Ivanka Trump received the first dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday and soon urged everyone else to do the same.

It was a brief announcement that inspired much reaction on social media, reflecting how the former first daughter — though out of the White House — is not too far from her divisive reputation as dad Donald Trump's senior adviser.

On Instagram, where Ivanka posted a photo of herself receiving her shot at a Florida CVS, the comments soon filled with people opposed to vaccination. Others channeled the language of conservatives skeptical of the pandemic at all.

As one user wrote, "I was hoping you were above this kind of virtue signaling."

On Twitter, another user, referring to the former president's downplaying of the pandemic, wrote: "Remember when it was a hoax."

"I'm grateful to have received my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine today and encourage all Americans to get vaccinated as soon as they are able," Ivanka, 39, said in a statement first shared with the a*sociated Press. "Getting vaccinated is our best way to beat this virus and protect ourselves and others."

A source close to Ivanka tells PEOPLE she spoke out to address opposition to the coronavirus vaccine, which surveys show is higher among Republicans.

"She feels it's vital to underscore the importance of getting vaccinated and to encourage others to do so as soon as they are able," the source says.

The source says Ivanka "has full confidence in the vaccines available."

President Trump, who openly waffled on the importance of other key precautions around the pandemic and suggested the risks were exaggerated, has likewise encouraged people — specifically his supporters — to get vaccinated.

Ivanka and husband Jared Kushner, another senior Trump adviser, moved to Florida after leaving the White House in January. They are living in the Miami area and purchased a secluded, multimillion-dollar undeveloped lot near Miami Beach.

The move south — rather than a return to New York City — drew some notice and set off speculation that Ivanka might pursue her own run for office.

Aides said in February she would not challenge Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican, and those close to her downplay her polarization. In her first public appearance in Florida, in March, she volunteered at a food distribution site.

"She's been spending a lot of quality time with her kids and her family, as well as settling into their new home and all that comes with it," says the Ivanka source. "She's been really enjoying her time."

Kushner, with whom Ivanka shares daughter Arabella and sons Theodore and Joseph, is thought to be working on local real-estate development deals.

A second source close to Kushner, 40, confirmed this week he would also soon receive his first dose of the vaccine.

According to available data, the pandemic has k*lled more than 560,000 people in the U.S.

 https://people.com/politi .. st-covid-dose/

Washington (CNN Business)Apple has approved Parler's return to the iOS app store following improvements the social media company made to better detect and moderate hate speech and incitement, according to a letter the iPhone maker sent to Congress on Monday.

The decision clears the way for Parler, an app popular with conservatives including some members of the far right, to be downloaded once again on Apple devices.

The letter — addressed to Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Ken Buck and obtained by CNN — explained that since the app was removed from Apple's platform in January for violations of its policies, Parler "has proposed updates to its app and the app's content moderation practices."

On April 14, Apple's app review team told Parler that its proposed changes were sufficient, the letter continued. Now, all Parler needs to do is to flip the switch.

"Apple anticipates that the updated Parler app will become available immediately upon Parler releasing it," Apple's letter said.

Apple declined to comment. Parler didn't immediately respond to request for comment.

Parler, an alternative to Facebook (FB) and Twitter (TWTR) that bills itself as a haven for free speech, was removed from major tech platforms in early January following the US Capitol riots of Jan. 6.

Parler was kicked off of Apple and Google's app stores, as well as Amazon Web Services, which had been hosting the company's product.
All three tech giants cited the presence of violent speech on Parler as a reason for removal; Parler later said that other vendors also cut ties with the company, effectively shutting the service down and making it inaccessible on the web. For several weeks, visitors to Parler's website were greeted by a static page instead of a functioning social networking app.

The app came back online on Feb. 15, but not before Parler's CEO was terminated by its board. It took another two months for Apple to give its approval restoring Parler to its app store.

In the meantime, Parler is waging a legal battle against Amazon (AMZN), alleging in part that Big Tech companies colluded to restrict Parler's access to the market. In court filings and elsewhere, Parler has said that it had been developing an artificial intelligence-based content moderation system when the larger platforms' crackdown took place.

