How Porsche's new e-fuel plant could pave the way for guilt-free classic-car motoring

Porsche and Siemens plan to build the world's first industrial-scale e-fuel plant. The gas will be safe for use in vintage Porsches -- and your car.


Chris Paukert Dec. 2, 2020 


If Porsche has its way, your classic 911 may be sucking down sustainably produced synthetic gas before you know it.Porsche

Porsche and Siemens Energy have announced plans to link arms for a new e-fuel factory. The German companies say the pilot project will result in the world's first industrial-scale plant for carbon-neutral synthetic fuel. The facility will be located in Southern Chile in a bid to capitalize on the country's strong wind energy, which will be used to power the plant sustainably.

The plan calls for an initial pilot production phase to produce around 130,000 liters of fuel -- over 34,000 gallons -- as early as 2022. Additional phases call for a dramatic ramp to 55 million liters by 2024 (over 14.5 million gallons) by 2024 and 550 million liters (145 million gallons) by 2026.

Wind energy will power the electrolyzers to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. CO2 will then be filtered out of the air and processed with the aforementioned hydrogen to create synthetic methanol. A proprietary methanol-to-gasoline process provided under license by Exxon Mobil results in e-gas. Porsche says the liquid fuel will be safe without modification for all of its cars, including classic models.

Porsche, which is initially investing around 20 million euros (roughly $24 million, £18 million or AU$33 million) in the project, sees the creation of carbon-neutral gasoline as a complement to the auto industry's drive toward electrification, not as competition with it. Company officials have already gone on the record saying that Porsche plans to electrify 50% of its new-car offerings by 2025, making use of both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid technology. But the German automaker still sees the potential for synthetic fuels to power all of the world's existing gas-powered models -- especially Porsches -- particularly in parts of the world where developing an electric car charging infrastructure proves problematic.
Dubbed Haru Oni, this new e-fuel plant will be erected in Chile to take advantage of the country's strong and steady wind energy.Porsche/Siemens Energy

During a virtual media roundtable on Wednesday, Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board for Research and Development at Porsche, reiterated:

[T]he main strategy for Porsche is to push e-mobility ... but in addition, at least Europe, [we] will be dependent on importing a lot of energy. In 10 years. In 20 years. Maybe even 30 years from now. If we have to import energy, we could choose whether we import fossil energy or renewable energy. It [e-gas] is not a direct competition to e-mobility, it is in addition to e-mobility. Something that we see as an important second track.

Porsche will be the main customer for this e-fuel initially, using the synthetic gasoline in so-called "beacon projects" including its race cars, at Porsche Experience Centers and in vehicle trials.

Porsche's home continent figures heavily into the plans for this e-fuel, as the European Union has been aggressively pushing automakers and the fossil fuel industry to go carbon-neutral via the European Green Deal policy strategy. E-fuel is seen as preferable to biofuel, because the latter's production process can impact forests and their ecosystems, as well as compete with crops that form part of the food chain.

70 years of the Porsche Effect, from the 356 to the 919 See all photos

+41 More

There are a lot of moving parts to this e-fuel commercialization challenge, including some unexpected ones. For instance, once the plant is up and running at scale, the plan is to ship refined fuel from Chile to Europe using a transport process that is carbon-neutral, which in itself is likely to be a significant logistical (if not technological) challenge. Additionally, Porsche is also already engaging world governments in conversation to get a handle on the potential tax ramifications of moving to e-fuel, as gasoline has baked-in carbon-tax costs in most world markets that raise the price of the fuel. Finding success in the latter endeavor will be a key part of making e-fuel cost-effective enough to end up at your corner gas station.

As part of the Volkswagen Group, Porsche will look to see if other divisions in the company are interested in participating in this initiative going forward. Furthermore, Porsche's Steiner says that the company is open to other automakers taking an interest in the project as well.

Newly-pardoned Mike Flynn calls for Trump to suspend the Constitution and declare martial law then order military to hold a re-run election - and claims the alternative is 'CIVIL WAR'

Trump pardoned his former national security advisor before Thanksgiving

Flynn blasted out article by 'We the People Convention' calling for martial law

It called for Trump to 'immediately declare a limited form of Martial Law'
Wants to 'suspend the Constitution and civilian control of these federal elections'

Says only the military can be trusted to carry this out

Comes as AG Bill Barr said there was not evidence of fraud to overturn election
Trump continues to claim without evidence election was 'rigged'

By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED:  2 December 2020

Days after he got a pardon from President Trump, former national security advisor Mike Flynn is calling for the president to declare martial law and have the military conduct a revote of the election he lost to President-elect Joe Biden.

Flynn, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his Russia contacts during the transition, then sought to withdraw his plea, blasted out advertisement that the group We the People Convention printed in the Washington Times.

It urges Trump, who has called the election 'rigged,' to declare a 'limited form of martial law' and have the military – who reports to him directly as commander in chief – conduct the revote.

+6



President Donald Trump's former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who received a pardon last week, blasted out an article calling on Trump to declare martial law

'When the legislators, courts and/or Congress fail to do their duty under the 12th Amendment, you must be ready Mr. President to immediately declare a limited form of Martial Law, and temporarily suspend the Constitution and civilian control of these federal elections, for the sole purpose of having the military oversee a national re-vote,' according to the text, written byTom Zawistowski, who heads the Ohio Tea Party-affiliated group.

