bonginoreport--2020-06-21--U.S. Banks Awash With Cash as Deposits Increase $2 Trillion During Coronavirus

It 's the banking world 's version of the rich getting richer .
A record $ 2 trillion surge in cash hit the deposit accounts of U.S. banks since the coronavirus first struck the U.S. in January , according to FDIC data .
The wall of money flowing into banks has no precedent in history : in April alone , deposits grew by $ 865 billion , more than the previous record for an entire year .
The gains were all driven , in one way or another , by the response to the pandemic : The government unleashed hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses and individuals via stimulus checks and unemployment benefits .
The Federal Reserve began a barrage of efforts to support financial markets , including an unlimited bond buying program .
And an uncertain future prompted decision makers , from two-person households to global corporations , to horde cash .
More than two-thirds of the gains went to the 25 biggest institutions , according to the FDIC .
And that was concentrated at the very top of the industry : JPMorgan Chase , Bank of America and Citigroup , the biggest U.S. banks by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest of the industry in the first quarter , according to company data .
`` Any way you look at it , this growth has been absolutely extraordinary , '' said Brian Foran , an analyst at Autonomous Research .
`` Banks are flooded with cash , they 're like Scrooge McDuck swimming in money . ''
There are several reasons why the American megabanks — survivors of the last crisis in 2008 — were the main beneficiaries of the deposits bonanza .
When states began instituting shutdowns in March , corporations including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billions of dollars from lines of credit , and that money was initially parked at the banks making those loans .
Big banks also serviced a large chunk of customers in the Paycheck Protection Program , the government 's $ 660 billion effort to prop up small businesses .
Since lenders mostly catered to existing customers , the money first landed in bank accounts of the firms that facilitated the loans .
Institutions known as trust banks , which are custodians for the investments of asset managers like BlackRock or Fidelity , gained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ snapped up billions of dollars of mortgage backed securities .
JPMorgan and Citigroup have large custody divisions .
And of course , the megabanks simply have the most U.S. retail customers ; ordinary people with few options to spend money while sheltering at home .
The personal savings rate hit a record 33 % in April , the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis said last month .
Personal income actually climbed 10.5 % that month , thanks to $ 1,200 stimulus checks and unemployment benefits that totaled more than a worker 's regular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money flowed into bank accounts .
Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan told CNBC last month that checking accounts below $ 5,000 in balances actually had up to 40 % more money in them than before the pandemic .
Megabanks , with their coast-to-coast networks of branches , have relied on plentiful deposits as a key advantage in the post-financial crisis era .
They are one of the cheapest sources of funding for loans , helping the industry mint record profits even in a time of low interest rates .
But banks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the midst of a recession , are running out of uses for their growing mountain of cash , according to Foran .
`` A lot of banks are saying , ` There 's frankly not much we can do with it right now ' , '' he said .
`` They have more deposits than they know what to do with . ''
If the deposit boom is merely one sign of the steps taken to blunt the financial harm from the pandemic , it remains to be seen what the ultimate consequences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ binge .
Some experts see a collapse in the dollar coupled with higher inflation .
Others see a stock market bubble in the making .
One consequence for savers will be more immediate , says Foran : Banks are sure to lower their already paltry interest rates , since they do n't need more of your money .

A person on a scooter rides past a JPMorgan Chase & Co. bank branch in New York, U.S., on Thursday, June 11, 2020. Jeenah Moon | Bloomberg | Getty Images
It's the banking world's version of the rich getting richer. A record $2 trillion surge in cash hit the deposit accounts of U.S. banks since the coronavirus first struck the U.S. in January, according to FDIC data. The wall of money flowing into banks has no precedent in history: in April alone, deposits grew by $865 billion, more than the previous record for an entire year. The gains were all driven, in one way or another, by the response to the pandemic: The government unleashed hundreds of billions of dollars to bolster small businesses and individuals via stimulus checks and unemployment benefits. The Federal Reserve began a barrage of efforts to support financial markets, including an unlimited bond-buying program. And an uncertain future prompted decision-makers, from two-person households to global corporations, to hoard cash. More than two-thirds of the gains went to the 25 biggest institutions, according to the FDIC. And that was concentrated at the very top of the industry: JPMorgan Chase , Bank of America and Citigroup , the biggest U.S. banks by assets, grew much faster than the rest of the industry in the first quarter, according to company data. "Any way you look at it, this growth has been absolutely extraordinary," said Brian Foran, an analyst at Autonomous Research. "Banks are flooded with cash, they're like Scrooge McDuck swimming in money."
Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards
There are several reasons why the American megabanks — survivors of the last crisis in 2008 — were the main beneficiaries of the deposits bonanza. When states began instituting shutdowns in March, corporations including Boeing and Ford immediately drew tens of billions of dollars from lines of credit, and that money was initially parked at the banks making those loans. Big banks also serviced a large chunk of customers in the Paycheck Protection Program, the government's $660 billion effort to prop up small businesses. Since lenders mostly catered to existing customers, the money first landed in bank accounts of the firms that facilitated the loans. Institutions known as trust banks, which are custodians for the investments of asset managers like BlackRock or Fidelity , gained deposits when the Fed bond-buying program snapped up billions of dollars of mortgage-backed securities. JPMorgan and Citigroup have large custody divisions. And of course, the megabanks simply have the most U.S. retail customers; ordinary people with few options to spend money while sheltering at home. The personal savings rate hit a record 33% in April, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis said last month. Personal income actually climbed 10.5% that month, thanks to $1,200 stimulus checks and unemployment benefits that totaled more than a worker's regular income in some cases. All that money flowed into bank accounts. Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan told CNBC last month that checking accounts below $5,000 in balances actually had up to 40% more money in them than before the pandemic.
Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards
Megabanks, with their coast-to-coast networks of branches, have relied on plentiful deposits as a key advantage in the post-financial crisis era. They are one of the cheapest sources of funding for loans, helping the industry mint record profits even in a time of low interest rates. But banks, which will be cautious lending money in the midst of a recession, are running out of uses for their growing mountain of cash, according to Foran. "A lot of banks are saying, `There's frankly not much we can do with it right now'," he said. "They have more deposits than they know what to do with." If the deposit boom is merely one sign of the steps taken to blunt the financial harm from the pandemic, it remains to be seen what the ultimate consequences are for the government's historic spending binge. Some experts see a collapse in the dollar coupled with higher inflation. Others see a stock market bubble in the making. One consequence for savers will be more immediate, says Foran: Banks are sure to lower their already paltry interest rates, since they don't need more of your money. —CNBC's Nate Rattner contributed to this report.


bonginoreport--2020-06-21--Investors Betting That Inflation May Finally Rear Its Ugly Head

LONDON ( Reuters ) - Gold , forests , property stocks , inflation-linked bonds - these are just some of the assets investors are pouring money into on the view that the recent explosion of government spending and central bank stimulus may finally rouse inflation from its decade-long slumber .
With the world economy forecast to shrink 6 % this year , it may seem like a strange time to fret about inflation .
And sure enough , market-based gauges suggest an uptrend in prices may not trouble investors for years .
U.S. and euro zone inflation gauges indicate that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ barely over 1 % even a decade from now .
USBEI10Y=RR EUIL5YF5Y=R .
So if inflation really is , as the IMF put it in 2013 , “ the dog that didn ’ t bark ” , failing to respond to all the central bank money-printing unleashed in the wake of the 2008-9 crisis , why should investors prepare for it now , especially as demographics and technology are also conspiring to tamp down inflation across the developed world ?
The answer is that some think the dog really will bark this time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post-2008 years - governments around the world have also been rolling out massive spending packages , in a bid to limit the impact of the coronavirus pandemic .
“ We will be pushing , pushing , pushing on the string and dropping our guard , then 3-5 years from now ... that ’ s when the ( inflation ) dog will start barking , ” said PineBridge Investments ’ head of multi-asset Mike Kelly , who has been buying gold on that view .
“ Gold worries about such things long in advance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with that down-the-road-risk top of mind , ” he added .
Even typically frugal governments such as Germany have joined central banks with trillions of dollars in stimulus programmes .
Investors say even the long taboo topic of debt monetisation , where central banks directly fund government spending , may be on the cards .
“ What worries me is that at the moment it seems that there is no limit to fiscal stimulus , ” said Klaus Kaldemorgen , a portfolio manager at asset manager DWS , who said he was investing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was after 2008 .
Inflation hawks also cite a trend of de-globalisation , where shrinking international trade and Western companies bringing production back to their own countries leads to higher prices .
This view that inflation could pick up ahead is reflected in forward swaps and in Citi ’ s inflation surprise indexes , which show that the extent that U.S. inflation readings are surprising against market expectations has been at a record high and has ticked higher in the euro zone , too .
Investors have an interest in pricing future @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hence the need for hedges , assets that increase in value or at least hold it when price growth accelerates .
They appear primarily to favor U.S. inflation-linked bonds and gold .
Wealth managers canvassed by Reuters have been channelling up to 10 % of clients ’ portfolios into the yellow metal via index funds , gold shares and even bullion .
But if gold prices have risen 18 % since the end of March XAU= , some other hedges remain cheap .
U.S. 10-year inflation-linked bonds - known as TIPS - show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rate of inflation in a decade , around just 1.2 % .
Also known as linkers , the face value and interest payments on these securities rise with inflation .
But despite the stimulus boom , “ the inflation levels that are priced in are much lower than what was priced in at the end of last year , ” said Teun Draaisma , a portfolio manager at Man Group , who has invested in inflation-linked assets .
So inflation might be some years away , but banks are advising clients to pick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. 30-year linkers , while Natwest advises buying 30-year UK linkers and 10-year euro zone inflation swaps .
“ These hedges in many cases look extraordinarily cheap , so why not buy them now ?
We could wait , then things could start to move away from us , ” said Colin Harte , multi-asset portfolio manager at BNP Paribas Asset Management .
Indeed , the S & P 10-year U.S .
TIPS Index is already up 12 % from March levels .SPBDU1ST .
“ It won ’ t be a couple of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) start to come through , so that ’ s why we keep ( long-dated U.S. linkers ) , ” said Chris Jeffery at Legal & General ’ s asset allocation team .
Harte at BNP said his main hedge is gold but he has also invested in a broader commodity basket which includes natural gas , copper and oil .
And it ’ s not just about gold or linkers : another choice is real estate .
Kaldemorgen of DWS is buying German residential property stocks , betting that the supply of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money supply .
Global house prices , adjusted for inflation , rose 14 % in 2009-2019 , according to the IMF .
Legal & General ’ s Jeffery accelerated investments in agricultural land and forestry earlier this year in expectation they will retain their real value over the five- to 10-year horizon .
His holdings are via publicly listed shares of companies heavily exposed to such land .
Timber prices rose over 130 % in real terms in Great Britain over the past decade , Forest Research data shows , while the value @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decade to 2019 , according to the Department of Agriculture .
Kelly of PineBridge also favours timberland , purchased through private funds .
While predicting that linkers will remain cheap for the next few years , he expects timber to benefit sooner if rock-bottom mortgages entice more first-time home buyers and fuel a construction boom .

