President Trump said that the peak of the Wuhan Coronavirus has passed in the USA, and some states will be able to lift the lockdown before May 1. Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced $125 million in emergency COVID-19 relief for illegal immigrants. Also, Denmark became the first European nation to reopen its schools in the wake of the coronavirus lockdown.
In other news, Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren endorsed Joe Biden for president.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to AA, Insubria, JD, 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.
Central Bankers: We Own You! Prepare for 13 Months of Shutdowns
The longer we allow these tyrants to lock us in our homes and ban us from making a living, the easier it will be for them to control us.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Woman Trying to Withdraw Stimulus Check Finds $8.5m in Her Account
A Florida woman says she went to the ATM to withdraw her stimulus check, only to find a multi-million dollar deposit in her account, according to a report.
Diana Lagulli, who is retired, said she discovered an unexpected balance of $8.5 million when she went to take out cash at a Wawa in Sanford following the deposit of her stimulus payment, news station WOFL reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
IMF Forecasts Hungary Economy Contracting 3.1% in 2020
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects Hungary’s economy will contract by 3.1 percent this year in its latest World Economic Outlook released on Tuesday.
The IMF sees Hungary’s economy rebounding and expanding by 4.2 percent in 2021.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
IRS Launches “Get My Payment” Portal, Allowing Americans to Track Their Stimulus Payments
The Internal Revenue Service launched an online tool Wednesday called “Get My Payment” to allow Americans to track their personal stimulus payments from the federal government.
To access the website, one must enter his or her mailing address, date of birth, and social security number. The portal will then provide information on when the IRS will make the payment, whether it will be a mailed check or paid via direct deposit, and whether the service needs more information from the user. A message on the site says users may need their 2018 tax return or the 2019 return, if it has been filed. Users also may provide bank account information to receive payment via direct deposit, if the IRS does not have that information on file.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Coronavirus: Consumer Spending Down 31.7% in March — Retailers
GDP to fall 13% April says Confcommercio
(ANSA) — Rome, April 14 — Consumer spending in Italy fell 31.7% in March over March 2019 while GDP is set to fall 13% in April due to the coronavirus emergency, retail group Confcommercio said Monday.
Consumer spending fell 10.4% in the first quarter and GDP fell 3.5%, said Confcommercio, saying that tourism was 95% down in March while new car registrations fell 82%, sales of clothing and footwear fell 100% for firms not selling over the Internet, and bars and restaurants were down 68%, even taking into account home deliveries.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: M5S, PD Clash on Use of ESM for Coronavirus Recovery
Crimi says cannot be used after Delrio hails EU success
(ANSA) — Rome, April 15 — The ruling anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) and its main partner, the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), on Wednesday clashed over using the European Stability Mechanism bailout fund to help recover from the coronavirus crisis.
M5S interim leader Vito Crimi insisted that the ESM “cannot be used” after PD heavyweight Graziano Delrio said that “it was a success to get from the EU the possible use of the ESM without strings attached”.
Foreign Minister and former M5S leader Luigi Di Maio said “the majority should work as a team on the ESM”, saying “we’ll only be free if we are united”.
Nationalist opposition League party leader Matteo Salvini reiterated his opposition to using the ESM, which he has likened to “going to the loan shark”.
His partner, neofascist Brothers of Italy (FdI) leader Giorgia Meloni, has said that “using the ESM as the sole instrument is a noose around our necks”.
After negotiating the no-strings-attached recourse to the ESM up to 2% of GDP but initially only for the health emergency, Premier Giuseppe Conte has said he will not use it.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Mexico Downgraded to Just One Notch Above Junk on Imminent “Severe Recession”
While Mexico scored a dramatic, if mostly symbolic, victory in its “Mexican standoff” with Saudi Arabia over the weekend, when the oil producer who famously hedges its output every year in preparation for the worst received an exemption from the uniform 23% production cut, its economy sadly remains in shambles as it enters a deep recession, the Mexican peso recently plunged to all time lows (and is headed in that direction again), the coronavirus epidemic is ravaging its population, its industrial base is frozen with its biggest client — the US — on indefinite hiatus, and generally things are going from bad to worse.
None of that has escaped Fitch, which moments ago downgrade Mexico from BBB to BBB— the lowest rating above junk (outlook stable) because as the rating agency writes, “the economic shock represented by the coronavirus pandemic will lead to a severe recession in Mexico in 2020.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland to See First Recession in Nearly Three Decades — IMF
Poland’s economy will shrink by 4.6 percent this year after nearly three decades of uninterrupted growth, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has forecast in the spring edition of its comprehensive report, the World Economic Outlook.
