Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/21/2020

Early this morning a man drove up to an entrance gate at the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas, and opened fire with a gun, wounding one sailor. The FBI said the incident was terror-related. A second suspect may possibly be at large.

In Coronanews, Catholic bishops in Minnesota will open up their churches to corporate worship on May 26, in violation of Governor Tim Walz’s executive order. Meanwhile, a federal lawsuit is challenging Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’ stay-at-home order.

In other news, after the EU Court of Justice ruling, Hungary closed down its “transit zones”, and will require asylum-seekers to make their applications at Hungarian consulates and embassies in their home countries.

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

Thanks to AF, 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.

Financial Crisis
» Australia’s True Unemployment Figures Are Revealed: Treasury Secretary Says Real Number is Closer to Two Million — the Highest Since the Great Depression
» Czech PM: Poorly-Run EU Countries Should Not Get Billions in Grant Money During the Coronavirus Crisis
» ‘Frugal’ EU Nations Push Back vs French-German Recovery Plan
» Our Dollar is Worthless
» Unemployment Claims Climb Another 2.4 Million
 
USA
» “Bet You Stay Home Now You Hypokrits”: Mississippi Church in Legal Battle to Stay Open Burned Down, Arson Suspected
» 25% of Americans Not Interested in Coronavirus Vaccine
» Biden Asks Amy Klobuchar to Undergo Vetting to be Running Mate
» Coronavirus Lock Down, Bad Dreams and Bad Sleep
» DC Circuit Court Orders Sullivan to Respond to Flynn’s Appeal to Dismiss Case
» FBI Says Naval Air Station-Corpus Christi Shooting Was Terror Related, Second Suspect Could be at Large
» Federal Lawsuit Challenges Local Stay-at-Home Orders in Wisconsin
» Gov. JB Pritzker Moves to Send Rep. Darren Bailey’s Lawsuit Against Stay-at-Home Order to Federal Court
» Joe Rogan: Obamagate is Real and Illegal
» Judge Tosses Legislature’s Lawsuit Over Gov. Whitmer’s Emergency Powers
» Law Firm Vows to Investigate Colleges Nationwide. Millions of Students Could Benefit.
» Left-Wing Columnist: “I Would Vote for Joe Biden if He Boiled Babies and Ate Them”
» Lori Loughlin, Mossimo Giannulli to Plead Guilty in College Admissions Scam
» Minnesota Bishops Defy Governor’s Lockdown With Return to Worship
» Real Life Dexter? James Fairbanks Wins Over Internet After Writing About Why He Killed a Pedophile
» Report: JP Morgan Finds Infection Rates Are Decreasing in States That Ended Lockdowns
» Ruminations of a Baby Boomer: Why Our Elected Don’t Represent Us
» Several People Arrested in San Clemente Protests Against Coronavirus Lockdown
» The Obamagate Scandal Just Got Even Dirtier
» TikTok is Facing a Growing Number of Lawsuits for Allegedly Collecting, Storing and Sharing Users’ Biometric Data
» Trump Claims Mail-in Voting a “Tremendous Fraud, “ Threatens to Withhold Federal Funding From States
» Trump: ‘Disgraceful China is Desperate to Have Sleepy Joe Biden Win’
» Universities Try to Block Congress From Accessing Documents Detailing Their Ties to China
» WA Inmate Released Early Due to Coronavirus Arrested for Attacking Woman on Hiking Trail
» We Can’t Afford to be Stupid
 
Canada
» Alberta Creates Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force
 
Europe and the EU
» Eurocrat Doesn’t Like Britain’s ‘Tone’, Rejects Calls for a Better Trade Deal
» Europe Turning Away From US Towards China, Polls Show
» Experts Say German Court Decision Could End the Euro Currency
» Government Scientific Adviser Says Britain’s Two Metre Social Distancing Rule is Unnecessary and Based on ‘Very Fragile’ Evidence
» Insider Reveals Fridays for Future Run by ‘Privileged Eco-Hipsters’
» Poland: Presidential Elections Planned for June 28 — PM
» Spain: Violent Confrontation in Madrid Over Coronavirus Lockdown Protests
» Turkish Armed Forces Seize Pocket of Greek Territory
» UK Follows Trump’s Lead, 10,000 Health Workers to Trial Hydroxychloroquine as Preventative
» UK: Greater Manchester Deputy Mayor Calls for Grooming Gang to be Deported
» UK: Sikh Allies of Tommy Robinson Banned From Twitter
» UK: TV Channel Briefly Goes Off Air to Encourage Viewers to Clap for NHS
 
Russia
» Russian Activists Urge Probe Over Young Girl’s Genital Cutting
 
South Asia
» Bosnian Embassy in Pakistan Accused of Issuing Fraudulent Visas
 
Far East
» ‘China Has the Power to Hurt Australia’: Chilling Warning From Chinese State Newspaper as Trade Tensions Escalate Amid Coronavirus Crisis
» China Seizes Control of PPE Factories, Sparking Fear of New Coronavirus Wave
» China’s Chokehold on Universities Even Stronger Overseas, Australian Case Suggests
» China to Impose New National Security Laws on Hong Kong
» Koch-Soros Think Tank Features Defender of Chinese Censorship
» U.S. Senators to Introduce Bipartisan Bill Sanctioning Chinese Officials Over Hong Kong Security Law
 