LONDON (Reuters) - Gold, forests, property stocks, inflation-linked bonds - these are just some of the assets investors are pouring money into on the view that the recent explosion of government spending and central bank stimulus may finally rouse inflation from its decade-long slumber.
FILE PHOTO: NYSE-AMEX Options floor traders from TradeMas Inc. work in an off-site trading office built when the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) closed, due to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, U.S., March 26, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
With the world economy forecast to shrink 6% this year, it may seem like a strange time to fret about inflation.
And sure enough, market-based gauges suggest an uptrend in prices may not trouble investors for years. U.S. and euro zone inflation gauges indicate that annual price growth will be running at barely over 1% even a decade from now.
So if inflation really is, as the IMF put it in 2013, “the dog that didn’t bark”, failing to respond to all the central bank money-printing unleashed in the wake of the 2008-9 crisis, why should investors prepare for it now, especially as demographics and technology are also conspiring to tamp down inflation across the developed world?
The answer is that some think the dog really will bark this time, partly because - unlike in the post-2008 years - governments around the world have also been rolling out massive spending packages, in a bid to limit the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We will be pushing, pushing, pushing on the string and dropping our guard, then 3-5 years from now...that’s when the (inflation) dog will start barking,” said PineBridge Investments’ head of multi-asset Mike Kelly, who has been buying gold on that view.
“Gold worries about such things long in advance. It has risen through this coronavirus with that down-the-road-risk top of mind,” he added.
Even typically frugal governments such as Germany have joined central banks with trillions of dollars in stimulus programmes. Investors say even the long taboo topic of debt monetisation, where central banks directly fund government spending, may be on the cards.
“What worries me is that at the moment it seems that there is no limit to fiscal stimulus,” said Klaus Kaldemorgen, a portfolio manager at asset manager DWS, who said he was investing in inflation hedges far more now than he was after 2008.
Inflation hawks also cite a trend of de-globalisation, where shrinking international trade and Western companies bringing production back to their own countries leads to higher prices.
This view that inflation could pick up ahead is reflected in forward swaps and in Citi’s inflation surprise indexes, which show that the extent that U.S. inflation readings are surprising against market expectations has been at a record high and has ticked higher in the euro zone, too.
(GRAPHIC: Citi inflation surprise indexes - )
WHAT TO BUY?
Investors have an interest in pricing future inflation correctly to safeguard their returns, hence the need for hedges, assets that increase in value or at least hold it when price growth accelerates.
They appear primarily to favor U.S. inflation-linked bonds and gold. Wealth managers canvassed by Reuters have been channelling up to 10% of clients’ portfolios into the yellow metal via index funds, gold shares and even bullion.
But if gold prices have risen 18% since the end of March XAU=, some other hedges remain cheap.
U.S. 10-year inflation-linked bonds - known as TIPS - show “break-evens”, or the anticipated rate of inflation in a decade, around just 1.2%.
Also known as linkers, the face value and interest payments on these securities rise with inflation.
But despite the stimulus boom, “the inflation levels that are priced in are much lower than what was priced in at the end of last year,” said Teun Draaisma, a portfolio manager at Man Group, who has invested in inflation-linked assets.
(GRAPHIC: US TIPS breakeven rates - )
So inflation might be some years away, but banks are advising clients to pick up cheap hedges. Morgan Stanley suggests U.S. 30-year linkers, while Natwest advises buying 30-year UK linkers and 10-year euro zone inflation swaps.
“These hedges in many cases look extraordinarily cheap, so why not buy them now? We could wait, then things could start to move away from us,” said Colin Harte, multi-asset portfolio manager at BNP Paribas Asset Management.
Indeed, the S&P 10-year U.S. TIPS Index is already up 12% from March levels .SPBDU1ST.
“It won’t be a couple of years from now until (inflationary factors) start to come through, so that’s why we keep (long-dated U.S. linkers),” said Chris Jeffery at Legal & General’s asset allocation team.
Harte at BNP said his main hedge is gold but he has also invested in a broader commodity basket which includes natural gas, copper and oil.
WOOD AND FORESTS
And it’s not just about gold or linkers: another choice is real estate. Kaldemorgen of DWS is buying German residential property stocks, betting that the supply of new property will rise slower than the money supply.
Global house prices, adjusted for inflation, rose 14% in 2009-2019, according to the IMF.
Legal & General’s Jeffery accelerated investments in agricultural land and forestry earlier this year in expectation they will retain their real value over the five- to 10-year horizon. His holdings are via publicly listed shares of companies heavily exposed to such land.
Timber prices rose over 130% in real terms in Great Britain over the past decade, Forest Research data shows, while the value of U.S. farmland rose 28% in the decade to 2019, according to the Department of Agriculture.
Kelly of PineBridge also favours timberland, purchased through private funds. While predicting that linkers will remain cheap for the next few years, he expects timber to benefit sooner if rock-bottom mortgages entice more first-time home buyers and fuel a construction boom.


bonginoreport--2020-06-21--Coronavirus Vaccine “Likely” By Year End, Says Top U.S. General

Challenged by members of Congress on whether a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine is possible by year ’ s end , the Army general and master logistician chosen to lead the development effort says he is convinced the Department of Defense will deliver .
“ What I thought was an aspirational goal 30 days ago when I was announced by the president , I have recently come to the conclusion that it is more and more likely to occur , ” said U.S. Army Gen. Gus Perna , COO of the vaccine and therapeutic development effort dubbed Operation Warp Speed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Defense and Department of Health and Human Services initiative on May 15 , promising to deliver 300 million coronavirus vaccines by Jan. 1 , 2021 .
In the intervening month , the public and Congress have worried that a vaccine will be rushed to the public without sufficient testing .
“ We want a vaccine , not a headline , ” said Sen. Jack Reed , in Perna ’ s Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing Thursday .
The Rhode Island Democrat cited two stumbles in the race to quickly respond to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to adequately source personal protective equipment and the reliance on PPE from China to meet urgent hospital needs .
The second was the misrepresentation of the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine as a suitable coronavirus therapeutic before it turned out to cause collateral damage .
“ The key to our success is to ensure we rely on science to assess our options , effectiveness , and risk , ” Perna told members of Congress .
“ All medical protocols will be executed , and vaccines will be FDA approved.
” The Department of Defense was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of its logistics capacity .
Perna , in particular , was displaced from a pending retirement to command the effort based on his leadership of Army Materiel Command , where he oversees some 190,000 service members , civilians , and contractors working on the military ’ s logistics .
The joint public-private partnership to produce a vaccine and therapeutics is backed by $ 10 billion from the CARES Act .
Early vaccine efforts by industry partners Johnson & Johnson , Moderna , and AstraZeneca are in trials or about to begin .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ they work through the science of the effectiveness of the vaccine , ” Perna said .
“ Only after the science is provided to the FDA and the FDA makes their independent assessments will we be able to distribute the vaccines that we 're producing.
” Operation Warp Speed scientists from the Pentagon and HHS briefed reporters earlier this week , saying only the government has the capacity to ramp up logistical preparations at the same time that vaccines are undergoing tests and evaluation by the FDA .
The result will be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The decision on the efficacy of the vaccine is strictly an FDA responsibility , and I will personally commit to ensure that we will execute all medical protocols in accordance with requirements today , ” said Perna .
Perna stressed that meeting the timeline will not sacrifice public safety or ethics .
“ At the end of the day , I am responsible and accountable for all decisions made in execution of our mission , ” he said .
“ I commit to you that it will be legal , ethical , @ @ @ @

