Hong Kong: New rule forces people to surrender passwords
https://www.dw.com/en/hong-kong-new-rule-forces-people-to-surrender-passwords/a-76482612
Monday, March 23, 2026
Hong Kong: New rule forces people to surrender passwords
Fighting environmentalist tyranny!
German court rejects climate case against BMW, Mercedes
https://www.dw.com/en/german-court-rejects-climate-case-against-bmw-mercedes/a-76485571
Germany's Federal Court of Justice on Monday dismissed a bid by environmental campaigners to ban BMW and Mercedes Benz from selling new combustion engine cars beyond 2030.
The plaintiffs from Environmental Action Germany (Deutsche Umwelthilfe, or DUH) had argued that continuing to sell fossil fuel-powered vehicles after that date would violate the constitution and curb the rights of young people.
The case centered on the question of whether companies can be ordered to take such emissions-savings steps independently of government regulations.
What was argued in court?
The DUH case was brought by three of the organization's managing directors. They argued that the automakers were consuming a disproportionate share of global and national carbon dioxide budgets — the amount of emissions that can be released without breaching internationally agreed targets.
They said that by continuing to sell new combustion engine cars after November 2030, Mercedes Benz and BMW could infringe on the right to self-determination enshrined in Germany's constitution. According to the plaintiffs, using up this carbon budget by selling more vehicles would likely force governments to impose stricter emission-cutting measures, potentially limiting the freedoms of younger generations.
But the court ruled that there were no such emissions budgets for individual companies, with presiding Judge Stephan Seiters saying "the responsibility for climate protection legislation" was a matter for policymakers.
The plaintiffs' argument was built on alandmark 2021 ruling by Germany's Federal Constitutional Court, which required lawmakers to strengthen the country's climate protection law to protect future generations.
What were the reactions?
Barbara Metz, DUH executive director, said the organization would analyze the ruling in detail and would consider filing an appeal.
A lawyer for the group, Remo Klinger, said the court's decision provides "a very clear mandate for the legislature. It must take action."
Both Mercedes and BMW welcomed the ruling.
"Throughout the proceedings, we have consistently maintained the position that the debate over how to achieve climate targets must take place within the political process through democratically legitimized parliaments," BMW said, adding that the company "has long been making an effective contribution to climate protection."
The decision provides "legal certainty for companies operating in Germany," a company spokesperson added.
German carmakers have invested billions in the transition to electric vehicles in an effort to meet EU climate targets. The bloc had planned to phase out combustion engine cars by 2035, but the European Commission proposed weakening those rules late last year under strong pressure from the carmaker lobby.
Edited by. Elizabeth Schumacher
"The Numbers Are Shocking": California Faces Scrutiny Over Hospice Fraud
"The Numbers Are Shocking": California Faces Scrutiny Over Hospice Fraud
Authored by Tom Gantert via The Epoch Times,
Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, posted an Instagram video this week detailing ongoing fraud among hospice and health care facilities in Los Angeles County.
Investigations have focused on Los Angeles County, where officials said state regulators did little to stop fraud.
Investigators believe that the start of the hospice fraud can be traced as far back as 2010.
“The normalization of hospice fraud in California has to stop,” Oz said in his Instagram video while standing in front of one of the Los Angeles County homes that served as a hospice. “The numbers are shocking.”
Here’s what to know about the ongoing fraud scandal and how it is being addressed.
How Do Hospice Schemes Work?
Oz described in his video how the people running that particular hospice allegedly enrolled six individuals into their program.
The patients in the facility allegedly weren’t dying but were put on hospice so the owners of the business could charge Medicare for providing care. The owners also shared their patients’ information with other hospice centers that were in on the scam so they could get paid, Oz said.
Government investigations into Los Angeles County’s operations showed that some hospice agencies might be using stolen identities of medical personnel and that many of the so-called terminal patients were living well beyond expectations.