In 2021, Poland’s growth is to rebound to 4.2 percent, the IMF also said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Proposed Bill Would Give Americans $2,000 Per Month During Coronavirus Pandemic
A new bill proposed in Congress would give $2,000 per month to millions of Americans during the coronavirus pandemic to help ensure the economy does not collapse as tens of millions of Americans lose their jobs during the outbreak.
The bill says that every American adult older than 16 who makes less than $130,000 per year would get a $2,000 cash transfer every month. Married couples making less than $260,000 would receive $4,000 per month, while couples with children would receive an extra $500 for up to three children.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Analysis: Dem Governors Could Keep Major US Ports Closed, Impeding Trump From Reopening Economy
However, economic councils between governors could run afoul of the US Constitution.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Chris Cuomo Says He Loves His Job, Won’t Quit After Trashing CNN Gig
CNN host Chris Cuomo has had an apparent change of heart, claiming Tuesday that he loves his job — a day after publicly griping, “I don’t like what I do professionally. I don’t think it’s worth my time.”
“I didn’t mean it that way,” the TV host insisted on satellite radio of his diatribe the day before — in which the “Cuomo Prime Time” star said he is no longer interested in “trafficking in things that I think are ridiculous.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democratic Georgia Rep. Vernon Jones Endorses Trump for Reelection
A polarizing Democratic state lawmaker from Georgia reportedly broke party ranks on Tuesday — endorsing President Trump’s reelection bid.
State Rep. Vernon Jones told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he’s backing Trump, in part, due to the president’s handling of the economy and criminal justice reforms.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dr. Deborah Birx: The WHO “Had to Have Known” There Was Human to Human Transmission
Dr. Deborah Birx, one of the faces of America’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, said that the WHO “had to know” that there had been human to human transmission despite them amplifying Chinese propaganda back in January that this hadn’t happened.
On January 14th, the World Health Organization tweeted, “Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elizabeth Warren Endorses Joe Biden
Massachusetts senator and former presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren endorsed Joe Biden for president on Wednesday.
The senator’s endorsement follows similar endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders and former president Barack Obama.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt: Coronavirus Should Make People Grateful for Big Tech
Even in the world of Google’s gallery of characters in top leadership positions, each less palatable than the other, Eric Schmidt always stood out as particularly unlikeable — just from the point of view of his role in turning the “Do No Evil” Google of yesteryear into a potentially dangerous behemoth it is today.
It was Schmidt who dismissed Google privacy allegations and once said, “If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place.”
And sure enough, this former Google CEO has something to say about the current unprecedented health and economic crisis caused by the pandemic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Inmate Commits Murder 1 Day After Being Freed Due to Coronavirus, Authorities Say
Police in Florida say a man committed second-degree murder the day after being released from jail as part of a coronavirus mitigation strategy.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department arrested 26-year-old Edward Williams on Monday on the murder charge as well as charges of gun possession, drug possession, and violent resistance of an officer. Williams was freed from jail last month over fears that crowded inmate populations might result in a localized coronavirus outbreak.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former Prof Accused of Murder Tries to Use His Academic Credentials to Get Out of Jail
A judge has denied a request from a former Northwestern University professor, charged with stabbing his boyfriend to death, to be released from behind bars in order to help fight coronavirus.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that in early April, former Northwestern University professor Wyndham Lathem asked a judge to free him on $1 million bail, reasoning that his expertise in infectious diseases and previous research on the bubonic plague would make him an asset to the fight against the coronavirus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Google has been ordered to turn over all Hillary Clinton emails from a Gmail account believed to contain backups to communications from her personal server which her IT specialist, Paul Combetta, reportedly scrubbed using BleachBit.
Combetta allegedly used the Google account to transfer Clinton’s emails from a laptop to a server at Platte River Networks, after which BleachBit was used to remove all traces from the device.
On Wednesday, watchdog group Judicial Watch announced that Google had been served with a subpoena seeking all Clinton email from January 21, 2009 until February 1, 2013 from her time at the Obama State Department where she served as Secretary of State.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gov. Cuomo’s Daughter Poses With Grandma — Who Has Framed Photo of Communist Che Guevara
Framed photo of communist revolutionary seen inside grandma’s house.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Here’s ‘Anonymous, ‘ Trump Aides Say. And Here’s How They Outed Her.
