The Socialist mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, announced that she will jump into the River Seine to mark the Olympic Games. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel “Toy Boy” Macron vowed to make France the “undisputed leader in AI” in Europe.
In other news, according to a new poll, almost 50% of Americans believe the United States could experience a second civil war in their lifetimes.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, Dora, JW, LP, Reader from Chicago, Roger, 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.
30% of Americans Believe College Isn’t Worth It
The value of a college education is spiraling lower as youngsters realize it’s a giant scam. Racking up $100k in college debt for worthless gender degrees in liberal indoctrination camps, only to graduate and land a job that didn’t require a degree—such as a realtor or bartender, as many millennials found out, has been a major wake-up call.
A new survey from the Pew Research Center shows that 29% of people aged 25 to 34 say college degrees are no longer worth the money, and this growing distrust risks a further implosion of the higher education bubble.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Americans Forgoing Summer Vacations Amid Rising Price of Everything: Fox News Poll
A recent Fox News poll has found that more than half of Americans do not plan on going away for vacation this summer, with 55 percent saying they’ll be staying home.
Among those who said they won’t be doing any travelling, nearly three quarters said it was because they “don’t have money” to do so as the price of just about everythingcontinues to go up, putting further strain on people’s already struggling finances.
According to the poll, which was conducted among 1,126 American voters between May 10 and 13 and has a margin of error of +/— 3 percent, 73 percent of those not taking a vacation this year said it was because of money, while 15 percent cited a lack of time.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘MAGAnomics’: Trump Vows Economic Recovery in Second Term at Bronx Rally
Former President Donald Trump on Thursday held a rally in the traditionally Democratic-leaning Bronx in which he vowed to revitalize the American economy.
Taking place in Cratona Park, the rally occurred amid Trump’s ongoing criminal trial in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s hush money case. During the event, Trump touted his economic record and sought to appeal to black and Hispanic Americans.
“Everybody was better off under a man named Donald J. Trump have you heard of him?” he said. “We had a record low poverty rate for black Americans and Hispanic Americans.”
“On day one, we’re gonna throw up Bidenomics. We’re gonna replace it with ‘Maganomics’!” he declared. “I will give you low taxes, low inflation, low interest rates, rising wages, growing incomes, and fair trade for the American worker and we will make energy affordable again by saying ‘drill baby drill.’“
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The U.S. Supreme Court on May 23 ruled in favor of South Carolina’s redrawn congressional map, reversing a lower court decision.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) challenged the map, arguing legislators were motivated by race when drawing district lines and committed “intentional racial discrimination.”
As Zachary Stieber reports via The Epoch Times, a panel of federal judges in 2023 said that “race predominated over all other factors” when legislators redrew South Carolina’s First Congressional District, currently represented by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.). The finding was based in part on the movement of more than 30,000 black voters to a different district.
To show that race was the predominant factor motivating legislators who are redrawing districts, plaintiffs challenging a new map must prove the state elevated race above other factors, such as contiguity, according to court precedent.
The judges who handed down the earlier ruling “clearly erred” because the challengers did not provide such proof, Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, said.
The challengers “provided no direct evidence of a racial gerrymander, and their circumstantial evidence is very weak,” he wrote. “Instead, the challengers relied on deeply flawed expert reports.”
Justice Alito, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, was joined by Justice John Roberts, another appointee of President Bush, and Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, all appointees of former President Donald Trump.
Justice Thomas, another appointee of President Bush, wrote in an opinion, concurring in part.
Justice Elena Kagan, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, filed a dissent. She was joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, another appointee of President Obama, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, an appointee of President Joe Biden.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A List (With Links) of Antisemitism Lawsuits Filed Against American Universities
Along with dozens of Title VI administrative complaints filed with the Office of Civil Rights, at least fourteen colleges and universities are facing lawsuits over their handling of antisemitism on campus since October 7. I asked around, and no one seems to have a compiled a list of defendants with links to the complaints, so I’ve created one, which I will update as needed. Let me know if I have missed any. UPDATE: It turns out that there is a website keeping up with the litigation, though it’s currently missing a few of the ones I have listed below.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Charges Dropped Against New Jersey Gym Owner Who Defied Strict COVID Lockdown Rules
Authored by Katabella Roberts via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
The owner of a gym in New Jersey who shot to national attention after defying COVID-19 restrictions by keeping his gym open has had all charges against him dropped.
Ian Smith, the co-owner of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, said in a statement on the social media platform X on May 18 that the more than 80 charges against him and the gym’s co-owner Frank Trumbetti have been dropped with prejudice, meaning they cannot be revisited or refiled.
Among the charges levied against the two men by the state were violations of a governor’s order, public nuisance, disturbing the peace, and operating without a license.
“The support we received locally, nationally, and internationally for our stand is something I will be forever grateful for,” Mr. Smith said. “With that being said, I am thrilled to announce that we have achieved a major victory in the long, hard fight against the State.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CIA Blocked Probe Into Hunter’s Hollywood Tax ‘Sugar Brother’: Whistleblower
A trove of new whistleblower documents provided to House GOP investigators reveal, among other things, that the CIA prevented federal investigators from pursuing Hollywood lawyer Kevin Morris as a witness in their investigation of Hunter Biden.
Morris, a Hollywood entertainment lawyer who has ‘long supported’ Hunter (and why?) has loaned the First Son more than $6.5 million, according to a January letter to the House oversight committee.
We’ve known about the CIA connection since March, when the Chairmen of the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees, Jim Jordan (R-OH) and James Comer (R-KY) said that a whistleblower has brought them information that ‘seems to corroborate our concerns’ that the CIA directly interfered with DOJ and IRS investigations of Hunter Biden.
According to a whistleblower, the CIA “intervened in the investigation of Hunter biden to prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) from interviewing a witness,” the letter, addressed to CIA Director William Burns, reads.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CNN Sees Lowest Primetime Ratings in Three Decades
Authored by Eric Lundrum via American Greatness
The cable news channel CNN has suffered its lowest primetime ratings since 1991, in yet another indication that traditional television news coverage, as well as increasingly left-wing media, has taken a massive hit to its viewership in recent years.
As reported by the New York Post, the week of May 13th through May 19th saw the channel’s 8 PM to 11 PM programming draw just 83,000 viewers in the most crucial demographic of viewers between the ages of 25 and 54.
In that same time period, Fox News saw over 186,000 viewers in the same demographic and the same time slots.
MSNBC came in second with 111,000 viewers.
CNN’s 8-11 PM programming consists of Anderson Cooper’s “AC360” at 8 PM, followed by “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” at 9 PM, and concluding with “CNN NewsNight,” hosted by Abby Phillip, at 10 PM.
The channel’s overall weekly performance saw just 494,000.
By contrast, Fox News saw over 2 million in the same week, while MSNBC saw 1.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen Ratings.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cop Involved in Scottie Scheffler Arrest Disciplined by Louisville PD for Having Body Cam Off
On Thursday, Louisville Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel announced that one of the officers on the scene of top golfer Scottie Scheffler’s arrest earlier this month has been reprimanded for failing to turn on his body camera.
It was revealed that Detective Bryan Gillis received “corrective action” from his supervisor for failing to adhere to the policy, which mandates that the cameras be on at all times while law enforcement action is being performed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gov. Pritzker Says He’s ‘Disappointed’ Madison County Will Vote on Secession Referendum
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker criticized the Madison County Board’s decision to place a symbolic advisory referendum on the November ballot that will ask voters if the Metro East county should explore separating from the Chicago area.
“The idea that someplace in Illinois wants to kick out another place in Illinois should not be on the ballot,” the second-term Democrat said at an unrelated event in Pontoon Beach on Thursday. “It shouldn’t be something that’s part of a lexicon and discussion of politicians. We’re one state.”
Local proponents of secession generally object to Illinois progressive statewide politics largely driven by the vast population of Chicago and its suburbs.
Madison and neighboring Jersey County are the latest in the downstate area to take up the action, which carries no true power. The Madison County Board approved holding the referendum last month, and Jersey — home to Grafton, Jerseyville and Pere Marquette State Park — approved putting its measure to a vote earlier this month.
The southwestern Illinois counties could be the 27th and 28th in the state to take the action. Political observers and legal experts say secession is far-fetched because both the Illinois General Assembly and Congress would need to approve.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hundreds of Harvard Graduates Walk Out of Commencement After Weeks of Protests
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) — Hundreds of Harvard graduates walked out of the university’s commencement ceremony Thursday, sending a defiant message after weeks of protests and a decision by the Harvard Corporation not to give degrees to 13 seniors who participated in the recent pro-Palestinian encampment in Harvard Yard.