Investigators believe that the hospices are enrolling patients who are not suffering from terminal illnesses because the patients were found to have “unusually long” stays at the facilities, and high rates of patients were discharged alive.
The financial incentives for fraud are significant. A California state auditor report states that a hospice agency that bills for 20 patients at the going rate can make $122,000 per month.
In 2023, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services estimated that improper payments in home health claims totaled $1.2 billion.
‘People Aren’t Paying Attention’
Investigators said the growth in Los Angeles County hospices began in 2010.
There were 109 hospice agencies in Los Angeles County serving 1 million elderly people in 2010. By 2021, there were 1,841 hospice agencies serving 1.4 million elderly people. From January 2019 to August 2021, the state received 2,600 applications for hospice agencies in Los Angeles County.
According to one government investigation, a single building with 22,500 square feet of space in the community of Van Nuys contained more than 150 licensed hospice and home health agencies—a number investigators believe exceeded the structure’s capacity. The building had no signage indicating that it was housing so many hospices.
Oz said Los Angeles County accounts for about one-third of all hospices in the United States. Of the 2,836 hospices in California, 1,841 were located in Los Angeles County, or nearly two out of every three hospices.
“That only happens because people aren’t paying attention,” Oz said in his Instagram video.
Lack of Oversight
In March 2022, the state auditor warned that the state’s “weak” oversight of the hospice and health care business has “created the opportunity for large-scale fraud and abuse.”
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services directed the California Department of Public Health, the state agency responsible for licensing and oversight, to investigate the single Van Nuys building that was found to have 150 licensed hospice and home health agencies.
The Van Nuys hospice agency door was locked, and the office phone was not working when investigators showed up in January 2021, according to a state audit report. The California Department of Public Health had to contact the building’s landlord to get the owner’s contact information. The owner didn’t show up for scheduled meetings with Public Health for three days, and Public Health was unable to obtain any records. The owner was not able to answer questions regarding the agency, and when asked about her title, she told investigators, “We have not decided yet.”
The California Department of Public Health stated that it couldn’t substantiate any fraudulent activities and closed the investigation without taking any action.
The state auditor also discovered that Public Health became aware of possible fraud during the licensing process but still granted licenses to those hospice agencies. Public Health has not suspended a single hospice license since 2015 and revoked only one license, the auditor said.
Public Health was also taking five months to complete its investigations of patient abuse, which investigators considered “near the upper limit” of a hospice patient’s expected life span.
The auditor’s report states that Public Health agreed with most of the recommendations but stated that some might require legislation to be passed.
The California Department of Public Health didn’t respond to an email seeking comment from The Epoch Times.
Attempts at Reform
Politicians have attempted to address the fraud with legislation, litigation, and other actions.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law on Oct. 4, 2021, that stopped all new hospice licenses due to fraud concerns. The ban was extended through January 2027.
In November 2025, the Department of Justice reported that its fraud division had charged more than 5,800 defendants nationwide involved in health care fraud since 2007. Those 5,800 defendants billed federal health care programs and private insurers for more than $30 billion.
On Jan. 27, Newsom said the California Department of Public Health had revoked more than 280 hospice licenses in the past two years and had identified about 300 more hospices to be evaluated for potential revocation of their licenses.
Since 2021, the California Department of Justice has investigated 101 criminal enterprises and 284 criminal defendants and filed 24 civil cases. As of January, 109 individuals have been charged with hospice-related offenses.
At the federal level, Congress is looking into the issue. A March 17 hearing in the House addressed fraud in hospices across the country.
Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) introduced a bill that aims to protect hospice patients and taxpayers from fraud.
At the state level, California Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo, a Republican representing a rural San Joaquin Valley district, sent a letter on March 16 to the Subcommittee on Health criticizing the Newsom administration for not doing enough to stop the fraud.
Macedo said in the letter that she visited a dilapidated building in Van Nuys that had 197 hospice agencies registered to that address.
She said that Newsom’s administration has “failed to provide the aggressive oversight necessary to stop this hemorrhaging of public funds.”