It points to President Abraham Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War as an example.

'A vote that assures a fair election in every jurisdiction and reflects the true will of the people. Federal candidates only. Paper ballots. No computers. Hand-counted with both parties watching every vote. Only registered voters. Photo ID to prove residence. Conducted safely with everyone wearing masks and six feet apart, just like we did in Ohio,' he writes.

'Only then can the winning candidate be accepted as legitimate by a true majority of We the People who must give our consent to be justly governed! Unfortunately we are at a point where we can only trust our military to do this because our corrupt political class and courts have proven their inability to act fairly and within the law.'

Trump continues to say the election was 'rigged'

+6



The article by a Tea Party-affiliated group calls on the president to have the military conduct a new election

+6
Flynn tagged his lawyer Sidney Powell as well as White House aide Dan Scavino and media figures who have been sympathetic to Trump

+6
Tom Zawistowki authored the release calling for Trump to declare martial law







Flynn, a retired General who was forced out as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency during the Obama administration, added his own comment: 'Freedom never kneels except for God,' he wrote in a Tweet.

To raise alarm, the article points to 'Democrat/Socialist federal officials plotting to finish gutting the US Constitution after 100 years of trying.'

In making the case to Trump, it echoes the president's own attacks on Big Tech and the media.

'You must also act, like Lincoln did, to silence the destructive media’s one-sided propaganda designed and proven to influence the election outcome, and end the unlawful censorship of Big Tech, to restore the confidence of the American People in our electoral process or we cannot continue as a nation. Failure to do so could result in massive violence and destruction on a level not seen since the Civil War. Limited Martial Law is clearly a better option than Civil War!'

Trump himself has repeatedly refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, although he told reporters in a combative weekend session he would leave the White House if the Electoral College certifies the election for Joe Biden.

'Certainly I will. But you know that,' he said.

Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday the Justice Department has not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

'To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election,' Barr told the AP.

After Trump using his expansive pardon power on Flynn's behalf, the New York Times reported Tuesday he had discussed pardoned for his children as well as for lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Flynn tagged his lawyer Sidney Powell as well as White House aide Dan Scavino and media figures who have been sympathetic to Trump.

Rachel Vindman, the wife of national security lawyer Col. Alexander Vindman, who was forced out by Trump after impeachment, tweeted in response to Flynn's missive: 'He’s a disgrace to the uniform and, in a broader sense, to all Americans.'

Wrote Trump's niece Mary Trump: 'This traitor needs to be court-martialed.'

Senior military brass have long sought to keep the military away from domestic politics, and some top leaders distanced themself from the decision to accompany Trump across Lafayette Park to visit St. John's Church following protests that were followed by looting.

Trump has conducted a post-election purge of top military officials.

At a White House press briefing Tuesday, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany brought up Flynn when asked whether Trump was considering pardons for his own family members. She referenced Flynn's recent pardon.

She called Flynn 'a three-star general ... who had his life ruined. He was a valiant hero who served his country both on the battlefield and then came to work in government,' she said.

She called Flynn, who commanded an intelligence brigade and went on to run the Defense Intelligence Agency, a 'war hero' who suffered an 'egregious miscarriage of justice.'

'We are finally glad that justice was served for a war hero, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn,' she said. Trump also called Flynn a 'war hero' in an April tweet.

A Defense Intelligence Agency release upon Flynn's retirement from his 33-year military career does not mention any specific battlefield heroism. NSA Director Adm. Mike Rogers 'presented Flynn with the Defense Distinguished Service Medal for his exceptional job at the helm of DIA during a time of skyrocketing requirements, a shifting security landscape and reduced resources,' according to the release.

THE MIKE FLYNN SAGA: HOW TRUMP APPOINTEE BECAME INCENDIARY STORY


Mike Pence was a career Army intelligence officer who served in Afghanistan and Iraq and was still in uniform as a three-star general when he became Barack Obama's head of Defense Intelligence in July 2012.

But he fell out badly with the Obama administration, was forced out in July 2014 and moved into private intelligence consulting.


2015

December 10: Flynn is paid to travel to Moscow and sits beside Vladimir Putin at dinner celebrating propaganda outlet RT (right). His consulting business has Russian clients

2016

February: Flynn signs up to provide national security advice to the Trump campaign; in the next few months he is floated as a possible running mate

July 20 : Flynn leads 'lock her up' chants at the Republican National Convention and claims Obama concealed the actions of Osama bin Laden

July 31: FBI open counter-intelligence investigation Crossfire Hurricane into group of Trump aides, including Flynn, for possible Russian influence. In 2014 an FBI informer had told agents he saw Flynn spending time at a dinner in the UK with a Russian woman with ties to Kremlin intelligence; the information is included in their investigation. Flynn is code-named Crossfire Razor

November 4: Trump wins the election, and meets Obama who advises him not to hire Flynn. Trump ignores the advice and makes him national security adviser designate

November 30: Obama's ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, makes the first of what will be 48 requests by Obama and Obama-eras officials to 'unmask' a redaction from intelligence reports which covers up Flynn's name

December 2016


Flynn meets Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak (right) at Trump Tower and exchanges calls and messages throughout the month.

