Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/24/2020

An occupant of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle who was shot wants to sue the police for not responding promptly. Meanwhile, Nassau County in New York refuses to take down a statue of Christopher Columbus. Also, the state of Rhode Island plans to change its official name due to its links to slavery.

In other news, twenty years after its invention, the company that makes the Segway is ceasing production.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, 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.

Financial Crisis
» Canada Loses Its AAA Rating
» Italy: Govt Considering Short-Term VAT Cut Says Conte
» Why the Central Bank “Bailout of Everything” Will be a Disaster
 
USA
» 17-Year-Old Conservative Activist Raises Over $160,000 to Assist Black-Owned Businesses Destroyed by Riots
» 64% Worry About Cop Shortage and Public Safety; Blacks Worry Most
» AOC Scores Congressional Primary Win With 70% of Vote
» Bayer to Pay Up to $10.9 Billion to Settle Bulk of Roundup Weedkiller Cancer Lawsuits
» BLM and the Neoliberal Color Revolution in America
» Breaking: Judge Sullivan Ordered to Shut Down General Flynn Case! — DC Appeals Court Upholds Justice Department’s Request!
» Breaking: Newly Released Strzok Notes Implicate Obama and Biden Directly Ordering Sham Flynn Investigation
» Bubba Wallace Said ‘You’re Not Gonna Stop Hearing About the Black Driver’ Years Before Noose Hoax
» Catholic Teacher Fired for Criticizing Black Lives Matter Movement: Conservatives ‘Need to be on Offense’
» Chicago School Board Votes 4-3 to Keep Police Contract — For Now
» Colorado Adopts Mandatory Vaccinations for Children
» Dance Studios’ Lawsuit Claims Ohio’s Coronavirus Rules Took a ‘Sledge Hammer’ To State Economy
» De Blasio Considers Laying Off 22,000 NYC Employees
» De Blasio to Install BLM Mural in Front of Trump Tower
» DOJ Releases Strzok Notes Implicating Obama & Biden Directly Ordered Sham Flynn Probe
» Exclusive: Segway, The Most Hyped Invention Since the Macintosh, Ends Production
» FBI Director Wray Refuses to Answer When Asked if He Was Personally Responsible for Hiding Exculpatory Evidence From Flynn (Video)
» Georgia Grand Jury Indicts Three Men in Shooting Death of Ahmaud Arbery
» Hundreds of NJ Republicans Receive Misprinted Ballots Listing Only Dem Candidates
» Hundreds of National Guard Troops Activated to Protect Monuments in DC
» Ignorant Leftists Tear Down Statue, Behead it and Throw it in Wisconsin Lake — Statue Was of Civil War Abolitionist and Hero Who Died in Effort to End Slavery
» Joe Biden to Accept Nomination at Scaled Down DNC
» LA School Board Votes Down Massive Budget Cut for Police Department
» Lawyer Sues Facebook After Being Suspended for Posting Meme, Accused of Hate Speech
» Leftist Punk Attacks Old Man as Goons Try to Rip Down Christopher Columbus Statue in Connecticut (Video)
» Let’s Fact-Check Reuters: They Say DNA Vaccines Don’t Change Your Genetic Makeup — True or False?
» Minnesota Files Climate Change Lawsuit Against Oil Companies Including Koch Industries, Exxonmobil
» MSM Outlets Are “Angry” They Lost Control of the Gun Control Narrative
» Must Watch: GOP Senator Tim Scott Goes Off on Democrats for Blocking His Police Reform Bill
» Nassau County Refuses to Remove Statue of Teddy Roosevelt, Says it Will Stay ‘Right Where it is’
» NY, NJ, And CT Impose 14-Day Quarantine on Visitors From COVID-19 Hotspot States
» Protesters Tear Down Statues, Punch Senator, Set Small Fire After Arrest of Black Activist
» Rayshard Brooks’ ‘Girlfriend’ Held on $10k Bond in Wendy’s Fire
» Rhode Island Moves to Change State Name Due to Slavery Links
» Seattle Gave Soundcloud Rapper Turned CHOP Warlord Raz Simone $80,000 to Build Recording Studio in 2019
» The Details of How the 2020 Baseball Season Will be Played Are… Intense
» Trump Appoints 200th Federal Judge
» Video: Man Shot in CHAZ/CHOP Wants to Sue Police for Not Responding Fast Enough
» Video: White BLM Protester Calls Black Police Officer N-Word During DC Protest
» Video: Bubba Wallace Doubles Down on Noose Story After FBI and NASCAR Debunk Claim
» Video: Bubba Wallace Wanted to ‘Go Down’ To Georgia and ‘Retaliate’ For Ahmaud Arbery Shooting
» Video: Black Lives Matter Activist Doxxes Woman After Alleged Road Rage Incident
» Washington State Makes it a Crime to Not Wear a Mask
» What Americans Fear Most in the JFK Assassination, Part 1
» Why Two Lawyers Accused of Tossing Molotov Cocktail at NYPD Car Could Face Life in Prison
» WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Charged With Conspiring With ‘Anonymous’
» Woke Scolds Outraged as UChicago Professor Cleared of Wrongdoing for Criticizing ‘Defund the Police’
» Wrongful Arrest as a Result of Face Recognition Tech Raises Awareness of the Growing Surveillance State
 
Canada
» City of Toronto Protects Violent Protesters, Kicks Out Rebel News Reporter
» Walmart Canada Removes “All Lives Matter” T-Shirt After Social Media Users Complain
 
Europe and the EU
» Czech PM Babis: John Bolton Doesn’t Understand Basic Math
» ‘Death to Whites’ Graffiti Appears on Belgian Town Hall Building
» Despite Attacks on Hungarians, German Charlemagne Prize Board Upholds Award to Romanian President Iohannis
» Germany Orders First Local Lockdown Since Easing
» Germany: CEO of Scandal-Hit Wirecard Resigns
» Germany: Berlin Police Raid More Islamists Accused of Coronavirus Help Fund Fraud
» Killing Nature a Crime? France May Introduce ‘Ecocide’ Into the Criminal Code
» Leaked German Document Lays Bare Berlin’s Brexit Pessimism
» Poland and US Strengthen Mutual Cooperation During Meeting Between Duda and Trump
» Polish-American Relations Are Strengthening in Multiple Areas, Says Poland’s Foreign Minister
» Polish Filmmaker: Communist Crimes Have Been Either Forgotten or Forgiven by the West
» Spain: This Botched Art Restoration Turned the Virgin Mary Into a Smudgy Mess
» The Author of France’s Failed “Hate Speech” Law Isn’t Giving Up
» UK: Burnley Fan Responsible for ‘White Lives Matter’ Stunt Sacked From His Job
» UK: Cambridge Defends Lecturer Who Tweeted ‘White Lives Don’t Matter, ‘ and ‘Abolish Whiteness’
» UK: Girlfriend of Man Who Flew “White Lives Matter” Banner Fired From Her Job
» UK: Premier League Footballers Kneel Again for BLM, No Recognition for Victims of Reading Terror Attack
» UK: Reading Terror Attack Slips From Headlines Within Days
» UK: Sadiq Khan, The First Muslim Mayor of London, Creates Commission to Review London Monuments for Diversity Appropriateness
 
Balkans
» Kosovo President Hashim Thaci Indicted for War Crimes
 
North Africa
» Massive Sahara Desert Dust Plume Drifting Toward the United States
 