“Despite a state audit and supposed moratorium on new licenses, these fraudulent hubs continue to operate in broad daylight,” Macedo said.
In January, Newsom said that the Trump administration has “dismantled the federal government’s ability to prevent and address fraud.”
“California didn’t wait—we’ve identified and cracked down on hospice fraud for years, taking real action to protect patients and taxpayers,” Newsom said in a statement.
The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) stated that it is involved with federal leaders to find solutions. The NPHI stated that the fraud issues are not “representative of the majority of hospice providers, who are focused every day on delivering high-quality, compassionate care to patients and families.”
“NPHI is actively working with the Administration and CMS to identify ways to target and root out bad actors,” said Tom Koutsoumpas, founder and CEO of NPHI. “We are encouraged to see decisive steps being taken to crack down on fraud and remove these bad actors from the hospice system, while safeguarding the integrity of hospice care for patients and families nationwide.”
Poor child the latent cost of drugs and bullying
Orphaned New Hampshire boy tormented by bullies dies by suicide week after 13th birthday
Four Jewish ambulances set alight outside London synagogue in antisemitic hate crime: cops...it's what happens when you have an Islamist supporting Mayor and Prime Minister!
Four Jewish ambulances set alight outside London synagogue in antisemitic hate crime: cops
Four ambulances belonging to a Jewish volunteer group and parked by a London synagogue were set on fire early Monday – and an Iranian-backed militant group is claiming responsibility for the attacks.
Terror organization Ashab al-Yamin, “the People of the Right” in Arabic, admitted responsibility in a video it purportedly created — and UK counter-terror cops are investigating whether Tehran orchestrated the attacks in the neighborhood of Golders Green, according to the Telegraph.
Israeli embassy sources told the outlet that the firebomb attacks carried out on Hatzola – a volunteer ambulance service—”had the hallmarks of an Iran-backed attack.”
@ChaskelBennett/X
Ashab al-Yamin has previously claimed responsibility for attacks on Jewish targets in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Shocking video has since surfaced showing a trio of masked yobs lighting a fire by an ambulance.
A California school district is teetering on the verge of collapse after out of control spending and hiring.
Santa Rosa City Schools on brink of collapse after staff got staggering pay packets: ‘Absolute havoc’
The left will fabricate anything for power and to destroy civilization
‘Deputy gangs’ never existed in LA Sheriff’s Dept. — they were a political ploy
After years of accusations, hearings, and political theater by the Los Angeles County Civilian Oversight Commission (COC), the truth has finally been acknowledged: So-called deputy gangs do not exist.
That admission, buried in a February 26, 2026 report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG), states plainly that the LA County Sheriff’s Department has not identified any group meeting the legal definition of a law enforcement gang under California law.
This was not a misunderstanding. It was a narrative, designed for political impact.
For years, the “deputy gang” label was used as a political weapon, amplified by county leadership, oversight bodies, and segments of the media, to discredit the Sheriff’s Department, influence elections, and justify weakening traditional law enforcement under the banner of “reform.”
The campaign began early in my first year as sheriff. County counsel acknowledged in 2019 that no such investigations were initiated under my predecessor to avoid political consequences. That standard changed the moment I took office.
Reports followed, along with national media amplification. Some made the astounding claim that one in six deputies were gang members, more than 1,500 sworn personnel.
That claim defied both logic and evidence, yet it was repeated often enough to be accepted as fact by low information voters – the intended audience.
The COC and OIG escalated the narrative further, launching subpoena-driven hearings timed with the 2022 election cycle.
These proceedings generated sensationalized headlines, but no evidence.
The OIG claimed to have been investigating deputy gangs for years, followed by the DA’s office convening a criminal grand jury, and the state attorney general’s office launching a multiyear “pattern and practice” investigation of the LASD.
Every single effort came up empty-handed: no deputy gangs, no conspiracies to obstruct justice, no efforts to circumvent oversight or the rule of law.
