The Royal Canadian Navy announced that it is planning to abolish the rank of “seaman”. The term will be replaced with a more gender-inclusive designation.
In other news, a boat carrying 63 migrants was rescued in the Mediterranean and brought safely to the island of Malta.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to AA, Caroline Glick, JD, Reader from Chicago, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
30-Year Mortgage Rate Tumbles to 2.98%, Its Lowest Mark Ever
A sign of continued market turmoil resulting from the global coronavirus pandemic, mortgage rates in the United States fell below 3%, the lowest mark in history. This is the seventh time this year and the third consecutive week in a row that rates have plummeted lower than the previous record.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Greg Mannarino: “The Fed is About to Sell You Another Massive Lie!”
The Federal Reserve is about to sell Americans another massive lie, so be prepared for what’s coming. Greg Mannarino says the central bank is preparing to do untold devastating damage to those living in the United States in their quest to enslave humanity.
This situation, according to Mannarino is critical to understand. “You should not be surprised” by the “screaming rally,” says Mannarino. But, the dollar go weaker, which is also no surprise, but the Fed’s massive lie is what you should be aware of.
The Fed president will come out and try to sell lies to you. “I consider the Federal Reserve public enemy number one…Everything they’re doing, especially now, as they’re trying to fulfill their final solution is NOT in your best interest.” Mannarino says you have to understand the creation of the Federal Reserve, a central bank that controls and manipulates currency, took place in 1913, and it’s a date that will live in infamy, and one none of us should forget or dare to repeat if we can even come out of this…
Mannarino explains that when the Fed says they will “suppress rates” or they will “keep them low,” and you have a president of the United States (Donald Trump) calling for negative rates, the Federal Reserve has to create cash out of thin air in “epic amounts.” And they have to get into the debt market an buy the debt. Why? So that when the wave of defaults, that they caused with the phony lockdown scam comes, they will own the world because people cannot pay.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Most Americans believe that “the worst is behind us”, but the truth is that we are sleepwalking into an unprecedented economic nightmare.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
V4 Capitals Ask for Direct EU Recovery Funding
In an open letter, the mayors of Prague, Bratislava, Warsaw, and Budapest asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel to support the direct funding of cities from the planned European recovery fund. The capitals want to use the money for eco-friendly transformations.
Germany currently holds the presidency of the European Union. Angela Merkel and other European leaders will discuss the form of the recovery fund at an EU summit which started yesterday.
The mayors stated in the letter that cities and their inhabitants are seriously affected by climate change. According to them, however, cities have the opportunity to contribute to achieving the carbon neutrality of the EU through targeted measures, such as modernizing public transport or reducing the energy performance of buildings.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
2 Princeton Profs: ‘Cancel Culture’ Could Take Down ‘Democrat’
Two professors from Princeton University co-authored a column published Thursday that took apart the country’s current “cancel culture” that they consider to be based on “twisted logic,” but they said if the trend continues — to be fair — the movement should consider relegating the Democratic Party to “the dustbin of history.”
Sergiu Klainerman, a mathematics professor, and John Londregan, a professor of politics and international affairs, co-authored the piece titled, “A Modest Proposal for a Name Change,” which appeared on the National Review’s website.
They point out that there is a clear movement afoot in the country that aims to erase the “symbols and exemplars of American society” that have suddenly become the targets of an “unprecedented iconoclastic purge.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
2015 Video Shows Trump Denouncing Epstein’s Pedo Island as an “Absolute Cesspool”
A newly unearthed video from 2015 shows Donald Trump describing Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous ‘pedo island’ as an “absolute cesspool.”
Trump made the comments during an interview with Bloomberg in response to news at the time that Virginia Roberts Giuffre had accused Epstein of coercing her into sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
3 Men Charged With Murder of Ahmaud Arbery Plead Not Guilty
The three men charged with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, 25, pleaded not guiltyFriday morning in Chatham County Superior Court.
Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, allegedly shot and killedArbery while he was jogging outside of Brunswick, Georgia, on February 23.
The father and son told local police they chased Arbery down in their pickup truck because they thought he was a burglary suspect. They claimed they acted in self-defense when the confrontation escalated.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Conservative Senator With Guts
This is a story of two women. One, Senator Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, denounced Black Lives Matter (BLM) as the Marxist organization it is. The other woman, Louise Radnofsky, a sports reporter for the Wall Street Journal, deceived her readers about the Marxist political agenda of Black Lives Matter, calling the group “decentralized.” This claim was then picked up by left-wing groups to defend BLM and attack Loeffler.
In fact, BLM is a group that honors convicted cop-killer Assata Shakur, now living in Communist Cuba. A video shows a BLM co-founder admitting, “We are trained Marxists.”
