I was out most of the day, so I didn’t have time to put together any posts except for the news feed.
The Russian government said that 50 Ukrainian drones were shot down during attacks on Russian power stations. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government said that for the first time, its forces have shot down a Russian long-range bomber.
In other news, Max Azzarello, the man who set himself on fire outside the New York City courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial, has died.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, JW, LP, MM, Reader from Chicago, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
First-Generation Idaho Ranchers Struggle to Stay Afloat as Inflation Drives Costs Up by 75%
Small business owners are struggling to make ends meet as inflation remains painfully high with no relief in sight.
First-generation Idaho cattle ranchers Megan and Trevor Stark have had a “very challenging” time maintaining their enterprise while balancing rising prices and cutting costs to meet their consumer needs.
“[In] the last … year and a half, our costs have actually gone up 75% across the board for livestock, for feed prices, fuel, everything. So it’s gone up a drastic amount. And for us to continue on and to make a living, and expand and go through our entire business plan like we plan on, it’s very challenging,” Megan said on “America Reports” Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Middle Class Can’t Afford Homes in Nearly Half of Top 100 US Metros, Study Finds
By Sam Bourgi of CreditNews
Housing is becoming an exclusively upper-class privilege in a growing number of cities.
According to a new study by Creditnews Research, in 2024, middle-class households could afford to buy an average home in just 52 of the country’s 100 largest metros.
Just five years earlier, they could afford a home in 91 of the top 100 metros.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
50 Women Attacked Randomly in Manhattan So Far This Year: NYPD
Fifty women have been randomly attacked by strangers so far this year in the lower half of Manhattan, an NYPD official said.
“The trend that I’m getting from the people that we’re arresting, the majority of them are homeless, the majority of them seem like they need some kind of help with mental illness,” Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at One Police Plaza Tuesday.
Most of the attacks don’t appear to be copycats and cops don’t consider them a trend, Kenny said.
But some of them have become high profile because of victims posting on social media, he said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Appeals Court Backs Forced Vaccination of Children Without Parental Consent
An appeals court has backed efforts to vaccinate children without parental consent by shielding those who force kids to take Covid shots.
A North Carolina Court of Appeals issued the ruling in the case of a clinic, where personnel gave a 14-year-old boy a Covid mRNA shot without consent from the child or his parents.
The mother of the boy sued the Guilford County school board and Old North State Medical Society over her teenage son’s forced COVID-19 vaccination in 2021.
However, appellate judges agreed that a federal law protected both defendants from legal liability.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrats Wave Ukrainian Flags on the House Floor After Passing $60 Billion Aid Package
On Saturday, Democrats in the House of Representatives waved the Ukrainian flag after lawmakers passed a bill to spend $60.8 billion in aid to the country, 311-112.
In a video posted on X, a woman walked around the house floor passing out the flags to members. “Never forget this moment in history,” Rep. Clay Higgins added in a post of members waving flags.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
House Democrat Introduces Bill Aimed at Trump That Would Strip Secret Service Protection From Felons
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) on Friday introduced legislation that would strip Secret Service protection from convicted felons sentenced to prison, a bill clearly aimed at former President Donald Trump.
“Unfortunately, current law doesn’t anticipate how Secret Service protection would impact the felony prison sentences of a protectee — even a former President,” Thompson, the former chairman of the House Jan. 6 select committee, said in a statement.
“It is regrettable that it has come to this, but this previously unthought-of scenario could become our reality,” he added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jewish Alums Warn Columbia Prez That ‘Violence Against Jewish Students is Imminent’
A network of Jewish alumni from Columbia University sent a scathing letter to President Minouche Shafik for allowing anti-Israel protesters to continue to invade campus — warning that violence against Jewish students may be imminent.
“At present, new, unauthorized protests are disrupting classes and creating an irrefutably unsafe environment for Jewish students,” the Columbia Jewish Alumni Association wrote in the letter dated Friday.
As of Friday night, protests demanding the university divest from Israel were still going strong after over 100 participants were arrested when the NYPD stormed the original tent encampment demonstration.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Detransitioner Chloe Cole’s lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente for medical malpractice will be allowed to move forward after the Superior Court of California County of San Joaquin ruled on Monday that Kaiser’s arbitration agreement cannot be enforced against Cole.
Judge Robert Waters wrote that Kaiser “failed to meet their prima facie burden in showing that a valid agreement between the parties at issue exists in this case,” adding that Cole’s mother had signed agreements to arbitrate in 2004 and 2005 “specifically referencing arbitration agreements in 2004 and 2005,” and that these agreements have gone through changes since then.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Who Set Himself on Fire Outside Trump Trial Courthouse Has Died, Police Say
MANHATTAN, N.Y. (WPIX) — The man who set himself on fire outside the New York City courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial has died, authorities said.