Middle East
» New Velvet Spider Species is Named After Actor Joaquin Phoenix for His Role in the ‘Joker’ Due to the Pattern on the Creature’s Back That Resembles the Famous Smile
» Opinion: Christians a Welcome Scapegoat in Turkey
 
Far East
» China is Biggest US Threat, Engaged in Rampant Espionage, Says FBI Director Wray
» China Orders Prayer Flags Taken Down in Tibet in an Assault on Culture, Faith
» China Expands Its Clampdown in Tibet: Report
 
Australia — Pacific
» Australia’s Public Broadcast Asks: “is Chess Racist?”
» Four New Species of Giant Single-Celled Organisms Discovered on Pacific Seafloor
» Heart-Stopping Moment Machete-Wielding Man Menaces Commuters at a Sydney Train Station Before He’s Confronted by Four Youths ‘Armed With Knives and a Hammer’
» Housing Commission Horror Caught on Film: Cops Pepper-Spray Furious Man After Being ‘Threatened With a Carving Knife’ In Chaotic Arrest That Left an Officer in Fear for His Life
» Melbourne Calls in the Army to Help Manage Hotel Quarantine After an Explosion of Coronavirus Cases
» Pictured: The Suspect Wanted Over the Death of a Melbourne Man , 21, Who Was Stabbed Outside a Hotel
 
Immigration
» Central, Eastern Europe Believe Migrants a Threat to Identity, Values
» Five Boats Carrying Up to 57 Migrants Are Caught Crossing the English Channel — Taking the Total to Have Arrived This Month to More Than 500
» Italy: Coronavirus: 28 Migrants Test Positive on Quarantine Ship Off Sicily
» Italy Says 28 Migrants Test Positive to COVID-19 on Quarantine Ship
» UK Govt Wants Faster Deportations of Criminal Migrants, But Won’t Withdraw From Euro Human Rights Law: Report
» UK: Watch: Farage Releases Footage of Latest Illegal Boat Migrants Loaded Onto Coaches at Dover
 
Culture Wars
» Amazon Censors ‘Killing Free Speech’ Documentary About Censorship
» Amazon Cracks Down on Book Warning About Trans Craze Victimizing Teen Girls
» Hate Crime Hoax: Black Man Responsible for ‘Racist’ Graffiti at University
» Liberals’ Want Ad: Feminist Needed for Gender-Based Pipeline Analysis
» Media Executive Warns Big Tech is Secretively Seizing “All the Power” Over Information
» Mississippi Legislature Passes Bill to Protect Babies With Down Syndrome, Other Disabilities From Abortion
» Planned Parenthood of Greater New York CEO Ousted for Alleged Racism, Abuse
» Polish President Vows to Oppose “Social Experiments” Designed to Harm Family Unit
» Senator Warns Google Poses ‘Tremendous Threat to Free, Fair Press’
» Twitter Changes Official Account Bio to “Black Queer Lives Matter. Black Trans Lives Matter. #BlackLivesMatter”
 

Canada Loses Its AAA Rating

Fitch Ratings has downgraded Canada’s Long-Term Foreign Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to ‘AA+’ from ‘AAA’ (outlook stable) citing the deterioration of Canada’s public finances resulting from the pandemic.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Govt Considering Short-Term VAT Cut Says Conte

League leader Salvini says he would support any tax cut

(ANSA) — ROME, JUN 22 — Premier Giuseppe Conte reiterated on Monday that his government was considering reducing value-added tax to help get the economy going again after the coronavirus emergency, while stressing that any such cut would be temporary.

“There’s no ready-made recipe,” Conte told IlFatto.it.

“We are in a situation of uncertainty. No solution can be univocal.

“VAT is being discussed now. We said we would assess this possibility. It is clear that it costs a great deal.

“The hypothesis of a reduction for a short period of time is being considered”.

Matteo Salvini, the leader of the opposition League party, said that “any tax cut will have the support of the League”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Why the Central Bank “Bailout of Everything” Will be a Disaster

The largest fiscal and monetary support plan since WW II has been instigated with two dangerous collateral effects: the rise of zombie companies and the collapse of small businesses and startups

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

17-Year-Old Conservative Activist Raises Over $160,000 to Assist Black-Owned Businesses Destroyed by Riots

CJ Pearson, the 17-year-old president of Last Hope USA, has leveraged his popular online presence to raise more than $160,000 to help black-owned businesses destroyed or damaged during the recent rioting in Atlanta.

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

64% Worry About Cop Shortage and Public Safety; Blacks Worry Most

Most Americans value the role of the police and worry that increasing criticism of cops will make their communities less safe. Black Americans are the most concerned.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 63% of American Adults still regard being a police officer as one of the most important jobs in our country today, down only slightly from 68% three years ago. Twenty-six percent (26%) disagree, up from 19% in the earlier survey. Eleven percent (11%) are not sure.

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

AOC Scores Congressional Primary Win With 70% of Vote

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) defeated her high-profile primary challenger in Tuesday’s New York Democratic primary contest. The youngest woman to ever serve in Congress won her nomination race in the state’s 14th Congressional District handily, garnering more than 70% of the vote.

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

Bayer to Pay Up to $10.9 Billion to Settle Bulk of Roundup Weedkiller Cancer Lawsuits

FRANKFURT/NEW YORK (Reuters) — Bayer AG, after more than a year of talks, agreed to pay as much as $10.9 billion to settle close to 100,000 U.S. lawsuits claiming that its widely-used weedkiller Roundup caused cancer, resolving litigation that has pummeled the company’s share price.

The German drugs and pesticides maker has come to terms with about 75% of the 125,000 filed and unfiled claims overall, it said in a statement on Wednesday of the deal to end legal disputes it inherited with its $63 billion takeover of Monsanto in 2018.

The settled cases over Roundup and other glyphosate-based weedkillers account for about 95% of those currently set for trial, it added.

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

BLM and the Neoliberal Color Revolution in America

“The protests, riots, violent and non-violent actions sweeping across the United States since May 25, including an assault on the gates of the White House, begin to make sense when we understand the CIA’s Color Revolution playbook,” writes economic researcher, historian, and freelance journalist F. William Engdahl.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Breaking: Judge Sullivan Ordered to Shut Down General Flynn Case! — DC Appeals Court Upholds Justice Department’s Request!

The DC Appeals Court dropped all charges against General Michael Flynn Case on Wednesday morning!

The ruling is only “partially” for General Michael Flynn as the appeals court ordered:

  • Sullivan to dismiss the case
  • Gleeson’s appointment as “amicus” immediately “vacated”. Bye Felicia!
  • However they declined to grant the request to kick Judge Sullivan off the case immediately

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

Breaking: Newly Released Strzok Notes Implicate Obama and Biden Directly Ordering Sham Flynn Investigation

The Justice Department released Peter Strzok notes from 1/4/2017 regarding the Flynn-Kislyak calls.

Last month it was revealed 2020 Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden was in a January 5, 2017 Oval Office meeting discussing General Flynn’s phone calls with Russian Ambassador Kislyak with Obama, Yates, Comey, Rice and Brennan.

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

Bubba Wallace Said ‘You’re Not Gonna Stop Hearing About the Black Driver’ Years Before Noose Hoax

Bubba Wallace, the driver who has been mocked online for believing a garage door pull was a racist “noose,” even doubling down on the story Tuesday night after the hoax was debunked by the FBI, had previously promised NASCAR fans “you’re not gonna stop hearing about ‘the black driver’ for years.”