Marxists are trained not to solve problems but to exploit them, on the road to socialism and communism. They were prepared when George Floyd died. Our cites were still burning when the BLM’s call to defund the police resulted in more black lives being lost as gun violence rose in those same cities.
BLM is in the fore front of a Maoist cultural revolution that few Republican Senators, except for Loeffler, seem to grasp.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
AOC-Backed Progressive Unseats 30-Year Incumbent in NY Democratic Primary
A fifth Democrat backed by the DSA might be about to join Congress.
In a rare electoral victory for America’s inchoate “Democratic Socialist” movement (they lost a primary for a Queens DA seat last year, and haven’t really had any major successes since AOC’s primary victory over Joe Crowley, a member of the Congressional Democratic leadership and head of the Queens Democratic Party), former middle school principal Jamaal Bowman has defeated 16-term US Rep Eliot Engel in a Democratic Congressional Primary in New York.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
As Violent Crime in New York Soars, De Blasio Assigns 27 Cops to Protect ‘Black Lives Matter’ Mural
Even as violent crime and deadly shootings in New York soar, Mayor Bill de Blasio has reportedly assigned no less than 27 cops working in shifts to protect a Black Lives Matter mural outside Trump Tower.
“Just heard that @NYCMayor has 1 & 8 securing the #BlackMindsMatter mural at Trump Tower,” tweeted former police commissioner Bernard Kerik. “That’s one sergeant and eight cops, x 3 tours a day! Violence, shootings, and murder is up in NYC and this clown has three sergeants and 24 cops guarding a mural! If true, #SICKENING.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Black student at Texas A&M who claimed he found racist notes on his car saying the n-word, ‘all lives matter,’ and ‘you don’t belong here’ put them there himself, campus cops say. Do they ever have real racists incidents? They all seem to be fake these days. Shame on Isaih Martin. No doubt not one thing will happen to him.
[Comment: Communist agitator.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Black Portland Cop Details Racist Abuse From White Leftist Protesters
Black Portland police officer Jakhary Jackson has gone public to detail the racist abuse he has received from white leftist protesters while pointing out that there are often more minorities on the police side than those demonstrating.
Jackson made the comments in a 27 minute video released by the Portland Police Department.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bystander Ends Mass Shooting Attack by Taking Down Gunman
A bystander nearby when a 22-year-old man launched a mass shooting attack in Brownsburg, Indiana, this week halted the violence after two other victims were shot and he was injured by shooting and taking down the attacker.
WISH-TV reports police in the town say the attacker had a history of mental health issues.
The mass shooting developed when Joshua Christopher Hayes started randomly shooting people, taking aim first at two men working Brownsburg Cemetery.
Hayes chased down and shot Seth Robertson, 36, then chased after a second man and shot a third man, who was legally carrying a weapon while stopped at a traffic light nearby, police reported.
“The third man was legally armed and fatally shot Hayes,” the report explained.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
CA Boy Grows Breasts After Being Given Estrogen by Juvenile Hall Without Parents’ Consent
A 16-year-old boy was detained at a California juvenile detention center and given large doses of estrogen without his parent’s consent, causing the boy to develop breasts, according to a lawsuit.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Mayor Lightfoot Calls White House Press Secretary McEnany a “Karen”
Tensions rose Thursday between the White House and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot after press secretary Kayleigh McEnany referred to Lightfoot as a “derelict mayor.”
Lightfoot hit back at McEnany by sharing a post from Time Magazine reporter Brian Bennett along with the words, “Hey, Karen. Watch your mouth.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Christian University Hits New York Times With $10 Million Defamation Suit
Paper accused of false reporting over school’s handling of coronavirus.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Chrissy Teigen Deletes 60k Tweets After Being Named on Epstein’s Flight Log
Supermodel and outspoken liberal activist Chrissy Teigen is under a big cloud of suspicion after deleting 60,000 tweets. Why would John Legend’s wife abruptly scrub her Twitter account? Because online conspiracy theorists claim Teigen is listed on Jeffrey Epstein’s flight logs. But her sudden mass deletion of tweets is now causing her even more problems.
Chrissy Teigen Attempts To Distance Herself From Any Jeffrey Epstein Connection
Celebrities and politicians are in a scramble to distance themselves from friendly relationships with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The duo rubbed elbows with top brass from around the world.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
College Hoops Coaches Move to Eliminate Standardized Testing
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Men’s and women’s college basketball coaches are proposing the NCAA eliminate standardized testing requirements from initial-eligibility standards, calling exams such as the SAT and ACT “longstanding forces of institutional racism.”
The proposal Thursday came out of the new committee on racial reconciliation formed by the National Association of Basketball Coaches in response to the Black Lives Matter movement and other social justice initiatives. The committee is chaired by South Carolina coach Frank Martin and Harvard coach Tommy Amaker.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrats & RINOs Pass House Bill to Disarm Local Cops: Chiefs of Police Association
The US House of Representatives has passed a sweeping police reform bill that hopefully will fail to pass in the Senate or will be vetoed with little prospect of becoming law amid partisan gridlock. Critics claim that if they can ban police from carrying firearms it will give the ‘gun grabbers” a rationale to ban firearms for ownership by citizens.