A wave of lawsuits followed, creating a cottage industry of claims tied to “deputy gangs.” County counsel cited tens of millions in costs, yet those cases largely involved unrelated allegations such as use of force or wrongful death, misrepresented to fit a predetermined storyline.
Even a taxpayer-funded RAND study avoided answering the central question, reinforcing the perception rather than establishing the truth.
Throughout all of this, I asked a simple question: Name one deputy gang member.
No one could.
Not the OIG. Not the COC. Not county leadership. Not state or federal prosecutors. After years of investigations — local, state and federal — there is still not a single identified deputy gang member.
A 2022 study by Cal State LA found no correlation between alleged subgroup membership and misconduct. That finding was largely ignored because it didn’t fit the narrative.
The conclusion is unavoidable: This was never about evidence. It was about power.
And while this narrative was pushed, the real consequences were felt on the ground.
Recruitment collapsed. Experienced deputies left in record numbers. Mandatory overtime surged. Morale declined. Today, the LA County Sheriff’s Department faces a staffing crisis that directly impacts response times, proactive policing, and public safety across LA County.
Los Angeles County is at a crossroads. The current administration has now had years to validate these claims, and after all of the investigations, hearings and public accusations, there is still no evidence to support them.
What we do have instead is a department facing critical staffing shortages, declining morale and reduced proactive policing.
We can continue down a path where law enforcement is weakened by political agendas and false narratives, or we can restore experienced leadership, support the men and women who serve, and refocus on what matters most: Keeping our communities safe.
We should be asking a simple question: Are we better off today, with fewer deputies, lower morale, and a reduced police presence?
Or is it time to restore proven leadership that prioritizes public safety and supports those on the front lines?
The truth is now on record.
Now it’s time to restore leadership, rebuild the department, and refocus on public safety.
Alex Villanueva was Sheriff of LA County from 2018 to 2022. He changed parties from Democrat to Republican and is running to regain his office in 2026.
https://nypost.com/2026/03/22/opinion/deputy-gangs-never-existed-in-la-sheriffs-department/
The Justice Department takes action on the real Russian collusion conspiracy
The Justice Department takes action on the real Russian collusion conspiracy
This week, we learned that the probe into the Russian conspiracy theory in Florida is moving forward with the disclosure that former FBI Director James Comey has been subpoenaed. What is different in this probe is that it is pursuing the real Russia conspiracy — the creation of a false narrative to kneecap the first Trump administration.
At issue is what could be the greatest political hit job in history. Of course, the growing evidence of this conspiracy continues to be buried by one of its key components: the media. Nevertheless, the “truth will out,” and it appears to be coming out in Florida.
Headed by Jason A. Reding Quiñones, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, the investigation is building on information uncovered by House and Senate committees that was long buried by the Biden administration. That evidence appears to show a knowing effort to manufacture a Russian conspiracy hoax at the urging of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Ironically, the Washington Post and the New York Times received Pulitzer Prizes for their reporting promoting this Russian conspiracy hoax. The media spent years in wall-to-wall coverage of disproven allegations, including many claims made in the debunked Steele Dossier that had been secretly funded by the Clinton campaign.
The true Pulitzer Prize-worthy story was staring the media in the face the whole time: a conspiracy to create a false conspiracy narrative to elect Clinton and later to derail the Trump administration. The latter effort succeeded with help from top intelligence figures.
During the election, the Clinton campaign repeatedly lied to the media about its funding of the Steele dossier. When journalists discovered after the election that the Clinton campaign had hidden payments for the Steele dossier as “legal fees” among the $5.6 million paid to Perkins Coie, they were reportedly stonewalled.
New York Times reporter Ken Vogel said at the time that Clinton Campaign General Counsel Marc Elias had denied involvement in the anti-Trump dossier. When Vogel tried to report the story, he said, Elias “pushed back vigorously, saying ‘You (or your sources) are wrong.’” Times reporter Maggie Haberman later wrote that “Folks involved in funding this lied about it, and with sanctimony, for a year.”