Commencement participants gathered early Thursday morning and formal ceremonies began near 9:30 a.m. The walkout happened near 11 a.m. while Interim President Alan Garber was conferring degrees.
Once they took to the streets, graduating students in caps and gowns held signs and Palestinian flags while chanting.
Asked if they felt their message was being heard, Harvard graduate Noah Sepharia said “I think so.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A new trove of emails released by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic reveal that top researchers involved in manipulating bat coronaviruses to better-infect humans then conspired to delete email evidence of their communications surrounding the Covid-19 outbreak.
The communications focus on top NIH adviser Dr. David Morens, who solicited help from the NIH’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) office to dodge records requests. Morens is currently on administrative leave.
“Evidence in possession of the Select Subcommittee suggests that Dr. Morens, while employed by NIAID and NIH acted as an agent on behalf of a federal grantee, EcoHealth,” the Subcommittee notes. “Morens began assisting Dr. Daszak in how to respond to NIH compliance efforts,” the release continues — referring to EcoHealth Alliance boss Peter Daszak, whose organization was suspended this month from receiving federal funds for three years.
“i learned from our foia lady here how to make emails disappear after I am foia’d but before the search starts,” Morens wrote in a Feb. 24, 2021 email to an unknown recipient, adding “Plus i deleted most of those earlier emails after sending them to gmail.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In Poll, 70% of New Yorkers Say Anti-Israel Campus Protests ‘Went Too Far’
New York Jewish Week via JTA — Majorities of New Yorkers support peaceful student demonstrations for those suffering in Gaza, but say recent campus pro-Palestinian protests have “crossed the line into antisemitism,” according to a poll released on Wednesday.
The Siena College poll of nearly 1,200 registered voters in New York state, taken last week, also found that majorities of New Yorkers support a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war but believe the “protests went too far” and justified police action in shutting them down.
According to the poll, 72% of respondents “support students with passionate views peacefully demonstrating in support of those suffering in Gaza.” Sixty-four percent say they “support an immediate ceasefire.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
During an appearance on MSNBC’s Alex Wagner Tonight on Tuesday, former FBI director James Comey declared that voters must vote for Joe Biden no matter how they feel about him, because “the consequences on the other side are too severe,” stating that Trump is “coming” for the Justice Department and FBI. The FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in the the summer of 2022 at the instruction of Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland.
“I mean, when you think about a second Trump administration, what do you think the implications would be for the FBI?” host Alex Wagner asked.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Section 230 of the Communications Act (CDA), an online liability shield that prevents online apps, websites, and services from being held civilly liable for content posted by their users if they act in “good faith” to moderate content, provided the foundation for most of today’s popular platforms to grow without being sued out of existence. But as these platforms have grown, Section 230 has become a political football that lawmakers have used in an attempt to influence how platforms editorialize and moderate content, with pro-censorship factions threatening reforms that force platforms to censor more aggressively and pro-free speech factions pushing reforms that reduce the power of Big Tech to censor lawful speech.
And during a Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing yesterday, lawmakers discussed a radical new Section 230 proposal that would sunset the law and create a new solution that “ensures safety and accountability for past and future harm.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nearly 300 Boeing 777s Used by United & American Airlines at Risk for ‘Exploding’ Fuel Tanks
Overnight, DailyMail reported that yet another fleet of Boeing jets has a potentially disastrous flaw. The 777, commonly called the Triple Seven, has poor electrical insulation near its fuel tank that can cause “fire or explosion.”
Back in March, the Federal Aviation Administration raised concerns about the 777’s safety and set a deadline of May 9 for Boeing and third-party experts to respond. However, it’s still unclear whether the company has taken any action, as reported by DailyMail.
“This condition, if not addressed, could result in an ignition source inside the fuel tank and subsequent fire or explosion,” the Airworthiness Directives note states.
The FAA noted the safety fix includes “installing electrical bonding and grounding” to prevent short-circuiting “electrostatic discharge to the surrounding structure” around the air intake system near the 777’s center-wing fuel tanks. The projected cost to fix the 292 vulnerable wide-body planes is around $700k.
777 are flown across the world. Many of these jets are commonly used by American and United Airlines. This was the same jet earlier this week that abruptly dropped 6,000 feet during a London to Singapore flight.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New: Far-Left Activist Group Media Matters Lays Off at Least a Dozen Staff
The left-wing media activist group Media Matters has laid off at least a dozen staff members following a lawsuit from Elon Musk and a probe from the Missouri and Texas attorneys general.
A staffer at Media Matters posted on X that over a dozen of them were getting laid off from the organization.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
No Jail Time for Former Dem Baltimore Prosecutor Convicted of Perjury, Mortgage Fraud
On Thursday, Marilyn Mosby was sentenced after being convicted of perjury and mortgage fraud.
The 44-year-old former Baltimore city prosecutor was spared jail time, instead receiving a sentence of 12 months home confinement, 100 hours of community service, and three years of supervised release.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who attended the sentencing hearing as a supporter, was seen celebrating the sentencing with Mosby and others.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Officers Move in After Demonstrators Set Up Encampment at UCLA
Law enforcement officers responded to the UCLA campus Thursday after a group of demonstrators gathered there on the same day that the school’s chancellor was testifying before a House committee about earlier protests and the school’s response.
Video from NewsChopper4 showed two tents, barriers made out of wooden pallets, tables fencing and other items, and a group of people gathered on the campus between Kerckhoff and Moore halls.
A group calling itself Students for Justice in Palestine posted on Instagram that it had established a “second encampment at Kerckhoff patio.” Protesters on the roof of a building draped a large banner over the side that read, “Palestine Solidarity Encampment.”
A line of officers in tactical gear was positioned in front of the building near more protesters.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poll: 47% of Americans Think a Civil War is Likely
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — According to a new Marist National Poll, almost half of Americans think the United States could erupt into a second civil war in their lifetime, 163 years after the first Civil War started. The demographics of voters were also split into political parties, generations, racial identities, and genders.
Overall, 34% of voters said it was likely to happen and 13% said it was very likely. While 47% said it was likely, 38% said it was not very likely that we could see a second civil war in this lifetime, 14% said it was not likely at all, and 1% were unsure.
Of Republican, Democratic, and independent parties, Republicans are more likely to say that an incoming civil war is likely at 53% believing so. 40% of Democrats and 41% of independents agree.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The House GOP Judiciary Committee released security video surveillance footage on Thursday, revealing that Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) officers gathered in a parking on two separate days before raiding Bryan Malinowski’s home and killing him.
ATF agents shot and killed Malinowski, 53, of Arkansas, in March on allegations of illegal firearm sales. Malinowski was the executive director of Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republicans Hold Five Point Lead to Keep House Majority Six Months Ahead of Election: Poll
Republicans are holding a five point margin to keep control of the House, according to a new poll released on Wednesday, with nearly half of voters claiming they would vote for the Republican candidate in their local races if the election was held today.
The Rasmussen poll found that 47% of Americans would vote Republican, and 42% would vote Democrat, while 10% remained undecided. The five-point lead is a one percent decrease from March, when 47% said they’d vote Republican and 41% said they’d vote Democrat.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RNC Says Headquarters Was on Lockdown After ‘Vials of Blood’ Were Received: ‘Biological Attack’
The Republican National Committee said the RNC headquarters in Washington, D.C. was evacuated on Wednesday after “vials of blood” were received.
“We are thankful to law enforcement, who responded quickly and ensured everyone’s safety. The lockdown has been cleared and staff has resumed their office duties because we remain unintimidated and undeterred in our efforts to elect President Trump to the White House,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Say Goodbye to Cloud Anonymity? New US Regulations Demand User Identification
The US Department of Commerce is seeking to end the right of users of cloud services to remain anonymous.
The proposal first emerged in January, documents show, detailing new rules (National Emergency with Respect to Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities) for Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) providers, which include Know Your Customer (KYC) regulation, which is normally used by banks and financial institutions.
But now, the US government is citing concerns over “malicious foreign actors” and their usage of these services as a reason to effectively end anonymity on the cloud, including when only signing up for a trial.
Another new proposal from the notice is to cut access to US cloud services to persons designated as “foreign adversaries.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Soros-Backed Portland County DA’s Crushing Loss to Anti-Crime Candidate Prompts Celebration Online
Journalists and political commentators celebrated news that voters in Multnomah County, Oregon, which includes Portland, ousted incumbent District Attorney Mike Schmidt and replaced him with a former Republican on Wednesday.
