Three Things You Need to Know - September 29, 2017

Europe is on the verge of a complete redesign.

Not since WWI have we seen the possibility for so many new countries or border changes.

On Sunday, the Spanish region of Catalonia will head to the polls to decide whether or not to break away from Spain. At this very moment, thousands of people are rallying in the streets, but let’s just say the Spanish government isn’t taking this divorce lightly. 4,000 Spanish police have been deployed to the region, polling stations are being forcefully shut down and Catalan politicians are being arrested. The streets are set to erupt.

Catalonia is just another ripple in a coming tidal wave of problems for the European Union.

A number of nations looking to split from the EU, or regions looking to gain independence is staggering. Spain, France, the UK and Italy all have strong independence movements within their countries.

The dominoes are beginning to fall, but what does it all mean? The world is still struggling to recover from the 2008 economic crisis. Europe has been one of the hardest hit. Four of the Five top GDPs in Europe all either have strong regional separatist movements or are looking to leave the EU.

Think about what that will do to the global economy. Spain is the number 14 economy in the world. If Catalonia separates on Sunday, Spain will lose 20 percent of their GDP. France, the UK and Italy are all in the top ten of the world’s GDP. What happens if all this progresses around the same time?

Change is taking place on a massive scale all over the world, and we’re seeing the first steps in a global redesign.

Reality Winner is back in the news.

Workplace stress can drive you to do things you aren’t proud of.

Hiding out in the bathroom.

Wearing headphones that aren’t even attached to anything in order to avoid talking to coworkers.

And leaking classified documents to the media from the NSA.

At least that's what we heard from a 25-year-old woman named Reality Winner (yes that is her actual name).

You may remember that back in June, Reality was arrested on suspicion of leaking an intelligence report about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections to the website “The Intercept.” The report suggested that Russian hackers attacked a U.S. voting software supplier.

Reality is back in the news because a transcript of an interview between her and the authorities was just released in a bid to convince a federal judge that she should not be released from jail pending trial.

That transcript reveals why she leaked the classified document and how.

Reality explained, "I saw the article and was like, I don’t understand why this isn’t a thing,” she said. “It made me very mad . . . I guess it's just been hard at work because . . . I've filed formal complaint about them having Fox News on, you know? Uh, at least, for God's sake, put Al Jazeera on, or a slideshow with people's pets. I've tried anything to get that changed."

So let me get this straight.

Fox News was stressing Reality out so she consciously broke the law and leaked classified documents. Makes perfect sense.

(And just a side note, Al Jazeera America ceased operations before her complaints, so that request could have never have been fulfilled. Although, the pet slideshow could have been honored, I guess.)

But instead of just doing her job, Reality decided to leak the classified information. How? The transcript reveals that she transported the document via her underwear, Sandy Berger style.

Reality said she, "Folded it in half in my pantyhose.”

In addition to her pantyhose confession she also admitted: “Yeah, I screwed up royally."

Smuggling documents in your underwear is apparently an epidemic on the left. 

Look, we all get stressed at the little things at our jobs. Breaking the law and potentially putting the country at risk in order to send a political message might not be the best way to address that stress. Next time, hide in the bathroom with your headphones on like everyone else. 

Introducing, "Wellness To Go!"

Do you remember when you could get a Coke or a pack of M&M’s from a vending machine?

We already got rid of those evil sugary snacks in schools and state colleges during the Obama years. You remember, Michelle Obama was worried about American kids being too fat. She helped push through a law to replace the Twix with carrot sticks and stuff like that.

Now some state colleges are moving on from obesity to attack new problems like embarrassment and shame. Specifically, the embarrassment college women might feel when they must go to a pharmacy and ask for an expensive morning-after pill, because, you know, they had unprotected sex with someone the night before.

To have to face the judgmental glare of a pharmacist or another customer in line. Unthinkable. I mean, there is no safe space for the consequences of promiscuous sex. It’s an outrage. What’s a caring university to do?

Invent a discreet, convenient, safe space where coeds can skip past all that awkward, judge-y human interaction and access the pregnancy-blocking drugs they so desperately need.

How about a vending machine? We’ll call it “Wellness To Go!” It will sell condoms and morning-after pills. And Advil of course, for the hangovers.

