To help the scientists get the word out, Coke has provided financial and logistical support to a new nonprofit organization called the Global Energy Balance Network, which promotes the argument that weight-conscious Americans are overly fixated on how much they eat and drink while not paying enough attention to exercise.

“Most of the focus in the popular media and in the scientific press is, ‘Oh they’re eating too much, eating too much, eating too much’ — blaming fast food, blaming sugary drinks and so on,” the group’s vice president, Steven N Blair, an exercise scientist, says in a recent video announcing the new organization. “And there’s really virtually no compelling evidence that that, in fact, is the cause.”

Health experts say this message is misleading and part of an effort by Coke to deflect criticism about the role sugary drinks have played in the spread of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. They contend that the company is using the new group to convince the public that physical activity can offset a bad diet despite evidence that exercise has only minimal impact on weight compared with what people consume.

BAIER: Mr Trump, it’s not just your past support for single-payer health care. You’ve also supported a host of other liberal policies… You’ve also donated to several Democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton included, and Nancy Pelosi. You explained away those donations saying you did that to get business-related favors. And you said recently, quote, “When you give, they do whatever the hell you want them to do.”

TRUMP: You’d better believe it.

BAIER: — they do?

TRUMP: If I ask them, if I need them, you know, most of the people on this stage I’ve given to, just so you understand, a lot of money.

TRUMP: I will tell you that our system is broken. I gave to many people, before this, before two months ago, I was a businessman. I give to everybody. When they call, I give. And do you know what? When I need something from them two years later, three years later, I call them, they are there for me. And that’s a broken system.”

The really amazing thing is that nobody up on that stage disputed that what Trump was saying was true. Right now, surveys show that Donald Trump has far more support than any other Republican candidate. But he is not going to be the Republican nominee. The Republican establishment will make sure of that.

A ‘DC Whispers’ source put it this way: “It’s said that Hillary Clinton wants nothing to do with Donald Trump. To most they just call him a clown, but privately they’re afraid of him. The Clinton team doesn’t fear Jeb Bush because they know what they are up against and that lack of fear is mutual among the Bush operation as well. They both run in similar circles politically and financially, so it’s a choice of shades of the same color and that’s how they want to keep it.”

Apparently Jeb Bush’s focus on “The Donald” has become quite personal. Bush is said to be “deeply disappointed” that the media and corporate attacks on Mr Trump have only made the outspoken billionaire’s appeal to voters that much stronger. It is a political dynamic that Bush political operatives are increasingly confused and concerned over.

Those concerns were said to be given some salve in the form of assurances from Bill Clinton during a personal call he had with Jeb Bush two days earlier. While most of that conversation remains private, Jeb did share with others that the former president reminded the would-be presidential hopeful that, “a lot of this Trump thing will be taken care of during your debates, if not sooner.”

“It’s sad, but I think the reason is, unfortunately, the media and our government officials have treated the death of an unarmed white teenager differently than they would have if this were a death of an unarmed black teen,” Bland told The Washington Post this week. “The hypocrisy that has been shown toward this is really disconcerting.” He added: “The issue should never be what is the color of the victim. The issue should be: Why was an unarmed teen gunned down in a situation where deadly force was not even justified?”

On Wednesday, Hammond’s family released the results of a private autopsy, which concluded that both bullets entered Hammond’s body from the back. According to the autopsy, the second bullet proved to be fatal, entering from the back of Hammond’s left side and passing through his chest, piercing his lungs and heart.

His comments follow warnings from leading academics that mobile [phones] should come with health warnings. Mr Hunt said he has frequent conversations with primary head teachers who talk about “the challenge they face in getting their pupils up to the relevant level of progress, given their various developmental delays”.

He said, based on their evidence, “More children are presenting with serious difficulties when it comes to speech and language. In disadvantaged communities, children's ability to talk, to play, to interact is often markedly behind. When I ask if the condition is getting worse, all [school] heads say yes and they blame the iPhone.”

For years now, that’s largely how governments around the world have waged a war on cash. They’ve implemented restrictions on how much you can carry with you. How much cash you have on you that you have to report when you go through customs. How much you can withdraw from the bank at any one point in time. And more.

The thing is, government wars on cash are now on steroids. The reason: The looming sovereign-debt collapse that will soon cascade from Europe, then to Japan, and finally, to the USA. As I have said all along, when governments’ backs are up against the wall, they act like caged animals, lashing out at anything and anyone that restricts their ability to stay alive. Their thinking is this: Cash is, yes, difficult to track and tax, but it also makes it difficult, if not impossible, for negative interest rates to stimulate the economy.

