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In the News
NEWS
President-elect Joe Biden
has promised to “defeat” the
National Rifle Association
while he’s in office. ... A6
A spokesperson for House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has
confirmed that a laptop was
stolen from a conference room
belonging to her office amid
the chaos at the Capitol. ...A5
West Virginia Delegate
Derrick Evans is resigning
after being charged for his in-
volvement in the Jan. 6 breach
of the U.S. Capitol. ...A5
Twitter’s decision to perma-
nently ban President Donald
Trump is “un-American” and
parallels censorship under
communist China, Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo says. ...A7
A number of conservatives
have left Twitter in recent
days following the suspension
of President Donald Trump’s
account. ... A8
Sen. Pat Toomey says that
President Donald Trump
“committed impeachable of-
fenses” in connection with the
Jan. 6 breaching of the U.S.
Capitol by protesters. ... A5
The petition to recall Cali-
fornia Gov. Gavin Newsom
has exceeded a million sig-
natures, organizers say. ... A6
A social media post, pur-
portedly from a top Justice
Department official, floating
presidential pardons for those
involved in the Jan. 6 breach
of the U.S. Capitol is fake, the
department says. ... A7
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention has
rejected the notion that there
is a new variant of COVID-19
that originated in the United
States. ... A3
A lone Indian national flag
seen amid the many American
flags on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6
has sparked an online spat be-
tween two Indian politicians,
while netizens reacted and
took sides in the discussion.
... A10
CHINA
China’s Ministry of Com-
merce has issued new rules in
a bid to push back on sanctions
and restrictions imposed by
foreign governments against
Chinese companies. ...A9
The United States will re-
move restrictions on con-
tact with Taiwanese officials
to foster closer ties with the
self-ruled island. ... A1
BUSINESS
U.S. employers shed jobs
last month for the first time
since April, cutting 140,000
positions as COVID-19 con-
tinues to weaken the U.S.
economy, according to the
Labor Department.. ... A17
OPINION
Rob Natelson: There Is No
Constitutional Ground for
Impeachment of President
Trump... A13
Stephen Moore: Coronavi-
rus for Dummies... A14
Chen Simin: What Lurks Be-
hind China’s Food Crisis...A16
FEATURES
A chain reaction in your gut
can leave you vulnerable to
chronic inflammatory dis-
ease. ...B1
Embrace what the winter
season offers, rather than la-
ment what it takes. ...B6
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| M O N D A Y, J A N . 11, 2 0 21
Passengers are stopped at the entrance of a railway station in Shijiazhaung, in northern China’s
CCP VIRUS Hebei Province, on Jan. 7, as the city cuts outside transport links and bans residents from leaving.
Chinese Regime Struggles to
Contain Virus Comeback
Cities issue lockdowns, discourage travel for upcoming holiday, as locals
complain of skyrocketing prices and inhumane quarantines
BY NICOLE HAO
A
reas of Hebei, Liaoning,
Heilongjiang, Henan, and
Ningxia provinces, as well
as Inner Mongolia and
Beijing, announced that they entered
“wartime” mode over the weekend
because of surges in COVID-19 cases.
“Wartime” mode typically means
that restrictions are placed on when
residents can leave their homes,
and almost all public facilities, such
as schools, stores, stadiums, and
parks, are closed.
“At present, diagnosed patients
and cluster outbreaks are hap-
pening all around the country,”
Xu Hejian, a spokesperson for the
CONGRESS
Man Who
Posed for
Photos at
Desk in
Pelosi’s Office
Arrested
BY EMEL AKAN
WASHINGTON—A man photo-
graphed sitting at an aide’s desk in
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office
during the Washington protests on
Jan. 6 has been arrested and faces
multiple charges, according to fed-
eral officials.
Richard Barnett from Arkansas
was arrested this morning in Little
Rock, Arkansas, said Ken Kohl, first
assistant for the U.S. Attorney’s Of-
fice in Washington, on Jan. 8.
Kohl told reporters during a
conference call that Barnett was
charged with entering and remain-
SUPREME COURT
Supreme Court to Consider California Policy on Nonprofits
BY MATTHEW VADUM
The Supreme Court has agreed to
hear an appeal from two conser-
vative charities that fundraise in
California, challenging demands
by that state for a list of financial
contributors, which the Trump
administration argues violates
the two tax-exempt groups’ con-
stitutionally protected freedom of
association.
The appeals concern then-Cal-
ifornia Attorney General Kamala
Accuracy The Epoch Times was founded in 2000 as an independent newspaper with the goal to restore accuracy and
integrity in media. We have received numerous awards for our reporting, including from the Society of Professional
& Integrity Journalists, the Society for News Design, and the New York Press Association.
Truth & Tradition
Beijing city government, said at a
press conference on Jan. 8.
China’s central government and
local officials are urging people not
to make “unnecessary” trips for the
Lunar New Year holiday, in a frantic
effort to try to contain the disease.
For the country’s most impor-
tant traditional holiday, hundreds
of millions of Chinese travel home
for the holidays to reunite with
their families, making it the larg-
est annual human migration event
on Earth. Lunar New Year falls on
Feb. 12 this year.
China Railway, a major state-run
train operator, said it expects to
transport as many as 407 million
passengers nationwide over a 40-day
Protestor Richard Barnett sits inside the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the
U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.
ing in a restricted building and
grounds without authority. He is
also charged for violent entry and
disorderly conduct on the grounds
of the U.S. Capitol and for theft of
public money or public property.
Photos of Barnett that went viral
on social media showed him casu-
ally sitting with his foot on a desk
inside Pelosi’s office. He was seen
AL DRAGO/GETTY IMAGES
The Supreme Court in Washington on
Jan. 10, 2021.
VOL . X V I I I | NO. 2,872 $1.
STR/CNS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
US–TAIWAN
Pompeo Lifts
Restrictions
on US Contact
With Taiwan
Officials
Pompeo said the
restrictions had been put
in place in an attempt to
appease Beijing
BY CATHY HE
The United States will remove all “self-
imposed restrictions” on contact with
Taiwanese officials, Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo announced on Jan. 9,
laying the groundwork for closer re-
lations with the democratic island.
Today’s statement
recognizes that the U.S.–
Taiwan relationship need
not, and should not, be
shackled by self-imposed
restrictions.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
The announcement, made during
the final days of President Donald
Trump’s term, marks the latest move
to deepen ties with the self-governed
STR/CNS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES island. The Chinese regime views
Taiwan as part of its territory, to be
brought under its control, by force
if necessary, and opposes any U.S.
official contact with the island.
The secretary lifted decades-old
“complex internal restrictions” that
have regulated diplomats, service
members, and other officials’ inter-
actions with their Taiwanese coun-
terparts, according to a statement.
Residents are tested for the CCP virus
“The United States government
in Shijiazhuang, in northern China’s
took these actions unilaterally, in an
Hebei Province, on Jan. 6, 2021.
attempt to appease the communist
window starting later this month. regime in Beijing,” Pompeo said.
“No more.”
Tight Control He ordered executive agencies to
More than a dozen provinces and treat so-called “contact guidelines”
regions across China, including on Taiwan previously issued by the
Continued on A9 Continued on A9
SAUL LOEB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
SOCIAL MEDIA
Parler CEO
‘Prepared to
Take Full Legal
Action’ After
Tech Companies
Target Platform
BY JANITA KAN
Parler founder and CEO John Matze
said his company is “prepared to
take full legal action” after several
big tech companies suspended the
social media network from their
services, according to an email.
John Matze, Parler’s founder, told
taking mail and leaving a quarter The Epoch Times in an email that
on the desk. he believes Apple, Google, and
Protesters stormed the Capitol on Amazon had acted in bad faith and
Jan. 6, interrupting a joint session that the social media platform is
of Congress that was held to count considering legal action.
electoral votes and confirm the Responding to accusations that
presidential election winner. Parler was enabling “threats of
Derrick Evans, a Republican violence and illegal activity,” Ma-
member of the West Virginia House tze said these companies are using
Continued on A3 Continued on A3
CONGRESS
TRUMP ORDERS FLAGS
HALF-STAFF FOR CAPITOL
Harris’s conduct in office. Current-
ly, a U.S. senator representing the
POLICE OFFICERS
Golden State, Harris is scheduled
to be sworn in as vice president on “As a sign of respect
Jan. 20. for the service and
The case is Americans for Pros- sacrifice of United
perity Foundation v. Becerra, and States Capitol
a companion case, Thomas More Police Officers
Brian D. Sicknick
Law Center v. Becerra, which have
and Howard
been consolidated and will be Liebengood, and all
heard together by the court on a Capitol Police Officers,”
date that’s yet to be decided. The the declaration states.
Trump administration had urged Read more on A2
Continued on A4
A2 | NATION
New Law Cracks Down on Shell Companies
to Combat Corruption
MIAMI—For years as a federal
prosecutor in New York, Daniel
R. Alonso led teams that had to
search through a maze of anony-
mously owned corporate entities
to expose criminal activity.
“It required all kinds of shoe-
leather investigating to identify
who was really behind these shell
companies,” recalled Alonso.
“You’d have to subpoena bank
records and lawyers, as well as
human sources, and even then
you frequently hit a dead end.”
Now, thanks to a watershed
overhaul of U.S. money launder-
ing laws, locating the proceeds
from foreign bribery, drug traf-
ficking and financing for ter-
rorists could be as easy as a few
keystrokes.
The new legislation quietly
passed by Congress last month
after a decade-long fight is the
most sweeping banking reform
of its kind since passage of the Pa-
triot Act, in the aftermath of the
Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
For the first time, shell compa-
nies will be required to provide
the names of their owners or face
stiff penalties and jail sentences.
The information will be stored
in a confidential database acces-
sible to federal law enforcement
and shared with banks who are
often unwitting accomplices to
international corruption.
“It’s not an overstatement that
this law is a game changer in
some serious ways,” said Alonso,
who is now in private practice ad-
vising clients on foreign corrup-
tion and anti-money laundering
issues.
The Corporate Transparency
Act was tucked into a defense
spending bill first vetoed by
President Donald Trump and
then overridden by Congress on
New Year’s Day.
It was introduced by Rep.
Carolyn Maloney, a New York
Democrat, in 2010 and early on
faced opposition from banks and
business groups worried about
red tape as well as states such as
Delaware and Wyoming, which
reap important revenues from
the registration every year in the
United States of nearly 2 million
corporations and limited liability
companies.
But a string of international fi-
nancial scandals involving soc-
cer’s governing body FIFA and
the 1MDB development bank
from Malaysia, as well as the
leaking of the so-called Panama
Papers, eventually softened criti-
cism by revealing the prominent
role played by secretive shell
companies in hiding the pro-
ceeds from illicit activity.
The U.S. financial system—the
world’s largest and most stable—
Trump Orders Flags to Half-Staff to Honor Capitol Police Officers, Law Enforcement
IVAN PENTCHOUKOV
President Donald Trump or-
dered U.S. flags across the na-
tion and abroad to be flown at
half-staff until Jan. 13 in honor
of the “service and sacrifice” of
law enforcement, the U.S. Capitol
Police (USCP), and the two USCP
officers who died in the wake of
protests at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“As a sign of respect for the ser-
vice and sacrifice of United States
Capitol Police Officers Brian D.
Sicknick and Howard Lieben-
good, and all Capitol Police Of-
ficers and law enforcement across
this great Nation, by the authority
vested in me as President of the
United States by the Constitution
and the laws of the United States
of America, I hereby order that
the flag of the United States shall
be flown at half-staff at the White
House and upon all public build-
ings and grounds, at all military
posts and naval stations, and on
all naval vessels of the Federal
Government in the District of
Columbia and throughout the
The Department of the Treasury in Washington on Sept. 19, 2017.
It’s not an over-
statement that
this law is a game
changer in some
serious ways.
Daniel R. Alonso,
federal prosecutor
has long been a magnet for dirty
money. But the tools to prevent
abuse by bad actors haven’t kept
pace with technology and a pro-
liferation of instant, online trans-
actions across borders.
The new law seeks to strength-
en controls by creating a regis-
try managed by the Treasury
Department that will contain
the names of the true owners of
both domestically-created shell
companies as well as foreign ones
conducting business in the U.S.
Creating a shell company in
states like Delaware requires
little more than a payment of
a $90 fee and a one-page letter
listing the entity’s the name, P.O.
Box and a registered agent who is
frequently a law firm dedicated to
churning out companies in bulk.
The true owners are rarely listed,
their identities hidden under a
web of subsidiaries. But once cre-
ated, the entities can be used to
purchase legitimate assets, such
as real estate, using ill-gotten
The American flag flies at half-staff at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 9, 2021.
United States and its Territories
and possessions until sunset,
January 13, 2021,” the president
said in a proclamation.
“I also direct that the flag shall
be flown at half-staff for the same
length of time at all United States
embassies, legations, consular of-
funds furtively transferred into
a U.S. bank account.
“Congress was late to acknowl-
edge that secrecy is alive and well
in the United States,” said David
P. Weber, a former U.S. Treasury
investigator who was one of two
experts to review the Panama Pa-
pers before publication. He now
is a forensic accounting professor
at Salisbury University in Mary-
land. “Kleptocrats and corrupt
foreign officials did not need se-
cret bank accounts in Switzer-
land. They were right here.”
Less touted, the law also dra-
matically expands awards for
whistleblowers. Specifically, in-
dividuals who come forward with
evidence of financial malfea-
sance are entitled to receive up to
30 percent of money seized by the
Treasury or Justice Departments
when their information leads to
successful law enforcement ac-
tions. Previously, awards were
capped at $150,000.
“This could end up being the se-
cret sauce,” said Michael Nadler,
a recently retired federal pros-
ecutor in Miami who has brought
charges against dozens of cor-
rupt Venezuelan officials. “It has
the potential to weaponize low-
ranking company officers who
have access to sensitive client
information and see criminal
behavior.”
The Justice Department will
also have expanded powers to
AL DRAGO/GETTY IMAGES
fices, and other facilities abroad,
including all military facilities
and naval vessels and stations.”
The U.S. Capitol Police has con-
firmed the “off-duty” death of of-
ficer Liebengood on Jan. 9.
“He was assigned to the Senate
Division, and has been with the
MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney
(D-N.Y.) walks past journalists at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 14, 2020.
demand foreign bank account
records when they suspect
criminal activity. And the law
also extends oversight to the
trade in high-value antiquities.
Expensive artwork—a frequent
vehicle to hide the proceeds of
corruption—may also be brought
within the reach of anti-money
laundering laws pending a study
the government must produce
within a year.
While it may take some time for
the law’s impact to be felt, experts
believe it will drive away from the
United States some of the dirty
money from abroad that has driv-
Department since April 2005. Our
thoughts and prayers go out to his
family, friends, and colleagues.
We ask that his family, and other
USCP officers’ and their families’
privacy be respected during this
profoundly difficult time,” ac-
cording to the office.
The cause of Liebengood’s death
hasn’t been released. It’s unclear
if the death is related to the unrest
on Jan. 6, during which the other
officer, Sicknick, suffered injuries.
Sicknick died at about 9:30 p.m.
on Jan. 7, according to the depart-
ment. Sicknick was “injured while
physically engaging with protest-
ers,” according to the USCP.
“He returned to this division of-
fice and collapsed,” the depart-
ment’s announcement states.
“He was taken to a local hospi-
tal, where he succumbed to his
injuries.”
Sicknick’s father said Vice
President Mike Pence and House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the
family on Jan. 8 to offer their con-
dolences. During the call, Pelosi
invited the family to the Capitol
SAMIRA BOUAOU/THE EPOCH TIMES
CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES
en up real estate prices in major
cities like New York, Miami and
Los Angeles.
But nobody expects crime and
corruption to stop. One weakness
of the law, says former Treasury
investigator Weber, is that it will
push crimes further into the
darkness, away from the United
States to less reputable jurisdic-
tions where secrecy remains.
“In many ways,” he said, “this is
like a multi-million dollar game
of whack-a-mole.”
By Joshua Goodman
From The Associated Press
to pick out a spot for a plaque in
Sicknick’s honor. Funeral services
also will be held at the Capitol,
according to his father.
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a mem-
ber of the Senate’s Republican
leadership, said that he will “be
interested in finding out if there
was a connection with Officer Li-
ebengood.”
U.S. Air Force veteran Ashli
Babbitt was shot and killed by a
law enforcement officer amid the
chaos inside the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Videos from the scene suggest a
lack of communication between
the officers, said Mark Lomax, a
former director of the National
Tactical Officers Association.
“There were police on the pro-
testers’ side, engaged and em-
bedded with these individuals,”
Lomax said. “It did not seem like
a threatening situation for the of-
ficers.”
Epoch Times reporter
Jack Phillips, The Associated
Press, and Reuters contributed
to this report.
 MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021
Parler CEO ‘Prepared to Take Full Legal Action’ After
Big Tech Companies Target Platform
CONTINUED FROM A1
recent events to “go after Parler,”
even though “there is no evidence
Parler was used to coordinate the
events.”
“Parler has no groups-style fea-
ture, and Facebook was the num-
ber one tool for coordinating meet-
ups for that event,” Matze said.
They will NOT win!
We are the worlds
last hope for free
speech and free
information.
John Matze,
founder and CEO, Parler
The targeted moderation by
these companies against Parler
came after civil unrest and acts of
violence marred a largely peaceful
protest at the U.S. Capitol on Jan.
6. A group of rioters and a minor-
ity of protesters waving American
and Trump flags illegally stormed
the Capitol building as lawmakers
were counting electoral votes in
a joint session of Congress. The
mayhem on the day left five peo-
ple dead, including one police offi-
cer, and dozens of officers injured.
In response to the Capitol
breach, a number of Silicon Valley
technology companies ramped
up their policing of statements
and comments from President
Donald Trump, conservatives,
and other voices they say may
cause harm. Twitter on Jan. 8
permanently removed Trump’s
account on its platform and justi-
fied its censorship by saying the
president had violated its “Glorifi-
cation of Violence Policy” after he
posted a message urging protest-
ers to remain peaceful and leave
the Capitol. The Trump campaign
Twitter account has also been re-
moved.
Parler, which has attracted a
large following of classical liberal
and conservative-leaning users,
appeared to have been targeted
for lacking a system to “implement
robust moderation for egregious
content.”
Apple said in a statement to
media outlets on Jan. 9 that they
believe Parler had “not taken ad-
equate measures to address” the
proliferation of “threats of vio-
lence and illegal activity.”
Man Who Posed for Photos at
Desk in Pelosi’s Office Arrested
CONTINUED FROM A1
of Delegates, was one of the pro-
testors who stormed the Capitol.
Evans has been charged with
entering a restricted area and
entering the Capitol, according
to Kohl.
U.S. Capitol Police have also lo-
cated a pickup truck with an Ala-
bama license plate registered to
Lonnie Coffman. In the truck, po-
lice found 11 Molotov cocktails as
well as firearms and an M4 Carbine
Assault rifle, Kohl said. Coffman’s
detention hearing is scheduled for
Jan. 12.
Another protestor, Mark Leffin-
gwell, was charged with entering
the Senate side of the Capitol and
pushing officers. He is also accused
of punching an officer in the hel-
met and chest.
“Today’s charges are just the re-
sults of the extensive work done by
the FBI and our partners over the
last few days. And we are far from
done,” Steven D’Antuono, assistant
director in charge at FBI Washing-
ton Field Office, said during the
conference call.
He said the FBI deployed hun-
dreds of people, including spe-
cial agents, bomb technicians,
evidence response teams, and
tactical and specialty teams, as
well as intelligence analysts to
Parler founder and CEO John Matze in Washington on June 11, 2019.
Social media website Parler displayed on a screen in Arlington, Va., on July
2, 2020.
“We have suspended Parler from
the App Store until they resolve
these issues,” the statement said.
Apple didn’t immediately re-
spond to The Epoch Times’ ques-
tions about the ban.
Similarly, Amazon told Parler
that they would be shutting Par-
ler’s servers at midnight Jan.
10, over what it says is the plat-
investigate the events.
“We will continue to investigate
all allegations of criminal activity,”
D’Antuono said.
Michael Sherwin, acting U.S.
attorney for the District of Co-
lumbia, announced on Jan. 7 that
more than 50 people were charged
within 36 hours, related mostly to
the breach of the Capitol during the
protests in Washington this week.
Of those cases, more than 40
have been filed in the D.C. Supe-
rior Court, which includes several
firearm cases. In addition, 17 in-
dividuals have been charged in
federal court in D.C. related to
crimes committed at the Capitol,
as of Jan. 9.
SAUL LOEB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Protestor Richard Barnett sits inside
the office of House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi, at the U.S. Capitol in Wash-
ington on Jan. 6, 2021.
OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
form’s  alleged lax approach to
violent content posted by its users.
Parler disputes this claim.
Amazon also didn’t immediate-
ly respond to The Epoch Times’
questions about the suspension.
Matze said he believes these
companies are also operating
with a double standard.
“Twitter let ‘Hang Mike Pence’
A site tester administers a swab to a man in his car, at Echo Park Stadium in
Parker, Colo., on Dec. 30, 2020.
CDC Says It Hasn’t Seen ‘USA
Variant’ of COVID-19
ZACHARY STIEBER
A federal health agency has re-
jected the notion that a new vari-
ant of COVID-19 that originated
in the United States exists.
“Researchers have been moni-
toring U.S. strains since the pan-
demic began, including 5,700
samples collected in November
and December,” a Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
spokesman told news outlets on
Jan. 8.
“To date, neither researchers
nor analysts at CDC have seen the
trend the same day Parler was
banned from Google ... the double
standard is obvious,” he said.
The big tech suspension came
after Parler rose to become the
number one application in Ap-
ple’s app store on Jan. 9, following
Twitter’s suspension of Trump’s
personal account. Matze said his
social media network had around
20 million accounts at the time
the companies suspended them.
Mobile app analytics company
Sensor Tower told The Wrap in a
statement that Parler saw approxi-
mately 182,000 first-time down-
loads in the United States on Jan.
8, which is up 355 percent on Jan.
7. The app saw about 268,000 in-
stalls across U.S. app stores since
Jan. 6, the statement said.
Matze said on his Parler account
late Jan. 9 that he believes Ama-
zon, Google, and Apple coordi-
nated to “try and ensure they don’t
have competition.”
“They will NOT win! We are the
worlds last hope for free speech
and free information,” he said.
“This is a battle against all of
us. Liberals, conservatives, athe-
MICHAEL CIAGLO/GETTY IMAGES
emergence of a particular variant
in the United States, as has been
seen with the emergence of B.1.1.7
in the United Kingdom or B.1.351
in South Africa,” he added.
The White House Coronavirus
Task Force told states in a report
last week that there may be a
“USA variant” of COVID-19.
“This fall/winter surge has been
at nearly twice the rate of rise of
cases as the spring and summer
surges. This acceleration suggests
there may be a USA variant that
has evolved here, in addition to
the UK variant that is already
NATION | A3
SAMIRA BOUAOU/THE EPOCH TIMES
ists, Christians, black, white, etc.
They want to keep their monopoly
over speech. They want us fight-
ing. They don’t want us working
together. They don’t want us work-
ing with each other, they want us
hating one another.”
Unbalanced policing of user
content and certain political
views has raised concerns over
First Amendment rights and the
lack of checks and balances on
decisions made by big tech com-
panies. Discussions over limit-
ing or eliminating liability pro-
tections under Section 230 of the
1996 Communications Decency
Act for tech companies that have
engaged in censoring or political
conduct have been heavily dis-
cussed in the past year.
Twitter’s move to remove
Trump’s account has received
widespread scrutiny. U.S. Depart-
ment of Housing and Urban De-
velopment Secretary Ben Carson,
State Secretary Mike Pompeo, and
former United Nations Ambassa-
dor Nikki Haley likened Twitter’s
move to conduct by the commu-
nist regime in China.
Researchers have
been monitoring
U.S. strains.
Spokesman, Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention
spreading in our communities
and may be 50 percent more
transmissible,” the report stated.
“Aggressive mitigation must
be used to match a more ag-
gressive virus; without uniform
implementation of effective face
masking (two- or three-ply and
well-fitting) and strict social dis-
tancing, epidemics could quickly
worsen as these variants spread
and become predominant.”
The White House didn’t imme-
diately respond to a request for
comment.
Several new variants of CO-
VID-19 have been detected in
recent weeks, including B.1.1.7 in
the UK. While that variant is more
easily transmitted than the main
COVID-19 strain, it doesn’t appear
to be deadlier, authorities say.
U.S. officials said the UK strain
has been detected in the United
States, but currently makes up a
small percentage of total cases.
Both the United States and Unit-
ed Kingdom this week recorded
their highest daily death tolls
from the CCP virus this week.
The U.S. toll topped 4,000 for the
first time, while the UK recorded
1,325 deaths on Jan. 7.
A4 | NATION MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021

Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Challenge

to California Requiring Nonprofit Donor Lists
STEFANI REYNOLDS/GETTY IMAGES
CONTINUED FROM A1

the high court to take the case in

a friend-of-the-court brief.
Americans for Prosperity
Foundation (AFPF) and its sis-
ter organization, Americans for
Prosperity, are influential liber-
tarian-conservative nonprofits
funded by businessman Charles
Koch and his late brother David
Koch that have chapters across
the country. The Thomas More
Law Center—not to be confused
with the Chicago-based public
interest law firm, the Thomas
More Society—is a conservative
Christian public interest law firm
based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The center is represented by the
Alliance Defending Freedom.
“All Americans should be free
to organize around deeply held
beliefs,” Emily Seidel, CEO of
AFPF, said in a statement. “Strip-
ping citizens of their privacy is a
tool wielded by some in political
power to silence their opposition
and stifle individuals from en-
gaging in educational and chari-
table efforts.
“Tens of thousands of Ameri-
cans each year participate in
AFPF’s educational programs,
which inspire them to make a
greater impact in their commu-
The Supreme Court in Washington on Dec. 11, 2020.
nity and our country.
JOSH EDELSON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
“Their rights—as well as the
rights of every person who par-
ticipates in organizations that
seek to reform our justice system,
protect the rights of our veterans,
or make progress on other issues
as diverse as Americans them-
selves—are at stake. The court’s
decision to hear the case signals
the importance of these founda-
tional civil liberties.”
California regulations require
charities to file a copy of their
IRS Form 990, an informational
return for tax-exempt organiza-
tions, annually with the state.
Schedule B to the form contains
the names and addresses of the
top donors. While the form is
made available to the public,
Schedule B donor information California Attorney General Xavier Becerra speaks to the media in Sacramento, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris speaks at The Queen in Wilmington, Del.,
must be kept confidential, under Calif., on March 27, 2018. on Dec. 23, 2020.
pain of federal civil and criminal
penalties. When a Schedule B is past been harassed and been the a statement. “This information cases.
released to the public, identifying victims of reprisals when their helps the state protect consum- “The justices will weigh in on
information about the donor is The charities con- names became public. ers from fraud and the misuse of the First Amendment rights of
redacted. cerned refuse to A U.S. district court agreed their charitable contributions. students and charitable orga-
Since about 2005, California has file their docu- with the charities and prelimi- We look forward to defending our nizations, as well as sentencing
demanded that charities file with narily enjoined California from rules before the Supreme Court.” reductions for inmates serving
the state unredacted Schedule B ments with the requiring petitioners to submit President-elect Joe Biden has time for small amounts of crack
documents, giving state officials California gov- their Schedule B forms. The U.S. said he plans to nominate Becer- cocaine,” court watcher Amy
the names of donors. The state’s Court of Appeals for the 9th Cir- ra to be secretary of the U.S. De- Howe writes at SCOTUSblog.
policy is to keep the information
ernment because cuit reversed. partment of Health and Human “Perhaps just as notably, the
confidential but there are no legal they don’t trust its California Attorney General Services. justices did not act on several
penalties for breaching confiden- officials to keep Xavier Becerra, a Democrat Harris, who was Becerra’s pre- high-profile petitions that they
tiality. named as respondent in the law- decessor as the state’s attorney considered at Friday’s confer-
The charities concerned refuse the information suits, was dismissive. general, was respondent in the ence, involving (among other
to file their unredacted Sched- secret. “California’s donor reporting lawsuits while she held that post. things) abortion, a dispute over
ule B documents with the liberal, rules simply require charities to Her Senate office didn’t immedi- the Pennsylvania Supreme
Democratic Party-dominated provide the state, on a confiden- ately respond to a request by The Court’s extension of the deadline
California government because tial basis, the same information Epoch Times for comment. for absentee ballots for the 2020
they don’t trust its officials to about major donors that they On the same day, the Supreme election, and the right to sue the
keep the information secret. They already provide to the federal Court granted writs of certiora- president under the Constitu-
say that their donors have in the government,”  Becerra said in ri, or review, in a total of 14 new tion’s emoluments clause.”

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 MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021 NATION | A5

West Virginia Lawmaker Resigns After Being Charged

for Involvement in Capitol Breach
SAUL LOEB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGE

ZACHARY STIEBER constituents and fellow West

West Virginia Delegate Der-
rick Evans said on Jan. 9 that
he was resigning after being
charged for being involved
in the Jan. 6 breach of the
U.S. Capitol.
In a letter to West Virginia
Gov. Jim Justice, a Republi-
can, Evans said he was re-
signing effective immedi-
ately, news outlets reported.
Evans was one
of three men
charged in federal
court on Jan. 9
for allegedly be-
ing involved in
the breach of the
Capitol.
Evans, also a Republican,
issued a statement calling
the past few days “a diffi-
cult time for my family, col-
leagues and myself.”
“So I feel it’s best at this
point to resign my seat in
the House and focus on my
personal situation and those
I love. I take full responsibil-
ity for my actions, and deep-
ly regret any hurt, pain or
embarrassment I may have
caused my family, friends,
Virginians,” he stated.
“I hope this action I take
today can remove any cloud
of distraction from the state
Legislature, so my col-
leagues can get to work in
earnest building a brighter
future for our state. And
more importantly, I hope it
helps to begin the healing
process, so we can all move
forward and come together
as ‘One Nation, Under God.’”
Evans was one of three
men charged in federal
court on Jan. 9 for allegedly
being involved in the breach
of the Capitol.
The 35-year-old was
charged  with one count
of knowingly entering or
remaining in a restricted
building or grounds with-
out lawful authority, and
one count of violent entry
and disorderly conduct on
Capitol grounds. The first
charge carries a prison term
of up to one year. Protesters storm the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.
According to an affidavit
submitted with the criminal the midst of a large crowd said, according to the court vandalizing!” Today, I had the opportu-
complaint, Evans streamed outside closed double doors document. When the group After news of his involve- nity to film another event
live to his Facebook page on at the Capitol. Evans soon entered, he added: “We’re in, ment in the breach oc- in DC,” he wrote. “I want to
Jan. 6. The video showed starts to chant “Our House! we’re in! Derrick Evans is in curred, Evans told followers assure you all that I did not
him joining and encourag- Our House!” before relaying the Capitol!” At one point, he on Facebook that he was on have any negative interac-
ing the crowd that entered that police officers were try- fist-bumped a U.S. Capitol a bus headed back to West tions with law enforcement
the Capitol. ing to stop the group. Police officer and said, “We Virginia. nor did I participate in any
An FBI special agent About a minute later, the will respect you, all right!” “As many of you know, for destruction that may have
wrote in the affidavit that crowd begins to force their He also shouted: “No de- the last few years, I have trav- occurred. I was simply there
the video, which Evans lat- way into the entrance. struction of anything! No eled across the country to as an independent member
er deleted, showed him in “We’re going in!” Evans vandalizing property, no film many different events. of the media to film history.”

