Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/15/2020

A Colorado inmate who was released last month because of the coronavirus has been arrested in Denver for first-degree murder. Meanwhile, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has extended his state’s lockdown until at least June 13.

In other news, a federal grand jury in Minnesota has indicted a Pakistani doctor named Muhammad Masood on a charge of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State. The case has a Mohammed Coefficient of 100%.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to Caroline Glick, Insubria, JD, Reader from Chicago, 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.

Financial Crisis
» JC Penney Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
» Job Openings Plunge Most on Record Amid Mass Layoffs, Plunge in Hiring
 
USA
» Anderson Cooper: Criticism for Inviting Greta Thunberg to Corona Town Hall Was “Phony Online Outrage”
» CO Cops Looking for Man Who Wore KKK Hood Into Store
» Colorado Inmate Released on Parole Because of Coronavirus Arrested in Fatal Denver Shooting
» Coronavirus: It’s Not About Staying Safe, It’s About Control and Seizing Power
» COVID-1984: Orwell’s Vision, Our New Reality
» COVID-19 Deaths & Pre-Existing Conditions. What Illinois’ Data Says About Who’s at Risk
» Federal Grand Jury Indicts Pakistan Doctor for Attempting to Provide Support to ISIS
» Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt Criticizes Trump, Says US Should Work With Chinese Government Not Criticize it
» Google Shares Tumble on Reports of Imminent Antitrust Lawsuit
» Gov. Cuomo Extends New York’s Stay-at-Home Order Until June 13
» Making Heroes Out of Dope Dealers and Stoners
» Nevada’s Vote-by-Mail Primary Stirs Fraud Concerns, As Unclaimed Ballots Pile Up: ‘Something Stinks Here’
» No Proof That Russia Hacked DNC — Democrats Hid Sworn CrowdStrike Testimony for Over 2 Years
» Now That Park’s Confederate Memorials Are Gone, Bodies of General and Wife Set to be Exhumed
» Nursing Home Deaths Peak in Illinois, Gov Pritzker Slammed for Failing to Protect State’s Most Vulnerable
» NYC’s Rat Population Hit With Hunger Crisis During Lockdowns
» Pakistani-American Woman Sentenced to 13 Years by US Court for Funding ISIS
» Pelosi, Schiff and Her Thugs Refuse to Investigate the Wuhan Coronavirus — Just Blame Trump
» Ransomware Gang Demands $42M or it Releases Trump’s Dirty Laundry
» Report: Democratic Senate Candidate Mark Kelly Avoids Connection to Chinese Investor Known for Censorship
» Senate Narrowly Rejects Plan to Require a Warrant for Americans’ Browsing Data
» ‘Set Texas Free Rally, ‘ Featuring Shelley Luther
» Vice Fires 155 Journalists in Latest Round of Layoffs
 
Canada
» Islamic Call to Prayer Being Heard for the First Time Across Canada
 
Europe and the EU
» That’s Using Your Head! German Cafe Makes Customers Wear Swimming Noodle Hats to Enforce Social Distancing
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Caroline Glick: Pompeo: The Coronavirus and the “Risks” of Sovereignty
 
Russia
» Conte Thanks Putin for Soldiers’ Work
 
Far East
» Chinese State Media Ominously Threatens GOP Lawmakers, Hints at Election Day Impact
» Leaked Data Suggests China May Have 640,000 COVID-19 Cases
» Peer-Reviewed Study Rejects Pangolins as Intermediary Species for COVID-19
 
Immigration
» Border Wall Remains “Full Steam Ahead” Despite Pandemic
 
Culture Wars
» Christian Charity: ‘Serious Questions’ To be Asked as ‘Porn Baron’ Donates Millions to UK Abortion Industry
» Maryland School District Approves “LGBTQ+ Studies” Class: “It Will Open a Lot of Minds”
» YouTube Alternatives That Are More Creator and Free-Speech Friendly
» YouTube Bans John Piper’s “Coronavirus and Christ” Audiobook for “Violating Community Guidelines”
 

JC Penney Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

In what may be one of the most bizarre bankruptcy filings, just hours after JCPenney stock was halted first thing in the morning when everyone was certain the company would announce its has filed its Chapter 11 petition only to read in a bizarre 8K that the company had instead made a $17 million interest payment due on its secured term loan during the 5-day grace period, the iconic retail giant (or maybe not so giant any more) and anchor mall tenant threw in the towel after all to what was a long, drawn out and painful period of fading into irrelevance, and just after 6pm announced it had filed for bankruptcy protection in the Southern District of Texas (docket #20-20182).