The tech companies have rejected Parler's accusations of anti-competitive behavior. In Monday's letter, Apple said its decision to remove Parler from its app store was "an independent decision" and that Apple "did not coordinate or otherwise consult with Google or Amazon with respect to that decision."

 https://www.cnn.com/2021/ .. ore/index.html

DAY 15 - April 19 livestream, closing arguments





Closing arguments today in Derek Chauvin's trial will contrast the prosecution's concise case with a more complex defense

 https://www.cnn.com/2021/ .. ngs/index.html

 https://stopthecap.com/20 .. l-who-qualify/


Low income New Yorkers will soon be able to subscribe to internet service at speeds starting at 25/10 Mbps for $15 a month, thanks to a new law passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.



Rates will be fixed for at least five years, after which providers can increase prices based on the rate of inflation or by a modest percentage allowed by the state. In 2023, the New York State Public Service Commission will be permitted to require increases in the minimum download speeds offered.

The measure is part of New YorkÂ’s effort to expand broadband availability and affordability across the state. Earlier broadband funding programs helped expand service into rural, unserved areas. This year, the legislature and the governor are targeting the digital divide between those who can and cannot afford internet access

The stateÂ’s largest cable operator, Charter Spectrum, already offers low-income customers its own Spectrum Internet a*sist program, with similar qualifications. The company charges $14.99/month for 30/4 Mbps internet service, but excludes current customers from enrolling and may reject customers with past due balances owed in the past.

Gov. Cuomo announced the initiative at the State of the State Address in January. Critics called the plan “window dressing,” noting the state’s largest telecommunications companies including Charter Spectrum, Verizon, Altice, and Frontier already offer internet discount programs

Many also continue to question the governorÂ’s contention that 98% of New Yorkers can now access high-speed internet and the overall cost and quality of service.

To a*sist residents in finding a suitable provider, the state launched an Affordable Internet website to help consumers sign up for discounted service. In some cases, additional discounts may be available.

The legislation also mandates the Public Service Commission to study and report back on internet accessibility and affordability by this time next year. The PSC will scrutinize how many New York homes and businesses still lack access to high-speed internet, as well as studying how reliable service providers are, what rates they charge, and the current state of competition in New York

Tesla boss Elon Musk is not known for admiring his competition, but when Chinese manufacturer Nio made its 100,000th electric car last week, he offered his congratulations.

It was a mark of respect from a chief executive who had been through “manufacturing hell” with his own company. Yet it is also a sign of the growing influence of China’s electric carmakers. They are hoping to stake out a spot among the heavyweights of the new industry and bring a significant new challenge to Tesla – and to the rest of the automotive industry as it scrambles to catch up.

Tesla mania and cheap money have pushed the market valuations of a clutch of electric carmakers to astonishing levels. Tesla’s value topped $830bn (£600bn) in January (it is now down at about $700bn – still almost three times the size of its nearest rival, Japanese carmaker Toyota).

Chinese rivals Nio, Xpeng and Li Auto have all rapidly risen in value to rival much bigger and longer-established manufacturers – despite having never made an annual profit – on the back of US stock market listings that brought access to retail investors, although their values have fallen steeply from highs earlier this year.

Their fundraising successes have allowed them to pour money into competing with Tesla in China. Now they are eyeing the European electric car market – the biggest in the world.






Another battery maker that also produces electric cars is BYD, backed since 2008 by US investment billionaire Warren Buffett. Shares in the company, listed in Shenzhen, have more than tripled since the start of 2020 – even after falling from record highs at the start of February. It capitalised on investor interest in January, selling stock worth $3.9bn.

Deep-pocketed rivals can spend heavily on technology, which adds to the pressure on Tesla. Nio’s big selling point is that its batteries can be swapped in minutes by robots – removing the threat of range anxiety for drivers of electric vehicles. Xpeng, valued at $24bn, has invested heavily in autonomous driving software, so could rival Tesla through lucrative sales of subscription-based self-driving capabilities. Its P7 sports saloon could target potential buyers of Tesla’s Model 3 and Model S in Europe, rather than the wealthier customers courted by Nio.

Xpeng, chaired by tech entrepreneur He Xiaopeng, has already launched its G3 SUV in Norway –which, thanks to government subsidies, last year became the first country to see sales of electric cars outstrip those of internal combustion engines. Xpeng is now deciding which European markets to target next, its vice chair, Brian Gu, told Automotive News in January.

