Release the memo – investigate Uranium One

The utter farce of the Mueller investigation into Trump collusion with Russia demonstrates the most obscene and overwhelming pattern of government deceit and deflection in decades. Enough has been written on this trolling probe to convince sincere and honest people that the protection racket thugs are running a confidence game against the populace and has abandoned any prospect of justice. Still, the fake news gatekeepers that select what is suitable for the apathetic public to hear see or read keeps the fairy tale narrative going to prevent looking into the true crimes committed by the cabal of establishment globalists.

The Gateway Pundit reports that Rep. Jim Jordan Reveals Context To “Shocking” FISA Memo Proving Corruption At “Highest Levels” of FBI & DOJ. Also the Washington Examiner publishes that 65 lawmakers urge Devin Nunes to allow release of memo on FISA abuses Finally, Breitbart writes the account, ‘Worse Than Watergate’: ‘Shocking’ House Intel Memo Allegedly Reveals FISA Abuse by Senior DOJ and FBI Officials.

Now why is this not the prime news story across the nation? The significance of the cooperation and coordination among the guardians for the establishment has one consuming object; destroy the Donald Trump Presidency. The organized cover-up strikes deep into the fabric of whatever weak claim can be made that the deep state government can be trusted or maintains any legitimacy.

Proof positive starts and begins with the lack of objectivity when most ‘Democrats Wouldn’t Even Look At FISA Memo’… Even The Intercept, left leaning investigative source, while remaining skeptical about the content within the memorandum, calls for Four Easy Ways to Release The Memo. Because of Republican outrage, Glenn Greenwald and Jon Schwarz offer a method for disclosure.

“This has led to a ferocious outcry on the right to “release the memo” – and presumably thereby prove that the Obama administration conducted unlawful surveillance on the Trump campaign and transition. On Thursday night, Fox News host and stalwart Trump ally Sean Hannity claimed that the memo described “the systematic abuse of power, the weaponizing of those powerful tools of intelligence and the shredding of our Fourth Amendment constitutional rights.”

Given the significance of this issue, it is absolutely true that the memo should be declassified and released to the public — and not just the memo itself.”

1. Trump can declassify anything he wants.


2. The House (and Senate) intelligence committees can declassify any material they possess.


3. The Constitution protects members of Congress from prosecution for “any speech or debate in either House.”


4. Republicans can leak everything to the news media.

Regretfully, the fourth option does not provide an effective voice for mass exposé because the concealment starts with the “Yellow Journalists”, better described as presstitutes, who work overtime pushing their lies and duplicity.

In order to place the evidence that the Obama/Clinton machine commits serial crimes into context, examine the connection of Uranium One! The Real Reason Manafort Was Arrested, with the concealment noise and babble.

“Put simply, Robert Mueller is the fox guarding the hen-house. With the real scandal – Uranium One – suddenly breaking out into the open, Robert Mueller was forced to act. These spurious charges being made against Paul Manafort are nothing but a diversion.

The real crime here is the Uranium One scandal. Tony Podesta and Hillary Clinton’s other sycophants are in deep kaka!”

Now that the First Indictment Related to Uranium One Deal Players Unsealed is available, the radioactive half-life of the Clinton contamination deserves to be disposed of under a zeolite layer for waste removal.

“The Justice Department unsealed the indictment only weeks after confirmed receiving multiple referrals for criminal investigations over the past year related to Uranium One and the Clinton Foundation. The U.S. Attorney’s office and the FBI in Little Rock, Arkansas, have recently launched a new investigation into “pay to play” allegations at the Clinton Foundation.

Multiple sources told People’s Pundit Daily (PPD) the probe is building upon the progress and evidence of previous investigations.

Federal agents from Little Rock, where the Clinton Foundation was started, have interviewed at least one witness in the last month, though they are expecting to ramp up activities in the coming weeks. In addition to looking into pay-for-play allegations, the probe is examining potential tax law violations.

The Trump DOJ also cleared a confidential informant — who allegedly made tapes of players speaking about offering bribes to the Clinton Foundation — to testify before Congress on Uranium One. The decision lifted an unprecedented non-disclosure agreement put in place by the Obama Justice Department, allowing him to testify about what he witnessed undercover.

It could also prove damning to Special Counsel Robert Mueller III, who ran the FBI during what numerous experts say appears to be a scheme to cover-up potential crimes resulting from the deal.”

One of the most disturbing elements that puzzle even the most hardened political spectator is why has DOJ top cop Jeff Sessions acted in such a bizarre way when it comes to investigating the Clinton crime syndicate? The Daily Mail announces that a New probe into Hillary’s role in ‘Uranium One’ deal as Jeff Sessions orders Justice Department to investigate claims of Clinton sleaze. Somehow the lack of urgency smacks of just another link in the smoke and mirrors pattern of not bucking the power elite structure.

William F. Jasper writes in the New American, Media Smother Indictment in Clinton-Obama Uranium One Russia Deal and adds valuable information to this topic.

“The DOJ statement notes that Lambert is the “former co-president of a Maryland-based transportation company that provides services for the transportation of nuclear materials to customers in the United States and abroad.” Among important facts not  mentioned in the DOJ statement are Lambert-Mikerin-Putin connections to Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, the Clinton Foundation, Robert Mueller, Barack Obama, former Attorney General Eric Holder, and other top Obama administration officials involved in facilitating or covering up the Uranium One treason scandal.”

The ample sources cited in this article shines light into the dark corners of the Clintonista press reporting ban. For this reason and the subterfuge of criminality goes all the way to the White House. “We now know that a silent Coup d’Etat was launched by Obama, Valerie Jarrett, Susan Rice, Ben Rhodes, John Brennan, James Clapper and the senior officials of the FBI. That coup has been unfolding over the last two years. Its target is President Trump.”

The FISA Memo will prove to be indefensible and all the spin, shift to a different topic for the next media cycle or a blanket blackout void in response to the charges, will deepen the distrust in the swamp rats. If the treason of William Jefferson Clinton with his transfer of secret military nuclear technology to Red Communist China in the 1990’s did not demand a firing squad, what are the prospects that the wicked witch will drown in the stew of her own poison?

Blaming Trump for everything is the only cottage industry that the power gentry has to sell through their manic celebrity minions. The entire Obama administrative structure approved the treachery or ignored the payoffs to the Clinton Foundation. Just maybe the linkage between the FISA disclosures and the atomic pile of payoffs might start a chain reaction that nukes the establishment.