Laptop From Pelosi’s Office Stolen During
Capitol Breach, Spokesman Confirms
JACK PHILLIPS
A spokesperson for House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) confirmed
that a laptop was stolen from a
conference room belonging to
her office amid the chaos at the
Capitol building on Jan. 6.
“It was a laptop that was only
used for presentations,” Pelosi
spokesman Drew Hammill wrote
in a Jan. 10 statement.
Following a Trump rally and
march to the Capitol, the build-
ing was breached as protesters
pushed past police who were try-
ing to block them from entering the
building while lawmakers inside
debated counting Electoral College
votes to confirm Joe Biden’s victory.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)
wrote on Twitter that a laptop
was taken from his office dur-
ing the incident.
Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S.
attorney for Washington, said it
will likely take “several days to
flesh out exactly what happened,
what was stolen, what wasn’t,” ac-
cording to Politico. He noted that
“items, electronic items were sto-
len from senators’ offices, docu-
ments and materials were stolen,
and we have to identify what was
done to mitigate that [damage].”
“We have to do a full review of
what was taken, or copied, or even
left behind in terms of bugs and
listening devices, etc.,” Rep. Ru-
ben Gallego (D-Ariz.) told Politico.
The House Chief Administra-
tive Office stated that “at this
time, there have been no indica-
tions that the House network was
compromised” and said the office
issued commands to lock laptops
and computers, and shut down
wired network access.
Republican and Democrat-
ic members of Congress have
blamed President Donald Trump
for inciting the violence and chaos
that left at least four people dead,
including a U.S. Air Force veteran
and a U.S. Capitol Police officer.
Three died due to medical rea-
sons, D.C. police said.
Before the protesters breached
the Capitol, Trump held a speech
and repeated assertions of elec-
tion fraud and irregularities, al-
though he didn’t call on the dem-
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks to media at the U.S. Capitol in
Washington on Jan. 7, 2021.
Damage is seen inside the U.S. Capitol early on Jan. 7, 2021, after protesters
breeched security and entered the building.
onstrators to breach the Capitol or
commit acts of violence.
Trump struck a different tone
on Jan. 7, saying, “A new admin-
istration will be inaugurated on
Jan. 20 ... My focus now turns to
ensuring a smooth, orderly, and
seamless transition of power. This
moment calls for healing and rec-
onciliation.”
Hours later, before he was
banned by Twitter, Trump wrote
that his 75 million supporters “will
not be disrespected or treated un-
fairly in any way, shape or form,”
describing them as “patriots.”
The demonstrators who broke
into the Capitol posted several
photographs of themselves using
CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON/THE EPOCH TIMES
OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
congressional phones and various
other devices. One reporter with
The Blaze posted a photograph of
what purported to be a computer
from Pelosi’s office with emails
“still on the screen.”
What else might have been tak-
en during the chaos isn’t known.
Some information technology
experts worry that intruders may
have planted malicious software
on computers, although it isn’t
clear that devices were the focus
of any particular attention.
The man who was photographed
sitting in a chair in Pelosi’s office
has been arrested, officials said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
GOP Sen. Toomey Says Trump
‘Committed Impeachable Offenses’
IVAN PENTCHOUKOV
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) said that
President Donald Trump “com-
mitted impeachable offenses”
in connection with the Jan. 6
breaching of the U.S. Capitol by
protesters.
I do think the
president com-
mitted impeach-
able offenses. But
I don’t know what
is going to land on
the Senate floor, if
anything.
Sen. Pat Toomey
“I do think the president com-
mitted impeachable offenses.
But I don’t know what is going to
land on the Senate floor, if any-
thing,” Toomey, a member of the
Senate Banking Committee, said
in a Jan. 9 interview on Fox News.
Toomey, who isn’t seeking re-
election in 2022, isn’t the first
Republican to speak against
the president in the aftermath
of the breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said he
would “definitely consider” any
impeachment articles brought
against Trump, while Sen. Lisa
Murkowski (R-Alaska) called on
the president to resign.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
(D-Calif.) urged her Demo-
cratic caucus in a letter on Jan.
8 to return to Washington as
she appears poised to have the
Democrats move forward with
impeaching President Donald
Trump for a second time.
Pelosi and a number of prom-
inent Democrats allege that
Trump incited the protesters
who breached the U.S. Capitol.
In a speech to a massive crowd
of supporters that day, the pres-
ident asked them to march to
protest near the Capitol and
“to peacefully and patriotically
make your voices heard.”
The president didn’t say any-
thing about breaking into the
building.
The breach interrupted a joint
session of Congress that was con-
vened to count the Electoral Col-
lege votes. After the building was
secured, the session concluded
with the certification of former
Vice President Joe Biden as presi-
dent-elect. A group of eight sena-
tors and 140 House members ob-
jected to the counting of one or
more slates of electors who cast
their votes for Biden.
During the joint session, Toom-
ey argued on behalf of counting
Biden’s electors from Pennsyl-
vania, saying that the objection
would “overturn the results of
the presidential election.”
“Even if Congress did have
the Constitutional responsibil-
ity to judge the worthiness of a
state’s election process, which
it does not, rejecting Pennsyl-
vania’s electoral votes would
still be wildly out of proportion
to the purported offenses and
very damaging to our republic,”
Toomey said in a speech on the
Senate floor.
The White House didn’t imme-
diately respond to a request for
comment.
Trump’s term in office con-
cludes at noon on Jan. 20.
Should a House impeachment
vote succeed, the move would
send the articles of impeach-
ment to the Senate, where the
concurrence of two-thirds of
the senators present would be
required to convict and remove
the president.
If convicted, the president
would be barred from holding
federal office.
SARAH SILBIGER-POOL/GETTY IMAGES
Rep. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.)
during a hearing on Capitol Hill in
Washington on Dec. 10, 2020.
A6 | NATION
Volunteers sort recall mail to oust California Gov. Gavin Newsom at Capital Campaigns Inc. in Newport Beach, Calif.,
on Jan 4, 2021.
Petition to Recall California
Gov. Newsom Exceeds
1 Million Signatures
ZACHARY STIEBER
The petition to recall California
Gov. Gavin Newsom has exceeded
a million signatures, organizers
said.
“The people are being heard loud
and clear, and it is not a matter of
IF we are going to reach our goal
necessary that will trigger a re-
call election of Newsom, it is just
when we cross the finish line,” Or-
rin Heatlie, the lead proponent of
the effort to remove the Democrat,
said in a statement.
About nine weeks remain for
organizers to gather 500,000 ad-
ditional signatures, which would
qualify the petition for a vote by
Californians. March 17 is the
deadline.
Heatlie called the recall cam-
paign a “literal steamroller and
Gavin Newsom’s failed policies are
being run over and flatten[ed] by
the People of California who will
no longer be held hostage to his
dictatorial failed policies.”
Newsom’s office didn’t immedi-
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference at the Cali-
fornia Justice Department in Sacramento, Calif., on Sept. 18, 2019.
Cruz, Hawley Respond After Biden Compares Them
to Nazi Propagandist
ZACHARY STIEBER
Two prominent Republican sena-
tors challenged President-elect
Joe Biden after he compared
them to an infamous Nazi pro-
pagandist.
Biden on Jan. 8 said Sens. Ted
Cruz (R-Texas) and Josh Haw-
ley (R-Mo.) are “part of the big
lie.” He then recounted being
told that Joseph Goebbels, Adolf
Hitler’s minister of propaganda,
falsely said that more people were
killed in the bombing of Dresden
than were really dead.
“And our papers printed that.
Our papers printed it. That’s a big
lie,” he said.
In a statement in response,
Hawley said: “President-elect
Biden has just compared me and
another Republican Senator to
Nazis. You read that correctly.
It is not a matter
of IF we are go-
ing to reach our
goal necessary
that will trigger a
recall election of
Newsom, it is just
when we cross the
finish line.
Orrin Heatlie, retired Yolo
County Sheriff’s sergeant
ately respond to requests by The
Epoch Times for comment about
the petition.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said
last month that the recall cam-
paign has “huge momentum”
and warned Newsom, a first-term
governor who previously had been
the state’s lieutenant governor and
San Francisco’s mayor, to take it
seriously.
“I think the important thing
JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES
Think about that for a moment.
Let it sink in. Because I raised
questions in the format pre-
scribed by the laws of the United
States about the way elections
were conducted in the state of
Pennsylvania, just as Democrats
did about other states in 2001,
2005, and 2017, he is calling me
a Nazi.
“This is undignified, imma-
ture, and intemperate behavior
from the President-elect. It is
utterly shameful. He should act
like a dignified adult and retract
these sick comments. And every
Democrat member of Congress
should be asked to disavow these
disgusting comments.”
Cruz took to Twitter to call
Biden’s comments “really sad.”
“At a time of deep national di-
vision, President-elect Biden’s
choice to call his political oppo-
JOHN FREDRICKS/THE EPOCH TIMES
is that somebody has to have a
wake-up call for the governor, or
we’re going to go exactly down the
road I saw in 2003, where Gray
Davis didn’t understand and the
people demanded a change, and
they got a pretty radical change
with Arnold Schwarzenegger,”
Issa said.
Davis, a Democrat, was the
first California governor to be re-
called. Schwarzenegger, a Repub-
lican, received the most votes to
replace Davis.
Those behind the recall cam-
paign say California under New-
som is doing badly, citing the high
number of homeless people, the
high cost of living, and the harsh
restrictions on businesses amid
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anne Hyde, who is helping to
lead the effort, told The Epoch
Times that Newsom dining out
at an expensive restaurant while
repeatedly recommending that
people stay home during the pan-
demic created a backlash.
“Clearly, you can pinpoint it
to his appearance at the French
Laundry ... and now you’re starting
to see it translated into an absolute
spike in signatures,” she said.
“To me, it is a nonpartisan issue,”
said Alan Johnson, a volunteer
who was helping open mail re-
sponses. “I’ve never found myself
to be partisan, but I try to judge
things based on principle, and
with good policy, you get good
results. With bad policy, you get
bad results. And there’s a whole
lot of bad policies coming out of
Sacramento. That should not be
partisan.”
Drew Van Voorhis contributed
to this report.
nents literal Nazis does nothing
to bring us together or promote
healing. This kind of vicious
partisan rhetoric only tears our
country apart,” he said.
Biden’s team didn’t immedi-
ately respond to a request by The
Epoch Times for comment on the
senators’ remarks.
Biden, who regularly said dur-
ing the 2020 campaign that he
would work to unite the country
if elected, was upset that Haw-
ley and Cruz objected to electoral
votes from Arizona and Pennsyl-
vania during the Jan. 6 joint ses-
sion of Congress.
The senators pointed to election
irregularities and said it was the
only forum in which they were
able to raise concerns.
Biden has previously compared
President Donald Trump to Goe-
bbels and Hitler.
MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021
Capitol Police stand guard as people gather on Capitol Hill to protest election
results in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.
US Capitol Police Announce
Death of Off-Duty Officer
JACK PHILLIPS
The U.S. Capitol Police has con-
firmed the “off-duty” death of one
of its officers on Jan. 9.
The department said in a state-
ment that the “Capitol Police is
deeply saddened by the off-duty
death on January 9, 2021, of Officer
Howard Liebengood, age 51.”
“He was assigned to the Senate
Division, and has been with the
Department since April 2005. Our
thoughts and prayers go out to his
family, friends, and colleagues.
We ask that his family, and other
USCP officers’ and their families’
privacy be respected during this
profoundly difficult time,” accord-
ing to the office.
The cause of death has not been
released.
The death follows days after
a Capitol Police officer died Jan.
7 due to injuries while on duty as
officers responded to unrest at the
Capitol a day earlier. The officer,
Brian Sicknick, died at about 9:30
p.m., according to the depart-
ment, adding that it “expresses
its deepest sympathies to Officer
Sicknick’s family and friends on
their loss, and mourns the loss of
a friend and colleague.”
He was “injured while physically
engaging with protesters,” accord-
ing to the USCP. “He returned to
this division office and collapsed,”
the department’s announcement
reads. “He was taken to a local
hospital, where he succumbed to
his injuries.”
Sicknick’s father said Vice Presi-
Biden Says He Will ‘Defeat the
NRA’ While in Office
ZACHARY STIEBER
President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 8
promised to “defeat” the National
Rifle Association while he’s in office.
Biden’s official Twitter account
was responding to former Rep.
Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), who
was among 14 people wounded in
a shooting rampage by Jared Lee
Loughner in Tucson in 2011; six
people died in the attack. Giffords
had recounted how her life and
community “changed forever.”
“But the attack did not break
me—or the people I represented
in Congress. We came together,
turned pain into purpose, and
found hope in each other,” she
wrote, adding that she contin-
ues to work to “achieve a safer
America.”
Biden responded, saying: “Your
perseverance and immeasurable
courage continue to inspire me
and millions of others. I pledge to
continue to work with you—and
with survivors, families, and ad-
vocates across the country—to
defeat the NRA and end our epi-
demic of gun violence.”
The NRA, which has more than 5
million members, seeks to protect
and educate people about their
Second Amendment rights.
While the association didn’t im-
mediately respond to a request
for comment on Biden’s post, its
lobbying arm recently published
an article that says Biden would
“begin a concerted attack on the
rights of American gun owners”
after being inaugurated.
“We must be ready for the on-
slaught,” the post reads, adding
LEO SHI/THE EPOCH TIMES
dent Mike Pence and House Speak-
er Nancy Pelosi called the family
on Jan. 8 to offer their condolences.
During the call, Pelosi invited the
family to the Capitol to pick out a
spot for a plaque in Sicknick’s honor.
Funeral services also will be held at
the Capitol, according to his father.
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member
of the Senate’s Republican leader-
ship, said that he will “be interested
in finding out if there was a con-
nection with Officer Liebengood.”
“But mostly I’m interested in
reaching out to both of these fami-
lies. These are people we saw every
day, particularly Officer Lieben-
good, who was very much assigned
to the Senate side of the building.
And, you know, you have that
loss. You have four other deaths of
people who got involved in some-
thing that they absolutely should
not have gotten involved in,” Blunt
told CBS News on Jan. 10.
Meanwhile, a U.S. Air Force vet-
eran, Ashli Babbitt, was shot and
killed by a law enforcement officer
amid the chaos.
The videos suggest a lack of com-
munication between the officers,
said Mark Lomax, who was execu-
tive director of the National Tactical
Officers Association and is CEO of
the consulting firm Lancer Cobbs.
“There were police on the protest-
ers’ side, engaged and embedded
with these individuals,” he said.
“It did not seem like a threatening
situation for the officers.”
Reuters and AP contributed
to this report.
SUSAN WALSH/AP PHOTO
President-elect Joe Biden speaks
during an event at The Queen in
Wilmington, Del., on Jan. 8, 2021.
that a Biden administration, if
officials get their way, “will ban
and confiscate the most-com-
monly-owned rifle in the United
States” and “will arbitrarily limit
the number of guns that can be
bought per month,” among other
measures.
Biden’s website says he has a
plan to end “our gun violence
epidemic” and boasts that he
has taken on the NRA twice and
won, referring to his help passing
the Brady Handgun Violence Pre-
vention Act in 1993 and in passing
a 10-year ban on some weapons
and magazines the following year.
“As president, Joe Biden will de-
feat the NRA again,” the site states.
Some of the proposals include
banning the manufacture and
sale of so-called assault weapons
and high-capacity magazines, re-
stricting the number of guns one
person may buy per month to one,
and prohibiting people convicted
of hate crimes from owning guns.
 MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021
Pompeo Says Twitter’s Ban on Trump ‘Un-American,’
Compares It to CCP Censorship
EVA FU
Twitter’s decision to permanently
ban President Donald Trump is
“un-American” and parallels cen-
sorship under communist China,
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
said on Jan. 9.
“Silencing speech is dangerous.
It’s un-American. Sadly, this isn’t
a new tactic of the Left. They’ve
worked to silence opposing voices
for years,” he wrote in a tweet.
“We cannot let them silence 75M
Americans. This isn’t the CCP,” he
added, referring to the Chinese
Communist Party’s weaponiza-
tion of technology and social
media to monitor and suppress
dissent.
Earlier, Twitter stated that
it has  permanently removed
Trump’s account from its plat-
form, saying the company identi-
fied “risk of further incitement of
violence” upon review of how his
recent tweets “are being received
and interpreted on and off Twitter.”
Facebook similarly blocked
Trump until at least Jan. 20.
In response to Twitter, Trump
condemned the tech giant, say-
ing the company “has gone fur-
ther and further in banning free
speech.”
Trump vowed that he “will not
be silenced.” He said his team has
been negotiating with Twitter’s
competitors and is also looking
into options to build a separate
platform.
Republican lawmakers and
Trump allies have criticized Twit-
ter’s actions as censorship and
abuse of power.
“Big Tech’s purge, censorship,
[and] abuse of power is absurd
[and] profoundly dangerous,”
Rep. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wrote on
Twitter.
“If you agree [with] Tech’s cur-
rent biases (Iran, good; Trump,
bad), ask yourself, what happens
when you disagree?” he said. “Why
should a handful of Silicon Valley
billionaires have a monopoly on
political speech?”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) voiced
similar concerns.
“Even those who oppose Trump
should see the danger of having a
small [and] unelected group with
the power to silence [and] erase
anyone,” he said in a tweet. “And
DOJ Says Social Media Offer of
Pardons for Capitol Breach Is Fake
GQ PAN
A social media post purportedly
from a top Justice Department
(DOJ) official floating presiden-
tial pardons to those involved
in the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S.
Capitol is fake, the department
said on Jan. 9.
The post appears to have orig-
inated from a Parler account
claiming to be the official social
media page of Acting Pardon At-
torney Rosalind Sargent-Burns.
It states that President Donald
Trump “is strongly considering”
pardoning “all patriots” who
stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.
The account then asks that
anyone who wants a presiden-
tial pardon to respond to the post
with information including their
name, their city, and a list of a
“crime you think you need to
be pardoned for,” along with an
explanation of why they believe
they should be pardoned.
“Please share to anyone who
may need it, we are trying to
stay off the MSM so that the left
does not learn of the President’s
plan,” the post reads, adding that
Trump needs the list by Jan. 12,
before the House can vote to im-
peach him again.
In a statement, a DOJ spokes-
person said the post isn’t from
Sargent-Burns or anyone from
the Office of the Pardon Attor-
ney.
The suspended Twitter account of President Donald Trump appears on an iPhone screen in San Anselmo, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2021.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the State Department in Washington on
Jan. 4, 2021.
their actions will only stoke new
grievances that will end up fuel-
ing the very thing they claim to be
trying to prevent.”
Kate Ruane, senior legislative
council for the progressive advoca-
“Please be advised that the in-
formation circulating on social
media claiming to be from Act-
ing Pardon Attorney Rosalind
Sargent-Burns is inauthentic and
should not be taken seriously,” a
department spokesperson said.
“The Justice Department’s Of-
fice of the Pardon Attorney does
not have a social media presence
and is not involved in any efforts
to pardon individuals or groups
involved with the heinous acts
that took place this week in and
around the U.S. Capitol.”
The clarification comes as fed-
eral prosecutors released details
of some of the first group of peo-
ple charged for their involvement
in the breach on the Capitol, in-
cluding a Republican West Vir-
ginia state delegate who filmed
himself making his way into the
building, a 60-year-old Arkan-
sas man who was seen in widely
circulated photos putting his
foot on a desk in House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi’s office, and an Ala-
bama man who allegedly drove
a pickup truck with 11 Molotov
cocktails to the Capitol.
“The U.S. Capitol is one of the
most iconic buildings in our
country and a symbol of the
Constitution and people we have
sworn to protect, and its destruc-
tion will not be tolerated,” Steven
M. D’Antuono, assistant director
in charge of the FBI Washington
Field Office, said in a statement.
CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON/THE EPOCH TIMES
cy group American Civil Liberties
Union, also put out a statement,
saying Twitter’s decision “should
concern everyone.”
“We understand the desire to
permanently suspend him now,
Feds Arrest Man in Horned Helmet Who
Entered Capitol During Jan. 6 Protest
SAMUEL ALLEGRI
Federal police have arrested the
shirtless man in a horned fur
headdress whose photo inside
the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 spread
widely on the internet.
Chansley has
been charged with
‘knowingly enter-
ing or remaining
in any restrict-
ed building or
grounds without
lawful authority.’
The man was identified as
32-year-old Jacob Anthony
Chansley, also know as Jake An-
geli, from Arizona.
He was arrested on Jan. 9, ac-
cording to a Justice Department
statement, which described him
as wielding a spear and an Ameri-
can flag.
“It is alleged that Chansley was
identified as the man seen in
media coverage who entered the
Capitol building dressed in horns,
a bearskin headdress, red, white,
and blue face paint, shirtless, and
tan pants. This individual carried
a spear, approximately 6 feet in
We cannot let
them silence 75M
Americans. This
isn’t the CCP.
Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo
Jake Angeli (C) entered the Capitol during a protest with his painted face and
horned hat in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.
length, with an American flag tied
just below the blade,” the state-
ment reads.
He has been charged with
“knowingly entering or remain-
ing in any restricted building or
grounds without lawful author-
ity, and with violent entry and
disorderly conduct on Capitol
grounds.”
Two other men were charged
and taken into custody.
The man who was seen swiping
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lec-
tern in a viral photo was arrested
in Florida. Adam Johnson, 36, was
arrested Jan. 8 by U.S. Marshals.
He was identified on social media
from a photo as the man who car-
NATION | A7
JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES
but it should concern everyone
when companies like Facebook
and Twitter wield the unchecked
power to remove people from
platforms that have become in-
dispensable for the speech of bil-
lions—especially when political
realities make those decisions
easier,” the statement reads.
Twitter also has banned ac-
counts of lawyer Sidney Powell and
Trump’s former national security
adviser Michael Flynn. The waves
of Twitter bans have prompted
some users, including radio hosts
Mark Levin and Rush Limbaugh,
to make a voluntary exit.
Pompeo’s message strikes a simi-
lar tone to that of former United
Nations Ambassador Nikki Hal-
ey, who also invoked the Chinese
regime’s censorship of those it
deemed enemies.
“Silencing people, not to mention
the President of the U.S., is what
happens in China, not our coun-
try,” she wrote in a tweet.
SAUL LOEB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
ried off the podium, while wear-
ing a “Trump” hat and waving at
the camera and smiling.
“It is alleged that on Jan. 6, 2021,
Johnson illegally entered the Unit-
ed States Capitol and removed the
Speaker of the House’s lectern
from where it had been stored
on the House side of the Capitol
building. A search of open sources
led law enforcement to Johnson,
who is allegedly seen in a widely
circulated photo inside the Capitol
carrying the lectern,” the Justice
Department said in a statement.
Also arrested was 35-year-old
Derrick Evans from West Virginia.
He also was taken into custody
on Jan. 8.
A8 | NATION
Chicago Shooter Who Killed 3 Posted Social Media Rants
CHICAGO—A man who po-
lice say killed three people and
wounded four others during a se-
ries of shootings in and around
Chicago posted nonsensical and
expletive-laced videos in the days
and hours leading up to the at-
tacks.
Investigators on Jan. 10 were
trying to determine a motive for
the Jan. 9 attacks in which police
say 32-year-old Jason Nighten-
gale apparently chose his victims
at random. Police killed Night-
engale in a shootout just north
of the city about four hours after
authorities say he shot his first
victim in the head in a South Side
parking garage.
Those killed included a 30-year-
old University of Chicago student
from China named Yiran Fan,
Anthony Faukner, 20, and Ai-
sha Nevell, 46, a security guard.
Wounded were a 77-year-old
woman, 81-year-old woman, and
a 15-year-old girl, according to
Chicago Police Superintendent
David Brown. Another woman
was shot in the neck in Evanston,
police in the suburb said.
Authorities didn’t release many
details about Nightengale, a
Chicago man whose LinkedIn
page listed work over the years
as a janitor, security guard, and
forklift operator. But a series of
disturbing videos posted to Face-
book over two years under Night-
engale’s middle name, Oliver, of-
fered clues as to his state of mind.
In one posted Jan. 7, Nighten-
gale held a gun to the camera and
muttered unintelligible state-
ments as he appeared to be driv-
ing. A police official who spoke on
condition of anonymity because
he was not authorized to speak
publicly about the investigation
confirmed it was Nightengale in
the video.
“No music. No. No music,”
Nightengale says in the video, his
speech slurred. “I don’t need no
seat belt. I’m coming, girl.”
He posted dozens of other short
videos, including several in the
hours before the first attack,
which were viewable until the
page was taken down Jan. 10. In
one, he says, “I’m going to blow
up the whole community.” In
another, Nightengale appears to
groove to the Bee Gees’ “Staying
Alive” while laughing.
The shootings began shortly
before 2 p.m. Jan. 9 with the kill-
ing of Fan, who was shot in the
head while sitting in his car in a
parking garage in the Hyde Park
neighborhood, Brown said.
After that, Nightengale “just
randomly” walked into an apart-
ment building a block away,
where he shot the female secu-
rity guard and the 77-year-old
woman, who was getting her
mail, Brown said. The guard was
pronounced dead at a hospital,
and the other woman was hospi-
talized in critical condition.
Prominent Conservatives Abandon Twitter, Citing Censorship
JACK PHILLIPS
A number of conservative media
figures have left Twitter in recent
days following the suspension of
President Donald Trump’s ac-
count.
Greg Gutfeld, Rush Limbaugh,
Lou Dobbs, and Mark Levin all
have left for different platforms.
“Okay, this IS my last tweet:
CNN tries to get FNC [Fox News]
banned. Apple targets Parler. Pub-
lishers dump writers. music labels
drop artists. twitter bans/removes
thousands. tech companies join
hands. this redefines who the true
rebels are. if you like the purge,
you’re the servant,” Gutfeld wrote
on Twitter.
Levin wrote: “I have suspended
my own Twitter account in protest
against Twitter’s fascism. I ask all
my followers to join me now on
Parler and Rumble.”
Dobbs also said: “I don’t be-
lieve any American should ever
tolerate those who deny us free-
dom of speech or who would ever
Chicago and Evanston police investigate a crime scene after a gunman went on a shooting spree before being killed by police during a shootout in Evanston, Ill.,
on Jan. 9, 2021.
CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT VIA AP
A series of disturb-
ing videos posted
to Facebook over
two years under
Nightengale’s mid-
dle name, Oliver,
offered clues as to
his state of mind.
be so arrogant as to censor our
President.”
“I’m withdrawing from Twit-
ter as of right now,” he added.
“Please join me on Parler @Lou-
DobbsTonight, God bless you and
America.”
Last week, Twitter, Facebook,
and other tech firms announced
they were suspending Trump’s
access to the platforms. Several
prominent conservatives’ ac-
counts were also deleted.
Limbaugh appeared to delete his
Twitter page, without comment.
Twitter in a statement on Jan.
8 argued that Trump violated its
terms of service, citing the breach
of the U.S. Capitol building on
Jan. 6.
“After close review of recent
Tweets from the @realDon-
aldTrump account and the con-
text around them, we have perma-
nently suspended the account due
to the risk of further incitement of
violence,” Twitter said in a state-
ment.
It comes as Parler, a social media
Jason
Nightengale,
in a 2018
booking photo
from the
Chicago Police
Department.
From there, Nightengale went
to another nearby building
and stole a car from a man he
knew. He then opened fire at a
convenience store, killing the
20-year-old man and wounding
the 81-year-old woman in the
head and neck. The woman was
in critical condition.
After leaving the store, Night-
engale shot a 15-year-old girl
who was riding in a car with her
mother, leaving the girl in critical
condition, police said. He then
went back to the convenience
store and fired on officers who
were investigating the earlier
shooting. None of them were in-
jured, Brown said.
Nightengale then drove about
10 miles north to Evanston,
which borders Chicago, where
police responded to a report of
shots that had been fired inside
a CVS. Nightengale had appar-
ently walked into the pharmacy,
announced that he was robbing
it, and fired off shots that didn’t
Radio talk show host and conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh, in this
file photo.
platform largely used by conser-
vatives, was banned by Google’s
and Apple’s app stores, respec-
tively. Amazon also confirmed it
would suspend Parler from using
its Amazon Cloud Services start-
ing on Jan. 10.
MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021
hit anyone, authorities said. He
then went across the street to an
IHOP restaurant, where he shot
a woman in the neck. She was in
critical condition, Evanston po-
lice Chief Demitrous Cook told
reporters.
Nightengale left the restaurant
and was confronted by officers in
a parking lot, leading to a shoot-
out in which he was shot and
killed, Cook said.
Evanston police Sgt. Ken Cart-
er said Nightengale appeared to
have a connection to Evanston,
but he didn’t have further de-
tails. He said on Jan. 10 that an
outside agency would take over
the investigation, since Evanston
police were involved in the fatal
shooting.
Chicago police released an
October 2018 booking photo of
Nightengale that was taken af-
ter he was charged with mul-
tiple driving-related offenses,
including driving on a suspend-
ed license. His criminal record
started in 2005 and included ar-
rests for gun and drug violations,
aggravated assault, and a 2019
domestic battery case, accord-
ing to WLS-TV.
An attorney for Nightengale
couldn’t be located on Jan. 10.
Friends were shocked to hear of
the shootings, describing Night-
engale as a devoted father to twin
girls, who had a charismatic per-
sonality and a sense of humor but
who had been through tough
times.
Tommy Taylor remembered
meeting Nightengale at a mov-
ies-in-the-park event in Rogers
Park, a Chicago neighborhood
that borders Evanston. They hung
out over the years.
“From all the years I knew
BILL PUGLIANO/GETTY IMAGES
Parler CEO John Matze said it
was a “coordinated attack” by
large tech companies to “kill com-
petition.”
“You can expect the war on com-
petition and free speech to contin-
ue, but don’t count us out,” he said.
ASHLEE REZIN GARCIA/CHICAGO SUN-TIMES VIA AP
him, he had always been a good
guy and funny guy,” Taylor said.
“Something had to happen in
order for him to break him like
that.”
University of Chicago officials
said Fan was working toward a
doctorate in a joint program be-
tween the university’s schools
of business and economics, and
that his family in China had been
notified of his death.
“We know that this shocking in-
cident brings grief to our entire
community and concern for the
wellbeing and safety of others,”
the university said in a news re-
lease. “In the days ahead we will
come together as a community
to mourn, and to lift up fellow
members of our community in
this difficult and very sad time.
Please join us in wishing consola-
tion and healing for our student’s
loved ones.”
Brown said the information
he shared at the news confer-
ence was preliminary and could
change. He said investigators had
little information about Night-
engale but plan to release more
details as they get them.
“When you hear this whole
story, it seems that you have a
crystal ball of what he’s doing
next, and we all know we don’t
have a crystal ball where he goes
next nor do we have this on any of
our” police surveillance cameras,
Brown said. “We are responding
to the scene as these crimes are
happening, getting information,
and again, he’s going to the next
while we are trying to keep up
with what’s happened previ-
ously.”
By Sophia Tareen
From The Associated Press
The wave of censorship prompt-
ed a warning from the American
Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Twitter’s decision to suspend
Trump from social media sets
a precedent for tech companies
to silence voices, Kate Ruane, a
senior legislative counsel at the
ACLU, said in a statement.
“We understand the desire to
permanently suspend him now,
but it should concern everyone
when companies like Facebook
and Twitter wield the unchecked
power to remove people from
platforms that have become in-
dispensable for the speech of
billions—especially when po-
litical realities make those deci-
sions easier,” the ACLU statement
reads.
“President Trump can turn his
press team or Fox News to com-
municate with the public, but oth-
ers ... who have been censored by
social media companies—will not
have that luxury. It is our hope that
these companies will apply their
rules transparently to everyone.”
 MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021
A couple walks along the Huangpu River in Shanghai on Aug. 28, 2020.
Chinese Regime Introduces
New Commerce Rules in Response
to US Sanctions
FRANK FANG
China’s Ministry of Com-
merce issued new rules on
Jan. 9 in a bid to push back
on sanctions and restrictions
imposed by foreign govern-
ments against Chinese com-
panies and individuals.
An order on “unjustified”
foreign legislation published
on the Ministry’s website
instructs Chinese entities to
report within 30 days if they
are affected by foreign laws
that “improperly prohibit or
restrict” Chinese citizens,
companies, and organiza-
tions from conducting “nor-
mal economic, trade, and
related activities with a third
state or its citizens.”
China Adds Areas in ‘Wartime Mode,’ Curbs
Travel Amid Virus Resurgence
CONTINUED FROM A1
Beijing, Shanghai, north-
eastern Shandong Prov-
ince, eastern Anhui Prov-
ince, Hebei Province, and
southern Fujian Province,
have issued statements
telling residents to mini-
mize travel, and, for those
who must, to follow quar-
antine procedures.
Over the weekend, city
governments across the
country also announced a
new rule requiring those
who wish to travel during
the holiday to get prior ap-
proval from their employers.
For example, Meizhou city
in Guangdong Province is-
sued a notice on Jan. 8: “All
staff and workers in the city’s
government departments,
state-run enterprises, and
private companies should
not leave Meizhou city for
Lunar New Year. ... If you
really need to leave, you
must get approved from the
management team of the
company/department.”
The latest travel warning is
a telltale sign that “the out-
break is at least worse than
officials have said on the
surface,” according to a Mr.
Xu, a Hubei Province native
who works in Guangdong.
“Usually at year-end,
commoners all head home
to reunite with families, so
the Chinese New Year is the
most important thing,” he
said in an interview. “They
If a foreign law
is determined to
be ‘unjustified,’
China’s State
Council can issue
an injunction for
Chinese com-
panies against
‘recognition, en-
forcement, and
compliance’ with
the foreign laws.
wouldn’t make such calls
if things are not especially
bad.”
“The government is call-
ing for people to celebrate
the New Year locally. ... But
if it comes to the point where
they force people to stay
where they are, then they
would have completely lost
control over the virus.”
Shijiazhuang
Meanwhile, Shijiazhuang,
a city of 11 million in north-
ern China, continued to see
new infections amid a severe
outbreak.
At a Jan. 10 press confer-
ence organized by the city
government, officials or-
dered all residents to take a
second nucleic acid test for
COVID-19 in the next two
days, and that residents can’t
leave their homes for anoth-
er seven days. Only couriers
and medical staff who have
a special pass can travel on
the streets freely. Last week,
the city entered lockdown.
Initially, authorities had
allowed over 60 large-scale
grocery stores to remain
open for customers on Jan.
10. However, state-run Chi-
na National Radio reported
late that day that all grocery
stores in the city were closed
and people could only order
online.
Food prices skyrocketed as
a result.
Shijiazhuang resident
Gong Huo complained on
The Ministry will then de-
termine whether the legisla-
tion affects China’s “national
sovereignty, security, and de-
velopment interests.” If the
foreign law is judged to be
“unjustified,” China’s State
Council can issue an injunc-
tion against “recognition, en-
forcement, and compliance”
with the foreign laws.
In addition, Chinese in-
dividuals and entities that
suffer “significant losses” for
noncompliance with foreign
laws are entitled to receive
“necessary support” from
Chinese authorities, accord-
ing to the order.
The order also states that
Beijing may “take necessary
counter-measures” in re-
the social platform Weibo
that some stores refused
to sell him food unless he
bought multiple items at the
same time.
“The grocery store asked
me to order flour, cooking
oil, and rice if I want to buy
vegetables and eggs. More-
over, I have to wait for deliv-
ery because the store won’t
deliver unless more than 100
people from my residential
compound also order food,”
he wrote.
At a village inside the city,
hundreds were ordered by
authorities to isolate them-
selves at three schools that
had been converted into
quarantine centers.
With no heat or bedding,
villagers at Xiaoguozhuang
in Gaocheng district strug-
gled to stay warm as tem-
peratures dropped below
freezing.
“The children kept on
crying all night because of
the cold,” a villager Liu Lin
(pseudonym) told the Chi-
nese-language Epoch Times
on Jan. 8. “They [government
officials] said our village is
a high-risk region for con-
tracting the virus, and all
4,000-plus villagers would
be sent to quarantine cen-
ters step by step.”
Other Regions
Wang Qiang (pseudonym)
from Nanpi County, Cang-
zhou city, in northern Chi-
na’s Hebei Province, told the
KEVIN FRAYER/GETTY IMAGES
sponse to such foreign laws.
Chinese individuals or en-
tities that either fail to “truth-
fully report” how they face
foreign restrictions in doing
business or comply with for-
eign laws despite the injunc-
tion could be fined, accord-
ing to the new rules.
While the order didn’t
identify any specific foreign
country, Chinese state me-
dia were quick to point to the
United States.
On Jan. 9, China’s hawk-
ish state-run media Global
Times said in an article that
the new order is Beijing’s
“legal self-defense against
notably the U.S. bullying of
China.” It added that U.S.
sanctions on Chinese of-
Chinese-language Epoch
Times that his family was
forced to move to a quar-
antine center after being
isolated at home for seven
days. Authorities said that’s
because he and his wife had
recently returned from an-
other city.
“My grandma is 80 years
old, and both my parents
have diabetes and hyper-
tension. They are vulner-
able to being infected with
COVID-19. Now the officials
have forced all five of us to
leave our home and move to
a quarantine center. Other-
wise, they will order police
to detain us,” Wang said in
an interview on Jan. 9.
Wang added that the of-
ficial in charge of epidemic
control in his area told him
that the outbreak in nearby
Dongguang county is very
severe.” As of press time,
authorities had made no of-
ficial announcement about
the outbreak in Dongguang.
Meanwhile, an official who
answered the phone at the
Nanpi Center for Disease
Control and Prevention
confirmed to  The Epoch
Times that all families with
members who recently had
traveled out of town needed
to be isolated at quarantine
centers, but he refused to
provide further details about
the local outbreak.
Eva Fu contributed
to this report.
ficials over the erosion of
freedoms in Hong Kong and
placing Chinese companies
on a trade blacklist were
President Donald Trump’s
“bullying acts.”
On Jan. 10, the Commerce
Ministry published the tran-
script of a media Q&A session
involving an unidentified
official. That official said the
new rules were introduced
in response to an unnamed
“country,” that promoted
“unitarianism” and “prohib-
ited economic exchanges be-
tween [Chinese] citizens with
relevant countries.”
The Chinese regime has fre-
quently accused the Trump
administration of “unitarian-
ism,” especially during the
2018–2019 trade war.
The U.S. Commerce De-
partment didn’t immediately
respond to a request by The
Epoch Times for comment.
In August last year, the
Trump administration
blacklisted 11 Hong Kong
and Chinese officials, among
them Hong Kong leader
Carrie Lam, for their roles
in implementing Beijing’s
draconian national security
law, which punishes vaguely
defined crimes such as sub-
version and secession with
a maximum penalty of life
imprisonment.
Four months later, 14 more
officials within China’s rub-
ber-stamp legislature who
were involved in implement-
ing the law were also targeted
with U.S. sanctions.
Last week, Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo warned
that the U.S. might impose
more sanctions on individu-
als and entities responsible
Commerce Ministry officials answer questions during a press
conference in Beijing on Dec. 30, 2020.
Pompeo Lifts Restrictions on US
Contact With Taiwan Officials
CONTINUED FROM A1
State Department as null
and void.
The United States doesn’t
have a formal diplomatic re-
lationship with Taiwan, but
maintains unofficial ties with
the self-ruled island under
the 1979 Taiwan Relations
Act (TRA).
The TRA authorizes the
United States to provide the
island with military equip-
ment for its self-defense, and
set up a nonprofit corporation
called the American Institute
in Taiwan (AIT), which is now
the de facto U.S. embassy on
the island.
Pompeo also ordered that
the executive branch’s rela-
tions with Taiwan are to be
exclusively handled by AIT.
“Today’s statement recog-
nizes that the U.S.-Taiwan
relationship need not, and
should not, be shackled by
self-imposed restrictions of
our permanent bureaucra-
cy,” he said.
The Taipei Economic and
Cultural Representative Of-
fice, the island’s de facto em-
bassy in the United States,
welcomed the announce-
ment, saying it reflected the
“strength and depth” of the
relationship.
“We look forward to broad-
ening the Taiwan-U.S. part-
nership in the months and
years ahead,” it said in a
statement.
The United States has deep-
ened its relationship with
Taiwan during the Trump
CHINA | A9
for the recent arrests of 53
Hong Kong activists, former
lawmakers, and politicians.
They were arrested for their
involvement in a primary
vote in July last year to deter-
mine which pro-democracy
candidates would run in Leg-
islative Council (LegCo) elec-
tions. That vote is now said to
constitute “subverting state
power” under the national
security law.
In November last year,
Trump issued an order ban-
ning U.S. investments in Chi-
nese companies designated
by the Pentagon as having
ties to the Chinese military,
citing threats to the U.S. na-
tional security.
Some of the well-known
Chinese companies black-
listed under the Trump
administration included
Chinese tech giant Huawei
and 152 of its affiliates, semi-
conductor chipmaker SMIC,
surveillance camera maker
Hikvision, and drone manu-
facturer DJI.
Chen I-hsin, professor
emeritus of the Department
of Diplomacy and Interna-
tional Relations at Taiwan’s
Tamkang University, told
Taiwanese daily newspaper
China Times that China’s
new rules are a warning to
President-elect Joe Biden that
he shouldn’t follow Trump’s
footsteps in sanctioning Chi-
nese entities.
Chen said because the Chi-
nese rules won’t have juris-
diction in the United States,
their effect will be limited.
But Beijing may resort to its
usual tactics of sanctioning
U.S. officials or denying visas
to Americans as retaliation.
NOEL CELIS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
We look forward
to broadening
the Taiwan-U.S.
partnership in
the months and
years ahead.
Taipei Economic and Cul-
tural Representative Office
administration. Last year, it
approved several large arms
sales to Taiwan and increased
engagements with the island.
“We’ve stood by our friends
in Taiwan,” Pompeo said in a
Jan. 7 tweet. “Over the past 3
years, the Trump Adminis-
tration authorized more than
$15 billion in arms sales to
Taiwan. The Obama Admin-
istration? $14 billion dollars
in sales over 8 years.”
American arms sales are
vital to Taiwan amid the es-
calation of tensions in the
region. According to Tai-
wan’s Ministry of National
Defense, Chinese jets violat-
ed Taiwan’s airspace about
380 times in 2020 and have
continued to carry out such
incursions at least six times
in 2021.
U.S. Ambassador to the
United Nations Kelly Craft
also will visit Taiwan for
three days next week, be-
coming the third senior U.S.
official to visit the island in
less than six months.
Frank Fang contributed
to this report.
A10 | WORLD MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021