The man, identified by police as 37-year-old Max Azzarello, was declared dead by staff at a hospital Friday night, according to the NYPD.
Azzarello had walked into Collect Pond Park in Lower Manhattan around 1:30 p.m. on Friday, opened a bookbag, and threw pamphlets containing conspiracy theories into the air, according to NYPD Chief of Department James Maddrey.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Massachusetts State Police Arrest 20 Climate Activists for Disrupting Traffic at Hanscom Field
A proposed expansion at Hanscom Field should not be cleared for takeoff, according to climate activists who were arrested while protesting the development in Bedford.
Massachusetts State Police arrested 20 members of Extinction Rebellion Boston for disrupting flights at the airfield Saturday morning as they “breached a security perimeter and trespassed on the tarmac” to block planes from taxiing to the runway. MSP spokesman David Procopio told the Herald they were charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct and “potentially other related charges.” The scene cleared shortly after the event began around 8:30 a.m.
The activists, who oppose a project that would bring Hanscom 17 additional hangars for private jets due to potential environmental harm, blocked the entrances of Signature Aviation, Jet Aviation, and Atlantic Aviation, until they were arrested, the group said in a release. Others “encircled the wheels of private jets with their arms and refused to move.”
James Comiskey, one of the arrested activists who the Extinction Rebellion says is a Boston-based sustainability professional, called Gov. Maura Healey out for being silent on the proposed project.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Loneliness, conspiracy theories and loss apparently drove the troubled man who set himself on fire this week across the street from the courthouse where former President Donald Trump is on trial.
The final, fatal act was a tragic denouement in the life of Max Azzarello, who friends described as intelligent and kind — but somewhat depressed, and still reeling from the 2022 death of his mother, who he followed when he moved to Florida a few years ago.
Azzarello, 37, grew up on Long Island’s North Shore, in the tiny village of Sea Cliff, and moved to Florida, following his parents.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Michael Avenatti Says He’s Talking to Trump’s Legal Team — and Would Testify for the Ex-Prez
Disgraced Stormy Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti has been in contact with former President Trump’s legal defense team and is ready and willing to testify against his former client, he told The Post in an interview from jail.
“The defense has contacted me,” Avenatti told The Post in a phone call from Terminal Island, a minimum-security federal prison in Los Angeles where he is currently serving a 19-year sentence for extortion, tax evasion, fraud, embezzlement and other federal crimes.
“I’d be more than happy to testify, I don’t know that I will be called to testify, but I have been in touch with Trump’s defense for the better part of year,” Avenatti said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New York AG Letitia James Moves to Void $175 Million Bond Posted by Trump in Civil Fraud Case
On Friday, the New York Attorney General Letita James asked a judge to void the $175 million bond posted by former President Donald Trump as he appeals the judgment from his New York civil fraud case.
The bond was posted to secure the funds owed by Trump in the case, but the AG’s office argues that there is insufficient collateral to back the bond.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NIH Refuses to Release Details of COVID-19 Vaccine Royalty Agreement
Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) is refusing to release additional information about an agreement it reached over a COVID-19 vaccine that has earned it at least $400 million.
The NIH declined to provide any materials in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from The Epoch Times.
“The NIH withholds the entirety of the records as they are protected from release,” Gorka Garcia-Malene, an NIH officer, told The Epoch Times in a letter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pro-Hamas Student Activists at Columbia Come From Wealthy, High-Profile Families
Several of the activists arrested during an anti-Israel protest at Columbia University on Thursday were revealed to come from wealthy and prominent families or have connections to others in positions of leadership.
According to a report from the New York Post, many of the protesters list multimillion-dollar homes as their address, and many are students at Columbia’s sister school, Bernard College.
Some of the shouts that came from the protest included, “We are Hamas!” as well as “Long live Hamas!”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Project Much? Hillary Clinton Claims Trump Wants to ‘Kill, Imprison His Opposition’
Hillary Clinton, who once suggested murdering Julian Assange and whose party is trying to imprison their chief political rival, suggested that Donald Trump wants to murder and imprison his political opponents.
Appearing on a podcast with Marc Elias, the Democrat super-lawyer who laid the legal groundwork for vote-by-mail in 2020 & was involved in the “Steele Dossier” purchase, Clinton suggested that “Putin does what [Trump] would like to do. Kill his opposition.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Third Temporary Channel Opens for Vessels to Baltimore Port After Bridge Collapse
BALTIMORE — A third temporary channel for boats to enter and depart the Port of Baltimore has opened, expanding further shipping access as collapsed sections of the Francis Scott Key Bridge are salvaged before the span can ultimately be rebuilt.