As the “Schumer Shutdown“ drags on, Trump should just close the doors on as many federal agencies as possible. Of course, if he followed this path, the impeachment madness back-stabbers would just use this approach as grounds for removal from office.

Compare this stretch of spuriousness to the actual high treason committed by the Clinton clan. It is long overdue for the Department of Justice to act as a responsible accuser. DOJ needs to indict and prosecute these co-conspirators for their crimes that honest juries would convict upon and any honorable jurists would sentence to the full extent of the law.

Focusing upon the culpability correctly for a failed political and crooked system is the duty of every citizen. No more excuses. Follow the news on alternative resources which have become the Real News.

Blocking out the mainstream media from your search response sources is a practical method to use. Avoid the brain drain that perpetuates the lies and deceptive disinformation upon your psyche. Engage the social progressive warriors by refuting the delusions they promote about their Totalitarian Collectivism.

Demand from your Congressional representatives the disbanding of the Mueller witch hunt. The Watergate inquisition was driven by the Washington Post. The Trump fishing expedition is in search of a crime that does not exist. It is long overdue to end this massive concealment of protecting Robert Mueller and his cronies from their own crimes.

President Trump needs to act decisively. Demand the resignation of DOJ career obstructionists, fire those who will not leave and replace AG Sessions if he refuses to gear up for a comprehensive investigation into Hillary and the Clinton Foundation, which includes both Bill and Chelsea. Lastly, the entire Obama junto of perjurers deserves a long and secure holiday at Gitmo.

Via BATR

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Featured Image: Michael Cory/Flickr

The post Release the memo – investigate Uranium One appeared first on Intellihub.

Five Questions That Need to Be Answered One Month After the Florida Shooting

As millions of kids walk out of school today to beg the government to disarm them, the victims and their families are still left without answers to some of the most glaring questions about the Florida shooting.

The post Five Questions That Need to Be Answered One Month After the Florida Shooting appeared first on The Free Thought Project.

‘It’s a Movie Script’: FBI Insiders Reportedly Expose ‘Official’ Vegas Narrative as Entirely False

According to a new report, the FBI was given a massive amount evidence that they were told not to investigate in the Vegas shooting, including evidence of multiple shooters, accomplices, and motives.

The post ‘It’s a Movie Script’: FBI Insiders Reportedly Expose ‘Official’ Vegas Narrative as Entirely False appeared first on The Free Thought Project.

Just Like Vegas, Authorities are Hiding the Surveillance Footage of Parkland Shooting

Just like officials have done in Las Vegas, authorities in Broward County are now surrounding themselves in secrecy and refusing to released the surveillance footage showing Nikolas Cruz attack the school.

The post Just Like Vegas, Authorities are Hiding the Surveillance Footage of Parkland Shooting appeared first on The Free Thought Project.

Eye Bleed Fever Outbreak Cover Up? Doctor Confirms Cases As Health Officials Deny

Health authorities in Uganda, in central Africa, have been accused of “concealing” cases of deadly Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF).  This horrific “eye bleed fever” has been confirmed by doctors, yet health officials continue to deny the outbreak.

In a blazing tweet, Sarah Opendi, Uganda’s minister for health, categorically stated: “there is no Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Uganda.” But the Health Ministry had no other choice but to admit there was actually an outbreak after a nine-year-old girl from a village in the Nakaseke district tested positive for CCHF.  One Ugandan doctor even said that if there’s even one confirmed case of this horrifying disease, its an epidemic already. Are health officials covering up the severity of this outbreak?

Doctors in Africa seem to think so. In a bombshell report, doctors from Nakaseke Hospital claim the death toll has risen to 11, fueling claims officials are hiding cases and lying about this potentially deadly disease.

Eye bleed fever is a serious infection which causes victims to bleed from their orifices, such as the eyes or anus.  Both Crimean-Congo Fever and the Rift Valley Fever are viral diseases that are found in livestock but can be transmitted to humans. The CCHF virus, which was first detected in the 1940s, causes severe viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks, with a case fatality rate of 10–40%.

Because of the nature of this disease, doctors say it’s important to prevent the spread of this infection, but that’s difficult if health officials are covering up the outbreak.

In a press conference last week, Dr. Diana Atwine, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, reported additional cases of the serious viral infections. Speaking to the media alongside WHO officials, she said: “Since August 2017, when suspected cases were reported, four cases of the Crimean- Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) have been confirmed and five cases of the Rift Valley Fever (RVF). Unfortunately, we have lost three cases of the RVF from Kiboga, Buikwe and Mityana districts. The latest cases were reported on January 19.”

Just 24 hours later, Nakaseke Hospital contradicted Dr. Atwine, claiming 11 people have died from CCHF since July last year. According to the Daily Star, hospital superintendent Dr. Bernard Okello revealed the bombshell after a meeting with a committee of MPs. In total, 23 people have been infected by the lethal disease, nine of whom received treatment at the hospital, Dr. Okella said. One patient is currently being treated at the hospital, he said.

Doctors from the Uganda Medical Association (UMA) accused the Ministry of Health of failing to handle the CCHF outbreak in Nakaseke district and putting the lives of health workers at risk. In an interview with Daily Star Online, Dr. Mukuzi Muhereza, from the UMA, warned the disease will spread further unless action is taken quickly.

DOJ Unseals Indictment Involving Uranium One Scandal

This report was originally published by Tyler Durden at Zero Hedge

The Department of Justice unsealed an 11-count indictment on Friday to a former DoD intelligence analyst-turned uranium transportation executive who stands accused of a bribery and money laundering scheme involving a Russian nuclear official connected to the Uranium One deal. 

The indictment corroborates a November report by The Hill that an FBI mole deeply embedded in the Russian uranium industry had gathered extensive evidence of the scheme.

Mark Lambert, 54, of Mount Airy, Maryland, was charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and to commit wire fraud, seven counts of violating the FCPA, two counts of wire fraud and one count of international promotion money laundering.

The charges stem from an alleged scheme to bribe Vadim Mikerin, a Russian official at JSC Techsnabexport (TENEX), a subsidiary of Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation and the sole supplier and exporter of Russian Federation uranium and uranium enrichment services to nuclear power companies worldwide, in order to secure contracts with TENEX.

According to the indictment, beginning at least as early as 2009 and continuing until October 2014, Lambert conspired with others at “Transportation Corporation A” to make corrupt and fraudulent bribery and kickback payments to offshore bank accounts associated with shell companies, at the direction of, and for the benefit of, a Russian official, Vadim Mikerin, in order to secure improper business advantages and obtain and retain business with TENEX. –DOJ

While the indictment lists Lambert’s company as “Transportation Corporation A,” a simple search reveals that Lambert is the co-President of DAHER-TLI, “the leading front end freight forwarding company dedicated to Nuclear Cargo,” according to its website.

