Gates of Vienna News Feed 9/30/2020

The Disney Corporation announced that it will lay off 28,000 employees, mostly because of the fact that California’s COVID restrictions are keeping Disneyland closed. This despite the news that in September the USA experienced its strongest private sector job growth in three months.

In other news, an elderly couple in Germany have been notified that they will be evicted from their apartment because the municipality needs the space to accommodate refugees.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, 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
» Disney Lays Off 28,000 Employees as Disneyland Remains Closed
» Global Food Shortages Are Becoming Very Real, And U.S. Grocery Store Chains Are Preparing for Worst Case Scenarios
» Private Sector Job Growth in September is Strongest in Three Months: ADP
» This Explosion of Bankruptcies and Layoffs in the United States is Unlike Anything We Have Ever Seen Before
 
USA
» A New Academic Paper Explains How Anarchists Use Social Media to Instigate Violence
» Americans Are Drinking Significantly More Alcohol This Year Than in 2019
» Americans Funded ISIS Terror on the Cheap, An Alarming Revelation for Investigators
» An Anonymous Nurse Speaks Out: The RT-PCR Test is Totally Unreliable, It Does Not Detect the Virus.
» Biden Debates Trump in Banana Republic Brouhaha
» Biden on Whether He Would Pack the Supreme Court: “I’m Not Going to Answer That Question”
» Biden’s Letter to Facebook Calls for More Censorship of Trump
» Black Appraisals of Black Lives Matter — Part II
» Breaking: US Attorney for Oregon Rejects Portland Mayor’s Demand to Remove Deputized Status of Police Officers
» Calls for Joe Rogan to Moderate Next Debate Intensify After Chris Wallace’s Disastrous Performance
» Chicago’s ‘Dreadhead Cowboy, ‘ Charged After Riding Horse on the Dan Ryan Expressway, Appears in Court
» Chris Wallace Interrupted Trump 5 Times More Than He Interrupted Biden
» Coinbase CEO Offers Exit Package to Activist Employees Who Can’t Separate Work From Political Agendas
» COVID-19 Case Number Lies Continue
» Dallas Salon Owner Jailed for Defying Lockdown Orders Wins Spot in Run-Off for State Senate Seat
» De Blasio Announces $1,000 Fine for Anyone Not Wearing a Mask in NYC
» Debate Highlights: Trump Repeatedly Zings Floundering Biden, Battles Host Wallace to Speak
» DOJ: Father and Son Charged With Providing Support to, Fought for ISIS
» Due to Pandemic, Dozens of Governors and Mayors Face Recall Efforts
» Exclusive: Delaware Felon Ballot Harvesting Operation Run by Advocacy Groups
» Future Presidential Debates to be More Structured, Says Debate Commission
» Grad Student Resigns From Leadership Roles After Falsely Identifying as Black
» Group Gathers Outside of the Penumbra Kelly Building; Trespassers Arrested, Vehicles Cited and Towed (Photo)
» Kentucky Attorney General’s Office Moves to Delay Release of Grand Jury Records in Breonna Taylor Case
» Kyle Rittenhouse’s Lawyer Announces Suit Against Biden Campaign for White Supremacist Accusation
» Mail-in Ballot Chaos in Brooklyn as Nearly 100,000 Voters Get Mislabeled Return Envelopes
» Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Arson Charge for Fire Set Inside Justice Center in Late May
» Mauldin City Council Faces Diversity Training to Curb Dissenting Social Media Posts
» Multiple Media Outlets Falsely Claim Man Arrested for Assault During Portland Riots is a ‘Proud Boy’
» NXIVM Overlord Clare Bronfman, Illegal Clinton Bundler, Sentenced to Prison
» Photos Show Mask-Less Feinstein Walking Though Airport — Despite Pushing National Mask Mandate
» S.D. Governor: I Don’t Have the Authority to Lock Down the State, They Are Attacking Our Religious Freedoms
» Senate to Vote on Subpoenas for Tech CEOs, GOP Calls for Reform of Communications Decency Act
» Survey: Most Students Support Campaigns to Block “Controversial” Speakers From Campus
» Suspect Charged in Shooting Attack on 2 L.A. County Police Officers
» Texas Man Who Took Down Church Shooter Cleared of All Charges by Grand Jury
» The Deconstruction of White Confidence
» The Most Frightening Thing Joe Biden Said Last Night
» Twitter Wants You to Believe Universal Mail-in Ballots Are Safe… Despite Mounting Evidence Showing Otherwise
» University Sets Up ‘Support Spaces’ For Students Traumatized by Presidential Debate
» US Economist Spars With a Marxist
» Video: White BLM Supporters Flee From Black Trump Supporters in Cleveland
» Video: “Kill All Men” Biden Supporter Admits She Has Daddy Issues
» Who’s Funding Shady Ballot Harvesting Schemes? What is the “Center for Tech and Civic Life?”
» Why I’m Leaving California
 