These “Wellness to Go!” vending machines are real. Stanford is the latest of a handful of colleges leading the charge on this effort. A female student at UC Davis said, “A lot of students like the judgment-free space and don’t have to feel the pressure of interacting with people.”

We are trying to accomplish something truly remarkable in human history. We are attempting to eliminate all guilt, uncomfortable feelings, consequence or responsibility for our actions. Trying to make life one never-ending pleasure cruise. Not only is that impossible, it’s dangerous, and it’s literally killing our society.

MORE 3 THINGS

How RFK's example can help our nation in the wake of Trump's attack

Rowland Scherman / Contributor | Getty Images

How did you feel last Saturday when you heard the news that a former president of the United States narrowly avoided an assassin's bullet by a mere few inches? Were you angry at the media for their constant demonization of Trump and his conservative contingency? Did you blame the left for curating a political climate that fostered an assassination attempt?

In his immediate reaction to the news, Glenn pointed us back to a similar moment in American history: April 4th, 1968—the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

"The best speech I've ever heard given was by RFK Sr. on the day Martin Luther King was killed" - Glenn

Robert F. Kennedy, the father of current independent presidential candidate RFK Jr., was en route to Indianapolis when he heard the terrible news. His security team, expecting violent outrage across the country, asked RFK Sr. to turn around and head back to safety. But as Glenn said, RFK Sr. believed in the good in people and demanded to give his speech. He arrived in Indianapolis Park late in the day, and he addressed the crowd of predominantly black campaign supporters.

There were no riots in Indianapolis that night.

The message RFK Sr. gave that night wasn't one of vengeance, hatred, or hopelessness, but of calm and goodness. He appealed to the best in people. He called for people to set aside their differences, anger, fear, and confusion and instead express love and compassion towards one another. RFK Sr. asked for wisdom and the pursuit of justice so that we might be resolute in our unity as the country faces another difficult chapter.

What we need in this country is love and wisdom and compassion toward one another.

Glenn has made a similar plea to our nation—a plea for unity and not to lash out in fear and anger. Don't use this time to blame your friends and family who disagree with you politically for what happened or to tell them "I told you so!" Instead, reach out with compassion and grace. This is a turning point in American history. Let's turn it upward, away from hatred and violence and towards unison and compassion.

Fortunately, President Trump walked away from his attempted assassination with very minor injuries. The bullet that wounded Trump's ear could have just as easily ended his life, and his survival is nothing short of a miracle.

Sadly, that miracle didn't extend to everyone attending Trump's ill-fated Pennsylvania rally. Three other people were shot. David Dutch and James Copenhaver, both Pennslyavia residents, are thankfully in stable condition. Corey Comperatore, however, tragically died after being shot while protecting his wife and daughter from the hail of gunfire.

“Corey died a hero."

Camperatore, a 50-year-old loving father and husband from Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania leaves behind his daughter Allyson, his wife Helen, sister Dawn, and many other friends and family. Camperatore was a man of service, having spent 43 years as part of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company and had worked his way to becoming the fire chief when he stepped down to spend more time with his daughter.

Corey Comperatore's firefighting gear outside the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company. The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

Corey's friends and family have nothing but good things to say about him, and judging by their testimonies, Corey's final heroic act was consistent with how the volunteer firefighter lived his life.

According to many people who knew Compertore, he was a true patriot who loved his country. He was a fan of President Trump. Compertore was very excited to attend Saturday's rally, which he expressed in his last social media post.

Corey_Comper/X

During his speech addressing the shooting, President Biden expressed his condolences to the Comperatore family, stating that "He was a father. He was protecting his family from the bullets that were being fired.”

Democrat Mutiny? These prominent Progressives and Democratic leaders DEMAND that Biden withdraw

NurPhoto / Contributor, Justin Sullivan / Staff, Cindy Ord / Staff | Getty Images

Biden is still taking hard blows from both sides of the aisle after his abysmal performance in last month's presidential debate. As Glenn pointed out in his post-debate coverage, Biden came across as so incompetent that it has made many Americans scared that, should the country face a major threat, Biden would be unable to respond to it. This includes many Democrats, who are finally admitting that Biden isn't as fit as they have been claiming for the last four years.