Australia — Pacific
» Asian Takeaway: Ultra-Rich Foreigners Are More Determined to Buy Up Australian Property During COVID-19 and They’re Not Just From China
» Australia’s Second Coronavirus Free State: Northern Territory Completely Eradicates Active Cases of COVID-19
» Australia Records Just Six New Coronavirus Cases Almost a Week After Lockdown Measures Were Eased Across All States
» Mayhem as SUV Smashes Into a Muslim Hijab Shop Injuring 12 People in Western Sydney — With Video Showing Smoke Billowing From Car Before it Crosses Intersection and Crashes Into Store
» Multi-Billionaire Property King Harry Triguboff Says Chinese Investors Have Stopped Buying Apartments in Sydney
» Plans Are Under Way to Let International Students Back Into Australia After July to Save Thousands of Jobs at Universities
» ‘This is a Warning’: China Issues Another Threat as it Announces New Checks on Australia’s Iron Ore as Trade Tensions Escalate Again After Canberra Backed COVID-19 Probe
» ‘We Don’t Want to Shoot You Mate’: How Police Begged a White Muslim Convert to Stand Down But Were Forced to Shoot Him After He Ran at Them With a Hatchet
 
Immigration
» Farage: French Navy Coordinates With UK Authorities to Transfer Boat Migrants to England
» Father of Swedish Man Killed by Migrant Forced by Media to Defend His Dead Son From ‘Nazi’ Smears
» France: Migrants Riot for Fourth Consecutive Night in Paris
» Germany: Migrants Attack Reception Center Employees and Police
» Hungary: Government Closes Down Transit Zones
» Italy: NGO Sea-Eye Starts Petition to Get Their Migrant Transports Back
» Massive $1.3 Billion Contract Awarded for Southern Border Wall, Largest Yet
» Media Finally Report Claims French Border Patrols ‘Escort’ Migrants to UK Waters After Farage Revelations
» Netherlands: Illegal Migrant Stabs Woman Riding a Scooter in the Neck
» Nigel Farage Accuses France of Escorting Migrant Dinghies to British Waters as Border Patrols Say They Are Powerless to Stop Boats Coming After Record 531 Refugees Arrive This Month
» Non-EU Migration to UK Hits Highest Level Since Records Began Under “Conservative” Government
» UK: Exclusive: Farage’s French Migrant Escort Ship Also ‘Handed Over’ Pett Level Migrants Last Week
» UK: Migrant Woman Charged With the Murder of 7-Year-Old Emily Jones
 
Culture Wars
» Apple Whistleblower Says Siri is Always Recording
» Australians Should Say ‘Ya’ll’ Instead of ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ — According to Politically Correct New Push for ‘Gender-Neutral Language’
» Bill Gates’ End Game is Surveillance and Control
» Climate Change and a Pandemic of Lies
» Kamala Harris Pushes Bill Condemning the Term ‘Chinese Virus’ As Racist
» Mark Zuckerberg Defends Decision to Censor Coronavirus “Misinformation” Even if it Doesn’t Lead to “Physical Harm”
 
General
» Scientists Use Ultrasonic Mind Control on Monkeys
 

Australia’s True Unemployment Figures Are Revealed: Treasury Secretary Says Real Number is Closer to Two Million — the Highest Since the Great Depression

Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy has confirmed 15 per cent of Australia’s working-age population would be unemployed if 720,000 JobKeeper recipients were regarded as being without work.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Czech PM: Poorly-Run EU Countries Should Not Get Billions in Grant Money During the Coronavirus Crisis

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis is joining a number of countries critical of a joint proposal from France and Germany to set up a European rescue program worth €500 billion for dealing with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

Babis disagrees with the fact that massive amounts of grant money should go to the most affected countries, which also happen to be some of the most poorly managed countries in fiscal terms long before the coronavirus hit them.

According to him, the Czech Republic should not be punished for managing the coronavirus epidemic successfully. Austria, the Netherlands and Finland have also taken a critical stance against the EU €500 billion grant proposal, which would see money go to countries like Spain and Italy that have long been saddled with debt and poorly-run economies.

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

‘Frugal’ EU Nations Push Back vs French-German Recovery Plan

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Living up to their reputations for budgetary frugality — the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Sweden are working on a proposal for a European recovery fund that will have tough conditions attached for countries that seek financial help.

And it could derail or water down a French-German plan presented Monday that was seen as a groundbreaking way to deal with the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday mentioned — but pointedly did not endorse — the French-German proposal for a 500 billion euros ($550 billion) fund that would see countries borrow together and make outright grants to help countries through the recession. That plan, laid out by leaders Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, goes beyond an earlier rescue package based on loans that would have to be paid back someday.

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

Our Dollar is Worthless

The American dollar is not backed by anything tangible. In other words, the only value the dollar has is what the Government tells you it has. If I type the number $1200.00 and send it to your bank will they put it in your account as if I had actually given you the money? Of course not.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Unemployment Claims Climb Another 2.4 Million

An additional 2.4 million unemployment claims came in from U.S. workers last week, the latest numbers reflecting the economic effects of the coronavirus lockdowns.

The total number of people who have filed for unemployment during the pandemic has reached 38.6 million.

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

“Bet You Stay Home Now You Hypokrits”: Mississippi Church in Legal Battle to Stay Open Burned Down, Arson Suspected

An explosion and fire at the First Pentecostal Church of Holly Springs in Mississippi is being investigated as arson after messages found spray-painted on the church’s parking lot referenced its ongoing legal battle to remain open despite state coronavirus lockdown orders.

According to attorneys from the Thomas More Society, one of the messages read, “I Bet you stay home now you hypokrits.”

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

25% of Americans Not Interested in Coronavirus Vaccine

According to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, about 25% of Americans have little or no interest in taking a coronavirus vaccine should one become available in the near future. The poll, taken between May 13 and 19, surprised some experts who anticipated higher interest in a vaccine, considering the attention coronavirus has received in recent months.

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

Biden Asks Amy Klobuchar to Undergo Vetting to be Running Mate

Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, has been asked by Joe Biden to undergo a formal vetting to be considered as his vice presidential running mate, one of several potential contenders now being scrutinized by his aides ahead of a final decision, according to people familiar with the moves.