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Job Openings Plunge Most on Record Amid Mass Layoffs, Plunge in Hiring

With the BLS’s JOLTs, or job openings and labor turnover, survey coming in with an extra month delay, we already knew that the March data would be dismal (especially considering the total implosion in April when over 20 million people lost their jobs), and sure enough that’s what happened when the BLS reported that in March the number of job openings plunged from an upward revised 7.004 million to just 6.191 million, the 813K monthly drop the largest on record going back to 2000.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Anderson Cooper: Criticism for Inviting Greta Thunberg to Corona Town Hall Was “Phony Online Outrage”

This Thursday’s CNN town hall had quite an emotional ending with Anderson Cooper ranting about “the phony online outrage machine”.

Why the outrage you ask? Because CNN invited Greta Thunberg as a guest to the coronavirus town hall.

Naturally, inviting a climate change activist who is no way qualified as an expert in science or a medical profession (Thunberg hasn’t even finished high-school) ended up attracting widespread criticism and pushback from viewers.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

CO Cops Looking for Man Who Wore KKK Hood Into Store

Colorado police are looking for a man who wore a Ku Klux Klan hood into a grocery store.

The currently unidentified man walked into a grocery store in Dillon on Thursday and proceeded to shop before he was asked to leave. When the man refused to do so, store employees called the police. The man fled before officers arrived.

The police are working to identify him and his vehicle using surveillance footage.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Colorado Inmate Released on Parole Because of Coronavirus Arrested in Fatal Denver Shooting

A man who was released from prison last month on parole following policies enacted by Gov. Jared Polis to prevent an outbreak of the new coronavirus among inmates has been arrested in the fatal shooting of a woman last weekend in Denver.

Cornelius Haney, 40, is accused of first-degree murder in the slaying of 21-year-old Heather Perry near the intersection of East Colfax Avenue and Verbena Street on May 9.

Haney was released on April 15, four months early, under an executive order by Polis before that allows inmates to be released on “special-needs parole.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Coronavirus: It’s Not About Staying Safe, It’s About Control and Seizing Power

To make matters worse the Democrats recently introduced House Bill 6666, which if implemented would allow healthcare officials to forcibly take you or a loved one from their home under the guise of safety and protection of the household. The term is being called CONTACT TRACING…

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

COVID-1984: Orwell’s Vision, Our New Reality

The famous novel details how government controls every aspect of people’s lives, including their thoughts. Is our government using the COVID-19 pandemic as a front to usher in a 1984-type of world with their new artificial intelligence mass surveillance system?

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

COVID-19 Deaths & Pre-Existing Conditions. What Illinois’ Data Says About Who’s at Risk

Authored by Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner via Wirepoints.org

Wirepoints recently analyzed data from Cook County’s Medical Examiner and found that 92 percent of Cook County COVID-19 victims had pre-existing conditions. Those that died had comorbidities including diabetes, obesity, hypertension and heart disease.

Many Americans have pre-existing conditions. Data from the CDC says that 45 percent of people have hypertension. Another 43 percent are obese. And another 10 percent have diabetes.

However, that doesn’t mean that all Americans with one or more pre-existing conditions are at serious risk of death from COVID-19. Illinois’ fatality data shows that the virus has had a limited impact on younger demographics.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Federal Grand Jury Indicts Pakistan Doctor for Attempting to Provide Support to ISIS

Muhammad Masood of Minnesota was indicted by a federal grand jury in Minneapolis on Monday of attempting to provide material support to the terrorist faction ISIS, according to a statement Friday from the Department of Justice.

