesar de la Fuente-Nunez, Jennifer S. Brodbelt, Renee M. Fleeman. Polyproline peptide targets Klebsiella pneumoniae polysaccharides to collapse biofilms. Cell Reports Physical Science, 2024; 5 (3): 101869 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2024.101869

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240501193701.htm

Low Sodium Diet May Be Stressing You Out

 by Jennifer Sweenie via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

There is a link between salt intake and stress, and it’s probably not what you think. While we are well aware of the purported dangers associated with a high-sodium diet, many of us are not aware that too little sodium comes with its own set of issues. When it comes to stress, salt plays an important role in helping flush cortisol from the body.

A study published in Clinical Endocrinology in 2020 showed that an increase in salt consumption leads to a rise in cortisol levels in your urine and lower cortisol levels in your bloodstream. What does this potentially mean? Restricting your sodium intake may lead to higher levels of circulating cortisol.

Salt is often vilified, and many physicians instruct their patients to adopt a low-sodium diet for health reasons. However, not consuming enough of it may interfere with the removal of cortisol from our bloodstream. Sodium helps flush the stress hormone from the body, and avoiding it may ultimately lead to chronically elevated blood cortisol levels. If left untreated, high cortisol levels can lead to a variety of bothersome symptoms and potentially serious complications. Most people are experiencing some symptoms of elevated or dysregulated cortisol from life stressors, and abstaining from salt may be exacerbating the situation.

What Is Cortisol?

Cortisol is an essential steroid hormone the adrenal gland produces in response to stress. It is often referred to as the stress hormone because the body releases it in higher amounts during the fight-or-flight response to a stressor. Cortisol helps release stored glucose from our cells so we have the energy to run away from a perceived threat.

The stress hormone has many vital functions, including regulating blood sugar levels, managing metabolism, controlling inflammation, and assisting with your sleep and wake cycle. It is an important hormone, however, high cortisol levels over a prolonged period of time can negatively affect health—including weight gain, high blood pressure, and weakened immune function.

The Difference Between Salt and Sodium

People often use the words salt and sodium interchangeably, but there is a marked difference between the two. Sodium is a mineral found in many foods and is essential for our bodies to function properly. Salt is a combination of sodium and chloride. It is a chemical compound comprised of 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chloride, hence its moniker. Ultimately, sodium is one of two elements that salt is made from.

Sodium is an essential mineral that helps regulate the body’s fluid balance and maintain normal nerve and muscle function. It is also involved in the absorption and transportation of nutrients throughout the body. Essential means your body cannot make it, and you must get adequate amounts from the food you eat. What is our primary source of sodium? Salt.

The Salt and Cortisol Connection

The findings of the 2020 study are not new. A separate study published earlier in the same year found that, “On a high-salt, as compared with a low-salt, diet, urinary aldosterone excretion decreased, whereas urinary cortisol and cortisone excretion increased.” In 2013, a study published in Cell Metabolism determined that “[A] high-salt diet increases cortisol excretion in humans.”

A study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism in 2003 stated, “In healthy subjects, dietary salt loading increases and sodium restriction decreases urinary free cortisol excretion” and “​​changes in cortisol metabolite excretion after salt loading were accompanied by a decrease in plasma cortisol concentration.”

Prior to that, a 1998 study concluded, “This study supports the notion that sodium restriction decreases urinary cortisol excretion.”

Although more research is needed to fully understand the relationship between salt intake and cortisol excretion, the 2020 study raises a few points. Increased dietary sodium intake may cause false positives in urinary-free cortisol excretion tests, and low-sodium diets may make cortisol blood tests inaccurate. Additionally, a low-sodium diet may raise cortisol, and incorporating high-quality sources of sodium into your diet comes with benefits in terms of cortisol regulation.

The Type of Salt Matters

When it comes to salt consumption, the type of salt matters. Table salt is the most commonly used salt. It is heavily processed and stripped of many of its natural minerals. Chemicals are often added to keep it from caking in humidity.

Table salt is also usually fortified with iodine. Iodine can be beneficial for thyroid health. However, some experts argue that the processing of table salt can make it more difficult for the body to process and use and may lead to potential health issues. Sometimes dextrose, a form of sugar, is added to table salt.

Sea salt is a more natural form of salt harvested from evaporated seawater. It retains many natural trace minerals, including magnesium, potassium, and calcium. It is not refined or processed. Himalayan pink sea salt is a popular type of salt mined from ancient salt beds in the Himalayan Mountains. It is known for its pink hue and is rich in minerals.

Kosher salt is pure sodium chloride and contains no trace minerals, iodine, or unhealthy additives.