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

Coronavirus Lock Down, Bad Dreams and Bad Sleep

Poor sleep is an inevitable outcome for many facing increased stress, anxiety and disrupted routines during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Lack of sleep puts you at increased risk of infection and mental health problems, which is why tending to your sleep quality is essential.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

DC Circuit Court Orders Sullivan to Respond to Flynn’s Appeal to Dismiss Case

The United States Court of Appeals for District of Columbia Circuit has ordered Judge Emmet Sullivan, who’s overseeing Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn’s case, to respond to his appeal to have him replaced and to dismiss the trial no later than June 1, according to a court document reviewed by SaraACarter.com.

Flynn filed a writ of mandamus to the court on Tuesday after Sullivan failed to comply with the Justice Department’s recommendation to dismiss the case in what Flynn’s defense attorney Sidney Powell described as politically motivated.

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

FBI Says Naval Air Station-Corpus Christi Shooting Was Terror Related, Second Suspect Could be at Large

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Naval Air Station-Corpus Christi officials confirmed to 3News Thursday morning that one sailor was injured during a shootout that took place at the base’s North Gate.

It happened around 6:15 a.m., prompting a lockdown of the base. The suspect allegedly drove up to an entry gate, drew a handgun and fired at a Navy guard, striking her ballistic vest, according to government officials. That sailor has been released from the hospital and is expected to recover.

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

Federal Lawsuit Challenges Local Stay-at-Home Orders in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Seventeen Wisconsin residents, including one of the organizers of a “reopen Wisconsin” protest last month at the state Capitol, have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that local stay-at-home orders are unconstitutional.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in federal court in Milwaukee. It challenges the local orders that took effect after the Wisconsin Supreme Court last week tossed Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide “safer at home” order as unconstitutional.

Pointing out the death toll from COVID-19 in both the state and the nation, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi called the pandemic the greatest public health threat of this generation.

“We will vigorously defend common sense provisions based on public health guidance to protect the well-being of the residents of Dane County,” he said. “We do not want to become the next large community consumed by the ravages of this highly contagious, debilitating virus.”

The new lawsuit names 21 state and local Wisconsin public safety and health officials, including Evers and all members of the state elections commission, as defendants.

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

Gov. JB Pritzker Moves to Send Rep. Darren Bailey’s Lawsuit Against Stay-at-Home Order to Federal Court

CHICAGO (CBS) — A day before a Clay County judge was scheduled to hold a hearing to rule on a state lawmaker’s lawsuit challenging Gov. JB Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, the governor has filed paperwork to move the case to federal court.

“The law gives a defendant the right to remove a case to federal court when a plaintiff files a complaint in state court alleging a violation of rights that are enshrined the U.S. Constitution, and we have done so in several other cases challenging the governor’s executive orders. Because Mr. Bailey’s amended complaint alleges violations of his federal constitutional rights, we removed his case to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement.

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

Joe Rogan: Obamagate is Real and Illegal

Podcast king Joe Rogan has denounced the ‘Obamagate’ scandal, noting that the outgoing president was “essentially using the FBI to spy on Trump.”

“The exiting president literally hires or gets the FBI to investigate Trump,” Rogan said.

“Listen to Jimmy Dore’s video on it. Jimmy Dore’s video is excellent. He breaks down exactly what the administration did. And that it’s illegal.” Rogan added.

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

Judge Tosses Legislature’s Lawsuit Over Gov. Whitmer’s Emergency Powers

A judge tossed a lawsuit filed by Republican lawmakers that challenged Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s use of emergency powers to lock down the state amid the coronavirus pandemic, providing a big political win for the governor — at least for now.

Michigan Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens sided with the governor, a Democrat, in an opinion issued Thursday afternoon that ends the lawsuit.

Legal experts had said such an outcome was likely. Republicans have pledged to appeal the judge’s ruling.

The lawsuit, filed May 7 by the Republican-controlled state House and Senate, argued that Whitmer’s emergency orders, including the stay-at-home order that runs through May 28, were invalid because of a lack of statutory authority.

The judge declared that Whitmer’s actions were indeed within her authority under the Emergency Powers of Governor Act of 1945, and that the orders and restrictions on movement and commerce during the pandemic can stand.

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

Law Firm Vows to Investigate Colleges Nationwide. Millions of Students Could Benefit.

While coronavirus continues to cause uncertainty about the fall 2020 semester, many college students are suing their schools for failing to issue sufficient tuition refunds — if any at all.

But one law firm is taking it a step further: Hagens Berman law firm launched an investigation into all 5,300 colleges and universities in the country, representing students and parents seeking financial compensation for colleges being forced to close early in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the firm’s website, several of Hagens Berman’s class-action lawyers are teaming up with parents and students across the nation who have been forced to continue to pay for school tuition despite nationwide closures of all schools forcing students to finish online.

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

Left-Wing Columnist: “I Would Vote for Joe Biden if He Boiled Babies and Ate Them”

Left-wing columnist Katha Pollitt has penned an article for The Nation in which she states she would vote for Joe Biden even “if he boiled babies and ate them.”

In the article, Pollitt dispenses with the “believe women” mantra to cast doubt on Tara Reade’s sexual assault allegation against Biden before declaring, “I would vote for Joe Biden if he boiled babies and ate them. He wasn’t my candidate, but taking back the White House is that important.”

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

Lori Loughlin, Mossimo Giannulli to Plead Guilty in College Admissions Scam

Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli will plead guilty to wire fraud charges in the college admissions scam Friday in federal court and have agreed to prison sentences and six-figure fines, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling’s office said Thursday.

The highest-profile defendants in the wide-ranging “Varsity Blues” scandal will each plead guilty to one count of wire fraud and will enter their pleas in a videoconference before a U.S. District Court judge 11:30 a.m. Friday, court records state.

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

Minnesota Bishops Defy Governor’s Lockdown With Return to Worship

The Catholic Bishops of Minnesota have written an open letter announcing the resumption of public Masses as of May 26, in defiance of lockdown restrictions set by the state’s Democrat governor Tim Walz.