The Democratic-controlled chamber voted 236-181 for the measure mainly along party lines on Thursday night.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Federal Judge Throws Out Lawsuit Challenging Coronavirus Rules Across Wisconsin
MADISON — A federal judge threw out a lawsuit Friday challenging several coronavirus rules set by local health officials across Wisconsin, saying those challenging the health orders had been too scattershot with their lawsuit.
U.S. District Judge William Griesbach in Green Bay told those who brought the lawsuit they could try to revive their legal challenge in the next 30 days if they more carefully tailor it.
Two dozen residents across the state in May challenged stay-at-home orders and other rules local officials had established to battle the coronavirus pandemic. They argued the rules interfered with their freedom of association, freedom of religion and other constitutional rights.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FL Health Official Admits Man Who Died in Motorcycle Accident Labeled as Coronavirus Death
A Florida health official on Thursday admitted that a man in his 20s who died in a motorcycle accident was listed as a coronavirus death, raising questions about the validity of the state’s COVID-19 fatality count.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Man Friday: Shaq to the Rescue and the Sneaky Skinny Dipper
What do you get when Florida Man reveals himself to Florida Woman as the world’s tallest good Samaritan?
You get…
Florida Man Friday!
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A student from Fordham University was put on probation after he posted an image of himself with a legally-obtained gun, memorializing the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
The university’s actions attracted backlash with the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) penning a strongly worded letter to the president discussing the dire state of free speech at the university.
Austin Tong initially posted a picture of a retired St. Louis police captain, David Dorn, who was killed by looters during the George Floyd riots.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Google to Demonetize Any Website That Publishes Coronavirus “Conspiracies”
When the coronavirus headlines first started, the CDC said that masks were useless. Now they say to wear masks. They said that the virus was easy to catch from surfaces. Now they say it’s unlikely. The official narrative is changing all the time — but Google aims to demonetize websites that publish so-called “debunked” conspiracies.
At a juncture where Google has a monopoly and directly controls 70% of all online advertising, a step such as this can have a huge impact.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hydroxychloroquine: The One Chart You Need to See
With conflicting reports over the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in treating COVID-19, and large-scale studies pending, it would be really great to have a 10,000-foot view of everything we know about the anti-malaria drug that a host of doctors swear by — and which has been standard treatment protocol in some countries but not others.
To that end, Twitter user Gummi Bear has conducted a ‘deep dive’ into virtually everything we know about HCQ — which starts with this must-see chart comparing country-level case-fatality rates (CFR) by HCQ use.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kanye West Tweets “2020” With Picture of His Face Added to Mount Rushmore
In what continues to be one of the more bizarre elements of the 2020 presidential election, rapper Kanye West has tweeted out an image of Mount Rushmore with his face added to it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Who Allegedly Punched NYPD Chief Released Without Bail
The New York City man who allegedly punched NYPD Chief Terence Monahan and two other officers during protests on Wednesday has been released without bail.
Quran Campbell, 25, allegedly punched Monahan in the face as the chief was trying to arrest him. Campbell had also allegedly hit another NYPD officer and a lieutenant.
Campbell was arraigned on assault charges and granted supervised release.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mayor Bill De Blasio Celebrates Record Low Prison Population as Shootings Soar 277%
Mayor Bill de Blasio celebrated New York’s record low prison population even as shootings soared by a whopping 277 per cent compared to the same week last year.
During a news conference, de Blasio claimed that allowing more criminals out on the street actually makes New Yorkers “safer.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Move Oregon’s Border Chief Petitioner Mike McCarter has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Eugene in hopes of getting the grassroots movement’s proposal onto the ballot in 17 counties this November.
He wants to know if citizens in those counties, including Douglas, would like to divorce Oregon and get hitched to Idahoinstead.
And his case may have just received a boost from the same court’s favorable decision this week in a similar case brought by People Not Politicians over a different ballot measure.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NYT Interviews 4 ‘Twenty-Somethings’ Who Claim Responsibility for Twitter Hack
As we suspected, claims that the Twitter hack was perpetrated by a state actor because it was ‘among the most sophisticated hacks in history’ have proven suspect, as the New York Times has apparently tracked down a group of hackers (all of whom refused to reveal their identities even to the paper’s reporters, a major no-no when using anonymous sources) who say they helped perpetrate Wednesday’s hack, which saw dozens of accounts including high-profile ‘blue checkmark’ accounts belonging to Joe Biden’s campaign, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and others.