Challenged by members of Congress on whether a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine is possible by year’s end, the Army general and master logistician chosen to lead the development effort says he is convinced the Department of Defense will deliver.
“What I thought was an aspirational goal 30 days ago when I was announced by the president, I have recently come to the conclusion that it is more and more likely to occur,” said U.S. Army Gen. Gus Perna, COO of the vaccine and therapeutic development effort dubbed Operation Warp Speed.
President Trump announced the joint Department of Defense and Department of Health and Human Services initiative on May 15, promising to deliver 300 million coronavirus vaccines by Jan. 1, 2021.
In the intervening month, the public and Congress have worried that a vaccine will be rushed to the public without sufficient testing.
“We want a vaccine, not a headline,” said Sen. Jack Reed, in Perna’s Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing Thursday.
The Rhode Island Democrat cited two stumbles in the race to quickly respond to coronavirus needs. First, the failure to adequately source personal protective equipment and the reliance on PPE from China to meet urgent hospital needs. The second was the misrepresentation of the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine as a suitable coronavirus therapeutic before it turned out to cause collateral damage.
“The key to our success is to ensure we rely on science to assess our options, effectiveness, and risk,” Perna told members of Congress. “All medical protocols will be executed, and vaccines will be FDA approved.”
The Department of Defense was chosen for the much-hyped Operation Warp Speed because of its logistics capacity.
Perna, in particular, was displaced from a pending retirement to command the effort based on his leadership of Army Materiel Command, where he oversees some 190,000 service members, civilians, and contractors working on the military’s logistics.
The joint public-private partnership to produce a vaccine and therapeutics is backed by $10 billion from the CARES Act.
Early vaccine efforts by industry partners Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and AstraZeneca are in trials or about to begin.
“The trials could be lengthy as they work through the science of the effectiveness of the vaccine,” Perna said. “Only after the science is provided to the FDA and the FDA makes their independent assessments will we be able to distribute the vaccines that we're producing.”
Operation Warp Speed scientists from the Pentagon and HHS briefed reporters earlier this week, saying only the government has the capacity to ramp up logistical preparations at the same time that vaccines are undergoing tests and evaluation by the FDA. The result will be a vaccine ready at scale when approved.
“The decision on the efficacy of the vaccine is strictly an FDA responsibility, and I will personally commit to ensure that we will execute all medical protocols in accordance with requirements today,” said Perna.
Perna stressed that meeting the timeline will not sacrifice public safety or ethics.
“At the end of the day, I am responsible and accountable for all decisions made in execution of our mission,” he said. “I commit to you that it will be legal, ethical, and moral.”


bonginoreport--2020-06-21--U.S. Sees 30,000 Daily Coronavirus Cases, Largest Since May 1st

The U.S reported more than 30,000 new coronavirus cases on Friday and Saturday , the highest daily totals since May 1 , according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
New cases are rising in states across the South , West and Midwest .
Seven states hit record cases on Saturday , including Florida and South Carolina , which had their third consecutive day breaking single-day records .
Florida reported 4,049 new cases on Saturday and South Carolina reported 1,157 new cases .
Missouri and Nevada also hit records , reporting 389 cases and 445 cases .
Montana , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twenty-three states , Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands have seen an increase in coronavirus cases over the past two weeks , according to NBC News .
Six states have seen new cases plateau during that same period .
Twenty states , Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico have seen coronavirus cases decrease over the past 14 days .
Officials are warning that some clusters of infections are apparent among younger people who are crowding bars and parties .
The resurgence of the virus across the U.S. comes as states re-open economies after months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activities , some of whom do not follow social distancing guidelines and do not wear masks to curb the spread of the virus .
New daily cases in the U.S. appeared to be going down throughout May into early June , but ticked up when states re-opened .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention forecasts between 129,000 and 145,000 total reported Covid-19 deaths by July 11 .
Since the start of the outbreak , more than 2.2 million people in the U.S. have been infected with the coronavirus and at least 119,921 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expanded its list of states where coronavirus related deaths are expected to accelerate over the next four weeks compared with the past four weeks , which includes Alaska , Arizona , Arkansas , Hawaii , North Carolina , Oregon , South Carolina and Utah .
In Tulsa , Oklahoma , people gathered for President Donald Trump 's rally Saturday evening , concerning health officials as the state experiences a continued increase in cases .
Pictures show many attendees without face masks , which are not required at the rally .
Attendance was lower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's team who were working on the Tulsa rally tested positive for the coronavirus , according to a statement from the president 's campaign .
There are no FDA-approved drugs to treat the coronavirus .
The National Institutes of Health said on Saturday that it halted a clinical trial of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients , saying it had no benefits .

The U.S reported more than 30,000 new coronavirus cases on Friday and Saturday, the highest daily totals since May 1, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
New cases are rising in states across the South, West and Midwest. Seven states hit record cases on Saturday, including Florida and South Carolina, which had their third consecutive day breaking single-day records.
Florida reported 4,049 new cases on Saturday and South Carolina reported 1,157 new cases. Missouri and Nevada also hit records, reporting 389 cases and 445 cases. Montana, Utah and Arizona also hit records.
Twenty-three states, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands have seen an increase in coronavirus cases over the past two weeks, according to NBC News. Six states have seen new cases plateau during that same period. Twenty states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico have seen coronavirus cases decrease over the past 14 days.
Officials are warning that some clusters of infections are apparent among younger people who are crowding bars and parties.
The resurgence of the virus across the U.S. comes as states re-open economies after months of lockdowns and people return to normal activities, some of whom do not follow social distancing guidelines and do not wear masks to curb the spread of the virus.
New daily cases in the U.S. appeared to be going down throughout May into early June, but ticked up when states re-opened.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention forecasts between 129,000 and 145,000 total reported Covid-19 deaths by July 11. Since the start of the outbreak, more than 2.2 million people in the U.S. have been infected with the coronavirus and at least 119,921 people have died.
The CDC also expanded its list of states where coronavirus related deaths are expected to accelerate over the next four weeks compared with the past four weeks, which includes Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina and Utah.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, people gathered for President Donald Trump's rally Saturday evening, concerning health officials as the state experiences a continued increase in cases. Pictures show many attendees without face masks, which are not required at the rally. Attendance was lower than expected.
Six members of Trump's team who were working on the Tulsa rally tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a statement from the president's campaign.
There are no FDA-approved drugs to treat the coronavirus. The National Institutes of Health said on Saturday that it halted a clinical trial of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients, saying it had no benefits.


bonginoreport--2020-06-22--Hundreds of NJ Republicans Receive Misprinted Ballots Listing Only Democrat Candidates

Many Republican voters in one New Jersey community got a surprise when they opened their mail ballots for a July 7 primary .
Their choices were all Democrats .
Between 500 and 700 Republicans received the wrong ballots out of about 2,400 enrolled Republicans in Bernardsville , NJ.com reported .
“ The slate of candidates was all Democrat from Joe Biden down to dogcatcher , but on the upper right it clearly stated it was a Republican ballot and it had my name and correct information on the return envelope , ” Karen Gardner , the chairwoman of the Bernardsville @ @ @ @ @ @ @ error was laid at the door of the printing company that sent out the ballots , but the government still had a role in the mixup .
TRENDING : Great-Grandson of 'Aunt Jemima ' Furious That the Brand Is Being Canceled Usually , the Somerset County clerk ’ s office would do the printing .
However , after New Jersey Gov .
Phil Murphy ordered every voter to receive a ballot in the mail , the job was farmed out .
“ If we had had a greater lead time when we were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been able to do the ballot insertion in-house and this error would have been caught , ” Somerset County Clerk Steve Peter said .
Peter said the county never before had to deal with mailing 125,000 ballots , according to the Courier-News .
Corrected ballots were sent last week , Peter said .
Bob Fetterly , the president of Reliance Graphics , the company tasked with printing and mailing the ballots , called the mistake a human error .
“ It was a misprint , ” he said .
“ Human error @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the last couple of weeks and 500 went astray .
So we apologized for it , but it was a human error… we had a success rate of 99.99 percent.
” Peter told The Bernardsville News “ that one of the press workers , when he was switching out the plates , didn ’ t switch out the bullet at the top that says Republican.
” Bernardsville Republicans were less than willing to let bygones be bygones .
RELATED : Family of Tom Petty Sends 'Cease and Desist ' Notice to Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t have printer errors .
I think that ’ s a problem , ” Republican Mayor Jane Canose said .
Peter said such an error should not happen again , but added that the state needs to give communities more time if every voter is expected to be mailed a ballot for the November election .
“ Come November , I have implored the governor and everybody in the legislature that I can talk to … that if we do have an all or mainly vote-by-mail election that that decision be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we would have adequate time to prepare these ballots and we can do the insertion in our office to ensure quality control , ” he said .
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

