It can be difficult to keep up with everything going on in the world right now. But with the Substack Daily Dose, you will have easy access to important news and happenings from the day, as well as what was covered during our shows, all in one place.
The Daily Dose:
Morning Qoffee:
Visit our site to find all of our sponsors as well as other ways that you can help support the Redpill Project:
Natural Disasters
Natural disasters – from earthquakes and floods to storms and droughts – affect millions of people every year. However, we are not defenseless against them, and the global death toll, especially from droughts and floods, has been reduced.
While natural disasters account for a small fraction of all deaths globally, they can have a large impact, especially on vulnerable populations in low-to-middle-income countries with insufficient infrastructure to protect and respond effectively. Understanding the frequency, intensity, and impact of natural disasters is crucial if we want to be better prepared and protect people’s lives and livelihoods.
On this page, you will find our complete collection of data, charts, and research on natural disasters and their human and economic costs.
See all charts on Natural Disasters
Natural disasters kill tens of thousands each year
The number of deaths from natural disasters can be highly variable from year-to-year; some years pass with very few deaths before a large disaster event claims many lives.If we look at the average over the past decade, approximately 45,000 people globally died from natural disasters each year. This represents around 0.1% of global deaths.
In the visualizations shown here we see the annual variability in the number and share of deaths from natural disasters in recent decades.
What we see is that in many years, the number of deaths can be very low – often less than 10,000, and accounting for as low as 0.01% of total deaths. But we also see the devastating impact of shock events: the 1983-85 famine and drought in Ethiopia; the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami; Cyclone Nargis which struck Myanmar in 2008; and the 2010 Port-au-Prince earthquake in Haiti. All of these events pushed global disasters deaths over 200,000 – more than 0.4% of deaths in these years.
Low-frequency, high-impact events such as earthquakes and tsunamis are not preventable, but such high losses of human life are. We know from historical data that the world has seen a significant reduction in disaster deaths through earlier prediction, more resilient infrastructure, emergency preparedness, and response systems. Those at low incomes are often the most vulnerable to disaster events: improving living standards, infrastructure and response systems in these regions will be key to preventing deaths from natural disasters in the coming decades.
What share of deaths are from natural disasters?
Globally, over the past decade, natural disasters accounted for an average of 0.1% of total deaths. This was, however, highly variable to high-impact events and ranged from 0.01% to 0.4% of total deaths.
In the map shown here you can explore these trends by country over the past few decades. Using the timeline on the chart you can observe changes across the world over time, or by clicking on a country you can see its individual trend.
What we observe is that for most countries the share of deaths from natural disasters are very low in most years. Often it can be zero – with no loss of life to disasters – or well below 0.01%. But we also see clearly the effects of low-frequency but high-impact events: in 2010, more than 70% of deaths in Haiti were the result of the Port-au-Prince earthquake.
-Hannah Ritchie and Pablo Rosado, Our World in Data
Watch:
Watch:
EXCLUSIVE-IMF, 10 countries simulate cyber attack on global financial system
Image Credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD
JERUSALEM, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Israel on Thursday led a 10-country simulation of a major cyber attack on the global financial system in an attempt to increase cooperation that could help to minimise any potential damage to financial markets and banks.
The simulated cyber attack evolved over 10 days, with sensitive data emerging on the Dark Web along with fake news reports that ultimately caused chaos in global markets and a run on banks.
The simulation featured several types of attacks that impacted global foreign exchange and bond markets, liquidity, integrity of data and transactions between importers and exporters.
"These events are creating havoc in the financial markets," said a narrator of a film shown to the participants as part of the simulation and seen by Reuters.
Israeli government officials said that such threats are possible in the wake of the many high profile cyber attacks on large companies, and that the only way to contain any damage is through global cooperation since current cyber security is not always strong enough.
"Attackers are 10 steps ahead of the defender," Micha Weis, financial cyber manager at Israel's Finance Ministry, told Reuters.
Participants in the initiative, called "Collective Strength", included treasury officials from Israel, the United States, the UK, United Arab Emirates, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Thailand, as well as representatives from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and Bank of International Settlements.
The narrator of the film in the simulation said governments were under pressure to clarify the impact of the attack, which was paralysing the global financial system.