Ever since a “senior official in the Trump administration” penned an anonymous 2018 New York Times column attacking President Trump as unfit for office, Washington has been engrossed in a high-stakes whodunit. After an exhaustive investigation, the White House believes it’s cracked the case, identifying Trump’s turncoat as his former deputy national security adviser, Victoria Coates, according to people familiar with the internal probe.
Rather than fire Coates, the White House has quietly transferred her to the Department of Energy, where she awaits special assignment in Saudi Arabia — far from the president.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
It’s Time to Push Back Against the Draconian Lockdowns and Tyranny
Bill Gates, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and anyone else advocating for a federally mandated lockdown either doesn’t understand the Constitution’s structure or doesn’t respect it. The lockdowns are both unconstitutional and trash the fundamental human rights every single person on this planet was born with.
A recent article by The Federalist has really hit home for many in the liberty movement. It is time to push back against the tyrannical orders of governors and federal authoritarians. The Washington Post ran an article about plans being made to reopen the economy. The article complains that state governors (rather than the White House) are leading the planning, which has resulted in a “mind-boggling level of disorganization,” according to a Centers for Disease Control director.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Kanye: “I Was Told My Career Would End if I Wasn’t With Hillary”
Kanye West says he was told his career would end if he didn’t come out in support for Hillary as the music icon revealed that he would be voting for Trump in 2020.
In an interview with G2, the Yeezus rapper said he was more determined than ever to support Trump.
“I’m definitely voting this time. And we know who I’m voting on,” said West, asserting that the president had outperformed Obama when it came to the property market.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lawyer: Intel Officers Testified Against John Brennan for Durham Investigation
Former CIA chief under Obama the central focus of RussiaGate probe, says Joe diGenova.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Mainstream News is Soaring on YouTube Thanks to “Authoritativeness Ranking Scores”
YouTube is emerging as a powerful broadcaster in the time of the coronavirus pandemic, with its two billion users more than ever turning to the platform to consume news.
According to YouTube Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan, views on videos classified as news increased 75 percent year-on-year, and in an interview with Bloomberg TV, he attributed this to the global health crisis and people attempting to find out what is happening.
And what we see and learn on YouTube is tightly controlled: the giant surfaces content using algorithms and, effectively, human editors, while the goal is to establish how “authoritative” a news source is and promote it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poll: A Third of Americans Believe Coronavirus Was Leaked From Lab
According to a Pew poll, almost a third of Americans believe that the coronavirus leaked from a bio-lab, a number that is sure to increase with news that the Pentagon is investigating the matter.
The Pew Research Center asked Americans where they think the coronavirus came from, with 29% responding that they believe it was leaked from a lab, 43% saying it came about naturally, and 25% saying they are not sure.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Prince Harry Will Give Up Hunting for Meghan and is ‘Struggling’ In California, According to Friend
It’s a royal pastime that he has frequently taken part in alongside his family throughout his life, but Dame Jane Goodall has claimed that Prince Harry might give up hunting for his wife, Meghan Markle, after all.
Speaking to the Radio Times this weekend, the famed primatologist said that although both Prince Harry and his brother Prince William are known for campaigning against illegal wildlife trade and supporting conservation of endangered species, they both still hunt. Yet she added, ‘I think Harry will stop because Meghan doesn’t like hunting, so I suspect that is over for him.’
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rachel Dolezal Trolled Into Performing 13 Per Cent/50 Per Cent Shout Out
Trans-racial activist Rachel Dolezal was trolled into performing a 13 per cent/50 per cent shout out by someone who paid Dolezal just $13.55 to embarrass herself.
The 13/50 meme refers to crime statistics which show that black people in America are responsible for roughly 50 per cent of homicides despite making up around 13 per cent of the population.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Raleigh Police Department Arrests Protester, Says “Protesting is a Non-Essential Activity”
Police in Raleigh, North Carolina, arrested at least one person early Tuesday afternoon for participating in a protest, and threatened fellow protesters with arrest, saying the people were violating the governor’s executive order against gatherings.
Later Tuesday, the department’s response to social media outcry about the protest included a tweet that said, “Protesting is a non-essential activity.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Roger Stone: Bill Gates Using COVID Panic to Impose Forced Vaccines
‘Over my dead body.’