Many Republican voters in one New Jersey community got a surprise when they opened their mail ballots for a July 7 primary.
Their choices were all Democrats.
Between 500 and 700 Republicans received the wrong ballots out of about 2,400 enrolled Republicans in Bernardsville, NJ.com reported.
“The slate of candidates was all Democrat from Joe Biden down to dogcatcher, but on the upper right it clearly stated it was a Republican ballot and it had my name and correct information on the return envelope,” Karen Gardner, the chairwoman of the Bernardsville Republican Municipal Committee, said.
The error was laid at the door of the printing company that sent out the ballots, but the government still had a role in the mixup.
Usually, the Somerset County clerk’s office would do the printing. However, after New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy ordered every voter to receive a ballot in the mail, the job was farmed out.
“If we had had a greater lead time when we were sending out these ballots, we would have been able to do the ballot insertion in-house and this error would have been caught,” Somerset County Clerk Steve Peter said.
Peter said the county never before had to deal with mailing 125,000 ballots, according to the Courier-News.
Corrected ballots were sent last week, Peter said.
EXCLUSIVE: 500 to 700 mail-in ballots sent to Republicans in Bernardsville were incorrectly printed with only the names of Democratic candidates like @JoeBiden @SenSanders and @Malinowski. Somerset County clerk says error made by printer. More today on @News12NJ. pic.twitter.com/u0dMi9N3sV — Alex Zdan (@ActualAlexZ) June 16, 2020
Bob Fetterly, the president of Reliance Graphics, the company tasked with printing and mailing the ballots, called the mistake a human error.
“It was a misprint,” he said. “Human error. We mailed over 1.5 million ballots in the last couple of weeks and 500 went astray. So we apologized for it, but it was a human error… we had a success rate of 99.99 percent.”
Peter told The Bernardsville News “that one of the press workers, when he was switching out the plates, didn’t switch out the bullet at the top that says Republican.”
Bernardsville Republicans were less than willing to let bygones be bygones.
Would national voting by mail be a mistake? Yes No
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“You can’t have printer errors. I think that’s a problem,” Republican Mayor Jane Canose said.
Peter said such an error should not happen again, but added that the state needs to give communities more time if every voter is expected to be mailed a ballot for the November election.
“Come November, I have implored the governor and everybody in the legislature that I can talk to … that if we do have an all or mainly vote-by-mail election that that decision be made no later than August 1st so that we would have adequate time to prepare these ballots and we can do the insertion in our office to ensure quality control,” he said.
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bonginoreport--2020-06-22--DOJ Investigators in Antitrust Probe Don’t Appear to Be Scrutinizing Google’s Bias

• Investigators with the Department of Justice involved in an antitrust probe targeting Google do not appear to be scrutinizing claims that the company manipulates its search feature , leaks of the investigation and a source with knowledge indicate .
• Researchers and critics argue Google ’ s search feature is subject to manipulation and can potentially impact a national election or direct less traffic to the Silicon Valley giant ’ s competitors .
• DOJ investigators are instead focusing on Google ’ s ad technology and are considering whether to require the tech company to provide Android users a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media reports show .
Department of Justice investigators who are conducting an antitrust probe targeting Google do not appear to be scrutinizing claims that the tech giant manipulates its search function , leaks about the probe and a source familiar with it indicate .
Google critics argue that Google Search must be a focus of the investigation , pointing to the company ’ s sheer dominance in the market : Google consistently accounts for roughly 90 % of online information searches , and company employees have expressed a willingness to artificially manipulate search @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not comment on allegations of search bias , or on the pending antitrust investigation .
“ We continue to engage with the ongoing investigations led by the Department of Justice and Attorney General Paxton , and we don ’ t have any updates or comments on speculation , ” Google spokeswoman Julie McAlister told the Daily Caller News Foundation .
The company ’ s goal is focusing on the kind of products that serve customers and support businesses , she added .
Google ’ s search feature can potentially skew a major national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to Robert Epstein , a research psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology .
Research he published in 2017 suggests Google ’ s bias affected the vote in the 2016 election .
Epstein believes investigating Google search is “ critical ” to preventing widespread search bias .
One Google competitor , Yelp , meanwhile , has claimed that the company gives preferential treatment to in-house products through Search , a move one of Yelp ’ s executives believes violates antitrust law .
Google has dismissed Epstein ’ s research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theory-driven .
The company also characterizes Search as a way to help users obtain information quickly .
“ We build Google Search for our users , ” a Google spokesperson told CNBC in March regarding Yelp ’ s claims .
“ People want quick access to information and we ’ re constantly improving Search to help people easily find what they ’ re looking for — whether it ’ s information on a web page , directions on a map , products for sale or a translation.
” Will Chamberlain , senior counsel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Daily Caller News Foundation that the DOJ “ should look closely ” at possible search engine manipulation .
“ We are heartened to see the Department of Justice investigating Google for its anti-competitive practices , along with various state attorneys general , who are all doing excellent work .
In that investigation , DOJ should look closely at whether Google is manipulating its search algorithms : such manipulation would be the definition of anti-competitive behavior , ” Chamberlain said .
Despite concerns , it ’ s not clear that the DOJ is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A leak to the Wall Street Journal in May indicated that the antitrust probe is centered around Google ’ s advertising business , though the story noted the investigation is looking broadly at search .
Another leak to The New York Times in June indicated the probe ’ s interest in search is focused on Google ’ s partnership with Android , which makes Google the default search engine on its phones .
DOJ asked DuckDuckGo about requiring Google to provide Android customers a preference menu listing several potential service engines , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its June 4 report .
Google provided a similar menu option to citizens in Europe in 2018 to comply with regulators who fined the company $ 4.9 billion for anti-competitive practices .
A source who has spoken with DOJ investigators told the Daily Caller News Foundation that their understanding is that the investigation is largely eschewing concerns about Google self-preferencing its products in its search engine .
The source , speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue , argued that Google will be free to manipulate search @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t seriously probe search manipulation during the antitrust investigation .
( RELATED : Google Employees Debated Burying Conservative Media In Search ) Yelp , a competitor of Google , has argued that Google is engaging in anticompetitive practices by giving preferential treatment to in-house products in its search engine , particularly within local search results .
“ Google developed a separate algorithm whose sole function was to observe the organic results and ‘ trigger ’ Google services if links to Yelp or TripAdvisor were part of the ten blue links [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] , ” Yelp senior vice president of public policy Luther Lowe said in March while testifying before the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee .
He added : “ If a service like Yelp or TripAdvisor appeared in the top 10 results , it inferred the user must be performing a local search , so it triggered a map and Google ’ s in-house product to physically push down the merit-based results.
” Lowe pointed to a 2012 memo from the Federal Trade Commission which found that when “ Google ’ s algorithms deemed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s query , Google automatically returned Google Product Search — above any rival comparison shopping websites.
” Epstein ’ s research , meanwhile , suggests Google Search could negatively impact President Donald Trump ’ s re-election campaign .
Epstein and his researchers recruited 95 monitors in 24 states who captured more than 13,000 sets of search rankings and the 98,000 pages to which they linked .
Such searches were related to the election and were more likely to produce links to pages showing a favorable impression of former Secretary of State Hillary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Epstein said in 2017 when his research was published .
Epstein had another group of researchers use a point scale to rate the alleged bias of the articles found on the first page of the search results , CNN reported in 2019 .
A heavily pro-Trump article , for instance , would get a minus 5 , while a heavily pro-Clinton article would get a plus 5 , according to CNN ’ s report .
His group found that Google ’ s results were more pro-Clinton , in both red states and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research to determine that such searches could potentially affect up to 10.4 million votes .
“ Investigating bias or favoritism in Google ’ s search engine — however it might be caused — is critically important because extensive research shows the power that such favoritism has in shifting the opinions and votes and people who are undecided , ” Epstein told the DCNF .
“ Every serious investigation of bias in Google search that I am aware of has found overwhelming evidence of systematic bias that favors Google , ” he said before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2012 investigation into Google as an example .
Google has not responded to comments about Epstein ’ s claims .
The FTC concluded a 2012 investigation into Google ’ s search engine in 2013 , noting that “ we have not found sufficient evidence that Google manipulates its search algorithms.
” Documents later leaked to The Wall Street Journal in 2015 showed FTC staff recommended bringing a case against Google .
Tech website The Information reported later in June that the DOJ ’ s lawyers ’ “ specific target ” appears to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies use to buy , sell and place ads around the internet leads to higher prices.
” The Information argued that a probe focused on ad tech would play to the company ’ s advantage because Google is not dominant in that industry .
The DOJ didn ’ t respond to the DCNF ’ s repeated requests for comment , and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ’ s office refused to address questions about the agency ’ s handling of Google ’ s search engine .
Paxton is heading the attorneys general antitrust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sen. Josh Hawley similarly said on Tuesday that the DOJ investigation into Google needs to focus on Google Search , adding that he has “ called on ” Attorney General Bill Barr to make sure that ’ s the case .
“ This is why Search should be included in DOJ antitrust investigation , and I ’ ve called on AG Barr to do so , ” Hawley tweeted Tuesday in response to reports that Google demonetized conservative website The Federalist .
The tech company later disputed that claim , arguing instead that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opportunity to address issues with its comment section before getting banned .
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience .
For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact licensing @ dailycallernewsfoundation.org .