“It’s official: Portland got the Schmidt kicked out of it!” Portland-based journalist Andy Ngo wrote. “Soros-funded [Schmidt] has finally conceded after the surge of last-minute ballots failed to help him overcome his gap against centrist challenger Nathan Vasquez. Antifa now have a new target.”
Prosecutor Nathan Vasquez defeated Schmidt — a progressive DA who took office amid the George Floyd protests and whose campaign has received contributions from groups linked to liberal billionaire George Soros — by a margin of 55.7% to 43.8%, according to the National Review. It is a major victory in one of the most dependably blue regions in the country.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Disinformation Governance Board Couldn’t Clearly Define “Disinformation”
A deposition given by the former head of the former Disinformation Governance Board in April 2023 to the US House Committee on the Judiciary has revealed that the parent agency of the short-lived censorship entity, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), wasn’t even sure how to define “disinformation.”
No “good definition” of misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation — collectively referred to as MDM — was anywhere in sight, even though DHS decided it needed a whole new entity, the Disinformation Board, to deal with it.
That is what transpired from Nina Jankowicz’s deposition, leading to the inevitable question of whether “countering disinformation” was ever supposed to be the Board’s task — or if setting it up was yet another example of mis/disinformation being used to cover up political bias and censorship.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Campaign Accuses Secret Service of ‘Critical Flaw’ in RNC Convention Planning
The Trump campaign on Thursday fired off a letter to U.S. Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle, demanding she fix a “critical flaw” in the security perimeter of this summer’s Republican National Convention, claiming that attendees’ safety is at risk as protesters plan to descend on the area.
The convention, slated for July 15-18 in Milwaukee, includes a perimeter that encompasses a nearby park, Pere Marquette.
As of now, pedestrians would have to walk through Pere Marquette, which is owned by the city, to reach the facilities. According to a person familiar with the security plan, the park serves as a natural congregation point and there’s a heightened concern that attendees’ safety may be at risk if the park is not secured.
| — Hat tip: Dora | [Return to headlines] |
Vague Directives and Vague Answers: Testimony Highlights More Disinformation Board’s Flaws
The US House Judiciary Committee, which is investigating the disgraced and disbanded Disinformation Governance Board (a part of the Department of Homeland Security, DHS), has decided to release a redacted transcript of a deposition given last April by the Board’s director, Nina Jankowicz.
We obtained a copy of the transcript for you here.
The deposition was supposed to shed light on how the DHS was handling the avalanche of negative reactions to the board, envisaged as a key component in the current White House’s “anti-disinformation” frenzy, but which quickly got overwhelmed by criticism of being openly biased.
One of the DHS tactics, according to Jankowicz, was to avoid transparency even where it concerned on-the-record information about the board.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canadian authorities are clearly making a concerted and targeted effort to grab control over various aspects of their citizens’ online activities, and the way internet companies are allowed to operate.
And that’s true both of the government and the legislators, who are not afraid to support dubious bills if it benefits their immediate political interest.
Another such draft, now moving close to becoming law, is Bill S-210. It is designed to push the implementation of age verification, choosing sites that feature sexually explicit material as its primary target.
We obtained a copy of the bill for you here.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Rewarding Terrorism”: Spain, Ireland, Norway to Recognize Palestinian Statehood
The countries of Spain, Ireland, and Norway are set to jointly recognize Palestinian statehood on Tuesday, May 28th, with Slovenia planning to join them at a later date. This makes them the first countries to do so while being EU member states, apart from Sweden’s 2014 recognition. Israel responded by recalling its ambassadors to all three countries, warning that the move would only embolden terrorists and jeopardize the peace process.
While some 140 countries already recognize the State of Palestine—including seven EU member states (Poland, Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Cyprus) that opened diplomatic relations before joining the bloc, as well as Sweden, which did so in 2014—Western Europe has largely considered the idea taboo—until now.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Today Normality Has Become Revolutionary”: An Interview With Roberto Vannacci
Many have heard of Il mondo al contrario, the surprise bestseller by Roberto Vannacci, a major general in the Italian Army, but few know the man himself. Roberto Vannacci was a major general, commander of Task Force 45 in Afghanistan; Commander of the 9th Parachute Assault Regiment “Col Moschin” and the Parachute Brigade “Folgore.” He participated in special missions in Libya, Somalia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rwanda, Yemen, Ivory Coast, Iran, and Afghanistan, where he was chief of staff of NATO Special Forces. In January 2020, he was in Moscow as a military attaché, where he was declared persona non grata by Russian authorities and sent back to Italy, together with other compatriots expelled in retaliation for Italy’s position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In December 2023, he was appointed chief of staff of the Army Ground Task Force Command.
In August 2023, he self-published Il mondo al contrario, which was a surprise bestseller that catapulted him to popularity, also generating unusual political and media controversy in Italy, particularly due to his views on LGBT issues, immigration, relations between the sexes, and the green movement. His book was later picked up by the publishing house Il Cerchio. In March 2024, the public was treated to a follow-up, Il coraggio vince, an autobiographical book published by Editions Piemme of the Mondadori Group. Today he is running as head of the Lega Salvini Premier list for the 2024 European elections.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Upload Moderation” — the EU’s Latest Name for Messaging Surveillance
EU governments might soon endorse the highly controversial Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSAR), known colloquially as “chat control,” based on a new proposal by Belgium’s Minister of the Interior. According to a leak obtained by Pirate Party MEP and shadow rapporteur Patrick Breyer, this could happen as early as June.
The proposal mandates that users of communication apps must agree to have all images and videos they send automatically scanned and potentially reported to the EU and police.
This agreement would be obtained through terms and conditions or pop-up messages. To facilitate this, secure end-to-end encrypted messenger services would need to implement monitoring backdoors, effectively causing a ban on private messaging. The Belgian proposal frames this as “upload moderation,” claiming it differs from “client-side scanning.” Users who refuse to consent would still be able to send text messages but would be barred from sharing images and videos.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alarm as German Climate Activists Charged With ‘Forming a Criminal Organisation’
Five members of Letzte Generation, Germany’s equivalent to Just Stop Oil, have been charged with “forming a criminal organisation”, a move civil rights campaigners say could in effect criminalise future support for the climate campaign.
Mirjam Herrmann, 27, Henning Jeschke, 22, Edmund Schulz, 60, Lukas Popp, 25, and Jakob Beyer, 30, were charged under section 129 of the German criminal code. It is believed to be the first time the law has been applied to a non-violent protest group.
According to prosecutors in the state of Brandenburg, the charges relate to more than a dozen “attacks” against oil refineries, the Berlin-Brandenburg airport and the Museum Barberini, in Potsdam, between April 2022 and May 2023.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Belgium Will Miss Net Zero Targets, Energy to Remain Expensive
Belgium’s Federal Planning Bureau has published a study showing the country is failing to achieve its costly climate transition initiatives.
Despite ambitious “green” plans, Belgium will not be emission-free by 2050, nor will it reach the goals set by the European Commission regarding emissions and renewable energy by 2030.
At the same time, energy prices are projected to remain high in the country.
After calculating Belgium’s long-term energy prospects, the Belgian Federal Planning Bureau concluded that the planned emissions reduction of 47 per cent by 2030, compared to 2005, will not be achieved.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
British Police Told Not to Arrest Criminals
Police chiefs are being told to make fewer arrests because of a lack of prison space—yet another blow to the Conservative Party’s claim to be ‘tough on crime,’ just as talk is heating up (again) about an imminent general election.
The plans are bound to benefit what politicians euphemistically call ‘low-level’ criminals, who nonetheless do significant harm to law-abiding citizens and damage businesses, especially small, struggling enterprises.
Despite Conservative politicians releasing some prisoners early, there are still just 1,000 spaces currently available in British prisons, some of which are in such a sorry state that regulators say they ought to be shut down.
Because of this, an internal document drawn up by the National Police Chiefs’ Council has told police constables to pause so-called “non-priority arrests” and to suspend operations that may result in “large numbers of arrests.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
While several countries are reintroducing compulsory military service, some EU politicians would welcome a uniform reintroduction across the EU. Hungarian news portal Divany has rounded up the countries that have reintroduced conscription.
Professional armies are understaffed across the continent, as more and more European countries are recognizing. In recent weeks, not only EU leaders but also the leadership of the German Christian Democratic Party has brought up the idea of reintroducing compulsory military service.