The alternate channel, located to the northeast of the fallen bridge, is open to “commercially essential vessels,” port officials announced late Friday.
The new temporary path, with a controlling depth of 20 feet (6.1 meters), a horizontal clearance of 300 feet (91.4 meters) and a vertical clearance of 135 feet (41.2 meters), allows a greater variety of vessels to access the port while crews work to reopen the main channel, Coast Guard and port Capt. David O’Connell said in a news release.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
The House on Saturday voted to ban TikTok — and even some Americans who make bank on the Chinese-owned app believe its end can’t come soon enough, saying it’s become a cesspool of hate and misinformation.
Comedian and actor Zach Sage Fox, who earns his living in part by posting clips of his standup to over 1.1 million followers on TikTok, was sweating what the ban on the app could mean for his income in the hours after the Congressional vote to block the platform in the US or force its sale.
But as the company has faced accusations of promoting Hamas propaganda and turning younger Americans toward Islamic extremism following the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, the social media influencer recognized the dangers of the massively popular video sharing platform poses.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
TikTok “Ban” is Reignited After Getting Wedged Into Ukraine and Israel Funding Bill
A bill targeting popular Chinese social media app TikTok has once again been approved by the US House of Representatives, this time shoe-horned into a comprehensive package addressing international affairs and foreign adversaries, including Russia.
These broader repercussions make it difficult for the Senate to delay its assessment of the proposal. The bill, which came with an overwhelming support of 360-58 votes, along with other foreign aid propositions aims to address various international flashpoints, such as providing military assistance to Ukraine and Israel and sending relief aid to Gaza.
Previously, a standalone version of the TikTok bill that won the House’s approval 352-65 last month had been languishing in the limbo of the Senate without a clear path forward. Its future appeared uncertain amid undecided sentiments from many senators. However, the shift in attitudes became palpable once the bill was strategically wedged into the foreign aid bundle.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The troubled “conspiracy theorist” Max Azzarello, who died after setting himself on fire in a Manhattan park, once worked for Long Island Congressman Tom Suozzi.
“Max Azzarello worked on my campaign for Nassau County Executive in 2013 as part of the field staff,” Suozzi, whose district includes parts of Queens and Nassau County, told The Post Saturday. “Even though I haven’t seen or talked to Max since then I recall him being very kind, smart and hardworking. It is tragic that he has succumbed to his injuries and I am keeping Max and his family in my prayers.”
Azzarello listed himself as a “operations manager” for a few months of the Democrat’s campaign in 2013. He did not work for Suozzi at any other time.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Calls for Republicans to Vote Early and by Absentee After Railing Against it in 2020
Former President Trump urged Republicans to embrace all voting possibilities in advance of the 2024 presidential election — after railing against the practice during the 2020 election.
“ABSENTEE VOTING, EARLY VOTING, AND ELECTION DAY VOTING ARE ALL GOOD OPTIONS. REPUBLICANS MUST MAKE A PLAN, REGISTER, AND VOTE!” the former president declared in an all caps missive from Truth Social, his social media company.
The posting suggests Trump is trying to broaden the horizons of GOP voters — long suspicious of all but in person same-day voting.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump ‘Hush Money’ Trial Juror Dismissed After Arrest for Leftist Activism Exposed
A second juror was excused from the jury in President Donald Trump’s so-called “hush money” trial after their troubling prior arrest was exposed.
It was revealed the man has a history of leftist activism and was once arrested for tearing down right-leaning political advertisements.
Known only as “Juror #4,” he was selected and sworn in on Tuesday.
However, he was later excused by Judge Juan Merchan after details of his arrest emerged.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine’s Zelensky and Israel’s Netanyahu Hail House Passage of $95 Billion Foreign Aid Package
(CNN) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu have thanked US lawmakers after they voted in favor of new aid packages for their countries worth billions of dollars.
“Thank you, America!” Zelensky wrote on his Telegram on Saturday, shortly after the House of Representatives passed the long-delayed Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act by a vote of 311-112.
The bill was part of a wider $95 billion package providing foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region. It provides nearly $61 billion to help Ukraine and others in the region fight Russia, while the House also passed funding worth $26.4 billion for Israel and $8.1 billion to counter China’s actions in the Indo-Pacific.
Zelensky said the decision would keep “history on the right track.”
“Democracy and freedom will always have global significance and will never fail as long as America helps to protect it. The vital US aid bill passed today by the House will keep the war from expanding, save thousands and thousands of lives, and help both of our nations to become stronger. Just peace and security can only be attained through strength,” Zelensky added.
Meanwhile, the House passed the Israel Security Supplemental with a vote of 366-58.
“Thank you friends, thank you America!” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a post on social media, adding that the bill demonstrates “strong bipartisan support for Israel and defends Western civilization.”
However, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the aid package for Israel, describing it as a “dangerous escalation” and act of aggression that would lead to more Palestinian casualties in Israel’s war on Hamas.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
US Fentanyl Crisis is a ‘CCP-Run Operation’, Says Peter Schweizer
Authored by Terri Wu and Jan Jekielek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
Three months after the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned a Chinese mafia leader for fentanyl trafficking, he received an award in Beijing.
In March 2021, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Overseas United Working Committee recognized Wan Kuok Koi, also known as “Broken Tooth,” as a “patriotic businessman” and the “chief representative” of all international Hongmen associations. Hongmen is synonymous with triads, or Chinese transnational organized crime syndicates, to many Chinese.
The awarding entity is a CCP United Front organization and a platform under the China Association for Science and Technology. It also pushes China’s flagship infrastructure program, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), worldwide. According to the Treasury Department notice, Mr. Wan has established a security company protecting BRI investments in Southeast Asia.
In a recent interview with EpochTV’s American Thought Leaders (ATL), investigative writer Peter Schweizer cited Mr. Wan’s case as an example of the CCP’s take on the United States’ fentanyl crisis.
“The notion that ‘oh, China’s trying very hard, but they can’t fix this’ is an absolute joke in my mind,” he said.
In addition, the author of a new book titled “Blood Money: Why the Powerful Turn a Blind Eye While China Kills Americans” told ATL that the U.S. fentanyl crisis is a “CCP-run operation.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Warrantless Surveillance Program
In the late hours of Friday, the US Senate approved the extension of the contentious FISA warrantless surveillance program, narrowly averting its expiration at the stroke of midnight. Effectively confirmed is what advocates describe as a fundamental pillar of America’s foreign intelligence-gathering procedures and civil liberties groups see it as a Fourth Amendment violation that has yet to be properly challenged.
Senate majority leader and Democrat, Chuck Schumer, extolled this bipartisan decision: “Democrats and Republicans came together and did the right thing for our country’s safety.” He addressed the concerns surrounding the program’s expiration emphatically: “We all know one thing: letting FISA expire would be dangerous. It’s an important part of our national security, to stop acts of terror, drug trafficking, and violent extreme extremism.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Wild bodycam footage has been released showing the moment police in Seattle gunned down an alleged sex predator who pulled a gun on them during a sting operation during which the suspect reportedly thought he was meeting up with two underage girls.
The suspect, 67, arrived at a DoubleTree Suites hotel in Tukwila at around 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday under the impression that he was meeting two young girls, ages 7 and 11, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) says.
He knocked on a hotel room door, where he was met by multiple SPD officers with the Washington State Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce who were undercover and waiting to arrest him.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Austria: Electric Bikes Overtake Traditional Bicycles in Sales
For the first time last year, more electric bicycles were sold than conventional bicycles in Austria, as reported by Kurier. Of the total 421,000 bicycles sold, 52 percent were e-bikes. This marks a historic turning point in the market. Despite an overall decline in sales by 16.8 percent compared to 2022, resulting in a market drop to 2019 levels, demand remains high.
The strong growth in the years 2020, 2021, and 2022 was mainly driven by the pandemic-induced catch-up effect, leading to an oversupply of bicycles in dealers’ inventories in 2022 and 2023.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Britain Prepares to Unveil a New Naval Shipbuilding Program
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is preparing to announce a new naval shipbuilding program amid pressure from Conservative MPs who are urging him to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP, according to the Financial Times.
Sources told the publication that Sunak is expected to promote plans for new multi-role support ships next month, aimed at bolstering Britain’s ability to conduct amphibious warfare.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch Supervisory Authority Recommends Government to Stop Using Facebook
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has stated that it recommends government organizations to stop using Facebook, Reuters reports.
According to the head of AP, Aleid Wolfsen, the use of the platform should be discontinued until it is clear what happens to the personal data of users visiting government pages on Facebook.
“People who visit government pages should be confident that their personal and confidential data is in safe hands,” he noted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
European Council Strives for Increased ‘Competitiveness’ on World Stage
In a declaration issued after their summit in Brussels on Thursday, April 18th, European Union leaders agreed to a new “European Competitiveness Deal,” designed to help the 27-member bloc to catch up with China and the United States.
The European Council, which gathers leaders of member state governments, in its special meeting sought to confront what it called “a new geopolitical reality and increasingly complex challenges” by “acting decisively to ensure (EU) long-term competitiveness, prosperity and leadership on the global stage.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Populist Political Activist Assaulted in Apparent Leftist Attack in Paris
A populist political activist has reported being assaulted in Paris on Friday, in the latest example of right-wing political figures facing violence in Europe.