Analysts have repeatedly cautioned that the electric car industry, from Tesla downwards, is in the midst of a bubble. Yet even if valuations tumble further after recent steep declines, the makers have already enjoyed cheap funding that will allow them to vie for a significant slice of the market.

“Underneath what happens with the stock price, it’s a belief in the electric vehicle industry,” said Nio’s Zhang. “It’s a belief in the business model that a company like Nio or Tesla is trying to strike.”

 https://www.theguardian.c .. ric-car-market

 https://www.nytimes.com/2 .. -5g-japan.html

A majority of Americans want to end lifetime appointments for U.S. Supreme Court justices, according to an Ipsos poll for Reuters, though less than half are in favor of other efforts to reform the judiciary.

The national opinion poll, conducted on Thursday and Friday, found that 63% of adults supported term or age limits for Supreme Court justices. Another 22% said they opposed any limits and the rest did not express an opinion.

The poll also found that only 38% would support expanding the size of the court by adding four more justices. Another 42% said they would oppose doing so and the rest were unsure.

Liberal activists and some legal scholars have been pushing for judicial reforms as Republican leaders in Congress built a 6-to-3 conservative Supreme Court majority over the past several years, in part by blocking a Democratic nominee and allowing Republican former President Donald Trump to install three picks during his single term.

Some Democratic lawmakers on Thursday introduced legislation to expand the Supreme Court to 13 justices, a move that they believe would restore public confidence in the judicial branch. But the party's leadership appeared cool to the idea of pursuing that course.

President Joe Biden has formed a bi-partisan committee to look at the merits of adding justices as well as other potential reforms to the court.

While Congress has the power to change the number of justices who sit on the court, legal scholars believe it would likely require a constitutional amendment to end their lifetime appointments.

The poll found that only 49% of Americans have a "great deal" or a "fair amount" of confidence in decisions made by Supreme Court justices. In comparison, 43% of respondents expressed a similar amount of trust in decisions made by the White House and 32% said the same of decisions made by Congress.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online, in English, throughout the United States. The survey gathered responses from 1,003 adults. The results have a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of 4 percentage points.


 https://www.zawya.com/men .. 8nL1N2M92N3X1/

this is what hard means shooting bi*ches

somebody show me how to do a put option quick

Principles over profit?
The same brands that have won support among Western consumers in recent years for taking a stand on social issues, like equality and human rights, are now up against more hardline belief-based buyers in China, who see the cotton boycott as threatening the country's reputation.

China — already an important market for many international brands — is set to become even more critical to their bottom line. Domestic Chinese consumption is expected to double by 2030, according to Morgan Stanley, to reach $12.7 trillion (€10.7 trillion) — roughly the same as US consumers spend today. So Western brands may have to walk a thin line to appease both sides in this dispute. And that's led to rather contradictory messaging from some retailers.

German fashion brand Hugo Boss insists on its corporate website that it doesn't buy any goods directly from Xinjiang. However, on the Weibo social media platform, the firm told Chinese consumers that "Xinjiang long cotton is one of the best in the world, we believe quality raw materials would show its value. We will continue to buy and support Xinjiang cotton." The message was later deleted.

H&M, meanwhile, facing the removal of its productions from Chinese e-commerce platforms, was forced to downplay its criticism of Beijing's treatment of Uyghur Muslims. In a recent statement, it declared that China was a "very important market" and vowed to "regain the trust and confidence" of customers, colleagues, and business partners in the country.

Beijing turns the screws
This is not the first time that China has pressured foreign brands to conform to its position on sensitive issues. Western fashion firms and automakers were forced to apologize two years ago for implying that Hong Kong and Taiwan are independent countries.

Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 by colonial ruler Britain under the one country, two systems model, while Beijing sees Taiwan as its territory. Other brands have run into similar trouble for remarks about Tibet.

To date, sanctions by the United States, the European Union and the UK on Chinese officials over human rights abuses against the Uyghurs have only spurred tit-for-tat measures from Beijing. China this week threatened Japan and Australia with retaliation if they join other countries in imposing punitive measures.