Europe and the EU
» ‘American Friends’ Plotted to Kidnap Assange From Embassy
» Coronavirus: UK Economic Contraction During Lockdown is Largest Ever, But Recovery Stronger Than Expected
» Denmark Nears Pre-COVID Normality: No Masks or Distancing in Schools, Just Common Sense
» German Conservatives Struggle to Find Merkel’s Successor
» Germany Proposes Tighter Copyright Reform That Could Increase the Censorship of Memes
» Head of Gazeta Polska Slams Social Media Censorship: ‘Situation is Critical, They Treat us Like a Colony’
» Hungary Demands Jourova’s Resignation, But She Enjoys Von Der Leyen’s Full Trust According to European Commission Spokewoman
» Italy: ‘ISIS Bride’ Says ISIS Not Idyllic, Big Mistake
» Muslims Allowed to Pray During Working Hours, Swedish Court Rules
» New Craze: Social Media ‘Challenge’ Encourages Children to Set Fires at Swedish School
» Poland: Prosecutor: Donald Tusk’s Close Aide Accepted Large Bribes
» Remix News Suspended From Twitter as Censorship of Central European Media Outlets Grows
» Scotland: COVID Police Crash 10-Year-Old Girl’s Birthday Party After Neighbors Snitch on Family
» Slovenia: New Statue of Melania Trump Near Sevnica
» Spain: Videos: Madrid Explodes as Police Violently Crackdown on Anti-Lockdown Protesters
» The Secret History of How British Intelligence Created Amnesty International
» Twitter Suspends Official Hungarian Government Account
» Two-Year Plan for Czech Military Missions Abroad Approved
» UK Citizens Are Being Refused Entry to Businesses Unless They Download Contact Tracing App
» UK Journalist Allison Pearson Locked Out of Twitter for Disputing Government’s Coronavirus Plans
» UK: MPs Pass Boris Johnson’s Brexit Bill to Override EU Withdrawal Agreement
» Vatican Invested £100mn in London Flats Under Becciu — FT
 
Caucasus
» Neo-Ottoman Fantasies: Turkey Eyes Azerbaijan
 
Far East
» Czechia is Interested in Economic Relations With Taiwan, Constitutional Officials Agree
 
Australia — Pacific
» Are Victorians Finally Turning on Dan? Andrews’ Approval Rating Plummets as New Poll Finds Majority of Victorians Want Restrictions Ditched — Days After Most Supported His Lockdown
» Australian Scientists Insist Hydroxychloroquine Could Prevent People Catching COVID-19 After Giving the Controversial Drug to Hundreds of Health Care Workers
» Disgraced Labor Minister Turns on Daniel Andrews and Accuses Him of Being Responsible for the ‘Biggest Policy Disaster in Australian History’
» How Australia’s Rare La Nina — Bringing Torrential Rain and Flooding — Could Lead to More Bushfires Than Ever Before Despite Plunging Temperatures Because of One Unusual Change
» Revealed: The Eye-Watering Cost of Victoria’s ‘Pointless’ Hotel Quarantine Inquiry Which Has Still Found No Answers to Key Questions About Catastrophic Program — But is Blowing Millions in the Process
» Sam Newman is Spotted ‘Breaking Lockdown Laws’ By Having a Picnic 12km From His House With Don Scott and Two Other Mates While Using His Turtleneck Skivvy as a ‘Mask’ — But He Claims He Had a ‘Perfectly Legitimate’ Reason to be There
» The Cruel Reality of Daniel Andrews’ Lockdown: Driver Who Stopped by a River to Eat McDonald’s in His Car After Work is Fined $1,677 — Despite Being in a Country Town With No Corona Cases for 13 Days
 
Immigration
» Father of Paris Charlie Hebdo Attacker Claims to be ‘Proud’ of His Actions
» France: Following Charlie Hebdo Terrorist Attacks, Marine Le Pen Demands Return of Unaccompanied Minors to Their Home Countries
» German Court Evicts Elderly Couple From Home to Accommodate Refugees
» Greece Smashes Migrant Trafficking Network, Arrests Dozens of NGO Operatives
» ICE is ‘Preparing Targeted Arrests in Sanctuary Cities to Boost Trump’s Image as a Law and Order President’ As Election Campaign Enters Its Final Month
» Man Stabbed to Death by Migrant for Trying to Prevent Girlfriend Being Raped Was Targeted Over ‘Sweden Democrats’ Cap
» Sweden: Gothenburg Police Concerned Over Growing Drug Trade Ethnic Gang Violence
 
Culture Wars
» Atheist Group Files Brief Supporting Christian Student’s First Amendment Case
» Navy Seals Now “Gender Neutral” Under New Mission Statement
» New Bill Aims to Spend Public Funds on Investigating Social Media Coronavirus “Misinformation”
» US Ambassador Mosbacher to Poles: You Are on the Wrong Side of History Concerning LGBT
 

Disney Lays Off 28,000 Employees as Disneyland Remains Closed

Citing the state of California’s continued reluctance to reopen its economy due to COVID-19 concerns, Disney Parks announced that it is being forced to lay off 28,000 employees across its theme parks, experiences, and consumer products division.

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

Global Food Shortages Are Becoming Very Real, And U.S. Grocery Store Chains Are Preparing for Worst Case Scenarios

We really are facing a very serious global food crisis.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Private Sector Job Growth in September is Strongest in Three Months: ADP

The numbers: The pace of U.S. private sector job growth in September was the strongest in three months. Private-sector employment rose by 749,000 jobs, Automatic Data Processing Inc reported Wednesday. The gain was above the forecast from economists surveyed by Econoday of a gain of 650,000 jobs. Firms added a revised 481,000 jobs in August and 216,000 in July.

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

This Explosion of Bankruptcies and Layoffs in the United States is Unlike Anything We Have Ever Seen Before

The U.S. economy was supposed to be turning a corner by now, but instead it looks like we are headed for an exceedingly painful winter. All over the country, big companies are laying off thousands of workers, and in some cases the numbers are even larger than that. As you will see in this article, Disney just announced that they will be laying off tens of thousands of workers, and the airline industry is warning that 100,000 workers could soon permanently lose their jobs if the federal government doesn’t bail them out. Meanwhile, we have been seeing businesses fail at a pace that is absolutely stunning. According to the Wall Street Journal, this year we are on pace to set new records for retail stores closings, retail bankruptcies, and retail liquidations…

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

A New Academic Paper Explains How Anarchists Use Social Media to Instigate Violence

A white paper published by academic authors from Rutgers University looks closely at the ways anarchists use social media to organize and instigate violence against their targets. The paper is titled “Network-Enabled Anarchy: How Militant Anarcho-Socialist Networks Use Social Media to Instigate Widespread Violence Against Political Opponents and Law Enforcement” and was published two weeks ago.