That’s critical now because deflation is surrounding the globe. In Europe, for instance, the European Central Bank (ECB) has had negative interest rates in effect since June of last year. Currently at -0.2%, if you’re a bank in the eurozone, your “reserves” at the ECB gradually lose value if you don’t lend them out. Mark my words: Elimination of cash is where the governments of developed economies are headed. Toward fully electronic currencies instead.

If you don’t believe me, then consider the steps that have already been taken that are leading in that very same direction: In France, cash transactions over 1,000 euros are now illegal. It’s also a crime to send any amount of cash by mail. In Spain, the limit is 2,500 euros. Break that law and the government will confiscate 25% of your cash. Italy has banned all cash transactions over 999.99 euros. To pay 1,000 euros or more, you must use a debit card, credit card, a “non-transferrable check,” or pay by bank transfer. Violate the law, and the government will confiscate 40% of the amount paid. Similar restrictions on cash are in place in Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Mexico, Russia, Uruguay and a number of other countries.

Here in the US we don’t (yet) have any restrictions on spending cash. But there are strict reporting rules. If you deposit or withdraw more than $10,000 from a bank or other financial institution (either by cash or electronically), the bank must file a “currency transaction report” with the US Treasury. And then there are the “civil forfeiture” laws in place across the country, which gives the police the ability to confiscate any amounts of cash you may have in your pocket or in your car if they suspect you’re a dealer or a terrorist.

Problem is, scores of innocent citizens are being stopped and have their cash confiscated. It’s all going to get a heck of a lot worse for us in the months and years ahead. Bankrupt destitute governments are the cause. They will hunt you and your wealth down like never before.

The S&P 500 has traded in a historically narrow range for the better part of 2015, having moved just 1 percent higher year to date. "It's just waiting for the knee-jerk bulls, robo traders and dip buyers to finally capitulate." Stockman believes that the excessive monetary policy from central banks around the world has created a "debt supernova," and all the signs point to "the end of the central bank enabled bubble," which could cause a worldwide recession.

"The larger picture has nothing to do with the jobs report [Friday] or even the September decision by the Fed," said Stockman. "It has to do with the the fact that the world economy, including the U.S., is heading into what is clearly going to be an epochal deflation to the likes of what we have never experienced in modern time."

According to Stockman, it's only a matter of time before the collapse in China trickles down to other markets. "The whole global economy since 2008 has been driven forward by this massive investment and construction and borrowing spree in China," said Stockman. "The point that I'm making is that it's over." For Stockman, there's no reversing the artificially inflated bubbles created by the Federal Reserve. "I think what we are seeing is the beginning evidence that the central bank-driven credit economy is over and we are in a new era," said Stockman. "It's a huge disaster waiting to happen."

Now that the presidential hopefuls are duking it out in debates, it’s hoped whoever ends up occupying the Oval Office in 2016 will be equipped to handle the seemingly insurmountable challenge of an economic crisis. For years, Obama has attempted to convince Americans an economic recovery is just around the corner. But more and more, the stark numbers are not supporting this administration’s assurances. Both domestic and international affairs are contributing to increasing concerns that something “big” is imminent.

Financial Times reports the media sector has been “in freefall” since Walt Disney revised its growth outlook for its ESPN sports channel this week. Viacom shares fell by more than 14 percent. Comedy Central, MTV and Paramount Pictures hit earnings forecasts, but missed estimates on revenues. 21st Century Fox closed down more than 6 percent. CNS News reported on Friday there was a record 93,770,000 Americans not in the American labor force last month, and the labor force participation rate remained at 62.6 percent, exactly where it was in June – a 38-year low. While the unemployment rate is still “officially” 5.3 percent, Shadowstats reports the figure is closer to 24 percent.

The election issue most important to voters – by far, according to numerous surveys – is the economy and jobs. But most politicians have remained eerily silent on the threats facing the American economy and, more significantly, what might be done to address them. Most hit the standard talking points about education and jobs creation, but collectively appeared at a loss when it comes to plans to boost the economy.

Back in June, the Washington Examiner reported 72 percent of voters feared an economic crash, the “highest ever” expressing concern. Current news is only likely to exacerbate those numbers. As long ago as 2011, Donald Trump warned that trouble looms for the US economy: “If oil prices are allowed to inflate and keep inflating, if the dollar keeps going down in value, I think there’s a very distinct possibility that things could get worse.”