China, meanwhile, has warned multinational firms not to engage in politics over Xinjiang. Xu Guixiang, a Xinjiang government spokesman, said their interference was "like lifting a stone to drop it on one's own feet."

Opaque supply chains
The New York Times reported Tuesday that while many retailers had vowed to stop using Xinjiang cotton, their promises might be difficult to uphold.

China exports unprocessed cotton to more than a dozen countries, including the world's other biggest apparel producers. The newspaper described how the Chinese government restricted access to supply chains in its far-western region, which would likely hamper efforts for auditors to ensure that products were free of Xinjiang-sourced cotton.

Yeung from Clean Clothes Campaign East Asia told DW that a successful Western boycott relied on apparel producers' "willingness to eradicate forced labor." He pointed to Dutch clothing brand We Fashion that he said had committed to ending the use of Xinjiang cotton, although the company did not have stores in China. British retailer M&S had also backed the call to stop forced labor, he said.

"Given the intense authoritarian control in China, we have to maintain the pressure for a long time," he conceded.

 https://www.dw.com/en/xin .. ing/a-57130450

A chorus of Republicans blasted Rep. Maxine Waters Sunday for telling angry protesters to “stay in the streets” and “get more confrontational” during the seven-straight night of unrest in Minnesota — saying the California Democrat’s fiery comments could incite violence in a state already on edge.

Waters stood alongside demonstrators in Brooklyn Center early Sunday morning –breaking a curfew set by police — to encourage them to make their voices heard following the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright and ahead of as closing arguments in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd.

“We’ve got to stay in the streets, and we’ve got to demand justice,” she urged the crowd, who earlier had been chanting: “No good cops in a racist system!” “F–K your curfew!” and “No justice, no peace!”

“We’re looking for a guilty verdict” in the Chauvin case, Waters said. “And if we don’t, we cannot go away, we’ve got to get more confrontational.”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said WatersÂ’ remarks are a reflection of the Democratic PartyÂ’s overall agenda.

“Democrats actively encouraging riots & violence. They want to tear us apart. ‘We gotta stay on the street,’ Waters was recorded saying, adding that protesters needed ‘to get more confrontational’ & they should ignore the curfew in place,” Cruz said on Twitter.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) questioned why Waters traveled from California to Minnesota.

“Why is Maxine Waters traveling to a different state trying to incite a riot? What good can come from this?” she asked in a Twitter post.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) slammed Waters — who in 2018 encouraged her supporters to harass members of then-President Donald Trump’s Cabinet — arguing that she is just reacting to the Democratic base.

“The Radical Left don’t care if your towns are burning, if there’s violence in your streets, or if the police are too defunded to defend their communities,” Biggs said on Twitter. “As long as the Left appeases their anti-America base, their job is done.”

“ During an appearance Sunday on MSNBC, Waters, 82, said she went to Minnesota “kind of as Aunty Maxine” to show support for the protesters and to let them know “they can count on me to be with them at this terrible time in all of our lives.”

“They see their peers being k*lled. Minneapolis is a great example of what’s wrong with the criminal justice system, what’s wrong with policing. And so those of us who hold significant positions must stand up,” she said.

“We must support them. We must speak out. We must call for justice,” she continued.

Wright, 20, was fatally shot during a traffic stop April 11 by former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter, who claims she mistook her service pistol for a Taser.

Potter resigned and has been charged with manslaughter.



 https://nypost.com/2021/0 .. test-comments/

The US has ticked off every other country in the entire world for the last time. An all out attack against US is coming, but will the US military and navy be able to handle this heavy battle as enemies breach US soil from all sides. Find out today if the US army can withstand an attack on the homeland or if the US military can over power the entire world with just the US navy?

Conclusion: ItÂ’s pretty much impossible for anyone to invade the US thatÂ’s mostly due to geography

His daughter is gone. If he refuses to use her new pronouns it’s considered domestic violence smh.

 https://bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c .. -ban-1.5390847

 https://www.world-today-n .. -gender-video/

The worldÂ’s most dangerous country for the LGBTQ community is Nigeria and the safest country is Canada, according to the study.