Many people of faith “were disappointed in Governor Walz’s May 13 announcement that he would end the Stay-at-Home order to allow more commerce but prohibit religious gatherings of more than ten people,” an order that “defies reason,” declares the May 20 letter, signed by Minnesota’s six Catholic bishops as well as the diocesan administrator of the Diocese of Duluth.

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

Real Life Dexter? James Fairbanks Wins Over Internet After Writing About Why He Killed a Pedophile

A man named James Fairbanks has won over the internet after being arrested for the murder of pedophile Mattieo Condoluci.

Fairbanks has received support from the mother of one of the pedophile’s victims — and even Condoluci’s own daughter.

The real-life Dexter was only caught because he wrote a lengthy letter to the media explaining why he did it and vowed to turn himself in as long as they published it.

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

Report: JP Morgan Finds Infection Rates Are Decreasing in States That Ended Lockdowns

Research from investment bank JP Morgan allegedly found coronavirus infection rates decreasing in states that have lifted their lockdown measures.

CNBC anchor Carl Quintanilla posted a lengthy thread to Twitter outlining the investment bank’s research, which counters many media and political figures who predicted dire consequences for those states when coronavirus lockdown measures began lifting.

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

Ruminations of a Baby Boomer: Why Our Elected Don’t Represent Us

Even today, the United Kingdom maintains the ‘royals’ who don’t work, don’t contribute and lead frivolous lives—paid for by every working stiff in the country. Via their birth-lottery luck, royals enjoy wealth, public adulation and pomp—for doing absolutely nothing of merit or worth.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Several People Arrested in San Clemente Protests Against Coronavirus Lockdown

SAN CLEMENTE (CBSLA) — Eight people were arrested during a protest Thursday morning in San Clemente against California’s coronavirus stay-at-home order.

An estimated 200 people took part in the protest, which began around 9 a.m. near the San Clemente Pier and was organized by the group “Reopen California.”

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

The Obamagate Scandal Just Got Even Dirtier

British spy Christopher Steele was offered money by Obama’s FBI to dig up dirt on Michael Flynn. The proposal came in the weeks before the 2016 election. This offer hasn’t received any press until now and was first reported by The Daily Caller. “The inspector general’s report, released on Dec. 9, 2019, said that FBI agents offered to pay Steele ‘significantly’ to collect intelligence from three separate ‘buckets’ that the bureau was pursuing as part of Crossfire Hurricane, its counterintelligence probe of four Trump campaign associates.”

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

TikTok is Facing a Growing Number of Lawsuits for Allegedly Collecting, Storing and Sharing Users’ Biometric Data

TikTok is on the up-and-up. First launched just three years ago, the Chinese-owned video-centric social media platform is making headlines after luring former Disney head of streaming Kevin Mayer to join as its chief executive officer, and continuing to boast burgeoning growth; it added more than 12 million unique U.S. visitors in March, alone, helping it to reach 52.2 million domestic users and some 800 million active users worldwide, according to recent Comscore data. And of those U.S. users, the average TikTok fan spent a whopping 858 minutes (14 hours, 18 minutes) on the app in March.

In addition to boasting mind-boggling numbers both in terms of users and activity duration, TikTok is readily racking up figures of another kind: the number of lawsuits that it is currently facing, most of which accuse the Los Angeles-headquartered company of scanning users’ faces (in order to enable them to access and use various in-app “filters and effects”), but failing to notify those users that it collects and stores their biometric data, namely, their faceprints.

As a result of such data collection, TikTok and its owner ByteDance, which acquired the app for $1 billion in December 2017, is running afoul of Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, according to the lawsuit that Molly Janik, the legal guardian for a 17-year-old TikTok user, who is identified as L.B., filed in an Illinois federal court this month.

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

Trump Claims Mail-in Voting a “Tremendous Fraud, “ Threatens to Withhold Federal Funding From States

President Trump on Wednesday voiced his concern with mail-in voting, saying it was a “tremendous fraud,” and threatened to withhold federal funding from Michigan and Nevada.

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

Trump: ‘Disgraceful China is Desperate to Have Sleepy Joe Biden Win’

President Trump lambasted China in a late night tweet storm, warning that the communist state is ‘desperate’ for his opponent Joe Biden to win the US election in November.

Trump charged that China continues to attempt to deflect blame away from itself for covering up the pandemic and allowing it to spread.

“Spokesman speaks stupidly on behalf of China, trying desperately to deflect the pain and carnage that their country spread throughout the world.” Trump tweeted.

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

Universities Try to Block Congress From Accessing Documents Detailing Their Ties to China

Attorneys for universities under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education are trying to block Congress from obtaining records that detail the schools’ ties with China, according to a May 19 letter exclusively obtained by The College Fix.

The letter, written by the Education Department’s General Counsel Reed Rubinstein, tells lawmakers who requested the documents that the universities’ lawyers “claimed Freedom of Information Act exemptions and legal privileges to block record production to Congress.”

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

WA Inmate Released Early Due to Coronavirus Arrested for Attacking Woman on Hiking Trail

A Washington inmate released early from prison due to coronavirus concerns was arrested after he attacked a 60-year-old woman on a hiking trail Friday.

As the victim was taking a break from hiking, Matthew Cory, 33, approached her from behind and started choking her. The woman loosened Cory’s grip and screamed, causing him to run into the woods where police eventually tracked him down, according to court documents.

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

We Can’t Afford to be Stupid

What sense does it make, asks Robert Weissberg in The American Thinker, to have America’s “top universities squander millions in guaranteed-to-fail social engineering while China races ahead technologically?”

Good question! And easy answer: absolutely none at all.

Have we forgotten how dangerous a place this fallen world is? Even without exotic new diseases running wild through it, there are still a multitude of bad actors out there who mean to do us harm. While our looniversities hand out meaningless silly degrees in gender studies and critical race theory, China is assiduously training young people in the sciences—and also in the arts of hacking other countries’ computer systems, stealing intellectual property, and counterfeiting. We are just jerking around. They are serious.