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

Catholic Teacher Fired for Criticizing Black Lives Matter Movement: Conservatives ‘Need to be on Offense’

Conservatives must always be on offense to secure political victories, said Timothy Gordon, a Catholic high school theology teacher who was fired for criticizing the Black Lives Matter movement, offering his remarks on Tuesday’s edition of SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Tonight with host Rebecca Mansour and special guest host John Hayward.

Gordon described Black Lives Matter as a terrorist organization on Twitter. He recalled, “I said Black Lives Matter is a terrorist organization. BLM was declared a BIE — a black identity extremist movement — which is a form of home-spun terror, according the FBI.”

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

Chicago School Board Votes 4-3 to Keep Police Contract — For Now

Chicago’s school board has voted against ending a program that puts police officers in public schools, following the wishes of the mayor and top Chicago Public Schools leadership while rejecting the demands of students and activists who for years have called for police-free schools.

While the narrow 4-3 vote, the most suspenseful by the Board of Education in years, keeps intact a scrutinized $33-million contract between the school system and the Chicago Police Department, another vote is likely in the next two months on whether to renew the contract that’s set to expire at the end of August.

Ahead of the highly anticipated vote that for now leaves more than 200 officers in about 70 schools, students and activists held protests across the city, including in front of the board president’s house, to give one final push toward dumping the contract. The decision marks a defeat for activists who have protested in massive numbers against school police since the killing of George Floyd last month, and who hoped to see one of CPS’ most significant policy changes in recent memory in a rebuke of Chicago police.

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

Colorado Adopts Mandatory Vaccinations for Children

Since the arrival of the coronavirus, the use of and familiarity with vaccines has dramatically increased prompting a more aware and questioning public. With little more than a 48-hour public notice, many Coloradans were enjoying a brilliant Sunday afternoon as the State Senate Health and Insurance Committee was squirreled away in the confines of the State Capitol to approve the School Entry Immunization Act, also known as SB 20-163.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Dance Studios’ Lawsuit Claims Ohio’s Coronavirus Rules Took a ‘Sledge Hammer’ To State Economy

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Nine dance studios from across Ohio have filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the DeWine administration’s coronavirus reopening restrictions, as well as receive government compensation for being forced to close.

The lawsuit, filed by two Northeast Ohio attorneys in Lake County Common Pleas Court, is the latest in a series of suits seeking to tear down state and local health orders that kept most Ohio businesses closed for weeks — then allowed them to reopen only if they followed a long list of health rules.

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

De Blasio Considers Laying Off 22,000 NYC Employees

De Blasio is mulling over a new plan that would cut 22,000 city employees to save the city upwards of $1 billion in expenses after virus-related lockdowns led to a decline in revenue, reported Bloomberg.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

De Blasio to Install BLM Mural in Front of Trump Tower

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is planning to install a Black Lives Matter mural in front of the Trump Tower in Manhattan, sources told The New York Post.

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

DOJ Releases Strzok Notes Implicating Obama & Biden Directly Ordered Sham Flynn Probe

Notes further exonerate Flynn, whose case was dismissed today by appeals court.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Exclusive: Segway, The Most Hyped Invention Since the Macintosh, Ends Production

Steve Jobs said it would be bigger than the PC. Some dubbed it the most hyped product since the Apple Macintosh. An era of secrecy bubbled up in the year 2000 about an invention that would change the world as people knew it. People speculated it was a hydrogen-powered hovercraft, or a device that would break the rules of gravity itself.

Instead, it was a two-wheeled, self-balancing personal transport device called the Segway. Created over the course of a decade by Dean Kamen, a man already made impossibly rich by inventing a key technology behind medical IVs in his basement, it was released in December 2001 for $5,000 (the cost of a low-end motorcycle, despite the fact that a Segway’s top speed was 10 mph). At the time, Kamen said it would be “to the car what the car was to the horse and buggy.”

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

FBI Director Wray Refuses to Answer When Asked if He Was Personally Responsible for Hiding Exculpatory Evidence From Flynn (Video)

FBI Director Christopher Wray sat down with Fox News political anchor Bret Baier in a wide-ranging interview that aired Wednesday evening.

Bret Baier asked Wray if he was personally responsible for hiding exculpatory evidence from General Flynn and Congress.

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

Georgia Grand Jury Indicts Three Men in Shooting Death of Ahmaud Arbery

A Georgia Grand Jury indicted three men in the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery.

The grand jury took about an hour-and-a-half in deliberations to indict the three men involved in his death.

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

Hundreds of NJ Republicans Receive Misprinted Ballots Listing Only Dem Candidates

Remember, the left says “there is no voter fraud.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Hundreds of National Guard Troops Activated to Protect Monuments in DC

Approximately 400 National Guard troops were activated to protect monuments and statues in Washington DC.

Idiot criminal vandals announced their intent to tear down a statue of Abraham Lincoln in Washington, DC, on Thursday at 7 p.m.

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

Ignorant Leftists Tear Down Statue, Behead it and Throw it in Wisconsin Lake — Statue Was of Civil War Abolitionist and Hero Who Died in Effort to End Slavery

A statue of a Norwegian-born Civil War hero was torn down yesterday in Madison, Wisconsin. The hero, Hans Christian Heg, was an abolitionist who gave his life to end slavery.

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

Joe Biden to Accept Nomination at Scaled Down DNC

The Democratic National Convention will be scaled down in Milwaukee this August, with satellite events held around the country, organizers announced Wednesday.

Democratic nominee Joe Biden will still accept his nomination in the Midwest city, but the convention will move out of Milwaukee basketball’s arena and into a smaller venue nearby as part of coronavirus precautions, according to the convention committee.

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

LA School Board Votes Down Massive Budget Cut for Police Department

Amid nationwide calls to “defund the police,” the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) on Tuesday evening denied a trio of police reform proposals, one of which would have cut the district’s police department budget by 90 percent over the next three school years.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Lawyer Sues Facebook After Being Suspended for Posting Meme, Accused of Hate Speech

A lawyer based in San Francisco’s Bay Area has sued Facebook for suspending his account over hate speech allegations. According to Dan Balsam, what Facebook is flagging as hate speech is political speech.

Eighteen years ago, in 2002, Dan Balsam was a marketer. Embroiled by receiving too many spam emails, he decided to go back to school and become a lawyer. He has since been making a living suing companies who send him spam mails. Balsam has sued a wide range of companies, many of which are happy to settle than spend money fighting a lawsuit.

The decision to sue Facebook came after his account was suspended for the fifth time. According to CBSLocal, the post that might have gotten his account suspended read, “I don’t know why conservatives are making such a big deal about wearing masks in public. It’s not like it bothered them before.” The post was accompanied by a photo of Ku Klux Klan members wearing their hoods.

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

Leftist Punk Attacks Old Man as Goons Try to Rip Down Christopher Columbus Statue in Connecticut (Video)

Skirmishes erupted on Wednesday between far left activists and patriotic protesters over the removal of a Christopher Columbus statue in Wooster Square, New Haven, Connecticut.

At one point you see the young Latino beat a senior citizen over the head and knock him to the ground.

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

Let’s Fact-Check Reuters: They Say DNA Vaccines Don’t Change Your Genetic Makeup — True or False?

As my readers know, I’ve been reporting on new types of technology that could be used in a coming COVID-19 vaccine—and warning about the consequences.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Minnesota Files Climate Change Lawsuit Against Oil Companies Including Koch Industries, Exxonmobil

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Wednesday sued ExxonMobil Corp., Koch Industries and the American Petroleum Institute, saying they have long deceived consumers over the effects of climate change.