Solo Indian Flag at Capitol Hill Rally Sparks

Political Spat in India
LEO SHI/THE EPOCH TIMES
VENUS UPADHAYAYA

n national flag seen amid the

many American flags on Capitol
Hill on Jan. 6 sparked an online
spat between two Indian politi-
cians, while netizens reacted and
took sides in the discussion.
An Indian American named
Vincent Xavier Palathingal, a
Republican Party member who
attended the rally because he be-
lieves the U.S. presidential election
was fraudulent, was seen carrying
the flag, the Indian news website
The Quint reported.
Palathingal said he attended to
show that the United States isn’t a
racist country and respects diver-
sity, he told New Delhi Television
(NDTV). However, the image of the
Indian flag triggered a debate be-
tween two noted politicians of the
ruling and the opposition parties.
“Why is there any Indian flag
there?” Varun Gandhi, a young
Indian politician of the ruling
BJP party, wrote on Twitter. “This
is one fight we don’t need to par-
ticipate in.”
In response, Shashi Tharoor, a
noted politician with the oppo-
sition Indian National Congress
party, linked the incident to In-
dian protests and denounced what People gather on Capitol Hill to protest the election results in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.
he called “the same mentality as MARK ZOU/THE EPOCH TIMES
that Trumpist mob.” sity,” he said. “The world has to
“That flag there is a warning to know that America is not the rac-
all of us,” Tharoor wrote in a reply The world has to ist country it is portrayed as, that
to Gandhi’s message on Twitter. know that America is the Republican Party is not white
Meanwhile, netizens weighed in not the racist coun- supremacist. If they were racist,
on the debate, with one sharing a they would not allow me to carry
photo of Palathingal with Tharoor try it is portrayed as, the Indian flag. It was actually
from a 2015 event in Washington. that the Republican showing more respect.”
Palathingal and Tharoor both are Palathingal, who, according to
originally from the southern In-
Party is not white his Facebook profile, is the execu-
dian state of Kerala. supremacist. tive director of the IndoAmerican
A day after the protests, respond- Center, told the media that he
Vincent Xavier Palathingal,
ing to Tharoor’s and Gandhi’s executive director,
would want Tharoor to focus more
messages, Palathingal shared IndoAmerican Center on domestic issues and avoid such
pictures of other countries’ flags controversies.
from the rally. “Tharoor is a very good orator,”
“American patriots—Vietnam- he said. “I would want him to take
ese, Indian, Korean & Iranian a bigger role and rescue the Con- People march to Capitol Hill to protest the election results in Washington on
origins, & from so many other gress party in the shape it is in to- Jan. 6, 2021.
nations & races, who believe mas- day, instead of getting into such
sive voter fraud has happened controversies.” and broke into the Capitol build- that day turned out.
joined rally yesterday in solidarity Palathingal, who describes him- ing in a very difficult exercise ... “I carry my Indian-American
with Trump. Peaceful protestors self as a Trump loyalist and is a crawling on the wall like military ancestry. I consider this as my sol-
who were exercising our rights!” member of the President’s Exports people. They opened the door and emn responsibility to be a spokes-
he said. Council, says that he’s attended some others in their excitement person for Indian Americans in
Palathingal said in an interview many Trump rallies. got in,” he said. the Republican Party. I am show-
with NDTV that his presence was “There is a lot of patriotic fervor “You cannot brand this beauti- ing that we are more inclusive,
to highlight that the Republican there, a lot of bands, music, na- ful, nice, patriotic rally as bad. We more diverse. I am showing the
Party isn’t a white supremacist tional anthem singing. ... Some believe [the miscreants] were not same fervor as Americans from
party. miscreants we believe were plant- really our people.” other countries,” he said.
“There is nothing to be ashamed ed by the opposition, BLM (Black Palathingal also said that he “I am not regretting my decision
of. We are celebrating our diver- Lives Matter) people who got in loves India and he regrets the way to carry the flag.”

KYRGYZSTAN
Once-Jailed
Nationalist Wins
Kyrgyzstan
Presidency
A nationalist politician
who was released from
prison amid protests that
overthrew Kyrgyzstan’s
president in 2019 has been
elected as his replacement.
Voters on Jan. 10’s election
that gave Sadyr Zhaparov
a landslide 79 percent
victory also approved a
referendum to change the
constitution to give the
presidency more power.
The vote followed the
ouster of the previous
president in October.
The ex-Soviet Central
Asian nation sank into tur-
moil after a parliamentary
election that was swept by
pro-government parties.
Opposition supporters ac-
cused authorities of rigging
the vote and forced Presi-
dent Sooronbai Jeenbekov
to step down on Oct. 15.
Zhaparov, who was im-
prisoned in 2017 on convic-
AP PHOTO/VLADIMIR VORONIN
Presidential candidate Sadyr Zhaparov waves after casting his
ballot at a polling station in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Jan. 10, 2021.
tion of involvement in the A new draft constitution
kidnapping of a regional for Belarus, which Presi-
governor, spearheaded dent Alexander Lukash-
Jeenbekov’s removal from enko has touted as a
office. solution to a political crisis
— The Associated Press but the opposition rejects
as a sham, will be drawn
up this year, Lukashenko
BELARUS said in an interview to be
broadcast.
Lukashenko Belarus has seen protests
Promises New since an Aug. 9 presidential
Belarus Draft election which Lukash-
enko says he won but the
Constitution by opposition says was stolen.
End of This Year Thousands of protesters
have been rounded up
and nearly all opposition
political figures have been
driven into exile or jailed.
Though demonstrations
have ebbed over the past
five months, social media
videos showed hundreds
of protesters on Sunday
carrying red and white
opposition flags at small
rallies in Minsk, chanting
for Lukashenko to resign.
— From Reuters
ALGERIA
Algerian
President Returns
to Germany
to Be Treated
for COVID-19
Complications
Algerian President Ab-
delmadjid Tebboune
flew back to Germany for
treatment in hospital for
complications in his foot
resulting from a corona-
virus infection, the presi-
dency said.
Tebboune, 75, had re-
turned home two weeks
ago from Germany after
two months of treatment
for COVID-19.
The treatment “was not
medically urgent” and
should have taken place
during Tebboune’s last stay
in Germany, the presiden-
cy said in a statement.
— From Reuters
SPAIN
Spain Shovels
Out of Snowdrifts
Left by Storm
Filomena
Emergency crews in
central Spain cleared 500
roads and rescued over
1,500 people stranded in
their vehicles, allowing
Madrid and other areas
to slowly shovel out of the
country’s worst snowstorm
in recent memory.
After recording 50
centimeters (20 inches) of
snow in the Spanish capital
between the night of Jan.
8 and Jan. 9, Madrid and a
large swathe of the country
remained impassable with
roads, rail lines, and air
travel disrupted by Storm
Filomena. The blizzard
has been blamed for four
deaths.
— The Associated Press
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand
Central Bank
Says Data System
Hacked
New Zealand’s central
bank said that one of its
data systems has been
breached by an unidenti-
fied hacker who potentially
accessed commercially
and personally sensitive
information.
A third-party file shar-
ing service used by the
Reserve Bank of New
Zealand to share and store
sensitive information had
been illegally accessed, the
Wellington-based bank
said in a statement.
Governor Adrian Orr
said the breach has been
contained. The bank’s core
functions “remain sound
and operational,” he said.
— The Associated Press
 MONDAY,
MONDAY, JANUARY
JANUARY 11,
11, 2021
2021
WORLD  ||  A11
A11

South Korean Delegation in Iran A seized South Korean-flagged tanker is escorted by Iranian

Over Seized Ship, Frozen Funds Revolutionary Guard boats on the Persian Gulf, on Jan. 4, 2021.
Iranian state television acknowledged that Tehran seized the oil
tanker, MT Hankuk Chemi, in the Strait of Hormuz.