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
A huge number of protesters converged on Lansing, Michigan midday Wednesday in “Operation Gridlock” — a demonstration against the strict lockdown measures imposed by Governor Whitmer on the state’s residents, many of whom see the mandates as draconian, absurd, and an infringement on constitutional rights.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Senators Pen Letter Announcing Investigation of WHO Over China COVID Coverup
A number of GOP senators delivered a letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday, announcing that they are investigating the organization’s involvement with China’s coverup of the true scale of the coronavirus outbreak.
The letter was addressed to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and is signed by Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Todd Young (R-IN), Steve Daines (R-MT), Kevin Cramer (R-FL), Martha McSally (R-AZ), and Ron Johnson (R-WI).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Stanford Prof: Coronavirus Death Rate Likely Much Lower Than Thought
Stanford University professor of medicine Dr. Jay Bhattacharya told “Tucker Carlson Tonight” Tuesday that he believes the actual death rate from the coronavirus pandemic is “likely orders of magnitude lower than the initial estimates.”
“Per case, I don’t think it’s as deadly as people thought,” Bhattacharya told host Tucker Carlson. “… The World Health Organization put an estimate out that was, I think, initially 3.4 percent. It’s very unlikely it is anywhere near that. It’s much likely, much closer to the death rate that you see from the flu per case.”
“The problem, of course, is that we don’t have a vaccine,” Bhattacharya added. “So in that sense, it’s more deadly and more widespread than the flu, and it overwhelms hospital systems, the ways the flu doesn’t.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
State Officials Are Trying to Get Online 3D Printed Gun Files Taken Down — Again
State officials are asking the Trump administration to order the takedown of 3D-printed gun files that are being sold on the Defense Distributed’s Defcad site.
The officials are urging the Justice Department and State Department to take action against the platform as per the rules against exporting weapons and making undetectable firearms.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Forgotten History of America’s Patriots’ Day and What it Commemorates
While it’s not celebrated too widely outside of New England, Patriots’ Day (or “Patriot’s Day” if you live in Maine) is a big deal there, primarily in the state where the Battles of Lexington and Concord actually took place — Massachusetts. For anyone reading this from New England who isn’t aware: No, you’re not getting the third Monday in April off so you can stay home and watch the Boston Marathon. Even before the Declaration of Independence was written, there were the Battles of Lexington and Concord — the true beginning of the American Revolution. To be sure, this is something that had been brewing for some time. There was the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the Intolerable Acts. But the Battles of Lexington and Concord marked the first shots fired between Patriots and Tories, beginning what would eventually lead to the independence of the American colonies from the British Empire. While the battles began as a small skirmish, they quickly became a bona fide fight — and a bridge from which the American rebels could not walk back…
| — Hat tip: AA | [Return to headlines] |
They Don’t Want You to Know the Truth or be Exposed to Differing Opinions
ZeroHedge and others are targets of big tech! Not only has our favorite site for financial news been banned from Twitter, but I recently noticed that when I went to click on its articles shared by others, I end up getting a special disclaimer that gives the vibe that it’s a virus site and is about to crash my computer!
SHTFPlan.com, which is run by a 100% U.S.-born journalist, was identified as a Russian bot in 2016 by the Washington Post!
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Says Coronavirus Pandemic Has Peaked, Some States to Reopen Before May 1
President Trump said Wednesday that the US had passed the peak of the coronavirus pandemic — and that some states would reopen before his May 1 deadline.
“While we must remain vigilant, it is clear that our strategy is working, and very strongly working. New cases are declining throughout the New York metropolitan area. Cases in Detroit and metro Denver areas are flat. Washington, DC, Baltimore, St. Louis is showing progress. New cases in New Orleans are declining. The data suggests that nationwide we have passed the peak on new cases,” Trump said during the daily briefing of the Coronavirus Task Force in the Rose Garden.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: DoD Says it’s Taking a ‘Hard Look’ At Evidence Coronavirus Came From Wuhan Lab
The Pentagon is investigating the possibility that the deadly coronavirus, which is now killing thousands of Americans every day, came from the biological research laboratory in Wuhan.
Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has confirmed that the DoD is looking into the theory that the virus was leaked out of the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).
Milley made the comments at a press briefing broadcast by PBS Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Viruses 101: How Overprotecting People From COVID 19 Could Make it More Lethal
If we continue to over-react and over-protect people from COVID 19, we risk turning it into a much more lethal virus…
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Chancellor: ‘We’ve Left the EU’, UK Govt Remains Committed to Brexit Timeline
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has confirmed that Boris Johnson’s government is “committed” to the EU negotiations timeline, adding the reminder that “we’ve left the European Union”.