December 29: Hours after Obama announces sanctions on Russia for election interference, they speak and Flynn says it will be 'reviewed' when Trump takes power. The call is heard by intelligence agents who monitor Kisylak's calls and details are included in intelligence reports. The next day Putin says Russia won't retaliate for the sanctions

2017

January 4: FBI drafts report saying there is 'no derogatory information on RAZOR [Flynn].' But 20 minutes later FBI counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok tells case agent 'don't close RAZOR,' and '7th floor involved' meaning FBI leadership. He also emails lover Lisa Page, a senior FBI lawyer, about the Logan Act - a never-enforced 1799 law banning private people from interfering in foreign relations. 'Razor still open,' he writes and calls news 'serendipitously good'. 'Phew, but yeah, that's amazing that he is still open. Good I guess,' Page replies. Strzok respond: 'Yeah, our utter incompetence actually helps us. 20% of the time I'm guessing :)'

January 5: Obama holds Oval Office briefing on Russian election interference with Joe Biden, CIA director John Brennan, FBI director James Comey, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and deputy attorney general Sally Yates. He asks Comey and Yates to stay behind and says he has 'learned of the information' about Flynn's call to Kislyak. Comey mentions the Logan Act

January 6: Obama's top intel figures - Brennan, Clapper and Comey - give the Trump team including Trump a briefing on Russia at Trump Tower

January 10: Joe Biden is most senior Obama official to request an 'unmasking' of an intelligence report which reveals Flynn's name

January 12: Bombshell Washington Post report reveals Flynn's call to Kislyak on December 29, 'according to a senior U.S. government official' saying: 'What did Flynn say, and did it undercut the U.S. sanctions?' It mentions the Logan Act

January 14: Flynn tells Pence he did not discuss sanctions; in coming days Trump officials repeat this on television - including Mike Pence the following day

January 20: Trump is inaugurated; Flynn becomes national security advisor

January 22: The Wall Street Journal reveals Flynn is subject to a counter-intelligence investigation over links to Russia

January 23: Strzok and Andrew McCabe the FBI Deputy director exchange messages planning to interview Flynn

January 24: Two FBI agents - Peter Strzok and one whose name remains secret - go to the White House and interview Flynn in his West Wing office. Their notes say he denies talking about sanctions with Kislyak and said 'if I did I don't remember'

January 26 and 27: Yates tells White House counsel Don McGahn that Flynn has lied to Mike Pence and other officials, is therefore compromised, could be blackmailed by Russia, and other aspects of his conduct are worrying which she can't tell McGahn because they are classified

January 28: Flynn sits in the Oval Office to take part in Trump's first call with Putin

+6



February 9: Washington Post reveals Flynn did discuss sanctions and publishes interview in which he repeats denial 'categorically.' After the story is published, he tells the newspaper a different version - that he may have discussed sanctions

February 10 and 11: Trump says he will 'look into' Flynn but the aide is at Mar-a-Lago dinner with Shinzo Abe

February 13: Washington Post reveals that McGahn was warned about Flynn by Yates. Flynn resigns admitting he 'inadvertently' misled Pence, prompting Pence to mislead on Face the Nation in January

February 14: Trump meets Comey and says Flynn is 'a good guy' and 'I hope you can see your way to letting this go.'

March 30: Flynn offers to testify to Congress - at the time both House and Senate are Republican-controlled - or the FBI on Trump-Russia in exchange for immunity from prosecution; nobody takes up the deal offer

May 9: Trump fires Comey, and on May 17 Robert Mueller is appointed special counsel

May 10: Senate Intel Committee subpoena Flynn for his contacts with Russia; he cites Fifth Amendment; they later subpoena in more detail, and by early June he turns over documents voluntarily


November 5: Mueller's investigators revealed to be ready to indict Flynn and his son Michael Jr. on multiple charges. They are looking at his foreign lobbying and even whether he plotted to kidnap a Turkish cleric from the U.S. and deliver him to Turkey - but are also wiling to strike a deal to let his son off if he flips

November 16: Mueller team interview Flynn for first time

November 22: Flynn withdraws from 'joint defense deal' with Trump, suggesting a deal is in the works

December 1: Flynn signs a plea deal with Mueller; he will plead guilty to lying to the FBI at the White House interview. In exchange his son gets out of charges, and Flynn himself escapes charges of failing to register his lobbying for foreign entities. He appears in court and admits under oath lying to the FBI and affirms that he understands the deal. 'I recognize that the actions I acknowledged in court today were wrong, and, through my faith in God, I am working to set things right,' he says. The White House says: 'The false statements involved mirror the false statements to White House officials which resulted in his resignation in February of this year.'