The president of the youth movement of Éric Zemmour’s Reconquête! (Reconquest) anti-mass migration party, Stanislas Rigault, 24, said that he filed a police report after he was attacked by a group of six or seven people while waiting for a taxi in the 14th arrondissement of the French capital on Friday evening.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Greece Wants to Create an Air Defense System Similar to Israel’s “Iron Dome”
Greece plans to develop an air defense system similar to Israel’s “Iron Dome” aimed at protecting the country from airborne threats. Defense Minister Nikos Dendias made this statement, cited by eKathimerini.
Discussing Israel’s recent use of the “Iron Dome” missile defense system to repel a mass attack of Iranian drones and missiles on Israeli territory, Dendias said:
“Studying the conflict in Ukraine, we have concluded that it is necessary to build an air defense dome and counter drone systems,” the Greek minister noted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In Finland, Large-Scale Reductions of Civil Servants Are Planned
The Finnish government is preparing a restructuring of the state service, which in 2025 could result in the reduction of several thousand employees, reported the Finnish public broadcaster Yle, citing sources.
According to Yle, the reductions will affect officials in ministries and state administrative bodies. Negotiations on restructuring and reductions may begin by the end of 2024.
The reductions are planned as part of a broad package of austerity measures promoted by the current right-wing Finnish government. They aim to find around 9 billion euros through tax increases and expenditure cuts.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Climate Activists Dye Grand Canal Green and Red
Climate activists dyed Venice’s Grand Canal green and red in an action believed to have been carried out by Extinction Rebellion.
Police arrested two French tourists after the dye was poured into the iconic waterway from a vaporetto.
Police said the stunt may also be linked to the Venice art biennale currently running in the lagoon city.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Last Year, 137 Dutch People Were Arrested for Robbing ATMs With Explosives
Last year, 137 Dutch people were arrested because they were accused of being involved in robbery incidents in which explosives were detonated to break open an ATM, Dutch police said on Saturday. Most of the ATM bombings related to the arrests actually took place in Germany, where Dutch suspects blew up cash machines 367 times last year.
By comparison, there were eight such robberies in the Netherlands last year. The explosive robberies were more common in the Netherlands until banking authorities implemented several measures which cut off access to many ATMs during late night and overnight hours. “It has definitely become an export product,” a spokesperson said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The globalist leadership in Brussels “must go” and does not “deserve another chance”, Prime Minister Orban declared at a European Parliament campaign launch in Budapest on Friday.
“Change is needed in Brussels!” Prime Minister Victor Orban proclaimed, saying per the Magyar Nemzet: “We must occupy Brussels, push aside their bureaucrats and take matters into our own hands. If we don’t, not only Europe, but we, Hungarians, will pay a heavy price for the incompetence and helplessness of the leaders in Brussels.”
Telling members of his populist right-wing Fidesz party on Friday that their campaign slogan for the June elections will be “No migration, No gender, No war!”, the Hungarian prime minister — currently the longest-serving national leader in the EU — cast the election as one of stark contrasts, particularly on issues of mass migration, gender ideology, and perhaps most importantly on matters of war and peace.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Will Make Defense Its Main Priority During Its EU Presidency in 2025
Poland plans to bolster its efforts to increase defense spending when it assumes the presidency of the European Union in January 2025. Polish Finance Minister, Andrzej Domanski, stated this in an interview with Bloomberg.
The pressing issue of countering Russia has sparked significant disagreements within the European Union, especially with the upcoming European Parliament elections scheduled for June this year. Following this, Hungary, which advocates for reconciliation with Russia, will take over the six-month EU presidency in July.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The EU is Preparing New Rules Banning Products Made With Forced Labor
On April 23, members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg will work on new measures to combat forced labor, the European Parliament website reports. The essence of the new rules is to ensure that goods produced in this manner do not generate profits.
The new regulation on forced labor will empower the EU to prohibit the sale, import, and export of products manufactured using such labor. The ban will be based on the findings of investigations conducted by the authorities of member states or the European Commission.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
LONDON — London’s police force has been forced to issue two apologies after officers threatened to arrest an “openly Jewish” man if he refused to leave the area around a pro-Palestinian march because his presence risked provoking the demonstrators.
Gideon Falter, chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, was wearing a traditional Jewish skullcap when he was stopped by police while trying to cross a street in central London as demonstrators filed past on April 13.
One officer told Falter he was worried that the man’s “quite openly Jewish” appearance could provoke a reaction from the protesters, according to video posted by the campaign group. A second officer then told Falter he would be arrested if he refused to be escorted out of the area because he was “causing a breach of the peace.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Top Cancer Doctor Issues Red Alert: COVID Shots Must ‘Be Completely Banned’
A world-renowned cancer specialist has warned that Covid mRNA vaccines pose a huge risk to public health and demanded that the shots “be completely banned.”