Addressing reporters from the podium inside Downing Street during the daily coronavirus briefing on Tuesday, Mr Sunak said: “We remain very committed to the timeline that we set out to conclude those by the end of this year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Coronavirus: Pharmacist Death Toll Rises to Eight in Italy
Pharmacy head in Pontassieve is profession’s latest victim
(ANSA) — Rome, April 14 — The coronavirus death toll among Italy’s pharmacists rose to eight as another one died Tuesday, Assofarm President Venanzio Gizzi said.
The latest pharmacist to die is Antonio Tilli, director of the municipal pharmacy at Pontassieve near Florence, Gizzi said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Coronavirus: Expelled Iranians to Leave Hungary on Thursday
Eleven Iranian citizens who have received deportation orders because they broke rules related to novel coronavirus will leave Hungary on Thursday, an official said on Wednesday.
Róbert Kiss, a spokesman of the operative board that coordinates Hungary’s response to the novel coronavirus epidemic, said eight of them will leave voluntarily while three will be accompanied by law enforcement officials. A further three will leave the country at a later time.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark First in Europe to Reopen Schools After Coronavirus Lockdown
Denmark began reopening schools on Wednesday after a month-long closure over the novel coronavirus, becoming the first country in Europe to do so.
Nurseries, kindergartens and primary schools were reopening, according to an AFP correspondent, after they were closed on March 12 in an effort to curb the COVID-19 epidemic.
However classes are only resuming in about half of Denmark’s municipalities and in about 35 percent of Copenhagen’s schools, as other have requested more time to adjust to health protocols still in place. All are expected to reopen by April 20.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
European Parliament Prepares Another Attack on Poland and Hungary During Coronavirus Crisis
Leaders of four major European Parliament factions have included a resolution that is a clear attack on Poland and Hungary in their project concerning fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
The resolution was authored by the European People’s Party (EPP), the socialists, Greens, and the Renew Europe group and criticizes Polish authorities for organizing elections in May.
[Comment: Poland and Hungary should join the Brexit club.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: ‘Erratic’ Journalist Arrested After Threatening Police Officers With Scissors
French police arrested a journalist in Paris aboard the Eurostar train from London after the man exhibited erratic behaviour and threatened officers with scissors.
Police were alerted to the man’s strange behaviour onboard the train by a member of the crew who stated that he did not respect social distancing, started following other passengers around, spoke very loudly on his phone, and threatened to pull the train’s alarm.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Lawyer Who Criticized Lockdown Arrested, Taken to Psych Ward
A German medical lawyer who criticized the coronavirus lockdown law was arrested and taken to a psychiatric ward, where she says she was violently abused by authorities.
Beate Bahner published a press release on April 3rd decrying the German lockdown laws as “flagrantly unconstitutional, infringing to an unprecedented extent many of the fundamental rights of citizens.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Arrests 4 ISIS Suspects Planning to Attack American Bases
BERLIN (AP) — German authorities say police have arrested four suspected members of the Islamic State group alleged to be planning an attack on American military facilities.
Federal prosecutors said the suspects were arrested early Wednesday at various locations in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
They identified the men as Azizjon B., Muhammadali G., Farhodshoh K. and Sunatullokh K. — all citizens of Tajikistan. The suspects’ surnames weren’t released for privacy reasons.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: 5G Towers Torched as Anti-5G Sentiment Grows
Two 5G telecom towers in Almere, Netherlands were torched over Easter weekend by unknown arsonists. The act of sabotage is just the latest in a series of attacks on 5G towers in what appears to be some sort of campaign to undermine the deployment of the new technology.
The motives for the attacks are still unclear, although many have surmised that the attacks are clearly linked to a conspiracy theories which claim that the Chinese COVID-19 virus is somehow related to the rollout of 5G technology, SCEPTR reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Senior Tories Accuse Chinese Interests of Exploiting Coronavirus Crisis to Dominate UK Tech
MP Tom Tugendhat has accused China of taking advantage of the Wuhan coronavirus crisis to take control of British companies, and Iain Duncan Smith has attacked Huawei for exploiting the pandemic to attempt to boost its role in the UK’s 5G development.