The lawsuit, filed in Ramsey County District Court, includes claims of multiple violations of Minnesota laws, including fraud, deceptive trade practices and false statements in advertising.

“The defendants deceived, lied and misrepresented the effects of their product to the public,” Ellison said at a news conference. “For 30 years, [they] made misleading statements about climate change.”

The lawsuit seeks restitution for the alleged harms Minnesotans have suffered and also asks the defendants to fund a public-education campaign on climate change.

ExxonMobil said the Minnesota lawsuit was a “politically motivated campaign” against energy companies.

[Comment: This is an attempted shakedown by lawsuit.]

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

MSM Outlets Are “Angry” They Lost Control of the Gun Control Narrative

At least one major mainstream media outlet, the LA Times, has been reportedly “angry” that gun sales have shot up because of the tyrannical takeover of government in response to the COVID-19 panic they induced. Apparently, fear can have effects on the public that the MSM and government do no want — more self-reliance.

According to a report by Big League Politics, the LA Times is “throwing a fit” that other humans are buying weapons to defend themselves against the obvious tyranny. Remember, this follows their theme. The more dependent you are on them and the system they set up against you, the easier you will be to control. Taking your self-defense into your own hands was never a part of their plans. In fact, the LA Times editorial board described the increase in gun sales as follows:

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Must Watch: GOP Senator Tim Scott Goes Off on Democrats for Blocking His Police Reform Bill

Republican Senator Tim Scott (SC) went off on Democrats after they blocked his police reform bill.

Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked a GOP police reform bill on a procedural vote without debating in a 55-45 vote.

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

Nassau County Refuses to Remove Statue of Teddy Roosevelt, Says it Will Stay ‘Right Where it is’

As municipalities across the country bow to pressure from the corporate media and Black Lives Matter protesters to remove statues of historical figures and scrub their names from history, one county in New York is refusing to remove a statue of legendary President Teddy Roosevelt.

Nassau County refused Monday to rename the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building, and has no intention of removing the statue of Roosevelt that stands outside the county headquarters.

In a statement, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran took a bold stand, stating, “President Theodore Roosevelt was a son of Nassau County whose boldness of vision and significant accomplishments still set the standard for American leadership.”

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

NY, NJ, And CT Impose 14-Day Quarantine on Visitors From COVID-19 Hotspot States

The governors of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut on Wednesday ordered a mandatory 14-day quarantine on visitors traveling from states with high coronavirus infection numbers, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced during a joint news conference.

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

Protesters Tear Down Statues, Punch Senator, Set Small Fire After Arrest of Black Activist

Protesters tore down statues of Forward and a Union Civil War colonel, assaulted a state senator and set a small fire in a city building Downtown on Tuesday night after the arrest of a Black activist earlier in the day.

In response, Gov. Tony Evers warned Wednesday morning that he was prepared to call in the National Guard to protect state buildings. Evers said is his office is “continuing to work with local law enforcement to understand their response to last night’s events and their plan to respond to similar events in the future.”

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

Rayshard Brooks’ ‘Girlfriend’ Held on $10k Bond in Wendy’s Fire

The Atlanta woman charged with burning down a Wendy’s fast-food restaurant in the wake of Rayshard Brooks’ police shooting death was ordered held on a $10,000 bond at her first court appearance Wednesday.

Natalie White, who has been identified as Brooks’ girlfriend, will also have to wear an ankle bracelet and must stay off social media if she is released, Fulton County Magistrate Judge Todd Ashley said

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

Rhode Island Moves to Change State Name Due to Slavery Links

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo signed an executive order on Monday calling for the governor’s office and other agencies to remove the second half of Rhode Island’s official name, “The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations,” from official documentation.

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

Seattle Gave Soundcloud Rapper Turned CHOP Warlord Raz Simone $80,000 to Build Recording Studio in 2019

Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone Warlord Solomon “Raz” Simone’s Black Umbrella company received $83,250 for his recording studio in 2019.

The infamous 21st century warlord reportedly owns prime real estate and rental properties as well as having received an $83,250 grant from the city of Seattle to open a studio in a building he acquired via a third party loan.

Simone’s company, Black Umbrella, slowly grew to prominence with the help of partner Sam Lachow during the middle of the past decade after EP releases and touring, eventually grabbing the attention of top hip-hip CEOs Lyor Cohen, Todd Moscowitz, and Kevin Liles.

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

The Details of How the 2020 Baseball Season Will be Played Are… Intense

Last night’s official word that the 2020 baseball season is on came as welcome news to baseball fans. But, as the details of the season trickled out, it became abundantly clear that this season is going to be a very different beast than anything professional sports has seen in the past, and not just because there won’t be fans in the stands.

Here, as far as we’ve been able to gather thus far, are all of the rules, wrinkles, challenges, and oddities baseball will be facing in this short, strange trip of a season upon which we’re about to embark. The information comes from official MLB and MLBPA press releases, sources familiar with the agreed-upon procedures, and reports from Ken Rosenthal, Evan Drellich, and Jayson Stark of The Athletic and from Ronald Blum of the Associated Press.

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

Trump Appoints 200th Federal Judge

The Trump administration on Wednesday appointed its 200th federal judge after the Senate confirmed Mississippi court judge Cory Wilson to serve on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in a 52-48 vote.

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

Video: Man Shot in CHAZ/CHOP Wants to Sue Police for Not Responding Fast Enough

A man who was shot in the cop-free Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone now wants to sue the Seattle Police Force for not responding quick enough after his shooting, despite police claiming they were held back by angry crowds when they tried to enter the anarchist commune.

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

Video: White BLM Protester Calls Black Police Officer N-Word During DC Protest

Viral footage from earlier this week of the continuing protests in Washington, D.C. shows a white Black Lives Matter protester provoke a black riot policeman for several minutes after police allegedly tackled him for touching an officer, eventually culminating in the protester calling the black officer the racial slur.

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

Video: Bubba Wallace Doubles Down on Noose Story After FBI and NASCAR Debunk Claim

NASCAR racer Bubba Wallace appeared on CNN Tuesday night in order to double down on his claim that the garage pull down rope in his garage was a “noose,” despite the FBI and NASCAR debunking this publicly, releasing their statement on Twitter.

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

Video: Bubba Wallace Wanted to ‘Go Down’ To Georgia and ‘Retaliate’ For Ahmaud Arbery Shooting

NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, who has been at the center of a media-driven hate hoax regarding a garage pulldown rope that was reported as a racist “noose,” made comments in an ESPN interview Wednesday about wanting to “go down there [to Georgia] and retaliate” for the the death of Ahmaud Arbery.

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

Video: Black Lives Matter Activist Doxxes Woman After Alleged Road Rage Incident

A viral video has emerged from Seattle showing a woman become hysterical as she was recorded for nearly 15 minutes after a Black Lives Matter activist followed her home as the result of an alleged off camera road rage incident, in which the camera man claims she brake checked him and raised her middle finger.

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

Washington State Makes it a Crime to Not Wear a Mask

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday announced that all residents will now be required to wear a face mask and that “willful violation to this order is tantamount to a misdemeanor.”

The governor said the new mandate will go into effect June 26 and will apply to individuals and businesses across the state.

The decision to mandate wearing masks came after Yakima County, which is located southeast of Seattle, reported it “had no intensive care or non-intensive care beds available” at Virginia Mason Memorial Hospital.