Someone whose job it is to set up and protect firewalls told me people would be shocked if they ever saw the number of hits which come from China, Russia, North Korea, the Ukraine, and Iran: the number, he says, is “staggering.” It represents “serious professional” hackers seeking to exploit any weakness they can find. Bad guys trying to take us down.

While we worry about white privilege.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Alberta Creates Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force

Alberta has appointed an anti-human trafficking task force to help the province fight human trafficking and assist survivors.

On Tuesday, Premier Jason Kenney announced the creation of the Human Trafficking Task Force, which will provide the government with recommendations on supporting survivors and implementing the nine-point action plan.

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

Eurocrat Doesn’t Like Britain’s ‘Tone’, Rejects Calls for a Better Trade Deal

The EU’s chief trade negotiator Michel Barnier has said that he did not like David Frost’s “tone” when the British negotiator called for Brussels to ditch its “low-quality” deal offer.

On Tuesday evening, Mr Frost had sent a letter to Barnier in which he criticised the EU for failing to deal with the UK as a partner on equal terms and for offering arrangement worse than those presented to other international trade partners. He said demands for continued regulatory alignment and accepting the oversight of the European Court of Justice were not provisions that “any democratic country could sign”.

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

Europe Turning Away From US Towards China, Polls Show

Recent polls indicate that Western Europeans are losing respect for the United States, while China is increasingly viewed as the world leader amidst the ongoing Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In Germany, 76% of respondents said that their opinion of the US has declined during the crisis, while only 36% said the same about China, according to a report by Business Insider.

The two countries ranked roughly equally in terms of international relations, with 37% of Germans saying they favor close relations with the US, compared to 36% who said the same of China. By contrast, last year 50% of Germans favored close relations with the US and only 24% with China.

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

Experts Say German Court Decision Could End the Euro Currency

Experts have warned that a ruling by the German constitutional court on the European Central Bank (ECB) could lead to the breakup of the euro currency.

Guntram Wolff, chief of the think tank Bruegel, is one of the experts to sound the alarm over the German court’s ruling, labelling it “dangerous” and saying it affected “the entire EU legal order but also the ECB’s functioning”.

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

Government Scientific Adviser Says Britain’s Two Metre Social Distancing Rule is Unnecessary and Based on ‘Very Fragile’ Evidence

One of the top scientific advisers to the British Government said the two metre (6’6”) social distancing rule is based on ‘very fragile’ evidence.

People in the UK have been urged to stay at least 2m, or six-and-a-half feet, away from anyone who they don’t live with, to avoid catching or spreading COVID-19.

But the distance may be a non-scientific estimate that just caught on in countries around the world, as top researchers say there is not solid evidence to back it up.

Other nations have cut their rules down to a 1m gap, which advocates say could help businesses get back to work faster and help to kick-start the economy.

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

Insider Reveals Fridays for Future Run by ‘Privileged Eco-Hipsters’

Emerging dissidence: Twenty-two-year-old student Clemens Traub used to be a regular Fridays For Future demonstrator until he woke up and realized the whole thing was run by what he now calls “big-city arrogance” and “socially privileged eco-hipsters.”

The political science student, member of the German SPD socialist party, in fact, says the movement is so radical and divisive that it even risks “civil war.”

Traub has just written a book bearing the title in English: “Future for Fridays?: an essay by a young ‘Fridays for Future’ critic (Amazon U.S.). (German Amazon)

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

Poland: Presidential Elections Planned for June 28 — PM

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday that the government plans to hold presidential elections on June 28 as a later date is precluded due to the expiry date of the current presidential term.

“We want to fulfil our constitutional obligations and conduct these elections in line with the constitution and today we plan to do that on June 28,” the PM said. “A later date would not be indicated because afterwards, on August 6, the president’s term ends and later dates that result from the law would mean that announcing the final results or approval of the elections by the Supreme Court would stretch beyond the deadline.”

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

Spain: Violent Confrontation in Madrid Over Coronavirus Lockdown Protests

Violence broke out on Wednesday evening in Madrid during a protest against the government’s coronavirus lockdown measures. One anti-government protester was injured during a scuffle between the protesters and a group of counter-protesters who support the government’s measures to save lives during the Covid-19 crisis.

Anti-lockdown protester “punched in the nose”

According to various witnesses a 34-year-old was punched in the face and suffered a bleeding nose and other injuries, He was taken to hospital.

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

Turkish Armed Forces Seize Pocket of Greek Territory

The Hellenic Armed Forces are reporting that Turkish soldiers and police have permanently occupied a pocket of Greek territory along their shared border in a blatant disregard for the sovereignty of both Greece and the European Union.

The pocket lies on the Evros River, which runs along the border, in the Feres region. It is undeniably part of Greece — even Google Maps clearly marks the area where the Turks have established themselves as Greek territory.

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UK Follows Trump’s Lead, 10,000 Health Workers to Trial Hydroxychloroquine as Preventative

Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) has revealed that it is following U.S. President Donald Trump’s lead on experimenting with hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus preventative.

The state-run, socialised healthcare provider will be giving hydroxychloroquine to as many as 10,000 health workers at at least 20 hospitals as part of a clinical trial led by the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (Moru), to confirm anecdotal evidence that it can prevent people from catching the Chinese virus.

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

UK: Greater Manchester Deputy Mayor Calls for Grooming Gang to be Deported

Labour Party politician and former MP, Beverley Hughes, is demanding action after it was recently revealed that Muslim rapists that preyed on English girls as young as eleven in the working-class town of Rochdale are back in the area after being released from prison, The Manchester Evening News reports.

The deputy mayor of Greater Manchester, responsible for police and crime in the region, has called for the deportation of three members of the Muslim grooming gang after they were seen in the streets and one survivor bumped into her rapist in the supermarket. The victim was left feeling “violated” knowing the criminal was still in Rochdale. Bev Hughes described the incident as “completely unacceptable” and says the men should be deported “as swiftly as possible.”