Among other things, the hack has revived fears about foreign manipulation and “disinformation” on social media (or at least that’s what the mainstream media has reported).
But if the NYT has this right, the hack was actually perpetrated by a bunch of bored twenty somethings working with a mysterious mastermind only identified by the screenname “Kirk”. Though that sn betrays the mastermind’s status as an avowed Trekkie, it conveys little else. In total, the NYT says it spoke with four people who claimed to be involved in the attack.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pentagon Bans Confederate Flag on Military Bases
Starting Friday, all displays of the Confederate flag on military installations will be banned, according to a decision laid out in a Pentagon memo signed by Defense Secretary Mark Esper Thursday night.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pompeo Denounces NYT’s “Marxist” 1619 Project, Says American Way of Life is “Under Attack”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday accused the New York Times of promulgating “Marxist” ideology with its controversial 1619 Project, declaring that the American way of life is “under attack.”
While unveiling a new report from the Commission on Unalienable Rights, Pompeo acknowledged the country had sometimes strayed from its founding principles, specifically by instituting slavery. He maintained, however, that America’s history has been contorted into “a slander” of its people.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Prepare for the French Solution in November
I know not, who will fire the first shot after the election, much will depend on the result. People with a minimum knowledge and love of our Constitution are enraged by the ruthless destruction of life and property by Communist Democrat hit squads. This Death, Looting, Arson, and Destruction was visited on innocent Americans by Marxist Thugs, directed by, and paid by the Democrat Party, and large corporations. Most of this carnage occurred in 20 cities controlled by Democrats for decades. For the most part, Democrat authorities allowed the carnage to continue, and in many cases supported it.
This is nothing short of Treason by the Communist Democratic Party, mainstream media, and major corporations. I doubt that any level of Government has the will to stop the Marxists from creating anarchy as a pretext for forcing us into a Communist government.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Pritzker Lawsuit Seeks Face Mask Order for Illinois Schools
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Gov. J.B. Pritzker took the unusual step Thursday of preemptively filing a lawsuit to ensure school children wear face coverings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus when schools reopen in a few weeks.
The action filed late Thursday in Sangamon County Circuit Court by the state attorney general seeks a judge’s approval of Pritzker’s order that schoolchildren, teachers and staff wear coverings over mouths and noses among other measures to reduce the chance that the highly contagious and potentially deadly virus can spread.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Read the Court Documents From ComEd Criminal Charges That Implicate Mike Madigan
ComEd will pay $200 million to end a federal criminal investigation into a years-long bribery scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced Friday.
In doing so, it is admitting it arranged jobs, subcontracts and pay-offs for associates of “a high-level elected official for the state of Illinois.” That person is identified as “Public Official A” in a news release that implicates House Speaker Michael Madigan.
An information and statement of facts filed in federal court Friday end a federal criminal investigation into a years-long bribery scheme.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Robots Taking Over Jobs Amid Pandemic as Boston Dynamics Teaches Atlas Humanoid to Do Gymnastics
Boston Dynamics has done it again, now its robot can do gymnastics while it decimates the human race, remembering through its artificial intelligence that time when a Boston Dynamics employee pushed its obsolete cousin. Meanwhile, robots have also taken over the kitchen.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Rockets’ James Harden Slammed for Wearing Pro-Police “Thin Blue Line” Mask
Houston Rockets’ star shooting guard James Harden was slammed on social media after he posted a picture of himself wearing a “Thin Blue Line” mask in his return to the NBA.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Seattle Councilwoman Proposes Firing White Police Officers Based on Race
Seattle City Council member Lisa Herbold has raised eyebrows after she suggested firing Seattle police officers because they are white. While the proposal has its supporters, it has also been criticized for seemingly violating federal law and Supreme Court precedent barring racial discrimination.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Senate Dems Unveil $350B Economic Justice Act to Fight Systemic Racism
Senate Democrats on Thursday unveiled a $350 billion plan to fight against “systemic racism” and “historic underinvestment” in communities of color impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and its resulting economic fallout.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg Being Treated for Liver Cancer
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being treated for liver cancer, the justice announced on Friday.
Ginsburg, the court’s eldest justice, was hospitalized on Tuesday after experiencing a fever and chills. She said the hospitalization was unrelated to her cancer treatments.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
They Keep Lying: Some Florida Labs Report 100% of COVID-19 Tests Were Positive
The state of Florida is coming under fire for not disclosing the negative COVID-19 test results. Investigative journalists found that 100% of the tests given came back positive for COVID-19.
Were there any negative tests at all? The mainstream media continues to use the increase in Florida’s coronavirus cases to push the fear narrative, but there’s now reports that some of these numbers are not being calculated accurately. Hundreds of facilities across the state are reporting a 100% positivity rate for COVID-19 test results. That means, every single person who got tested at these hospitals or labs, tested positive, according to My Sun Coast. We knew they were lying, but the extent the government is going to in order to keep these ridiculous mask laws and lockdowns in place at this point is just plain evil.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
UConn Student Government Leaders Resign Because They’re White
Kent Brockman has said it before and he’ll say it again: “Democracy simply doesn’t work.”