In 2012, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission sent a letter to Lambert with findings that TLI had exported plutonium “in excess of the maximum quantity and type applied for and licensed,” and “exported Australian obligated material, which was not authorized under license conditions.”

Prior to his 26 year tenure in the transportation industry – 20 of which have been with TLI, Mr. Lambert was an Arabic Linguist for the Navy for five years, and a Senior Intel Analyst for the Department of Defense (DoD) for three years.

Lambert also speaks fluent Arabic and Farsi (Persian), along with French and Italian.

The indictment against Lambert corroborates prior reporting by The Hill that an FBI mole buried deep within the Russian nuclear industry had gathered extensive evidence of a scheme involving bribes and kickbacks between Russian nuclear officials and TLI – which would have transported the U.S. uranium sold to Russia in the ’20 percent’ Uranium One deal.

“The Russians were compromising American contractors in the nuclear industry with kickbacks and extortion threats, all of which raised legitimate national security concerns. And none of that evidence got aired before the Obama administration made those decisions,” a person who worked on the case told The Hill, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution by U.S. or Russian officials.”

Based on what the FBI knew – including evidence which purportedly includes a video of Russians preparing briefcases of bribe money – the Uranium One deal never should have gone through. Moreover, both Robert Mueller and current deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein were directly involved – and current Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other Justice Department officials appear to be covering for them.

In short, the FBI had ample evidence of the Russian bribery plot before the Obama administration approved the Uranium One deal thanks to their embedded mole in the Russian nuclear industry.

The informant – outed as energy consultant William Campbell – was “threatened” by Obama admin AG Loretta Lynch to keep quiet with an iron-clad gag order, according to his attorney – former Reagan Justice Dept. official and former Chief Counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee Victoria Toensing. After Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-VA) demanded Campbell be allowed to testify in front of Congress, the gag order was lifted.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions originally tried to claim that there was no connection between Uranium One and the nuclear transport bribery case, however several congressional republicans pushed back:

“Attorney General Sessions seemed to say that the bribery, racketeering and money laundering offenses involving Tenex’s Vadim Mikerin occurred after the approval of the Uranium One deal by the Obama administration. But we know that the FBI’s confidential informant was actively compiling incriminating evidence as far back as 2009,” Rep. Ron DeSantis, (R-Fla.) told The Hill.

“It is hard to fathom how such a transaction could have been approved without the existence of the underlying corruption being disclosed. I hope AG Sessions gets briefed about the CI and gives the Uranium One case the scrutiny it deserves,” added DeSantis, whose House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittees is one of the investigating panels.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a similar rebuke last week to Rosenstein, saying the deputy attorney general’s first response to the committee “largely missed the point” of the congressional investigations.

“The essential question is whether the Obama Justice Department provided notice of the criminal activity of certain officials before the CFIUS approval of the Uranium One deal and other government decisions that enabled the Russians to trade nuclear materials in the U.S,” Grassley scolded.”

Meanwhile, journalists John Solomon and journalist Sara Carter claim to have copies of the FBI informant’s evidence, while Carter issued an explosive report in late November laying out the players, the timeline, and the evidence at hand.

“By the time the sale of Uranium One was approved by the Obama Administration, the FBI’s investigators had already gathered substantial evidence and the bureau was also aware of Russia’s intentions to enter the U.S. energy market and its desire to purchase a stake in American uranium,” Carter writes.

Highlights: 

• FBI mole William Campbell was a highly valued FBI asset – paid $51,000 by FBI officials at a celebration dinner in Chrystal City, VA, where Campbell’s attorney says they thanked him for his service.


• Campbell was required by the Russians, under threat, to launder large sums of money – which allowed the FBI to uncover a massive Russian “nuclear money laundering apparatus”


• Campbell collected over 5,000 documents and briefs over a six year period


• Campbell uncovered a Russian plot to penetrate the Obama administration and gain approval for the Uranium One sale, including a 2010 email which describes “Russia’s intent on expanding its Uranium expansion in the United States.”

“This is not just about bribery and kickbacks but about a U.S. company that was transporting yellow-cake for the Russians with our approval,” an unnamed U.S. Intelligence official told Carter, adding “This should raise serious questions. At the time everyone was concerned about Russia’s ties to Iran, we still are. And of course, Russia’s intentions and reach into the U.S. energy market.”

Given Friday’s unsealed indictment, however it looks like the DOJ may have changed their tune on Campbell. If so, perhaps that “briefcase full of bribe money” video will finally see the light of day.

‘I’ve Never Seen That’: FBI Admits MGM Keeping Paddock Weapons Footage Secret

A bombshell revelation on the Vegas Massacre was just exposed showing that not even the FBI has seen the surveillance video of Stephen Paddock.

“20 Million Could Starve To Death In Coming Months” As Bio-systems Of Earth Are Imploding: ‘

Geoengineering expert Dane Wigington is suing to get NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration) to give up its climate engineering information. But he’s hit a brick wall, and it’s all because the powers that be seek to hide this information from the public for a long as possible.

Wigington contends, “There is no hiding from what’s coming. . . . NOAA is not returning our FOIA’s, Freedom of Information Act requests.”  He also says that this has been going on for 70 years, and was ramped up about 20 years ago. “This is the Orwellian world we live in,” said Wigington.  A team of attorneys working with GeoengineeringWatch.org and Stop Geoengineering Minnesota is suing to get NOAA to release the information requested.

“They are legally required to give those to our attorneys, and they are not doing that.  In fact, NOAA, in essence, flipped us the middle finger by sending back FOIA’s saying they know nothing about any sort of weather modification anywhere ever.  Think how absurd this is when there are 300 regional weather modification programs that NOAA is required to sign off on every single year (in the contiguous 48 states).  They are denying all of it.  This is the biggest cover-up in human history, with the largest most extensive operation in history, with the cooperation of governments around the globe.  That is not speculation.  You have to look and understand the gravity of the situation that is unfolding.  Countries around the globe, whatever you are focused on, if it’s not saving the life support systems of the planet, everything else amounts to arranging deck chairs on the Titanic. . . . This is the single most destructive endeavor ever launched by the human race.  Mathematically, it’s the greatest threat we face short of nuclear catastrophe.” –Dane Wigington

According to USA Watch Dog, Wigington contends that the situation is much worse than most yet understand and climate engineering (not to be confused with the propagated and manufactured climate change which was invented in 1998 to cover this up as a “solution” to climate change) is a primary causal factor. Wigington explains, “Our situation is far more dire and immediate than anyone yet comprehends, and climate engineering is making it worse, not better.  Official statistics say 20 million people could starve in the coming months, and that number will increase exponentially.  The biosystems of the planet are imploding.”

“They (many disinformation sources) have to control the message, they almost exclusively use the term ‘chemtrails’ because that term leads to a dead end (conspiracy theory and hoax definitions).  It’s not a scientific term, and they want us to use that term.  You don’t see them using the geoengineering, climate engineering, solar radiation management and aerosol injection term because they (mainstream media and disinformation sources) don’t want people to understand the legitimacy of this issue.  Why the Senate hearings?  Because the elephant in the room is now all but impossible to hide, and they are trying to pacify populations until the last possible moment.  They want to tell the population what they want to hear–that this is only a proposal… We have massive toxic aerosol, heavy metal spraying in our atmosphere that could not be more visible.  It’s blotting out the sun. . . . These programs are completely out of control. . . .We are on the road to planetary omnicide. Climate engineering is the greatest and most immediate assault we face.  Climate engineering, look at it like this, like the pharmaceutical approach to planet earth.  Hide the symptoms even if you are making the overall situation exponentially worse.  That’s what they are doing.  We have had these radical whiplash weather scenarios where it goes from 80 to 90 degrees to snow in a day or two.  This weather whiplash is not natural in any way, shape or form.”

It’s time to prepare for what’s coming. Learn to grow your own food and be self-sufficient. It could make all the difference.

Vegas Massacre Cover-Up: PR Firm Hired by Mandalay Bay Exposed Pushing Conspiracy Theories

Why has the PR team hired by Mandalay Bay been pushing bogus conspiracy theories clearly meant to discredit legitimate inquiry into the Las Vegas shooting?

Actress With DNA Evidence of Her Rape at Golden Globes Mysteriously Fell Off a Cliff and Died

After being brutally raped at the Golden Globe Awards, Hollywood actress Misty Upham went missing and found over a week later, having died from falling off a cliff.

Video Proof: There Were At Least 7 Different Shooters During The Las Vegas Massacre

This report was originally published by Alex Thomas at The Daily Sheeple

Over the last month numerous independent researchers have put together a startling amount of evidence that there were multiple shooters during the horrific Las Vegas Massacre, many of them pointing to the plethora of eyewitness reports that confirm this stunning fact.

Amazingly, eyewitnesses have not only reported the existence of multiple shooters near the Route 91 Music Festival, many have also noted that there were shooters at other hotels along the strip, including Hooters, MGM, The Bellagio, and The Delano.

Footage from these hotels (which is included in the video below) also points to attackers striking multiple places throughout the strip.

For their part, law enforcement authorities in both the Las Vegas Police Department and The FBI have actively covered up what actually happened during that fateful night, going out of their way to confuse the timeline and at one point even telling Americans to ignore independent news reports and even video footage that they could see with their own eyes.

We are clearly witnessing a massive coverup of one of the worst mass shootings in American history. At this point one has to wonder if authorities were in on the attack themselves or if they are covering up the fact that a terror group such as ISIS actually hit Las Vegas?

The following video puts together the various eyewitness reports that prove, without a shadow of doubt, that the authorities are lying about Stephen Paddock being the lone gunman who carried out the attack.

While over 40 minutes long, I encourage you to watch the entire report.

Although many facts about the attack remain unclear, it is safe to say that the official story has been officially debunked.

Vegas Survivor Who Died Suddenly Had Planned Group to Expose Cover-Up

This report was originally published by Adan Salazar at Infowars

A woman who died days after surviving the ill-fated October 1 country music festival in Las Vegas wanted to organize a survivor’s group in order to flesh out the strange event, Facebook conversations reveal.

Kymberley Suchomel, 28, died suddenly on October 9 at her Apple Valley, California, residence five days after posting her version of events to Facebook.

In the days following the massacre, friends reached out to Suchomel over a October 4 post in which she described someone setting off “fire crackers” near the venue, and detailed being chased by numerous people, concluding at one point “There was more than one gun firing. 100% more than one.”

One longtime friend of Suchomel’s, who asked to remain anonymous, provided Infowars with screenshots of a conversation he’d had with her, in which she indicated planning to “organize a group of survivors” in order “to piece things together.”

“You can share my comment for sure. And you can leave my name,” Suchomel says in a Facebook message to her friend. “I’m trying to organize a group of survivors so if anyone wants to contact me they can. Because this fucked up shit doesn’t make sense and we are trying to piece things together.”

“The media can suck it. They have no idea what went down!” she added.

Suchomel goes on to tell her friend, who told Infowars he’d known her for years, that she was compiling a “second by second story” detailing her experience, and pinpoints on an image where she’d been seated with her friends.

Important to note is that much of Suchomel’s lengthy account – now deleted from Facebook, but available here – appears to contradict the lone wolf shooter narrative provided to the public from law enforcement.

Another friend of Suchomel who organized a fundraiser to help pay for funeral expenses says her family made the decision to deactivate Kymberley’s Facebook account due to “an overwhelming amount of messages” from conspiracy theorists claiming her friend was “murdered.”

“They believe she passed away from a grand mahl seizure but the autopsy report has not been finalized,” Suchomel’s friend wrote on Facebook Sunday.

In comments to the Victorville Daily Press, Suchomel’s grandmother, Julie Norton, told a reporter she believed “Suchomel may have died in her sleep after her husband, Mike, left for work at 4:30 a.m.”

“Kymberley had epilepsy and she’s always been prone to seizures — she told her friend that she recently had three focal seizures,” Norton told reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz, who personally knew Suchomel. “I believe the stress from the shooting took her life.”

Before she met her untimely demise, Kymberley had told De La Cruz she was consumed with fear by the gruesome events she’d witnessed.

“My heart starts racing when I hear loud noises,” Kymberley stated. “I’m afraid because my heart keeping pounding and it won’t stop.”

De La Cruz also reports Suchomel had been taking medication to treat a pituitary tumor.

Kymberley was also a charity organizer in California and had also created the High Desert Phoenix Foundation, which helps citizens of the region pay for costs associated with tragedies.

Kymberley is survived by her daughter Scarlett, 3, and her husband Michael. A YouCaring fundraiser dedicated to her can be found here.

Read Kymberley’s Facebook post from October 4-5:

Update: Revision adds Suchomel was treating pituitary tumor.

Follow @AdanSalazarWins

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adan.salazar.735

Pedophilia Network of Cops Busted Raping and Filming Cadets to Make Child Porn

Louisville, KY — Officers Kenneth Betts and Brandon Wood, formerly with the Louisville Police Department, may have been able to fly under the radar of the mainstream media until now. But with recent court document revelations presented in court this week, their alleged pedophilia practices have come to the surface and even captured on video. And, once again, the crimes involve a police cadet program and accused pedophile cops.

The two police officers allegedly raped a teenage boy, both in their car and in a residence, and filmed the crime for the purposes of producing pornography. Betts and Wood were police officer mentors in the Youth Explorer Program for kids who want to one day become law enforcement officers. It was inside the mentorship program that they are accused of finding their victims.

Woods was fired in April after serving 8 years in the police department. Betts resigned in 2014 following an investigation he’d had improper contact with a teenage girl. Both former Louisville officers were indicted in April and entered “not guilty” pleas. Their trials are underway.

Because their victims are minors, both the identities of the children, as well as their parents, are being withheld for privacy reasons. A female victim’s mother made a statement to police in the fall of 2016 that Lt. Curtis Flaherty had put pressure on the family not to come forward with charges. According to the Courier-Journal, Flaherty was, “commander of both the Explorer program and the Public Integrity Unit,” in 2013. As such he was not only responsible for the youth discovery program but he also led the department which, “investigates possible criminal acts by department members.”

So when the allegations of impropriety surfaced, a conflict of interest arose and Flaherty took the side of the accused police officer and allegedly encouraged the family to keep quiet. Flaherty retired from the Louisville PD earlier this year. He’s now lawyered up and his attorney, Lee Sitlinger, claims the mother’s recollections were either taken out of context or misinterpreted.

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Attorney David Yates represents five alleged victims. He told reporters the mother’s claims are in line with his own discoveries and added the Flaherty’s interference;

underscores what I have been saying for some time – that there were police officers who used their trust and authority to abuse minor victims…They were protected and assisted in a continuing cover-up through their supervisor and this was allowed to go on for way too long.

The mother gave a nearly hour-long videotaped interview with detectives. She said her daughter met the accused pedophile cops in 2013 at a week-long Explorer camp at Campbellsville University. There, the two cops targeted the young girl who was 15 at the time. She said Betts started sexting her daughter while she was 15, and after she turned 16, he began propositioning her for sex.

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She said she told another officer and an internal investigation progressed. According to the Courier-Journal, that’s when she said Flaherty stepped in and put a stop to it.

Several officers subsequently interviewed her and took the daughter’s cell phone for further investigation. But she said the Explorer supervisor called her and told her to keep quiet, according to the report. She told investigators that when Betts learned her daughter had turned 16, he began contacting her to have a sexual relationship. The mother said a sergeant in internal affairs assured her that the investigation was important and that it was “on the top of the list on the chief’s desk.” But she said she was later told Betts had been “let go” and “there was never any closure regarding this case.”

That’s when Betts apparently quietly resigned. Now, in 2017, accusations are being leveled against the Chief of Police Steve Conrad and the city of a cover-up. Mayor Greg Fischer suspended the program in March in an apparent response to the negative publicity the two officers brought to the department. Fischer and Metro Council members contacted the FBI which is also conducting its own investigation.

Just as the investigation into alleged sex scandals involving teenage explorers and Louisville police officers was progressing, the police union stepped in and filed a lawsuit to prevent at least three other officers from testifying in the case. The River City Fraternal Order of Police (RCFOP) filed a lawsuit mid-August to prevent the officers from incriminating themselves in the involuntary interviews with a private attorney hired at the request of the mayor’s office. Officers Matthew Gelhausen, Joseff Keeling and Paul Paris were protected from being forced to give a deposition to the lawyer as a result of the lawsuit filed by their union. It is still unclear what the officers knew or how they were involved in the alleged abuses, cover-up, and/or quiet resignation of Betts.

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Betts and Woods were reported to be best friends and were good friends with Flaherty, their accused protector. According to many former explorers, Woods would often hang out with the young boys outside of the program and take them on camping trips. His behavior as a mentor in the program was also questionable as he reportedly got drunk on at least one occasion and leaned against the young men.

In October of 2016, when allegations surfaced Woods raped a young teenage boy, he was stripped of his policing powers following an investigation by Flaherty’s Public Integrity Unit. It wasn’t until Betts was indicted that Woods was fired by Conrad in April.

As a result of the ongoing investigation, a fourth officer was placed on reassignment following an allegation from a female victim (who was once an explorer and is now an adult) she was also abused. Officer Brad Schuhmann stands accused by the victim and is the latest officer to be officially embroiled in the sex scandal involving pedophile cops and teens in the Explorer program.

The Explorer program is an affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America and, according to a Courier-Journal investigation going all the way back to 1974, has been at the center of sex scandal controversies involving cops and teenage cadets. As TFTP has reported, a vast pedophilia network is at work in the United States involving some of the most trusted members of society. As a result, few are ever held accountable for their actions and crimes against children. Using news databases, court records and other sources the Courier-Journal concluded:

READ MORE:  Bad Apple? Entire Police Unit Suspended for Covering Up Home Invasion

► The Boy Scouts of America affiliate that runs the Explorer program has let police departments police themselves and failed to adopt some safeguards.

► Some department chiefs have ignored warning signs and minimized allegations.

► Ride-alongs in police cruisers have allowed law enforcement advisers to groom and abuse victims in one-on-one settings.

► Advisers have used their positions to exploit vulnerable teens who look up to them as mentors.

► Many offenders received only slight punishments, in part because of questions about whether victims had consented.

► Victims say their trust was violated and their dreams of law enforcement careers shattered.

In April, when residents of Rolling Hills learned their “Code Enforcement” official had been charged with raping a teenage boy, they demanded he be fired. He was. Both Betts and Woods are facing decades in prison for charges of sexual abuse, and sodomy against one of the teenage cadets they were sworn to protect.

The criminal charges were filed against the two officers after the male victim known as “N.C.” filed a civil suit in March against the two men and Flaherty. The suit alleged the two officers began having sex with N.C. while he was 17 and continued doing so until he was 19 and that those sex acts were filmed for the purposes of creating pornography.

We at TFTP call on anyone and everyone who has ever been abused by any police officer within the Louisville Police Department to come forward with their story. It is the age of reckoning and the pedophile network of abusers and protectors needs to be broken. The RCFOP should be ashamed of itself. Instead of demanding that its officers report crimes to their superiors, by filing a lawsuit preventing officers from testifying, they have given the public the impression those potential crimes should remain hidden.

Over 125 Victims Reveal Massive Child Molestation Conspiracy and Cover-Up Within USA Gymnastics

A massive case involving over a hundred women and girls is shining a light on the horrid sexual abuse and cover-up taking place within the USA Gymnastics program. For decades children were “sacrificed” and their abusers “protected,” according to one of the victims.

Last week, former gymnast Rachael Denhollander called for a regime change within the organization. Denhollander is one of more than 125 victims, including US Olympic champion and three-time gold medalist, Aly Raisman, who are coming forward with evidence of cover-ups and abuse.

As USA Today reports, in a joint interview with USA TODAY Sports and the Associated Press on Saturday, Raisman said revelations of widespread abuse by longtime team physician Larry Nassar and the reaction by the governing bodies has colored how she views her sport.

“The people at the very top, that work at the office every single day at USA Gymnastics, they need to do better,” Raisman said.

“It’s making me sad,” she added. “I’m here to support my teammates because we got inducted to the Hall of Fame and I’m here to support the girls who are competing. I love the Olympics, I love gymnastics, I love the sport.

“But I don’t support how USA Gymnastics is handling everything right now.”

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As the Guardian reports, Nassar spent nearly 30 years as an osteopath with the USA Gymnastics program and is now in prison in Michigan after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography. Nassar is still awaiting trial on separate criminal sexual conduct charges in addition to being sued by over 125 women in civil court who claim he sexually assaulted them under the guise of treatment.

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Denhollander and another former gymnast, Jamie Dantzcher, are demanding the leadership of USA Gymnastics be removed immediately.

“The painful reality is that no one on the board of USAG can be trusted on the issue of sexual assault,” Denhollander said.

“Culture of abuse at USAG had created institutional dynamics where over and over and over again predators were protected and the children were sacrificed.”

According to ABC 7, they are asking for USAG Chairman Paul Parilla, Vice Chairman Jay Binder and Treasurer Bitsy Kelley to be removed. The gymnasts are not only accusing the leadership of ignoring the suspected abuse, but trying to cover it up.

“No one from USA Gymnastics has apologized nor accepted any responsibility for Nassar’s assaults on dozens of USA gymnasts,” Dantzcher said.

The board denies covering up the abuse of over 125 girls, however, the odds of that many girls all conspiring to form a false case are fairly slim — not to mention all the cases of abusers who’ve already been sentenced.

In a statement to ABC 7, the USAG said, “We are confident our board officers will continue to lead us through the coming months while we strengthen our culture that has safe sport as a top priority throughout our organization.”

“What people don’t realize is that this doctor was a doctor for 29 years,” Raisman. “Whether or not he did it to a gymnast, they still knew him. Even if he didn’t do it to you, it’s still the trauma and the anxiety of wondering what could have happened. I think that needs to be addressed. These girls, they should be comfortable going to USA Gymnastics and saying ‘I need help, I want therapy. I need this.’”

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What these former victims are exposing is also backed up by an investigation by the IndyStar which revealed that top executives at one of America’s most prominent Olympic organizations failed to alert authorities to many allegations of sexual abuse by coaches — relying on a policy that enabled predators to abuse gymnasts long after USA Gymnastics had received warnings.

According to the investigation, USA Gymnastics would not disclose the total number of sexual misconduct allegations it receives each year. But records show the organization compiled complaint dossiers on more than 50 coaches and filed them in a drawer in its executive office in Indianapolis. 

During a 2013 lawsuit, two former USAG officials admitted under oath to routinely covering up sexual abuse allegations. Because of this case, the contents of all the complaint dossiers mentioned above remain sealed. The IndyStar is seeking to make them public.

The reality is that USAG officials have been raping and abusing girls for decades and they were allowed to do so under the cover of the organization. Only after a handful of the predators became so active in their abuse were they caught by law enforcement.

One such case, involving William McCabe, revealed how USAG covered for him for nearly a decade while he preyed on young girls. Mulitple complaints were swept under the rug as the man preyed on children — despite one gym owner warning the USAG in 1998 that McCabe “should be locked in a cage before someone is raped.”

He wasn’t arrested until the mother in the 2013 lawsuit went to the FBI with concerns over McCabe emailing her then-11-year-old daughter.

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As the IndyStar reports, McCabe was charged with molesting gymnasts, secretly videotaping girls changing clothes and posting their naked pictures on the internet. He pleaded guilty in 2006 in Savannah, Georgia, to federal charges of sexual exploitation of children and making false statements. He is serving a 30-year sentence.

The price of having one of the best gymnastics teams in the world is apparently steep.

Shelley Haymaker, an Indiana attorney who represents abuse victims in child welfare cases, said USA Gymnastics’ approach “sickens” her, according to the IndyStar.

“USAG may not have been the hand that ultimately abused these innocent children,” Haymaker said, “but it was definitely the arm.”

Did an EPA Official Collude with Monsanto by Tilting Research?

The EPA’s inspector general has launched an investigation into possible collusion between a former high-ranking EPA official and Monsanto, the maker of RoundUp. [1]

The probe was initiated in response to a request from Rep. Ted Lieu, a Democrat from California, for an investigation into whether the EPA official colluded with the biotech giant to tilt research on glyphosate in favor of Monsanto’s claim that the chemical does not cause cancer in humans.

This, despite Monsanto having never conducted carcinogenicity studies on RoundUp.

Source: Zero Hedge

Lieu’s request was based on media reports of documents released as part of a lawsuit against Monsanto alleging that glyphosate is carcinogenic and that the company may have spun research and hired scientists to cover it up.

Read: EPA Official Accused of Helping Monsanto “Kill” Glyphosate-Cancer Link

Inspector General Arthur A. Elkins Jr. wrote in a letter he sent to a lawmaker on 31 May, 2017:

“As you are you aware, there is considerable public interest regarding allegations of such collusion. As a result, I have asked the EPA OIG Office of Investigations to conduct an inquiry into several agency review-related matters.” [1]

The lawsuit-related documents refer to internal Monsanto e-mails that mention Jess Rowland, a former manager in the EPA’s pesticide division.

In a press release, the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting endangered species, notes that the documents contain these potentially incriminating revelations:

• The chair [Rowland] of the EPA’s Cancer Assessment Review Committee on glyphosate was in regular contact with Monsanto, providing insider information that guided Monsanto’s messaging;

• The chair warned Monsanto that the World Health Organization’s cancer research arm had found glyphosate to be probably carcinogenic months before the 2015 determination became public, allowing the pesticide-maker to mount a public relations attack on the finding;

• The chair promised to thwart the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ review of glyphosate’s safety, saying that if he was successful he deserved a medal. The department never did review glyphosate’s safety;

• A Monsanto executive e-mailed other company officials that they could hire academics to put their names on glyphosate research papers written by Monsanto, citing a previous instance where this was done. The referenced paper was used in the EPA pesticide program’s own cancer analysis.

Source: Zero Hedge

It appears that at the time the original e-mail was sent, Monsanto was trying to recruit Rowland to help shut down a review of glyphosate within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry division.

Rowland has since retired after spending 26 years at the agency, and plaintiffs’ lawyers have been deposing him about accusations that Monsanto may have paid him off for his efforts via third parties. [1] [2]

OIG investigators will likely begin interviewing Rowland’s former colleagues and bosses, pulling records and poring through e-mails, according to Michael Hubbard, a retired Special Agent in Charge for the EPA’s criminal investigations division. It’s also likely that investigators at the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section will be pulled into the mix. Additionally, subpoenas could be granted to allow access to Rowland’s bank records.

Said Hubbard:

“You want to start looking at money trails. Has he benefitted from Monsanto? Was the money changing hands with him or his significant other?” [1]

It wouldn’t be shocking to learn that Monsanto was working with an EPA official to quash damaging research. This is the same company that allegedly has its own department of Internet “trolls” tasked with trashing negative articles and comments about RoundUp.

Monsanto will do anything to cover up the toxic truth about glyphosate. After the IARC declared glyphosate “probably carcinogenic,” the company pressured the WHO agency to reassess the herbicide, and continues to insist that “there is no evidence of carcinogenicity” in RoundUp’s main ingredient.

Sources:

[1] The Huffington Post

[2] Center for Biological Diversity

Images Source:

Zero Hedge

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About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.

Bad Apple? Entire Police Unit Suspended for Covering Up Home Invasion

Troy, NY — The entire drug unit of Troy, New York’s Police Department has been placed on administrative leave following reports that the unit entered a home without a warrant.

According to the Times Union, the officers entered a home after they were tipped off by another Capital Region police agency. But then they lied about it.

Apparently, they realized they made a major mistake, but then compounded their problems by attempting to cover their tracks. They allegedly filed a false burglary report. Now, all of their cases will likely come under scrutiny by lawyers attempting to free their clients.

After the chief became aware of the incident, and their attempts to cover it up, they were all placed on administrative leave.

The unit is led by Sgt. Ron Epstein, and it consists of five officers. It serves as Troy’s front line in the city’s “war on drugs.” Their suspension has further deepened the rift between the police department, and the mayor’s office and the city council—who have been given very little information about the alleged home invasion.

Mayor Patrick Madden issued a statement saying their suspension resulted, “from a personnel matter which involves the conduct of certain officers of the unit during a particular occasion.” The ambiguous statement by the mayor has left more questions than answers, according to some who are now very critical of the way the sheriff and the mayor are handling the incident.

The ambiguous statement by the mayor has left more questions than answers, according to some who are now very critical of the way the sheriff and the mayor are handling the incident.

“An internal investigation has been commenced to protect the integrity of the Troy Police Department and reassure the public’s continued trust and confidence in our law enforcement officials,” Mayor Madden said.

City Council President Carmella Mantello, whose nephew is also on the police force, raised concerns about the kind of rift the firing of an entire squad of officers could cause among city leaders.

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“I am deeply concerned that this would remove from the front line a total police department unit in our city’s fight against drugs and related matters,” Mantello said. “I am calling upon the mayor to advise the council and the public as to how the city would fill the gap and responsibilities of this important unit.”

Unfazed by the criticisms of the council, Madden issued a statement Friday, calling the drug unit, “a highly trained, professional group of men and women who are committed to serve and protect our community with distinction.”

“The conduct of a few officers on a specific occasion should not impact the reputation of the entire department,” Madden said.

The apparent stonewalling by the mayor—who is equally tight-lipped about the investigation—did not settle well with Mantello who is now calling for full transparency.

“While part of this issue is a personnel issue, according to the city, the actual circumstances of this case should be revealed,” she said, noting that she now wants her questions answered.

“In other words, what specifically caused the removal of this unit from their duties of protecting the public?” Mantello asked. “I don’t believe in anytime in the city’s history has a total police department unit been removed from carrying out their duties and responsibilities.”

Troy Police Chief John Tedesco spoke with News 10 and implied that the department may be better off without the officers involved if they are guilty of committing the alleged crime of falsifying a police report.

“If they’re going to do that then I kind of feel safer without if that’s the case,” Tedesco said. But then he backed off of the comment, and said, “I can’t say I feel safer with or without them.”

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Chief Tedesco said he asked the NY State Police and others for help. “As soon as the unit was placed on the administrative leave, we were in contact with the New York State Police and the Rensselaer County Sheriff. They will be coming into the city to assist us,” he told reporters.

“I can confidently say to the citizens that while it’s not the ideal situation, their safety is paramount and it’s being taken care of.” Tedesco said, attempting to reassure the public by implying that changes of rank would be made. “It depends on the length of the investigation and what we find in the investigation. We will be making changes as we go along.”

While the suspension of an entire unit may come as a surprise to Troy city leaders, it is no surprise to The Free Thought Project. As we have reported on numerous occasions, entire police departments can become corrupt.

In March 2015, the Brooklyn Police Department came under investigation amid allegations that weapons, drugs and other items had been removed from the evidence room. Then in March 2016, the head of a drug task force in Pennsylvania was arrested for having sex with a minor in exchange for leniency.

The Free Thought Project will continue to follow this story closely and inform our readers of any important updates.

WATCH: Cops Torture Innocent Disabled Man with a Taser, Break His Hip

Syracuse, NY — Brad Hulett (39) is arguably one of the unluckiest men who’s ever lived. When he was 12, he was hit by two trains, and permanently disabled, and a portion of his brain was removed. At 27, he was run over by a truck.

Both accidents left him permanently disabled. The train accident left his left side practically useless, and his brain injury left him with a dented skull when half of his brain was removed. The man vs. truck incident left him with constant back pain, aggravated by standing.

But it wasn’t until he had a run-in with Syracuse police officers that his luck, once again, took a turn for the worse. Officers were called to the bus where Hubert was a rider on May 3, 2013.

Hulett refused to sit down, preferring to stand while holding the pole, reportedly because sitting hurt his back. When Syracuse’s finest arrived, instead of noticing he is obviously disabled, and employing de-escalation techniques, the officers went straight to their tasers.

The disabled man was tased and dragged out of the bus. As a result of the officers’ actions, he broke his hip in the process and had to have surgery, which left a seven-inch scar. The disabled man sued the officers, the police department, and the ambulatory services after charges against him were dismissed.

Instead of being transported to the hospital to receive proper medical care for his injuries, the frail handicapped man, with obvious special needs was taken to jail.

However, it’s what the judge in his case has noticed which is making news today. U.S. District Judge David Hurd uncovered a pattern of misconduct, cover-up, abuse, and misstatements which he says is reason enough for Hulett’s case to go forward.

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Judge Hurd pointed to Syracuse PD’s lackadaisical approach to use of force incidents as a cause for concern. As The Free Thought Project has advocated, the city has an effective Citizens Review Board (CRB) which independently determines whether or not an officer should be disciplined when he or she is accused of an excessive use of force.

But Chief Frank Fowler only disciplined 3 of 18 officers in 2013 whom the CRB recommended be disciplined for their actions. Citing the Chief’s own words, Hurd stated officers are rarely if ever disciplined for an improper use of a taser.

Judge Hurd also noticed the use of force incident report was not filed until newspapers covered the story about police using a taser on a disabled man. He also noted an internal investigation was not launched until reporters began to ask questions about the incident involving Hubert.

Syracuse.com wrote Hulett’s lawyers have uncovered an apparent cover-up:

Hulett’s lawsuit claims not only that police used excessive force, but that they tried to cover it up by falsifying reports and destroying other videos that Centro surveillance cameras captured outside the bus.

Video filmed by Syracuse Metro, which could have served as evidence in the case against the officers, was destroyed. Hulett’s lawyers also claim he was not told he was under arrest prior to being tased and drug out of the bus. Audio from the bus surveillance camera seems to indicate the officers never told the man he was under arrest before they deployed their tasers.

Judge Hurd is allowing the case to proceed. “A jury could conclude that, as a result of SPD leadership’s well-known permissive attitude toward compelled compliance with authority…, (the officers) knew they would not be critically investigated, much less disciplined, for using force on citizens,” Hurd wrote, before adding, “Consequently, these subordinate officers felt empowered to use force with relative impunity and that, as a result, used excessive force on (Hulett).”

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Rick Guy, Hulett’s lawyer had harsh words for the officers and the police department. “The video evidence in my client’s case shows a brutal and unnecessary abuse of power against one of the least of us,” he said. The lawyer added, “The integrity of the police department and the safety of the community depend on unbiased and honest investigation of uses of force and the appropriate disciplining of abusive officers.”

Johnson & Johnson Loses Another Talcum Powder-Cancer Lawsuit Trial

On May 4, Johnson & Johnson was ordered by a Missouri jury to pay $110 million to a Virginia woman who claimed in a lawsuit that she developed ovarian cancer after using the company’s talc-based products for feminine hygiene for decades. [1]

Lois Slemp, 62, alleged that her use of J&J’s Shower-to-Shower and Baby Products over 4 decades, as well as asbestos particles found inside her, caused her cancer. [2]

The mother of 2 grown sons was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012. The cancer has since spread to her liver. Slemp, a nurse, is undergoing chemotherapy and was too ill to attend the trial.

The jury awarded Slemp $5.4 million in actual damages, as well as $105 million in punitive damages, according to her attorney, Jim Onder. Slemp was also awarded $50,000 against talc supplier Imerys Talc. [1] [2]

The verdict is the largest so far out of 2,400 lawsuits accusing J&J of failing to adequately warn consumers about the cancer risks posed by talc-based products. [1]

Source: True Activist

Ted Meadows, another lawyer for Slemp, said of the verdict:

“Once again we’ve shown that these companies ignored the scientific evidence and continue to deny their responsibilities to the women of America.”

While J&J said in a statement that it sympathizes with Slemp, the company also said it plans to appeal.

In March, J&J won its first trial in the Missouri litigation, breaking a 3-trail winning streak by plaintiffs, when a jury sided with the company in a lawsuit by a Tennessee woman who said Baby Powder caused her cancer.

In February, a jury awarded $72 million to the family of a woman who died from ovarian cancer.

In May 2016, another jury awarded $55 million to a woman who claimed J&J’s talc-powder products caused her to develop cancer. Then, in October 2016, a third jury hit Imerys with a $70 million verdict.

In her lawsuit, Slemp claimed that J&J talc was contaminated with asbestos, a rare allegation in these cases. Jurors were told by a company lawyer that J&J’s products did not cause Slemp’s cancer, and that they don’t contain asbestos. [3]

Hush-Hush

The $105 million in compensation was calculated based on a formula starting with the number of years since the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a wing of the World Health Organization (WHO), classified talc as a possible carcinogen back in 2006.

Juror Lindsay Polley said that internal documents showed J&J was aware of the growing consensus that talc could cause cancer.

“The J&J documents acknowledge that. If we could, we would make them put on a warning label.”

Juror Jeremy King called the J&J documents “mind-blowing.”

Talc, the softest mineral on earth, is used on babies, so the assumption is that it’s a safe product. Based on that belief, women often apply talcum powder to their genital area, to tampons and pads, and underwear to prevent chafing. The powder is believed to cause cancer when particles migrate up through the vagina.

Talc products have been linked with cancer for decades. A study published in 1971 detailed how British researchers analyzed 13 ovarian tumors and found talc particles “deeply embedded” in 10. It was the first, but certainly not the last, study linking talc use to cancer. A 1982 study in the journal cancer was the first to show a statistical link between genital talc use and ovarian cancer. [4]

There have been 20 epidemiological studies since then that found long-term perineal talc use increases the risk of ovarian cancer by about 33%.

And because J&J’s Baby Powder is considered a cosmetic, it doesn’t need to be approved under the FDA’s 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Out of the 345-page document, only 2 pages are devoted to the safety of cosmetics. Congress is considering updating the law to give the FDA more authority to regulate products.

Of course, there have been studies that found no link between talc use and cancer. But people who have developed cancer after using talc say that’s not the point; they should have been warned about the products’ potential to cause cancer.

As for the rare claim that Slemp’s cancer was caused by asbestos-tainted talc products, it’s not as crazy as it may sound. Talc and asbestos are mined in close proximity to each other.

Sources:

[1] Reuters

[2] St. Louis Post-Dispatch

[3] Bloomberg

[4] Bloomberg

Dispatch Review

True Activist

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About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.