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

Americans Are Drinking Significantly More Alcohol This Year Than in 2019

A new study from The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has revealed a large rise in alcohol consumption in 2020 compared to the previous year.

The study reports that alcohol sales first rose following the pandemic lockdowns, spiking 54% the week ending March 21 over the same week in 2019. The trend was seen worldwide, as noted by the WHO, which advocated that alcohol access “should be restricted” by governments during the pandemic.

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

Americans Funded ISIS Terror on the Cheap, An Alarming Revelation for Investigators

A new report on terrorism financing shows that for most Americans who sought to join or support ISIS, the trip was cheap and the money came easily, making it harder for investigators to track would-be terrorists.

“[S]ave for a few exceptions, the vast majority of U.S.-based IS supporters left a remarkably small financial footprint,” said the report, which contrasted the low cost of funding ISIS terror with the Al Qaeda’s big budget. The small footprint “can represent a challenge for investigators, which often rely on financial operations to uncover terrorism-related individuals and as evidence in prosecutions against them.”

The report, by the George Washington University Program on Extremism and the federally funded National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology, and Education Center at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, examined 209 individuals charged with ISIS-tied crimes from 2013 until August of this year.

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

An Anonymous Nurse Speaks Out: The RT-PCR Test is Totally Unreliable, It Does Not Detect the Virus.

The ‘gold standard’ in testing for COVID-19 is laboratory isolated/purified coronavirus particles free from any contaminants and particles that look like viruses but are not, that have been proven to be the cause of the syndrome known as COVID-19 and obtained by using proper viral isolation methods and controls (not PCR that is currently being used or Serology /antibody tests which do not detect virus as such).

PCR basically takes a sample of your cells and amplifies any DNA to look for ‘viral sequences’, i.e. bits of non-human DNA that seem to match parts of a known viral genome.

The problem is the test is known not to work.

It uses ‘amplification’ which means taking a very very tiny amount of DNA and growing it exponentially until it can be analyzed. Obviously any minute contaminations in the sample will also be amplified leading to potentially gross errors of discovery.

Additionally, it’s only looking for partial viral sequences, not whole genomes, so identifying a single pathogen is next to impossible even if you ignore the other issues.

The Mickey Mouse test kits being sent out to hospitals, at best, tell analysts you have some viral DNA in your cells. Which most of us do, most of the time. It may tell you the viral sequence is related to a specific type of virus — say the huge family of coronavirus. But that’s all.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Biden Debates Trump in Banana Republic Brouhaha

by Paul R. Brian

Tuesday night’s presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden was an all-out brawl of incoherent insanity.

Banana Republic Brouhaha

Held in Cleveland, Ohio, the debate “moderated” by Fox News’ Chris Wallace was supposed to be focused on the candidates’ records as well as the pandemic, the Supreme Court, economic performance, ongoing violence and racial tension across the country.

Instead the evening was focused on trying to hear what anyone was actually saying over the constant interruptions from Trump — and occasionally from Biden — and the endless, rapid digressions, accusations and lies.

[…]

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

Biden on Whether He Would Pack the Supreme Court: “I’m Not Going to Answer That Question”

Speaking at the first 2020 presidential debate on Tuesday night, Democratic nominee Joe Biden declined to say whether he would pack the Supreme Court if elected to office.

“Whatever the position I take, that will be the issue,” Biden said in response to Fox News moderator Chris Wallace’s question on the topic. “The issue is the American people should speak. You should go out and vote. You are voting now. Vote and let your senators know how strongly you feel. Vote now. Make sure you in fact let people know.”

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

Biden’s Letter to Facebook Calls for More Censorship of Trump

For all its fundamental ills as a business based largely on unchecked data mining and thus privacy undermining, Facebook has been attempting to maintain a semblance of an unbiased platform during this heated US election season.

Not that the tech behemoth has not been censoring conservative voices — but compared to, for example, Twitter, this hasn’t been coming across quite so forcefully as an open and unabashed policy of taking sides. And that, in turn, certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed by the leftist portion of US politics in general, and the presidential campaign of Democrat Joe Biden in particular.

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

Black Appraisals of Black Lives Matter — Part II

This multi-part series (Part I here) focuses on the perspectives of blacks — conservative, liberal or libertarian — who appraise Black Lives Matter and its agenda. The following selection of commentary by blacks from all walks of life — actors, athletes, businesspeople, civil rights activists, clergy, commentators, physicians and politicians — demonstrates that black public opinion is not monolithic, and that BLM does not speak for all African Americans.

Leo Terrell, civil rights attorney and lifelong Democrat, in a television interview:

“Black Lives Matter is disingenuous. Why? Because there are only certain black lives that they care about. What about that retired black officer, David Dorn? A black man murdered while defending a business [in St. Louis, Missouri]. I didn’t see Black Lives Matter there. It’s certain blacks that they care about to profiteer the black community…

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

Breaking: US Attorney for Oregon Rejects Portland Mayor’s Demand to Remove Deputized Status of Police Officers

The Mayor of Portland, Ted Wheeler, demanded that the US Attorney for Oregon remove the deputized status of some Police Officers in Portland. This deputized status allows those who assault local cops to be federally charged.

In a scathing press release, Billy J. Williams, US Attorney for the District of Oregon, and Ross Burger, US Marshall for the District of Oregon, provide an explanation as to why the state needs to have deputized police officers and why the violence needs to stop.

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

Calls for Joe Rogan to Moderate Next Debate Intensify After Chris Wallace’s Disastrous Performance

Calls for podcaster Joe Rogan to host the next presidential debate are intensifying after the disastrous performance of moderator Chris Wallace.

Wallace was unable to control either candidate in Cleveland as Biden and Trump constantly interrupted each other throughout the night.

The Fox News host also displayed flagrant bias by abandoning his supposedly neutral role and becoming a third participant in the debate, interrupting Trump 5 times more than Biden.