Professor Angus Dalgleish is a celebrated oncologist, known for his research in cancer and HIV/AIDS.
Dalgleish is now raising the alarm after discovering that the Covid injections are causing the global surge in cancer rates.
Describing the shots as “gene therapies,” Dalgleish warns that the shots are responsible for the wave of sudden deaths and fatal diseases such as heart failure, blood clots, strokes, and “turbo cancers.”
In an interview with Dr. John Campbell, Dalgleish declared there is a “fundamental flaw” with COVID-19 shots.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Constitutional Court of Croatia Prevents the President From Leading the Government
The Constitutional Court of Croatia has ruled that the pro-Russian President Zoran Milanovic cannot have a mandate to form a government or be a candidate for Prime Minister following the elections where the second place was taken by a coalition led by the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), of which he is an informal leader, HRT reports.
The court’s decision states that with his statements and actions, including participating in the campaign and not submitting a resignation statement, Milanovic has put himself in a position where he cannot have a mandate to form a future government or be a candidate for Prime Minister.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Israeli Airstrike in Rafah Kills at Least 9 Palestinians, Including 6 Children, Hospital Says
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Israel’s war against the Islamic militant group Hamas has led to a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East, notably between Israel and Iran in recent weeks. Now attention is returning to Rafah, which hosts more than half of Gaza’s population of about 2.3 million, most of them displaced by fighting elsewhere.
The strike late Friday hit Rafah’s western Tel Sultan neighborhood, according to Gaza’s civil defense. At al-Najjar hospital, relatives sobbed and hugged children’s shrouded bodies. “Hamza my beloved. Your hair looks so pretty,” a mourning grandmother said.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Explosion Hits Hashd Al-Shaabi Headquarters in Iraq
raq’s Hashd al-Shaabi militia group confirmed that an explosion had occurred at its headquarters in the Kalsu military base in the northern Babil province in central Iraq.
In a statement on Saturday, it said: “An investigation team immediately arrived at the scene,” adding that the blast caused material losses and injuries.
Earlier on Saturday, Baghdad Today News Agency reported that “unidentified aircraft targeted the headquarters of Hashd al-Shaabi forces with two missiles at the Kalsu base in Babil province.”
At least one member of the Hashd al-Shaabi militia group was killed and eight others were injured during a missile strike targeting the Kalsu military base.
Civil defence teams were able to control the large fire caused by the bombing inside the base which also houses members of the Iraqi army and the federal police, according to the agency.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Iran Admits Overnight Air Attack Was Israel But Dismisses Strike as ‘Desperate’
Foreign Minister of Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian appeared to concede on Friday that Israel had launched an aerial attack on his country.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Anticipating Russian Spring Offensive, Kharkiv Residents Start to Flee
KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — A 79-year-old woman makes the sign of the cross and, gripping her cane, leaves her home in a quaint village in northeast Ukraine.
Torn screens, shattered glass and scorched trees litter the yard of Olha Faichuk’s apartment building in Lukiantsi, north of the city of Kharkiv. Abandoned on a nearby bench is a shrapnel-pierced cellphone that belonged to one of two people killed when a Russian bomb struck, leaving a blackened crater in its wake.
“God, forgive me for leaving my home, bless me on my way,” Faichuk said, taking one last look around before slowly shuffling to an evacuation vehicle.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Moscow Says 50 Ukrainian Drones Shot Down During Attacks on Russian Power Stations
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine launched a barrage of drones across Russia overnight, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said Saturday, in attacks that appeared to target the country’s energy infrastructure.
Fifty drones were shot down by air defences over eight Russian regions, including 26 over the country’s western Belgorod region close to the Ukrainian border. Two people — a woman with a broken leg and the man caring for her — died during the overnight barrage, after explosions sparked a blaze that set their home alight, Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on social media. A pregnant woman and her unborn child were also killed in shelling later Saturday, he said.
Drones were also reportedly destroyed over the Bryansk, Kursk, Tula, Smolensk, Ryazan, Kaluga regions across Russia’s west and south, as well as in the Moscow region.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Claims First-Ever Shootdown of Russian Strategic Bomber, Moscow Denies
Another Russian military aircraft has fallen from the sky in a fiery wreck, social media video widely circulating on Friday shows. But precisely how it happened is being hotly disputed.
Ukraine is now touting that for the first time ever, its forces have downed a Russian long-range bomber which was actively engaged in attacks on Ukrainian cities. “For the first time, anti-aircraft missile units of the air force in cooperation with the defense intelligence of Ukraine destroyed a Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bomber,” Ukraine’s military announced.
“This was the plane that bombed Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih. We took our revenge for our cities and civilians,” air force spokesperson Illya Yevlash told international press, as cited in AFP.