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

What Americans Fear Most in the JFK Assassination, Part 1

One of the fascinating phenomena in the JFK assassination is the fear of some Americans to consider the possibility that the assassination was actually a regime-change operation carried out by the U.S. national-security establishment rather than simply a murder carried out by a supposed lone-nut assassin.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Why Two Lawyers Accused of Tossing Molotov Cocktail at NYPD Car Could Face Life in Prison

A federal appeals court panel will hear arguments Tuesday on whether two attorneys accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at an empty police car in Brooklyn, during a protest against the police killing of George Floyd, should be held in jail until their trial.

Urooj Rahman, 31, and Colinford Mattis, 32, were arrested in the early hours of May 30th, after a chaotic night in which protesters threw bottles at police and the NYPD responded with force. Police arrested them in a car driven by Mattis after they were observed leaving the area of the 88th precinct in Clinton Hill.

Two lower court judges let the defendants out on $250,000 bond on June 1. But they were sent back to the Metropolitan Detention Center a few days later after the government appealed.

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

WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Charged With Conspiring With ‘Anonymous’

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was hit with a new federal indictment on Wednesday accusing him of conspiring with hackers, including the group “Anonymous.”

The superseding indictment doesn’t add new charges beyond the 18 counts the Department of Justice unsealed last year — but broadens “the scope of the conspiracy” that Assange is accused in, prosecutors said.

“Assange and others at WikiLeaks recruited and agreed with hackers to commit computer intrusions to benefit WikiLeaks,” the DOJ said in a press release.

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

Woke Scolds Outraged as UChicago Professor Cleared of Wrongdoing for Criticizing ‘Defund the Police’

The University of Chicago has confirmed that criticizing the mantra “defund the police” does not violate its policy on harassment, discrimination, and sexual misconduct.

Ten days after it removed a professor from editing a prestigious economics journal because of his new and old tweets — which were well within the mainstream of American political views even before the Trump administration — the private university concluded that Harald Uhlig (above) did not engage in “discriminatory conduct on the basis of race in a University classroom.”

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

Wrongful Arrest as a Result of Face Recognition Tech Raises Awareness of the Growing Surveillance State

Facial recognition software and its deployment out in the wild has been brewing as a major controversy for a very long time — at least where digital rights advocates are concerned, who say it can (or is being) (ab)used across the world.

But the way it seems to be deployed in the US at this particular moment in time, forces corporate media not to look very hard into the nature of this tech and why it may or may not be harmful to people anywhere — instead limiting the focus of their reporting to a race or a minority. But at least some attention is better than none.

To be clear: mass, invasive, and pervasive surveillance of an entire population isn’t one limited to any race or minority. It harms everyone in its way and wake. And the fact this tech relies on (at this point in time) sub-par, highly limited subsection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) known as Machine Learning (MN) is not encouraging, either.

Yet instead of digging deep — a human interest story was pretty much how the New York Times went about exploring this subject.

The story centers around Robert Julian-Borchak Williams, a black man in Michigan, US, who — last January — went through an ordeal with the local police for being misidentified as a thief in an “upscale” store.

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

City of Toronto Protects Violent Protesters, Kicks Out Rebel News Reporter

Gracing the grounds that is Toronto’s City Hall, which is obviously taxpayer-funded, is a new and lovely encampment, similar to ones we are now seeing springing up across America.

Guests to this new (better) society are greeted in a variety of ways, many of which I quickly became accustomed to.

It’s important to have security as these events, you’ll see why, so please go to JournalistDefenceFund.com to help keep independent journalism alive. YouTube demonetizes a lot of our content, so we need assistance to cover our security costs.

Within seconds of our state visit, our videographer was attacked, having his camera smacked and pushed. While that is likely our own fault for having the audacity to film on the most obvious form of public space, we were soon informed that our mere presence in the area was indeed a form of violence, whereas their physical assault was not, due to the fact it was only property damage.

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

Walmart Canada Removes “All Lives Matter” T-Shirt After Social Media Users Complain

An “All Lives Matter” t-shirt which was being sold on Walmart Canada’s website via a third-party seller has become one of the latest products to be removed after several social media users complained that it was racist and an endorsement of white supremacy.

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

Czech PM Babis: John Bolton Doesn’t Understand Basic Math

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said that former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton doesn’t understand basic math after Babis was mentioned in Bolton’s new book about President Donald Trump.

Babis is mentioned in one section of the new book, with Bolton criticizing Babis’ statement at the 2018 NATO summit in July of that year. According to Bolton, the Czech prime minister was the author of “the most clumsy comment” at the summit.

According to Babis, Bolton took his statement about defense spending out of context. The Czech prime minister also noted that he already understood why Trump fired the security advisor from his team as he did not understand a simple math equation.

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

‘Death to Whites’ Graffiti Appears on Belgian Town Hall Building

Graffiti calling for the death of white people and insults toward police was found on the walls of the town hall of the Belgian town of Zaventem, with the local mayor connecting the statements to Black Lives Matter supporters.

The phrases “death to white people” and “ the police” were found written on the side of the building last weekend. Local mayor Ingrid Holemans said that she is taking the statements very seriously and that they are likely connected to the resurgence of the movement inspired by the death of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer.

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

Despite Attacks on Hungarians, German Charlemagne Prize Board Upholds Award to Romanian President Iohannis

Responding to a letter by independent Hungarian MP Janos Bencsik, in which the politician warned the German board of the Charlemagne Prize that their latest nominee, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, was unfit for such a recognition on account of his anti-Hungarian remarks, the foundation replied they saw no reason to reconsider their decision.

“The President may have used an opinion that was unusually sharp for his circumstances, but I cannot recognize an attack on the Hungarian minority or the degradation of it,” board director Jürgen Linden replied in a letter dated June 12. “The foundation’s board for awarding the international Charlemagne Prize of Aachen has no doubt that Klaus Iohannis is a convinced and convincing European, and we see no reason to revise this decision.”

Bencsik wrote his letter to the Charlemagne Prize board on May 12, nine days before the Romanian president was awarded the prestigious distinction “for lasting services for the unity of Europe”, whose previous awardees include Winston Churchill, Robert Schuman, Henry Kissinger and Pope John Paul II.

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

Germany Orders First Local Lockdown Since Easing

After outbreak at a slaughterhouse in Rheda-Wiedenbrueck

(ANSA-AFP) — BERLINO, 24 GIU — German authorities on Tuesday ordered a new lockdown for an entire district — the first since easing coronavirus restrictions and a major setback to hopes of a swift return to normality. “For the first time in Germany, we will return an entire district to the measures that applied several weeks ago,” Armin Laschet, state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, said. “We will reintroduce a lockdown in the district of Guetersloh,” he said, adding that the restrictions that cover 360,000 people and will be valid until at least June 30. The move came after a coronavirus outbreak at a slaughterhouse in the town of Rheda-Wiedenbrueck that has left more than 1,500 workers out of a total of nearly 7,000 infected The outbreak in Germany’s most populous state is the biggest since the country began lifting the lockdown in early May.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Germany: CEO of Scandal-Hit Wirecard Resigns

Auditors said 1.9 billion missing from accounts

(ANSA-AFP) — BERLIN, 19 GIU — The chief executive of scandal-hit Wirecard resigned on Friday after the German payments provider was hit with fresh fraud allegations that have left it struggling to survive. “In mutual consent with the Supervisory Board of Wirecard AG, Dr. Markus Braun resigned today with immediate effect,” Wirecard said in a statement.

Auditors on Thursday said 1.9 billion euros ($2.1 billion) were missing from Wirecard’s accounts, sending its share price plummeting by over 80 percent since Wednesday. Braun will be replaced on an interim basis by James Freis, the firm added.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Germany: Berlin Police Raid More Islamists Accused of Coronavirus Help Fund Fraud

Police in the German capital of Berlin raided a radical Islamist-linked mosque after accusations that two Islamic extremists were fraudulently taking advantage of coronavirus benefits.