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

Chicago’s ‘Dreadhead Cowboy, ‘ Charged After Riding Horse on the Dan Ryan Expressway, Appears in Court

CHICAGO (WLS) — The Chicago man also known as the “Dreadhead Cowboy” appeared in court Wednesday morning on charges related to a protest last week in which he rode his horse down the Dan Ryan Expressway.

Adam Hollingsworth is facing several charges, including animal cruelty. Hollingsworth rode his horse on the Dan Ryan during rush hour on Sept. 21 for several miles south to 95th Street, where he was eventually arrested.

He said he was protesting violence against children, but prosecutors argue the horse was improperly saddled and badly hurt during the ride, leaving her in critical condition.

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

Chris Wallace Interrupted Trump 5 Times More Than He Interrupted Biden

According to a count of how many times Chris Wallace interjected when Trump was speaking compared to Biden, the debate moderator interrupted Trump 5 times more.

Despite the media attempting to create the narrative that Trump was constantly trying to interrupt Biden, the President could be forgiven for doing so given how he was treated by Wallace.

The Fox News host tried to cut off Trump 76 times compared to just 15 times for Biden.

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

Coinbase CEO Offers Exit Package to Activist Employees Who Can’t Separate Work From Political Agendas

There has lately been more chatter and enthusiasm than pretty much ever before around cryptocurrencies — as that possible future solution to some glaring economic, financial an ultimately societal uncertainties and inequalities, now becoming ever more prominent with the global lockdowns that has been laying bare the ultimately make-believe nature of fiat currencies.

With that in mind — what a good time to be a cryptocurrency exchange like the California-based Coinbase, right? A time to grow and thrive and assume that favorable pole position in a world that’s just taking shape? But the thing we need to keep in mind with digital currencies, and any associated companies, including brokers, is that the whole industry is squarely based in that of broader tech.

Therefore, any attempt to keep things strictly business and focused will always be challenged at best, and disrupted at worst by political activism brought in by employees to their workplace from the outside world.

Coinbase is no exception to that — but the company’s stance may be.

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

COVID-19 Case Number Lies Continue

A record number of COVID-19 cases were reported on September 24 in Alabama. Just two labs reported that there were 2,451 positive test results, but those included old numbers.

The lies continue as those who seek ultimate power and control try to lie their way through this scamdemic. At this point, no numbers from any mainstream media source or government agency should be trusted. There’s more than enough evidence to prove this is all manipulated in order to push fear on the public…

The lockdowns were not done to keep the public healthy and prevent infections, they were done to eliminate the middle class so the banksters can remove the wealth of everyone. Several agendas are coalescing at once with this scamdemic and that is not an accident.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Dallas Salon Owner Jailed for Defying Lockdown Orders Wins Spot in Run-Off for State Senate Seat

Remember Shelley Luther, the Dallas salon owner who reopened her business during the coronavirus shutdown? She decided to turn her story into action and is running for a seat in the Texas State Senate. Tuesday night, she earned a spot in the run-off for that seat.

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

De Blasio Announces $1,000 Fine for Anyone Not Wearing a Mask in NYC

New York City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced a city-wide fine of up to $1,000 for any residents or visitors who refuse to wear a mask in public.

The move comes as positive COVID-19 tests have risen above 3% for the city. A positive test does not indicate the presence of symptoms, and this rise in positive tests has not corresponded with an increase in hospitalizations or deaths.

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

Debate Highlights: Trump Repeatedly Zings Floundering Biden, Battles Host Wallace to Speak

The Nation watched last night as Joe Biden managed for the most part to not fall asleep, completely lose his train of thought or declare that millions of Americans have died from Coronavirus.

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

DOJ: Father and Son Charged With Providing Support to, Fought for ISIS

A father and son — both United States citizens — have been charged with “material support violations” related to their support for a foreign terrorist organization.

The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday said Emraan Ali, 53, and Jihad Ali, 19, had their first appearances in court in the Southern District of Florida. The DOJ said Emraan Ali was born in Trinidad & Tobago and Jihad Ali was born in New York.

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

Due to Pandemic, Dozens of Governors and Mayors Face Recall Efforts

Tony Evers has run into opposition ever since winning election as governor of Wisconsin. Shortly after his victory in 2018, the GOP-controlled Legislature met in lame-duck session to strip him and other new Democratic executive branch officials of some of their powers. This year, legislators successfully argued before the state supreme court that Evers lacked the power to postpone the April primary election or shut down businesses due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Although the governor’s ability to act unilaterally to address public health emergencies has been severely curtailed, that isn’t enough to satisfy all his critics. Last week, a Wisconsin woman named Misty R. Polewczysnki filed paperwork seeking to recall Evers and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, calling the governor “unfit for office” and accusing him of tolerating violence during the recent unrest in Kenosha.

“The unconstitutional mandates and lockdowns have cost citizens their businesses, homes, jobs and livelihood,” Polewsczynski wrote in her official complaint.

If Evers’ opponents have routinely sought to undermine him, he’s not alone in facing the prospect of a recall. No fewer than 10 other governors have faced recall efforts since the 2018 elections. Several now face fresh challenges, primarily aimed at Democrats, although Republicans Doug Ducey of Arizona and Brad Little of Idaho have also found themselves targeted. All told, about three-dozen pandemic-related recalls have been launched at the state and local levels.

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

Exclusive: Delaware Felon Ballot Harvesting Operation Run by Advocacy Groups

Advocacy groups are delivering voter registration forms and absentee ballot applications to inmates in Delaware prison, according to multiple corrections officers who have come forward with the information to NATIONAL FILE.

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

Future Presidential Debates to be More Structured, Says Debate Commission

The Commission on Presidential Debates said it is considering changes to the remaining presidential debates, citing the need for “structure” after Tuesday night’s debate was chaotically peppered with repeated interruptions.