Masood, who is licensed to practice medicine in Pakistan, had been working as a research coordinator at a medical clinic in Rochester, Minnesota under a temporary visa.

In the complaint against Masood, he was accused of wanting to carry out “lone wolf” terrorist actions against the U.S. and travel to Syria to join ISIS. He also allegedly claimed his allegiance to the terrorist organization.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt Criticizes Trump, Says US Should Work With Chinese Government Not Criticize it

Eric Schmidt, the former Google CEO, has said that the United States would be harmed by a breakdown of relations and trade with China due to the coronavirus, and stated that in these times it is necessary to work as a team to overcome the pandemic.

During an interview with CNBC on May 14, Schmidt took the opportunity to respond to President Trump’s statements, who has repeatedly expressed his discontent with China — more so recently.

According to Schmidt, even as China’s propaganda campaigns against the US are running rampant, the US should not criticize China and instead work alongside China.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Google Shares Tumble on Reports of Imminent Antitrust Lawsuit

While bulls had comforted themselves that amid a “work from home” pandemic lockdown, any regulatory actions against the mega-tech firms would likely be put on hold, it appears that is not the fact.

The Wall Street Journal reports that both the Justice Department and a group of state attorneys general are likely to file antitrust lawsuits against Alphabet’s Google — and are well into planning for litigation.

According to people familiar with the matter, The Justice Department is moving toward bringing a case as soon as this summer.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Gov. Cuomo Extends New York’s Stay-at-Home Order Until June 13

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced that the state’s stay-at-home order, which had been set to expire Friday, is being extended until June 13.

“Both travel-related cases and community contact transmission of COVID-19 have been documented in New York State and are expected to continue,” the governor’s executive order says in continuing the “New York State on PAUSE” policy, which was put in place in March.

“All enforcement mechanisms by state or local governments shall continue to be in full force and effect until June 13, 2020, unless later extended or amended by a future Executive Order,” he added in the order signed Thursday.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Making Heroes Out of Dope Dealers and Stoners

The new “Heroes” bill offered by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the latest version of the Green New Deal. It makes “heroes” out of dope dealers, with the “green” being marijuana and money. The $3 trillion bill, considered DOA (Dead on Arrival) in the Senate, is an example of the power of Big Marijuana, which owes its very existence to billionaire George Soros….

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Nevada’s Vote-by-Mail Primary Stirs Fraud Concerns, As Unclaimed Ballots Pile Up: ‘Something Stinks Here’

Red flags are being raised about the all-mail voting system being used in Nevada’s most populous county ahead of the state’s June 9 primary election amid reports that thousands of ballots are being sent to inactive voters — fueling concerns about the possibility of voter fraud and ballot harvesting.

Thousands of ballots have been sent out by the Clark County Election Department to inactive voters — those who have not voted in recent elections, a roster that can include people who either have moved or are deceased — and the envelopes are piling up in post office trays, outside apartment complexes and on community bulletin boards in and around Las Vegas.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

No Proof That Russia Hacked DNC — Democrats Hid Sworn CrowdStrike Testimony for Over 2 Years

Authored by Aaron Maté via RealClearInvestigations.com

CrowdStrike, the private cyber-security firm that first accused Russia of hacking Democratic Party emails and served as a critical source for U.S. intelligence officials in the years-long Trump-Russia probe, acknowledged to Congress more than two years ago that it had no concrete evidence that Russian hackers stole emails from the Democratic National Committee’s server.

CrowdStrike President Shawn Henry’s admission under oath, in a recently declassified December 2017 interview before the House Intelligence Committee, raises new questions about whether Special Counsel Robert Mueller, intelligence officials and Democrats misled the public. The allegation that Russia stole Democratic Party emails from Hillary Clinton, John Podesta and others and then passed them to WikiLeaks helped trigger the FBI’s probe into now debunked claims of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia to steal the 2016 election. The CrowdStrike admissions were released just two months after the Justice Department retreated from its its other central claim that Russia meddled in the 2016 election when it dropped charges against Russian troll farms it said had been trying to get Trump elected.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Now That Park’s Confederate Memorials Are Gone, Bodies of General and Wife Set to be Exhumed

The bodies of a famous Civil War general and his wife are set to be exhumed from a Tennessee park less than three years after a statue memorializing the officer was torn down.