At its party congress at the beginning of May, the CDU adopted a proposal that young people should be obliged to serve for a certain period either in the army or the social sector. Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party, made a similar statement recently, saying he would extend conscription to the whole continent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Controversial Lead Candidate Kicked Out of AfD’s Party Leadership
More member parties of Brussels’ right-wing populists block have distanced themselves from the German Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), demanding either its lead candidate, MEP Maximilian Krah, be kicked out or the party itself leave the Identity and Democracy (ID) group following Krah’s statements perceived as relativizing Nazi war crimes.
Following the French Rassemblement National, the Italian Lega party, and the Danish People’s Party also distanced themselves from Krah and AfD.
As a result, AfD’s federal leadership decided on Wednesday (May 22nd) morning, that Krah must leave the party’s presidential board, effective immediately, as well as to bar him from having any public appearance “by whatever communication channel,” a senior AfD official confirmed to The European Conservative.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Details on Shield-East Project on Polish Border Revealed
This strategic defense plan is part of a broader effort to bolster Poland’s military readinessamid rising border security challenges, including significant increases in unauthorized border crossings this year.
According to the money.pl news outlet, it combines traditional fortifications with advanced monitoring and reconnaissance technologies, and aims to integrate Polish companies in developing a comprehensive security framework. The project involves both the defense and interior ministries.
One component of the project costing PLN 1.5 billion zloty (€351 million) will include 70-meter-high watch towers, enabling border guards to see into Belarus and make decisions on how to handle incursions on the 400 km border with Belarus and Russia. The total cost of the fortifications is PLN 10 billion (€2.3 billion).
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Electric Cars Are Twice as Likely to Hit Pedestrians, Researchers Find
An increasing proportion of cars traversing our roadways are electric vehicles or hybrids, which is great for the environment because they produce far fewer harmful emissions.
But according to a recent study in the United Kingdom, they do have a notable downside: electric and hybrid vehicles are more than twice as likely to hit pedestrians compared to vehicles that run on fossil fuels — accidents that become more likely in urban environments.
And the reasons why make perfect sense.
In the paper, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the researchers proposed that these more eco-friendly vehicles are more likely to strike people because their motors are quieter than engines, and any noise they do produce are drowned out in busy towns and cities. (Electric vehicles are increasingly required to emit a sound, but it’s unclear to what degree pedestrians have learned to associate the ringtone-esque noises with oncoming traffic.)
In other words, pedestrians may well not be alerted to the vehicles’ presence until it’s too late.
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EU Liberals Threaten to Expel Dutch Party Over Coalition With Wilders
The party of outgoing Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte has been threatened with expulsion from the liberal-left Renew group in the European Parliament for entering into a governing coalition with Geert Wilders’s party at home.
Renew chairwoman Valérie Hayer said the conservative-liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) party cannot continue to be a member of Renew if it intends to govern with Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom (PVV).
For Renew to continue to work with the VVD would be “an option which is not acceptable to me,” since they would “not respect our values,” Hayer (of French president Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party) said in an interview with French news channel BFM TV.
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EU Wants to Begin Ukraine Accession Talks Before Hungary Presidency
EU leaders reportedly want to start membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova at the end of June, before the start of the Hungarian EU Presidency, diplomats have said. Hungary generally supports EU enlargement but has warned about the dangers of accepting a country that is at war into the bloc. Ideological considerations should not play a part, Hungary says.
Member states granted EU candidate status to Ukraine two years ago in what was a symbolic gesture for the country which had just been invaded by Russia. The EU agreed to open accession negotiations with Ukraine (and Moldova) last December but the decision was not unanimous as Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban left the European Council meeting room to allow the other 26 EU leaders to approve the start of talks with Ukraine.
The conservative government of Hungary has warned on a number of occasions about the dangers of incorporating a country that is currently at war into the EU, and about the economic consequences it would have for the bloc.
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European Council Approves the AI Act — a Law Accused of Legalizing Biometric Mass Surveillance
The EU’s European Council has followed the European Parliament (EP) in approving the AI Act — which opponents say is a way for the bloc to legalize biometric mass surveillance.
More than that, the EU is touting the legislation as first of its kind in the world, and seems hopeful it will serve as a standard for AI regulation elsewhere around the globe.
The Council announced the law is “groundbreaking,” taking a “risk-based” approach, meaning that the EU authorities get to grade the level of risk from AI to society and then impose rules of various levels of severity and penalties, including money fines for companies deemed to be infringing the act.
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Former EU Leaders Blast Commission for Iran ‘Appeasement’
Three former European Union leaders representing the Brussels-based NGO International Committee In Search of Justice (ISJ) will submit an official complaint to the European Commission for its “appeasement” of Iran.
Former vice-president of the European Parliament Alejo Vidal-Quadras, former European Parliament Iraq delegation head Struan Stevenson, and former EP delegation leader to NATO, Paulo Casaca, blasted the body for offering its condolences to Iran after the country’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, died in a helicopter crash.
Speaking at a press conference, the ex-leaders argued that the pacifist stance taken by the EC on the issue only “strengthens the Government in Tehran”.
Instead, they said, the president’s death should have been used by EU leaders to undermine the country’s government.
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Former PM Morawiecki Calls for Poland to Mine Its Eastern Border to Protect it From Aggressors
Former conservative Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has called for Poland to leave the Ottawa Treaty on landmines “because the conflict in Ukraine has proven how important mines are in stopping aggressors moving through invaded territory.”
He made the remarks during a visit to the Polish-Belarusian border.
Morawiecki noted that it was the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government that had fortified the border and that it was now time to take the next step and make the eastern border even stronger.
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French right-wing group National Rally (RN) will not sit with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the next European Parliament, the French party’s campaign director Alex Loubet confirmed on Tuesday.
“We will no longer sit with them during the next term,” Loubet told French news outletLibération, suggesting that the French party, which is expected to win big in next month’s European elections, will end its affiliation with the Identity and Democracy (ID) parliamentary group.
It is understood that relations between the two parties further disintegrated over remarks made by AfD lawmaker Maximilian Krah to Italian newspaper La Repubblica in which he appeared to downplay the criminality of Waffen-SS members during World War II.
In an interview on May 18, Krah said the guilt of those aligned with the Nazi Party’s paramilitary organization should be assessed on an individual basis and insisted he would never say “that anyone who wore an SS uniform was automatically a criminal.”
“At the end of the war, there were almost a million SS men. (Nobel Prize winner for Literature) Günter Grass was also in the Waffen-SS,” he told the Italian newspaper.
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France: Olympics: Paris Mayor Pledges to Jump Into the Seine
Mark your calendar — Socialist Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo told French media she will jump into the River Seine to mark the Olympic Games.
According to Le Parisien, she will be joined by Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez for the dive on June 23.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s participation is yet to be confirmed, with the head of state having previously promised to jump into the Seine at the Olympic Village inauguration.
The mayor’s announcement comes amid ongoing concerns about the river’s cleanliness, with the NGO Surfrider having told French news outlet BFMTV that the Seine is not safe for swimming.
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Germany: Two More Politicians Attacked Amid ‘Spiralling’ Political Violence
Two more politicians have been attacked amid “spiralling” political violence in Germany.
Representatives from the populist right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and hard-left Die Linke group are among the latest to have been victims of attacks over the past few days.
Local media reported that AfD parliamentarian Mario Kumpf was attacked in a supermarket on May 22.
Confirming the incident, the AfD’s Saxony branch said Kumpf was punched in the face by an assailant.
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Germany Should Spend Massive 3% of GDP on Its Defense, Claims Influential Think Tank President
Germany’s ruling government should dramatically increase defense spending without delay, according to Moritz Schularick, the president of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), an influential German think tank.
The president, who spoke with Süddeutsche Zeitung, said the Federal Republic should spend around 3 percent of gross domestic product on defense in the foreseeable future. Germany as of now does not even spend the mandatory 2 percent of GDP on defense, which is expected of all NATO members. Of all NATO members, only Poland spends 3 percent of its GDP on defense.
If Germany were to embark on spending 3 percent of its GDP on defense, it would amount to approximately €120 billion a year.
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Self-proclaimed anti-fascist activists are planning to protest outside a conference held by the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party next month in Essen, and the local CDU mayor appears to have endorsed the disruption.
Antifa groups have been drumming up support for bus trips to Essen on the “Widersetzen” website for weeks, calling for left-wing extremists from across Germany to gatecrash the party conference scheduled for June 28 to 30.
It will be joined by a “broad alliance” of radical left-wing and extreme left-wing groups to protest against the anti-immigration party and Essen’s Mayor Thomas Kufen (CDU) wants to lead the charge.
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Italy: Man Stabbed to Death Outside Termini Station
A man was stabbed to death during the night near Termini station in Rome, police said Wednesday.