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

UK: Sikh Allies of Tommy Robinson Banned From Twitter

The British-Asian group Sikh Youth UK have been removed from the social media platform. In a post on their Facebook page, the young Sikhs claim their Twitter account has been targeted for raising awareness about sexual grooming.

Sikh Youth UK was accused of “associating with the far right” by left-wing groups and media in 2017 for inviting anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson to a screening of their film Misused Trust. The film was shown in universities to highlight the problem of British Sikh girls — as well as white British girls — being groomed and sexually abused by Muslim gangs. When befriending and abusing Sikh girls, the Islamic sex offenders often pretend to be Sikhs themselves in order to infiltrate the community and their festivals. Sikh and Hindu groups have complained for years about the media describing these Muslim rapists as “Asian men.”

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

UK: TV Channel Briefly Goes Off Air to Encourage Viewers to Clap for NHS

Television channel ITV briefly went off air to encourage people in the UK to take part in the weekly ‘clap for the NHS’ event.

Yes, really.

“No TV allowed during worship,” remarked a Twitter user who took a photo of the message, which said, “We’ll be back soon — #ClapForCarers.”

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

Russian Activists Urge Probe Over Young Girl’s Genital Cutting

Russian rights campaigners are urging the prosecution of relatives of a nine-year-old girl who was subjected to a genital cutting operation as well as management of the clinic which performed the procedure.

Russia does not have a specific law banning female genital mutilation (FGM) and a fully fledged probe into the case would be a first for the country.

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

Bosnian Embassy in Pakistan Accused of Issuing Fraudulent Visas

The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina is investigating claims that the country’s embassy in Pakistan issued thousands of fraudulent visas to Pakistani citizens.

Boris Grupesic, a spokesman for the country’s Prosecutor’s Office, said that they received a complaint from the Border Police that Bosnia’s embassy in Islamabad had issued a suspiciously large number of visas — approximately 3,000, according to a report by Balkan Insight.

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

‘China Has the Power to Hurt Australia’: Chilling Warning From Chinese State Newspaper as Trade Tensions Escalate Amid Coronavirus Crisis

About one third of Australia’s total exports — including iron ore, gas, coal and food — go to China, bringing in around $135billion per year and providing thousands of jobs.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

China Seizes Control of PPE Factories, Sparking Fear of New Coronavirus Wave

China’s Communist Party is again seizing factory lines churning out the world’s supply of medical safety gear — sparking fears the country is preparing for a second wave of the coronavirus, American traders in China told The Post.

New Yorker Moshe Malamud, who has done business in China for over two decades, was moving tens of millions of pieces of protective gear to the U.S. at the height of the crisis but said suppliers in recent weeks had been overwhelmed with orders from the Chinese government.

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

China’s Chokehold on Universities Even Stronger Overseas, Australian Case Suggests

An Australian student says he is facing possible expulsion from his university over his criticism of the Chinese government and his university’s strong ties to the country. Drew Pavlou, a sophomore at the University of Queensland in Australia, is faced with the possibility of expulsion after he protested outside the university’s Confucius Institute in a hazmat suit in March.

Pavlou has consistently been a voice against the university’s involvement with China, citing the country’s human rights violations.

The university claims that Pavlou, who characterized the school’s Confucius Institute as a “biohazard,” caused harm to its reputation.

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

China to Impose New National Security Laws on Hong Kong

China plans to impose new national security laws on Hong Kong, a decision that could severely restrict Hong Kong’s autonomy and incite further pro-democracy protests.

Sources close to members of China’s legislature, the National People’s Congress, say the new law will target terrorist activity and prohibit acts of sedition, subversion, secession, and foreign interference in Hong Kong.

China’s proposal will also amend the Basic Law, the “one country, two systems” document that serves as Hong Kong’s “constitution.” The provision will allow China to bypass Hong Kong’s legislature and chief executive.

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Koch-Soros Think Tank Features Defender of Chinese Censorship

A defender of internet censorship with ties to one of China’s largest tech companies moderated a panel Thursday at a new think tank funded by Charles Koch and George Soros.

Kaiser Kuo, the former director of international communications for the Chinese search giant Baidu, led a panel discussion hosted by the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft on “Anti-Asian Racism and its Implications for Civil Liberties and National Security.”

Kuo has argued that the Chinese Communist Party’s rigorous domestic censorship of unflattering facts and information about the regime has, at times, saved lives and that some cultures, including present-day China, are not ready for what is widely recognized as a core human right: the freedom of association.

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U.S. Senators to Introduce Bipartisan Bill Sanctioning Chinese Officials Over Hong Kong Security Law

U.S. senators are introducing a bipartisan bill that would sanction Chinese officials and entities who enforce new national security law in Hong Kong. The legislation would also penalize banks who do business with those entities.

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Asian Takeaway: Ultra-Rich Foreigners Are More Determined to Buy Up Australian Property During COVID-19 and They’re Not Just From China

Georg Chmiel, the executive chairman of Chinese property sales group Juwai IQI, said rich investors across Asia were more determined to buy real estate during COVID-19, including in Australia.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Australia’s Second Coronavirus Free State: Northern Territory Completely Eradicates Active Cases of COVID-19

Northern Territory Health Minister, Natasha Fyles, confirmed this morning that the territory did not have any active cases.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Australia Records Just Six New Coronavirus Cases Almost a Week After Lockdown Measures Were Eased Across All States

New South Wales recorded two new cases on Wednesday while all but one of Victoria’s four new cases at linked to Cedar Meats abattoir in Melbourne

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Mayhem as SUV Smashes Into a Muslim Hijab Shop Injuring 12 People in Western Sydney — With Video Showing Smoke Billowing From Car Before it Crosses Intersection and Crashes Into Store