The key period was shortly before the 2016 election. We now know that the campaign and its surrogates shopped the conspiracy to their contacts in the Justice Department and in the media. They found eager allies.
Shortly before the 2016 presidential election, Peter Strzok, a key figure in the investigation, texted FBI lawyer Lisa Page to assure her “that there’s no way [Trump] gets elected,” adding that they “can’t take that risk.” He added that they had it all in hand because “It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40.”
In fact, whether it was known to Strzok or not, there was an insurance policy in the works. In July 2016, then-CIA Director John Brennan briefed President Barack Obama on Hillary Clinton’s alleged “plan” to tie then-candidate Donald Trump to Russia as “a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server.”
Brennan is believed to be a target of the current investigation, including possible perjury before Congress.
In reality, within days of that briefing on how Clinton would create this conspiracy theory, the investigation began, just as the Clinton campaign hoped it would.
Early on, the FBI was told by the CIA that its sources — and the Steele dossier — were unreliable. However, key FBI officials continued the surveillance and the investigation targeting the Trump campaign and key figures. One official later pleaded guilty to lying to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court to continue surveillance without an evidentiary basis.
At the end of 2016, a CIA assessment found that “Russian and criminal actors did not impact recent U.S. election results by conducting malicious cyber activities against election infrastructure.” That presidential daily brief was scheduled to be published on Dec. 9, 2016, but the office of James Clapper, Obama’s Director of National Intelligence, reportedly stopped the publication “based on some new guidance.”
Clapper later joined Obama, along with John Brennan, Susan Rice, John Kerry, Loretta Lynch, Andrew McCabe, and others, in a meeting that would ultimately inject the debunked theory directly into the media.
A new assessment was ordered that would detail the “tools Moscow used and actions it took to influence the 2016 election.” Brennan reportedly handpicked the analysts who would apparently flip the earlier assessments without any credible intelligence to justify doing so.
Brennan picked Susan Miller to head the effort, a person who admitted she was “not a Trump fan.” In later social media postings, Miller engaged in unhinged screeds like, “This is awful! Further proof that Trump is a dictator.” She also wrote, “Good grief. As if we needed proof that MAGA types are nazis…” She responded to one foreign poster by saying, “Yes….the Hitler analogy is not lost on a bunch of us … sadly.”
Back in 2016, the rewritten assessment was quickly leaked to an eagerly awaiting media. It was the perfect hit job carried out by top Obama administration officials at the very end of their time in power .
In testimony on May 23, 2017, Brennan claimed that the Steele dossier “wasn’t part of the corpus of intelligence information that we had. It was not in any way used as a basis for the intelligence community assessment that was done.”
Yet the declassified material appears to contradict that sworn statement. Brennan allegedly not only discussed the dossier but also insisted upon its inclusion in the new assessment Obama had requested.
Brennan and his handpicked team went to extraordinary lengths to revive the conspiracy theory that they knew was the original objective of the Clinton campaign.
Analysts complained that the reliance on the Steele Dossier “ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment.” One CIA analyst told investigators that Brennan “refused to remove it, and when confronted with the dossier’s main flaws, [Brennan] responded, ‘Yes, but doesn’t it ring true?’”
Keep in mind that Obama ordered the new assessment at the very end of his term. There was a rush to complete the report before Trump took office after defeating Clinton. The effort seeded the Russian collusion hoax that would go on to consume much of Trump’s first term.
In other words, the scheme worked. But it required Brennan’s involvement, as well as that of others, including allegedly then-FBI Director James Comey. It also needed a fully invested media.
None of this will get anyone a Pulitzer, because the politics is wrong. However, it might just force the truth into the open. With Democrats promising to resume impeachments and investigations if they retake power in the midterms, it would be useful for the public to have a full understanding of what actually occurred last time.
It is time for the public to learn whether top Obama officials and the media pulled off the greatest political hoax in history.
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.”
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