The victim, a 41-year-old Somali citizen, was stabbed in the chest with a knife, they said.
Shortly afterwards, Flying Squad officers tracked down a suspect, a 42-year-old Egyptian citizen, in a nearby bar. Crime has increased around Termini and other major Italian rail stations amid an increase in rough sleepers, many of them migrants.
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Italy: Meloni Wants to Unite the European Right
In an interview on Monday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reiterated her mission to unite the European right-wing parties, a move that follows the more conciliatory words of French National Rally leader Marine Le Pen the previous day, made against the backdrop of a European right that does not always see eye to eye.
“We are focusing on the person of the president of the European Commission, but the real challenge is to build a different majority from the one we have seen in the last five years, which is an unnatural majority between the European People’s Party and the Socialists,” Meloni said on the Canale 5 television program “Mattino Cinque News,” founded by the late former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Ahead of the vote that may change the balance of power in the EU, Meloni outlined a plan for the next European legislature: a merger of Europe’s right-wing parties.
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It’s Boom Time for Conservative TV News Channels in Poland
In December 2023, just a few days after actually coming into office, the new left-liberal government led by Donald Tusk took over Poland’s public television and radio, flouting legislation on public media, and putting those broadcasters into a state of liquidation.
The liquidation was just a ploy to remove the previous management of these media outlets which had been sympathetic to the former conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government. The trouble is that, as the managers and scores of journalists were booted out and replaced by people who support the Tusk government, the viewers who had been watching TVP, voted with their feet.
In fact, according to viewing figures produced by Nielsen Audience Measurement and published by portal Wirtualnemedia.pl, the TVP’s news channel TVP Info has over the past five months lost 70 percent of the viewers it had under the former management. At the same time, conservative TV Republika and wPolsce.pl witnessed a huge rise in their viewing figures.
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Macron Pledges to Make France Europe’s ‘Leader in AI’
French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to make France the “undisputed leader in AI” in Europe.
Following a meeting with France’s AI leaders on May 21, Macron publicly unveiled a comprehensive five-part plan on X regarding the artificial intelligence industry in France.
Macron emphasized what he said would be the pivotal role of technology in his country, stating that “AI has a future in France”. He promised to invest heavily into the sector to make that a reality.
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A majority of Poles oppose current ministers and MPs from the left-liberal government of Donald Tusk running for the European Parliament, new polling has found.
Notable potential departures from the recently formed coalition government include Culture Minister Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski, Minister of Regional Development Krzysztof Hetman, and Minister of State Assets Borys Budka, all of whom are now candidates in the upcoming elections set for June 9.
Additionally, deputy ministers and current MPs, elected in the last parliamentary elections on Oct. 15, have found their names on the European Parliament candidacy lists.
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‘Make Orban President of the European Commission to Save Europe,’ Says Leading Austrian MEP
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban should become the president of the European Commission to save Europe from the migrant crisis, a leading Austrian MEP has claimed.
In an interview with the APA news agency, Harald Vilimsky, a lawmaker from the poll-topping Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), heaped praise on the leader of neighboring Hungary, describing him as the polar opposite of the current Brussels elite.
“I think it would be good for Europe,” said Vilimsky about Orban. “He is the antithesis of the entire EU establishment.”
“Orban is a guarantee that illegal migration of this intensity is not possible,” he added.
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Netherlands: Voters Satisfied With Coalition Agreement, Doubt That New Cabinet Can Keep Its Promises
Dutch voters are relatively satisfied with the coalition agreement concluded between the PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB last week. Half of voters are happy with it, more than the 34 percent who felt confident in the Rutte IV Cabinet agreement in January 2022, NOS reports based on a survey by Ipsos I&O among 2,141 voters. However, there are widespread concerns among voters about whether the new coalition can deliver on its promises.
PVV (92 percent) and BBB (85 percent) voters are particularly happy with the right-wing parties’ “main lines agreement.” The agreement also has the support of three-quarters of NSC and VVD voters. These voters think it is time for change and hope that the new government will breathe fresh air into Dutch politics. They also think the right-wing coalition does justice to the election results.
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Nigel Farage Will Put Energy Into U.S. Election, Not Reform UK
Nigel Farage says he will “do my bit” to help Reform UK, formerly the Brexit Party, in the upcoming general election, but nothing “further than that.” Instead, he will be spending much more of his time supporting—”in any way that I can”—Donald Trump get elected as U.S. president for a second term.
In his statement, Farage said in his defence that “important though the general election is, the contest in the United States of America on November 5th has huge global significance. A strong America as a close ally is vital for our peace and security.”
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Norway to Block Entry for Most Russian Tourists
NATO member Norway will further restrict access for Russian tourist travellers due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, blocking almost all entry, the Nordic country’s justice ministry said on Thursday.
“The decision to tighten the entry rules is in line with the Norwegian approach of standing by allies and partners in reaction to Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine,” Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said in a statement.
Russian citizens whose purpose is tourism and other non-essential travel will be rejected upon entry across the external border. Exceptions may be granted in cases such as visits to close family residing in Norway, the ministry said.
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Pfizergate Court Hearing to be Delayed Six Months
Friday’s court hearing, concerning European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s missing Pfizer text messages and suspected conflict of interest, has been postponed until December 6th. This means that the EU chief executive can avoid having to deal with the potential fallout from the case, right before her chance to snatch a second term at the helm of the EU, according to Euractiv.
The procedural hearing—meant to take place in Liege, Belgium—was to determine the fate of a complaint by Belgian lobbyist Frédéric Baldan against von der Leyen and answer the questions: Should the case be taken on by the Belgian legal system, or be left to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO)?
To recap: EPPO is already running its own Pfizergate investigation (while facing unexpected roadblocks put there by the Commission itself). This scandal revolves around the chief commissioner’s shadowy vaccine procurement methods. It has been ongoing since early 2022 when it was revealed that von der Leyen negotiated the details of the giant, €1.8 billion pharmaceutical deal via text messages with the Pfizer CEO, alongside texting her husband, family friend, and business associate about the matter—SMS messages which were all, she later claimed, accidentally deleted.
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Poland “Waiting” to Fully “Restore Rule of Law”
The left-liberal Polish government is “waiting” for conservative Andrzej Duda’s term as president to end so it can begin to “fully restore the rule of law in the country,” according to justice minister Adam Bodnar. Donald Tusk’s cabinet claims that Duda—who has promised to veto laws that threaten Polish interests—is standing in the way of cooperation with and funding from the European Union.
In a politically motivated move, the EU is ending so-called rule-of-law procedures against Poland and rewarding the country with billions of euros in EU funds simply because last year’s Polish elections brought in a new government—more Brussels-aligned, more federalist inclined.
On Tuesday, May 21st, Poland’s ‘rule-of-law’ issues came to the forefront of EU politics at an EU ministers’ meeting. It was held to discuss, among other things, the left-liberal Polish government’s steps to ‘fix’ the judicial reforms of the previous government, led by the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party.
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Poland’s Defense Policy Pivots Towards the EU and Away From America
The speculation by politicians from the ruling left-liberal camp about plans to establish a European army in the future, or joint planning of military spending, has been confirmed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk who left no doubt about the direction Poland would go under his rule.
“The idea, which has been appearing for some time, must become our European project. Not a matter of debate, but a decision. I’m talking about a minimum of €100 billion, as well as possible additional funds for the defense and security of Europe,” he recently declared.
The prime minister was supported by his deputy and head of the Ministry of Defense, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, who said that Europe must get used to war.
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Poland: Tusk Blames Russia for Arson Attacks, Sets Up Russian Influence Commission
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters after a recent cabinet meeting that he suspected the Russian secret service of being behind at least some of the fires to hit Polandin the last two weeks.
He announced that he has thus ordered a commission to be set up to investigate Russian and Belarusian influence on internal security and the national interest.
Tusk said he expected the first report from the appointed commission to come in the summer and that “the commission would conduct its work without the presence of cameras and the media.” However, regular updates would be provided as to its progress.
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Polish PM Tusk Allegedly Mulling Ban on Political Opposition
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is reportedly considering a possible ban on his political opponents, a senior figure within his party has claimed.
A former leader of the Civic Coalition (KO), the party currently led by Tusk, has said the party is open to taking action aimed at banning the former ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, arguing the group and its leaders were engaged in treason.
Borys Budka, who led the KO between 2019 and 2021, appeared on state TVP Infoon May 22 and was asked if the party saw any circumstances in which it might proscribe PiS.