Investigators with the Department of Justice involved in an antitrust probe targeting Google do not appear to be scrutinizing claims that the company manipulates its search feature, leaks of the investigation and a source with knowledge indicate.
Researchers and critics argue Google’s search feature is subject to manipulation and can potentially impact a national election or direct less traffic to the Silicon Valley giant’s competitors.
DOJ investigators are instead focusing on Google’s ad technology and are considering whether to require the tech company to provide Android users a preference menu for potential search engines, media reports show.
Department of Justice investigators who are conducting an antitrust probe targeting Google do not appear to be scrutinizing claims that the tech giant manipulates its search function, leaks about the probe and a source familiar with it indicate.
Google critics argue that Google Search must be a focus of the investigation, pointing to the company’s sheer dominance in the market: Google consistently accounts for roughly 90% of online information searches, and company employees have expressed a willingness to artificially manipulate search results on the platform.
Google did not comment on allegations of search bias, or on the pending antitrust investigation.
“We continue to engage with the ongoing investigations led by the Department of Justice and Attorney General Paxton, and we don’t have any updates or comments on speculation,” Google spokeswoman Julie McAlister told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The company’s goal is focusing on the kind of products that serve customers and support businesses, she added.
Google’s search feature can potentially skew a major national election toward one candidate over another, according to Robert Epstein, a research psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology. Research he published in 2017 suggests Google’s bias affected the vote in the 2016 election.
Epstein believes investigating Google search is “critical” to preventing widespread search bias. One Google competitor, Yelp, meanwhile, has claimed that the company gives preferential treatment to in-house products through Search, a move one of Yelp’s executives believes violates antitrust law.
Google has dismissed Epstein’s research in the past, calling it conspiracy theory-driven. The company also characterizes Search as a way to help users obtain information quickly.
“We build Google Search for our users,” a Google spokesperson told CNBC in March regarding Yelp’s claims. “People want quick access to information and we’re constantly improving Search to help people easily find what they’re looking for — whether it’s information on a web page, directions on a map, products for sale or a translation.”
Will Chamberlain, senior counsel for the Internet Accountability Project, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the DOJ “should look closely” at possible search engine manipulation.
“We are heartened to see the Department of Justice investigating Google for its anti-competitive practices, along with various state attorneys general, who are all doing excellent work. In that investigation, DOJ should look closely at whether Google is manipulating its search algorithms: such manipulation would be the definition of anti-competitive behavior,” Chamberlain said.
Despite concerns, it’s not clear that the DOJ is scrutinizing whether Google Search can be manipulated.
A leak to the Wall Street Journal in May indicated that the antitrust probe is centered around Google’s advertising business, though the story noted the investigation is looking broadly at search. Another leak to The New York Times in June indicated the probe’s interest in search is focused on Google’s partnership with Android, which makes Google the default search engine on its phones.
DOJ asked DuckDuckGo about requiring Google to provide Android customers a preference menu listing several potential service engines, chief executive Gabriel Weinberg told TheNYT in its June 4 report. Google provided a similar menu option to citizens in Europe in 2018 to comply with regulators who fined the company $4.9 billion for anti-competitive practices.
A source who has spoken with DOJ investigators told the Daily Caller News Foundation that their understanding is that the investigation is largely eschewing concerns about Google self-preferencing its products in its search engine.
The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, argued that Google will be free to manipulate search results for political purposes if the DOJ doesn’t seriously probe search manipulation during the antitrust investigation. (RELATED: Google Employees Debated Burying Conservative Media In Search)
Yelp, a competitor of Google, has argued that Google is engaging in anticompetitive practices by giving preferential treatment to in-house products in its search engine, particularly within local search results.
“Google developed a separate algorithm whose sole function was to observe the organic results and ‘trigger’ Google services if links to Yelp or TripAdvisor were part of the ten blue links [on the front page of search results],” Yelp senior vice president of public policy Luther Lowe said in March while testifying before the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee.
He added: “If a service like Yelp or TripAdvisor appeared in the top 10 results, it inferred the user must be performing a local search, so it triggered a map and Google’s in-house product to physically push down the merit-based results.”
Lowe pointed to a 2012 memo from the Federal Trade Commission which found that when “Google’s algorithms deemed a comparison shopping website relevant to a user’s query, Google automatically returned Google Product Search — above any rival comparison shopping websites.”
Epstein’s research, meanwhile, suggests Google Search could negatively impact President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign.
Epstein and his researchers recruited 95 monitors in 24 states who captured more than 13,000 sets of search rankings and the 98,000 pages to which they linked. Such searches were related to the election and were more likely to produce links to pages showing a favorable impression of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton than to ones favorable to Trump, Epstein said in 2017 when his research was published.
Epstein had another group of researchers use a point scale to rate the alleged bias of the articles found on the first page of the search results, CNN reported in 2019. A heavily pro-Trump article, for instance, would get a minus 5, while a heavily pro-Clinton article would get a plus 5, according to CNN’s report. His group found that Google’s results were more pro-Clinton, in both red states and blue states. He extrapolated his past research to determine that such searches could potentially affect up to 10.4 million votes. “Investigating bias or favoritism in Google’s search engine — however it might be caused — is critically important because extensive research shows the power that such favoritism has in shifting the opinions and votes and people who are undecided,” Epstein told the DCNF. “Every serious investigation of bias in Google search that I am aware of has found overwhelming evidence of systematic bias that favors Google,” he said before listing the Federal Trade Commission’s 2012 investigation into Google as an example. Google has not responded to comments about Epstein’s claims. The FTC concluded a 2012 investigation into Google’s search engine in 2013, noting that “we have not found sufficient evidence that Google manipulates its search algorithms.” Documents later leaked to The Wall Street Journal in 2015 showed FTC staff recommended bringing a case against Google.
Tech website The Information reported later in June that the DOJ’s lawyers’ “specific target” appears to be “whether the Google technology that many companies use to buy, sell and place ads around the internet leads to higher prices.” The Information argued that a probe focused on ad tech would play to the company’s advantage because Google is not dominant in that industry.
The DOJ didn’t respond to the DCNF’s repeated requests for comment, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office refused to address questions about the agency’s handling of Google’s search engine. Paxton is heading the attorneys general antitrust probe alongside the DOJ.
Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley similarly said on Tuesday that the DOJ investigation into Google needs to focus on Google Search, adding that he has “called on” Attorney General Bill Barr to make sure that’s the case.
This is why Search should be included in DOJ antitrust investigation, and I’ve called on AG Barr to do so https://t.co/Lzliw7GMpu — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) June 16, 2020
“This is why Search should be included in DOJ antitrust investigation, and I’ve called on AG Barr to do so,” Hawley tweeted Tuesday in response to reports that Google demonetized conservative website The Federalist. The tech company later disputed that claim, arguing instead that the conservative outlet would be given an opportunity to address issues with its comment section before getting banned.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.


bonginoreport--2020-06-22--Pulitzer Prize Winning “1619 Project” Writer Pushes Conspiracy Alleging Government Is Using Firework

Pulitzer Prize Winning “1619 Project” Writer Pushes Conspiracy Alleging Government Is Using Fireworks to Terrorize Black Communities

Prominent New York Times reporter , Nikole Hannah-Jones , promoted a conspiracy theory that government officials have been handing out fireworks to minorities in New York City in an effort to keep `` black and brown people '' from sleeping and to desensitize them for when the government uses artillery on them .
Hannah-Jones recently took to Twitter to offer her support of a thread written by Twitter user @ SonofBaldwin that suggests that government officials have been giving minorities in New York City fireworks to shoot off in the middle of the night to keep black people from being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with @ SonofBaldwin tweeting : `` Reporting from Brooklyn , there was yet another night of extremely loud fireworks starting at 8 pm .
and ending at 2 a.m .
This is the second week straight of this ; every night during the same time period , like clockwork .
And the thread continued with an unsubstantiated theory that the cause of the fireworks was not just `` Black and Brown kids blowing off steam , '' but rather it was part `` of a coordinated attack on Black and Brown communities by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ destabilize the # BlackLivesMatter movement . ''
The tweeter even felt as if they had a good idea as to the objectives of the so-called government psychological operation , tweeting that it may be used as form of `` sleep deprivation as a means to create confusion and stoke tension between Black and Brown peoples . ''
Further , the claim was made that the government would do this to desensitize black and brown people `` as a means to get us so used to the sounds of firecrackers and other fireworks that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on us we wo n't know the difference .
It 's meant to sound like a war zone because a war zone is what it 's about to become . ''
Hannah-Jones not only expressed support for the thread by telling her followers to read it , but she also recently communicated to her followers that it would be an `` honor '' if the riots that have spread destruction and mayhem across the US would be called the `` 1619 riots '' —a historical date that is widely considered to be the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She has also claimed that `` America is n't burning , '' despite the nightly fires raging in American cities since the death of George Floyd .
Hannah-Jones ' `` 1619 Project '' won a Pulitzer Prize despite being criticized by historians for inaccuracies and errors .
She deleted her Twitter account briefly after pushing this latest conspiracy and then returned after deleting the tweet in question .
The Post Millennial has reached out The New York Times for comment but has not heard back by the time of publication .

Prominent New York Times reporter, Nikole Hannah-Jones, promoted a conspiracy theory that government officials have been handing out fireworks to minorities in New York City in an effort to keep "black and brown people" from sleeping and to desensitize them for when the government uses artillery on them.
Hannah-Jones recently took to Twitter to offer her support of a thread written by Twitter user @SonofBaldwin that suggests that government officials have been giving minorities in New York City fireworks to shoot off in the middle of the night to keep black people from being able to sleep.
The thread began with @SonofBaldwin tweeting: "Reporting from Brooklyn, there was yet another night of extremely loud fireworks starting at 8 pm. and ending at 2 a.m. This is the second week straight of this; every night during the same time period, like clockwork.
And the thread continued with an unsubstantiated theory that the cause of the fireworks was not just "Black and Brown kids blowing off steam," but rather it was part "of a coordinated attack on Black and Brown communities by government forces—an attack meant to disorient and destabilize the #BlackLivesMatter movement."
The tweeter even felt as if they had a good idea as to the objectives of the so-called government psychological operation, tweeting that it may be used as form of "sleep deprivation as a means to create confusion and stoke tension between Black and Brown peoples."
Further, the claim was made that the government would do this to desensitize black and brown people "as a means to get us so used to the sounds of firecrackers and other fireworks that when they start using their real artillery on us we won't know the difference. It's meant to sound like a war zone because a war zone is what it's about to become."
And:
2. Desensitization as a means to get us so used to the sounds of firecrackers and other fireworks that when they start using their real artillery on us we won't know the difference. It's meant to sound like a war zone because a war zone is what it's about to become. — Son of Baldwin (Robert Jones, Jr.) (@SonofBaldwin) June 20, 2020
Hannah-Jones not only expressed support for the thread by telling her followers to read it, but she also recently communicated to her followers that it would be an "honor" if the riots that have spread destruction and mayhem across the US would be called the "1619 riots"—a historical date that is widely considered to be the beginning of slavery on American soil.
She has also claimed that "America isn't burning," despite the nightly fires raging in American cities since the death of George Floyd.
Hannah-Jones' "1619 Project" won a Pulitzer Prize despite being criticized by historians for inaccuracies and errors. She deleted her Twitter account briefly after pushing this latest conspiracy and then returned after deleting the tweet in question.
The Post Millennial has reached out The New York Times for comment but has not heard back by the time of publication.