The raids took place at 7 am on Tuesday and saw police search the Ibrahim al-Khalil mosque in the Tempelhof district. Police also searched a shop and a private residence next to the mosque. They are all believed to be connected to the two men suspected of fraud.

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

Killing Nature a Crime? France May Introduce ‘Ecocide’ Into the Criminal Code

A citizens’ council established by French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing the French leader to hold a national referendum on adding controversial environmental protection to the country’s Constitution and make ‘ecocide’ a crime.

The Citizens’ Convention on Climate (CCC) had deliberated for nine months before sending Macron their proposal, which they say will help cut carbon emissions. The citizens’ council is made up of 150 people who were randomly selected from the country’s population and was introduced to help quell “Yellow Vest” protesters furious at the government for issues ranging from economic hardship suffered by the working class to issues with unfair government taxes.

The crime of ecocide is “any act causing serious environmental damage on a global scale, committed with the knowledge of the consequences and cannot be ignored,” states the proposal of the convention, which approved its recommendations to the French government on Sunday.

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

Leaked German Document Lays Bare Berlin’s Brexit Pessimism

by Daniel Davis

The UK and EU are crawling closer toward a no-deal Brexit despite the coronavirus pandemic having stolen valuable negotiating time. The two parties are now back at work trying to reach an agreement and many European states wish to see a deal succeed. After all, many EU economies depend on trade with London, particularly Germany’s.

A Call for Unity

Berlin, however, is pessimistic on the two sides reaching a compromise before the EU withdrawal date, a document leaked to Reuters revealed. According to it, Germany is alerting its fellow EU states of the need to draft plans for “no deal 2.0,” despite British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s aspirations for a deal to be reached in July.

“From September, the negotiations enter a hot phase,” the document read. “Britain is already escalating threats in Brussels, wants to settle as much as possible in the shortest possible time and hopes to achieve last-minute success in the negotiations.”

[…]

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Poland and US Strengthen Mutual Cooperation During Meeting Between Duda and Trump

After talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda, President Donald Trump announced that the US will probably move soldiers from Germany to Poland following a meeting between the two leaders.

Trump stated that the importance of the Polish-U.S. alliance was confirmed during the meeting and two declarations were signed — one concerning nuclear technology and the other on 5G networks. He also emphasized that Poland is one of the eight countries who are meeting the two-percent commitment all NATO are supposed to meet.

The declarations also entailed deepening defense cooperation through strengthening military ties and deepening energy cooperation through a partnership to develop Poland’s civil nuclear energy sector.

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

Polish-American Relations Are Strengthening in Multiple Areas, Says Poland’s Foreign Minister

Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz described Polish-American relations as positive and focused on a strategic partnership concerning security, defense and energy security.

The minister said that after Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, the U.S. has become heavily involved in strengthening the defense capabilities of countries in the Central-Eastern European region.

He noted that presidents Donald Trump and Andrzej Duda had signed declarations on defense cooperation and expanding U.S. military presence in Poland in 2018 and 2019.

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

Polish Filmmaker: Communist Crimes Have Been Either Forgotten or Forgiven by the West

Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland has claimed that in the West, the media and academics have forgotten the crimes of Communism. In some cases, they have been totally forgiven.

Ms Holland’s new film Stalins’s Shadow: the Holodomor, tackles the subject of the 1933 famine in Ukraine, which many have claimed was a purposeful act by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. The film revolves around the work of Welsh journalist Gareth Jones, who was the first to expose the famine.

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

Spain: This Botched Art Restoration Turned the Virgin Mary Into a Smudgy Mess

This painting is quite sketchy.

A copy of famous artwork was botched beyond recognition during a repair job — in a case that could change laws covering restoration work in Spain.

An anonymous art collector enlisted a furniture restorer to clean a copy of “The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables,” a renowned work by Baroque artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Europa Press reported.

But the results were ‘draw’-dropping — and not in a good way.

The blissful face of the Virgin Mary came back looking like a misshapen lump, with smudgy red lips and crooked eyes, following two attempts to restore it to its original state. The job cost around $1,350.

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

The Author of France’s Failed “Hate Speech” Law Isn’t Giving Up

Laetitia Avia, a member and spokesperson for President Emmanuel Macron’s political grouping (LREM) in the French parliament, doesn’t seem to be letting up in her struggle to legally muzzle and stifle online speech to an even higher degree than what is being done right now in her country.

Avia’s particular interest is to fight what is deemed to be online “hate speech” — and her preferred method is to introduce more stringent control and censorship.

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

UK: Burnley Fan Responsible for ‘White Lives Matter’ Stunt Sacked From His Job

The man who was responsible for the “white lives matter” banner flown above a football game has been sacked from his job at an engineering firm.

Burnley supporter Jake Hepple, 24, was dismissed from Lancashire-based Paradigm Precision on Wednesday.

According to Sky News sports correspondent Martha Kelner, his girlfriend has also had her employment terminated in relation to posts she made on social media.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Cambridge Defends Lecturer Who Tweeted ‘White Lives Don’t Matter, ‘ and ‘Abolish Whiteness’

A lecturer at the University of Cambridge ignited a social media firestorm after posting inflammatory tweets attacking “whiteness” and claiming “white lives don’t matter,” and was ultimately defended by the university.

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

UK: Girlfriend of Man Who Flew “White Lives Matter” Banner Fired From Her Job

The girlfriend of the man who flew a “white lives matter” banner over a football match in the UK has been fired from her job after refusing to take “intensive racial sensitivity training.”

The banner was seen trailing behind a plane over Manchester City’s Etihad stadium on Monday before the club’s Premier League game with Burnley.

It provoked widespread condemnation and a police investigation, although authorities subsequently concluded that no criminal offense had been committed.

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

UK: Premier League Footballers Kneel Again for BLM, No Recognition for Victims of Reading Terror Attack

Premier League footballers once again took a knee before today’s games to recognize Black Lives Matter, although there appeared to be no recognition for the three victims who were killed by a terrorist in Reading on Saturday.

Since the resumption of the Premier League season after it was put on hold for coronavirus, before every single game players have took a knee to praise BLM.

This despite the fact that throughout the whole of 2019, only one person of colour was killed by police in the UK, and he was the London Bridge terrorist.

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

UK: Reading Terror Attack Slips From Headlines Within Days

Imagine if a right-wing extremist had killed three gay people in the UK?

It would be a major story for weeks if not months.

A Libyan refugee does precisely that and it’s already disappeared from the headlines three days later.

Why?

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

UK: Sadiq Khan, The First Muslim Mayor of London, Creates Commission to Review London Monuments for Diversity Appropriateness

Sadiq Khan is a far left radical politician and the first Muslim Mayor of London.

Earlier this week Sadiq Khan announced he is putting together a review of the beautiful and historical monuments in London.

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

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci Indicted for War Crimes

A Hague-based special prosecutor has filed an indictment against Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and nine others for murders and other war crimes. Thaci led anti-Serb forces during the Kosovo war in the late 1990s.

Kosovo president Hashim Thaci and nine other former militants were indicted for war crimes by the Office of the Special Prosecutor in the Hague on Wednesday.

They are “responsible for nearly 100 murders,” according to the prosecutors at the EU-backed Kosovo Specialist Chamber. The victims included Kosovar Albanians, Serb and Roma people, with political opponents also targeted, according to the officials.