TASNIM NEWS AGENCY VIA AP, FILE

TEHRAN, Iran—A South Korean
diplomatic delegation arrived in
Iran on Jan. 10 to negotiate the
release of a vessel and its crew
seized by Iranian forces amid
an escalating financial dispute
between the countries, Iranian
state-run media reported.
The South Korean-flagged tanker
was seized by Iran’s Revolutionary
Guard in the crucial Strait of Hor-
muz as Iranian officials have been
pressing South Korea to release
some $7 billion in assets tied up
in the country’s banks as a result
of U.S. sanctions. It appeared the
Islamic Republic seeks to boost its
leverage over Seoul ahead of South
Korea’s pre-scheduled regional
trip, which included a stop in Qatar.
Iran maintains the tanker and
its 20-member crew were stopped
in the mouth of the Persian Gulf
because of the vessel’s “environ-
mental pollution,” a claim reject-
ed by the vessel’s owner. The crew,
which includes sailors from Indo-
nesia, Myanmar [Burma], South
Korea, and Vietnam, remain in
custody at the port city of Bandar
Abbas, near the Strait of Hormuz.
A South Korean diplomat based
in Iran met with one of the crew ship, were meeting separately Hemmati to discuss the trapped agreement, continues a freeze on purity levels of 90 percent.
members, a South Korean, two in Delhi, India, to negotiate the funds, semi-official Mehr news $7 billion from Iran’s oil exports Iran has a record of seizing
weeks ago, according to South release of the Burmese sailors agency reported. In recent weeks, in two Korean banks. Tehran has foreign ships traveling near the
Korean Foreign Ministry Spokes- aboard, according to a semi-of- Hemmati has complained that been calling on Seoul since July strategic Strait of Hormuz as a
man Choi Young-sam. The crew ficial ISNA news agency. Iran was struggling to transfer 2020 to release the money. method of gaining advantage in
member told the diplomat he Iran’s state-run media an- some $220 million held in South President Donald Trump with- sanctions talks.
and 19 other sailors were all were nounced First Vice Foreign Minis- Korean banks to pay for COVID-19 drew the U.S. from the Iran nu- In 2019, Iran held a British tank-
safe and hadn’t suffered any mis- ter Choi Jong-Kun’s arrival with a vaccines through COVAX, an in- clear deal in 2018, calling it “one er for two months after the United
treatment. photo showing him meeting with ternational program designed to of the worst and most one-sided Kingdom seized an Iranian tanker
South Korea has requested that his Iranian counterpart. It wasn’t distribute coronavirus vaccines transactions the United States has that was suspected of carrying oil
Iran provide evidence to back up clear how long the visit would last. to participating countries. ever entered into.”  Two weeks to Syria in violation of European
its claim that the South Korean The South Korean delegation, The seizure occurred as South ago, Iran ramped up uranium Union sanctions.
ship violated environmental pro- including representatives from Korea, in accordance with sanc- enrichment levels at Fordo, its
tocols, he added. Seoul’s Central Bank, were set tions reimposed by the United key underground nuclear facility, By Amir Vahdat. The Epoch
Diplomats from Iran and Myan- on Jan. 11 to meet with Iran’s States in 2018 after withdraw- bringing the country a technical Times contributed to this report
mar, which had 11 citizens on the Central Bank chief Abdolnasser ing from the Obama-era nuclear step away from weapons-grade From The Associated Press

UK to Roll Out CCP Virus Tests for Asymptomatic People

ALEXANDER ZHANG
Rapid regular CCP virus testing
for people without symptoms will
be made available across England
starting this week, the UK govern-
ment said on Jan. 10.
Local authorities are encouraged
to prioritize people who can’t work
from home during the lockdown
in their community testing drive,
the Department of Health and So-
cial Care said in a statement.
Last week, Prime Minister Boris
Johnson put all of England under
the third national lockdown since
the COVID-19 pandemic began
last spring. Under the new restric-
tions, people are told to stay at
home, but those who can’t work
from home are allowed to travel
to work.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock
said that targeted asymptomatic
testing and subsequent isolation
is “highly effective in breaking
chains of transmission.”
The government said that rough-
ly one in three people who have
contracted the CCP (Chinese
Communist Party) virus, which
causes the disease COVID-19,
don’t display any symptoms.
“We need to use everything at
our disposal to find these indi-
viduals without symptoms and
support them and their contacts to
isolate in order to break the chains
of transmission,” said Susan Hop-
kins, chief medical adviser for the
National Health Service’s Test and
Trace service.
The community testing will
use lateral flow devices, which
can produce a result in less than
30 minutes without the need for
laboratory testing.
Hancock said that lateral flow
tests, which have been used to
identify over 14,800 COVID-19
cases, have been “hugely suc-
cessful in finding positive cases
quickly.”
He encouraged employers to
work with local authorities to scale
up testing among their workers, as
“every positive case found is help-
ing to stop the spread.”
UK Business Secretary Kwasi
Kwarteng encouraged more
employers to take up the test-
ing offer, saying that the expan-
sion of asymptomatic testing
for those unable to work from
home will enable the UK to keep
its economy “on the move while
giving individuals in key sectors
complete confidence that their
workplace is safe.”
The UK government’s mass test-
ing program has been criticized
by some medical experts. The
weekly medical journal BMJ said
in a November 2020 editorial that
the program was “an unevaluated,
under-designed, and costly mess.”
The editorial said that the mass
testing program shouldn’t contin-
ue or be used as a basis of whether
people should self-isolate until it
has been externally and indepen-
dently scrutinized.
Lily Zhou and Simon Veazey
contributed to this report.

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President Donald Trump speaks at the Save America rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.
There Is No Constitutional Ground
for Impeachment of President Trump
ROB NATELSON
Any effort to impeach
President Donald Trump
for comments made to
Washington demon-
strators would be flatly
unconstitutional.
The Constitution permits
impeachment and removal of the presi-
dent for “Treason, Bribery, or other high
Crimes and Misdemeanors.” There’s no
reasonable claim that Trump’s speech,
which largely focused on disputed, but
credible, claims of election irregularities,
was treasonous or involved a bribe. And
in the absence of proof of deliberate in-
citement to riot, it wasn’t a “high Crime.”
So, as in the former Trump impeach-
ment, the only potential basis for remov-
al from office would be commission of a
“high ... Misdemeanor.” (We know from
founding-era evidence that in the Con-
stitution, the adjective “high” modifies
“Misdemeanor” as well as “Crime.”)
The previous impeachment proceed-
ings were marked by a debate over the
meaning of the phrase “high misde-
meanor.” Each of the four academic
experts who testified at the House of
Representatives Judiciary Committee
offered their own definitions. The pros-
ecutors and the president’s defense team
offered their definitions, too.
This disagreement reflected an aca-
demic dispute that had been going on
for many years. Based on incomplete
surveys of the founding-era record and
on British impeachment trials, research-
ers had reached very different conclu-
sions about the meaning of “high misde-
meanor.”
Unfortunately, however, almost no
researcher (including me) had thought
to examine the sources that might define
the phrase authoritatively. Those sources
were 18th-century English and Ameri-
can law books.
The Constitution is first and foremost
a legal document—the “supreme Law of
the Land.” Most of its framers were law-
yers, as were most of those who explained
it to the general public. Moreover, at the
time, the American general public was
unusually knowledgeable about law.
Thus, if the phrase “high misdemean-
MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021 • A13
ors” had a clear legal meaning and no
other clear meaning, then we would
expect the legal meaning to control. In
this respect, the phrase “high misde-
meanors” would be like other recognized
legal terms in the Constitution: “Habeas
Corpus,” “Equity,” “bail,” “Privileges and
Immunities,” and so forth.
The Trump impeachment proceedings
inspired me to undertake a comprehen-
sive survey of founding-era legal sources
to see if “high misdemeanors” had a de-
fined legal meaning. If it did, that would
resolve the long-standing debate.
In constitutional research, the sources
frequently don’t yield overwhelming,
one-sided evidence for an indisputable
result. But it happened here. I was very
surprised by this outcome, which contra-
dicted what I had written previously. Nev-
ertheless, I quickly admitted my mistake
and duly published the new findings.
It turns out that “high misdemeanor”
was, in fact, a precisely defined legal
term: It meant “serious crimes not merit-
ing the death penalty.”
Here’s the background:
In 18th-century England and America,
the legal word “misdemeanor” technical-
ly included all crimes of any level of grav-
ity. The most serious misdemeanors were
denominated felonies (or high crimes).
Felonies traditionally were punishable by
death. The most serious felony was trea-
son, and a person convicted of treason
usually suffered a particularly horrible
death: a man was drawn and quartered; a
woman was drawn and burned.
Lesser felonies—at common law there
were nine of them—traditionally were
punished by hanging. Examples are
murder, rape, burglary, and robbery.
(Happily, I can report that by the time
of the founding, first offenders often
received more lenient sentences.)
Serious offenses other than treason
and felony were punished by prison time
and by heavy fines rather than by death.
These offenses included, among others,
bribery, attempted murder, assisting a
duel, certain kinds of blackmail, and
so forth. Offenses in this category were
called great misdemeanors, great mispri-
sions, or high misdemeanors.
Lesser offenses were simply called
“misdemeanors.”
It turns out that
‘high misdemeanor’
was, in fact, a
precisely defined
legal term: It meant
‘serious crimes
not meriting the
death penalty.’
Like this article? Share it
with your friends and family.
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LISA FAN/THE EPOCH TIMES
This criminal-law usage arose in
England, but it was followed in America
as well. For example, in my research, I
uncovered several congressional stat-
utes passed in the 1790s that designated
serious crimes as “high misdemeanors”
and imposed penalties accordingly. As in
England, Congress labeled lesser crimes
merely as “misdemeanors.”
So a “high misdemeanor” was a serious
crime not meriting the death penalty. The
icing on the cake from this conclusion
was that it resolved some other questions
that had puzzled scholars as well. And it
explained the structure of the Constitu-
tion’s Impeachment Clause: the words
“Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes
and Misdemeanors” provide one exam-
ple of a high crime (treason), one example
of a high misdemeanor (bribery), and
include generic clauses covering other
crimes in the same two categories.
Observe what is excluded from the
grounds for impeachment. Congress
may not impeach and remove for a minor
crime. Nor may it do so because an officer
is reckless, negligent, or has obnoxious
political opinions. The constitutional
penalty for those breaches is, for lesser
officers, removal by the president and, for
the president and vice-president, reelec-
tion defeat.
It’s significant that in the two years
since these findings were published,
no scholar has even attempted to rebut
them. Nor can they be convincingly
rebutted, given the volume and consis-
tency of the evidence.
While debate over the meaning of the
term continued, the House of Represen-
tatives could reasonably assume that
noncriminal behavior could constitute
a “high misdemeanor.” But that’s no
longer true. Now we can say unequivo-
cally that whatever you may think of the
president’s speech, it’s not a basis for
impeachment.
Robert G. Natelson is a leading originalist
scholar who served as a law professor for
25 years. He is a senior fellow in constitu-
tional jurisprudence at the Independence
Institute in Denver. His research articles
on the Constitution’s meaning have been
cited repeatedly by justices and parties in
the Supreme Court.
A14 | OPINION MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021

JOHN SOMMERS II/GETTY IMAGES SPENCER PLATT/GETTY IMAGES

(Left) Hundreds of unemployed Kentucky residents wait in long lines outside the Kentucky Career Center for help with their unemployment claims in Frankfort, Ky., on June 19, 2020. (Right) Nearly
empty streets in a popular Manhattan shopping district on April 26, 2020.

Coronavirus for Dummies

STEPHEN MOORE
We are now almost one
year from the dark days
when the coronavirus
first hit these shores.
Why are the politi-
cians making the same
policy mistakes today
that they made nine months ago? The
300,000+ deaths are an act of nature, but
the virus’s death and despair have been
compounded by acts of man—i.e., fool-
ish politicians.
Haven’t we learned anything about
how to combat this virus without slam-
ming shut our economy? Yes. And so, in
the hopes that these errors of govern-
ment are corrected, I present some well-
established truths about how to keep us
safe from the virus:
No. 1: Yes, COVID-19 is a very danger-
ous disease for those over the age of 70
and for those who are severely over-
weight or with preexisting health issues.
For young and healthy people, the risks
remain minuscule.
No. 2: Lockdowns have had very
limited efficacy in reducing death rates
from the virus. I recently examined the
correlation between the stringency of
business lockdowns in states and their
corresponding death rates. The relation-
ship is slightly positive. In other words,
strict lockdowns have NOT been a smart
strategy to stop the spread of the disease.
Sequestering the elderly and the infirm
is a much more effective strategy—some-
thing New York, New Jersey, and Michi-
gan failed to do.
No. 3: The factor most associated with
death rates from the virus is the popula-
tion density of an area. Pandemics are
primarily urban diseases. If you want to
minimize your health risks, get out of the
big cities like Chicago or New York.
No. 4: The only statistically significant
impact of lockdowns is SEVERE and
potentially long-term damage to the local
and state businesses and workers. An-
other way to put this is lockdowns do not
flatten the curve of the virus, but they do
flatten the economy and put millions of
Americans in long unemployment lines.
Haven’t we learned anything
about how to combat this
virus without slamming shut
our economy?
No. 5: Almost all of the severe lockdowns
are in blue states with Democratic gov-
ernors, and these are the states with very
high unemployment rates. Here are the
unemployment rates in blue states with
severe lockdowns: New Jersey 10 percent,
Nevada 10.1 percent, New York 8.4 per-
cent, Connecticut 8.4 percent, and Cali-
fornia 8.2 percent. These blue-state unem-
ployment rates are almost twice as high as
the rates in states that have minimal or no
lockdowns: Nebraska 3.1 percent, South
Dakota 3.5 percent, Iowa 3.6 percent, Utah
4.3 percent, and Alabama 4.4 percent.
No. 6: The blue states of America, led by
Democratic governors and mayors, have
tragically turned a health crisis into an
economic crisis.
My New Year’s wish is that Democratic
governors stop the misery of soup lines
and unemployment lines and small-
business bankruptcies and open up their
stores, restaurants, shopping centers,
and schools—now.
Stephen Moore is an economics journal-
ist, author, and columnist. The latest of
many books he co-authored is “Trumpo-
nomics: Inside the America First Plan to
Revive Our Economy.” Currently, Moore
is also the chief economist for the Institute
for Economic Freedom and Opportunity.