The decision to move the resting place of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife from Health Sciences Park in Memphis came after the Sons of Confederate Veterans dropped a lawsuit challenging the move Tuesday.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Nursing Home Deaths Peak in Illinois, Gov Pritzker Slammed for Failing to Protect State’s Most Vulnerable

On Wednesday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 192 COVID-19-linked deaths for the prior day, a record total for the state since the beginning of the outbreak. The next day, the number dropped to 138, but the state remains on track for a shocking spike in deaths as reopenings continue and many southern states see much more promising results.

As we noted earlier this week, ~50% of deaths in Illinois have involved residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, problems that Spain and the UK have also struggled with. And the spike in deaths in the state seen this week has largely been attributed to a surge in managed-care-home deaths as the state’s utter failure to protect those patients becomes more shockingly apparent.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

NYC’s Rat Population Hit With Hunger Crisis During Lockdowns

There’s a silver lining to virus-related lockdowns in New York City. That is, the rat population is now starving. Just last year, New Yorkers were complaining about rats taking over the city — now it seems these rodents have food security issues.

An urban rodentologist has told The Wall Street Journal that rats have become hostile and are resorting to cannibalism as food becomes scarce with restaurants closed.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Pakistani-American Woman Sentenced to 13 Years by US Court for Funding ISIS

NEW YORK: A Pakistani-American woman — Zoobia Shahnaz — has been sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment by a United States’ Federal Court for providing material support to terror fronts of Islamic States in Pakistan, China and Turkey.

The verdict was pronounced by District Judge Joanna Seybert on Wednesday. Zoobia Shahnaz had pleaded guilty in November 2018 for providing material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, specifically more than USD 150,000 to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), and attempting to travel to Syria to join ISIS.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Pelosi, Schiff and Her Thugs Refuse to Investigate the Wuhan Coronavirus — Just Blame Trump

After three years of trying to nail President Donald Trump on bogus charges during two failed attempts at impeachment, the Democratic Party — especially Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her inner-circle of liars, leakers and thugs — as well the dishonest news media are seeking to turn an international disaster into a political sledgehammer to use against Trump in the upcoming 2020 presidential election…

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Ransomware Gang Demands $42M or it Releases Trump’s Dirty Laundry

The ransomware gang that stole almost 1 terabyte of legal secrets from the biggest names in the entertainment industry is now demanding $42 million in cryptocurrency or else it will expose United States President Donald Trump’s “dirty laundry.”

The gang has already released a 2-gigabyte trove of legal documents marked “Lady Gaga” and fired the link to media outlets including Cointelegraph, which broke the news last week about the attack on New York law firm Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Report: Democratic Senate Candidate Mark Kelly Avoids Connection to Chinese Investor Known for Censorship

Democratic Arizona Senate candidate Mark Kelly has avoided questions concerning investments made by a Chinese technology conglomerate to a space exploration company he co-founded, according to a report from Real Clear Politics (RCP).

Kelly is a co-founder of World View Enterprises, a start-up originally designed to provide near outer-space tours to private citizens for $75,000 per person, but now focuses on contracts with the U.S. government, RCP reports. In 2014, the company received an unknown investment amount from the Chinese multinational giant, Tencent Holdings Ltd — the company responsible for temporarily suspending NBA streaming in China last year over a league manager expressing support for protesters in Hong Kong.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Senate Narrowly Rejects Plan to Require a Warrant for Americans’ Browsing Data

Senators have narrowly rejected a bipartisan amendment that would have required the government first obtain a warrant before accessing Americans’ web browsing data.

The amendment brought by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Steve Daines (R-MT) — just seven lines in length — would have forced the government to first establish probable cause — or reasonable suspicion of a crime — to obtain the warrant. That’s a far higher bar than what’s required under existing law, which under the Patriot Act permits the bulk collection of Americans’ browsing records.