Mr Tugendhat, who is the chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, told Sky News on Wednesday: “We’re seeing quite a lot of action by the Chinese state, or state-owned companies, that seem to be exploiting this moment.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Soccer: Italian Linari Tells of COVID-19 Life in Spain
Atletico Madrid player tells ANSA of adaptation to coronavirus
(ANSA) — Rome, April 13 — The 26-year-old Italian female footballer Elena Linari discussed living in Spain in this period as a professional athlete amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. Lipari, who plays for Atletico Madrid, told ANSA that “initially I was frustrated, I would almost say disgusted, by how here they hadn’t learn their lesson from Italy”, which was hit hard first by deaths linked to the novel coronavirus, but “I was excited to see workers go back to their worksites in front of my home after a three-week halt”. Linari, who also plays on the Italian national team under Milena Bertolini and who helped make women’s football more popular last summer even in Italy, told ANSA via an online interview from Spain, that she had chosen “Spain because I did not feel free to be myself in Italy. There, if you play football and you are a woman, with all due respect you are ‘wasting time’.” “On March 11 we interrupted the Algarve Cup with Italy and I came back here, where I have been living for a year and a half,” she said calling the situation “paradoxical” since whereas severe restrictions had been placed on Italy, “here people were just walking around normally, without even a mask”. But now “things are better”, she said. Linari told ANSA that she was doing yoga and that she was being helped by a trainer from the Atletico team, who “gives me a program and twice a week we meet up in a videochat. Spanish football is developing personalised programs for us women footballers. The menstrual cycle is a decisive factor. In Barcelona they do hormone testing and regulate training on this basis.” Nonetheless, she added, “we play and train in a male way, which is not easy. The important thing is to talk about it normally, like the time I didn’t have my period for three months and then I had a very heavy, painful one. Speaking clearly about this with the coach was key to resolving it.” Linari is also in the frontline of the battle for equal pay and rights for women footballers.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: School Principal Fired for Refusing to Uphold Hijab Ban
A principal working at a school in Skurup — the latest municipality to enact the ban on hijabs at schools — has refused to uphold the ban.
Last month, Mattias Liedholm, the principal of the primary school Prästamosseskolan, left the Moderate party because it was one of the parties in Skurup which helped to implement the hijab ban, Swedish newspaper Expressen reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Telecom Towers Torched Across Netherlands as Anti-5G Sentiment Rises
At least nine radio masts found in flames in recent days.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Disabled Man Gets Police Visit Because Neighbor Offered to Cut His Grass
Enforcement of lockdown becoming more absurdly draconian.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Farage Predicts Wearing Masks and Social Distancing Will Become the Norm
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has predicted that all Britons will have to wear masks as the price to be paid for the easing of coronavirus lockdown measures.
Speaking to supporters during a Facebook live stream on Tuesday, Mr Farage referencedremarks by Britain’s World Health Organization (WHO) envoy Dr David Nabarro, who said that people would have to get used to the idea of long-term social distancing and wearing masks to combat the new Chinese coronavirus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Hospital Beds Four Times Emptier Than Usual
Despite the coronavirus outbreak, NHS hospital beds in the UK are four times emptier than normal and a newly built hospital in the north-east of England may now never be used.
“Tens of thousands of NHS hospital beds remain unoccupied amid the coronavirus crisis — about four times the normal number — due to huge ongoing efforts to free up space, and a slowdown in admissions from other causes,” reports HSJ.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Nigel Farage Will Campaign to Quickly Retire ‘Police State’ Coronavirus Powers
While the new coronavirus police powers are meant to be temporary, it would be easy for senior officers to make the argument to keep them indefinitely, Brexit leader Nigel Farage has warned, revealing he will campaign for Britons to regain their liberties as soon as possible.
Writing that he’d “found my next campaign”, Mr Farage — who has a strong track record of fighting long-term attritional campaigns against vested interests, as in the case of building support to take Britain out of the European Union from a niche movement in the early 1990s to a nationwide referendum victory by 2016 — said some police officers were behaving in an “appalling” way.
[Comment: I support Farage.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Croatia: Nationalists Charged for Protesting Easter Lockdown on Churches
The Croatian police have charged a group of nationalists for holding a rally in support of a priest who held an Easter mass in violation of the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.
The rally was held in support of Father Josip Delas, a 70-year-old Catholic priest who defied the lockdown measures on Sunday by holding an Easter mass along with 20 members of his congregation. He did this in spite of objections from the Archdiocese and from government authorities, which had asked him to obey the social distancing restrictions, according to a report by Balkan Insight.
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Nearly 200,000 in Western Balkans Want to Migrate to Germany
Tens of thousands of people living in the Western Balkans have applied for visas to live in Germany.