A Mitsubishi SUV slammed into Hijab House on Waterloo Road and Juno Parade in Greenacre just after 3pm on Thursday.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Multi-Billionaire Property King Harry Triguboff Says Chinese Investors Have Stopped Buying Apartments in Sydney

The apartment-hunters appeared to drop off at the beginning of the year when coronavirus first ravaged China.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Plans Are Under Way to Let International Students Back Into Australia After July to Save Thousands of Jobs at Universities

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the plan, which is the ‘early stages’ of development, would involve quarantining students in hotels for two weeks

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

‘This is a Warning’: China Issues Another Threat as it Announces New Checks on Australia’s Iron Ore as Trade Tensions Escalate Again After Canberra Backed COVID-19 Probe

The new rules appear to make trade easier because mandatory safety checks for every batch have been replaced by optional checks at the request of the importer.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

‘We Don’t Want to Shoot You Mate’: How Police Begged a White Muslim Convert to Stand Down But Were Forced to Shoot Him After He Ran at Them With a Hatchet

Dramatic footage of a man being shot by Victorian police after threatening to chop their heads off and saying he wanted to be a martyr has been shown in court.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Farage: French Navy Coordinates With UK Authorities to Transfer Boat Migrants to England

Politician and journalist Nigel Farage has said he witnessed illegal aliens being shepherded to British territorial waters “with the active participation of the French Navy” who coordinated with UK Border Force in offloading migrants into England.

On Wednesday, Mr Farage reported from the English Channel that he witnessed French navy vessels “escorting” boats out of French waters in British territory. During that time, he said that the British coast guard had threatened to “commandeer” the vessel he was travelling in if he persisted in filming migrants being transferred to British authorities.

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

Father of Swedish Man Killed by Migrant Forced by Media to Defend His Dead Son From ‘Nazi’ Smears

The father of a 19-year-old Swedish man who was killed by a Sudanese migrant while trying to prevent a woman being raped has been forced by the media to defend his son after suggestions the victim was a “Nazi.”

As we previously highlighted, Tommie Lindh was stabbed to death while trying to stop the assault after a group of migrants crashed a house party in Härnösand uninvited. After killing Lindh, the migrant continued to rape the woman.

The culprit was later named as 22-year-old Abubaker Mohamed, a Sudanese migrant who was granted Swedish citizenship in 2011 and had a long criminal record, including a 2015 conviction of raping a girl under the age of 15.

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

France: Migrants Riot for Fourth Consecutive Night in Paris

Migrants angry over the death of a teen motorcyclist rioted for a fourth consecutive night in Paris.

The disorder started after 18-year-old Sabri Choubi was killed after ramming into a pole while not wearing a helmet on the northern outskirts of Paris on Saturday evening.

Despite little evidence of police involvement in the accident, migrants in the Paris suburb of Argenteuil blamed them anyway and have engaged in violent unrest on every night since.

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

Germany: Migrants Attack Reception Center Employees and Police

Six employees at a migrant reception facility in Baden-Württemberg were injured after being attacked by migrants over the weekend.

At least thirty police officers were called to the migrant reception center in Ellwagen on Sunday evening after security guards were assaulted by violent migrants staying at the facility. Police are now investigating the attackers for committing dangerous bodily harm, German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung reports.

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Hungary: Government Closes Down Transit Zones

Hungary’s government took action, after the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that keeping asylum seekers in the transit zone on the Hungarian-Serbian border constitutes “detention”.

The Minister Heading the Prime Minister’s Office, Gergely Gulyas said at his weekly press conference that government will close down transit zones; migrants will only be able to submit asylum requests at foreign representations, outside the country’s borders.

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

Italy: NGO Sea-Eye Starts Petition to Get Their Migrant Transports Back

The German pro-migrant Non-Governmental Organisation Sea-Eye has started a petition to get their migrant transport, the Alan Kurdi, back from the Italian authorities after it was seized earlier this month. They are also demanding the release of the Aita Mari, another migrant transport.

The Alan Kurdi delivered approximately 150 illegal migrants to the port at Palermo, Sicily on April 6, as previously reported by Voice of Europe. They did this despite being asked to cease operations by the German Ministry of Foreigners due to the risk of spreading the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). The crew did not respond and proceeded with their activities in the Mediterranean.

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Massive $1.3 Billion Contract Awarded for Southern Border Wall, Largest Yet

As progress on the southern border wall continues, a North Dakota construction company has been awarded the largest building contract to date for the project.

According to the announcement made by North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer, Fisher Sand and Gravel Company has landed a $1.3 billion contract to build a 42-mile section of President Trump’s promised wall along a strip of land in southern Arizona between the cities of Nogales and Sasabe.

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Media Finally Report Claims French Border Patrols ‘Escort’ Migrants to UK Waters After Farage Revelations

The mainstream media have finally reported claims that French border patrols are “shadowing” and “escorting” boat migrants to British territorial waters, a day after Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage exposed the phenomenon.

Mr Farage has been reporting on the increase of boat migrants landing unchallenged on England’s south-east coast since the coronavirus outbreak, and on Wednesday alleged that he had seen a French naval vessel “escorting” boat migrants into British waters.

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

Netherlands: Illegal Migrant Stabs Woman Riding a Scooter in the Neck

Dutch police on Wednesday arrested a 24-year-old migrant for stabbing a woman in the neck as she rode her scooter down the street in Vlaardigen.

It was 8 o’clock in the morning when police were alerted to the attack. Unfortunately, once police arrived at the scene of the crime the suspect was nowhere to be found. According to police, the victim was immediately treated by emergency services for “superficial” injuries but did not require hospitalization, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reports.

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Nigel Farage Accuses France of Escorting Migrant Dinghies to British Waters as Border Patrols Say They Are Powerless to Stop Boats Coming After Record 531 Refugees Arrive This Month

Nigel Farage has accused France of assisting an ‘invasion’ of migrants across the Channel after its border patrol ships were filmed shadowing dinghies trying to make it to the UK.