But the amendment fell short by one vote of the required 60 votes to pass the chamber.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

‘Set Texas Free Rally, ‘ Featuring Shelley Luther

Retired LTC Allen West quoting Thomas Paine said, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” West went on to say that he was raised under the belief that “A man must stand for something or else he’ll fall for anything.”…

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Vice Fires 155 Journalists in Latest Round of Layoffs

Following in the footsteps of Quartz, Buzzfeed, Wired and other struggling media companies using the virus as an excuse to make deep cuts, Vice Media is reportedly planning to fire 155 employees, the Wrap reports.

It has been obvious for more than 16 months now — ever since Buzzfeed laid off 15% of its staff early last year after reporting sales growth was far below investor projections, prompting most of its backers to write down the value of their investments and push the company to retool its flailing business strategy. Meanwhile, reports by rival media companies found that Buzzfeed’s staff of highly paid journalists (who recently formed “union” to ensure they could protect themselves from a management team that has overvalued their talents at every turn) produced laughably little traffic. In fact, Buzzfeed’s biggest traffic-producer was an unpaid teenager from Michigan.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Islamic Call to Prayer Being Heard for the First Time Across Canada

OTTAWA — The Al Rashid Mosque has stood in Edmonton since 1938, but no one there today can remember ever hearing the daily call to prayer ring out through the loudspeakers.

Usually the musical chant that ushers Muslims into their house of worship for prayer is prohibited under city noise bylaws.

But across Canada, cities are allowing the call, or adhan, during the COVID-19 crisis, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

That’s Using Your Head! German Cafe Makes Customers Wear Swimming Noodle Hats to Enforce Social Distancing

A German cafe made their customers wear swimming pool noodles as hats to make sure they obeyed social distancing measures as the country begins to ease lockdown.

Customers sitting outside Cafe & Konditorei Rothe in Schwerin, Germany, all had to wear straw hats with two swimming pool noddles taped to the top.

Cafe owner Jacqueline Rothe introduced the inventive rule to make sure her customers were not flouting social distancing rules.

A picture of the cafe’s unique policy was shared on Facebook, with people flocking to share their reactions to the cafe’s noodle technique.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Caroline Glick: Pompeo: The Coronavirus and the “Risks” of Sovereignty

On Sunday, Saudi journalist Abdelhameed Al-Ghoban gave an interview to the BBC in Arabic. His remarks, which were translated by MEMRI, were devoid of nuance.

“Today, the public is informed. There is a deluge [of opinions] against the Palestinian cause. It is no longer just public support for normalization and building ties with Israel. [Our] public has turned against the Palestinians in general. Unfortunately, the Palestinians have lost. The Palestinians have not contributed anything. We can say that they are emotional people whose behavior is governed by their feelings.”

Al-Ghoban added, “It is in our strategic interest, and in keeping with our future economic interests, to maintain real relations with Israel. Israel is an advanced country and we can benefit from it.”

Al-Ghoban’s remarks are not a lone voice in the wilderness. During the Ramadan Muslim holy month, Saudi television networks broadcast two series that portray Jews and Israelis in a positive light.

Palestinian leaders are beside themselves at what they view as pan-Arab abandonment. In remarks to Israel Hayom this week, a senior Palestinian official bitterly referred to the mild criticisms of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan and of Israel’s plan to apply its sovereignty to its communities in Judea and Samaria and to the Jordan Valley as no more than “lip service.”…

           — Hat tip: Caroline Glick [Return to headlines]
 

Conte Thanks Putin for Soldiers’ Work

Phonecall between two leaders reported by Kremlin

(ANSA) — Moscow, May 8 — Premier Giuseppe Conte on Friday phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin to thank him for the work of Russian military specialists and doctors in Italy’s coronavirus emergency, the Kremlin said.