In total, there are 192,263 visa registrations in the German diplomatic missions in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia.
The amount of visa applications being submitted is so large that institutions are having trouble processing all of them, the Federal Foreign Office (AA) wrote in a response to an information request submitted by the Left Party, Neue Osnabrücker Zeit reports.
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Turkey: Erdogan’s Post-Corona, Existential Economic Challenge
We may be months away from Covid-19’s global peak but the punishing, global, post-pandemic economic repercussions will vary from one country to another, depending on what economic vulnerabilities the pandemic has caught off-guard. One anticipated outcome is to see bigger post-corona damage to economies that have a large dependence on tourism and on economies with fundamental imbalances. Turkey belongs in both categories.
In the early days of the virus, before the skyrocketing number of cases, Turkey’s fragile economy boasted 4.3 million jobless. The official unemployment rate was 13.8%.
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Apple is Notoriously Strict With App Store Rules, But Gives China’s WeChat a Free Pass
Apple is notoriously strict with iPhones. You may own the phone, but it’s Apple that gets to decide what apps you’re allowed to run on it.
If Apple decides an app isn’t allowed in the App Store, you’re not allowed to use it.
While many app developers have spent months or even years working on apps for iPhones, only to find that Apple rejects their app and refuses their access to the market — Apple seems to be making exceptions for China’s WeChat app.
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China Drops a Bombshell on the Deep State
Learn the true origin of the Wuhan virus.
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How US Visas Can Help China’s Intel Agencies to Spy on US
Have you heard about Weiyun “Kelly” Huang? She came to the United States from China on a student visa in 2009 and was accused of enabling a spy. The U.S. government approves thousands of such visas each year, allowing foreign nationals to come to the United States to fill certain high-tech jobs. India and China have accounted for the majority of these visas. Major tech corporations typically employ these foreign nationals, claiming they cannot fill some jobs with Americans. Critics allege that the tech giants use the visas to bring in workers who will work for less money than their American counterparts.
The companies gain skilled workers and, according to their critics, a reduced wage bill. The visa workers get three to six years’ experience working for the world’s most technically advanced companies. The American consumer presumably gets lower prices. But has anyone thought about why China allows thousands of its workers to come to America to work every year?
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President Trump Suggests There May be “Consequences” For China Due to Coronavirus
American President Donald Trump suggested that there may be “consequences” for China because it misled the rest of the world regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which began there in December.
At a press conference on Monday, President Trump was asked repeatedly by journalists why he hadn’t done anything in response to allegations that China deliberately spread misinformation to the international community regarding the virus. The President asked, “How do you know there are no consequences?”
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Sources Tell Fox News WHO Was “Complicit” In Helping China Cover Up Coronavirus Leak From Wuhan Lab
Multiple sources have told Fox News that coronavirus was leaked from a lab in Wuhan and that the World Health Organization was “complicit” in helping China to cover up the truth behind the outbreak.
“COVID-19 originated in a Wuhan laboratory not as a bioweapon, but as part of China’s effort to demonstrate that its efforts to identify and combat viruses are equal to or greater than the capabilities of the United States,” reported Fox News, citing “multiple sources who have been briefed on the details of early actions by China’s government and seen relevant materials.”
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A regional city in Australia has officially dumped its sister city in China because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Cardinal Pell Ties His Prosecution in Australia to Vatican Financial Corruption
ROME — Cardinal George Pell said it is widely believed by senior Vatican officials that his prosecution in Australia for historic sex abuse was linked to his fight against financial corruption in the Vatican.
In a nearly hourlong televised interview Tuesday in australia, SkyNews host Andrew Bolt asked the cardinal point blank whether he had ever considered “that the trouble you were causing to corrupt officials in the Vatican was related to the troubles that have since happened to you here?”
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Drew Pavlou, Student Who Criticizes the Communist Party of China, Faces School Disciplinary Hearings
Drew Pavlou, an Australian student activist, says he is facing possible expulsion from his university for his outspoken opposition to China’s policies, and the University of Queensland’s alleged corruption and ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Pavlou has been particularly vocal and active in his support of protesters in Hong Kong, promoting their activities and criticizing the university’s leaders.
In a highly visible tweet that received thousands of retweets and likes, Pavlou explained his current situation.
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The President of the Queensland Teachers Union, Kevin Bates said Mr Morrison’s message telling parents to send their kids to school this week had undermined his state leaders.
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Australian taxpayers make bigger voluntary donations to the World Health Organisation than China and rich countries such as France and Canada, financial documents reveal.