bonginoreport--2020-06-22--Report: President Trump to Sign Order Suspending Temporary Work Visas

President Trump is expected to sign an order that would suspend temporary work visas until next year as the country grapples with 30 million people collecting unemployment benefits .
Multiple sources told NPR the president plans to sign the order in the coming days that would suspend H-1B and L-1 temporary visas for foreign workers .
The H-1B visas are intended for skilled foreign workers employed in fields , such as science and engineering , and are awarded to about 85,000 workers annually .
The L-1 visas are designated for managers working for large corporations .
Other visas , such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also reportedly be suspended , but H-2A agriculture workers will not reportedly be affected .
`` No matter how you slice it , this is shaping up to be a big win for American workers at a critical time , '' said RJ Hauman , government relations director at the Federation for American Immigration Reform .
Trump was asked about the visas during an appearance on Fox News on Saturday .
“ We are going to announce something tomorrow or the next day on the visas , ” Trump said .
The announcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the punch to the economy dealt by the coronavirus pandemic .
Twenty-one million people in the United States are unemployed , but CNBC reported last month that roughly 30 million are collecting unemployment benefits .

President Trump is expected to sign an order that would suspend temporary work visas until next year as the country grapples with 30 million people collecting unemployment benefits.
Multiple sources told NPR the president plans to sign the order in the coming days that would suspend H-1B and L-1 temporary visas for foreign workers.
The H-1B visas are intended for skilled foreign workers employed in fields, such as science and engineering, and are awarded to about 85,000 workers annually. The L-1 visas are designated for managers working for large corporations. Other visas, such as H-2B and J-1 visas, will also reportedly be suspended, but H-2A agriculture workers will not reportedly be affected.
"No matter how you slice it, this is shaping up to be a big win for American workers at a critical time," said RJ Hauman, government relations director at the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
Trump was asked about the visas during an appearance on Fox News on Saturday. “We are going to announce something tomorrow or the next day on the visas,” Trump said.
The announcement would come as the country begins recovering from the punch to the economy dealt by the coronavirus pandemic.
Twenty-one million people in the United States are unemployed, but CNBC reported last month that roughly 30 million are collecting unemployment benefits.


bonginoreport--2020-06-22--Many Companies That Celebrated Juneteenth Reportedly Profit From China’s Slave Labor

At least eight global companies identified as benefitting from China ’ s enslavement of Muslim minorities published statements celebrating Juneteenth , an American holiday marking the end of slavery in the country .
A Breitbart News analysis found that the eight companies are Abercrombie & Fitch , Amazon , Apple , FILA , General Motors , Google , Nike , and Ralph Lauren .
Three other companies identified as benefitting from forced labor by Muslim minorities in China — Sony , H & M , and Gap — were more cautious in their approach , issuing statements on social media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of diversity on the days ahead of July 19 without mentioning Juneteenth .
Breitbart News gleaned the name of the companies commemorating Juneteenth from a list of over 80 identified by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute ( ASPI ) , a non-partisan think tank , as “ directly or indirectly benefiting from the use ” of Uyghurs working in factories across China “ under conditions that strongly suggest forced labor.
” This report found overlap between the 80-plus companies identified by the think tank and the lists of companies that vowed to observe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outlets and Hella Creative , self-described as a Bay Area collective and cited by several media outlets .
While about a handful of the named companies honored Juneteenth as a paid holiday , others observed June 19 with moments of silence , writing posts on social media marking the day , canceling meetings , offering learning opportunities , and making donations to causes affecting the black community .
The Google and Apple calendars also marked Juneteenth as a holiday .
A significant number of the 83 companies identified by ASPI did come out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement .
Also known as Black Independence Day , June 19 or Juneteenth is the date identified as marking the emancipation of the last remaining slaves in the U.S. in 1865 , more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation legally ended slavery .
People and businesses across the United States commemorate the day , but the federal government does not recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday .
Nevertheless , some presidents , from Bill Clinton to Donald Trump , have made presidential proclamations and remarks to ceremoniously honor a certain group or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Congressional Research Service ( CRS ) noted early this month .
U.S. lawmakers from both parties have also reportedly passed resolutions , made floor statements , issued press releases , or entered specific remarks into the congressional record to recognize June 19 as Juneteenth .
After being celebrated primarily by black American communities since 1865 , the vast majority ( 47 ) of states and the District of Columbia recognized Juneteenth as an official state holiday or observance , with Texas leading the way in 1980 , CRS pointed out .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it as an official holiday , has gained more prominence and support among government officials and corporations as the nation continues to rally behind the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of the protests and riots over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis .
Some of those observing Juneteenth in light of the Black Lives Matter movement ’ s push to the fore are benefitting from slavery half a world away , the ASPI study revealed .
Issued in March , the study , titled “ Uyghurs for Sale , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to work at 27 factories across China that are in the supply chains of 83 prominent global companies , including some commemorating Juneteenth like Apple , Nike , and Google .
Echoing human rights groups , the United States and the United Nations have determined that Beijing is holding at least one million people belonging to Muslim minority groups , predominantly Uyghurs , in concentration camps where detainees undergo psychological communist indoctrination and are forced to renounce their religion .
Beijing ’ s effort is part of a genocide campaign against Uyghurs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Xinjiang , the largest province in China that borders several Muslim countries .
At the camps , minorities are subjected “ to political indoctrination and forced marching ; overcrowding ; poor quality food ; and torture , including in the forms of medical neglect and maltreatment , waterboarding , sleep deprivation , lack of adequate clothing in cold temperatures , and other forms of abuse , ” the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China noted in 2018 .
Most of the concentration camps are located in Xinjiang .
Beijing moved a large number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who “ graduated ” from the re-education centers to factories across the country , ASPI reported .
Breitbart News ’ s analysis explicitly focused on the 83 companies outside Xinjiang .
China ’ s relocation of Uyghurs to factories outside Xinjiang came after an international uproar over Beijing ’ s enslavement of Muslim minorities and the Chinese coronavirus pandemic that devastated China ’ s economy .
ASPI ’ s report echoed assessments by survivors , human rights groups , and media accounts that accuse Beijing of using “ slave laborers ” from its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy .
Beijing claims that the concentration camps are vocational centers aimed at combating the “ three evils ” of religious extremism , ethnic separatism , and violent terrorism .
China has repeatedly denied assertions that it is enslaving Muslim minorities at the concentration camps or forced labor factories .
Beijing also denies the relocation of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities to factories across China .