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Pro-Palestine Protests Push Israel-Scotland Football Match Behind Closed Doors
Fans won’t get the chance to watch Scotland Women and Israel Women meet at next Friday’s European Championship football qualifier at Hampden Park, Glasgow, because of security fears sparked by ongoing pro-Gaza protests—setting another precedent for civil society going into hiding rather than stand up to disruptive pro-Palestinian protesters.
Not satisfied with forcing Cambridge University to break its centuries-old tradition of holding graduation ceremonies at Senate House, pro-Palestine activists are also working hard to disrupt upcoming football matches.
Until they succeed in banning Israel from FIFA, world football’s governing body, altogether, protesters are hoping to show up at matches involving Israeli representatives. Once there, protestors will “show [Israel] the red card,” attempting to shame the victims of the October 7th Hamas terror attacks,
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Romania Will Not Send Troops to Ukraine, Says President Iohannis
Romania will not send troops to fight in Ukraine and will ensure any military aid handed to Kyiv will not leave the country unprepared for attack, President Klaus Iohannis has said.
Speaking on Wednesday, the Romanian leader said he does not accept “under any circumstances that Romania should remain without missile defense and air defense.”
Asked how he sees the idea of Romania giving up a Patriot air defense battery, which costs around $1 billion to procure, the head of state said that “to the extent that something is given up, Romania must receive something else otherwise nothing will be done.”
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Romania to Build Europe’s Largest Gunpowder Factory
Europe’s largest gunpowder factory will be built in Romania, in Brasov County, with an investment of almost €400 million, Senate President and former Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca confirmed on Wednesday.
Speaking at the opening of the Black Sea Defense and Aerospace (BSDA 2024) international military equipment exhibition in Bucharest, the former chief of the general staff, who is now a politician, said that Romania would construct the building with the European Union financing the technical equipment needed to produce the gunpowder.
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Romania, Turkey, and Bulgaria Agree to De-Mine Black Sea
The de-mining action in the Black Sea carried out jointly by the naval forces of Romania, Turkey, and Bulgaria will begin shortly, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Tuesday.
The Romanian prime minister made joint statements with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the end of the official meetings held at the Presidential Palace in Ankara.
“Both Romania and Turkey have significant energy investments in the Black Sea. Therefore, it is very important that our countries act together to ensure security in the Black Sea and protect these investments,” Ciolacu said.
“In this regard, I would like to welcome that, shortly, the de-mining action in the Black Sea will be operationalized jointly with the naval forces of Romania, Turkey, and Bulgaria,” he added.
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Silence: Coalition Parties Refuse Comment After Meeting to Decide the Next Dutch PM
The leaders of the political parties in a new coalition have completed their consultations with formateur Richard van Zwol about who will take the role of the prime minister. It is not clear what emerged in talks on Thursday.
After more than two hours, Geert Wilders (PVV), Dilan Yesilgöz (VVD), Pieter Omtzigt (NSC) and Caroline van der Plas (BBB) emerged and walked past reporters. They did not comment about the talks.
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Study: Spain Spends the Least on Family Policy
Which countries in the EU invest the most in family policy and incentives to have children? A report from the Fundación Disenso, the think tank connected with the Spanish conservative party VOX, compares family funding policies in Europe.
Lead author, political scientist Irune Ariño, partnered with other experts to mine OECD data from 2019 to complete the study. The findings are not entirely surprising, but nevertheless telling.
Ariño told The Objective that the study aimed to evaluate public policies in several European countries to reverse “the demographic winter” and “strengthen the family.”
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‘Teach Islam Lessons in German Schools!’ Says President of Teachers’ Association
The president of one of Germany’s largest teachers’ organizations has called for the comprehensive teaching of Islam in public schools across the country.
Stefan Düll, the president of the German Teachers’ Association, told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung on Monday that Germans must begin to see Muslims living in the country as a “normal part of society.”
He suggested that the teaching of Islam and its principles in schools across the country would help to control the education of young Muslims and counter any extremist ideology taught by “dubious teachers” in foreign-funded mosques.
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Trzaskowski and Morawiecki Emerge as Frontrunners in Polish Presidential Race 2025
In the latest poll conducted by the Pollster Research Institute for the tabloid Super Express, potential candidates for the 2025 presidential elections were evaluated based on party supporters’ preferences.
According to the survey results, Rafal Trzaskowski garnered the most support among voters of the Civic Coalition (KO), Third Way alliance, and the Left party, receiving 55 percent of the votes.
Szymon Holownia (Third Way) followed with 16 percent, while Donald Tusk (KO) amassed 12 percent. Further down, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz (Third Way) received 4 percent, with Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bak (New Left party) and Adrian Zandberg (left-wing Together party) each getting 2 percent, while Robert Biedron (the Left) was chosen by only 1 percent of the respondents.
For voters of the United Right, former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki emerged as the top candidate for president, gaining 50 percent support.
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UK: Conservative Election Campaign Off to a Shambolic Start
Yesterday could not have gone much worse for Rishi Sunak. After walking away from the rain and nearby blasting music which marred his July 4th general election announcement, and which shaped every Thursday newspaper front page, the prime minister immediately faced signs of just how much he had angered his own MPs.
Tim Shipman, one of Britain’s most well-respected (and well-connected) political insiders, describedthe response of Conservative MPs as “fatalistic about the result.” Indeed, dozens had already announced that they won’t stand again at this election, because they know they’d only lose anyway, and many more are likely to follow in their footsteps over the coming days. But Shipman said they also feel “fury” towards Sunak.
He explained that many thought they would be given five to six months’ notice for the election—time in which they could “get a job” and “plan their lives” after expected losses.
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UK: Risky Rishi: Why Has Sunak Called an Election When He’s 20 Points Behind in the Polls?
Conservative MPs were in full-blown panic mode on Wednesday after hearing speculation that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was about to call a snap election, despite his governing Conservative Party polling at one of its worst levels in living memory.
One Tory MP informed me early in the morning they’d been told the news many within the party had been dreading by the chief whip the night before, and after being leaked to the press the rumor mill in Westminster went into overload.
The news was confirmed around tea time when a lectern was placed outside of Downing Street without the U.K.’s coat of arms — a sign to show the upcoming statement wasn’t regarding government business, but a party political announcement.
It was what they had all feared — a general election on July 4.
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UK: Sunak Announces Summer General Election
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that the next general election will take place on July 4th, bringing to an end months of speculation about a snap election.
Standing in the rain outside Number 10 Downing Street, Sunak confirmed that he spoke to the king “earlier today,” on May 22nd, to request the dissolution of Parliament ahead of the national vote, which polls suggest his party is likely to lose. It was hard to hear the whole of the PM’s speech, which was disrupted by the ‘Tony Blair anthem’ Things Can Only Get Better, played on a loudspeaker nearby.
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New X Policy Forces Earners to Verify Their Government ID With Israeli Verification Company
X, formerly Twitter, is now mandating the use of a government ID-based account verification system for users that earn revenue on the platform — either for advertising or for paid subscriptions.
To implement this system, X has partnered with Au10tix, an Israeli company known for its identity verification solutions. Users who opt to receive payouts on the platform will have to undergo a verification process with the company.
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World Court Set to Rule Today on Plea to Halt Israel’s Rafah Offensive in Gaza
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is set to rule on Friday on a request by South Africa to order Israel to stop its military operation in Gaza, particularly in Rafah, where the Israeli military is conducting an offensive.
South Africa, last week, approached the ICJ, seeking a ceasefire in Gaza and a halt in Israel’s military operation against Hamas in Gaza triggered following the group’s cross-border attack on Israel on October 7 last year. South Africa said it was necessary to ensure the survival of Palestinians in the coastal enclave.
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Ex-Official in Zelensky’s Office Charged With Graft
The former deputy head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office has been charged with making illicit gains worth almost $400,000, Ukraine’s anti-graft watchdog said on Wednesday.
The suspect, whom Ukrainian media identified as Andriy Smyrnov, is accused of purchasing property, land, and luxury vehicles with the funds, the origin of which was not clear.
“We are talking about two cars, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, two motorcycles, Honda and BMW, three parking spaces in Kyiv, an apartment in Lviv and a land plot in Zakarpattia,” the National Anti-Corruption Bureau said.
“In order to hide the existence of this property, the official transferred the majority of it to his brother, retaining the right to dispose of it in full,” it said.
Smyrnov faces five to 10 years in prison if found guilty.
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Putin Arrives in Neighbouring Belarus for Two-Day State Visit With Key Ally
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived Thursday in Belarus for a two-day visit as part of several foreign tours to kick off his fifth term in office, underscoring close ties with a neighboring ally that has been instrumental in Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
Putin traveled to China earlier this month, and is expected in Uzbekistan on Sunday. Earlier on Thursday, the Russian president hosted Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in the Kremlin.