However, Russia’s military is disputing claims by Ukraine officials, instead saying a “technical malfunction” led to the crash which resulted in at least one crew member killed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
India’s Colossal Election Season Begins as Modi Seeks Third Term
As the Prime Minister’s car approaches, the chants of “Modi!” are deafening. His cavalcade moves at walking pace and as it nears, the people surge forwards with their phones out, snapping the moment for posterity.
The atmosphere is carnival-like, with blaring music, drums and dancers in traditional Indian clothes.
Narendra Modi, 73, has kicked off his campaign for a third term with a roadshow in Ghaziabad, a city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news
Academics from Papua New Guinea say that the actual cannibals who live there would be extremely offended by Joe Biden’s made up story of his uncle being eaten by them during World War Two because they “wouldn’t just eat any white men that fell from the sky.”
As we highlighted earlier this week, Biden twice told the completely made up story as a way of attacking Donald Trump.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Australia Demands X Delete Content Surrounding Sydney Attack
Elon Musk’s social media platform X is clashing with Australia’s online safety watchdog over a directive to remove content connected to an alleged church stabbing in Sydney. The incident, where a bishop was attacked during a live-streamed service, has raised concerns about censorship and freedom of speech.
The pro-censorship eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, issued notices to both X and Meta, the parent company of Facebook, requesting the removal of some posts about the violent attack. In response, Musk’s platform has indicated its intent to resist these orders, citing a commitment to free speech.
Musk posted on Friday, highlighting his disapproval of what he termed “global content bans” enforced by Australia’s censorship authorities. Despite the threat of fines for non-compliance, X’s legal team maintains that the flagged posts do not violate the platform’s policies on violent content.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Media Silent on Islamist Motive Behind Attack on Christian Bishop
The teenage perpetrator of this week’s brazen anti-Christian attack on an Assyrian Bishop during Mass at a church in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, faced a judge on Friday after police charged him a day earlier with “committing a terrorist act.”
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel had been delivering a live-streamed sermon at Christ the Good Shepherd Church on Monday evening when, out of nowhere, the 16-year-old attacker approached the altar, pulled out a knife, and began repeatedly and mercilessly stabbing him, targeting the bishop’s face and head to inflict maximum damage.
According to an eyewitness interviewed by an Australian video journalist at the scene of the attack, the assailant shouted “Allahu Akbar” repeatedly and muttered in Arabic about the Islamic prophet being insulted as faithful churchgoers intervened, tackling him to the ground and subduing him.
Notably, after video of the attack began circulating across social networks, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant ordered Meta and X to remove the content within twenty-four hours and threatened to impose massive fines if they failed to do so.
Several mainstream press outlets in Australia and New Zealand, including major ones like 7NEWS Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald, 9News, and 1News have reported on the attack and the perpetrator’s hearing, noting that it was “declared a terrorist act because of the teen’s possible religious motivation.”
What the outlets failed to mention, purposely or not, is the particular religion that appears to have motivated the attack: Islam.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Orwellian Sydney Police: We Will be the “Source of Truth”
Offering a fresh perspective on the fallout of a recent Sydney stabbing attack, residents have expressed their anger and mistrust toward the police who have insisted they alone should be the arbiter of truth in this incident. These sentiments stem from a press briefing given by New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb last Thursday.
Webb, who was sharing information about a 16-year-old male being accused of terrorism following the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel of Christ The Good Shepherd Church, asserted that the police will be the utterly reliable source of updates. She warned against “misinformation,” but decided not to elaborate on what she was alluding to.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Argentina Submits Official Request for NATO Global Partner Status
Argentina has submitted an official request for NATO’s global partner status, aiming to pave the way for closer political and security cooperation with the Alliance at a time when President Javier Milei’s government seeks to strengthen ties with Western nations and attract investments, AP reports.
The request comes as NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoana held talks on regional security challenges with Argentine Defense Minister Luis Petri, who was visiting Brussels.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In Haiti, Over 2,500 People Have Died or Been Injured Due to Unrest — UN
From January to March, violence by criminal gangs in Haiti has resulted in the deaths or injuries of over 2,500 people. This is a 53% increase compared to the last three months of the previous year. Reuters reports this information, citing data from the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH).
According to the organization, at least 590 people have died during police operations. Some of the victims apparently were not involved in gang violence, while others had mobility impairments. At least 141 people were killed by “justice groups,” as stated by BINUH.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Asylum Seeker Raped Teen After Deportation Flight Was Blocked
A “poster boy” for the anti-deportation movement who held a “migrants are not criminals” sign at a protest proved to be just that, and pleaded guilty to raping a child after his own deportation was prevented.