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

Grad Student Resigns From Leadership Roles After Falsely Identifying as Black

Woman admits she dishonestly presented herself as “person of color”.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Group Gathers Outside of the Penumbra Kelly Building; Trespassers Arrested, Vehicles Cited and Towed (Photo)

In the evening hours of September 29, 2020, a group gathered outside of the Penumbra Kelly Building in the 4700 block of Southeast Burnside Street.

A vehicle associated with the group was creating a hazard in the eastbound lanes of East Burnside Street just west of Southeast 47th Avenue. Officers approached the vehicle and as they did so they located several soup cans on top of the vehicle that appeared as though they had been made to throw at officers (photo). Inside the vehicle were several items consistent with what crowd members have used during previous unlawful assemblies and riots. These items included shields, helmets, gas masks, CO2 cans, and paintball guns (photo). Officers asked the owner of the vehicle to move it so it did not create a traffic hazard. The owner refused to move the vehicle, therefore it was cited and towed.

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

Kentucky Attorney General’s Office Moves to Delay Release of Grand Jury Records in Breonna Taylor Case

The release of grand jury records in the police shooting of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, has been delayed until Friday, Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s office announced just hours before the audio recording of the proceedings were set to go public.

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

Kyle Rittenhouse’s Lawyer Announces Suit Against Biden Campaign for White Supremacist Accusation

Kyle Rittenhouse’s lawyer is set to sue the Biden campaign, after they implied that the 17-year-old was a white supremacist in a political advert.

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

Mail-in Ballot Chaos in Brooklyn as Nearly 100,000 Voters Get Mislabeled Return Envelopes

Further issues with mail-in ballots has surfaced, this time in Brooklyn, New York. New York City’s Board of Elections acknowledged that almost 100,000 Brooklyn voters received mislabeled return envelopes that had the wrong addresses and names.

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

Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Arson Charge for Fire Set Inside Justice Center in Late May

A 32-year-old man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal arson charge for a fire set May 29 inside the Justice Center in downtown Portland at the start of four months of protests.

Edward Thomas Schinzing told U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon that he was aware people were being held in custody on the upper floors of the Justice Center when he set the fire. At the time, the county jail in the building held 289 inmates.

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

Mauldin City Council Faces Diversity Training to Curb Dissenting Social Media Posts

Weaponization and control of the language is in no way a new phenomenon, but the age of the internet and social media gives the effort a new meaning, and reach.

At the same time, the term, like the language itself, is very versatile and malleable; so much so that many people might not realize that “language neutering” is also a form of “language weaponization.”

“Weaponization” here is not about any particular kind of language — it’s about building a narrative that evokes strong emotions and imagery, and is then promoted as the only acceptable one.

And so over in South Carolina, the Mauldin City Council is putting taxpayers’ money where it hopes its officials’ mouths will eventually be: a place where voicing any criticism of protests fueled by race issues (such as saying they are “getting out of hand)” or choosing to “defend” the Confederate flag on social networks will become unacceptable.

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

Multiple Media Outlets Falsely Claim Man Arrested for Assault During Portland Riots is a ‘Proud Boy’

Numerous publications falsely claimed that a Portland rioter arrested for felony assault among a slew of charges is a Proud Boys member.

Mike Baker, a correspondent for the New York Times based in the Northwest, tweeted: “This morning, authorities in Portland arrested Proud Boys member Alan Swinney. He faces a dozen charges, including assault, unlawful use of weapon, and menacing.”

However, The Post Millennial‘s editor-at-large Andy Ngo directly reached out to the head of the right-wing organization who confirmed that Swinney is not an associated member.

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

NXIVM Overlord Clare Bronfman, Illegal Clinton Bundler, Sentenced to Prison

NXIVM financier Clare Bronfman of the well-connected globalist Bronfman family was sentenced Wednesday in Brooklyn to 81 months in prison, beginning immediately, for the crimes of enabling credit card fraud and harboring an illegal immigrant. The way the Bronfman-funded group manipulated America’s illegal immigration pipeline to enslave young girls is truly horrifying — and Democrat elites including Hillary Clinton and Kirsten Gillibrand are linked to the demonic cult, as we report below. Clare Bronfman personally oversaw the Rainbow Cultural Garden human experimentation centers, which performed monstrous experiments on children. NXIVM leader Keith Raniere will hear his sentencing judgment on October 27.

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

Photos Show Mask-Less Feinstein Walking Though Airport — Despite Pushing National Mask Mandate

Masks for thee, but not for me!

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

S.D. Governor: I Don’t Have the Authority to Lock Down the State, They Are Attacking Our Religious Freedoms

9 Governors of states within our union have refused to play games with the likes of the federal government, Bill gates and his little henchman Anthony Faucci concerning the fraud that they have perpetuated on the people of this country.

And the one Governor that seems to stand out more then others is that of South Dakota’s Kristi Noam. Krist said that “I know that when you have a leader overstep their authority in a time of crisis, that’s really when you lose this country. And I didn’t want to be guilty of doing that,” Gov. Kristi Noem said.

Justthenews.com reported “South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has declined to lock down her state amid the coronavirus pandemic even as other government leaders around the nation issued restrictions that significantly throttled the U.S. economy.

She said that she listened both to health officials and to individuals who informed her about the bounds of her gubernatorial authorities.”

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Senate to Vote on Subpoenas for Tech CEOs, GOP Calls for Reform of Communications Decency Act

Big Tech companies may face subpoenas as GOP leaders call to reform the Communications Decency Act. Senate Republicans scheduled a vote for October 1, where they will decide if CEOs from Google, Facebook and Twitter should be subpoenaed to testify before the upper chamber.

The Communications Decency Act has come under fire recently as it shields tech companies from lawsuits regarding third party content posted on their sites. During a media roundtable Wednesday, President Trump outlined his goal for reforming the act.