Many names have already been suggested as potential replacements for the Democratic nominee, but many people, including some Democrats, don't believe Biden should even stay in office for the election. Here are some prominent progressives and Democratic lawmakers who have called for President Biden's resignation:

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (Texas)

Tom Williams / Contributor | Getty Images

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (Arizona)

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

Rep. Seth Moulton (Massachusetts)

Justin Sullivan / Staff | Getty Images

Rep. Mike Quigley (Illinois)

Pool / Pool | Getty Images

Rep. Angie Craig (Minnesota)

Anna Moneymaker / Staff | Getty Images

Rep. Adam Smith (Washington)

Scott J. Ferrell / Contributor | Getty Images

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (New Jersey)

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

Rep. Pat Ryan (New York)

Tom Williams / Contributor | Getty Images

Rep. Hillary Scholten (Michigan)

Bill Clark / Contributor | Getty Images

Senator Peter Welch (Vermont)

Bonnie Cash / Stringer | Getty Images

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Oregon)

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

BONUS: Actor George Clooney

Cindy Ord / Staff | Getty Images

These TOP 5 new technologies left Glenn SHOCKED

Peter Macdiarmid / Staff | Getty Images

Glenn has been covering some of the most groundbreaking, exciting, and often terrifying technological advances. Some new tech has the potential to make a positive impact. Some tech is just SUPER cool, like a flame-throwing robot dog. However, there is also a dark side to technology. Glenn exposes how some new technological developments, particularly in the realm of AI, pose serious ethical questions.

Here are the top five new technologies that Glenn covered that will make your jaw drop:

Anti-gravity device

This new technology developed by Dr. Charles Buhler and his team may change everything we know about transportation and travel. Described as "propellant-less propulsion" by Dr. Buhler, this technology appears to defy gravity and is potentially a way for people to travel into and through space without the need for rockets. It doesn't stop there either, this tech could be used to forever change the way we travel here on Earth.

Human embryo-powered supercomputer

To have massively powerful AI, something, which many people seem to have an invested interest in, you need a lot of electricity to power the computers that host the artificial intelligences. Naturally, this energy consumption upsets the environmentalists so in response a terrifying solution was developed. Bio Processors are essentially computer chips powered by human cells, specifically stem cells, which are predominantly harvested from embryos. These Bio Processors have a limited shelf life, meaning they need a steady supply of stem cells to keep the computers that use them operational. What could be more terrifying than an AI that eats human cells?

Voice-stealing AI

When ChatGPT came out in late 2022 its power and versatility took the world by storm. Suddenly, students had it write entire essays in mere seconds, and it was creating songs and poems with ease. The capabilities of the ChatGPT AI were as disturbing as they were impressive, but after a recent update, it took a hard turn towards disturbing. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, decided to give the program a voice and tried to recruit famous actress Scarlett Johansson to lend her voice to the machine. After she declined the offer, OpenAI went ahead and released the update for ChatGPT featuring a voice that sounded eerily similar to Johansson's. While OpenAI claims it's a different, similar-sounding voice actress, the idea that a computer is going around with your stolen voice is terrifying.

Flamethrower robot dog

How could you possibly ever make something cooler than a flamethrower? Simple, strap it to the back of a robotic dog of course! Originally built to help fight forest fires (ironically enough) by creating backburns, Glenn pointed out that a pack of these bad boys patrolling your property would be the ultimate home defense. Nobody would come anywhere near your house if it was guarded by a few of these firey companions.

Wormhole-generating UFO's

It's been a decade since the tragic disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. No trace of the aircraft or any of its passengers, except a few small pieces of debris, were ever found nor was an official cause of the disappearance ever given. There have been an infinite number of theories explaining what might have happened, but this one from investigative journalist Ashton Forbes might take the cake for the wildest. Forbes joined Glenn on his radio show and brought with him convincing video evidence that seemed to show the now-missing aircraft being circled by three mysterious orbs before suddenly disappearing in a flash of light. Does this video show the doomed aircraft being sucked into an artificial wormhole, or is it an amazing piece of hoaxwork?