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19 Nigerians, Including 7 Christians, Burned Alive During Lockdown Assault
Nearly 20 Nigerians, among them seven Christians, were burned alive earlier this month in an attack carried out by nomadic Islamic terrorists in the central part of the country.
The brutal killing, perpetrated by Muslim Fulani herdsmen, occurred in the state of Plateau in the primarily Christian village of Hukke. Local residents were sheltering at home due to a coronavirus lockdown ordered by the government.
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Calif. Governor Announces $125m COVID-19 Relief for Illegal Immigrants
SACRAMENTO — (PRESS RELEASE) — Governor Gavin Newsom today announced new initiatives to support the millions of California workers who have lost jobs or wages as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the Governor’s direction, the Employment Development Department (EDD) will launch a new call center on Monday that will operate 7 days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The Unemployment Insurance Branch will be upstaffed with 1,340 employees, including 740 EDD employees and 600 employees from across state government. The Governor also directs EDD to expedite access to the Work Share program to avert layoffs.
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France: Migrants Set Trap for First Responders (Video)
On Saturday night, migrants set a trap for first responders in Rillieux-la-Pape, near Lyon.
The incident began when a group of approximately 20 young migrant men set fire to a dustbin on the Avenue de l’Europe. When firefighters and police officers arrived on the scene, the migrants began throwing incendiary projectiles, exploding firecrackers, and other objects at them, according to a report at LyonMag.
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French Politicians Call for Illegals Amnesty, Claiming it Would Help Fight Coronavirus
Over 100 members of the French parliament have signed a declaration demanding that Prime Minister Edouard Philippe give amnesty to all illegal migrants living in France, claiming the move will help to combat the Wuhan coronavirus.
The letter, which was signed by 104 predominantly left-wing MPs such as Socialist Party member Guillaume Garot, calls for President Emmanuel Macron’s government to emulate Portugal, which moved to give amnesty to illegals on March 28th.
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Migrants, Gangs Attack Police Across Europe as Social Order Unravels
Large portion of population ignoring coronavirus lockdown.
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NGO Doctor: Rescuing Migrants More Important Than Coronavirus Worries
A doctor working onboard a migrant transport NGO ship has claimed that picking up migrants in the Mediterranean matters more than worries over the Wuhan coronavirus.
Italian doctor Caterina Ciufegni, who works for the German migrant transport NGO Sea-Eye, played down coronavirus infection concerns. She said: “Facing people who run away from torture, coronavirus takes second place. I think we all accepted the risk.”
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WHO Blocked Doctors From Urging Border Controls to Stop Spread of Coronavirus
The World Health Organization blocked doctors from urging countries to impose border controls to stop the spread of coronavirus, it has been revealed.
While the organization was demanding countries impose zero border controls, it was also campaigning against the profiling of international travelers in order to prevent the “stigmatization” of Chinese people (hurt feelings).
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The Little Emperors Have Lost Their Pandemic
As the COVID-19 scare begins to die down, politicians may not want to give up their newfound power.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8e2357OgR9Y
Denmark and Austria begin to phase out lockdown
Mortality of COVID..”It’s much likely, much closer to the death rate that you see from the flu per case”. Come on. Mortality of flu for 2018/2019 in USA was 34 000 deaths per 35 000 000 ill. Well in the 65+ age group there were 25 000 deaths per 3 000 000. These are estimates of CDC.
https://thediplomat.com/2020/04/did-xi-jinping-deliberately-sicken-the-world/
I think the question should be asked:
Did Nancy Pelosi slow walk the Impeachment documents to the Senate to allow Covid19 to spread in the US?
Could be with Feinstein’s Chinese spy, now on pension, as the conduit?
That boy’s passport needs scrutiny.
“California Governor Gavin Newsom announced $125 million in emergency COVID-19 relief for illegal immigrants”.
Priorities, priorities.
We petitioned for his recall but somehow there appears to have been an undercount. We learned who really was in charge here, and it wasn’t us.
“Amnesty” for illegals is a dishonest euphemism for dereliction of duty.
The elderly will die sooner for years to come. Others will face Russian roulette. That the NIH financed this Dr. Frankenstein laboratory in Wuhan is disgusting, and likely criminal.
Jane Goodall examining meghan’s relationship is about the most racist thing I ever heard!😇
Off-Topic (You all need something to break up all the news anyways)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0tvC01I9-mw
Al Capone gets a new Movie