"The banks are appealing for emergency liquidity assistance in a multitude of currencies to put a halt to the chaos as counterparties withdraw their funds and limit access to liquidity leaving the banks in disarray and ruin," the narrator said.
The participants discussed multilateral policies to respond to the crisis, including a coordinated bank holiday, debt repayment grace periods, SWAP/REPO agreements and coordinated delinking from major currencies.
Rahav Shalom-Revivo, another Israeli financial cyber official, said such a wide-ranging attack on the global financial system would need to be done by sophisticated attackers.
The simulation was originally scheduled to take place at the Dubai World Expo but it was moved to Jerusalem due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19, with officials participating over video conference.
Some of the participants said in a real cyber attack situation governments would take action more quickly than in the simulation.
One European financial official said that in the case of such of an attack, his country would not wait 10 days to act.
"As soon as the supply of money were hampered, at least in the European Union, we would probably have an emergency meeting on the same day," he said, adding that he would immediately reach out to counterparts across Europe and the United States.
-Steven Scheer, Reuters
Watch:
BREAKING NEWS: US Lawmakers Pass Record-Breaking $886 Billion Defense Policy Bill
The Senate authorized a historic $886 billion in military spending for 2024 following the approval of the annual National Defense Authorization Act on Wednesday.
The crucial 3,000-page bill, essential for approval, garnered robust bipartisan support in the upper chamber, clearing the Senate with an 87-13 vote.
Now it’s on its way to the House, and lawmakers are expected to address it before heading home for the holidays on Thursday.
The Senate, under Democratic control, avoided addressing social issues important to conservative legislators. They opted not to incorporate provisions from the House version of the legislation, passed earlier this year, which included restrictions on abortion access and transgender healthcare treatments for troops and their families.
Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) staged a 10-month protest, blocking all military promotions, citing his opposition to a Pentagon policy that reimburses out-of-state travel for service members seeking abortions.
The legislation prolongs Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act until April 19.
The surveillance authority, permitting the monitoring of foreigners in the United States without warrants, was scheduled to expire at the end of December.
The bill also includes the most significant pay raise for service members in over two decades, increasing troop pay by 5.2% next year to enhance military recruitment and retention efforts.
The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), outlining the Pentagon’s spending priorities for the fiscal year, also allocates $11.5 billion to counter China in the Indo-Pacific and $800 million in military aid for Ukraine.
“At a time of huge trouble for global security, doing the defense authorization bill is more important than ever,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on the floor ahead of the vote.
“Passing the NDAA enables us to hold the line against Russia, stand firm against the Chinese Communist Party and ensure America’s defenses remain state of the art at all times,” he added.
President Biden has urged Congress to greenlight an extra $61 billion in assistance for Ukraine by the end of the week.
Republicans and Democrats in Congress alike have indicated that the 81-year-old president’s urgent funding request for the war-torn country is unlikely to be approved soon. This is due to GOP insistence that changes to U.S. immigration law be incorporated into the Ukraine-aid bill.
The NDAA bill also contains the necessary authorizations to execute the trilateral AUKUS submarine-sharing agreement among the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
The agreement was forged in 2021 and called for the transfer of three U.S. Virginia-class attack submarines to Australia.
“It will focus the Pentagon more squarely on tackling national security challenges instead of creating new ones with partisan social policies,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said of the legislation.
Six Republicans and six Democrats, including Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), voted against the bill. Additionally, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also opposed the legislation.
-Conservative Roof
Watch:
PENTAGON SEEKS EMP WEAPON TO ELIMINATE DRONE SWARMS
SOURCE: ZEROHEDGE
Faced with the reality that drones are reshaping the modern battlefields in Ukraine and Gaza, the Pentagon has been tasked with finding a budget-friendly solution to eliminate these 'flying IEDs.' While missiles are too expensive, and laser beams are a distant dream, the next best cost-effective weapon US military officials are eyeing up could be electromagnetic pulse weapons to counter drone swarms.
According to the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) website, the US Air Force has published a contract opportunity for private industry titled "Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Defense Against Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)."