It’s a view also embraced by the president and vice president of the University of Connecticut’s Undergraduate Student Government, who spurned the students who voted for them four months ago by resigning their elected positions.
Their rationale is both ludicrous and probably genuine: White people shouldn’t lead.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
University to Mandate ‘Race and Ethnicity’ Course for All Students
Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia is to mandate that all of its students take a “Race and Ethnicity Requirement” course from next year, following consistent demands from the university’s black student group.
Campus Reform reports that the university wants all students to understand “how racial and ethnic antagonisms and inequality develop historically.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Boyfriend Desperately Tries to Protect His Girlfriend as Couple Beaten by Mob Inside Airport
A shocking video filmed inside an airport shows a couple being viciously beaten by a mob as the boyfriend desperately tries to protect his girlfriend.
The video is going viral on Twitter but it has yet to be established at which airport the incident took place.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
War on the Suburbs: How HUD’s Housing Policies Became a Weapon for Social Change
There are few things more synonymous with the American way of life than the suburbs. While certainly not without problems, the suburbs have been home to middle class Americans since the end of World War 2, and even before. But the suburbs are under attack from certain elements of the left as a source of social inequality and (what else?) “white privilege” and “white supremacy.” If you are alarmed by this article, that’s a good thing. Because these elements of the American left seek nothing more than the total destruction of your way of life, from the people who live in your communities to the types of houses that you live in to the places where you will be allowed to shop and how you get from one place to another. The policy is called Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH), but beyond this specific HUD policy, there’s a philosophical and political attack on suburbs that goes well in excess of any single policy. There is, without mincing words, a War on the Suburbs in America. It is a war not against a geographical location or a type of housing or community, but an attack on a way of life.
| — Hat tip: AA | [Return to headlines] |
Warren and Other Dems Ask Zuckerberg Why He’s Not Fact Checking People’s Opinions
After an article published by the Washington Examiner was flagged as false via Facebook’s fact-checking system, but later reinstated, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Sheldon Whitehouse, Tom Carper, and Brian Schatz demanded the social network given them a detailed explanation of the criteria for an item to be verified by fact-checkers.
One problem that Facebook has always faced with politicians is the way it moderates content on the platform. It already happened during the United States presidential elections, when they were accused of having allowed the manipulation of public opinion by not eliminating “fake news.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
There’s the 2017 confirmation that the Gates-supported oral polio vaccine was actually responsible for the majority of new polio cases and the 2018 follow up showing that 80% of polio cases are now vaccine-derived.
There’s the 2018 paper in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health concluding that over 490,000 people in India developed paralysis as a result of the oral polio vaccine between 2000 and 2017.
There’s even the WHO’s own malaria chief, Dr. Arata Kochi, who complained in an internal memo that Gates’ influence meant that the world’s leading malaria scientists are now “locked up in a ‘cartel’ with their own research funding being linked to those of others within the group” and that the foundation “was stifling debate on the best ways to treat and combat malaria, prioritizing only those methods that relied on new technology or developing new drugs.”
Kochi’s complaint, written in 2008, highlights the most common criticism of the global health web that Gates has spun in the past two decades: that the public health industry has become a racket run by and for Big Pharma and its partners for the benefit of big business.
[Comment: Highly recommended.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
OPP Shoot Man Dead Hours After Mask Dispute Leads to Alleged Assault
Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating after officers fatally shot a 73-year-old man in Haliburton County on Wednesday morning.
The man had refused to wear a mask and allegedly assaulted a grocery store employee before driving away, Ontario Provincial Police say.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Royal Canadian Navy to Replace “Seaman” Rank Title With Gender-Neutral Term
The Royal Canadian Navy has announced its decision to drop the term “seaman” in reference to junior sailors and replace the rank title with a designation that is more gender-neutral.
Commander Deborah-Lynn Gates, who is responsible for the navy’s personnel policy, thinks replacing the term will allow the navy to become more diverse and inclusive.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
150 Islamists Could Attempt Legal Returns to UK After Jihadi Bride Court Decision
As many as 150 Islamist terrorists could attempt to return to the UK to overturn decisions that stripped them of their British citizenship after the Court of Appeal ruling on jihadi teen bride Shamima Begum.
On Thursday, the court ruled that 20-year-old Ms Begum, who left the UK aged 15 to marry an Islamic State fighter in Syria, can return to the UK to challenge the government decision to remove her British citizenship.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Berlin District Government Video Promotes ‘Antifa is Love’
A video produced by the district office of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg features a sticker promoting the far-left extremist Antifa group as part of a presentation for an anti-right-wing extremism award.