December 2: Trump tweets: 'I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI'

2018

January: Flynn is repeatedly interviewed as he cooperates with Mueller and sentencing is repeatedly deferred

June 7: Obama deputy national security advisor reveals in book that Obama administration first learned of Flynn's December 2016 communications with Kislyak from Trump transition team members and not from 'unmasking' his name in intelligence reports

December 18: Flynn appears in court for sentencing hearing; Mueller's recommendation is little or no jail time. But Judge Emmet Sullivan says 'arguably you sold your country out' and asks why he was not charged with 'treason.' Sentencing is deferred

2019

June 12: Flynn fires Covington & Burling, his white shoe law firm, and hires new lawyer Sidney Powell, who had told him on Fox News to ditch his plea deal

August 30: Flynn files motion accusing prosecutors of conning him into a guilty plea by withholding exculpatory material while other parts of the government trying to 'smear' him as a Russian agent

December 16: Judge rejects Flynn's motion after reviewing Intel Inspector General report into the FBI and DOJ actions before the 2016 election and sets sentencing date for January 28

2020

January 7: Prosecutors say they want up to six months for Flynn; a week later he files to ask to withdraw his guilty plea 'because of the government's bad faith, vindictiveness, and breach of the plea agreement.' A week later he asks for probation if he can't get out of his deal. Sentencing is deferred until February 20

February 14


Attorney General Bill Barr appoints political appointee Jeffrey Jensen, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, to examine Flynn's prosecution

April 29

New notes released by Jensen show Strzok discussing keeping Flynn as a target on January 4 2017. They also show an unnamed FBI official's notes from around the interview with Flynn on January 24 2017, saying: 'What is our goal? Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?' Trump starts a tweet storm which lasts into the next day, saying: 'What happened to General Michael Flynn, a war hero, should never be allowed to happen to a citizen of the United States again!'

May 7

Department of Justice says it is withdrawing support for prosecuting Flynn saying the interview in the West Wing was 'untethered to, and unjustified by, the FBI's counterintelligence investigation into Mr. Flynn' and that it was 'conducted without any legitimate investigative basis.' But career prosecutors who have led the case quit just before the move is announced

May 12

Judge Emmet Sullivan puts a hold on prosecutors dropping the case and the next day appoints a 'friend of the court,' former Mafia prosecutor and retired federal judge John Gleeson to argue against the DOJ's motion to dismiss, causing uproar among Flynn's supporters

May 13

A series of senior Obama officials are named as having asked for 'unmaskings' of intelligence reports which resulted in Flynn's name being uncovered, in newly-declassified documents. But it later emerges intelligence report of his call to Kislyak used his full name so people with access to it could understand who the Russian was speaking to, which also means leaking his name is not a crime

May 21

Three-judge appeals panel orders Judge Sullivan to explain legal basis for not accepting prosecution request to drop Flynn's conviction

May 22

FBI director Christopher Wray launches 'after-action review' of bureau's investigation

June 24

Federal appeals judges rule 2-1 that Sullivan has to dismiss the case. Trump takes a victory lap, tweeting 'Great!'

July 4

Flynn tweets a video of himself taking 'the oath,' a bizarre ceremony linked to the QAnon conspiracy theory, which ends the Oath of Allegiance by saying 'where we go one, we go all,' a QAnon slogan

July 9

Judge Sullivan asks the entire D.C. appeals circuit to hear the case 'en banc' and overturn the order to dismiss. An unnamed member of the appeals circuit made the same request and the judges voted to hear it 'en banc' August 31, legally ignoring Sullivan's request

August 31

Entire D.C. appeals circuit rules against Flynn, sending the case back to Sullivan and allowing him to hold an inquiry into DOJ handling of the prosecution

September 29

Sullivan holds hearing where Flynn's lawyer reveals she briefed Donald Trump personally on the case and asked him not to pardon her client

November 25

President Trump announces the night before Thanksgiving he has granted Flynn a 'Full Pardon,' calling it a 'Great Honor' and wishing him and his family 'Congratulations'

No-kill, lab-grown meat gets world's first regulatory approval

Singapore cleared the way for the sale of cultured chicken made by U.S. startup Eat Just.

By Joseph Guzman | Dec. 2, 2020

credit: Eat Just Inc.


Story at a glance

The real chicken product is made from animal cells sourced through a biopsy of a live animal.
The cells are then grown in bioreactors and fed nutrients including amino acids, carbohydrates, minerals, fats and vitamins, which then grow the cells into meat.

The process doesn’t require the slaughter of any livestock, providing a safer, healthier and more sustainable meat product, the company says.

San Francisco start-up Eat Just has received the world’s first regulatory approval to sell its lab-grown chicken meat.

The company announced on Tuesday that after a rigorous consultation and review process its cultured chicken product has been approved for sale in Singapore as an ingredient in chicken bites.

The real chicken product is made from animal cells sourced through a biopsy of a live animal. The cells are then grown in bioreactors and fed nutrients including amino acids, carbohydrates, minerals, fats and vitamins, which then grow the cells into meat. The process doesn’t require the slaughter of any livestock, providing a safer, healthier and more sustainable meat product, the company says.

“I think the approval is one of the most significant milestones in the food industry in the last handful of decades,” Eat Just co-founder and CEO Josh Tetrick said in a statement.

“It’s an open door and it’s up to us and other companies to take that opportunity. My hope is this leads to a world in the next handful of years where the majority of meat doesn’t require killing a single animal or tearing down a single tree.”

Eat Just says no antibiotics are used and its cultured chicken has an “extremely low and significantly cleaner microbiological content than conventional chicken.”

The approved chicken bites will initially debut in a Singapore restaurant with plans for wider expansion into retail establishments.

The move comes during a time of heightened awareness about the meat industry’s effects on the environment.

Alternatives to traditional meat products have been growing in popularity recently among fast-food chains.