The service outlined the drone-killing features of the new EMP weapon it is seeking:
"The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL/RI) is conducting market research to seek information from industry on the landscape of research and development (R&D) for available Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) solutions towards countering multiple Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). EMP solutions could be ground and/or aerial based that provide effective mitigation against Department of Defense (DoD) UAS groups 1, 2, and smaller group 3 aircraft."
As for an aerial-based EMP weapon, the service explained:
"Any EMP solutions hosted on air vehicles will have to be determined to be air-worthy by the Government. DoD must comply with the following general restrictions on UAS: 1. The air vehicle must be based on or derived from US components and electronics. 2. The air vehicle must have sufficient flight hours and reliability data."
The proposed EMP weapon would be able to neutralize drones with a directed EMP blast to damage the electronic parts - this is a much cheaper solution than missiles that cost tens of thousands of dollars, if not hundreds of thousands, a piece.
-Blacklisted News
Watch:
EXCLUSIVE Tucker Carlson lashes out at big news companies and plants billboards at HQs of NYTimes, CNN, MSNBC and the Washington Post with 'corporate media is dead' emblazoned, as he launches his OWN streaming service
He's as mad as hell, and he's not going to take it anymore!
No, we're not talking about 'Network's' Howard Beale here, but ousted Fox News broadcaster Tucker Carlson, who is taking aim at the 'corporate media' days after launching his own streaming platform for exclusive content.
'They're doomed,' Carlson told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview yesterday.
'And on some level, they know they're doomed, which is why they're hysterical. The era of dominance by a few big media companies, the era of total control over all information by you know, nine people, that's done,' Tucker said.
And to make sure the message is clear he organized mobile billboard trucks with his image on the sides, emblazoned with 'corporate media is dead,' parked outside of the HQs of MSNBC, CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times in Washington and Manhattan.
Fans are being encouraged to can sign up on his site for $72-a-year to access the 'exclusive content' with a 'limited time offer' to 'become a founding member.'
The former host of Tucker Carlson Tonight was sacked shortly after Fox settled a $1.6billion lawsuit with Dominion and the feisty broadcaster used his announcement to target several networks and news outlets – warning that they are 'dying'.
Tucker, 54, told DailyMail.com: 'It's important. We're not doing it out of cruelty and hope we're not rubbing this in anyone's face or making the people who still work there feel bad, but they're doomed.'
'It's done because they misused their monopoly. You need new institutions to fill that smoking crater left by lying news organizations.'
And by new institutions, he's referring to his own subscription service called The Tucker Carlson Network.
It comes seven months after he was sacked from Fox News days after the network was forced to pay out $787million in the Dominion defamation lawsuit.
Since then, Carlson has been uploading his interviews with divisive figures like Andrew Tate and Viktor Orban on X - formerly known as Twitter.
Carlson went on to criticize the New York Times by saying the organization has 'no moral authority remaining' and believes that NBC News will be dead in ten years.
He said it 'enrages' him that the media have lied to the public and are 'refusing to admit it', adding: 'I've gotten lots of things wrong in my life, but I try to admit it - it doesn't diminish me to admit it.'
The ex-Fox staffer did praise the NYTimes however for apologizing in 2004 for some of their coverage on the Iraq war and Saddam Hussein.
But he believes that they are now 'speaking to a tiny audience of narcissists who lack self-awareness.'
'They all lied, and they got caught lying repeatedly, and they never apologize for it,' he added. 'And if you do that often enough, your audience doesn't believe you.
'All interesting conversation takes place in independent media. There hasn't been an interesting or true thought expressed on the Today Show in a generation. And everybody knows that.
'When they do die, and it's coming soon, I won't mourn their passing. They deserve every bit of what's happening to them.'
-Emma James, Daily Mail
Citizen action group turns in over 420K signatures for initiative to restore parents' rights in Washington State
On Tuesday, citizen action group Let’s Go Washington turned in over 420,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office, hoping to qualify for an initiative to protect parental rights for the 2024 ballot.
According to the group, Initiative 2081 “…would allow parents and guardians of public-school children to review instructional materials and inspect student records, including health and disciplinary records, upon request. It would require public schools to provide parents and guardians with certain notifications, including about medical services given and when students are taken off campus; access to calendars and certain policies; and written notice and opportunities to opt students out of comprehensive sexual health education and answering certain surveys or assignments.”Initiatives in Washington are required to gather 325,000 verified signatures to qualify for the ballot but the advocacy group collected 423,399 signatures.