The video, which promotes the Silvio-Meier Prize, features a sticker that states “Antifa is Love”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czechia: PM Babis Still Cautious About EU’s Recovery Fund
Prime Minister Andrej Babis remains cautious about the proposal on redistribution money from the planned EU´s recovery fund, pointing out that the real impact of the pandemic on individual economies will be revealed no sooner than next year.
The prime minister made the remarks before leaving for the EU summit focused on the EU budget and economic support of countries affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Death to Jews, ‘ Swastikas on Jewish Gravesites in Europe
Two cemeteries in Europe were reported to have been vandalized Thursday — the oldest surviving Jewish cemetery in the world in the German city of Worms and another in southern France, whose gravestones were vandalized with swastikas and the words “Death to Jews” and “Death to the French.”
At least 50 gravestones in the medieval Jewish cemetery in Worms were smeared with a greenish paint, the city said in a statement, adding the incident was a “slap in the face” for the German city.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany’s Largest Newspaper to Boycott Interviews With Official Parliamentary Opposition the AfD
Julian Reichelt, the editor-in-chief of Germany’s largest tabloid newspaper Bild, has vowed not to grant members of the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) any more traditional interviews.
Mr Reichelt stated that Bild would cover any news regarding the populist party, which serves as the official opposition in the German Bundestag, but said his paper would not offer a platform for members of the party.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary: “Important and Tough Negotiations Ahead” — PM Orban Says on His Way to EU Summit
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is going to the European Union Summit in Brussels with a clear mandate, he said on Thursday evening upon departure from the Prime Minister’s Office.
“Important and tough negotiations await Hungary. The Parliament has given me a mandate, they have made clear decisions that I must enforce,” PM Orban said in a short video posted on his Facebook page. “We will put together an unprecedented common economic package in the history of Europe to mitigate the consequences of the coronavirus epidemic. We will also contribute to this package.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Leftist Anger as Statue of British Icon Clive of India Survives Campaign for Its Removal
Efforts to remove a statue of Robert Clive, the great British military commander, from the English market town he represented in Parliament have foundered — at least for now.
The statue of Clive, remembered by history as Clive of India for leading a small force to victory over the armies of the Nawab of Bengal at the Battle of Plassey and laying the foundations for Britain’s Indian empire, has had pride of place in Shrewsbury’s town square since 1860 — but activists have been pressing for its removal as a symbol of imperialism and colonialism amid the iconoclastic fervour whipped up by the Black Lives Matter movement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Round of EU-US Trade War Looms Large
The European Union is currently busy trying to figure out its next seven-year budget and economic recovery package, but storm clouds are hanging heavy about a new trade war with the United States, Hungarian conservative news and opinion portal Mandiner reports.
What began as an idea first brought up by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), has by now escalated to a major issue in EU-US relations. The European Union has fully embraced the idea of a two to six percent (current consensus favoring three percent) tax on digital services. While in theory such a tax would affect all multinational tech giants, the simple — and for Europe somewhat embarrassing — truth is that through Google, Facebook and Microsoft, the United States has an overwhelming dominance.
Hence any such tax would primarily hit the United States.
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New Species of ‘Fish Lizard,’ a Reptile Dating Back to the Dinosaurs, Discovered by McGill Student
A McGill University doctoral student and a professor at the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, Germany have identified a new species of Ichthyosaur — an extinct reptile that swam in the oceans back when dinosaurs still roamed the planet.
Dirley Cortes, a PhD candidate in paleontology, has had an affinity for fossils for as long as she can remember. Born in Colombia, Cortes lived near several archeological digs growing up and made a hobby of collecting fossils for school projects.
While doing research in Germany in 2017, Cortes started studying ichthyosaurs with Erin Maxwell, a curator at the Stuttgart museum.
Ichthyosaurs, which translates to fish lizards, were a group of tuna-shaped reptiles that existed about 200 million years ago. They were first discovered and researched by scientists in the early 1800s, and there have been several species discovered since, ranging from two metres in length all the way up to 10 metres.
“They started around the rise of dinosaurs,” explained Prof. Hans Larsson, director of the Redpath Museum and Dirley’s advisor.
“It had body sizes that ranged from almost humpback whale-sized down to smaller than dolphins and they were pretty spectacularly diverse and successful.”
Intriguing skull
Cortes and Maxwell’s study focused on species related to the Hauffiopteryx typicus, a small 2-metre-long ichthyosaur which was known to inhabit parts of what is now Europe.
The fossils were retrieved in the Posidonia Shale, an Early Jurassic geological formation located at the axis of Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
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Poland: Morawiecki: Europe Must Stand With the US in Terms of 5G Technology
PM Morawiecki underlined in an article for the Daily Telegraph, that while shaping economies after the crisis, countries should ensure long-term prevention from becoming economically dependent on unreliable partners.