COMICS
DILBERT GARFIELD

PEANUTS GINGER MEGGS

RED AND ROVER

BIG NATE

GRAND AVENUE DRABBLE

MUTT & JEFF FRANK AND ERNEST

 MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021
SPECIAL SERIES
How the Specter of Communism
Is Ruling Our World
Desecrating the Arts
The Epoch Times here serializes an adaptation from the Chinese of
“How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World,” a new book by
the editorial team of the “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.”
3. Communism’s
Sabotage and Abuse of Art
b. Communist Elements
Behind the Avant-Garde
Movement (cont.)
Works of art contain the messages
their creators wanted to convey.
Artists during the peak of the
Renaissance conveyed compas-
sion and beauty to their audiences.
Compare this to contemporary
artists, who exude negative and
dark messages. Modern artists
abandon their own thoughts and
allow themselves to come under
the control of low-level and ghostly
entities. They themselves are often
incoherent and confused, and their
works are similar—dark, negative,
hazy, gray, depressed, decadent,
and disordered.
Schools of modern art invert
conventional aesthetics; they
take ugliness as beauty; and
they aim to shock, even to the
point of being as ghastly as the
artist’s imagination allows.
After impressionism came ex-
pressionism and fauvism, followed
by Pablo Picasso’s cubism. In 1944,
Picasso joined the French Com-
munist Party. In his letter “Why I
Became a Communist,” he wrote:
“My joining the Communist Party
is a logical step in my life, my work
and gives them their meaning. ...
In my own ways I have always said
what I considered most true, most
just and best and, therefore, most
beautiful. But during the oppres-
sion and the insurrection, I felt that
that was not enough, that I had to
fight not only with painting but
with my whole being.” [14]
Picasso encouraged a break with
the classical methods of painting.
For him, everything was a piece of
dough to be picked up and shaped
as he pleased. The eerier his works
became, the happier he appeared
to be. The process of creating
monstrous images is the process of
destroying an image, to the point
where no one can understand it.
Even Georges Braque, the modern
artist who co-founded cubism with
Picasso, on viewing Picasso’s “Les
Demoiselles d’Avignon,” was “hor-
rified by its ugliness and intensity.”
Picasso had been “drinking tur-
pentine and spitting fire,” acting
more like a carnival performer
than an artist, he said. [15]
Marcel Duchamp, an early mem-
ber of the dada art movement, also
sought to subvert and rebel against
tradition with his display and use
of readymade objects. He repur-
posed found or factory-made items
and turned them into so-called art
installations. Duchamp, who was
called the father of conceptual art,
advocated the idea that anything
could be called art. The dadaist
movement is itself a communistic
project, as evidenced by the mani-
festo of the Berlin dadaists, who
called for an “international revo-
lutionary union of all creative and
intellectual men and women on the
basis of radical Communism,” as
well as “the immediate expropria-
tion of property (socialization) and
the communal feeding of all” and
“the erection of cities of light, and
gardens which will belong to soci-
ety as a whole and prepare man for
a state of freedom.” [16]
Dadaism’s criticism of tradition
evolved into surrealism in France,
as represented by the communist
André Breton, who advocated
revolution. He was against the
supposed suppression brought by
reason, culture, and society—a
view typical of the modern artists
in Europe at the time.
The artistic movements that
extended these principles include
abstractism, minimalism, pop art,
and postmodernism. Abstractism
is about the emotional expression
of rebellion, disorder, emptiness,
and escapism. The ugly trampling
of moral values is evident in these
“-isms” in the arts today. At their
most outrageous, these artists
create works that openly desecrate
religious figures like Jesus Christ.
Not all modern artists support
leftwing politics, but there is a clear
ideological commonality with
communist thought—that is, the
rejection of the divine, and the aim
to replace the divine as the starting
point for understanding human
life. These “-isms” came to exert
increasing influence in the public
sphere and ultimately have led to
the complete marginalization of
classical art.
Modern artists abandon
their own thoughts and
allow themselves to come
under the control of low-
level and ghostly entities.
They themselves are often
incoherent and confused, and
their works are similar—dark,
negative, hazy, gray, depressed,
decadent, and disordered.
c. The Inversion of Traditional
Aesthetics: The Ugly as Art
The numerous schools of modern
art that have appeared and de-
veloped share several things in
common: They invert conventional
aesthetics; they take ugliness as
beauty; and they aim to shock,
even to the point of being as ghastly
as the artist’s imagination allows.
Duchamp signed his name on a
urinal and named it “Fountain,” to
be put on display for the public in
New York. Though the object was
never shown publicly, Duchamp’s
action was considered a clever joke
among his peers in the art world,
and later artists and academ-
ics have thought it the height of
creativity. This is the environment
in the art world, whereby classical
easel painting has been marginal-
ized and installation art has risen
to prominence. In 1958, Yves Klein
held his exhibition “The Void” at
the Iris Clert Gallery in Paris. The
Chapter Eleven
displayed “works” turned out to
be empty, white walls.
A major figure of the postwar
German avant-garde, Joseph
Beuys, covered his head with
honey and gold leaf and murmured
nonstop for three hours to a dead
hare in his arms in the 1965 work
“How to Explain Pictures to a Dead
Hare.” In Beuys’s view, anyone
could be an artist. One anecdote
goes that a frustrated questioner
once shouted at him, “You talk
about everything under the sun,
except art!” Beuys reportedly
responded, “Everything under the
sun is art!” [17]
Marcel Duchamp advocated
the idea that anything
could be called art. The
dadaist movement is itself
a communistic project, as
evidenced by the manifesto
of the Berlin dadaists, who
called for an ‘international
revolutionary union of all
creative and intellectual
men and women on the
basis of radical Communism.’
In 1961, Piero Manzoni, a key
figure of the avant-garde, claimed
he had put his own feces in ninety
cans, called them artwork, and put
them up for sale under the name
“Merda d’artista” (“Artist’s [Exple-
tive]”). In 2015, one of the cans
was sold in London for a record
price of 182,500 pounds, or about
$240,000—more than a hundred
times the price of its weight in gold.
He also signed his name on the
bodies of nude women as part of a
series he called “Sculture viventi”
(“Living Sculpture”).
Notes
14. Pablo Picasso, “Why I Became
a Communist” (1945), as
quoted in “Picasso, the FBI,
and Why He Became a Com-
munist,” Meyer Schapiro
Collection at Columbia Univer-
sity’s Rare Book & Manuscript
Library, Feb. 24, 2010, accessed
July 11, 2018.
15. Robert Hughes, “The Shock of
the New: The Hundred-Year
History of Modern Art—Its Rise,
Its Dazzling Achievement, Its
Fall” (London: Knopf, 1991), 24.
16. Richard Huelsenbeck and Raoul
Hausmann, “What Is Dada-
ism and What Does It Want in
Germany?”, in Charles Harrison
and Paul Wood, “Art in Theory,
1900–2000: An Anthology of
Changing Ideas,” 2nd ed.
(Malden, Mass, Oxford: Black-
well Pub, 2003).
17. Joseph Beuys, as quoted in
“Joseph Beuys: The Revolution
Is Us,” Tate.org, Feb. 23, 1993.
See next edition for the next
installment.
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OPINION | A15
Stephen Gregory, Publisher
Jasper Fakkert, Editor-in-Chief
Channaly Philipp, Life & Tradition,
Travel Editor
Chrisy Trudeau, Mind & Body Editor
Crystal Shi, Home, Food Editor
Sharon Kilarski, Arts & Culture Editor
ABOUT US
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Standing outside of politi-
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A16  | OPINION
What Lurks Behind China’s Food Crisis
CHEN SIMIN
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has again em-
phasized the need for food security.
“Efforts should be made to ensure food
security and strengthen food produc-
tion year by year,” Xi said at the Chinese
Communist Party’s (CCP) annual central
rural work conference held on Dec. 28
and 29, 2020.
Xi said ensuring food security means
that China’s food supply shouldn’t be con-
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trolled by others, according to a Xinhua
report on the conference, But in reality,
China’s food production self-sufficiency
rate slipped to 86 percent in 2019—which is
below the 90 percent safety line set by the
Chinese regime—from 96 percent in 2013.
In 2020, China has bought 92.8 million
tons of soybeans from January to Novem-
ber, up 17.5 percent year-on-year, and
monthly soybean imports reached histori-
cally high levels for six consecutive months,
according to data from China’s General
Administration of Customs. Based on that
rate, China imported a record high of over
100 million tons of soybeans in 2020.
In addition, from January to October,
China imported 7.82 million tons of corn,
which is at least 3 million tons more than
in 2019. China’s total corn imports for
2020 are estimated at 10 million tons, and
expected to further increase in 2021.
The regime claims there’s no food
shortage and doesn’t allow people to
hoard grains. Meanwhile, the regime has
snapped up a massive amount of im-
ported soybeans and corn. The data also
shows that imports of soybeans, being
China’s crop with the largest supply and
demand gap, have been increasing year
after year. China’s corn imports may fol-
low the same trend.
CCP agricultural officials have claimed
that the main reason for the spike in
soybean imports in 2020 was the high
demand to feed the country’s pig herd.
Although agricultural officials don’t treat
soybeans as food, they emphasize that “the
degree of dependence on foreign producers
is extremely low.” In China, the main staple
foods are rice, wheat, corn, and soybeans.
China doesn’t have enough food
to eat. If other countries don’t
sell it to us, we will be in trouble.
Yuan Longping, Chinese agricultural expert
In August last year, a Chinese think
tank released its annual Rural Develop-
ment Report, which stated that “China
is expected to have a food supply gap
of about 130 million tons by the end of
2025.” Rice, corn, and wheat will be about
25 million tons short, it said.
In an interview with state broadcaster
CCTV in April last year, Yuan Longping, a
Chinese hybrid rice expert, also revealed
that “China doesn’t have enough food to
eat,” and “if other countries don’t sell it to
us, we will be in trouble.”
While authorities keep saying that grain
production has increased every year, Chi-
na’s food security is still often questioned,
and the loss of arable land is mentioned as
the biggest concern.
China’s arable land is decreasing every
year due to desertification and urban
land expansion. Historically, to further
economic development, cities have often
taken over the best arable land. So-called
experts have pointed out that despite the
continuous decline of its arable landmass,
China has maintained a constant increase
of grain production per acre, meaning the
utilization rate of arable land is increas-
ing. The argument is that the higher the
utilization rate of arable land, the higher
the annual output per unit of arable land
in terms of production technology.
The consequence is that this kind of
practice exhausts the farmland and
causes the quality of the soil to decline. In
other words, China’s arable land isn’t only
extremely limited, but the soil quality is
MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021
STR/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Chinese
farmers work
in a wheat
field in Chiping
County, Shan-
dong Province,
China, on March
15, 2017.
quite poor. For example, Yuan invented
the double harvest rice method, although
rice output increased by only 2.07 percent
in the past 20 years.
The Rural Development Report also
pointed out that in addition to arable land,
China’s food production depends on an-
other important factor: manpower. It takes
farmers to tend the land. But under the
CCP’s urbanization policies, people from
rural areas continue to move to the city.
The report predicted that by 2025, the
urbanization rate across China will be
65.5 percent. Conservative estimates are
that the migrant population moving to
urban centers from rural areas will grow
by 80 million. Therefore, the proportion of
people engaged in agriculture will drop to
about 20 percent.
At the same time, the proportion of the
country’s rural population who are 60 and
older will rise to 25.3 percent, or about 124
million people. The aging population will
create another social problem.
While the CCP claims to care about agri-
cultural production, the Party doesn’t care
about the lives of farmers. The unfair treat-
ment of Chinese farmers is well known, in-
cluding against many who practice Falun
Gong, a spiritual meditation that has been
severely persecuted by the Chinese regime
since 1999. Minghui.org, a U.S.-based
website that serves as a clearinghouse on
information about the persecution, has ex-
tensively reported on the CCP’s protracted
suppression of Falun Gong adherents in
China’s vast rural areas. Countless num-
bers of farmers have been forced off their
land, with incalculable economic losses.
Take Jilin Province, a major grain-pro-
ducing region, for example. Authorities
in Jilin, which is one of the three major
“golden corn belts” in the world, are among
the most avid persecutors of Falun Gong
adherents. Many local farmers who prac-
tice Falun Gong have been arrested, ha-
rassed, sent to brainwashing classes, and
deprived of their contracted land because
they refused to renounce their faith. These
farmers grow corn and soybeans that are
important to the country’s food supply.
Chinese internet users have often said
that China’s food crisis is a combination
of “internal and external troubles.” The
internal troubles are related to China’s
agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, and
they are actually far greater than the exter-
nal troubles, which are the result of broken
international supply chains.
Looking at it from another perspective,
the CCP’s concern about China’s food
crisis solely stems from the regime’s need
for stability. The Chinese people, on the
other hand, are genuinely worried about
a famine because they’re still trauma-
tized by memories of the scores of people
who died of starvation during the famine
caused by the CCP’s “Great Leap Forward”
in the 1950s.
Chen Simin is a freelance writer who
often analyzes China’s current affairs.
She has been a contributor to The Epoch
Times since 2011.
 MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021
(Left) Andrew Walcott, owner of Fusion East Caribbean & Soul Food restaurant, at the restaurant in East New York neighborhood of New York City on Jan. 7, 2021. Walcott had to furlough four employ-
ees at his restaurant just before Christmas, after the state stopped allowing indoor dining. (Right) A couple eats inside a plastic bubble dining pod in a restaurant in Arlington, Va., on Dec. 18, 2020.
US Loses 140,000 Jobs,
First Monthly Decline Since April
WASHINGTON—U.S. employers shed jobs
last month for the first time since April,
cutting 140,000 positions, clear evidence
that the economy is faltering as the viral
pandemic tightens its grip on consumers
and businesses.
At the same time, the unemployment rate
stayed at 6.7 percent, the first time since
April that it hasn’t fallen.
The Jan. 8 figures from the Labor Depart-
ment depict a sharply uneven job market,
with losses concentrated among restau-
rants, bars, hotels, and entertainment ven-
ues, many of them affecting low-income
employees, while most other sectors are
still adding workers. Still, the nation has
nearly 10 million fewer jobs than it did be-
fore the pandemic sent it into a deep reces-
sion nearly a year ago, having recovered
just 56 percent of the jobs lost in the spring.
The pandemic likely will continue to
weaken the economy through winter and
perhaps early spring, and further job loss-
es are possible in the coming months. But
many economists say that once coronavi-
rus vaccines are more widely distributed,
a broader recovery should take hold in
the second half of the year. An incoming
Biden administration, along with a now
fully Democratic-led House and Senate,
also would be expected to push more res-
cue aid and spending measures that could
accelerate growth.
For now, the renewed surge in virus cases,
as well as cold weather, has caused millions
of consumers to avoid eating out, shop-
ping, and traveling. Re-imposed busi-
ness restrictions have shut down numer-
ous restaurants, bars, and other venues.
Economists at TD Securities estimate that
more than half the states have restricted
gatherings to 10 or fewer people, up from
about a quarter in September. New York
and California, among others, placed strict
new limits on restaurants last month.
New viral cases continue to set daily re-
cords. And on Thursday, the nation regis-
tered more COVID-19 deaths in a single day
than ever before, topping 4,000. The virus
is surging in several states, with California,
the largest state, hit particularly hard. Sky-
rocketing caseloads there are threatening
to force hospitals to ration care.
Last month, restaurants, bars, hotels, ca-
sinos, movie theaters, and other entertain-
ment venues shed nearly 500,000 jobs, the
most since April, when nationwide shut-
downs triggered 7.6 million layoffs. While
those employers will regain some jobs as
the economy recovers, changing consumer
The New York State Department of Labor in Brooklyn on Sept. 28, 2020.
MARY ALTAFFER/AP PHOTO
habits will likely mean that a portion will be
gone for good. Business travel, for example,
may not return to pre-pandemic levels.
Most other industries added jobs in De-
cember, with manufacturers, construction
companies, and higher-paying professional
services such as architecture, engineering,
and accounting hiring more workers. The
huge disparities among industries are sure
to exacerbate economic inequality, given
that most of the job losses are in lower-paid
industries, while middle- and higher-paid
workers have largely remained employed.
The pandemic will likely
continue to weaken the
economy through winter and
perhaps early spring, and
further job losses are possible
in the coming months.
Andrew Walcott had to furlough four em-
ployees at his restaurant, Fusion East in the
Brooklyn borough of New York City, just
before Christmas, after the state stopped
allowing indoor dining. He has shifted to
takeout and delivery. Yet, customers aren’t
even allowed into his restaurant to pick up
their food; they have to wait for it outside.
“That’s a hard sell when it’s snowing out-
side and it’s 25 degrees in New York City,”
Walcott said.
In September, his restaurant was allowed
to seat diners up to 25 percent of capacity.
With that, along with takeout and delivery
and a food truck, his revenue reached 60
percent of pre-pandemic levels. He brought
back half his 15-person staff.
But after last month’s layoffs, only Walcott
himself, plus a manager and a head chef,
with occasional part-time help, are left.
“It’s really horrible,” he said. “You still got
to pay rent, you still got to pay insurance,
you still got to pay real estate taxes. You still
have fixed bills every month.”
The data suggest that the pandemic econ-
omy is continuing to benefit some sectors,
with transportation and warehousing add-
ing nearly 47,000 jobs. E-commerce firms
also ramped up hiring. Delivery jobs rose
37,000.
“We’re seeing huge rotation here,” said
Brian Bethune, an economist at Tufts Uni-
versity. “The higher-paying goods-produc-
ing industries are doing well. Unfortunate-
ly, the leisure and hospitality industries are
CHUNG I HO/THE EPOCH TIMES
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
still getting whacked.”
Under financial pressure, consumers
as a whole spent less during the holiday
shopping season than in previous years,
based on debit and credit card data tracked
by JPMorgan Chase. Such spending was
6 percent lower in December compared
with a year ago. That was worse than in
October, when card spending was down
just 2 percent from the previous year.
The $900 billion financial aid package
that Congress enacted last month should
also help propel a recovery, economists say.
It will provide a $300-a-week federal jobless
benefit on top of an average weekly state
benefit of about $320. In addition, millions
of Americans stand to receive $600 pay-
ments, and the Treasury Department said
on Jan. 7 that 8 million of those payments
were going out this week.
Goldman Sachs has upgraded its forecast
for economic growth this year to a robust
6.4 percent from its previous estimate of 5.9
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TRUTH AND TRADITION
| A17
OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
percent. Its upgrade was based in part on
the expectation that the Biden administra-
tion will implement more stimulus.
The monthly jobs report shows that the
nation has 3 million fewer jobs than it did
four years earlier. That makes President
Donald Trump the first president since Her-
bert Hoover (1929–1933), early in the Great
Depression, to preside over a net loss of jobs.
All the job losses during the Trump ad-
ministration occurred after the pandemic
struck. Before then, the unemployment rate
had reached a 50-year low of 3.5 percent.
In Europe, a resurgence of the virus has
also led to renewed lockdowns and possibly
a sharp economic contraction in the final
three months of the year. In the 19 coun-
tries that use the euro currency, government
programs have helped prevent mass layoffs.
Still, the unemployment rate in the eurozone
was an elevated 8.3 percent in November.
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A18 | PUZZLES MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021

CROSSWORD CONSTRUCTED BY TOM HOUSTON

EPOCH TIMES STAFF 11. Solely 4NUMBERS CONSTRUCTED BY C. CHANG
AT 4NUMS.COM DAILY BRIDGE CLUB
12. Beam of light Sleeping sickness
Use the four numbers in the corners, and
13. Wrist bones the operands (+, - X, and ÷) to build an BY FRANK STEWART, TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY
14. Doughy equation to get the solution in the middle.
©2020 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
There may be more than one “unique” so-
15. Flip-flop lution but, there may also be “equivalent”
“I’m so good at sleeping I can do it with my
20. Cut taker solutions. For example: 6 + (7 X 3) +1 = 28
eyes closed.” — graffiti
and 1+ (7 X 3) + 6 = 28
24. Eyeball Cy the Cynic, who dates at least
25. TV monitor? three women a week, had contacted a
matchmaking service.
26. La-la preceder “They had me fill out a profile,” Cy told
27. Bandage me. “It turns out that the only thing I’m
28. Mall binge compatible with is sleep.”
Cy gave four hearts a somnolent play as
29. Cut off today’s South. He won the first diamond,
30. Île de la Cité locale led a trump to dummy and returned a spade
to his queen. West took the king, and the
31. Billiard table shape defense cashed two diamonds and led a
33. Unexpected movie club. Cy took dummy’s ace, came to the ace
ending, e.g. of spades, led a trump to dummy and ruffed
a spade, but when West discarded, the
37. Jay and Ollie Cynic couldn’t avoid a club loser. Down one.
38. Helmet for a hog? Hard 1 - 1 Solution
FIRST TRICK
39. “Chicken Run” char- Cy must play with his eyes wide open. After
acter he wins Trick One, his best chance is to
40. Baby carrier? lead the A-Q of spades.
West wins, and the defense takes two
42. Howler diamonds and leads a club again, but
44. “And they’re ___!” Cy wins, ruffs a spade, leads a trump to
(racetrack cry) dummy and ruffs a spade. He can draw
trumps and pitch his losing club on the
47. Go (for) good fifth spade.
48. Family
DAILY QUESTION
49. Manages You hold: k J 10 9 3 j 2 i K 6 5
50. Food processor h K Q 9 7 5. Your partner opens one
51. Dried coconut meat heart, you respond one spade and he
Hard 2 - 1 Solution rebids two hearts. The opponents pass.
59. Ruhr city What do you say?
Across 41. Holiday mo. 74. Nonpareil 61. Terrorist’s weapon ANSWER: This decision is close. You
1. “That’s not in the 43. Favoring 75. Big club could try for game by bidding 2NT. If
script!” evoker 62. Vacation locale, with your partner had an ideal minimum
45. “OBO” in the UK 76. Study of conscious, “the” hand such as 4 2, A 9 6 5 4 3,
6. Wheels with history 46. It may be tapped direct experience A Q, A 8 2, he would raise to 3NT, and you
13. Tabby 63. European peak
47. Business meeting 83. Board insert 64. Drop
could expect nine tricks. But partners
16. Short poem 84. 7-piece Chinese rarely have exactly what you need. Your
17. “A Clockwork Or- technology 65. Like some Christians disciplined call is a pass.
ange,” e.g. 52. In poor health geometric puzzle 66. Maximum South dealer
53. “Hey!” follower 85. Hot spot N-S vulnerable
18. Hearth residue 67. Sandwich alternative
19. How one plays a com- 54. Stout 86. Calypso offshoot 68. Czech diacritical NORTH
87. Cares for k8 7 6 5 2
puter game 55. “Bruce Almighty” 69. “The ___ Man” jQ J 10
21. Sorority letter role 88. Electric motor sound (Charlton Heston film) i7 4 2
22. Personal driver? Easy 1 - 1 Solution hA 4
56. Supplement, with 70. About
23. Right this minute “out” Down 74. “Web ___” (ESPN WEST EAST
24. Many a tournament kK 4 kJ 10 9 3
57. Pick 1. Chic tuna segment showing great j5 4 3 j2
25. Anatomical cavities iQ J 10 9 iK 6 5
58. Oft-read article 2. Rather, for one fielding plays)
29. Cutting along dotted hJ 8 6 3 hK Q 9 7 5
lines 60. And 3. Ignited 76. “Every child. One
SOUTH
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TRUTH and TRADITION

In Our Own Words

In the Footsteps of My Grandfathers

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TRUTH AND TRADITION

 CANADASTOCK/SHUTTERSTOCK
FOOD AS MEDICINE MINDSET MATTERS

Lycopene Lowers Risks for To Beat the Winter Blues,

Neurodegenerative Diseases Think Like a Norwegian
The red pigment in fruits and vegetables reveals Embrace the season and seek out what it
varied benefits against several diseases. offers, rather than lamenting what is lost.

See B4 See B6

MIND & BODY

WELL-BEING |DIET |FITNESS MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021 B1

ALL IMAGES BY SHUTTERSTOCK

How Your
Gut Health
Affects Your
Disease Risk
It is the interplay
between us as
individuals and the
environment in which
we live that dictates
our clinical destiny.
Alessio Fasano, director, Center for
Celiac Research at Massachusetts
General Hospital

JOSEPH MERCOLA
A chain reaction in your gut can of proteins that affect the lining of your