Foods That Can Help Lower Cortisol

In addition to high-quality salt, the best foods for lowering cortisol are those that are anti-inflammatory. Any foods that lower inflammation will, in turn, lower cortisol levels. Several foods can help reduce cortisol levels in the body, including:

• Dark chocolate: Dark chocolate contains flavonoids and studies have shown it can reduce cortisol levels.
• Berries: Berries are rich in antioxidants, which can help reduce inflammation and lower cortisol levels.
• Fatty fish: Fatty fish such as salmon and tuna contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Research has shown that omega-3s can reduce cortisol levels.
• Nuts: Nuts are a great source of magnesium, which can help lower cortisol levels.
• Leafy greens: Leafy greens such as spinach and kale are also rich in magnesium and antioxidants and can help reduce inflammation and lower cortisol levels.
• Fermented foods: Fermented foods, including kimchi and sauerkraut, contain probiotics. Probiotics have been shown to help reduce cortisol levels.
• Herbal teas: Research supports that herbal teas, such as chamomile and lavender, have calming properties that can help reduce cortisol levels.
• Ashwagandha: A plant that has been used for centuries in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, ashwagandha is believed to reduce cortisol levels in the body. It has treated a variety of conditions, including stress, anxiety, fatigue, and depression.

Some studies suggest that ashwagandha also has anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties. However, ashwagandha can be unsafe for some people and should be discussed with a physician.

https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/low-sodium-diet-may-be-stressing-you-out

'Intel Insidious' - Here's All The 'Grants' Given By Biden's US CHIPS Act

 This visualization shows which companies are receiving grants from the U.S. CHIPS Act, as of April 25, 2024. The CHIPS Act is a federal statute signed into law by President Joe Biden that authorizes $280 billion in new funding to boost domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors.

The grant amounts visualized in this graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Marcus Lu, are intended to accelerate the production of semiconductor fabrication plants (fabs) across the United States.

Data and Company Highlights

The figures we used to create this graphic were collected from a variety of public news sources. The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) also maintains a tracker for CHIPS Act recipients, though at the time of writing it does not have the latest details for Micron.

BAE Systems was not included in the graphic due to size limitations

Intel’s Massive Plans

Intel is receiving the largest share of the pie, with $8.5 billion in grants (plus an additional $11 billion in government loans). This grant accounts for 22% of the CHIPS Act’s total subsidies for chip production.

From Intel’s side, the company is expected to invest $100 billion to construct new fabs in Arizona and Ohio, while modernizing and/or expanding existing fabs in Oregon and New Mexico. Intel could also claim another $25 billion in credits through the U.S. Treasury Department’s Investment Tax Credit.

TSMC Expands its U.S. Presence

TSMC, the world’s largest semiconductor foundry company, is receiving a hefty $6.6 billion to construct a new chip plant with three fabs in Arizona. The Taiwanese chipmaker is expected to invest $65 billion into the project.

The plant’s first fab will be up and running in the first half of 2025, leveraging 4 nm (nanometer) technology. According to TrendForce, the other fabs will produce chips on more advanced 3 nm and 2 nm processes.

The Latest Grant Goes to Micron

Micron, the only U.S.-based manufacturer of memory chips, is set to receive $6.1 billion in grants to support its plans of investing $50 billion through 2030. This investment will be used to construct new fabs in Idaho and New York.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/intel-insidious-heres-all-grants-given-bidens-us-chips-act

Comer Is Right to Challenge Biden’s Bureaucratic Hiring Spree

 No one other than the most partisan of cable news talking heads can make the case that the United States is better off under the presidency of Joe Biden and his disastrous policies.  Inflation is through the roof. High-interest rates have put homeownership beyond the reach of many middle-income earners.  From Ukraine to the Middle East, the world is in turmoil.  But never fear – the Biden Administration is showing extreme competence and dedication in protecting federal bureaucrats and making it easier for unqualified, far-left ideologues to procure lifetime federal jobs.  And when bureaucrats win, ordinary Americans will surely lose – and have to foot the bill. 

The United States government employs nearly three million people – more than some industries in the United States.  As a comparison, the auto industry in our country employs 1.7 million people – but auto workers produce goods and services that are useful and necessary. Most federal workers produce nothing besides paper, which is probably why they are so vociferous about defending their “rights.” 

Federal workers are governed under the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act, which sets out employment policies and procedures for federal agencies.  Under the guise of ensuring a “non-partisan” workforce, this law erected substantial hurdles to effective employee management, in effect making each employee immune from dismissal for poor performance (the federal government fires less than .25% of its workers each year, compared to private employers, whose involuntary termination rate is about 4.8%). Federal employees have workplace protections that private sector folks could only dream of, and those protections have paradoxically made the federal workforce more partisan, ideological, and less willing to entertain or accept ideas that go against the current narrative. And make no mistake – these unaccountable bureaucrats implement their radical policy agendas in every area of the federal government. 

During the Trump administration, efforts were made to reign in some of the more egregious examples of abuse and create accountability for senior-level federal employees. The Trump proposal, referred to by insiders as “Schedule F,” would have made a new classification of senior-level jobs directly involved in policymaking and subjected them to new rules related to job status and protections. Employees in these jobs would be treated as at-will employees, subject to removal by the President or an agency head for poor performance or lack of adherence to presidential directives.  