Plant-based protein maker Beyond Meat currently provides meat alternatives to Carl’s Jr, Del Taco and Dunkin’, while Burger King has seen success with its Impossible Whopper, a plant-based version of its famous Whopper sandwich

MILKWEED

The big lie from Donald Trump

BY STEVE ISRAEL, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 12/02/20 

In a few weeks, Joe Biden will be sworn in as president and it will be the end of the time that Donald Trump has in office. It is also likely to be the start of the most dangerous phase of the current movement. Now that Trump is about to be unfettered by all the pesky advisers, generals, and bureaucrats, he could be more disruptive than ever.

Trump has inflicted us with some little lies each day, adding up to about 20,000 of them, according to the Washington Post. They include “total exoneration” by the special counsel, Hurricane Dorian bearing down on Alabama, and Barack Obama separating children. Such little lies have run the gamut from silly, like how the noise from windmills causes cancer, to serious, like his birther claims about Obama. They have been delivered to us in relentless waves of disinformation and calumnies.

But Trump and his minions had never created one big lie that is sustained, amplified, and repeated over and over until it is hard not to believe it. The big lie gathers all the little ones. It all adds up to one understandable and unifying theory. Now he has one big lie reduced to an easily digested but entirely bogus claim that he actually won the election.

Just yesterday he tweeted “we won Michigan by a lot!” and “fraudulent election results in Arizona” and “fake election results in Nevada!” You would think that fraud of this magnitude, across so many states, would yield a scintilla of evidence. But that is the beauty of the big lie. It relies not on evidence but on emotion. It fortifies intuition, clears out possible doubt, and explains what seems inexplicable. It also works. Polls show that 70 percent and 80 percent of Republicans believe the election was rigged. A new survey from Bright Line Watch revealed that almost half of Republicans expect Trump to be inaugurated in January.

That is what the big lie does. It turns wishful thinking into radical reality. It lands with clarity on a certain segment of the electorate that was studied by the political scientists Eric Oliver and Thomas Wood in the 2018 book “Enchanted America.” They describe that group as intuitionists. These are people on both sides of the aisle who rely upon their intuitions to make judgments. They tend to reject established scientific facts, subscribe to conspiracy theories, are more swayed by emotional appeals, embrace populist ideals, and are intolerant of democratic norms.

What happens when the big lie gathers steam, first with the intuitionists, then across a population? Jochen Bittner of the German newspaper Die Zie gave us a chilling glimpse in a New York Times column this week. He described another big lie known as the “stab in the back” myth that took hold in Germany after World War One. Its core claim, he explains, was that Imperial Germany never lost the war. “Military officers, monarchists, and right wingers spread the myth that if it had not been for political sabotage by Social Democrats and Jews back home, the army would never have had to give in,” he wrote. This despite indisputable fact.

That big lie paved the path for Adolf Hitler and his even bigger murderous lies. There is obviously no comparison between the Holocaust and Trump. But the “stab in the back” tactic, used by authoritarians on the left and the right, has proven effective. Big lies spread because they are easily grasped and instantly confirm our biases. They remove us from the truths and the institutions which unite us. They validate suspicions, bolster resentments, and sometimes license violent action. Perhaps it was a plot to kidnap the governor of Michigan, to attack a church in Charleston or a synagogue in Pittsburgh, or to bomb a mosque in Minnesota.

Trump is unlikely to attend the inauguration in January. Doing so would only “legitimize” Biden in his calculation. But do not let his absence fool you. His last day in office could also be the first day of a loud lie meant to undermine the new administration, resourced by hundreds of millions of dollars and the echo chamber of his media allies.

When we can no longer separate fact from fiction, when news no longer informs but incites, when we cannot even agree on basic truths of who won and lost an election, that is where the big lie flourishes, eclipsing all the little lies and even the light of our democracy.

Steve Israel represented New York in the House over eight terms and was chairman with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from 2011 to 2015. He is now the director of the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs at Cornell University. 

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL

Factbox: Who is Agnes Chow, the Hong Kong activist jailed over a 2019 protest?

By Reuters Staff

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Agnes Chow, 23, a prominent Hong Kong democracy activist, was jailed on Wednesday for 10 months on charges related to unlawful assembly near the city’s police headquarters during last year’s anti-government protests.

WHO IS AGNES CHOW?

Chow, along with prominent activists Joshua Wong and Nathan Law, founded the now-disbanded democracy group Demosisto in 2016. The party was dissolved hours after Beijing passed a contentious national security law for the city on June 30 amid fears it could be targeted under the legislation. Chow was most recently arrested in August under the new security legislation on suspicion of “colluding with foreign forces,” a charge that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

POLITICS:

Chow, who has a strong youth following, became active in politics in the former British colony at the age of 15 and played a leading role in pro-democracy protests in 2014 that paralysed parts of the city for 79 days. The so-called Umbrella movement protests were aimed at securing universal suffrage for the former British colony. They were largely peaceful, but not successful. In 2018, she was banned from running in a Legislative Council by-election under rules to curb independence advocacy. Chow said at the time: “Hong Kong Demosisto has never had a pro-independence stance but we believe Hong Kong people have the right to self-determination on the future of Hong Kong.” Chow also featured prominently in the anti-government protests last year, alongside Wong and Law, who is now in exile in Britain.