“And we’re here today to discuss protecting Americans from censorship, cancel culture, and consumer abuses inflicted by big tech companies,” he stated. “As President, I’m committed to defending the freedom of speech.”

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

Survey: Most Students Support Campaigns to Block “Controversial” Speakers From Campus

A new survey of 20,000 students from 55 universities has revealed that they are largely against allowing speakers to discuss controversial topics on their colleges campuses.

The survey carried out by the statistical firm CollegePulse was requested by the organizations RealClearEducation and FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) to verify the extent to which the student population allows free speech. According to the organizations, the universities invite many speakers whose topics are described as “problematic,” so students end up exerting pressure on the college to silence them, often through social media campaigns.

The key question used in each statement was whether the student would allow a speaker on controversial topics to appear on campus regardless of whether or not the student supported the idea.

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

Suspect Charged in Shooting Attack on 2 L.A. County Police Officers

A suspect in the shooting attack on two deputies in L.A. County has been charged with attempted murder, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced on Wednesday.

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

Texas Man Who Took Down Church Shooter Cleared of All Charges by Grand Jury

A grand jury decided Monday to take no action against Jack Wilson, the man who heroically stopped a church shooter in Texas in late 2019.

Wilson shot and killed the assailant after the man opened fire at a Sunday service at West Freeway Church of Christ in Fort Worth, Texas. The shooter killed two congregants with his shotgun before Wilson stopped him with a single shot from his pistol, killing him. There were nearly 260 people in the service at that time.

Wilson was awarded the Governor’s Medal of Courage by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in January, the highest honor given to civilians.

Texas prosecutor Tim Rodgers praised Wilson’s brave action after the grand jury’s decision was announced.

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

The Deconstruction of White Confidence

You can tell what years of anti-white propaganda in American universities, public schools and media have done by considering Ilhan Omar, a Somali who got herself elected to the US Congress by running a ballots-for-cash scheme. Omar is very aggressive in her language about white people and is confident that white people are too guilty to do anything about it. She can bully them all she wants.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

The Most Frightening Thing Joe Biden Said Last Night

President Trump throughout the debate last night tried to frame Joe Biden as a radical leftist. Biden denied it time after time. But it was Biden himself who provided the tell that he does indeed side with radical leftists and I am talking frightening radical leftist concepts.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Twitter Wants You to Believe Universal Mail-in Ballots Are Safe… Despite Mounting Evidence Showing Otherwise

Twitter fact-checkers don’t believe in the mounting evidence of voter fraud across the country due to issues with universal mail— in ballots. In fact, the social media platform doesn’t even want you to question it.

President Donald Trump Tweeted out a simple statement of fact “the ballots being returned to states cannot be accurately counted. Many things are already going very wrong!”

Twitter — which is supposed to be a platform of free discourse — again acted as a publisher to fact check the President, putting a link below his Tweet in red saying “learn how voting by mail is safe and secure.”

But look at this major issue with vote-by-mail ballots in New York City — the The New York Post, Breitbart and others reported this year in the Democratic primary that 26 percent of mail in votes were disqualified (roughly 84,208 ballots.) Wow, that’s a lot of voters.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

University Sets Up ‘Support Spaces’ For Students Traumatized by Presidential Debate

Ohio’s Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), the site of last night’s Presidential debate has set up dedicated ‘support spaces’ for students who have been triggered by the tense exchange.

For any poor snowflake babies who couldn’t handle the nasty orange man telling Joe Biden “There’s nothing smart about you,” CWRU is providing a “confidential safe space” where they can talk and cry about it.

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

US Economist Spars With a Marxist

Peter Schiff slams the abandonment of true capitalism and the rising trends toward socialism, central planning.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Video: White BLM Supporters Flee From Black Trump Supporters in Cleveland

Video footage from outside the debate venue in Cleveland last night shows white leftist BLM supporters fleeing after they are confronted and out-argued by black Trump supporters.

The incident took place during a 5 hour-plus live stream broadcast by YouTuber Baked Alaska.

The initial argument took place between Baked Alaska and Biden supporters dressed as doctors. As the two groups debated abortion, one of the Biden supporters sardonically attempted to hand Baked Alaska a face mask as his friend, who is seen wearing an ‘I can’t breathe’ face mask, then tries to get in the YouTuber’s face.

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

Video: “Kill All Men” Biden Supporter Admits She Has Daddy Issues

A Joe Biden supporter outside the venue of last night’s debate in Cleveland who said she wanted to “kill all men” also let slip that she has daddy issues.

The exchange occurred during a live stream by YouTuber Baked Alaska a few hours before the Trump-Biden debate showdown began.

After Baked Alaska made clear that he was a Trump supporter, the young woman launched into a feminist rant about how much she hated men and loved abortion.

“Kill all men, I do believe in that,” said the woman.

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

Who’s Funding Shady Ballot Harvesting Schemes? What is the “Center for Tech and Civic Life?”

Last week, while on a business trip in Wisconsin, I learned about an insane ballot harvesting scheme that appears to be tied to a deep-pocketed liberal advocacy group subsidized by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Google, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and eBay former chairman Pierre Omidyar’s Democracy Fund.

Conservative talk radio host and grassroots activist Vicki McKenna blew the whistle after hearing ads played during her daily show on 1310 WIBA.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Why I’m Leaving California

Ben Shapiro: ‘Bad governance has turned a would-be paradise into a burgeoning dystopia’

My family and my company are leaving California.

It’s heartbreaking. My parents moved to California four decades ago. I grew up here. For 33 of the 36 years I’ve spent on this planet, I’ve lived here. I was born at St. Joseph’s in Burbank; I attended elementary school at Edison Elementary; I went to college at UCLA. I co-founded a major media company here, with 75 employees in Los Angeles. I met my wife here; all three of my kids are native Californians.