The founder of Let’s Go Washington, Brian Heywood, told supporters of the initiative that it was “a step to re-establish in the state of Washington that parents are the primary stakeholder in the raising of children.”
Heywood added “Over the last 10 years, there’s been a series of laws that have begun to establish this sort of corrupt idea that somehow most parents are bad and the state is good – there’s only a few exceptions of good parents. And I would like to push back very strongly today and say the assumption must be – the assumption must be – that parents love their children, although there are exceptions, rather than the other way around.”He specifically referenced controversial Senate Bill 5599, which critics say encourages minors to run away from home to receive "gender-affirming" care and "maternity services" without parental consent and at taxpayer expense.
Despite massive pushback, protests, and letter-writing campaigns, Washington Democratic Governor Jay Inslee signed the Democrat-supported legislation into law.
Heywood added, “I believe that the presumption should be that parents know how to love their children, know how to teach and guide their children better than any state government employee,” noting that current state law and I-2081 make exemptions for minors due to abuse.According to The Center Square, if I-2081 has enough verified signatures, the Democratic-controlled Legislature can “…pass it during the upcoming legislative session; take no action and let it go to the ballot; or pass an alternative proposal, which would see both [I-2081] and the alternative proposal placed on the ballot at the next state general election.”
In November, Let’s Go Washington submitted over 400,000 signatures for Initiative 2117 to repeal Washington’s cap-and-trade system, which has spiked gas and utility prices.
The group is also scheduled to turn in signatures for Initiative 2113 to remove restrictions on police officers’ ability to engage in vehicular pursuits that were enacted by Washington Democrats and led to a spike in crime and stolen vehicles.
According to the organization, the three initiatives are part of a slate of six other initiatives to “Fix What’s Broken in Washington and be a voice for positive change in our beautiful state!”
The other initiatives seek to repeal a capital gains tax, prohibit a state income tax, and allow people to opt out of a long-term care tax.Washington state Democrats are so scared of the initiatives reversing their legislative "wins" that they have teamed up with the American Civil Liberties Union to attempt to intimidate signature gatherers, from creating a “hotline to report signature gatherers” to calling the initiative efforts “...the MAGA GOP’s extreme ballot measures."
-Ari Hoffman, The Post Millennial
Breaking! Iowa Capitol Satan Statue Beheaded By Rogue Christian
A satanic statue dedicated to the devil sitting in the Iowa State Capitol building was beheaded on Thursday by an angry Christian man who also destroyed the altar in front of the horned Baphomet figure.
The satanic idol and altar were placed in the Iowa Capitol building earlier this week, just in time for the Christmas season, with some Republican lawmakers even defending it!
“I saw this blasphemous statue and was outraged,” former military officer Michael Cassidy told The Sentinel. “My conscience is held captive to the word of God, not to bureaucratic decree. And so I acted.”
BREAKING: @RepubSentinel can reveal that Michael Cassidy, a Christian and former military officer, tore down and beheaded the Satan altar in the Iowa Capitol:
Exclusive: Christian tears down and beheads Satan shrine in Iowa Capitol
Cassidy said he hopes his stunt will “awaken Christians to the anti-Christian acts promoted by our government.”
“The world may tell Christians to submissively accept the legitimization of Satan, but none of the founders would have considered government sanction of Satanic altars inside Capitol buildings as protected by the First Amendment,” Cassidy told the outlet. “Anti-Christian values have steadily been mainstreamed more and more in recent decades, and Christians have largely acted like the proverbial frog in the boiling pot of water.”
An image of the statue’s smashed head is being spread online.
-Kelen McBreen, Infowars
Watch:
Napa county: 1 Dead, 5 put on ventilators following Legionnaires’ disease outbreak linked to CONTAMINATED tap water
A large community outbreak of Legionnaires' disease linked to poorly maintained water systems in California's Napa County has caused the death of one person and infected more than a dozen.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) disclosed the outbreak, which happened between July and August 2022, in a Dec. 8 report. According to the report, Napa County Public Health (NCPH) identified 17 cases of Legionnaires' diseases at the time. Fourteen of the cases were confirmed, while three were suspected.