OVERSEAS LOBBYING:

Fluent in Japanese, Chow has a sizable following in Japan, particularly on social media and had travelled to the country frequently before her arrest. Chow often tweeted in Japanese and has been dubbed the “goddess of democracy” by Japan’s media. Under the national security law, Beijing punishes what it broadly defines as sedition, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in jail. Her YouTube channel has 325,000 subscribers.

Google violated U.S. labor laws in clampdown on worker organizing, regulator says

By Paresh Dave




OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) - The National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint on Wednesday accusing Alphabet Inc’s Google of unlawfully monitoring and questioning several workers who were then fired for protesting against company policies and trying to organize a union.

The U.S. labor regulator found Google unlawfully placed employees on administrative leave and terminated them for accessing documents related to how the company polices internal forums, according to the complaint. The agency also found unlawful Google policies for accessing documents and meetings rooms as well as its tactics for investigating employees because all of the efforts were aimed at deterring workplace organizing, the complaint said.

Google said it was confident it acted legally.

“Google has always worked to support a culture of internal discussion, and we place immense trust in our employees,” it said. “Actions undertaken by the employees at issue were a serious violation of our policies and an unacceptable breach of a trusted responsibility.”

Google said the workers breached information security rules.

Their firings capped two years of battling between Google and its workforce, particularly in the United States. At issue is how much input the rank and file has on which projects the company takes on and how it handles sexual misconduct and other workplace matters.

At least five people fired after leading efforts to rally colleagues partnered with the Communications Workers of America union to petition the NLRB to challenge Google.


One of the fired workers, Laurence Berland, described Wednesday’s complaint as significant “at a time when we’re seeing the power of a handful of tech billionaires consolidate control over our lives and our society.”

The NLRB did not include in its complaint several other allegations sought by the workers, who said they would appeal.

Google has until Dec. 16 to formally respond to the NLRB. The case, which could lead to reinstatement of fired workers and changes in company policies, is scheduled to be tried in front of an administrative law judge on April 12.


Reporting by Paresh Dave in Oakland, California; Editing by Tom Brown and Grant McCool

The U.S. has spent billions stockpiling ventilators, but many won’t save critically ill COVID-19 patients

By Tom Bergin

(Reuters) - With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across its shores earlier this year, the U.S. government in April announced orders for almost $3 billion of ventilators for a national stockpile, meant to save Americans suffering from severe respiratory problems brought on by the disease.



FILE PHOTO: A ventilator of Hamilton Medical AG is transported on a conveyor at a plant in Domat/Ems, Switzerland March 18, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

But of the 140,000 machines added since then by the government to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile, almost half were basic breathing devices that don’t meet what medical specialists say are the minimum requirements for ventilators needed to treat Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, the main cause of death among COVID-19 patients, according to a Reuters review of publicly-available device specifications and interviews with doctors and industry executives.

Only about 10% are full intensive care unit (ICU) ventilators of a type that doctors and ventilator specialists say they would normally use to intubate patients suffering from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome or ARDS, the Reuters review found. The remainder - or about 40% - are transport ventilators normally employed for shorter periods but are considered sophisticated enough to be used long enough for ARDS patients to recover.

A September study by 22 ventilator specialists published in the official journal of the American College of Chest Physicians found half the models added to the stockpile were not suitable for treating ARDS.

The Reuters analysis is the first to examine the numbers of machines and their ability to save lives, according to those familiar with their use and published standards, and to tally the purchase cost to American taxpayers. The analysis is based on publicly-disclosed order details along with peer-reviewed studies about what types of ventilators are suitable for treating ARDS, interviews with medical specialists and World Health Organization guidance.

Many of the machines don’t meet the requirements of ARDS patients and their presence in the stockpile gives “a false sense of security,” Sajid Manzoor, director of adult respiratory therapy at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. “The COVID patients are so sick when they have ARDS. For the patients’ benefit we really need to stick with the full ICU ventilators,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is responsible for making purchases for the national stockpile, said that an interagency task force on ventilators made recommendations on which models and quantities to procure in March, a time of “extreme projections for respiratory care needs.”


With little known about COVID-19 at the time, the HHS “was preparing for the worst possible scenario,” the spokeswoman said. HHS declined to share the medical advice it relied upon in setting its minimum requirements or in selecting devices.

She added that the federal government has since adjusted its response as more clinical data has become available about the treatment of COVID-19. For instance, she said, the HHS is now procuring kits to provide alternatives to intubation, such as plastic tubes that deliver oxygen into the nose.

Today, the United States is engulfed in a deadly escalation of the virus with more than 1.1 million new infections last week. The country has reported more than 268,000 coronavirus-related deaths in total since the pandemic began.

There is currently no ventilator supply crisis in the United States as other treatments, including steroids, have reduced the need for intubation. HHS and manufacturers of the more basic devices said they can have a role in dealing with less acute cases of COVID.

But three respiratory specialists with ICU experience, and who have published papers on ventilator use, told Reuters that the government should have only added machines that could be used for dealing with ARDS. With limited resources, they said, the focus in the spring should have solely been on machines that could save the most critically ill -- and it was those types of machines that were in short supply at the time.

In a situation where the vast majority of patients in intensive care have serious respiratory issues, “you need complex ventilators to be able to support them,” said Dr Michael Christian, a London-based doctor who specializes in critical care medicine and an author of the September study.

The U.S. Strategic National Stockpile, the country’s largest store of medical supplies for use in a crisis, is intended to provide life-saving equipment in emergencies.

Respiratory care specialists – including HHS staff - have over the past decade said in congressional hearings and studies that the national stockpile should contain devices to help patients suffering from respiratory failure in the event of a flu-type pandemic.

Unlike full ICU ventilators, breathing devices that are designed as transport machines are meant to be used for short periods - typically hours – such as for getting critically-ill patients to ICU or treating non-critical breathing issues, rather than the weeks that COVID-19 patients can spend on a machine. As a result, the more basic versions frequently lack the lung-protecting features that would allow them to be used for more than hours, and experts say they have little chance of saving the lives of critically ill COVID-19 patients.

“MAY NOT HAVE BEEN IDEAL”

As COVID-19 swept through China and Europe early in the year, governments around the world scrambled to procure ventilators, mechanical devices that push carefully calibrated volumes of air and oxygen into the lungs via a tube in the windpipe. They are crucial for the care of people with respiratory failure, which is the primary killer of patients with COVID-19, the disease coronavirus causes.

In February, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the U.S. stock of ventilators would not be sufficient to tackle a pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, the stockpile held some 14,000 machines, mostly sophisticated transport ventilators capable of dealing with severe respiratory distress.


In late March, President Donald Trump vowed the United States would make or otherwise procure 100,000 additional ventilators. Over the following weeks, the HHS announced a flurry of orders.

The HHS spokeswoman said there was a deliberate move to diversify the types of devices held in the stockpile to also include models designed for use in transport or temporary field hospitals in addition to those that meet requirements for use in ICUs.

“In the event that the infection curve could not be flattened, HHS was identifying and recommending procurement of as many respiratory care devices as available to meet the needs of healthcare facilities, even if those devices may not have been ideal,” she said.

Of the roughly 140,000 machines the stockpile had received by October, about 15,000 were ventilators that are specifically designed for use in intensive care units. Those machines cost on average about $21,600, according to HHS contract notices.

It also received some 58,000 machines that were designed for use while transporting critical patients to an ICU or within health facilities but also have some complex features such as pressure controls and the ability to vary oxygen levels that, according to medical specialists, could help COVID-19 patients suffering severe respiratory distress for days or potentially even weeks while they recover. The average cost of those kinds of machines added to the stockpile was about $16,800.

The government also spent about $450 million on roughly 66,000 units spanning four models that are designed for transporting critically ill patients for short periods and for providing care to patients with less acute respiratory problems. These devices, which are unlikely to save the lives of critically-ill COVID-19 patients, cost on average about $7,900 each.


None of the four models meet the minimum requirements for functionality for treating severely affected COVID-19 patients as identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) in guidance published in March, the Reuters analysis found.

Combat Medical, the maker of one of the models, said its device could help less acute COVID-19 patients. Manufacturers of the two other devices, Hill-Rom Holdings Inc’s and ResMed Inc, acknowledged that their devices did not meet all the WHO standards and also that their devices could help less acute COVID-19 patients.

“PUTS THE PATIENTS AT RISK”

A fourth model, made by a partnership between General Electric Co and Ford Motor Co., was the pNeuton. According to its specifications and experts familiar with the device, the pNeuton is not suitable for intubating severe COVID-19 patients with ARDS over a long period of time.

When California in July asked for 500 ventilators from the national stockpile, it received the pNeuton. But California, according to the state’s department of public health, needed more full-featured ventilators, prompting it to go back to the national stockpile. HHS then sent 500 ICU ventilators to the state, allowing California to also keep the pNeutons, both parties said.

Ford referred questions about the machine’s capabilities to General Electric, which declined to comment on whether it was suitable for treating COVID-19 patients with ARDS. According to a user manual for the pNeuton, it “has been specifically designed for patient support during transport and non-critical care unit mechanical ventilation.”

Richard Branson, a professor at the University of Cincinnati who has advised officials overseeing the national stockpile, said sending pNeutons when hospitals need ventilators that are suitable for intubating COVID-19 patients could have consequences.

“It’s a risk because if they get something they are not expecting and it isn’t capable of meeting the patients’ needs, then that puts the patients at risk,” he said. Without the right equipment at the right time, Branson said, “the patient won’t survive.”


Reporting by Tom Bergin; Editing by Tom Lasseter and Cassell Bryan-Low

Fact check: False article claims Barack Obama was ‘arrested for espionage’

By Reuters Staff

An article circulating on social media claims that President Barack Obama was arrested on Nov. 28 for espionage. This is false. The fabricated article includes segments of a press release by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Aug. 17, on the arrest of a former CIA officer.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a drive-in campaign rally on behalf of Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden in Miami, Florida, U.S., November 2, 2020. REUTERS/Marco Bello

The article, visible here (archived version here ), was published on Nov. 28 by a site describing itself as a Canadian conservative news site ( here ), called The Conservative Beaver.

The first paragraph of the story says, “Barack Obama, a former President of the US, was arrested on Nov. 28, 2020, on a charge that he conspired with a business partner of his who also was a former CIA officer to communicate classified information up to the Top Secret level to intelligence officials of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).” “The Criminal Complaint containing the charge was unsealed this morning,” it adds.

The article claims “the announcement” of the purported arrest was made by U.S. officials, including Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Kenji M. Price; it also includes their alleged statements.