In Belarus, Putin is to hold talks with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. Lukashenko greeted him on the tarmac, and then the two sat down for a short conversation at the airport, the Kremlin reported. Lukashenko promised to discuss security issues at the forefront, and tomorrow we will discuss economic issues together with our colleagues from the governments.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Incites Fear it May Invade Baltics
Russia may be flirting with provocations in the Baltic Sea.
Russian media reported that a draft proposal by the country’s Defence Ministry states that it intends to adjust its maritime borders as the current delineation of its waters, approved internationally in 1985, were “based on small-scale nautical navigation maps” and don’t align with the “modern geographical situation.”
The document listed the adjustments Russia planned to make, which would affect Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, and potentially Estonia. They focused on the inland waters of the Gulf of Finland and waters off the coast of the Kaliningrad exclave near the cities of Baltiysk and Selenogradsk.
The Moscow Times had initially reported the story, and very quickly afterward, a Kremlin spokesperson denied any such plans to the state news agencies Tass and RIA. The link to the document that the Moscow Times had cited suddenly disappeared as well.
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Russian Missile Scientist Jailed for 14 Years for ‘Leaking State Secrets’ After Closed-Door Trial
Anatoly Maslov, a 77-year-old physicist from Novosibirsk, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for treason by a St. Petersburg court on Tuesday.
Maslov, who holds a doctorate in physics and mathematics, was arrested in the summer of 2022 on suspicion of leaking state secret data on hypersonic devices. According to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), the physicist passed information on secret scientific developments to German intelligence in 2014. The convicted man denied guilt, while his defense lawyer described the charge as illegal.
The case was heard behind closed doors due to its top-secret classification. As a cumulative punishment, Maslov’s freedom of movement was restricted for a further year and he was banned from access to state secrets for two years. The prosecution had asked for 17 years’ imprisonment. Maslov was a senior researcher at the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Explosion at a Sugar Factory in Eastern Tanzania Kills 11 Workers, Including 3 Foreigners
ZANZIBAR, Tanzania (AP) — Police say an electric short at a sugar factory in Tanzania set off an explosion that killed 11 workers, including three foreign nationals. The electrical fault caused a steam pipe to burst as a technical team was readying machines to start production for the day on Thursday morning at the privately owned Mtibwa Sugar Factory in the Morogoro region in eastern Tanzania. A regional police chief says the three foreigners were from neighboring Kenya, Brazil and India. Two other workers were injured in the blast and were first treated at a local hospital before being rushed to the capital, Dodoma, for further treatment.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
81 Suspects on Terror Watchlist Caught Trying to Illegally Cross Into United States Since October
It has been revealed that 81 suspects on the terror watchlist have been apprehendedwhile trying to illegally cross into the United States since October 2023.
Data from Customs and Border Protection has shown that with six months left in Fiscal Year 2024, encounters with those whose names appear in the Terrorist Screening Dataset are set to come close to, if not surpass, the 172 reported the previous fiscal year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden’s Border Patrol Loses Quarter of Agents Since 2020: Report
Data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has revealed that a growing number of agents have left CBP since President Joe Biden took office and as a result the Border Patrol has lost nearly a quarter of its agents since 2020.
Many have chalked the phenomenon up to the fact that under this administration, the crisis at the southern border has gotten to a point where the goals that drew people to become agents in the first place have become unachievable. CBP has over 19,000 agents and between Oct. 2020 and April 2024, 4281 agents left the agency.
That includes those who quit, were forced to retire, or retired early.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch conservative lawyer and presenter Raisa Blommestijn has revealed she is being prosecuted by authorities in the Netherlands for online criticism of mass immigration after commenting on viral footage of a defenseless Dutch boy being thrown onto a railway track by a gang of migrants.
In a video published on X, Blommestijn confirmed she had received a summons from the Dutch public prosecutor to attend a court hearing in front of multiple judges on Aug. 19 to face charges of “racism” and “inciting hatred.”
Remix News has translated the video, which can be viewed below.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German State Succeeded With Less Than a Third of Planned Deportations Last Year
Of the total number of illegal migrants earmarked for deportation from the German state of Saxony-Anhalt last year, only a fraction were successfully carried out, the state’s interior minister has revealed.
In response to a parliamentary question from a left-wing lawmaker, the CDU Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang noted how just 535 of the 1,848 planned repatriations of illegal migrants to their country of origin were successfully achieved in 2023 — just under 29 percent of all cases.
The minister explained how in 565 cases, the would-be deportee had absconded and could not be located, while 354 cases involved legal attempts to thwart deportation proceedings or administrative failures in providing the necessary paperwork.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
House Administration Committee Passes Bill Requiring Proof of U.S. Citizenship to Register to Vote
The Committee on House Administration passed a bill on Thursday that requires proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote nationally in an effort to prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act or SAVE Act passed 6-1.
There was a separate bill called the Preventing Foreign Interference in American Elections Act that also passed 6-1. It would prevent foreign nations from contributing to U.S. political campaigns.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An 18-year-old Iraqi migrant has been detained in Sweden on suspicion of murdering Mikael Janicki, a Polish national who was shot dead in front of his 12-year-old son as they were cycling towards a swimming pool in southern Stockholm last month.
Mohammed Khalid Mohammed Mohammed was arrested at his home in Skärholmen on Tuesday and remains in police custody.
A police source, cited by the Swedish news outlet Samnytt, confirmed the suspect had been criminally active for at least two years and had already been suspected of four robberies, attempted theft, assault, vandalism, and multiple drug offenses.
He had previously been convicted in 2022 for drug-related offenses and was charged last year with robbery after stolen goods were found in his possession after a search of his home.
Well known to the authorities, the Iraqi-born suspect arrived in Sweden with his family in 2007. He acquired Swedish citizenship five years later.
[Comment: I don’t think I’ve come across before a person who has ‘Mohammed’ in their name three times.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nearly two-thirds of German residents receiving unemployment benefits have a migration background, new figures from the Federal Employment Agency have revealed.
The statistics published by the federal agency and cited by the Die Welt broadsheet showed that 63.1 percent of those in receipt of the so-called citizen’s income, or “Bürgergeld,” are of migrant origin, and “most do not have a German passport.”
The German newspaper explained that while employment figures are increasing year-over-year, “because the Federal Republic has long allowed very high immigration of low-skilled people, the number of migrants who are unemployed and receiving social benefits is also increasing.”
The figures define “migration background” as anyone who themselves or whose parents were born without German citizenship, i.e., first— and second-generation migrants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ministers claimed progress today after net immigration dropped by 10 per cent last year — although it was still 685,000.
The latest figures on the key election battleground suggested that net long-term inflows were slightly more than the population of Sheffield in 2023.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also revised up the previous year to 764,000 — increasing the already eye-watering record high.
The Home Office stressed the estimates ‘do not take into account the major package of measures announced in December which have already started to have an effect’.
Those overhauled family, study and work-related visas, including cracking down on people bringing dependants.
The ONS said it was too early to tell if a downward trend had begun, but the number of people coming to the UK is slowing while emigration is rising.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Sunak Sounds Final Death Knell for ‘Rwanda Plan’
Hundreds of millions of pounds have already been spent on the ‘Rwanda plan,’ which has dominated newspaper headlines for the last two years. But UK PM Rishi Sunak has today, on May 23rd, made it quite clear that, save for some kind of political miracle, not one single illegal migrant will ever be deported to the East African state.
Sunak said that the first flight to Rwanda, which is intended to deter further migrants from illegally crossing the Channel to Britain, won’t take off until after the general election—that is, if his government is reelected. But all pollsters know that the Conservatives are highly unlikely to win on July 4th. Labour has long made it clear that it would not allow any deportation flights to go ahead.
So all that money and all that talk has been for nothing. Not that this is surprising, says Migration Watch Chairman Alp Mehmet. He told The European Conservative that the plan “was only going to work if the right legislation, implemented quickly, was in place at the outset,” which it wasn’t. He added that “it wasn’t helped by the reluctance of Number 10 or the present Home Secretary to back it fully throughout.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Decriminalizes Child Porn
The German parliament officially approved a bill to decriminalize the distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) by reducing the minimum sentence and reclassifying the felony as a misdemeanor, reports feminist news site Reduxx.
The bill adopted in the Bundestag basically reverses a 2021 decision that finally classified the possession of child pornography as a crime, carrying a minimum one-year custodial sentence in Germany, conforming to EU directives.