“The pandemic has made us painfully aware of how crucial it is to have our own secure production lines for pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and laboratories. The same goes for 5G decisions. Disregarding the need to secure our critical technology would be a mistake for which Europeans would pay a considerable price,” he said.
The head of the Polish government underlined that national security must be an integral part of the European approach to globalization, as globalization without democratic control may have dire consequences.
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Report: The Vast Majority of “Old EU” States Benefited From the EU’s Expansion in 2004
Timo Baas, professor of macroeconomics from the University of Duisburg-Essen, carried out some research where he prepared a few alternative scenarios in which 13 countries — Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary — did not join the EU.
These scenarios were then compared to the current European Union.
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Romanian Senate Approves Quarantine Law
The upper chamber of the Romanian legislation, the Senate, as the second instance, approved the country’s so-called “quarantine bill”, closing a legal loophole that has led to a major surge in coronavirus cases, Hungarian news and opinion portal Mandiner reports.
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Survey Finds Czechs’ Satisfaction With the EU Drops by Ten Percent in a Year
Czechs’ satisfaction with their membership in the European Union has dropped by ten percent to 46 percent since last November. A survey conducted by the STEM agency also showed that the decline is caused by Czechs’ fears of the economic and global situation as well as a vague idea of what role the European Union has had in the coronavirus pandemic.
The public’s sense of belonging to Europe has also diminished a little — 69 percent of Czechs percieve themselves as Europeans, while 75 percent stated the same eight months ago.
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UK Health Minister Calls for ‘Urgent Review’ After Scientists Expose Exaggerated COVID-19 Death Toll
Many deaths falsely blamed on coronavirus.
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UK Regulators Plan Fines and Restrictions on Internet Video Providers Over “Hatred” And More
“Hate” and “harm” are vague, subjective terms that are often used by the mainstream media and politicians to promote the idea that internet companies need to do more to censor speech and content on their platforms.
The statistics show that very few internet users ever encounter “hate speech” and that attempts to regulate hate speech are relatively ineffective.
But this has done little to stop the constant push to regulate the internet on the basis of hate and harm.
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UK: Swimsuit Contest Winner Loses Title After “All Lives Matter” Post
The current Miss Swimsuit of UK, 23-year-old Jasmine Archer-Jones, has been stripped of her title after she posted in support of the idea of “All Lives Matter”.
The beauty pageant has removed all the data concerning Archer-Jones and has wiped off every trace of her from their digital presence. They even made her remove a link to their competition website that she put up on her Instagram profile.
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UK: Supreme Court Rules ‘Paedophile-Hunting’ Not a Breach of Privacy
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has ruled that evidence collected by paedophile hunter groups is admissable in prosecutions, rejecting an appeal from a convicted paedophile who claimed that Groom Resistance Scotland invaded his privacy.
On Wednesday, Britain’s highest court rejected a legal challenge brought by convicted paedophile Mark Sutherland, who was found guilty in August 2018 for attempting to communicate indecently with a child.
Mr Sutherland argued that his privacy rights were violated under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights after Groom Resistance Scotland posed as a 13-year-old boy ‘decoy’ on the gay dating app Grindr. The paedophile hunter group confronted Sutherland in Glasgow, filming the encounter, and handing the evidence to the local police.
In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court found that evidence clandestinely collected by paedophile hunter groups does not violate a paedophile’s right to privacy, according to The Telegraph.
[Comment: An interesting and good decision from a British court.]
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Video: UK Thought Police Pay Man Home Visit Over “Offensive” Facebook Comments
A video out of the UK shows plain clothed police officers visiting a man’s home over “offensive” comments he posted on Facebook during a political discussion.
After getting involved in the online exchange, the man was surprised just a day later by cops turning up on his doorstep and asking him to make an appointment at his local police station.
The officers in the clip make it clear that their visit is because of a Facebook post, but refuse to specify what the man had posted and how it was against the law.
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Caroline Glick: Israel and the Sino-Iranian Alliance
When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Teheran in 2016, most observers dismissed the significance of the move. The notion that Beijing would wreck its relations with America, the largest economy and most powerful global superpower, in favor of an alliance with Iran, the world’s greatest state sponsor of terror was, on its face, preposterous.
But despite the ridiculousness of the idea, concern grew about Sino-Iranian ties as Iranian political leaders and military commanders beat a path to China’s door. Now, in the midst of the global recession caused by China’s export of the coronavirus, the preposterous has become reality.
Following weeks of feverish rumors, Iran and China have concluded a strategic accord. Last weekend, the New York Times reported on the contents of a final draft of the agreement.
In its opening line, China and Iran describe themselves as “two ancient Asian cultures, two partners in the sectors of trade, economy, politics, culture and security with a similar outlook and many mutual bilateral and multilateral interests.”