This is the most beautiful state in the country. The climate is incredible. The scenery is amazing. The people are generally warm, and there’s an enormous amount to do.

And we’re leaving.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

‘American Friends’ Plotted to Kidnap Assange From Embassy

(Bloomberg) — Officials at a private security agency that was meant to be guarding the Ecuadorean embassy in London were actually carrying out a very different task: spying on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, according to a court filing.

Staff discussed a plot to kidnap the Australian from his hideout in the building. CCTV cameras were changed to allow for sound recording. Fire extinguishers were bugged.

The allegations were made in written testimony of a former employee of the Spanish security firm at a hearing where Assange is fighting attempts to have him extradited to the U.S. The activities were carried out at the behest of “American friends,” the employee of UC Global, whose identity wasn’t released by the London court, said in a legal filing Wednesday.

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

Coronavirus: UK Economic Contraction During Lockdown is Largest Ever, But Recovery Stronger Than Expected

LONDON (AP) — The British economy did not contract as much as originally thought during the second quarter of the year when coronavirus lockdown measures were at their most intense — though the slump remained the worst on record.

The Office for National Statistics said Wednesday that the British economy contracted by 19.8% in the April to June quarter from the previous three-month period, slightly less than its previous estimate of 20.4%.

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

Denmark Nears Pre-COVID Normality: No Masks or Distancing in Schools, Just Common Sense

Authored by Patrick Henningsen via 21st Century Wire

One of the more diabolical aspects of the protracted COVID ‘crisis’ in countries like the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, is the intellectually dishonest claim that Coronavirus in their countries is somehow different from the Coronavirus in other western countries.

It’s like there are two parallel universes now. While the Anglosphere continues to ramp-up its emergency ‘pandemic’ measures and mandatory mask and quarantine policies, their Scandinavian counterparts like Sweden, Norway or Denmark have already returned to life as normal; no masks on public transport (although Norway just introduced a new rule today advising masks on crowded carriages), no obsessive social distancing rules, no snap lockdowns, and certainly no draconian laws and threats of £10,000 fines made by government leaders, or holding the country hostage until a wonder vaccine arrives in the spring. The contrast couldn’t be more extreme.

Sweden today , no masks , life as normal . Lovely to see . The energy is great . Sorry if this upsets people . #anotherway #sheepnomore pic.twitter.com/7GauzSGAjP — Sean collins (@SeanCollins66) September 24, 2020

Why has normality not returned to the US and UK?

Perhaps the worst aspect of the new hypochondriac culture being aggressively promoted in the US and UK is how the state bureaucrats and schools are now targeting children and young adults with a relentless regime of restrictive and nonsensical health and safety policies.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

German Conservatives Struggle to Find Merkel’s Successor

On Nov. 22, it will be exactly 15 years since German politician Angela Merkel assumed the position of Chancellor, having since had shaped the bulk of this century’s German politics. With the next German federal election barely a year away, expected to be held between August and October 2021, her Christian-Democratic Party (CDU) is having a difficult time finding a successor worthy to fill her admittedly large shoes.

The CDU will hold its electoral congress on Dec. 4, and whoever the party’s new leader will be, that person will almost automatically become the joint Chancellor candidate of the CDU and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian-Social Union (CSU).

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

Germany Proposes Tighter Copyright Reform That Could Increase the Censorship of Memes

Germany’s new copyright reform proposal related to Article 17 of the European Union (EU) Copyright Directive (formerly Article 13) will prevent internet users from challenging copyright claims against memes in many circumstances.

Article 17 requires large platforms that host user-generated content to ensure that their users don’t upload copyrighted material and has faced heavy pushback ever since it was proposed.

One of the main criticisms of Article 17 is that the only way for platforms with millions of users to assess copyrighted material at scale is through the use of automated systems. These systems are notoriously overzealous when flagging memes, parodies, criticism, and other types of work that qualify for fair use — a provision in copyright law that allows copyrighted material to be used if it meets certain criteria such as being “transformative.”

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

Head of Gazeta Polska Slams Social Media Censorship: ‘Situation is Critical, They Treat us Like a Colony’

For over two months, the Twitter account of @PolandDaily, the English-language version of Telewizja Republika, has been suspended. The editor-in-chief of Gazeta Polska and deputy CEO of Telewizja Republika, Tomasz Sakiewicz, tells Remix News that despite multiple appeals, the ban on the account has not been lifted.

Sakiewicz believes that social media censorship is not just an issue in Poland, but is a global threat that must be addressed, including by the Polish government.

Remix News: Was a reason provided for the blocking of @PolandDaily?

Sakiewicz: No, despite several attempts to contact Twitter, we were not given a reason for the block and any pleas to unblock it were left without a reaction. Moreover, a week ago my personal Twitter account and Poland Daily TV website were attacked by Russian hackers. My account was then blocked at the request of Polish special services, with my knowledge, but it still hasn’t been unblocked. I do not have the ability to use new passwords or to use my account. The only comfort is that the Russians cannot use it, but neither can I. We have seen no results so far despite requests from the Polish government and myself.

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

Hungary Demands Jourova’s Resignation, But She Enjoys Von Der Leyen’s Full Trust According to European Commission Spokewoman

Vera Jourova, the vice-president of the European Commission for Values and Transparency, enjoys European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s “full trust”, Commission spokeswoman Dana Spinant said on Tuesday despite calls for her resignation from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Spinant was referring to the letter Orban sent to the Commission asking for Jourova’s resignation after she made statements offensive to Hungary that go against fundamental European values.

As Remix News reported earlier, in the letter Orban wrote, he described her statements “are not only a direct political attack against the democratically elected Government of Hungary that have become commonplace, but also a humiliation to Hungary and the Hungarian people. The former is inappropriate, the latter is unacceptable.”