At least eight global companies identified as benefitting from China’s enslavement of Muslim minorities published statements celebrating Juneteenth, an American holiday marking the end of slavery in the country.
A Breitbart News analysis found that the eight companies are Abercrombie & Fitch, Amazon, Apple, FILA, General Motors, Google, Nike, and Ralph Lauren.
Three other companies identified as benefitting from forced labor by Muslim minorities in China — Sony, H&M, and Gap — were more cautious in their approach, issuing statements on social media against hatred and racism and in support of diversity on the days ahead of July 19 without mentioning Juneteenth.
Breitbart News gleaned the name of the companies commemorating Juneteenth from a list of over 80 identified by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a non-partisan think tank, as “directly or indirectly benefiting from the use” of Uyghurs working in factories across China “under conditions that strongly suggest forced labor.”
This report found overlap between the 80-plus companies identified by the think tank and the lists of companies that vowed to observe Juneteenth this year, compiled by news outlets and Hella Creative, self-described as a Bay Area collective and cited by several media outlets.
While about a handful of the named companies honored Juneteenth as a paid holiday, others observed June 19 with moments of silence, writing posts on social media marking the day, canceling meetings, offering learning opportunities, and making donations to causes affecting the black community. The Google and Apple calendars also marked Juneteenth as a holiday.
A significant number of the 83 companies identified by ASPI did come out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Also known as Black Independence Day, June 19 or Juneteenth is the date identified as marking the emancipation of the last remaining slaves in the U.S. in 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation legally ended slavery.
People and businesses across the United States commemorate the day, but the federal government does not recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday. Nevertheless, some presidents, from Bill Clinton to Donald Trump, have made presidential proclamations and remarks to ceremoniously honor a certain group or call attention to specific issues or events, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) noted early this month.
U.S. lawmakers from both parties have also reportedly passed resolutions, made floor statements, issued press releases, or entered specific remarks into the congressional record to recognize June 19 as Juneteenth.
After being celebrated primarily by black American communities since 1865, the vast majority (47) of states and the District of Columbia recognized Juneteenth as an official state holiday or observance, with Texas leading the way in 1980, CRS pointed out.
Juneteenth, particularly the push for celebrating it as an official holiday, has gained more prominence and support among government officials and corporations as the nation continues to rally behind the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of the protests and riots over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Some of those observing Juneteenth in light of the Black Lives Matter movement’s push to the fore are benefitting from slavery half a world away, the ASPI study revealed.
Issued in March, the study, titled “Uyghurs for Sale,” accused Beijing of forcing Uyghur Muslims to work at 27 factories across China that are in the supply chains of 83 prominent global companies, including some commemorating Juneteenth like Apple, Nike, and Google.
Citing the ASPI study, Breitbart News reported:
The Chinese Communist Party encouraged these companies to “hire” Uyghur slaves instead of locals. Advertisements online using racist imagery of cartoons wearing traditional Uyghur clothing promised “qualified, secure, and reliable” government “workers” for willing factories.
Echoing human rights groups, the United States and the United Nations have determined that Beijing is holding at least one million people belonging to Muslim minority groups, predominantly Uyghurs, in concentration camps where detainees undergo psychological communist indoctrination and are forced to renounce their religion.
Beijing’s effort is part of a genocide campaign against Uyghurs and other ethnic minority Muslims who primarily live in Xinjiang, the largest province in China that borders several Muslim countries.
At the camps, minorities are subjected “to political indoctrination and forced marching; overcrowding; poor quality food; and torture, including in the forms of medical neglect and maltreatment, waterboarding, sleep deprivation, lack of adequate clothing in cold temperatures, and other forms of abuse,” the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China noted in 2018.
Most of the concentration camps are located in Xinjiang.
Beijing moved a large number, at least 80,000, Muslim minorities who “graduated” from the re-education centers to factories across the country, ASPI reported.
The think tank noted:
ASPI’s research has identified 83 foreign and Chinese companies directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur workers outside Xinjiang through potentially abusive labour transfer programs as recently as 2019. …
A further 54 companies are implicated in what could be forced labour schemes within Xinjiang itself —some of which overlap with the 83 companies linked to forced Uyghur labour outside of Xinjiang.
Breitbart News’s analysis explicitly focused on the 83 companies outside Xinjiang.
China’s relocation of Uyghurs to factories outside Xinjiang came after an international uproar over Beijing’s enslavement of Muslim minorities and the Chinese coronavirus pandemic that devastated China’s economy.
ASPI’s report echoed assessments by survivors, human rights groups, and media accounts that accuse Beijing of using “slave laborers” from its Muslim minority population to boost its ailing economy.
Beijing claims that the concentration camps are vocational centers aimed at combating the “three evils” of religious extremism, ethnic separatism, and violent terrorism.
China has repeatedly denied assertions that it is enslaving Muslim minorities at the concentration camps or forced labor factories.
Beijing also denies the relocation of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities to factories across China.
Update: Following the publication of this report, Abercrombie & Fitch stressed to Breitbart News that, as of 2020, “we do not believe we source from either of the factories” listed in the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) study as benefitting from Uyghur slave labor. ASPI included a similar update after publishing its study in early March, but Abercrombie & Fitch is still included in the list of 83 companies that benefitted from Uyghur slave labor.


bonginoreport--2020-06-22--Trump Signals Support for Modernizing Antitrust Laws for Internet Companies

President Donald Trump signaled his support for modernizing antitrust laws for internet-based companies , he told The Daily Caller during an exclusive Friday evening interview in the Oval Office .
The Caller sat down with the president for more than an hour and discussed a host of issues — including coronavirus , racial inequality , the 2020 election , and China .
When asked about potential second term initiatives , Trump eventually brought up rolling back Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 , which provides online platforms liability protections for speech from their users .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going on with the conservative voice , ” he explained .
“ You ’ d solve the entire problem of the various , you know , monopolists , if you ever voided Section 230.
” Daily Caller in turn asked the president why specifically he wants to rollback Section 230 , instead of modernizing “ all of the antitrust laws for the internet ?
” “ You know , that could happen , ” he continued .
“ That could happen.
” Trump conceded that “ you ’ ve got a lot of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own stock in the companies , millions of people own stock in companies.
” “ You ’ ve got a lot of forces , ” he said of potential obstacles to rewriting antitrust law .
“ It sounds good , but you say , ‘ let ’ s do it , ’ and you get clobbered .
It ’ s a little bit like getting out of wars .
You ’ ve got a lot of the military-industrial complex , you get out of wars , and they don ’ t want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the interview , Trump expressed his displeasure at advertising boycotts organized by liberal activists and added he wants to “ get involved ” in making them illegal .
( EXCLUSIVE : ‘ A Much Dirtier Game ’ — Trump Wants To ‘ Get Involved ’ In Making Advertiser Boycotts Illegal ) “ That has to be illegal in some form , ” the president said of the boycotts .
“ How can you possibly allow this to happen ?
This is really a takeover of the whole system .
”

President Donald Trump signaled his support for modernizing antitrust laws for internet-based companies, he told The Daily Caller during an exclusive Friday evening interview in the Oval Office.
The Caller sat down with the president for more than an hour and discussed a host of issues — including coronavirus, racial inequality, the 2020 election, and China. When asked about potential second term initiatives, Trump eventually brought up rolling back Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which provides online platforms liability protections for speech from their users.
“It’s really unfair what’s going on with the conservative voice,” he explained. “You’d solve the entire problem of the various, you know, monopolists, if you ever voided Section 230.”
Daily Caller in turn asked the president why specifically he wants to rollback Section 230, instead of modernizing “all of the antitrust laws for the internet?”
“You know, that could happen,” he continued. “That could happen.”
Trump conceded that “you’ve got a lot of forces against, with antitrust. People own stock in the companies, millions of people own stock in companies.”
“You’ve got a lot of forces,” he said of potential obstacles to rewriting antitrust law. “It sounds good, but you say, ‘let’s do it,’ and you get clobbered. It’s a little bit like getting out of wars. You’ve got a lot of the military-industrial complex, you get out of wars, and they don’t want to get out of wars.”
Earlier in the interview, Trump expressed his displeasure at advertising boycotts organized by liberal activists and added he wants to “get involved” in making them illegal. (EXCLUSIVE: ‘A Much Dirtier Game’ — Trump Wants To ‘Get Involved’ In Making Advertiser Boycotts Illegal)
“That has to be illegal in some form,” the president said of the boycotts. “How can you possibly allow this to happen? This is really a takeover of the whole system.”


bonginoreport--2020-06-22--“Baby Driver” Actor Denies Sexually Assaulting 17-Year-Old Girl In 2014

Actor Ansel Elgort ( “ Baby Driver , ” “ The Goldfinch ” ) denies sexually assaulting a 17-year-old in 2014 when he was 20 .
On Friday , a Twitter user named Gabby accused Elgort of sexually assaulting her in 2014 after she messaged him online .
“ I had DMed him on when it was two days before my 17th birthday and I got his private Snapchat .
I didn ’ t think he ’ d ever see my DM .
I was just a kid and was a fan of him , ” Gabby said in her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Entertainment News .
Gabby claims that when she and Elgort were having sex , she started crying “ in pain ” and that Elgort simply replied , “ we need to break you in.
” “ So when it happened , instead of asking me if I wanted to stop having sex knowing it was my first time and I was sobbing in pain and I didn ’ t want to do it , the only words that came out of his mouth were ‘ we need to break you in , ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ T there in that moment mentally .
I disassociated myself and just felt like my mind was gone .
I was in shock .
I couldn ’ t leave .
I was only 5 ’ 2 and 98 pounds .
He made me think this is how sex was supposed to be .
I WAS SO YOUNG AND HE KNEW THAT.
” Gabby also alleged that Ansel wanted to have a threesome with her and her dance friend .
“ They were as well underage and I didn ’ t tell anyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his career.
’ I sat there for months wondering what I did wrong .
Wondering why I felt so used , ” Gabby alleged .
“ Years later , I have PTSD , I have panic attacks , I go to therapy .
Finally , I ’ m ready to talk about it and finally heal.
” After a day of silence , Ansel Elgort released a statement claiming that he and Gabby had a legal and consensual relationship and denying that he ever assaulted her , though he did admit that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I was distressed to see the social media posts about me that have been circulating in the past 24 hours , ” Elgort wrote on Instagram .
“ I can not claim to understand Gabby ’ s feelings but her depiction of events is simply not what happened .
I have never and would never assault anyone .
What is true is that in New York in 2014 , when I was 20 , Gabby and I had a brief , legal , and entirely consensual relationship .
Unfortunately , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The age of consent in the state of New York is 17 .
Ansel went on to say that he “ stopped responding to her , which is an immature and cruel thing to do to someone.
” “ This belated apology does not absolve me of my unacceptable behavior when I disappeared , ” he concluded .
“ As I look back at my attitude , I am disgusted and deeply ashamed of the way I acted .
I am truly sorry .
I know I must continue to reflect , learn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The Daily Wire , headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro , is a leading provider of conservative news , cutting through the mainstream media ’ s rhetoric to provide readers the most important , relevant , and engaging stories of the day .
Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member .