The travel blog Asher and Lyric published an updated 2021 list in March of the most dangerous countries for LGBTQ travelers, including countries and disputed territory within the Middle East.
“After 250+ hours of research, we’ve reviewed all countries’ individual laws and gathered data from a variety of trusted international sources to create the definitive ‘LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Index’ that will help you find the safest (and least safe) countries for your next trip abroad,” wrote the journalists Lyric and Asher Fergusson, who oversee the travel safety blog.

The worldÂ’s most dangerous country for the LGBTQ community is Nigeria while the safest country is Canada, according to the study.

Within the top 20 most dangerous nations across the globe, Saudi Arabia ranked second among Middle East and North African nations, followed by Oman (5), Qatar (8), UAE (9), Yemen (10), Sudan (13), West Bank and Gaza (14), Iran (15), Morocco (18), Egypt (19), and Algeria (20).
“As of now, 28 countries have marriage equality, and 16 countries provide civil unions or partnerships," Asher and Lyric wrote. "Two countries – Bulgaria and Israel – do not allow marriage equality for their citizens but formally recognize marriages overseas.”

Israel does not criminalize same-s*x relations in contrast to nearly all countries in the Middle East and North Africa regions.
QatarÂ’s Islamic regime, which imposes the death penalty on gays, is slated to host the FIFA World Cup football competition in 2022. Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran also execute gays and lesbians.

According to a 2008 British WikiLeaks cable, Iran executed between 4,000-6,000 gays and lesbians since its 1979 Islamic revolution. The Jerusalem Post reported in 2019 that IranÂ’s regime publicly hanged a man based on a violation of its anti-gay law.
The PostÂ’s disclosure of the 2019 execution in Iran played a role in the US governmentÂ’s launching of a campaign to decriminalize homos*xuality across the world. Richard Grenell, the former US director for national intelligence and ambassador to Germany at the time, jumpstarted the international campaign to stop state-sponsored executions of gays.
Lyric and Asher explained the study’s methodology: “We looked at the top 150 most-visited countries in the world (by the number of incoming tourists) and then carefully examined LGBTQ+ rights for each country. We created our LGBTQ+ travel safety index based on a total of nine ranking factors. In this year’s update, we also added transgender legal identity laws which weren’t included in our original 2019 study.”
The nine factors are: Legalizes same-s*x marriage, worker protections, protection against discrimination, criminalization of violence, adoption recognition, whether it is a good place to live, transgender legal identity laws, illegal same-s*x relations and propaganda/morality laws.

 https://m.jpost.com/inter .. r-lgbtq-665426

Brent Crude oil prices could fall to $10 per barrel by 2050 if the world accelerates the energy transition with decisive action to achieve the Paris Agreement climate goals, energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie said on Thursday.
The scale of change if the world moves on track to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius would be so great that it would revolutionize the energy industry and sink demand for oil, the power of major oil producers, and oil prices, according to WoodMac.

Still, the consultancyÂ’s Accelerated Energy Transition Scenario (AET-2) is just one of many scenarios for the future of global energy systems and not the base-case scenario, Wood Mackenzie noted.

Under the AET-2 scenario, global oil demand is expected to drop significantly and lead to a significant decline in oil prices. OPEC will likely have a market share of over 50 percent by 2050, but less control over the market because of the steep fall in demand, according to WoodMac. The low-cost producers in the Middle East would still be the main oil suppliers to the world, but prices could be as low as $10 a barrel Brent.

Although the scenario is neither a prediction nor a base-case scenario, the oil industry should not be complacent about the scale of change that would come from the energy transition, said Ann-Louise Hittle, vice president, Macro Oils, at Wood Mackenzie.

“The risks a*sociated with robust climate-change policy and rapidly changing technology are too great,” Hittle noted.

Both Big Oil and the national oil companies (NOCs) will be severely impacted in case the world acts aggressively to put global warming under control and reach the goals of the Paris Agreement, Wood Mackenzie says.

“Our scenario would see the end of Big Oil and the rise of Big Energy. Financially strong integrated companies step up their investment plans to supplement dwindling upstream revenue with new cash flow from renewables, hydrogen and CCS,” the consultancy said.

Major international oil companies have already said they would invest more in low-carbon energy, including in hydrogen, carbon capture, and electricity from renewables, but most rely on cash flows from oil and gas operations to allocate more investments to low-emission energy solutions.

 https://www.rt.com/busine .. op-10-dollars/