Naturally, this proposal generated fear and outrage amongst the bureaucrat class and their protectors in Washington, D.C., and they were quick to act.  On his second day in office, President Biden canceled the Trump executive order on Schedule F and directed the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to come up with a rule that would make it more challenging to reclassify federal workers, effectively preventing efforts by future presidents to demand accountability from the federal workforce.  

OPM wasted no time once it received these presidential marching orders. Just this past week, the agency – which essentially functions as the in-house government human resources department and is perhaps best known for the hack and breach of its network systems back in 2015 (which was then the largest government hacking ever) – finalized a rule that will essentially prevent any future efforts to make federal workers more accountable, more responsible, and more sensitive to the needs of ordinary Americans. Judging from the alacrity with which this new rule was proposed and implemented, it seems that the geniuses at OPM can move quickly and effectively when they so desire. If only the agency had the same urge to fix their cyber security issues. Nearly a decade has passed since its infamous data breach, and the agency has barely done anything to fix its cyber vulnerabilities. 

As if that’s not enough, OPM also recently issued another rule to allow federal agencies to hire unqualified interns, recent college graduates, presidential fellows, and even those without a college degree in permanent career positions without having to “compete” under federal employment rules. 

For years, OPM has been hiding its involvement in the practice of “burrowing,” which allows decisionmakers to convert political appointees – mostly far-left ideologues - into permanent government employees, and now, it’s clear that OPM is accelerating its actions on this front.  The agency is essentially saying, “we will hire who we want, circumvent competition regulations, and no one can do anything about it.”

Fortunately, these radical moves have caught the attention of some serious players in Washington. 

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer has held hearings on management failures at OPM and has hinted that a future Republican-led Congress might consider eliminating OPM, privatizing some of its functions (like benefits administration and staffing), and giving the Office of Management and Budget more insight into federal workforce policy.  

Both of Chair Comer’s proposals are serious and should be thoroughly examined. But as an absolute minimum, Congress needs to take immediate steps to ensure that OPM does not turn the federal workforce into a radical left, multi-gendered socialist pipe dream at the taxpayer’s expense.  However, as the two recent rules show, the bureaucracy isn’t going to give up without a fight.

Andrew Langer is the Director of the CPAC Foundation Center for Regulatory Freedom 

https://townhall.com/columnists/andrewlanger/2024/04/30/oversight-chair-james-comer-is-right-to-challenge-bidens-bureaucratic-hiring-spree-n2638426

California legislators advance limiting “influential” anonymous online speech

 California legislators nearly unanimously voted to limit “influential” anonymous online free speech by requiring social media companies to “seek to verify” personal information — including government-issued identification —  for “influential” accounts.

While supporters say users need help distinguishing between good and bad information, opposition warned the bill, without defining “seek to verify,” threatens anonymous online speech. 

With the bill applying to companies with at least one million annual California users, it would affect major social media companies worldwide.

Under SB 1228, by State Sen. Steve Padilla, D-Chula Vista, social media companies would be required to “seek to verify” the personal information of “influential” users, including seeking government-issued identification from “highly influential users.” Influential users who do not comply would have a “notation” on their content for two seconds showing the user is unverified showing the rest of a post, after which the notation would still be visible.

“The average person does not have convenient tools at the moment to distinguish between content produced by a reputable news source or AI generated misinformation,” said Padilla at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for the bill. “Numerous studies have shown that online anonymity results in increased unconstrained postings.” 

“Influential” users would need to submit their name, telephone number, and email address if they have 15,000 or more followers, or more than 50,000 views within a week, or rank in the top 6% of platform views within a week. “Highly influential” users would need to submit government-issued identification if they have 30,000 or more followers, or more than 100,000 views within a week, or rank in the top 3% of  views within a week. 

Bill supporters clarified the bill would not ban anonymous online speech. 

“It does not require platforms to force users to verify their identity, and it does not prevent users from using pseudonyms or no name at all when they are engaging in online speech,” said Mariko Yoshihara of the California Initiative for Technology & Democracy, to the committee. “This bill simply requires platforms to seek to verify the identity of users once they have reached a certain threshold that we have identified as influential.” 

Opposition to the bill focused on the historical American importance of anonymous speech, and the danger a lack of clarity on “seek to verify” poses, as companies that fail to “seek to verify” influential users would face lawsuits from state or local government attorneys for “injunctive or other equitable relief.” 

“It is unclear what constitutes satisfying the bill’s requirement to seek to verify influential users,” said Khara Boender of the Computer & Communications Industry Association to the committee. “These users may be speaking about sensitive topics, represent dissident opinions under oppressive regimes, or be part of a marginalized community, among other reasons. Anonymous speech is a long held value and tradition in the United States dating back to the Federalist Papers. Protecting anonymity of online speech carries forward such traditions and protections to allow for open and free expression.”

The bill moved forward to the Senate Appropriations Committee nearly unanimously, save for a lone “no” from State Sen. Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks.

https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_048046aa-040e-11ef-9c1d-53f92bea1edd.html