T
he critical importance of gut
leave you vulnerable to chronic health is getting more attention.
A significant proportion of your
inflammatory disease immune system resides in your
gastrointestinal tract, which
L IGH
T SP
R IN
G /S
HU
means optimizing your gut microbiome
TT
ER
ST will have far-reaching effects on your physi-
OC
K cal health and emotional well-being.
Gut Mounting scientific evidence also con-
bacteria are tinues to suggest a large component of
also involved nutrition centers on nourishing health-
in your antiviral promoting bacteria in your gut (and else-
defense, recent where in and on your body). Take care of
research these beneficial bacteria and you’ll keep
shows. harmful microbes in check and shore up
your protection against chronic disease.
Disease Begins in Your Gut
Research has linked ADHD, autism, learning
disabilities, obesity, diabetes, Parkinson’s
disease, and other conditions to the health of
the gut microbiome. A 2020 scientific review
by Alessio Fasano, director of the Center for
Celiac Research at Massachusetts General
Hospital, goes so far as to say that all inflam-
matory disease begins in the gut.
Part of the blame is laid on excessive
hygiene. In other words, we’re “too clean”
for our own good. This “cleanliness” strips
away a healthy microbiome and leaves
room for unwelcome bacteria to grow.
Your diet also plays a crucial role in your
microbiome and can affect several factors,
including the release of zonulin, a group
intestinal tract. Fasano’s paper specifically
addresses the role of zonulin-mediated gut
permeability in the pathogenesis of chronic
inflammatory diseases. Gut permeabil-
ity refers to how easily substances mov-
ing through the digestive tract can leak
through the intestinal wall. If the intestinal
wall is “leaky,” these substances seep into
the body and can trigger inflammation.
Research across several fields—including
human genetics, the gut microbiome, and
proteomics (the study of proteins)—suggests
gut permeability plays a key pathogenic role
in the development of chronic inflammatory
diseases (CIDs). Zonulin, meanwhile, plays
a key role in gut permeability.
Bacteria, Not Genes,
Rule Your Health Destiny
Aside from the microbes themselves, Fasa-
no writes that the condition of your intesti-
nal mucosa—the inner lining of the intesti-
nal wall where much of the gut microbiome
resides—is of critical importance.
“It plays a pivotal role through its dynam-
ic interactions with a variety of factors com-
ing from our surrounding environment,
including microorganisms, nutrients,
pollutants, and other materials,” Fasano
explains.
Fasano points out that we simply don’t
have enough genes to account for the
myriad chronic diseases that can beset us.
Continued on B2
B2
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TRUTH AND TRADITION
How Your
Gut Health
Affects Your
Disease Risk
A chain reaction in your gut can
leave you vulnerable to chronic
inflammatory disease
Continued from B1
Genes also cannot explain the tim-
ing of disease onset. To solve these
mysteries, we must look to the micro-
biome, he says.
“It is the interplay between us as
individuals and the environment in
which we live that dictates our clinical
destiny,” writes Fasano.
As the innermost layer of the intesti-
nal wall, your mucosal mucosa comes
in direct contact with the food you eat
and contaminating substances you
ingest. Zonulin can cause the intesti-
nal mucosa to become too permeable,
leading to leaky gut.
“Pre-clinical and clinical studies
have shown that the zonulin family, a
group of proteins modulating gut per-
meability, is implicated in a variety of
CIDs, including autoimmune, infec-
tive, metabolic, and tumoral diseases.
These data offer novel therapeutic
targets for a variety of CIDs in which
the zonulin pathway is implicated in
their pathogenesis,” Fasano writes.
However, while zonulin is a bio-
marker of gut permeability and plays
a pathogenic role in many chronic
inflammatory diseases, it should be
noted that not all CIDs are caused by
leaky gut.
Proposed Chain of Events
Leading to CID
The graphic below was included in
Fasano’s review but originated from
an earlier paper, titled “Zonulin, a
Regulator of Epithelial and Endothe-
lial Barrier Functions, and Its In-
volvement in Chronic Inflammatory
Diseases.” It was co-written by Fasano
and Craig Sturgeon and details the
“proposed chain of events leading to
chronic inflammatory disease.”
Under normal circumstances, a
healthy homeostasis is maintained
in your gut lining such that when an
antigen is encountered, no excess im-
mune reaction occurs. Antigens are
molecules or molecular structures that
alert your body to an outside pathogen
and trigger an immune response.
Under No. 2 in the graph, gut dysbio-
sis is setting in (i.e., an imbalance in
the number and diversity of your gut
microflora), causing excess produc-
tion of zonulin, which, in turn, makes
the gut lining more permeable.
According to Fasano, the two most
powerful triggers of zonulin release
are bacteria overgrowth and gluten.
Zonulin is produced in response to bad
bacteria—it helps flush the bacteria out
by opening up the tight junctions—so
bacteria overgrowth makes sense. But
why does it respond to gluten?
MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021
Interestingly enough, the zonulin
pathway misinterprets gluten as a
potential harmful component of a
microorganism. That’s why gluten
triggers zonulin release. While not
mentioned by Fasano, the herbicide
glyphosate also triggers zonulin, and
is 10 times more potent than gluten.
The subsequent permeability al-
lows microbiota-derived antigen and
endotoxin to migrate from the lumen
(the hollow tube at the center of the
intestinal tract that food and waste pass
through) to the lamina propria (the
connective tissue that is part of the mu-
cous membrane lining your intestine),
thereby triggering inflammation.
As the process continues to worsen
(No. 3 in the graph), your adaptive
immune response kicks in, trigger-
ing the production of proinflamma-
tory cytokines, including interferon
gamma and tumor necrosis factor al-
pha. These cytokines further worsen
gut permeability, thus creating a
vicious cycle. Eventually (No. 4), mu-
cosal tolerance is completely broken,
resulting in the onset of a chronic
inflammatory disease.
By reseeding your
gut with beneficial
bacteria, you can keep
pathogenic microbes
and fungi in check
and prevent them
from taking over,
and optimizing your
vitamin D will help
avoid leaky gut.
Chronic Inflammatory Diseases
Linked to Leaky Gut
The specific chronic inflammatory
disease that ultimately emerges at the
end of all this depends in part on your
genetic makeup, in part on the types of
exposures you’ve had, and in part on the
composition of your gut microbiome.
“The pathogenesis of a variety of
CIDs seems to involve mutually influ-
enced changes in gut permeability/Ag
trafficking, immune activation, and
changes in composition/function of
the gut microbiome,” Fasano writes.
A chain reaction starting from an
imbalance in the number and diversity
of your gut microflora (aka gut dysbio-
 MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021
sis) spurs the release of zonulin, which
leads to leaky gut, which causes the
release of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
These cytokines then cause in-
creased gut permeability and spur a
vicious loop that leads to a massive in-
flux of dietary and microbial antigens
triggering the activation of T cells,
warns Fasano.
T cells play a central role in the
adaptive immune response and if
they are being over-activated because
of a massive influx of antigens, they
can damage healthy tissues.
“Depending on the host genetic
makeup, activated T cells may remain
within the GI tract, causing CID of the
gut … or migrate to several different
organs to cause systemic CID.”
Chronic inflammatory diseases
associated with dysregulation of the
zonulin pathway include:
r
Autoimmune disorders such as
Celiac disease, Type 1 diabetes, in-
flammatory bowel disease, multiple
sclerosis, and ankylosing spondy-
litis
r
Metabolic disorders such as obesity,
insulin resistance, nonalcoholic
fatty liver disease, gestational dia-
betes, hyperlipidemia and Type 2
diabetes
r
Intestinal diseases such as irritable
bowel syndrome, non-celiac gluten
sensitivity, and environmental en-
teric dysfunction (a chronic disease
affecting the proximal intestine)
r
Neuroinflammatory diseases
such as autism spectrum disorder,
schizophrenia, major depressive
disorder and chronic fatigue/myal-
gic encephalomyelitis
r
Brain and liver cancers
Gut Microbes Influence Genes,
Can Alter Cancer Risk
While the inclusion of cancer on that
list may seem odd at first glance, some
researchers believe the gut micro-
biome may actually end up being a
game-changer for cancer prevention
and treatment.
Not only have gut bacteria been
shown to influence gene expression,
turning some genes on and others off,
research published in 2018 found gut
microbes actually control antitumor
immune responses in your liver, and
that antibiotics can alter the compo-
sition of immune cells in your liver,
triggering tumor growth.
Certain gut bacteria also promote
inflammation, which is an underlying
factor in virtually all cancers, whereas
other bacteria quell it. The presence
of certain gut bacteria has even been
shown to boost the patient’s response
to anticancer drugs.
One way in which gut bacteria
improve the effectiveness of can-
cer treatment is by activating your
immune system and allowing it to
function more efficiently. Researchers
have actually found that when these
specific microbes are absent, certain
anticancer drugs may not work at all.
Gut Bacteria Are Part
of Your Antiviral Defense
Gut bacteria are also involved in your
antiviral defense, recent research
shows. As reported by Harvard Medi-
cal School on Nov. 18, 2020:
“For the first time, Harvard Medical
School researchers have … identi-
fied the specific population of gut
microbes that modulates both local-
ized and systemic immune response
to ward off viral invaders. The work
… pinpoints a group of gut microbes,
and a specific species within it, that
causes immune cells to release virus-
repelling chemicals known as type 1
interferons.
“The researchers further identi-
fied the precise molecule—shared
by many gut bacteria within that
group—that unlocks the immune-
protective cascade. That molecule, the
researchers noted, is not difficult to
isolate and could become the basis for
drugs that boost antiviral immunity
in humans.”
While the findings still need to be
replicated and confirmed, they point
to the possibility that you might be
able to enhance your antiviral im-
munity by reseeding your gut with
Bacteroides fragilis and other bacteria
in the Bacteroides family.
These bacteria initiate a signaling
cascade that induces the release of
interferon-beta that protect against
viral invasion by stimulating immune
cells to attack the virus and causing
virus-infected cells to self-destruct.
“Specifically, … a molecule that
resides on the bacterium’s surface
triggers the release of interferon-beta
by activating the so-called TLR4-TRIF
signaling pathway,” Harvard explains.
“This bacterial molecule stimulates an
immune-signaling pathway initiated
by one of the nine toll-like receptors
(TLR) that are part of the innate im-
mune system.”
The Role of Vitamin D
Recent research also highlights the
role of vitamin D in gut health and
systemic autoimmunity. The review
article, published Jan. 21, 2020, in
Frontiers in Immunology, notes:
Gut permeability
refers to how easily
substances moving
through the digestive
tract can leak through
the intestinal wall.
“Autoimmune diseases tend to share
a predisposition for vitamin D deficien-
cy, which alters the microbiome and
integrity of the gut epithelial barrier.
“...Vitamin D deficiency may con-
tribute to autoimmunity via its effects
on the intestinal barrier function, mi-
crobiome composition, and/or direct
effects on immune responses.”
As noted in this review, vitamin D
has several direct and indirect regula-
tory effects on your immune system,
including promoting regulatory T
cells (Tregs), inhibiting differentia-
tion of Th1 and Th17 cells, impairing
development and function of B cells,
reducing monocyte activation, and
stimulating antimicrobial peptides
from immune cells.
That said, the relationship between
vitamin D and autoimmunity is
complicated. Aside from suppressing
an immune response that could run
amok, vitamin D also appears to im-
prove autoimmune disorders by the
way it affects your microbiota compo-
sition and gut barrier.
The review cites research showing
that your vitamin D status alters the
composition of your gut microbiome.
Generally speaking, vitamin D defi-
ciency tends to increase Bacteriode-
tes and Proteobacteria, while higher
vitamin D intake tends to increase
prevalence of Prevotella and reduce
certain types of Proteobacteria and
Firmicutes.
While research is still slim when it
comes to vitamin D’s impact on gut
bacteria, especially in patients with
autoimmune disease, vitamin D
deficiency and autoimmune diseases
are known comorbidities and vitamin
D supplementation is often recom-
mended for these patients.
Take care of
these beneficial
bacteria and you’ll
keep harmful
microbes in
check.
Vitamin D Required for Tight
Junction Maintenance
Better known is how vitamin D sup-
ports intestinal and immune cell
defenses in the gut. In fact, vitamin
D is one of the crucial components
required for maintaining tight junc-
tions.
This is important for the health of
the intestinal epithelium, the single
cell layer that lines the interior of the
small and large intestine (colon) of the
gastrointestinal tract.
As explained in this review:
“The intestinal epithelium is in
constant interaction with the exter-
nal environment. Adequate barrier
integrity and antimicrobial function
at epithelial surfaces are critical in
maintaining homeostasis and pre-
venting invasion or overcolonization
of particular microbial species.
A healthy intestinal epithelium and
intact mucus layer are critical to pro-
tect against invasion by pathogenic
organisms, and vitamin D helps to
maintain this barrier function ...”
Vitamin D May Contribute
to Autoimmune Disease
According to the authors, vitamin D
deficiency may contribute to autoim-
mune disease by affecting the micro-
biome and the immune system in the
following manner:
1. Vitamin D deficiency or supple-
mentation changes the microbi-
ome, and manipulation of bacterial
abundance or composition impacts
disease manifestation.
2. Lack of vitamin D signaling due to
dietary deficiency can impair physi-
cal and functional barrier integrity
of the gut, thereby allowing bacte-
rial interactions to either stimulate
or inhibit immune responses.
3. Your innate immunologic defenses
may be compromised if you are
deficient in vitamin D.
How to Optimize
Your Gut Microbiome
All of this information should really
drive home the point that optimizing
your gut flora and vitamin D level is
of crucial importance for good health.
By reseeding your gut with beneficial
bacteria, you can keep pathogenic
microbes and fungi in check and
prevent them from taking over, and
optimizing your vitamin D will help
avoid leaky gut.
Regularly eating traditionally fer-
mented and cultured foods is the easi-
NOBEASTSOFIERCE/SHUTTERSTOCK
B3
est, most effective, and least expensive
way to make a significant impact on
your gut microbiome. Healthy choices
include lassi (an Indian yogurt drink),
cultured grass-fed organic milk
products such as kefir and yogurt,
natto (fermented soy) and fermented
vegetables of all kinds.
Although I’m not a major proponent
of taking many supplements (as I
believe the majority of your nutrients
need to come from food), probiot-
ics are an exception if you don’t eat
fermented foods on a regular basis.
Spore-based probiotics, or sporebiot-
ics, can be particularly helpful when
you’re taking antibiotics. They’re also
an excellent complement to regular
probiotics.
Sporebiotics, which consist of the cell
wall of bacillus spores, will help boost
your immune tolerance. And because
they don’t contain any live bacillus
strains, only its spores—the protective
shell around the DNA and the work-
ing mechanism of that DNA—they are
unaffected by antibiotics.
Autoimmune
diseases tend to share
a predisposition for
vitamin D deficiency,
which alters the
microbiome and
integrity of the gut
epithelial barrier.
Frontiers in Immunology
Antibiotics, as you may know,
indiscriminately kill your gut bacte-
ria, both good and bad. This is why
secondary infections and lowered
immune function are common side
effects of taking antibiotics. Chronic
low-dose exposure to antibiotics
through your food also takes a toll
on your gut microbiome, which can
result in chronic ill health and in-
creased risk of drug resistance. Last
but not least, you also need to avoid
things that disrupt or kill your micro-
biome, and this includes:
r
Antibiotics, unless absolutely
necessary
r
Conventionally raised meats and
other animal products, as these
animals are routinely fed low-dose
antibiotics, plus genetically engi-
neered and/or glyphosate-treated
grains
r
Processed foods (as the excessive
sugars feed pathogenic bacteria)
r
Chlorinated and/or fluoridated
water
r
Antibacterial soap and products
containing triclosan
Dr. Joseph Mercola is the founder of
Mercola.com. An osteopathic physi-
cian, best-selling author, and recipi-
ent of multiple awards in the field of
natural health, his primary vision is to
change the modern health paradigm
by providing people with a valuable
resource to help them take control of
their health. This article was originally
published on Mercola.com
B4
FOOD AS MEDICINE
Lycopene Lowers Risks for
Neurodegenerative Diseases
The red pigment in fruits and vegetables reveals varied benefits against several diseases
D
id you know that guava and
tomato are just two of the
lycopene-rich fruits and
vegetables that can protect
your brain and reduce your
risks for cancer, heart disease, and bone
fractures?
Lycopene is the pigment in red fruits
and vegetables such as pink gua-
va and tomatoes. It is an important nutri-
ent scientists are currently testing in the
prevention and suppression of neuro-
degenerative diseases. Past research
has shown lycopene to have antioxi-
dant properties, which are effective in
fighting other diseases such as cancer,
precursors to heart diseases, and bone
conditions.
Neurodegenerative Disease
Lycopene demonstrated antioxi-
dant properties in protecting the
neural system in vitro, and the
consumption of lycopene-rich
fruits and vegetables is recom-
mended as a pre-
ventive strategy
for neurodegenera-
tive diseases, according
to a review and meta-
analysis published in Ath-
erosclerosis.
In addition to suppressing oxida-
tive stress and inflammation in the
brain, lycopene restores changes associ-
ated with neurodegenerative disorders,
epileptic conditions, aging, brain hem-
orrhages, spinal cord injury, and neu-
ropathy. It also prevents proteinopathies,
neuroinflammation, apoptosis, cerebral
edema, and synaptic dysfunction in the
brain, according to a review published
in Neurochemistry international.
Lycopene also ameliorated neuroin-
flammation, oxidative stress, amyloid
genesis, and memory loss in an Alzheim-
er’s-induced mice model, through medi-
ating cell signaling pathways related to
inflammation, and thus could be effec-
tive in preventing Alzheimer’s disease,
found an animal study published in The
Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.
Researchers are delving
into the varied ways
lycopene counteracts
disease and strengthens
the body.
In their in vitro study of mice, research-
ers found lycopene to be effective in
reducing oxidative stress, which is con-
sidered a major cause of Alzheimer’s dis-
ease, by reducing cell apoptosis through
activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway.
Researchers studied 6,958 participants
aged older than 50 years to assess the im-
pact of carotenoids on mortality risk from
Alzheimer’s. High levels of lycopene, lu-
tein, and zeaxanthin were found to lower
the risk of Alzheimer’s mortality. In an
Alzheimer’s-induced mice study, oxida-
tive stress biomarkers were measured
with two treatments—lycopene and
lycopene combined with vitamin E.
The combination was synergistic in
significantly decreasing memory impair-
ments and improved three oxidative
stress markers for Alzheimer’s. In a rat
study, researchers demonstrated that
lycopene, a natural carotenoid, lowered
aluminum-induced hippocampal lesions
by inhibiting oxidative stress-mediated
inflammation and apoptosis in the brain.
Similarly, lycopene was found to be
very effective against age-induced cog-
nitive impairment, memory loss, and
cognitive defects while reversing age-as-
sociated neuronal damage and synaptic
dysfunction in brain synapses by miti-
gating oxidative stress and inflammation
markers in a mouse model.
Cancer Risk
Twenty-six studies of 563,299 partici-
pants with 17,517 documented cases
of prostate cancer were meta-analyzed,
showing that higher lycopene intake
(between 9 milligrams (mg) and 21mg
per day) reduced the incidence of
prostate cancer. The prostate cancer
risk declined 18 percent with increas-
ing consumption of lycopene (intake of
tomatoes and watermelon) in a study of
404 participants.
In addition, researchers have found
lycopene-rich foods such as tomatoes af-
fected rates of a variety of other cancers.
In a meta-analysis including 15 studies
of 644 animals, lycopene supplementa-
tion significantly reduced the incidence,
number, and growth of liver cancer.
In their comprehensive review of the
literature, scientists attested to tomato
lycopene’s preventive action against the
formation and development of lung can-
cer as well. Lycopene supplementation
in lung and liver tumor-induced mice
reduced experimental tumor metastasis
in vivo by decreasing tumor invasion,
proliferation, and angiogenesis.
In a pooled analysis of 21 studies, the
group that consumed the most tomato
products had the lowest risk for gastric
cancer. In a study of U.S. adults, tomato
(86 percent lower risk) and lycopene (79
percent lower risk) intake was inversely
related to all cancer deaths.
Guava leaf extract has been shown
to have a strong anticancer effect by
preventing and stopping the growth
of cancerous cells in in-vitro studies of
animal induced cancers.
Cardiovascular Disease Risk
In a meta-analysis of 14 studies, high
dietary lycopene was significantly as-
sociated with low risk for cardiovascular
disease, stroke, and coronary heart dis-
ease. Similarly, in an overview of 23,935
patients, mortality from coronary heart
disease and cerebrovascular disease was
significantly lower for those who had
high tomato and lycopene intake, illus-
trating their cardioprotective abilities.
A systematic review and meta-analysis
of 21 studies showed that increasing the
intake of tomatoes and lycopene products
has positive effects on blood lipids, blood
pressure, and endothelial function, which
make them valuable nutritional strategies
to fight cardiovascular diseases.
In a human study of 142 patients with
cardiovascular disease, lycopene supple-
mentation (7 mg per day) for four weeks
increased serum lycopene levels more
than four times, significantly improved
tissue oxygenation and blood flow, and
reduced inflammatory oxidative dam-
Foods
rich in
lycopene are
generally red in
color, though
asparagus bucks
the rule.
age markers threefold and oxidized lipid
levels fivefold. Tomato juice (338 mg per
day) treatment for 20 days also reduced
inflammation (an underlying risk factor
for cardiovascular disease and diabetes)
in a controlled trial of 106 overweight
and obese females.
Guava consumption was shown to
have significant effects on heart health
risk in 120 patients with high blood pres-
sure. Specifically, the study found a 9.9
percent net decrease in total cholesterol,
7.7 percent decrease in triglycerides, and
blood pressure lowered (systolic by 9
points and diastolic by 8 points) with an
8 percent net increase in high-density
lipoprotein cholesterol after 12 weeks of
guava fruit treatment.
Bone Health
In another study, 370 men and 576
women (70 to 80 years of age) from the
Framingham Osteoporosis Study com-
pleted a food frequency questionnaire
in 1988 to 1989 and were followed for 17
years for bone fractures.
Results showed that subjects with higher
lycopene intake had a significantly lower
risk of hip and nonvertebral fractures. To-
mato and tomato products, as rich sources
of lycopene, have been shown to decrease
bone loss, which significantly lowers the
risk for fractures in vivo and in vitro stud-
ies of postmenopausal women.
The group that consumed
the most tomato products
had the lowest risk for
gastric cancer.
In vitro and clinical studies of osteo-
blast cells found the intake of a lycopene-
rich tomato sauce (5 mg and 10 mg) in
39 postmenopausal women resulted in
no significant bone density loss with
the treatment and better bone turnover
results compared to those in the non-to-
mato sauce control group, showing that
tomato sauce can be used to lower risk of
bone loss and to prevent osteoporosis.
Top 12 Lycopene Food Sources
So which fruits and veggies are reliable
lycopene sources? Boost your lycopene
levels by increasing your consumption of
the top foods found in the list below. Al-
though there is no daily minimum re-
MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021
MARILYN BARBONE/SHUTTERSTOCK
quirement for lycopene, sources suggest
consuming from 8 mg to 21 mg per day
for optimal health.
Top Fruits and Vegetables
Highest in Lycopene
(By milligrams per cup)
1. Tomato Puree (50)
2. Sun Dried Tomatoes (25)
3. Guavas (8.6)
4.  Fresh Tomato (7.3)
5. Watermelon (6.9)
6.  Pink Grapefruit (3.3)
7.  Papaya (2.7)
8.  Red Bell Peppers (0.5)
9.  Persimmon (0.3)
10. Asparagus (0.05)
11. Red Cabbage (0.02)
12. Mangos (0.01)
Sensitivities to Nightshade Vegetables
Some people may experience chronic
pain and inflammation from sensitivity
to foods called “nightshade” vegetables.
That is because they can contain glycoal-
kaloids such as solanine in potato and
eggplant, tomatine in tomato and capsa-
icin in garden peppers as well as wheat
lectin or chitin-binding lectins found in
tomatoes and red pepper.
Reactions should be monitored for
their effect on the digestive system and
arthritic symptoms, and triggering foods
should be avoided completely (if the sen-
sitivity continues) or slowly brought back
into the diet one by one if tolerated. Pes-
ticide-treated and genetically modified
(GMO) foods are the most problematic
and buying non-GMO and organic night-
shade vegetables is essential.
Lycopene gives fruits and vegetables,
such as tomatoes, guavas, watermelon,
and red bell peppers, their reddish hues
and packs a punch for its neuroprotec-
tive, anticancer, bone protective, and
heart-healthy properties. To read more
about the impact of guavas and tomatoes
on your health, see GreenMedInfo.com’s
research database on lycopene.
The GMI Research Group is dedicated to
investigating the most important health
and environmental issues of the day.
Special emphasis will be placed on envi-
ronmental health. Our focused and deep
research will explore the many ways in
which the present condition of the human
body directly reflects the true state of the
ambient environment. This work is repro-
duced and distributed with the permis-
sion of GreenMedInfo LLC. Sign up for the
newsletter at GreenMedInfo.health
 MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021 B5

MADE TO MOVE

Water Exercises as
Effective as Gym Workouts
Exercising in water is softer on the joints and still lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease
RIDO/SHUTTERSTOCK

MARKOS KLONIZAKIS small veins. The mechanism behind these

Swimming, aqua-aerobics, and other wa-
ter-based exercises are popular for people
aged 55 and older to keep fit without put-
ting strain on the joints. A new study shows
these forms of exercise could also help re-
duce cardiovascular disease.
Previous studies show that water-based
exercises have many benefits, including
improving gait, balance, and mobility. It’s
also thought to offer benefits as part of re-
habilitation programs for peripheral arte-
rial disease, in which arteries in the legs,
stomach, arms, and head narrow.
But while water-based exercises are
shown to have benefits for other aspects
of health, until now there’s been limited
evidence on whether it’s as beneficial on re-
ducing cardiovascular disease risk for older
adults and improving their heart health.
Water-based exercises
have many benefits,
including improving gait,
balance, and mobility.
Our latest study explored the long-term
effects of regular, water-based aerobic ex-
ercise on cardiovascular health. We proved
for the first time that they’re as effective as
other types of aerobic exercise for lowering
cardiovascular disease risk for older people.
Our study enrolled 80 people over the age
of 55 with normal blood pressure and with-
out pre-existing clinical conditions, such
as diabetes. We avoided recruiting people
Exercising in water can who regularly performed high-intensity ex-
improve balance and ercise, such as CrossFit. This was to ensure
mobility with less risk that all the exercise regimes we compared
for older adults. were as similar as possible and because
high-intensity exercise can be difficult to
perform in water.
Our participants were exercising on av-
erage four times per week, for at least six
months. We compared people who trained
in the water against those who trained in a
gym or took exercise classes, and those who
did a mixture of both types of exercises. We
also compared this data against a reference
group who didn’t exercise at all.
In order to see what effect exercise was hav-
ing on cardiovascular health, we measured
how efficient the inner vein lining (endothe-
lium) of their small veins and large arteries
were. Endothelium is crucial for minimizing
cardiovascular disease risk at any age.
We found that all three modes of exercise
offer similar benefits to our arteries and
PRESSMASTER/SHUTTERSTOCK
Water exercises
are easy on the
bones and joints.
findings isn’t very clear. However, it’s likely
that this is because exercise can increase
the production of nitric oxide in our bod-
ies. This is a key component for preserving
endothelial function in both small veins
and arteries. So the greater the nitric oxide
production, the better arteries, and small
veins can work.
Endothelial function for the exercise
groups were also significantly better than
the function in the inactive group. This sug-
gests that for older adults, all exercise plays
an important role in protecting against
cardiovascular disease, whether it’s per-
formed in or out of water.
Exercising at Every Age
Cardiovascular disease remains a main
cause of death for older people. While ex-
ercise—either alone or alongside a healthy
diet—can protect against cardiovascular
disease, older people often don’t get as
much exercise as they should. For exam-
ple, statistics show that only 13 percent of
women over 75 meet daily physical activity
recommendations for their age group.
There are many reasons why older people
might not exercise, including fear of in-
jury and lack of confidence in using exer-
cise equipment. But this could mean that
they’re missing out on important heart
benefits that can protect against cardio-
vascular disease. This is why promoting
forms of exercise that older people feel
comfortable doing—and that they want
to do—need to be explored and promoted.
Exercise plays an
important role in
protecting against
cardiovascular disease, in
or out of water.
This is why our findings may be particu-
larly important, as we’re the first to directly
show that water-based exercise is as good
for cardiovascular health as exercising in
a gym, for the older age group. This means
people can choose a form of exercise that
causes less pain, stress, or strain on joints,
but will still benefit their heart health. This
may be especially good news for people
who may be more frail, or for those who are
afraid of handling gym equipment.
More research will be needed to better
understand why water-based exercise
causes these benefits to veins and arteries.
But our findings suggest that water-based
exercise is an enjoyable way to protect
against cardiovascular disease.