A Google search of the statements in question brought up a DOJ press release here , about the detainment of Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer who was arrested on Aug. 14. The release, however, makes no mention of Barack Obama.


It appears the first paragraph of the release was edited in the story by the Conservative Beaver to reference Obama and a recent date. The fake story also says Obama was charged on conspiring “with a business partner of his who also was a former CIA officer”, while the DOJ release refers to “a relative of his (Ma) who was also a former CIA officer”.

The article includes virtually the same statements by U.S. Attorney Price, Alan E. Kohler Jr., Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, Eli Miranda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Honolulu Division.

Several media outlets reported on Ma’s arrest ( here , here , here , here ).

This fabricated article copied segments of a press release from the Department of Justice on the arrest of a former CIA official, not President Obama. Reuters found no credible news reports on the alleged arrest. An event of this kind would have widely been reported in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Reuters recently debunked the claim George Soros was arrested, also published by The Conservative Beaver ( here ). 

 
VERDICT

False. President Barack Obama was not arrested. This fabricated article copied segments of a press release from the Department of Justice on the arrest of a former CIA official.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work   here   .       

SUSPECT SALAD —
Poopy salad greens still plague public health
The CDC has 3 open investigations, and FDA announced 4 recalls this month.

BETH MOLE - 11/30/2020


With pandemic stress-eating colliding with holiday feasts last week, many of us may be eyeing some healthy salads in the coming days. But if there’s one constant we can rely upon in this year of upheaval—it’s the enduring possibility that our leafy greens may be laced with poopy bacteria.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently has three open investigations on Escherichia coli outbreaks—two directly linked to leafy greens and the other involving a bacterial strain that caused an outbreak in 2018 linked to romaine lettuce.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration had issued four separate safety alerts for recalled salad fixings this month. Three of the recalls involved romaine lettuce—a now notorious source of gut-busting bacteria—for potential E. coli contamination. Over the past weekend, the FDA added baby spinach to the list, another common culprit, for potential Salmonella contamination.

Only one of the recalls has been directly linked to an outbreak so far. On November 6, Tanimura & Antle Inc. voluntarily recalled its packaged single head romaine lettuce (labeled as being packed on Oct. 15 2020 or Oct. 16, 2020) over possible E. coli contamination. Routine lab testing in Michigan picked out a strain of E. coli in the soiled salad sample that was found to be sickening people. In all, 12 people across six states were infected with that particular strain, and five of the infected people were hospitalized. Of 11 people interviewed, all reported eating various types of leafy greens, including romaine lettuce (5), spinach (5), iceberg lettuce (3), and red leaf lettuce (3), the CDC notes.
Poopy possibilities

The agency noted a similar pattern in another E. coli outbreak investigation, which was last updated November 23. In this outbreak, 39 people have been sickened across 18 states, with 19 people ending up in the hospital. Of 22 ill people health investigators have been able to interview, all reported eating a variety of leafy greens, such as spinach (16), romaine lettuce (15), iceberg lettuce (12), and mixed bag lettuce (8). “No single type or brand of leafy greens or other food item has been identified as the source of this outbreak,” the CDC added.Advertisement


In the third E. coli outbreak investigation, researchers haven’t fingered leafy greens specifically. The outbreak, which began back in June, has sickened 21 people in eight states, with eight people needing hospitalization. One person has died. The CDC notes that the E. coli strain in this outbreak was also behind a massive multi-state outbreak back in 2018 linked to romaine lettuce. That outbreak sickened 210 people across 36 states, sending 96 people to the hospital. Five people died. The CDC cautioned that “food linked to a previous outbreak alone is not enough to prove a link in another outbreak of the same strain. This is because different foods can be contaminated by the same strain of bacteria.” The agency noted that “several” people sickened in the current outbreak seemed to all be infected at the same restaurant. Still, health investigators haven’t identified a specific food as the source of the outbreak.

In all the outbreak investigations, researchers have identified strains of E. coli O157:H7—that is otherwise harmless E. coli strains that carry disease-causing toxins that originated in Shigella dysenteriae bacteria (aka Shiga toxins). In infected people, Shiga toxins cause stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea (often bloody). Some people develop low fevers. In serious cases, the toxins can cause a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can lead to permanent organ damage and even death.

The poop of 100K cows may be to blame for that deadly romaine E. coli outbreak

The main source of these E. coli O157:H7 strains is the intestines of livestock, particularly cattle. They are often thought to make it to the leaves of salad greens via runoff from livestock farms and contaminated water sources used for crop irrigation. The massive outbreak in 2018, for instance, was linked to manure from a high-density cattle farm found contaminating canal water upstream of contaminated lettuce fields.


BETH MOLE Beth is Ars Technica’s health reporter. She’s interested in biomedical research, infectious disease, health policy and law, and has a Ph.D. in microbiology.EMAIL beth.mole@arstechnica.com // TWITTER @BethMarieMole

On This Day: Environmental Protection Agency formed
On Dec. 2, 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency was formed with Indianapolis lawyer William Ruckelshaus as its administrator.

By UPI Staff


Environmental Protection Agency Administrator William Ruckelshaus (L) meets with underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau on December 7, 1983. The EPA was formed December 2, 1970. File Photo by Don Rypka/UPI | License Photo