Henceforth, they, “will consider one another strategic partners.”…
| — Hat tip: Caroline Glick | [Return to headlines] |
Where Icons and Holy Relics From Hagia Sophia Will be Transported
A new museum is being set up near Hagia Sophia to display portable icons and Holy relics, Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said.
Speaking at the signing of the protocol on the protection, development, promotion and management of Hagia Sophia, the minister said that “everyone can express their opinion on ‘Hagia Sophia’, but no one is above the decision taken by the independent judiciary and welcomed by our nation.”
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Intelligence: Greedy and Sloppy
Russia is currently investigating Valery Mitko, one of its senior scientists in the field of submarine detection. Mitko is the head of the Arctic Academy of Science, where he had been in charge of sonar research and new methods for detecting submerged submarines. Mitgo was arrested in February and placed under house arrest. In June, a court ruled that the investigation had made sufficient progress to keep Mitko confined until October.
Mitko was initially accused of turning over secret information while on a trip to China. A search of his home and workplace found more evidence of working for China, perhaps as far back as 2017.
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Amazon India Demands Product Listings Have Country of Origin by August 10
NEW DELHI (Reuters) — Amazon.com Inc’s India unit has told sellers they must provide country of origin information on product listings by August 10, according to an email sent by the e-commerce giant to sellers, against a backdrop of brewing anti-China sentiment.
The trade ministry has called for e-commerce sites to name the country of origin beside product listings as Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushes for a self-reliant nation.
In addition, trader groups have called for a boycott of Chinese-made products and New Delhi last month banned 59 Chinese-origin apps and held up Chinese-made goods at ports after a violent border clash between India and China.
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22 Nigerian Christians Killed, Thousands Displaced After 3 Days of Raids From Fulani Militants
Fulani militants killed at least 22 Christians and displaced an additional 2,000 following three bloody days of attacks in the Kaduna state of Nigeria. The violence occurred despite the presence of increased security and a perpetual curfew enacted following previous attacks.
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Digital ID, Bill Gates Vaccine Record, And Payments System Combo to be Trialed in Africa
Africa is now becoming the testing ground for a biometric digital identity platform developed in a partnership between Mastercard, Trust Stamp, and Bill Gates’ GAVI Vaccine Alliance. While Trust Stamp provides identification authentication through AI, GAVI is an international organization created by tech mogul Bill Gates for supposedly helping underprivileged children access new as well as “under-used” vaccines.
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Boat Carrying 63 Migrants Rescued and Brought Into Malta Earlier Today
A boat of 63 migrants has arrived in Malta after being rescued from the country’s Search and Rescue zone earlier today.
According to migrant hotline Alarm Phone, the boat had fled from Libya yesterday morning and had drifted between Malta and Italy before it was picked up by the AFM earlier today.
[Comment: Article dated July 17, 2020.]
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Well, this is the world that the Hollyweird geniuses have been advocating for. Now that it’s becoming a reality, they’re not liking it. You made your pigsty, now wallow in it.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Here we are, ladies and gentlemen:
Wait, did I say LADIES AND GENTLEMEN??
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Progressive Christian Author Matthew Paul Turner Comes Out as Gay, Announces Divorce
Christian children’s book author Matthew Paul Turner on Friday announced he was gay and that he and his wife, Jessica Turner, are filing for a divorce.
Turner, who is the former editor of CCM magazine and best-known for his rhyming children’s books, posted the news on social media.
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The Global Oligarchs Have Merged With the Global Communists
The global oligarchy has now merged with the global communists, and the only losers, will be the vast majority of the planet’s masses and middle class.
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United Kingdom Cervical Cancer Charity Rejects #OnlyFemalesGetCervicalCancer Hashtag
#OnlyFemalesGetCervicalCancer called a “disgustingly transphobic lie” by LGBTQ media.
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University to Mandate ‘Race and Ethnicity’ Course for All Students
Racial re-education will be a requirement for study at the institute.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
This is another attack on the Catholic Church which is happening across the country.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Beyond Masks: This Portable Head Pod Could be Your Future
With governments mandating the wearing of face masks left right and centre, and social distancing plastic pods popping up everywhere, it isn’t too much of a jump to image a future where we are all forced to walk around in our own bubbles, literally.
Indeed, companies are already rushing to develop exactly that, with one already having received fifty thousand pre-orders for a portable head pod.
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Thousands of homeless people have been housed in San Francisco’s empty hotels in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.
However, City Journal contributor Erica Sandberg told “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Wednesday the policy has been an “absolute disaster,”
“It’s solving exactly nothing and as a matter of fact, it’s making all the problems worse,” said Sandberg, who described the scene inside the hotels as “about as bad as you can imagine, only exponentially worse.”
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