The two leaders discussed “the successful cooperation between Russia and Italy in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic,” the Kremlin said. “Conte thanked the Russian side for its prompt assistance, highlighting the efficacy of the aid and the high professionalism of the Russian military specialists and doctors,” who “have completed their humanitarian mission”, it said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Chinese State Media Ominously Threatens GOP Lawmakers, Hints at Election Day Impact

China’s state-run media targeted congressional Republicans on Thursday for their outspoken stance against the nation’s government and their condemnation of the country’s nefarious actions concerning the novel coronavirus outbreak.

An article posted on the Global Times, which is a branch of the Communist Party of China’s (CPC’s) People’s Daily, said the nation is “extremely dissatisfied with the abuse of litigation” by U.S. leadership, “and is considering punitive countermeasures against U.S. individuals, entities and state officials such as Missouri’s Attorney General Eric Schmitt.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Leaked Data Suggests China May Have 640,000 COVID-19 Cases

A leaked database from China’s National University of Defense Technology suggests that the country has hundreds of thousands more coronavirus cases than the official figure of 84,029.

The database from the Changsha-based university was leaked to Foreign Policy and 100 Reporters according to the Daily Mail.

Contained within the dataset are 640,000 individual entries from at least 230 cities around the country — which includes latitude, longitude and “confirmed” numbers of cases at that location on a specific date ranging from February to late April.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Peer-Reviewed Study Rejects Pangolins as Intermediary Species for COVID-19

A prime suspect in the ‘wet market’ coronavirus origin theory was just given a pass, after a peer-reviewed study found that the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, could not have jumped from pangolins to humans.

As a refresher, SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19 in humans, is 96% identical to a coronavirus strain found in bats known as RaTG13 — which was incidentally collected in a cave in Yunnan, China by scientists from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Border Wall Remains “Full Steam Ahead” Despite Pandemic

The construction of the border wall between the United States and Mexico has not been delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan.

Last month, a large number of House and Senate Democrats wrote to President Trump urging him to use “all resources and funding to combat this virus and protect Americans” rather than spend it on building an “ineffective” border wall.

Morgan says rather than heed their advice, the administration has increased the speed of construction, regarding the wall as a top priority in protecting the country.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Christian Charity: ‘Serious Questions’ To be Asked as ‘Porn Baron’ Donates Millions to UK Abortion Industry

Christian Concern, the charity behind the Christian Legal Centre, says there are “serious questions” to be asked about abortion provider Marie Stopes International receiving millions of pounds from “porn baron” Phil Harvey.

The charity, which also backs the Wilberforce Academy, spoke out following reports that Harvey, who heads the Adam and Eve sex toy company, had donated at least £7.5 million in “cash and supplies” to Marie Stopes International (MSI), one of Britain’s leading abortion providers.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Maryland School District Approves “LGBTQ+ Studies” Class: “It Will Open a Lot of Minds”

The board of Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools approved a plan this week to offer, starting next spring, a new “LGBTQ+ studies” course for high school students.

WTOP reports:

Montgomery County’s LGBTQ studies course is believed to be the first in the region — and one of the first in the nation to offer a course on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender history and culture …

The curriculum for the semester-long “LGBTQ+ studies,” will explore LGBTQ identity, history and culture. The social studies elective will be open to juniors and seniors who have taken American history.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

YouTube Alternatives That Are More Creator and Free-Speech Friendly

Back in 2018, we covered several YouTube alternatives for users that were tired of YouTube censorship.

Since covering these alternatives, YouTube’s censorship has reached new extremes and the market for YouTube alternatives has become much larger and more diverse.

So if you’ve had enough of YouTube’s crackdowns on free speech, constant demonetization, and excessive promotion of mainstream media outlets, take a look at these alternatives which each give power back to users in different ways.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

YouTube Bans John Piper’s “Coronavirus and Christ” Audiobook for “Violating Community Guidelines”

The audiobook version of John Piper’s new book “Coronavirus and Christ” has been removed by YouTube for “violating community standards” roughly five weeks after it was published on the platform.

The latest work by prolific author, speaker, and theologian Piper, “Coronavirus and Christ” was released for free on April 8, offering “six biblical answers to the question, What is God doing through the coronavirus? — reminding us that God is at work in this moment in history.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

One thought on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/15/2020

Comments are closed.