The group also faces charges of torture, persecution, and enforced disappearance.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Massive Sahara Desert Dust Plume Drifting Toward the United States

FROM CBS NEWS: While summer dust plumes are a common occurrence, this appears to be one of the most extreme in recent memory. It’s so large it has been nicknamed the Gorilla Dust Cloud.

“This is the most significant event in the past 50 years. Conditions are dangerous in many Caribbean islands,” Pablo Méndez Lazaro, from the University of Puerto Rico’s School of Public Health, told the Associated Press.

On satellite images from space, dust typically appears somewhat subtle and faint, but this plume can be seen as clear as day. The picture below was taken on Sunday from the International Space Station. “We flew over this Saharan dust plume today in the west central Atlantic. Amazing how large an area it covers!” astronaut Doug Hurley tweeted.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

New Velvet Spider Species is Named After Actor Joaquin Phoenix for His Role in the ‘Joker’ Due to the Pattern on the Creature’s Back That Resembles the Famous Smile

A new species of velvet spider has been named after actor and animal rights activist Joaquin Phoenix for his role in the 2019 film ‘Joker.’

The creature was discovered in Iran and given its name due to the male’s abdominal pattern that resembles the famous facial makeup worn by Phoenix in the movie.

Named Loureedia phoenixi, the spider has black thin hair on the majority of its body with a bright red line down its back and white spots at each tip.

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

Opinion: Christians a Welcome Scapegoat in Turkey

One of the oldest Christian churches in the world is under extreme pressure from the Turkish state. That doesn’t bode well for the future, says Alexander Görlach.

The persecution of Christians in Turkey continues. While the world is busy fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, dealing with mass unemployment and a global recession, the Turkish government is taking advantage of the situation to further pressure minorities. The marginalization of Turkey’s Christians isn’t new for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: He’s been busy reorganizing his secular republic into a mixture of Ottomanism and Islam for some time now.

Recently, the Syriac-Aramaic Christians in the country’s southeast, in particular, had to fear for their rights and property. This religious community is one of the world’s oldest churches. Aramaic, the language the community uses in worship, is thought to have been spoken by Jesus Christ himself.

Systematic discrimination

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

China is Biggest US Threat, Engaged in Rampant Espionage, Says FBI Director Wray

FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday described China’s Communist government as the biggest threat to the US — revealing his agency has more than 2,000 active investigations which trace back to the shadowy regime.

In an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, Wray revealed there had been a 1,300 percent increase in espionage investigations into the Chinese region in the past decade and said the party was actively spying on Fortune 100 countries and trying to influence US politics.

“There’s no country that presents a broader or more comprehensive threat to America’s innovation, to our economic security and to our democratic ideas,” he said.

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

China Orders Prayer Flags Taken Down in Tibet in an Assault on Culture, Faith

Chinese authorities in Tibet have ordered the destruction of prayer flags in many parts of the region in one of China’s most direct assaults to date on visible symbols of Tibetan culture and religious belief, sources in the region say.

The campaign, described as a program of “behavioral reform,” began in June in Qinghai’s Golog (in Chinese, Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and in Tengchen (Dingqing) county in the Chamdo municipality of the Tibet Autonomous Region, a local source told RFA this week.

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

China Expands Its Clampdown in Tibet: Report

China’s clampdown on Tibetan rights and freedoms increased during last year, with a growing use of surveillance and online monitoring to suppress political dissent, and strengthened restrictions on Tibetan children’s right to classroom instruction in their own language, a new report by a Tibet advocacy group said Tuesday.

In spite of growing international condemnation of human rights violations in Tibet, “[the People’s Republic of China] continues with its policy of crushing any political dissent,” the Dharamsala-India based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said in its annual report reviewing developments in 2019.

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

Australia’s Public Broadcast Asks: “is Chess Racist?”

Australia’s taxpayer funded public broadcaster ABC is facing ridicule after announcing it would host a debate asking if chess is racist because the white team traditionally gets to go first under the rules of the game.

A former member of the Australian Chess Federation discovered that the debate was set to take place when he was asked by a radio producer to take part.

“The ABC have taken the view that chess is RACIST given that white always goes first!” tweeted John Adams, adding, “Trust the taxpayer funded national broadcaster to apply ideological Marxist frameworks to anything and everything in Australia!”

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

Four New Species of Giant Single-Celled Organisms Discovered on Pacific Seafloor

Two new genera and four new species of giant, single-celled xenophyophores (protozoans belonging to a group called the foraminifera) were discovered in the deep Pacific Ocean during a joint project between scientists at the National Oceanography Centre, UK (NOC), the University of Hawai’i, and the University of Geneva. ‘Moana’ has inspired the name Moanammina for one of the new genera, while the second has been named Abyssalia in recognition of its abyssal habitat.

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

Heart-Stopping Moment Machete-Wielding Man Menaces Commuters at a Sydney Train Station Before He’s Confronted by Four Youths ‘Armed With Knives and a Hammer’

Security footage captured the man entering Rooty Hill station around 5pm on June 12 before allegedly threatening travellers with a machete.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Housing Commission Horror Caught on Film: Cops Pepper-Spray Furious Man After Being ‘Threatened With a Carving Knife’ In Chaotic Arrest That Left an Officer in Fear for His Life

Police were patrolling Hamilton South in Newcastle on Tuesday afternoon when a member of the public approached them about a possible brawl nearby.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Melbourne Calls in the Army to Help Manage Hotel Quarantine After an Explosion of Coronavirus Cases

Victorian health authorities will meet with defence officials on Wednesday afternoon to finalise details of the military’s deployment.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Pictured: The Suspect Wanted Over the Death of a Melbourne Man , 21, Who Was Stabbed Outside a Hotel

Marco Deng, 22, is accused of stabbing Machar Kot, 21, to death about 5am on Monday outside Oaks Melbourne on Market Hotel in the heart of the CBD.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Central, Eastern Europe Believe Migrants a Threat to Identity, Values

A large proportion of people in eastern and central Europe believe migrants pose a threat to their identity and values, polling has found.

The statement gained support from a majority of respondents in Slovakia (72 per cent), the Czech Republic (72 per cent), Estonia (56 per cent), Hungary (52 per cent), and Bulgaria (50 per cent), according to a survey of people in 10 countries across eastern and central Europe.

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

Five Boats Carrying Up to 57 Migrants Are Caught Crossing the English Channel — Taking the Total to Have Arrived This Month to More Than 500

Dozens of migrants have today been detected in the Channel, meaning more than 500 will have crossed this month alone.

More than 2,000 have reached the UK in boats this year, while the current total for June is on the cusp of eclipsing a record number in a single month.

It is thought there could be as many as 57 refugees involved, with emergency services called out at 5.15am — although official Home Office figures for the latest incidents are not yet known.

[Comment: Article dated June 24, 2020.]

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

Italy: Coronavirus: 28 Migrants Test Positive on Quarantine Ship Off Sicily

Migrants switched to quarantine ship after rescue by Sea Watch

(ANSA) — ROME, JUN 24 — A total of 28 rescued migrants have tested positive for the coronavirus on the Moby Zazà quarantine ship, which is off the Sicilian port of Porto Empedocle.

The COVID-19.-positive migrants were among people rescued in international waters by the Sea Watch NGO and then transferred to the Moby Zazà.

Swabs were conducted on 209 asylum seekers on the ship on Tuesday.

Late on Tuesday it emerged that one of the migrants who boarded the Sea Watch vessel had been taken to Caltanissetta’s Sant’Elia hospital.