Actor Ansel Elgort (“Baby Driver,” “The Goldfinch”) denies sexually assaulting a 17-year-old in 2014 when he was 20.
On Friday, a Twitter user named Gabby accused Elgort of sexually assaulting her in 2014 after she messaged him online.
“I had DMed him on when it was two days before my 17th birthday and I got his private Snapchat. I didn’t think he’d ever see my DM. I was just a kid and was a fan of him,” Gabby said in her post, as reported by E! Entertainment News.
Gabby claims that when she and Elgort were having sex, she started crying “in pain” and that Elgort simply replied, “we need to break you in.”
“So when it happened, instead of asking me if I wanted to stop having sex knowing it was my first time and I was sobbing in pain and I didn’t want to do it, the only words that came out of his mouth were ‘we need to break you in,'” she said. “I WASN’T there in that moment mentally. I disassociated myself and just felt like my mind was gone. I was in shock. I couldn’t leave. I was only 5’2 and 98 pounds. He made me think this is how sex was supposed to be. I WAS SO YOUNG AND HE KNEW THAT.”
Gabby also alleged that Ansel wanted to have a threesome with her and her dance friend.
“They were as well underage and I didn’t tell anyone because he said it could ‘ruin his career.’ I sat there for months wondering what I did wrong. Wondering why I felt so used,” Gabby alleged. “Years later, I have PTSD, I have panic attacks, I go to therapy. Finally, I’m ready to talk about it and finally heal.”
After a day of silence, Ansel Elgort released a statement claiming that he and Gabby had a legal and consensual relationship and denying that he ever assaulted her, though he did admit that he coldly tossed her aside after the encounter.
“I was distressed to see the social media posts about me that have been circulating in the past 24 hours,” Elgort wrote on Instagram. “I cannot claim to understand Gabby’s feelings but her depiction of events is simply not what happened. I have never and would never assault anyone. What is true is that in New York in 2014, when I was 20, Gabby and I had a brief, legal, and entirely consensual relationship. Unfortunately, I did not handle the breakup well.”
The age of consent in the state of New York is 17.
Ansel went on to say that he “stopped responding to her, which is an immature and cruel thing to do to someone.”
“This belated apology does not absolve me of my unacceptable behavior when I disappeared,” he concluded. “As I look back at my attitude, I am disgusted and deeply ashamed of the way I acted. I am truly sorry. I know I must continue to reflect, learn, and work to grow in empathy.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.


bonginoreport--2020-06-22--Brett Favre Asininely Compares Pat Tillman and Colin Kaepernick

President Trump — who famously said NFL owners should fire ...

Brett Favre considers Colin Kaepernick to be in lofty company.
The Hall of Fame quarterback said Kaepernick will receive “hero status” for his willingness to sacrifice his NFL career to protest racial and social injustice, comparing him to Pat Tillman — the former Cardinals safety who left football to join the Army Rangers after Sept. 11.
“I can only think of right off the top of my head, Pat Tillman is another guy that did something similar,” Favre told TMZ Sports. “And, we regard him as a hero. So, I’d assume that hero status will be stamped with Kaepernick as well.”
Tillman was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 by friendly fire. He played four NFL seasons for the Cardinals after being taken in the seventh round of the 1998 draft before giving up his NFL dreams to fight for his country.
Kapernick was in his sixth season with the 49ers in 2016 when he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial inequality and police brutality. He was released after that season and has yet to sign another contract, filing a grievance in 2017 that the NFL and its owners were colluding to keep him out of the league.
“It’s not easy for a guy his age — black or white, Hispanic, whatever — to stop something that you’ve always dreamed of doing, and put it on hold, maybe forever, for something that you believe in,” Favre said.
In light of the growing protests against systemic racism and police brutality around the country after the police-related death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Kaepernick has recently been thrust back into the spotlight. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told ESPN last week he would support and encourage a team signing Kaepernick. Favre believes the 32-year-old could still play if given the opportunity.
“I thought he was a dynamic player when he was playing in his prime,” Favre said. “He’s still young and hasn’t been hit in several years, so there’s no reason to think that he’s lost that much of a step.”


bonginoreport--2020-06-22--Proof of Life-Size Statues of Ancient Canaanite Idols Found

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The first archaeological evidence of the existence of life-size divine statues in the Levant has been identified by Hebrew University archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel, offering new insights on the cult-like practices of ancient Canaanites.According to a renowned midrash, a rabbinic interpretation of the biblical text, the Jewish patriarch Abraham began the journey that would lead him to become the first monotheist in the world by smashing the idols that his father Terach manufactured and sold in his workshop.As it appears evident not only from the Bible, but also from historical texts produced by different nations, as well as in archaeological findings, statues played a central role in the ancient spiritual life in the New East and beyond.Canaan, the land that according to the Bible God destined to Abraham and the people who would descend from him, represented no exception. When the people of Israel received the Ten Commandments during their wanderings in the desert that would lead them from the slavery in Egypt to entering the promised land, the prohibition of creating any image of the divine was second only to the one affirming the unity of God.“You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them,” reads the Decalogue in Exodus (20, 4-5 translation from Sefaria.org).If many figurines and smaller sculptures have been uncovered in the region over the decades, no intact life-size statue has ever been found in the Levant, in spite of the investigation of over one hundred temples, Garfinkel explained in a paper published in the June issue of the journal Antiquity.The researcher is the co-director of the excavations at Tel Lachish, a prominent Canaanite site, which is also mentioned in the Bible. The excavations are co-sponsored by the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Institute of Archaeology at the Southern Adventist University.After recently uncovering a spatula-like object, the scholar noticed some parallels with a similar item previously unearthed in Hazor in the Upper Galilee, a different Canaanite site.“The two scepters from Lachish and Hazor date to the end of Canaanite occupation at these sites (twelfth and thirteenth centuries BC, respectively). Both come from cult-like contexts, are of similar size and are made of bronze coated with silver,” he wrote in the paper.In addition, the two findings – each of them a few centimeters long – present a striking resemblance with a third artifact: the scepter held by a 27-centimeter-high figurine found at Megiddo almost a century ago.“Megiddo was an important Canaanite city in northern Israel, located on the major route from Mesopotamia to Egypt,” Garfinkel explained. “Its location meant that most large-scale military invasions of the Levant passed near the site, explaining its association with the concept of an ‘Armageddon’, the battle at the end of time.”The figurine, made of bronze but completely coated in gold, depicts a seated god holding a spatula-like scepter and it is exhibited in the museum of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, which conducted extensive excavations in Megiddo in the 1920s and 1930s.“The form of this scepter is a miniature version of the objects discovered at Lachish and Hazor,” he pointed out, highlighting that the figure has been identified as the Canaanite god El.By comparing the three items, Garfinkel was able to suggest that the bigger artifacts were likely part of sculptures proportionate to their size.“The archaeological context of the object from Lachish and its iconography strongly suggest that it belonged to a life-sized statue of the Canaanite god El. An increased awareness and understanding of these discoveries may help to identify other such remnants of life-sized statues in the Near East and beyond, and stimulate discussion of the power embodied by these figures,” he concluded in the paper.


bonginoreport--2020-06-22--Tom Petty’s Family Sends Cease and Desist Letter to Trump Campaign

Tom Petty 's estate is not backing down .
On Saturday , President Trump held a rally in Tulsa , Okla. , where the song `` I Wo n't Back Down '' was played , according to Petty 's family .
In a statement issued on Twitter on Saturday evening , the rocker 's family revealed that they 'd issued a cease and desist to Trump after using the song , explaining that the president 's beliefs were far out of line from Petty 's own .
`` Tom Petty 's song ' I Wo n't Back Down ' was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rally in Tulsa , OK. , '' read the statement .
`` Trump was in no way authorized to use this song to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind . ''
The note continued , explaining that Petty and his family `` stand against racism and discrimination , '' and said the musician would never want his song used to promote `` a campaign of hate . ''
SOLO VERSION OF ARETHA FRANKLIN 'S FAITH-BASED SONG ABOUT RACE RELEASED ON JUNETEENTH '' Tom wrote this song for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and for EVERYONE .
We want to make it clear that we believe everyone is free to vote as they like , think as they like , but the Petty family does n't stand for this , '' the statement read .
`` We believe in America and we believe in democracy .
But Donald Trump is not representing noble ideals of either .
We would hate for fans that are marginalized by this administration to think we were complicit in this usage .
Concurrently , we have issued a cease and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The note was signed by Petty 's ex-wife Jane , his widow Dana and his daughters Adria and Annakim .
Petty died in October of 2017 from an accidental drug overdose .
The rocker is hardly the first to speak out against Trump 's usage of their music .
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Neil Young , Elton John , Adele , The Rolling Stones , and several more artists have condemned the president 's usage of their music at rallies and events .

Tom Petty's estate is not backing down.
On Saturday, President Trump held a rally in Tulsa, Okla., where the song "I Won't Back Down" was played, according to Petty's family.
In a statement issued on Twitter on Saturday evening, the rocker's family revealed that they'd issued a cease and desist to Trump after using the song, explaining that the president's beliefs were far out of line from Petty's own.
BEYONCÉ DROPS SURPRISE SINGLE 'BLACK PARADE' ON JUNETEENTH
"Tom Petty's song 'I Won't Back Down' was used today at Donald Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa, OK.," read the statement. "Trump was in no way authorized to use this song to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind."
The note continued, explaining that Petty and his family "stand against racism and discrimination," and said the musician would never want his song used to promote "a campaign of hate."
SOLO VERSION OF ARETHA FRANKLIN'S FAITH-BASED SONG ABOUT RACE RELEASED ON JUNETEENTH
"Tom wrote this song for the underdog, for the common man, and for EVERYONE. We want to make it clear that we believe everyone is free to vote as they like, think as they like, but the Petty family doesn't stand for this," the statement read. "We believe in America and we believe in democracy. But Donald Trump is not representing noble ideals of either. We would hate for fans that are marginalized by this administration to think we were complicit in this usage. Concurrently, we have issued a cease and desist notice to the Trump campaign."
The note was signed by Petty's ex-wife Jane, his widow Dana and his daughters Adria and Annakim.
Petty died in October of 2017 from an accidental drug overdose.
The rocker is hardly the first to speak out against Trump's usage of their music.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Neil Young, Elton John, Adele, The Rolling Stones, and several more artists have condemned the president's usage of their music at rallies and events.