The Brexit Party leader, 56, said today would be ‘another record day’ for crossings and claimed nine migrant boats are already on the Channel.

Border patrols say they are powerless to stop the boats because migrants are threatening to throw themselves or children overboard if they are forced to turn back.

[Comment: Article dated May 21, 2020.]

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Non-EU Migration to UK Hits Highest Level Since Records Began Under “Conservative” Government

Non-EU immigration to the United Kingdom has hit its highest level since records began under a supposedly “conservative” government that is also overseeing a de-facto tax service to rescue illegal boat migrants and bring them into the country.

“Figures show an estimated 282,000 more non-EU citizens came to the UK than left in 2019, the highest since the information was first gathered in 1975,” reports BBC News.

More than 677,000 people moved to the UK last year, despite the current Conservative government vowing to being immigration levels down to the tens of thousands.

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

UK: Exclusive: Farage’s French Migrant Escort Ship Also ‘Handed Over’ Pett Level Migrants Last Week

The French coast guard ship filmed by Brexit leader Nigel Farage escorting illegal migrants into British waters is a regular visitor, its own safety transponder data reveals, and can be proven to have made such missions at least twice in the past week.

The French coast guard “large patrol vessel” Fourmentin — ironically named after a famous 18th-century French pirate who made a living attacking the British — was filmed taking part in an illegal migrant handover mid-English Channel by Brexit veteran turned investigative reporter Nigel Farage on Wednesday. In the short film, taken from a fishing vessel close to where the hand-over took place, Mr Farage stated: “What we know is that a French naval vessel has been seen escorting boats out of French waters to get them into British waters… then they are off their hands.”

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UK: Migrant Woman Charged With the Murder of 7-Year-Old Emily Jones

A migrant woman has been charged with the murder of a seven-year-old British girl who was stabbed to death while playing in a park on Mother’s Day.

Eltiona Skana, aged 30, stands accused of murdering Emily Jones in Queen’s Park, Bolton on March 22nd while the seven-year-old had been enjoying a daytime outing with her father. The suspect, who’s believed to be from Albania, was arrested at the scene of the crime and later detained under the Mental Health Act, the Daily Mail reports.

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Apple Whistleblower Says Siri is Always Recording

Apple is that Big Tech company that has — in lieu of any actual innovation — made a hard pivot over the past couple of years towards “privacy” — that it says it affords its customers.

A few years ago, many thought it was the obvious marketing direction, given the abysmal privacy record of the main competitor to Apple’s mobile iOS operating system, Google’s Android.

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Australians Should Say ‘Ya’ll’ Instead of ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ — According to Politically Correct New Push for ‘Gender-Neutral Language’

The national branch of the global organisation UN Women Australia tweeted part of a new dictionary on Monday.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Bill Gates’ End Game is Surveillance and Control

If this influential mega-billionaire gets his way, your future may be determined by whether or not you accept the COVID-19 vaccine. For you to get back to your day-to-day life and business, you may have no choice but to allow officials to embed your vaccine records in your body.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Climate Change and a Pandemic of Lies

THE health establishment was looking away when the coronavirus struck; it had other priorities. If you look at the World Health Organisation’s list of health threats, number one is climate change. Pandemics were down in third place, behind ‘non-communicable diseases’ such as diabetes and obesity.

Wherever you look, you will find some of the biggest names in the public health establishment declaiming on the risks of climate change to world health. On the eve of the outbreak, the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene declared that we would be seeing ‘mass migration, emerging infectious diseases such as dengue and a shortage of food’. As the first people fell ill in Wuhan, the WHO announced that in ten years we would be seeing 250,000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress as a result of global warming. Epidemiologist Professor Andy Haines told readers of the Telegraph that ‘climate change is a threat to global and national security that is costing lives and livelihoods right now’.

           — Hat tip: AF [Return to headlines]
 

Kamala Harris Pushes Bill Condemning the Term ‘Chinese Virus’ As Racist

Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) introduced a bill last week that would malign people as racists for using the term “Chinese Virus,” connecting it to hate crimes.

Senate Resolution 580 condemns “all forms of Anti-Asian sentiment as related to COVID-19,” citing “Chinese Virus,” “Wuhan Virus,” and “Kung Flu” as inaccurate rhetoric perpetuating anti-Asian stigma. The bill calls on public officials to denounce such rhetoric in any form. It also calls on law enforcement officials to investigate, document, and prosecute the perpetrators of hate crimes against Asian Americans.

Harris’s resolution is currently cosponsored by a host of Democratic senators, including Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), but no Republicans.

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Mark Zuckerberg Defends Decision to Censor Coronavirus “Misinformation” Even if it Doesn’t Lead to “Physical Harm”

In an interview, Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook CEO, said that his company would continue censoring conversations surrounding coronavirus that spread what he deems to be misinformation.

“Even if something isn’t going to lead to imminent physical harm, we don’t want misinformation to be the content that is going viral,” said Zuckerberg, in an interview with BBC.

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Scientists Use Ultrasonic Mind Control on Monkeys

May 20 (UPI) — Scientists have for the first time directed the decision making of monkeys using remote, ultrasonic brain stimulation.

For the study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, researchers had a pair of macaque monkeys participate in a visual test designed to investigate basic decision making.

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

16 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/21/2020

  1. Historically, in the past, female genital mutilation has never been practiced in Russia on the territory of the Muslim republics. Even the burqa was worn only in Uzbekistan. These are innovations introduced in the wake of the “revival of traditions and religion,”
    And to be honest, everyone doesn’t care what is happening in the republics of the North Caucasus. Let them do what they want with their women and children. The main thing is to let them sit behind the fence (with towers with machine guns). We are ready to divorce them.
    Ah, there’s a very funny moment: The clinic where the girl was crippled is called “Aibolit”. This is an analog of your Doctor Doolittle. Usually so called zoo clinics.

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