Markos Klonizakis is a reader in clinical

physiology at Sheffield Hallam University
in the UK. This article was first published
on The Conversation.

Gained Weight on the Diet That Your Friend Swore By?

We are far too different in body and lifestyle for one diet to work for everyone

LYNN JAFFEE
I have never been much of a dieter, al-
though there are times in my life when I
probably should have been. I have, how-
ever, tried tweaking my diet based on a
friend’s recommendation or an article I
have read, only to have it backfire. Either
my digestion tanked, or my energy took a
Each food has an inherent energetic
temperature, which translates into how
it will affect your body. For example, gin-
ger is considered to be a warming food,
while mint is cooling. In practice, if you
were struggling with hot flashes, you would
choose energetically cooling foods and
avoid those that heat you up.
While practitioners of Chinese medi-
cine have long known that food therapy
is based on creating an individualized
diet, food scientists are now conducting
research that suggests the same thing.
The  results of an Israeli study  of the
blood sugar levels of 800 people docu-
mented that different people responded
differently to eating the same food. The re- Each of us
TMCPHOTOS/S

vacation, leaving me sluggish and tired. Foods also have an action or impact searchers suggest that, like Chinese food
This phenomenon seems to happen to on your body. For example, depending therapy, successful dieting and healthy has specific
many people. They read about a miracle on your needs, you can choose foods that eating depend on meals tailored to the nutritional
HUTTERSTOC

food or foolproof diet, only to gain weight
or feel like crap. So what’s going on?
Chinese medicine has long had the an-
moisten, nourish blood, build up your qi
(energy gained through food and breath-
ing), or drain dampness.
individual and their unique biology. In-
stead of wondering what you were doing needs that vary
wrong when you gained weight on the diet
from person to
K

swer, and it seems that Western researchers
are now catching on, too. The key to eating
the right is in tailoring your diet to your
unique needs. This is true for a couple of
reasons. First, each of us has specific nutri-
tional needs that vary from person to person.
Second, foods have specific properties that
make them good for some kinds of health
conditions, but not for others. For example:
How you prepare food can change its
properties. Raw fruits tend to be cool
and moistening. However, dried fruits are
warmer and less dampening. In addition,
if you’re struggling with your digestion,
cooking your vegetables in a soup or stir
fry makes them far easier to digest, allow-
ing you to extract more energy from them.
that your friend swore by, understand that
the foods you need are different from the person.
foods others need.
Lynn Jaffee is a licensed acupunctur-
ist and the author of “Simple Steps: The
Chinese Way to Better Health.” This article
was originally published on Acupuncture-
TwinCities.com
B6
To Beat the Winter Blues,
Think Like a Norwegian
Embrace the season and seek
out what it offers, rather than
lamenting what is lost
MELISSA DE WITTE
You might find inspiration for handling
the dark months ahead from Norwegians,
according to Kari Leibowitz.
Leibowitz, a doctoral candidate in so-
cial psychology at Stanford University, has
studied how Norwegians cope with winter
and “polar nights,” the period beginning
on Nov. 21, when the sun sets in Norway
and doesn’t rise again for another two
months. She spent a year at the University
of Tromso, located 200 miles north of the
Arctic Circle, to better understand how
people survive—and actually, thrive—in
such extreme and unusual conditions.
She found that people with a positive
wintertime mindset—which encompasses
their thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes to-
ward the season—is positively associated
with their well-being, including life satis-
faction and personal growth.
Leibowitz is researching psychological
and social forces in health care, with a fo-
cus on the doctor–patient relationship. She
also works with psychologist Alia Crum
in the Stanford Mind & Body Lab, where
they study how mindsets can make a posi-
tive difference to emotional and physical
well-being.
Here, Leibowitz discusses some of her
findings—data from her survey of 238 Nor-
wegians recently published in the Inter-
national Journal of Wellbeing—and how
their approach to winter and the indoors
might offer comfort during these challeng-
ing times:
Melissa De Witte: What did you learn from
studying, and living with, Norwegians? Is
there anything that you were surprised to
discover about them, and yourself?
Kari Leibowitz:  I learned so much how
delicious brunost—a special, slightly cara-
melly brown cheese that they often eat on
waffles—is and how good reindeer hot-
dogs are. How to dress appropriately for
winter weather—all-
wool base layers
are key—and
how to forage
for blueberries.
But I also learned
that—surprise—Nor-
wegians love winter! This
was genuinely surprising
to me—I grew up on the
Jersey Shore hating win-
ter.
I originally went to
understand how they
survived during the
winter. But peo-
ple in
Nor-
way
Norwegians
enjoy the warmth
of homes and
friends in winter, but
still head outdoors
despite the cold
and dark.
didn’t see it so much as something to sur- portant for keeping up people’s spirits and
vive—they saw it as an opportunity for lots mood this winter.
of things they loved: outdoor activities like
cross-country skiing but also special, cozy
time indoors. Instead of the polar night be-
ing a time of darkness, I actually learned It’s about focusing on
that it is a time of incredible light—blue
light for a few hours a day, really pretty what we can control
sunset colors as the sun skirts below the
horizon, and, of course, incredible North-
ern Lights. They really showed me that it’s best of a bad situation.
possible to love winter, and there I learned
to love winter myself.
A positive
Ms. De Witte:  And what did you learn
wintertime about their well-being?
mindset was Ms. Leibowitz: In our cross-sectional, cor-
relational survey of Norwegians at three
associated different latitudes—Oslo, Tromso, and
Svalbard—conducted at the end of Janu-
with every ary, we found that a positive wintertime
metric of well- mindset was associated with every metric
of well-being we looked at, including life
being we satisfaction, positive emotions, psycho-
logical flourishing, and personal growth.
looked at, In other words, people in Norway who
including life had more positive wintertime mindsets
also tended to be happier overall.
satisfaction,
positive Ms. Witte: How might this mindset help
people as they shelter in place during the
emotions, pandemic?
Ms. Leibowitz: It might be especially easy
psychological to love winter in Tromso—it’s magical, sur-
flourishing, rounded by snowy mountains and fjords.
But I think the people in Tromso have strat-
and personal egies for making winter wonderful that
people can use wherever they are. People
growth. in Tromso see winter as full of opportuni-
Kari Leibowitz, ties, whereas in the U.S. we tend to only
researcher, Stanford focus on the ways winter limits us and the
University things we can’t do.
Of course, when we shelter in place,
there’s a lot we can’t do and it’s easy to fo-
cus on that. And I’m not suggesting that
people deny this reality or ignore all of the
suffering and loss and things we’re missing
this year. But given that we’re all stuck in
a situation no one wants to be in, how can
we focus on a) what opportunities might
be present? and b) the things that we do
enjoy about the winter season, to bring us
a little bit of comfort?
MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021
ALL PHOTOS BY SHUTTERSTOCK
For me, this is the first year that I won’t be
going home to be with my family in New
Jersey for the holidays, and I’m really sad to
not be doing that. But I’m trying to focus
instead on the fact that that means
instead of flying cross-country and
running around seeing all my family
members, this year I can actually
have a really restful holiday and
focus
family
on expressing my love for my
by sending things in the mail
and organizing Zoom calls. So those
are some of the opportunities I’ll be try-
ing to take advantage of this year. And this
idea of finding the opportunity in difficult
things isn’t just from a wintertime mind-
set—it’s backed by a lot of psychological
research, including work out of the Stan-
ford Mind & Body Lab, like Alia Crum’s
work on stress mindsets.
Another big part of this mindset is get-
ting outside—Norwegians love to be active
in the winter, and even have the saying,
“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only
bad clothing.” Given that we’re all stuck at
home right now, prioritizing bundling up
and moving and spending time outdoors
even in “bad” weather will be really im-
and trying to make the
Kari Leibowitz, researcher,
Stanford University
Ms. De Witte: Is there anything you would
like to add about how your research applies
to these current times?
Ms. Leibowitz: The thing I like about mind-
sets is that they have room for complex-
ity—it’s not just telling people to look on
the bright side, think positive, or find the
silver lining.
I think it’s really important to let people
mourn and grieve and not diminish the
extremely real hardships people are fac-
ing. Instead, it’s about focusing on what we
can control and trying to make the best of
a bad situation. So if you hate how early it
gets dark out, you can try to focus instead
on how it’s a chance to light candles and
get cozy earlier, how it might help you get to
bed earlier—something I’m forever trying
and failing to do—or even how it can be
nice to watch the sunset from your window
while you’re working.
I encourage people to start small and find
one or two things they like about this win-
ter, maybe one or two things they are doing
to make this challenging season an oppor-
tunity, and to focus on those. And I person-
ally will be thinking about this winter as
a kind of hibernation, a time dedicated to
quiet and rest and reflection, and that kind
of mindful pause can help us come out the
other side of the pandemic with a clearer
sense of what’s important to us and how
we want to live our lives.
This article was originally published
by Stanford University. Republished via
Futurity.org under Creative Commons
License 4.0.
 MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021
MINDSET MATTERS
Fear: False Evidence Appearing Real
When our thoughts scare us and we need to make them stop
NANCY COLIER
I
took a deep dive into  fear  after
someone I love dearly, a close fam-
ily member, began experiencing
a physical symptom. We’ve been
unable to get to the bottom of it;
the doctors have not been particularly
concerned, and so we’ve resorted to just
managing the symptom best we can.
I haven’t been particularly worried, as-
suming it was just one of the umpteen
physical symptoms that come for seem-
ingly no reason and then go for seemingly
no reason, without our ever really know-
ing why or what it was all about.
On a recent Friday afternoon, I was hav-
ing a conversation with this person, and
she casually mentioned another symp-
tom that she experiences. She had never
brought this to my attention because she
just assumed everybody felt the same
thing.
In that moment, I was slightly alarmed
by the symptom she mentioned as it was
definitely not a sensation most people
have and certainly not one that people
get on a regular basis. It was also, I knew,
a symptom associated with some pret-
ty terrible things. I said nothing about
my concern but calmly inquired more
into her experience, like when does she
get this sensation and what if anything
brings it on. On the outside, I probably
appeared quite nonchalant, but on the
inside, a small tsunami was forming
in my chest.
Immediately following our conversa-
tion, I made a beeline to search the in-
ternet. I feverishly punched in her symp-
toms. What I found was, not surprisingly,
both horrifying and terrifying. Her symp-
toms happened to be the first two on ev-
ery list for one, particularly dreadful and
life-destroying condition.
Within three hours of our initial conver-
sation, I was paralyzed with information.
I had three symptoms to work with now,
three symptoms that were the first three
on every list describing the early signs of
one particular horrifying fate. Fear had
taken me hostage.
The more afraid I became, the more
frantically I researched the internet, read-
ing everything available on the condition
I had diagnosed, looking for anything that
would give me a different list of symptoms
or at least a list where her symptoms were
further down from the top.
I read about treatments, now and future,
trial studies, ways that people self-care
once diagnosed, the psychological effects
of the disease, how early one should start
taking the medication, and what the final
stages look like. I read testimonials from
people living with the disease, everything
I could get my hands on. By Sunday night,
I had five doctorates in this condition.
I was in a state of panic, heartbroken,
and truly unable to get OK. If a moment
of serenity appeared, I would remember
the shock of what I knew, that this person
I love beyond anything, beyond every-
thing, had no future. I would remember
that I could never be happy again. Each
moment I spent with my family member
that weekend felt like the last, weighted
with melancholy and finality.
I was living a narrative of fear and de-
spair I had written in less than 48 hours.
I was sure the worst thing I could ever
imagine happening was happening.
I wondered how it was possible that
I had spent my whole life working on
accepting reality as it is, and yet here I
was screaming, “No, this reality is the
one reality that’s not OK! This reality, I
cannot bear.”
I was in a thought-constructed hell,
The more
afraid I
became,
the more
frantically I
researched
the internet,
reading every-
thing available
on the condi-
tion I had
diagnosed.
Sometimes our mind fills in the missing pieces with a terrifying story we can’t stop telling ourselves.
which felt real, inarguable, and true.
I was the only one who knew that she
had all three symptoms. Other family
members knew of one or another, but I
was the keeper of the full truth, the only
one who knew the whole of it. When I
did finally break and tell another family
member, he dismissed my fears as ridicu-
lous, irritating, a case of bad hypochon-
dria. I was to blame for my fear. His impa-
tience felt like an abandonment of sorts. I
felt terrified and deeply alone in my fear.
I couldn’t share my fears with the person
whom they were about because I didn’t
want to frighten her; I couldn’t speak with
anyone else in the family because they
were angered by my fear; I couldn’t speak
with her doctor about it because I didn’t
want to set off further testing and thus
speed the road to the eventual diagnosis. I
was totally isolated; my thoughts had built
a bubble of terror in which I was trapped
and alone.
And then something miraculous hap-
pened, perhaps because I couldn’t bear
another moment of being so afraid, or
perhaps just because. Grace appeared
and I heard the following: Your mind is
inflicting violence on you! And what fol-
I chose the free- lowed from there was simply, Stop! Stop!
dom and self-compas- Stop! Something in me stood up for me.
sion that comes with I knew that probability was still on my
saying, and believing, side and the fear I was living might well
“I simply don’t know. be false evidence appearing as real.
That’s the truth.” With this realization, I was able to halt
my mind’s projections into the future and
ALTAFULLA/SHUTTERSTOCK reexperiencing a reality that didn’t and
might never exist.
I recognized that I knew nothing other
than three facts and didn’t need to go one
day or even five minutes into the future. I
could decide to live right here, now, and
construct no storyline at all.
Discomfort remained, mild  anxiety,
but without the narrative connecting
the dots, I was remarkably OK. With the
sudden awareness of how I was tortur-
ing myself, believing my thoughts, I was
able to disembark from my mind’s terror
train. I refused to participate in terrify-
ing myself; I chose the freedom and self-
compassion that comes with saying, and
believing, “I simply don’t know. That’s
the truth.”
For organizing and generating ideas,
there’s no match for the human mind.
And simultaneously, for whipping up
B7
SABPHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK
fear and creating frightening storylines
that appear indisputable, there’s also no
match for the human mind.
The tragic part is that by creating its nar-
ratives of terror, the mind is at some level
trying to calm us down, to understand
the unknown. The mind tries to protect
us from the fear of what could happen
by creating a certainty of what will hap-
pen, which paradoxically can feel less
frightening.
In this recent episode, my mind was
desperately searching to find proof for
its wrongness, evidence that showed its
thoughts were mistaken. And yet, the
more my imagined storyline was con-
firmed, the more frantically I searched
to find something else to explain the
unknown.
We can, in fact, choose
to live in the questions,
to not know, and
not fill in the blanks.
Our mind is often the perpetrator of un-
imaginable violence—on ourselves. Our
thoughts are the great instigator of terror,
yelling fire over and over again when a
hint of smoke is detected. At some point,
the suffering that we self-inflict can be-
come too much and an act of grace or self-
compassion occurs, when we say: “Stop,
stop torturing me. Stop creating stories of
terror. The truth is I don’t know, that’s all.”
Life is challenging enough without add-
ing any of our own terrifying storylines
to it. We can, in fact, choose to live in the
questions, to not know, and not fill in the
blanks. When we leave the dots not con-
nected and sit with the fear that may or
may not exist with what is, we feel a great
relief. Not only relief from the self-inflict-
ed violence of the terrifying storyline, but
also from the need to close up reality and
know—everything—even if it’s nothing
we want to know.
Nancy Colier is a psychotherapist, in-
terfaith minister, author, public speaker,
and workshop leader. For more informa-
tion, visit NancyColier.com
B8 MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021

KOSTIKOVA NATALIA/SHUTTERSTOCK

Decide in
2021 to appre-
ciate all the
good around
us in a more
intentional
way.

Simple Decisions to Make 2021 Better than 2020

Here are 12 things you can do to make the year ahead better for everyone
JOSHUA BECKER let’s decide to no longer complain about time. Let’s give it freely in 2021—whether where a difference in opinion was often
the small stuff. people ask for it or not. regarded as a difference in principle. It

I
t’s time to turn the page on 2020. And
thankfully so.
What should we expect for 2021? Well,
my guess is everything will start to feel a
bit more normal. But I’m not in control of
the world, so how would I know for sure?
I am not in control of the world, how-
ever, I am in control of myself—and you
are in control of yourself. So even though
we can’t control everything around us,
we can control some things.
At the very least, we can control how we
interact with the world around us. And
many times, that makes all the difference.
To that end, in an effort to make 2021 a bet-
ter year for everyone, here are 12 decisions
we can all make as the new year begins:
1. Smile more.
I think we all miss seeing smiles in public
spaces. Once the masks are off, decide to
show more of those pearly whites every
chance you get.
2. Complain less.
2020 was a year of dealing with life-and-
death issues on an almost daily basis.
In some ways, all the things we used to
complain about seem so small now. So
3. Appreciate more.
I thought 2020 would be the year I got ev-
erything I wanted. Now, I know 2020 was
the year to appreciate everything I have.
Decide now to carry that forward into
2021 and appreciate all the good around
us in a more intentional way.
4. Connect more.
In 2020, we lost the ability to connect
with others in-person—at coffee shops,
churches, restaurants, concerts, sporting
events, and even some family gatherings.
Let’s never overlook the opportunity to
connect with others again.
5. Own less.
When everything is taken away, we see
what is most important. When it comes
to recognizing what activities contribute
to quality of life, accumulating physical
stuff pales in comparison to the actual life-
giving pursuits we are being forced to go
without. Decide now to own less in 2021.
6. Encourage more.
2020 was a hard year for everyone! And all
of us needed encouragement from time to
7. Waste less.
Seems like we all learned the value of
another day and another opportunity—
because too many had their last one taken
from them in 2020. Let’s decide now to
not waste any day, any moment, or any
amount of energy remaining.
8. Thank more.
Decide now to say “thank you” more of-
ten. You will feel better for it and so will
the recipient. Win-win.
9. Compete less.
One thing is for sure—we’re all in this
world together. As a result, it’s too easy to
see the world as competition against one
another. Instead, let’s remember we’re on
the same team, all trying to be the best ver-
sions of ourselves. If you want to compete,
compete against who you were yesterday
rather than the stranger down the street.
10. Understand more.
Not only was 2020 marked with a pan-
demic and economic downturn, in many
parts of the world (including my own) it
was a year of political strife and division
rarely is. Everyone will benefit—both
sides—if we decide now to argue less and
understand more.
11. Save more.
With the overnight shutdown/collapse
of many businesses and a worldwide
economy, 2020 showed the importance of
having some financial savings in reserve.
If you haven’t made saving a priority, de-
cide to do it now.
12. Love more.
Love your spouse. Love your kids. Love
your friends. Love your co-workers. Love
your neighbor. Love. The world needs
more of it.
What does 2021 hold? I have no idea.
But with these 12 decisions as my reso-
lutions for 2020, I’m ready for just about
anything. Because life is more than the
circumstances surrounding me.
Joshua Becker is an author, public
speaker, and the founder and editor of
Becoming Minimalist, where he inspires
others to live more by owning less. Visit
BecomingMinimalist.com

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