The new rules, however, go even further than the pre-2021 situation. Not only will the possession of child pornography be classified as a misdemeanor, but its distribution as well.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Warsaw’s left-wing mayor, Rafal Trzaskowski, who recently issued a ban on the display of the Christian cross in public buildings, has sparked a heated debate across political spectrums in Poland, but the decision also drew criticism from notable figures abroad including billionaire Elon Musk.
The X owner expressed his disapproval of the move stating, “Shamelessly copying stupid things from America. How embarrassing,” as he criticized Trzaskowski’s actions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish Government Representative Signs Declaration Supporting Same-Sex Unions Across EU
In Brussels, a conference titled “Pride Alliances and Policy: Towards a Union of Equality” was organized recently under the current Belgian presidency of the European Union. It saw the signing of a declaration advocating for the recognition of same-sex unions throughout the EU.
Among the signatories was Poland, represented by Minister of Equality Katarzyna Kotula. This move comes amidst growing discussions within Poland regarding the penalization of what is termed “hate speech” based on sexual orientation and the ongoing debates over the legalization of same-sex unions and potential future same-sex marriages.
However, the declaration was notably not signed by representatives from Hungary, Romania, Italy, Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania, Latvia, Czechia, and Slovakia. When asked about Italy’s decision not to support the pro-LGBTQ declaration, Italian Minister of Family Affairs Eugenia Roccella criticized the declaration, stating it attempts to “deny not just biology but the body itself.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pro-Abortion Activist Among Dozens of Influencers Paid to Promote Greens’ EU Campaign
The European Greens have been hiring Instagram influencers—from travel vloggers to professional pro-choice activists—to promote their campaign messaging ahead of the elections.
Social media was established as the primary playground of the Greens back in 2019, when the group by far spent the most on online advertising—€409 million, ahead of the European People’s Party’s €67 million and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)’s €35 million ad budget.
This makes sense as the party usually wins over the youngest demographic of voters, many of whom were mobilized by Greta Thunberg’s Friday protests five years ago, letting the Greens ride a wave of planet-saving enthusiasm with a truckload of well-placed social media ads.
According to a report in Politico‘s most recent EU influence newsletter, the Greens are looking to repeat their 2019 success (at least among the youth, as polls show the group will lose the most seatsafter June 9th), but need a new strategy due to platforms deprioritizing political content—as well as how “wildly” more expensive social media advertising has become in recent years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and John Kennedy (R-LA) eviscerated a Biden judicial nominee on Wednesday over her 2022 recommendation that a transgender serial rapist, William McClain (aka July Justine Shelby) be housed in a women’s prison despite previous convictions for raping children and possessing child pornography.
The Senators grilled U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn, who was nominated to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Netburn transferred McClain despite an objection from the Board of Prisons.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Will DEI by Any Other Name Smell as Sweet?
DEI is so unpopular that it’s being renamed. Like a mafia informant hiding out from his old pals, some consultants are trying to rebrand DEI as IDE. There are only so many ways to move the same letters around to form an acronym that isn’t as lethal in connotation as IED or DIE.
And if IDE doesn’t work out, expect to see some EID offices around before long.
Conservative states have started cracking down on DEI offices at publicly funded colleges, and so the University of Iowa now calls its DEI office the “Division of Access, Opportunity and Diversity” while the University of Oklahoma renamed its racism stronghold the “Division of Access and Opportunity.’ At the University of Tennessee, it’s the “Division of Access and Engagement” while at Louisiana State University it was more awkwardly renamed to the “Division of Engagement, Civil Rights & Title IX”. Utah Valley University’s DEI office adopted the meaninglessly bland title of the “Office of Institutional Engagement and Effectiveness.”
Much like changing DEI to IDE, liberals playing mad libs with buzzwords like “access’“, “engagement” and “opportunity” will just mean more of the same under a different name.
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
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A few years ago, large parts of the Swedish social establishment imagined that Sweden could have unlimited immigration. It’s easy to forget, but it actually was. It was argued that it was our duty to keep our borders open to anyone who wanted to seek asylum. It was thought that it was unfair to make a difference between “us and them”.
Now some claim they have learned. And a certain course change has taken place. All right-wing parties in Sweden’s Riksdag, and in addition the Social Democrats, say that mass immigration was a mistake and that we now need to hold back.
(What that means in practice remains to be seen.)
It is said that “we in Sweden” have learned from the “refugee crisis”. We have understood that we must have a sustainable migration policy.
The only question is whether most Swedish politicians have really learned something. The basic thinking regarding immigration, demographic changes and unwanted changes to our country never seems to be right.
Recently, it has, among other things, been about the status of citizenship. It has been about a sharp statement from Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson that a Swedish citizenship is not just a travel document but also an obligation to loyalty to Sweden. If you are a Swedish citizen, you must be prepared to defend your homeland with a weapon in hand. And the prime minister had some doubts expressed regarding the new Swedes’ loyalty to Sweden. Citizenship has been handed out far too easily.
And then there we are again. Same show again. Once again, vocal sections of the Swedish elites show that they think like five-year-olds. Ulf Kristersson’s statement is divisive, says Social Democrats party leader Magdalena Andersson. And in Dagens Nyheter, the editor-in-chief writes the following comment (which is worth reproducing in its entirety):
*
“There is something very interesting and dark here. Because just as Kristersson showed in his speech to the nation last fall, he doesn’t even seem to have the ambition to be prime minister of the entire country. Then, after several high-profile horrific gang crimes, he chose to conflate migration and crime and claim that reducing immigration would in itself be a way to combat gang crime. Now he chooses to divide and divide instead of uniting the population in the face of a real threat of war.”
*
So this is being written in 2024 in one of Sweden’s largest daily newspapers. Gang crime has nothing to do with immigration and a clarification from the Prime Minister regarding the obligations that follow citizenship means that he wants to “separate” and “divide”… My God! When will it end? When will there be an end to the hopeless stupidity that has done so much harm?
It’s like the coin never falls with the old social establishment. A real shift in thinking never happens. What world do Dagens Nyheter’s editorial writers live in? How can they continue to deny the link between mass immigration and gang crime? Here, even leading social democrats have now given up. And when it comes to citizenship and the will to defend, is it natural to discuss the situation with the loyalty to Sweden of the people who have become citizens even though they have no historical connections to Sweden? Incidentally, many of those who arrived claim that they fled from war. Why then would they stay and fight for Sweden?
Someone reading this might think that it is not about stupidity but about evil. That’s how you can see it sometimes. The decisive motive behind PK thinking is multifaceted and difficult to explore. For my own part, I am increasingly inclined to talk about pure stupidity. Stupidity or maybe denial. One thing is certain: for some, the token never seems to fall.
Richard Sörman, Idea and culture
https://detgodasamhallet.com/2024/01/19/richard-sorman-nar-polletten-aldrig-trillar-ned/
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After Paris Mayor Hidalgo dives into the Seine, will she stay there? She made no promises about that.
“Verging on a long, hot summer, the party behind “Joe Biden” looks like a 1950s horror movie, complete with lurching ghouls, evil scientists in white lab coats, and the sore beset denizens of Anytown USA screaming down the streets….and IT LOOKS LIKE AN AWFUL LOT OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE LAWFULLY HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF IT.
Mr. Trump could accomplish something truly remarkable: BRINGING OUR COUNTRY BACK TOGETHER AS A PEOPLE UNITED AGAINST BEING [messed]-AROUND BY THE OWN GOVERNMENT.” —James Kunstler (24 May 2024)
https://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/of-men-and-myths/
[all-caps added]
Gosh, who could’a seen this coming?! Oh, wait..
“Democrats don’t want the public to know they’re protecting pedophiles, THAT’S WHY THEY CUT MY MIC…when I moved to pass AB2641—”End sanctuary state protections for ILLEGALS CONVICTED OF SEX CRIMES AGAINST MINORS”! This is not democracy—it is tyranny.” —Rep. Bill Essayli (R-CA)
https://www.instagram.com/billessayli/reel/C7Pdc0fvRP3/
“Republican California State Assemblyman condemned his Democratic colleagues after they VOTED AGAINST…a bill requiring California law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal authorities when dealing with ILLEGAL immigrants CONVICTED OF SEXUALLY EXPLOITING CHILDREN.” —American Military News (23 May 2024)
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2024/05/video-illegal-immigrant-pedophiles-shielded-by-calif-democrats/
“Prediction: Pedophilia, incest and necrophilia will be “normalized”.” —posted to fb (Dec 2019)