Of the 17 cases, 16 were hospitalized. Ten of the 16 hospitalized individuals were transferred to intensive care; five were put on ventilators; and one died. The longest hospital stay was reportedly 36 days.
Interviews with patients or their family members revealed that 14 of the 17 cases lived in downtown Napa and Calistoga. Two visited downtown Napa, and one was working at the area.
According to the Daily Mail, CDC investigators traced the cluster of cases to "filthy maintenance of several water plant cooling towers." This allowed Legionella bacteria to fester and run through the pipes into buildings, hospitals and people's homes and their taps – "potentially exposing them to the bacteria when they drank contaminated water or breathed in tainted water droplets."
Visual inspection, a review of maintenance records and sampling test results revealed that many lacked biocide application, low or no detectable chlorine at the time of sampling, improper distribution methods, or other problems with the water and wastewater management systems.
"We've had outbreaks from decorative fountains, and we've had outbreaks from potable water systems where people were getting infected probably through the showers and even the faucets," said Dr. Arthur Reingold, who heads the University of California, Berkeley's epidemiology and biostatistics division. But the most common situation has been contamination of a particular type of air conditioning called a cooling tower."
Legionnaires' disease: What you need to know
Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia that can be life-threatening when your lungs get infected by Legionella bacteria. Pulmonary symptoms of Legionnaires' disease include confusion, cough (usually dry), coughing up blood (hemoptysis), diarrhea, fever (often over 104 F or 40 C), generalized body and muscle aches, headaches, nausea, shortness of breath (dyspnea) and stomach (abdominal) pain.
People who fall under these categories are more likely to catch Legionnaire's disease:
Those 50 years old or older.
Those taking medications for certain medical conditions (e.g., cancer, diabetes, HIV, kidney or liver disease) that can comprise and weaken the immune system.
Those with a long-term respiratory illness, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or emphysema.
Those who have been recently hospitalized, or have had surgery that required anesthesia.
Those who live in a long-term care facility.
Those who smoke or used to smoke cigarettes and tobacco.
According to a report published by Smithsonian Magazine, Legionella bacteria and other dangerous pathogens still lurk in drinking water in the U.S. despite the use of modern drinking water treatments.
-Olivia Cook, News Target
America’s Largest Egg Producer Temporarily Halts Production At Facility, Cites Bird Flu
Cal-Maine Foods, America’s top egg producer and distributor, temporarily halted production at one of its facilities in Kansas due to an outbreak of avian influenza.
The outbreak affected “approximately 684,000 laying hens, or approximately 1.6% of the Company’s total flock,” a press release from the company stated.
“Production at the facility has temporarily ceased as the Company follows the protocols prescribed by the USDA. Cal-Maine Foods is working to secure production from other facilities to minimize disruption to its customers,” the press release continued.
From Cal-Maine Foods:
According to the USDA, these detections do not present an immediate public health concern and are not a threat to the food supply. Also, according to the USDA, HPAI cannot be transmitted through safely handled and properly cooked eggs or poultry. There is no known risk related to HPAI associated with eggs that are currently in the market and no eggs have been recalled.
There have been no positive tests for HPAI at any other Cal-Maine Foods locations to date. Cal-Maine Foods believes it has implemented and continues to maintain robust biosecurity programs across all its locations. Additional strict protocols are in place designed to prevent exposure from the Kansas facility to other locations, including the Company’s nearby layer complex which houses approximately one million hens. The Company continues to work closely with federal, state and local government officials and focused industry groups to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks and effectively manage the response.
The APHIS division of the USDA and individual states track and publicly report individual incidents of HPAI by location. The Company will provide updated information in its next quarterly report to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in January 2024 and does not expect to provide interim updates unless material.
Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. is primarily engaged in the production, grading, packing, marketing and sale of fresh shell eggs, including conventional, cage-free, organic, pasture-raised, free-range and nutritionally enhanced eggs. The Company, which is headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi, is the largest producer and distributor of fresh shell eggs in the United States and sells the majority of its shell eggs in states across the southwestern, southeastern, mid-western and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.
-Danielle, 100 Percent Fed Up
Watch: