Cake Wallet has announced the integration of Bitcoin’s Lightning Network into its advanced privacy wallet. The move comes after a series of Bitcoin-specific updates that put Cake at the forefront of mobile wallets across the broader crypto industry. 

This is not Cake Wallet’s first inroad into advanced Bitcoin features. Unlike most multi-coin wallets such as Binance’s popular Trust Wallet, Cake has gone a lot further than just supporting basic on-chain addresses. Cake has deployed some of Bitcoin’s more sophisticated technology, such as Silent Payments and Payjoin, powerful privacy technologies that most other blockchains and crypto wallets are not even close to. Features of this sort protect users from a wide range of risks, such as targeted scams, as third parties have a harder time tracking user behaviour across the blockchain.

The Lightning Network integration brings Cake wallet into a small group of wallets that support Bitcoin’s fast payments layer with self-custody and privacy in mind. The update is powered by the Breez SDK and Spark, which unlocks self-custody control for users without the need to manage a lightning node.

On the privacy front, Cake has a custom implementation of the Spark suite, which further protects user privacy. In a press release shared with Bitcoin Magazine, the company said, “Lightning transactions in Cake Wallet do not embed your Spark address in Lightning invoices, and transaction data is not published to public explorers by default. Visibility is intentionally limited, reducing unnecessary exposure of user activity and safeguarding user privacy.”

Seth for Privacy, COO of Cake Wallet, highlighted that “Lightning should not require users to sacrifice privacy or custody just to get speed,” adding that “what we have today makes Lightning practical with solid privacy defaults, simple self-custody, and a clear on-chain exit.”

Vikrant Sharma, CEO of Cake Labs, also commented on the announcement, adding that “with Breez and Spark, Lightning finally reaches a point where it can be fast and intuitive without turning bitcoin into an IOU or giving up control. This is the first time Lightning felt aligned with the principles Cake was built on.”

This latest Cake Wallet update also rolled out a variety of improvements to the user interface, including social features like Birdpay, which lets users send crypto to X.com accounts by simply sending to their username.

In recent months, Cake also added support for xStocks, letting users trade and invest in tokenized equities, a breath of fresh air from the tsunami of meme coins and hype chains that have, up until recent years, flooded the broader crypto market. 

The post Cake Wallet Launches Bitcoin Lightning Network Support With Full Self-Custody and Privacy Defaults appeared first on Activist Post.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney sounded more like a populist leader than a former central banker during his address at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 20. Bemoaning the “fading” of the rules-based order, Carney delivered a surprisingly blunt speech. “The old order is not coming back,” he declared. “We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.” In this new reality, he warned, quoting Thucydides, “the strong can do what they can, and the weak must suffer what they must.”

The ‘revolutionary’ rhetoric did not stop there. Carney called for “strategic autonomy” for middle powers, warning that “if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.” He insisted that the West could no longer rely solely on “the strength of our values,” but must pivot to “the value of our strength.”

Yet, before mistaking Carney for a Sankara or a Lumumba, one must recall his administration’s record on the slaughter in Gaza. The irony is inescapable: Carney rails against a world where “might makes right” when it involves American tariffs or threats to Greenland, yet he presides over a policy that facilitates exactly that in the Middle East.

The contrast between Carney’s Davos persona and his actual policy on Gaza is best illustrated by a single moment in Calgary on April 8, 2025. During a campaign rally, Carney was interrupted by a shout: “Mr. Carney, there is a genocide in Palestine!” The Prime Minister responded directly: “I’m aware. That’s why we have an arms embargo.”

For a few hours, it appeared the leader of a G7 nation had finally acknowledged the legal reality unfolding in Gaza. But the supposed honesty Carney championed at Davos was nowhere to be found the following day. After immediate political backlash, Carney performed a semantic retreat. “I didn’t hear that word,” he fumbled to reporters. “I heard ‘Gaza’… I was stating a fact in terms of the arms restrictions.” With that, the official Canadian line returned to its former self: reducing the systematic extermination of the Palestinians to a mere humanitarian concern.

Carney is far from alone. French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have all perfected this brand of strategic double speak. Their headlines tell the story of a West that is fiercely protective of its own sovereignty but indifferent to that of others.

On January 8, Bloomberg reported: “Scholz: US Must Respect Inviolability of Borders,” as German leadership reacted to US rhetoric regarding the “purchase” of Greenland. Macron warned of a “world without rules” while appealing for European unity against US economic coercion. In London, The Guardian ran a headline on January 21: “Enough appeasement: Britain needs its own ‘trade bazooka’ to take on Donald Trump”.

Respect for international law, it seems, is a “bazooka” to be used against trade rivals, but a meritless nuisance when applied to Israel. Now, compare those headlines to the typical Western output on Palestine:

“Canada unequivocally reaffirms support for Israel’s right to defend itself” (PMO Statement).

“Germany stands by Israel: ‘Israel has the right and duty to defend its citizens’” (Bundesregierung).

“U.K.’s Starmer: Arms suspension is ‘legal decision,’ not a change in support for Israel’s right to self-defense.” (Courthouse News).

The irony reaches its peak when the legal institutions that are the crown jewels of Carney’s “rules-based order” become the targets of Western attack. When the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for war crimes, the self-appointed guardians of the order did not uphold the law; they labored to misinterpret it.

In Canada, while Carney pays lip service to international courts, his government filed a motion in November 2025 to dismiss El Batnigi v. Canada – a landmark case seeking to hold Ottawa accountable for its failure to prevent genocide. The government’s argument? That the court has no jurisdiction over “political questions” of foreign policy.

In Europe, the fracture is even more visible. France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs suggested Netanyahu might have immunity because Israel is not a member of the ICC – a “sovereignty loophole” never afforded to Vladimir Putin. In Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz attacked the court’s legitimacy, calling the prospect of arresting an Israeli leader “completely absurd.”

The West’s conception of a “global order” has always been structural, not accidental – privileging its own strategic interests while marginalizing the rights of the Global South. This imbalance is not a bug in the system; it is the very modus operandi of the system itself. Canada and Europe are only crying foul now because, for the first time in generations, they feel the walls of the privileged club closing in on them. They scream for international law to protect their trade routes and borders from Trump, yet they actively dismantle that same law to shield an ally in Gaza.

Yet, the US-Israeli attempt to reshape global politics presents Europe and Canada with a rare opportunity to confront this legacy of selective legality. While it is difficult to sympathize with their current grievances, that position could change if they chose to reorient themselves morally. They could enforce international law consistently, pursue war criminals without bias, and end their roles as junior partners in Washington’s unconditional support for a brutal occupation.

Failing to do so merely exposes the “rupture” Carney describes as a self-inflicted wound. Even Mr. Carney must realize that values held only when convenient are not values at all; they are merely leverage. If the West continues to shout for the rules only when its own interests are on the menu, it shouldn’t be surprised when the rest of the world stops listening to the lecture. In fact, for many of us, we already have.

The post On the Menu: How the Middle Powers Sacrificed Gaza To Save Themselves appeared first on Activist Post.

The fearmongers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies were busy in 2005 running a tabletop exercise featuring a simulated global Avian influenza outbreak, and its impact on Wall Street.

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The post #624: Bulls, Bears, & Birds appeared first on Activist Post.

• A growing body of evidence highlights specific foods with potent antiviral properties that can support the body’s immune defenses.
• Key antiviral foods include garlic, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, coconut oil and licorice root, which work by inhibiting viral replication and modulating immune response.
• An effective antiviral diet focuses on integrating these functional foods while avoiding immune-suppressing substances like alcohol and processed foods.
• Proper nutrition addresses nutrient deficiencies, ensuring optimal levels of immune-critical vitamins like C, D and zinc.
• Historical use in traditional medicine systems is now being validated by modern scientific research into the bioactive compounds in these foods.

In an era marked by recurring seasonal influenza and emerging viral pathogens, individuals are increasingly looking beyond the pharmacy aisle for protection. A convergence of historical wisdom and modern nutritional science is spotlighting a powerful, accessible defense strategy: an antiviral diet. Researchers and natural health advocates point to a pantry of common foods—from garlic and ginger to shiitake mushrooms and coconut oil—that contain bioactive compounds capable of inhibiting viruses and bolstering the body’s innate immune response. This approach does not replace medical treatment but offers a complementary strategy to enhance resilience by leveraging nature’s own antimicrobial agents.

The science of food as medicine

The concept of food as medicine is ancient, but contemporary research is now decoding the precise mechanisms at work. An antiviral diet is not a rigid eating plan but the strategic incorporation of functional foods shown to possess properties that combat viral infections. These foods work through multiple pathways. Some, like the allicin in garlic and the monolaurin in coconut oil, can disrupt the protective envelopes of viruses, preventing them from entering or replicating within human cells. Others, such as the beta-glucans in shiitake mushrooms and the glycyrrhizin in licorice root, act as immunomodulators, enhancing the efficiency of immune cells like natural killer cells and T-lymphocytes.

• Garlic: Contains allicin, diallyl trisulfide and ajoene, compounds active against influenza, the common cold and herpes simplex.
• Shiitake mushrooms: Hold compounds like LEM, shown to inhibit infections, and beta-glucans that regulate immune function.
• Ginger: Features gingerols and shogaols that combat viruses like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and reduce inflammatory symptoms.
• Coconut oil: Rich in lauric acid and monolaurin, which can disintegrate viral membranes.
• Licorice root: Contains glycyrrhizin, which has demonstrated activity against coronaviruses, HIV and RSV.

Building a resilient foundation with micronutrients

Beyond specific antiviral foods, foundational nutrition is critical. A diet deficient in key vitamins and minerals can leave the immune system weakened and less responsive. For optimal virus defense, focus must also be placed on consuming adequate levels of:

• Vitamin C, crucial for immune cell function and found in citrus and peppers.
• Vitamin D, which enhances the pathogen-fighting ability of monocytes and macrophages, sourced from sunlight and foods like fatty fish.
• Zinc, a trace element vital for the proliferation of white blood cells, abundant in meat and seafood.

These nutrients work synergistically with antiviral compounds, ensuring the immune system has the resources it needs to mount an effective defense when challenged.

Historical context and modern validation

The use of herbs and foods to treat infection predates recorded history. Ancient medical systems from Ayurveda in India to Traditional Chinese Medicine have long revered ingredients like holy basil (Tulsi), ginger and licorice for their healing properties. Modern science is now providing a biochemical rationale for these traditions. For instance, shikimic acid from star anise is a primary ingredient in the pharmaceutical Tamiflu. Similarly, the potent compound carvacrol in oregano oil has been isolated and shown to rapidly decrease viral activity in studies. This bridge between traditional practice and clinical research validates a holistic approach to health, where diet plays a proactive role in disease prevention.

Foods to limit for immune integrity

Equally important to what is added to the diet is what is minimized. Certain substances are known to interfere with immune function. Alcohol, for example, can impair the production of critical signaling proteins like interferons and increase susceptibility to respiratory infections. Heavily processed foods, junk foods high in refined sugars and unhealthy fats, and sugary beverages contribute to inflammation and provide little of the nutritional value required for a robust immune response. An effective antiviral strategy consciously limits these items to create an internal environment less hospitable to pathogens.

A proactive plate for future health

The evidence suggests that dietary choices are a fundamental component of personal and public health resilience. While not a substitute for vaccination or professional medical care, the consistent inclusion of antiviral foods and immune-supportive nutrients represents a practical, empowering form of preventative healthcare. As research continues to unravel the complex interactions between food compounds and viral mechanisms, the age-old adage “let food be thy medicine” gains ever-greater relevance. In a world of evolving viral challenges, a well-fortified plate may be one of the most accessible and powerful tools for maintaining health year-round.

Sources for this article include:

Paleohacks.com

Osmosis.org

Wiley.com

TheFrozenGarden.com

The post Nature’s pharmacy: How everyday foods arm the immune system against viral threats appeared first on Activist Post.

Once again, America is going to war for Israel. Once again, many will die for the Zionist state, including American service members. Once again, we will stumble blindly into a military fiasco. Once again, we will do the bidding of a foreign power whose interests are not our interests, but whose lobbyists have bought up our political class, including Donald Trump. Once again, we will violate the U.N. charter by attacking a country that does not pose an imminent threat.

This is not our war. This is part of Israel’s demented vision of Greater Israel, of dominating the Middle East. But Israel needs our military, our taxpayer dollars, our weapons to do it. And we have handed them the keys to our formidable arsenal.

The architects of the war with Iran, which the administration feels no need to justify to the American public or the international community, admit it will not be quick.

Sen. Tom Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CBS News on Saturday that the goal is not only to curb Iran’s nuclear program, but “dismantle their terror support network.”

“To do all that is going to take longer than the strikes on their nuclear program last summer,” Cotton said. “We’re probably looking at weeks, not days, of joint efforts by the United States, Israel and our Arab partners, who have also been attacked this morning.”

Israel’s lackeys in the political class, along with their courtiers in the media, including former American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) employee Wolf Blitzer, as well as academia, are shining examples of Israel’s transparent and often illegal meddling in the American political system. Forget Russia. Forget China. No foreign government comes close to exerting Israel’s influence.

Democratic Party leaders are not opposed to attacking Iran — they are opposed to attacking Iran without being consulted. Two dozen Democrats lept to their feet and applauded every time Trump threatened Iran, or lauded Israel, in his State of the Union address. The Biden administration and Democratic Party leadership made no effort to reinstate Barack Obama’s Iran nuclear agreement. It focused instead on sustaining the genocide in Gaza. It cheered Israel’s decapitation of Iranian proxies in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. Kamala Harris in her feckless and tone deaf presidential campaign promised to continue funding the genocide, which alienated many voters, and labeled Iran our most dangerous enemy.

Endless war is a bipartisan project.

The flagrant interference by Israel in the American political system is documented in the Al-Jazeera four-part series “The Lobby,” which Israel and its supporters blocked from being broadcast. Pirated copies can be watched on the website Electronic Intifada. In the documentary, the leaders of the Israel lobby are captured on a reporter’s hidden camera explaining how, backed by the intelligence services in Israel, they discredit and silence American critics and use huge cash donations to control the American electoral process and political system.

Israel’s death grip on our political system is also documented in “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy” by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt.

“If you wander off the reservation and become critical of Israel, you not only will not get money, AIPAC will go to great lengths to find someone who will run against you,” Mearsheimer, professor of political science at the University of Chicago, says in the documentary. “And they support that person very generously. The end result is you’re likely to lose your seat in Congress.”

Israel flies hundreds of members of Congress, often with their families, to Israel for lavish junkets at seaside resorts. These Congress members run up individual bills that frequently exceed $20,000. The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 attempted to restrict lobbyists from offering paid trips lasting more than one day to members of Congress. But AIPAC, which has never been forced to register as a foreign agent, used its clout to insert a clause in the act to exclude so-called educational trips organized by charities that do not hire lobbyists. The AIPAC-affiliated charity utilized to navigate this loophole is called the American Israel Education Foundation.

The investment by Israel is worth it. The United States Congress in 2016 authorized a $38 billion per year defense aid package from 2019-2028 for Israel. We squandered $ 4 to $ 6 trillion on the futile wars Israel and its lobby pushed for in the Middle East. Congress has, as well, authorized $ 21.7 in military aid to Israel to sustain the genocide.

God knows the cost of this war, but it will likely be in the billions of dollars.

We are back to where we were in 2003 with a war whose utopian goal is regime-change. It didn’t work then. It won’t work now.

The same fatuous lies have been dredged up to justify this war, with U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff telling Fox News that Iran is “probably a week away” from having the materials necessary to make a nuclear bomb.

This has been Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israel lobby’s mantra for three decades.

I’m not sure how we are supposed to swallow this after Trump announced last July, following U.S. air strikes, that “All three nuclear sites in Iran were completely destroyed and/or OBLITERATED. It would take years to bring them back into service…”

One lie supersedes the next.

Once again, we promise to bomb a country to liberate it, with Trump saying all he wants is “freedom for the people” of Iran.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s compound was bombed and, according to Israeli officials, he has been killed. Iran insists he remains alive.

The Israeli prime minister, like Trump, is calling on the Iranians to seize the “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to “take to the streets en masse, to complete the task of overthrowing the regime that is making your lives miserable.”

“This is your time to join forces to overthrow the regime, to secure your future,” Netanyahu said.

That every other attempt at regime-change in the Middle East resulted in disaster eludes them. This time, they promise, it will work.

We may not have assembled a ground force, as Bush did in 2003 for the Iraq war, but once you open the Pandora’s box of war, war controls you. You don’t control it.

American troops will likely be killed as Iran targets U.S. bases in the region. The Iranian navy has announced it is shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil chokepoint that facilitates the passage of 20 percent of the world’s oil supply. This will potentially double or triple the price of oil and devastate the global economy. Oil installations along with U.S. ships and military bases in the region will be hit.

Iran has already fired missiles at Al Udeid airbase in Qatar, Al-Salem airbase in Kuwait, Al-Dhafra airbase in the United Arab Emirates, the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and U.S. bases in Jordan. Explosions have been reported in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Thousands of innocents will die. Israel hit an elementary girls’ school on Saturday in Minab, a city in the Hormozgan province of southern Iran. Iran’s Tasnim News Agency cited the Judiciary of Minab as saying that the death toll had risen to 85.

The steady losses, and a huge spike in oil prices, will compound the frustrations of Trump and his Israeli allies. These frustrations, like those during the two decades of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, will ignite a protracted regional war.

Iran, under sustained attack, could eventually fragment and splinter, sending millions of refugees over its border and igniting the chaos we engineered in Libya. But Israel, whose goal is to degrade the military capabilities of its neighbors, will get what it wants.

We will be left with the mess.

The post Going to War, Again, for Israel appeared first on Activist Post.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has now alleged that officials inside her own department secretly installed spyware on her government phone and computer, claiming the software was used to record meetings and monitor internal communications. She stated that outside technical specialists examined departmental devices and identified suspicious software downloads that appeared to function as surveillance tools. In her telling, the same spyware was not limited to her alone but was allegedly found on the devices of multiple political appointees, suggesting a broader internal breach rather than an isolated incident.

Once the issue surfaced, staff members believed to be involved were brought in, questioned, polygraphed, and ultimately dismissed after the alleged internal spying operation was uncovered. The story becomes even more peculiar when she describes how internal inquiries into department facilities led to the discovery of a secure room containing files and materials that she suggested were not widely known within the leadership structure. Elon Musk had the resources to help Noem identify the responsible parties.

“I always believed when people talked about the deep state before that it existed: I never would have dreamed that it was as bad as it is,” she said. “I’m still every day trying to dig out people who don’t love America, not just [those] who work at this department, but also work throughout the federal government, Kristi Noem stated.

The so-called “Deep State” is not some theatrical villain standing at a podium, nor is it the elected figure you see on television, nor even the president of the United States. That is political theater. The real machinery of government has always been institutional, bureaucratic, and self-preserving. It does not change with elections because it is not elected. It survives administrations the way empires survive emperors.

They say the Deep State is Trump, or Biden, or whoever is currently in office. That misses the mark entirely. The permanent state is the institutional class: career agencies, intelligence networks, embedded contractors, regulatory bodies, and unelected policy architects who remain in place regardless of election cycles. Presidents come and go. Bureaucracies do not. That is the cycle of governance that I have explained repeatedly where institutions always outlive leaders.

The Deep State often operates in plain sight. As Noem reported:

“I just found the other day a whole room on this [DHS headquarters] campus that was a secret SCIF secure facility [Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility] that had files nobody knew existed. So we just happened to have an employee walk by a door and wonder what it was. Started asking questions. We went there. There was individuals working there that had secret files that nobody knew about on some of these most controversial topics, like that. And now I’ve got that turned over to attorneys, and we’re getting to the bottom of what exactly happened there.”

Federal agencies are controlled by the Deep State without their knowledge. True power does not exist in a political party, and it certainly does not exist among elected officials. The government watches us, and the Deep State watches the government. The permanent Deep State will always seek to control the government, which in turn controls the people.

The post Deep State Surveillance – Government is Under Watch appeared first on Activist Post.

The government relies on this crypto infrastructure for international trade, while ordinary Iranians use it as a financial lifeline during protests and economic crises.

What to know:

• Iran has built a multibillion-dollar parallel economy using state-sponsored Bitcoin mining and stablecoins to bypass the U.S. dollar, heavily driven by the IRGC.
• The government relies on this crypto infrastructure for international trade, while ordinary Iranians use it as a financial lifeline during protests and economic crises.
• Recent military strikes threaten Iran’s fragile power grid, which is essential to sustaining the energy-intensive mining operations that keep this financial channel open.

Fresh U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have drawn new attention to a financial network Tehran has built in parallel to its battered banking system: bitcoin mining and a fast-growing stablecoin economy.

Iran legalized crypto mining in 2019, allowing licensed operators to use subsidized electricity in exchange for selling mined BTC to the central bank. Bitcoin has served as a tool for paying for imports and settling trade outside the dollar system, even if indirectly.

Estimates in recent years have put Iran’s share of global bitcoin mining power between 2% and 5%, though much of the activity operates out of public view.

Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis found that Iran’s crypto ecosystem reached $7.78 billion in 2025, growing faster than the year before. That figure is as large as the GDP of some smaller countries such as the Maldives, or Liechtenstein.

Activity often spiked around military clashes and domestic unrest, including last year’s 12-day conflict with Israel, according to Chainalysis.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the primary branch of the country’s military, has since deepened its role in the space. Chainalysis estimates IRGC-linked addresses accounted for more than 50% of total Iranian crypto inflows in the fourth quarter of 2025, with over $3 billion in value received last year.

Those figures reflect only wallets publicly tied to sanctions listings, suggesting the true footprint may be larger.

Adoption mechanics

Stablecoins also play a key role.

Separate analysis by Elliptic found Iran’s central bank accumulated at least $507 million in USDT in 2025, likely to steady the rial and finance trade. That effort has mostly failed, with data showing that the rial has lost more than 96% of its value against the USD.

At the same time, ordinary Iranians have turned to bitcoin. During recent protests and an internet blackout, withdrawals from local exchanges to personal wallets rose sharply.

Read more: Iran’s rial collapse mirrors Lebanon’s crisis, driving citizens to bitcoin

If conflict disrupts power grids, mining output could dip in the short term. The Iranian state is believed to be mining BTC at around $1,300 per coin, which it then sells at current market prices. It’s unclear whether the state has maintained any bitcoin reserves, as there is no treasury dashboard and no official disclosure of holdings.

In practice, mining turns cheap domestic energy into an asset that can move across borders. A licensed miner mints new bitcoin and then sends them to the central bank of Iran. The bank can then transfer it to an overseas counterparty to pay for machinery, fuel or consumer goods without routing funds through U.S.-controlled banks.

While the transactions settle on a public blockchain, the counterparties can remain opaque.

The same pattern appears in stablecoins. USDT, which is pegged to the dollar, has become a standard settlement tool in sanctioned economies because it offers price stability and faster transfers than bitcoin.

However, it’s not always easy to hide such transactions. Crypto exchange Binance recently found itself embroiled in accusations that it fired investigators who raised concerns about funds moving through the exchange to sanctioned, Iran-linked entities. This led to nine U.S. Senate Democrats asking the Treasury and DOJ to probe Binance’s illicit finance controls.

Geopolitical risks

Chainalysis data shows that Iranian crypto activity correlates with political flashpoints, including missile exchanges and internal protests. During periods of unrest, exchange outflows rise as users pull funds into private wallets.

For the IRGC, crypto offers another channel to move value across its network of affiliates and commercial fronts. Chainalysis reported that inflows to IRGC-linked addresses totaled $2 billion in 2024 and exceeded $3 billion in 2025.

The renewed military campaign, which has seen the IRGC retaliate against U.S. bases in various countries in the Middle East, adds fresh risk to this system. Large mining operations require steady power. Iran has imposed seasonal bans in the past to ease strain on the grid.

A sustained conflict that damages infrastructure could reduce the hash rate or mining capacity tied to the country, though the global bitcoin network would likely adjust over time as miners elsewhere pick up the slack.

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The post The Real Reason They Want Me Silenced appeared first on Activist Post.

Iwant to begin with a reminder that often gets lost in public discussions: the Covid mRNA vaccines are genuinely novel medical products.

Prior to the emergency authorizations in 2020, mRNA vaccine technology had never been deployed at scale in humans. Only two clinical trials, one from Pfizer-BioNTech and one from Moderna, had ever tested this platform in people. Altogether, roughly 37,000 individuals had ever received an mRNA vaccine in the history of medicine (not including the earlier experience with rabies, CMV, and cancer vaccines limited to much smaller early-phase studies). That is not a criticism; it is simply a statement of fact. But it does mean that the long-term safety profile of these products was, and remains, incompletely understood.

What follows is familiar to nearly all molecular biologists. It is complicated but I try to simplify it given the stakes. It’s important to clearly lay out the molecular framework for everyone because how these vaccines are made directly determines what is inside the vial. And what is inside the vial, once injected, will travel throughout the body and activate a cascade of events that can lead to long-term health implications.

In Vitro Transcription Is Not Just a Manufacturing Detail

Modified mRNA vaccines are produced using a process called in vitro transcription (IVT). IVT is the method used to synthesize the modified mRNA that ultimately becomes the active ingredient in the vaccine.

This is not a trivial technicality. IVT fundamentally shapes the molecular composition of the final product.

Scientists at BioNTech, including those directly involved in developing the Pfizer vaccine, have published a detailed review1 describing how IVT reactions generate not only the intended full-length mRNA, but also a range of byproducts and impurities, how these are typically removed, and what their biological consequences may be if they persist. These manufacturing directions along with the byproducts they create were also described in detail by Moderna in their patents (US10,653,712 B2 and US10,077,439 B2). But more importantly, this molecular biology was well established long before Covid. None of this is speculative.

The Starting Material: DNA Templates

At its core, an IVT reaction begins with double-stranded DNA that encodes the desired protein. In this case, the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

The spike-encoding sequence used in mRNA vaccines is genetically modified to improve stability and cellular tolerance, including two amino-acid substitutions that make it distinct from the viral spike. That modification is intentional.

The DNA template itself can take different forms. During Pfizer’s early clinical trials, PCR-generated DNA fragments were used. However, the commercial manufacturing process relied on DNA derived from plasmids. This matters because plasmids contain additional regulatory sequences. In Pfizer’s case, these include elements such as SV40 promoter and ori sequences, which raise concerns if they were to enter human cells.

Once this DNA template is added to the IVT reaction, along with RNA polymerase and other components, it is transcribed into mRNA (Figure 1).

While the desired output of IVT is the intended full-length mRNA product, the actual output is more complex. These include various byproducts in the form of (1) various RNA species including double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), (2) DNA attached to RNA (RNA–DNA hybrids), and (3) the free DNA from the original template (Figure 2).

The formation of these byproducts is well-documented and unavoidable and is why downstream purification is absolutely essential for safety.

Purification Has Known Limitations

After manufacturing there are two purification steps needed to first remove the DNA and then the remove the RNA byproducts (Figure 3):

To remove the DNA, an enzyme is added to the reaction mixture called DNase I, which is commonly used to degrade contaminating DNA. While DNase I is effective against the free template DNA, multiple studies, including work by BioNTech scientists themselves, show that DNase I is inefficient at removing the DNA attached to RNA (RNA–DNA hybrids).

This limitation is not controversial. It is documented in the literature.

What Independent Analyses Have Shown

This context is crucial for interpreting recent independent analyses of finished vaccine vials.

Researchers3 and regulators4 have reported detecting DNA contaminants in essentially every vial tested. These contaminants included both double-stranded DNA and RNA–DNA hybrids that appeared resistant to DNase I digestion.

In some samples, spike-encoding DNA was present at levels more than 100-fold higher than other plasmid sequences5, suggesting uneven or incomplete digestion. Sequencing and quantitative PCR analyses further detected DNA fragments averaging ~200 base pairs in length, with some exceeding 4 kilobases. In several cases, sequences spanning nearly the entire plasmid were observed.

Taken together, these findings raise serious questions about the consistency and completeness of purification during large-scale manufacturing, and about the potential biological consequences of residual nucleic acids in people.

Why Nucleic Acid Contaminants Matter Biologically

RNA and DNA are potent activators of innate immune pathways. This is not speculative. Pattern-recognition receptors and the cGAS-STING pathway respond robustly to foreign nucleic acids, triggering inflammation, growth inhibition, and even cell death.

These mechanisms are precisely why gene-therapy products are subject to stringent safety oversight.

Ironically, the Covid mRNA vaccines were designed with modifications specifically to reduce this potent innate immune activation. But RNA–DNA hybrids and DNA fragments will still provoke strong immune responses despite those modifications.

Persistence Raises New Questions

There is now substantial evidence showing that spike mRNA and protein persists in human tissues for weeks, months, and even years after vaccination (Table 1).

We do not yet know whether this persistence reflects prolonged mRNA stability, continued translation, or DNA-based mechanisms. But given the plausibility of DNA integration, and long-lived non-integrated plasmid DNA in muscle cells,6 it is not unreasonable to assume the persistence of Spike mRNA, protein, and antibodies against Spike years after vaccination is not unrelated to the DNA impurities and byproducts following IVT.

Short- and Long-Term Safety Implications

Taken together, these data raise several important safety considerations.

First, acute immune reactions, including cytokine storms and anaphylaxis, have been reported immediately following vaccination. Such strong inflammatory responses should not be dismissed outright as unrelated to impurities, particularly given what is known about nucleic-acid-induced immune activation.

Second, and more critically, are long-term risks. Persistent spike expression could plausibly contribute to chronic immune syndromes. More concerning still is the possibility of DNA integration, which carries risks of insertional mutagenesis or gene disruption. This means a risk for cancer or developmental defects depending on where and at what age the DNA was integrated.

Notably, the FDA itself states in its information sheets that these vaccines have not been evaluated for carcinogenicity (cancer formation) or genotoxicity (DNA damage), a point that would be routine and expected in gene-therapy oversight, where long-term monitoring is standard.

The Regulatory Gap around DNA in mRNA Vaccines

Since there really is no longer any dispute that residual DNA exists in mRNA vaccines, the issue is whether current guidelines and safety limits are appropriate for mRNA vaccines. We’ve been assured that the DNA byproducts are within the limits set forth in the regulatory guidelines. So what is the FDA guidance surrounding DNA byproducts and contaminants? 

The most commonly cited FDA guidance on residual DNA (≤10 ng per dose) was developed for viral vaccines produced in living cells that are fragmented and “naked,” with limited ability to enter human cells. However, mRNA vaccines are not produced in cells, their residual DNA is not host-cell derived, and most importantly, the DNA in the mRNA vaccines is not naked. It is associated with LNP delivery systems, which specifically make it very easy for the DNA to get inside cells. The FDA’s 2010 guidance is clear that it does not establish a relevant safety threshold for DNA associated with LNP-based products.

The other commonly cited guidance is from the WHO for recombinant protein therapeutics that address residual DNA in products such as monoclonal antibodies or hormones produced in engineered cells. Here again, the residual DNA originates from host cells or expression plasmids, is present as trace, non-encapsulated DNA (naked), and the final product is a purified protein, not a nucleic acid–based therapy (mRNA vaccine). So this guidance does not apply to mRNA vaccines.

Neither the FDA nor the WHO regulatory standards most often cited for residual DNA were developed for mRNA vaccines, and do not directly address this safety issue.

What the WHO Said About mRNA Vaccines — After Deployment

In 2022, the World Health Organization issued guidance specifically addressing mRNA vaccines7. Notably, this document was released after the global rollout of these products. It specifically states this guidance was in response to: “the safety, production and regulatory issues associated with this new technology.” The document also makes several important statements:

“Because detailed information is not yet available on the methods used for production, controls are not yet standardized for safe and efficacious mRNA vaccines, and certain details remain proprietary and thus not publicly available, it is not feasible to develop specific international guidelines or recommendations at this time.”

It further states: “The detailed production and control procedures…should be discussed with and approved by the NRA [National Regulatory Authority] on an individual case-by-case basis.”

The WHO acknowledges that controls for mRNA vaccines were not yet standardized and that it was not feasible to establish specific international guidelines or recommendations. Furthermore, regulatory oversight is required for case-by-case evaluation by national authorities. 

This was stated after the mRNA vaccines had been deployed.

And as of the writing of this Substack, the FDA has still not established standardized guidelines for mRNA vaccines and provided any evidence and safety-based data to support any limits of DNA in mRNA vaccines.

Finally, it bears repeating: while mRNA technology is not new, before Covid, it was regulated as gene therapy, not as a traditional vaccine. The safety issues surrounding the DNA byproducts in Covid vaccines are going to be the same with any mRNA vaccine, including those for flu, RSV, or even mRNA vaccines for cancer. 

This is because mRNA products are fundamentally different. They must enter cells and instruct them to produce a foreign protein. This is unlike any other conventional vaccines that deliver the protein directly. There is no clinical precedent for this platform, and there is no clinical precedent for repeated dosing. And certainly no precedent at population scale.

At this stage, with no pandemic, the accumulating mechanistic data and clinical observations, and the proliferation of mRNA vaccine products hitting the market, we need transparency and direct engagement with serious safety studies from regulators, particularly the FDA establishing critical guidelines for manufacturing these products – especially as it relates to DNA byproducts .

Novel technology demands novel scrutiny – not silence, gaslighting, or censorship.

References

1 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-biosciences/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2024.1426129/full

2 Webb C, Ip S, et al Mol Pharm. 2022 Apr 4;19(4):1047-1058. doi: 10.1021/

3 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/08916934.2025.2551517?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed

4 https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/publication/tga-laboratory-testing-reports/summary-report-residual-dna-and-endotoxin-covid-19-mrna-vaccines-conducted-tga-laboratories.

5 https://zenodo.org/records/17832183; https://www.scstatehouse.gov/CommitteeInfo/SenateMedicalAffairsCommittee/PandemicPreparedness/Phillip-Buckhaults-SC-Senate-09122023-final.pdf

6 Wang et al. (2004) – “Detection of integration of plasmid DNA into host genomic DNA following intramuscular injection and electroporation” (Gene Therapy, 2004). In mice, naked plasmid DNA was injected intramuscularly, followed by electroporation to enhance uptake. Using a highly sensitive PCR on purified genomic DNA (with gel separation to remove extrachromosomal forms), the authors identified four independent integration events at 4 weeks post-injection. Junction sequencing confirmed random integration sites (no preferential hotspots), consistent with non-homologous end joining. Integration frequency was low but measurable. This is one of the clearest demonstrations of actual spontaneous integration events in vivo for naked plasmid DNA in muscle. Of note – this study used enhanced DNA delivery via electroporation which one could compare to the enhanced delivery via LNPs.

Martin et al. (1999) – “Plasmid DNA Malaria Vaccine: The Potential for Genomic Integration after Intramuscular Injection” (Human Gene Therapy). This earlier study tested plasmid DNA IM in mice and used Southern blot hybridization and PCR on high-molecular-weight genomic DNA to probe for integration. While persistence was mostly extrachromosomal, they reported evidence suggestive of rare integration in some samples (though not as definitively sequenced as later works). It set a benchmark for low risk but acknowledged potential for very low-frequency events, influencing subsequent FDA guidance on DNA vaccines.

Ledwith et al. (2000) – “Plasmid DNA vaccines: Investigation of integration into host cellular DNA following intramuscular injection in mice” (Intervirology). Naked plasmid DNA injected IM in mice showed and while no detectable integration was observed, DNA was still detected in the quadriceps muscle up to 26 weeks. The DNA was extrachromosomal.

7 WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization 74th Report Annex 3. Evaluation of the quality, safety and efficacy of messenger RNA vaccines for the prevention of infectious diseases: regulatory considerations https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/biologicals/vaccine-standardization/annex-3—mrna-vaccines_who_trs_1039_web-2.pdf

The post Why the Manufacturing and the Regulatory Guidance of mRNA Vaccines Matters appeared first on Activist Post.

Gavin and Derrick provide their incredible knowledge on everything from Eugenics to Epstein.

This episode of the Free Thought Project podcast brings together two of the most essential voices in the alternative media landscape, Gavin Nascimento and Derrick Broze. Hosts Matt Agorist, Jason Bassler, and Don Via, Jr. sit down with these two researchers to explore the deep systemic rot and the technocratic future currently being built around us.

The conversation begins by exploring the strikingly similar paths both guests have walked in their journey toward truth before diving into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and its intricate ties to the modern technocracy and figures like Peter Thiel. We examine the stunning arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew) on his 66th birthday, questioning whether this represents genuine accountability or a strategic “limited hangout.” The discussion suggests this could be a calculated “software update” for the elite, where the old-school reliance on sexual blackmail is replaced by a high-tech infrastructure of total surveillance, where data centers and personal devices provide all the leverage necessary to maintain control.

The dialogue shifts into the darker philosophical roots of this transition, exploring the “Dark Enlightenment” and its influence on both the modern technocracy and the current political landscape, including the ties to Curtis Yarvin. We pull back the curtain on Elon Musk’s complex history and his specific role within the technocratic state, moving then into a deep historical analysis of the eugenics movement and how those same ideologies have been rebranded for the 21st century. The episode also touches on the occult history of these power structures and the pervasive culture of abuse that defines them.

We further discuss the psychological campaign of “learned helplessness” being waged against the public, where a constant stream of corruption is exposed without any resulting accountability, potentially conditioning the masses to accept their own subjugation. Finally, we look at the push for transhumanism through a libertarian lens, weighing the concept of individual choice against the broader implications of merging with a technology controlled by those who have proven themselves untrustworthy. We close the show with our “White Pill” segment, focusing on the practical, solutions-based efforts being made to build a parallel world. (Length: 1:47:17)

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About the Guests

Gavin Nascimento is an author, researcher, and investigative journalist known for his meticulous, months-long deep dives into the historical roots of global power. He is the founder of the Truth Warrior Academy, a project dedicated to teaching others how to dismantle psychological control and reclaim their intellectual sovereignty.

• Get Gavin’s Book: A History of Elitism, World Government, and Population Control
• Read the Truncated Version on TFTP: A History of World Government vs. The Great Revolution
• Follow Gavin: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Minds
• Support & Shop: Patreon | Merch Store

Derrick Broze is a freelance investigative journalist, activist, and founder of The Conscious Resistance Network. He is a leading advocate for Agorism and a frequent contributor to The Last American Vagabond. Derrick is dedicated to providing practical strategies for opting out of the technocratic state and living a life of integrity and autonomy.

• Get the Books: A Man of My Word | The Pyramid of Power
• The Conscious Resistance Network: Visit Website
• The Last American Vagabond: Visit Website
• Follow Derrick: Twitter/X

The post Podcast – Derrick Broze & Gavin Nascimento – Technocracy Unmasked & The New World Control Grid appeared first on Activist Post.