It was initially suspected to be a case of tuberculosis but the result of a swab subsequently showed otherwise.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy Says 28 Migrants Test Positive to COVID-19 on Quarantine Ship

ROME (Reuters) — Dozens of migrants rescued in the Mediterranean have tested positive for the new coronavirus while held in a quarantine ship off the southern Italian coast, Sicily’s regional leader Nello Musumeci said on Wednesday.

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

UK Govt Wants Faster Deportations of Criminal Migrants, But Won’t Withdraw From Euro Human Rights Law: Report

The British government is reportedly planning to speed up the deportations of failed asylum seekers and criminal migrants. However, there are no plans to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits returning migrants to failed states.

The report comes after a Libyan refugee with a criminal record was detained on suspicion of carrying out a knife terror attack on Saturday that left three people dead.

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

UK: Watch: Farage Releases Footage of Latest Illegal Boat Migrants Loaded Onto Coaches at Dover

Brexit leader Nigel Farage has released more footage of illegal boat migrants being brought ashore and loaded onto coaches by the British Border Force, saying the numbers are “so overwhelming” that the government is resorting to busing migrants “all over the country”.

On Wednesday, dozens more illegal migrants reached British shores after crossing the English Channel from France. The migrants will be added to the ever-increasing toll, which has already surpassed the total number recorded last year in just six months.

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

Amazon Censors ‘Killing Free Speech’ Documentary About Censorship

This is the second time that the documentary’s creator has been censored by Amazon.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Amazon Cracks Down on Book Warning About Trans Craze Victimizing Teen Girls

Late last week, Amazon.com took another step in silencing dissent on LGBT issues. Amazon banned a major conservative publishing company from purchasing ads to promote a book warning about the dangers transgender ideology poses to young women and girls.

“The cancel culture has made it clear that it despises diversity of opinion, and it will not tolerate science, data, facts, or anything that contradicts the approved narrative. If you’re not on board, you’ll have your head handed to you,” Regnery Publishing tweeted in a statement about the Amazon ban.

Amazon refused to let Regnery pay to promote the forthcoming book Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters, Fox News reported. In the book, Wall Street Journal journalist Abigail Shrier builds on a scientific study revealing the “social contagion” of transgender identity affecting a broad swath of American teenage girls and warns that various transgender “treatments” will leave girls permanently scarred.

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

Hate Crime Hoax: Black Man Responsible for ‘Racist’ Graffiti at University

Classes canceled after discovery of disturbing tags

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Liberals’ Want Ad: Feminist Needed for Gender-Based Pipeline Analysis

The Liberals are looking for someone to run Canada’s energy efficiency programs through the gender-based analysis professional grievance monger lens.

Today, I will show you the absolutely insane contract the Liberals are looking to fill.

The oil industry in Canada is being hammered by low prices, lack of market access, predatory dumping by OPEC and, of course, Justin Trudeau acting as a scarecrow to potential investors. But the Liberals know what is going to get us out of this mess and make Canada the energy superpower we should be: even more intersectional grievance-mongering!

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

Media Executive Warns Big Tech is Secretively Seizing “All the Power” Over Information

Newspaper executive Peter Wright has slammed big tech for secretively developing and changing algorithms for news distribution without giving the industry any indication whatsoever of what they are doing.

Wright of DMG Media, which is the parent company of The Daily Mail, was testifying before the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee Tuesday.

He accused companies like Google and Facebook of ‘monopoly behaviour’ as they seek to seize ‘all the power’ in online news and advertising.

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

Mississippi Legislature Passes Bill to Protect Babies With Down Syndrome, Other Disabilities From Abortion

The Mississippi legislature officially approved a new law that forbids abortion targeting unborn babies with Down syndrome and other disabilities. The Life Equality Act passed the Mississippi House by a 91-25 vote and now heads to Gov. Tate Reeves, who has signaled his intent to sign it into law.

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

Planned Parenthood of Greater New York CEO Ousted for Alleged Racism, Abuse

Facing accusations from current and former employees that she “has created a culture of fear and intimidation” and one that has fostered “abuse” and “systemic racism,” Laura McQuade, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, has been ousted from her position.

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

Polish President Vows to Oppose “Social Experiments” Designed to Harm Family Unit

Polish President Andrzej Duda has vowed to oppose the kind of “social experiments” performed on children in some western countries that have led to the erosion of the traditional family unit.

Speaking during a campaign rally in the town of Poronin before elections on June 28, Duda asserted that he would continue to pursue pro-family policies.

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

Senator Warns Google Poses ‘Tremendous Threat to Free, Fair Press’

Antitrust probe heats up as Big Tech silences dissident voices.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Twitter Changes Official Account Bio to “Black Queer Lives Matter. Black Trans Lives Matter. #BlackLivesMatter”

Twitter changed its bio for its official account to reflect its support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which sprung up again after the death of George Floyd.

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

9 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/24/2020

  1. “CIA’s Color Revolution playbook” – even before the “orange”, “rose”, “arab spring” revolutions, the CIA playbook was working. I happen to know the events in Bulgaria 1990,1997 and I was part of them – on the side of the “protesting”… In 1990, free elections were held and resulted in a victory of the “Socialist”, former Communist party. Immediately in the Capital and in the main cities, crowds of thousands gathered, students, people out of work, mere criminals… Announcing “civic disobedience” and “occupation strike” they settled around the government buildings in tent “cities”, proudly named as Liberty City, “Autonomous Zone Free of Communism” (!) etc. Effectually blocking the work of Ministries, Presidency etc, and any attempt of the police to clean the places was immediately recorded by correspondents of AP, Deutsche Well etc etc and the edited videos went around the globe to show the “tyrant communist regime”. A Government building was set on fire and till this day nobody is found responsible. In 1997 the mob attacked and occupied the Parliament, the socialist majority MP were chased and some of them wounded with rocks, sticks etc. This was welcomed and approved by the ambassadors of the major liberal powers. As a sincere anti-communist since I got to the age when one can have his/her own ideology, I was part of the protest. In 1997 part of them was also to block the essential roads in the country, I have participated in such blockades… All this was done not by Antifa or BLM, but by the “Union of Democratic Forces” under direct guidance of USA, France and Germany embassies. So – dear American Conservatives – prepare for such things when Trump wins in November. Blocks on the essential roads of supply, “sitting protest” and”occupation strike”. And citations from H D Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”, of course.

    • PS The protests were explained by “not accepting election results” – that they were in some way falsified, or somehow wriggled by outside powers, exactly the Russian and the Ukrainian themes the deep state used. Or simply “those morons in the villages and small towns”, they are unable to understand democracy, so we should ignore their opinion/voices, look how many professors, singers, actors are on our side.

  2. I am an 77-year old physician. I think I am a cultivated man, and I always preferred Truth. I like this Site and all the work inside it. For me, from two people who love each other. I have 3 daughters, now between 40 and 50 year-old, and 4 grandchildren.

    I think that the western humanity is at the brink of destruction or, more possible, of a great world war. More than 70 years elapsed since the last big mass killings [WWs 1&2]. The youth has no drains to their natural force. In Europe, football and its ‘wars’ has been a good escape valve. Now a spell of destruction, paid by who God knows, rage across America and Europe. Western youth has ‘all’ without working. Everything is paid by fathers or mothers.
    This is an outburst of my feelings.

    Peace to you and your boy.

    «The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear?»

    • Indeed. Turkeys pride BoJo and Muslim proud Merkel working against the clock.

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