Congolese migrant Anicet Mayela, who came to the United Kingdom in 2004 as an asylum seeker has pleaded guilty to raping a 15-year-old girl.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
IMF Official: Joe Biden’s Open Border is Hurting Americans’ Wages
“Abundant labor coming across the border” is reducing wages, said the managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
High school soccer players did not get to play a game on Sunday because a group of migrants allegedly took over the field in the East Harlem area of New York City.
Erik Johansson coaches for the Manhattan Kickers 17-year-old boys travel team and said when his players showed up at Thomas Jefferson Park, he asked the migrants to leave, the New York Post reported Saturday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A student at Pennbrook Middle School in North Wales, Pennsylvania, was left hospitalized after being attacked by a trans-identified male student with a Stanley Cup on Wednesday afternoon.
Surveillance video from the school cafeteria showed a seventh-grade girl walking when the accused student approached her and began beating her in the head with a Stanely cup, according to 6ABC, a local news network. Witnesses to the events said the girl’s head was beaten until she bled.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Five West Virginia Middle School Girls Refuse to Compete Against Trans Competitor in Shot Put
On Thursday, five middle school female athletes in West Virginia staged a “step out” protest and refused to compete against a trans-identified male in the shot put event.
In a video posted online, the girls stepped into the box when their name was called to throw, and then one by one they stepped out without throwing their shot.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Real Time” host Bill Maher closed his show Friday night by linking the left’s indoctrination of gender ideology of children to “entrapment.” He also called out Disney’s battle with Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying “DeSantis wasn’t wrong.”
The HBO host condemned, “The left will overlook child f***ing if the guy from the wrong party calls it out.”
“As one of the few people in the public eye who’s gone through life and never had kids, someone has to tell me why am I always having to defend them?” Maher exclaimed at the top of his monologue. “I don’t even like kids, but I also think it’s every adult’s job to protect them.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Megan Rapinoe Produces ‘Bold’ Series ‘Cleat Cute’ About Lesbian Soccer Players
Former United States Women’s National Soccer Team player Megan Rapinoe and her partner Sue Bird announced their production company, A Touch More, is teaming up with Future Shack Entertainment to produce a TV series based on the 2023 book by Meryl Wilsner, “Cleat Cute.”
According to Good Reads, the book is about a 26-year-old soccer player selected to play on the US Women’s National Team and a budding romance between two of the players after “one daring kiss.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
National Public Radio (NPR) CEO Katherine Maher is facing another round of criticism after many have pointed out that despite her comments about censorship and truth, she currently sits on the board of directors of the Signal Foundation.
The Signal Foundation is the nonprofit behind the messaging app known for its security and free speech commitments. Signal experienced a surge in users in 2021, boasting over 40 million users, thanks to its reputation for security due to end-to-end encryption and its independence from major tech companies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
By Adam Sabes of Campus Reform
St. Louis University plans to host transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney to speak on campus next week and denied College Republicans’ request to host an event with a former NCAA swimmer a day later.
The event will be hosted by the St. Louis University Great Issues Committee on Monday, which is part of the school’s Student Activities Board, according to the St. Louis Post.
Mulvaney gained attention in April 2023 after a paid partnership with Bud Light, sparking heavy criticism from conservatives.
According to the report, St. Louis University College Republicans President Alexandra Leung said that administrators at the institution denied their request to host Paula Scanlan, a women’s sports activist.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The author of a major report detailing the dangers transgender healthcare practices pose to children said that she had been told to avoid public transport amid security concerns.
Dr Hillary Cass, the former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, told The Times of London that she is facing abuse and threats following the publication of her report on the impact of transgender ‘medicine’ has on children in Britain.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Wow! Somebody in a developed Western country setting himself on fire is totally bizarre!
I don’t even know what to think.
Lunacy. Mental illness maybe. But that is harsh.
“Lunacy. Mental illness maybe. But that is harsh.”
Nah, it’s just Obamerica: The Home of Commie-Toddlerism; and the Art of Collapse. More to come..
I guess the man who set himself on fire and died being a register democrat( that is what the local news said) will be voting in November for Joe Biden . Biden always gets the dead people block vote he has alot in common with them
“Slava Ukraine….Die MAGA die. You lose.” —Nate McMurray, NY congressional candidate (20 Apr 2024) (D-NY)
https://twitter.com/Nate_McMurray/status/1781751233625076219
“When disparate groups within a civilization no longer share a foundational understanding of what constitutes morality, chaos and decline become unavoidable. This, for the first time since the foundation of the United States of America, is where we are today.” —posted to fb (Nov 2018)
In the beginning, I was a big supporter of Modi. However, it seems like somebody has gotten to him, because he is allowing the globalists to use India as a testing ground for their various evil plans.