However no mainstream political figure has offered concrete recommendations on what to do if the American economy crashes.

Opening up a potential rift with its creditor partners, finance ministry officials in Berlin are said to favour providing another €5 billion bridging loan to Greece, buying time to extend talks with the Leftist Syriza government. "It is better to negotiate [with Greece] for two or three weeks longer and then have a sensible programme… A further bridge loan is better than just a half-finished programme," officials told Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung

The Greek parliament could vote on a new agreement as early as August 18, according to a government official on Friday. Both sides are set to spend the weekend negotiating the budget targets Athens will have to meet to continue receiving rescue cash, according to deputy prime minister Yiannis Dragasakis. He added that a deal was "nearly ready". But German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has repeatedly demanded assurances from Athens that it can implement a series of punishing austerity measures or face an exit from the eurozone.

Germany would be the largest individual contributor to a third bail-out for Greece. Unless Mr Tsipras can shrink the size of the public sector, privatise national asssets, and cut pensions spending, Mr Schaeuble has called for an amicable and "temporary" return to the drachma.

As the world moves closer to ratifying a nuclear deal that Jerusalem says won’t keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear arsenal, Ya’alon told German newspaper Der Speigel that Israel would do anything necessary in order to assure Tehran does not get atomic weapons, including taking military action.

“Ultimately it is very clear, one way or another, Iran’s military nuclear program must be stopped,” Ya’alon said, according to a retranslation from an interview published in the German daily. “We will act in any way and are not willing to tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran. We prefer that this be done by means of sanctions, but in the end, Israel should be able to defend itself,” the defense minister said.

He added that he was “not responsible for the lives of Iranian scientists,” according to Der Speigel, which will publish the full interview on Saturday. Ya’alon further stated that Israel was considering carrying out airstrikes on Iranian military facilities, the German paper reported.

Benzi Gopstein, the outspoken head of Lehava - which has drawn notoriety for its violent assaults on Jewish-Arab assimilation - made the remarks at a panel discussion for Jewish yeshiva students when asked by a fellow panelist if he believed burning down churches in Israel was justified.

He later tried to evade accusations of inciting his followers to fire-raise, saying it was the government's responsibility to carry out what he presented as a religious teaching of the 12th century Jewish philosopher, Maimonides. “Did the Ramba Maimonides rule to destroy idol worship or not? Idol worship must be destroyed. It’s simply yes – what’s the question?” Mr Gopstein told the panel.

Here's the catch, and why the next two months' negotiations may not be as simple as McConnell makes it sound. Pro-life lawmakers are apoplectic about covert videos purportedly showing Planned Parenthood officials callously discussing harvesting fetal tissue from aborted fetuses. Dozens of conservatives are demanding congressional leaders slash all federal money for Planned Parenthood in an emergency spending package.

The Senate failed to secure a supermajority Monday just to debate a standalone bill to strip Planned Parenthood of federal dollars. "At some point we'll negotiate the way forward," McConnell predicted of an autumn spending accord. But the Pandora's Box has been opened. And Democrats are more than happy to preach of the ills associated with it - namely, that the "defund" push could jam up any government spending bill. "The move is theirs," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democrat for Nevada, of Republicans.

McConnell could need 16 Republicans (including Kirk) to vote with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown. Usually it's Republicans trying to scrape together a few Democrats. Better enjoy what's left of August. September is going to be quite a month. And Pandora's Box may already be open, with its infirmities flying about Capitol Hill.

Everest was estimated to have moved three centimetres southwest when the first Nepal quake struck, another larger disaster will force the mountain to nudge even further. According to research, the massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which killed more than 6,000 people, was just a partial rupture on a fault line, with experts now fearing that ANOTHER quake could happen within months.

Researchers were able to show the location, geometry and nature of the fault patch that ruptured during the earthquake - showing that it only released stress on just a portion of the 2200km Main Himalayan Thrust fault line. This means there is still "strain available to drive a large earthquake in western Nepal" with a big tremor as high as before, according to Jean-Phillipe Avouac from the University of Cambridge, who led the research team.

Around 8,000 people were killed when the huge earthquake rocked Nepal earlier this year. Thousands more were injured and a staggering half a million people lost their homes when the tragedy struck.