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

Italy: ‘ISIS Bride’ Says ISIS Not Idyllic, Big Mistake

Wanted to come home says woman arrested, brought back with kids

(ANSA) — MILAN, SEP 30 — An Italian ‘ISIS bride’ said a day after her return to Italy Wednesday that she had made a big mistake and had not found the Islamic State in Syria to be the idyllic place she had expected.

“It was a big mistake, the Islamic State in Syria was not the idyllic place we had expected when we left in 2015, responding to the call of al-Baghdadi, in fact we wanted to come back,” said Alice Brignoli, wife of the dead ISIS militant Mohamed Koraichi, after she was arrested in Syria and brought back home with her four children, who are to be placed in care.

Saying that she still believed in Islam, Brignoli told magistrates said she was no longer radicalised and said her children had not been trained.

The ROS special branch of Italy’s Carabinieri police said Tuesday that it had arrested Brignoli in Syria.

Brignoli was the wife of Koraichi, an Italian with Moroccan roots who became an ISIS militant.

The couple left Italy to join ISIS in 2015, taking their three children with them, according to investigators.

Koraichi, who is thought to have died, took part in ISIS military operations while the ROS said that Brugnoli had an “active role in teaching the children the cause of the jihad”.

She is accused of criminal association for terrorism.

The ROS unit tracked down Brignoli and her four children — she gave birth to her fourth child in Syria — and have brought them back to Italy.

Sources said that Brignoli was “extremely happy” to return to Italy, even though she knew she would go to jail and her children would be put into care.

“It’s a lovely Italian story,” Prosecutor Alberto Nobili, the head of Milan’s anti-terrorism pool, told ANSA.

“It highlights the great capacity of the Italian police forces and the strength of international cooperation”.

He added that the children and their mother “will have to be de-radicalised”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Muslims Allowed to Pray During Working Hours, Swedish Court Rules

Swedish employers must not prevent their employees from praying during working hours, a Swedish administrative court in Malmö has ruled.

The ruling requires employers to allow Muslims rituals in the workplace, such as pulling out their prayer rug, bowing to Mecca, and praying to Allah.

The Malmö court thus overturned a decision by Bromöll City Council in the south of the country, which explicitly banned prayers during work last year. The ban was aimed at all religions, but practically restricted orthodox Muslims, who pray on the rug up to five times a day. Other believers traditionally go to temples outside of work. The decision was enforced by councilors from the Swedish Democrats, but also the Christian Democrats.

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

New Craze: Social Media ‘Challenge’ Encourages Children to Set Fires at Swedish School

A so-called “challenge” shared across social media in the Swedish city of Örebro has called on children to set fires in their schools and, so far, several fires have been reported.

Police and local officials have expressed concern that the social media challenges could lead to serious fires in schools in the city with police officer Therese Beme stating, “It can get so serious that someone actually dies in a school fire.”

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

Poland: Prosecutor: Donald Tusk’s Close Aide Accepted Large Bribes

On Tuesday, three more persons were detained as part of the ongoing investigation against former Minister of Transport Slawomir Nowak, according to Aleksandra Skrzyniarz, the spokeswoman of Warsaw’s district prosecutor’s office.

Among the detained are former PKN Orlen CEO Dariusz Krawiec.

The individuals were detained under suspicion of having given Nowak bribes amounting to several hundred thousand PLN in exchange for his help in gaining access to lucrative positions.

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

Remix News Suspended From Twitter as Censorship of Central European Media Outlets Grows

Twitter has suspended Remix News from its platform on the same day that our outlet published an exclusive interview withTomasz Sakiewicz, the editor-in-chief of Gazeta Polska and deputy CEO of Telewizja Republika, about Twitter’s censorship of Poland Daily, the english-language version of Telewizja Republika.

Twitter also suspended the official Twitter account of the Hungarian government, About Hungary, as well Hungarian news outlet Hungarian Insider on the same day. Twitter has since restored the About Hungary Twitter page with no explanation given.

Twitter also offered no reasons for the suspension of @RMXnews, but in the wake of the suspension of About Hungary and Polish state media outlet Poland Daily, Remix News serves as only the latest example of a media outlet covering Central Europe being silenced by the platform.

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

Scotland: COVID Police Crash 10-Year-Old Girl’s Birthday Party After Neighbors Snitch on Family

Police in Scotland turned up at a 10-year-old girl’s birthday party after a neighbor snitched on her family for not following coronavirus social distancing rules.

Yes, really.

Mum Leanne Macdonald said she deliberately spaced out visits by relatives so as not to violate Scotland’s strict COVID-19 regulations.

But this didn’t stop her neighbor from snitching on her and two uniformed police officers entering the home to warn her she was now on “alert” and would be charged and fined if she broke the rules again.

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

Slovenia: New Statue of Melania Trump Near Sevnica

It replaces the wooden one burned in July

(ANSA) — BELGRADE, 16 SET — A bronze statue of Melania Trump has appeared near Sevnica, Slovenia, the US first lady’s birthplace. The artwork replaces the wooden one, erected in 2019, which unknown persons set on fire at the beginning of July 2020.

The original statue was made by a local craftsman, Ales Zupevc, based on an idea by the American artist Brad Downey, who created also the second bronze monument. The new statue, the Slovenian public TV told, stands on a pedestal, almost three meters high. The shape of the bronze work recalls that of the previous wooden statue, and you can see this from some photos published by the local media. It portrays Melania raising her left arm in a sign of greeting. However, the previous wooden statue had been painted in blue to remember the dress the first lady wore at the swearing-in ceremony of her husband-president.

The art installation, designed by Downey, an artist famous for his provocative works, had already caused controversy and criticism in Slovenia last year when the first statue appeared near Sevnica. The idea, born already several years ago, was “to isolate some contradictions” of the contemporary political discourse in the US and in particular of the Trump policies against immigration, Downey told ANSA.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Spain: Videos: Madrid Explodes as Police Violently Crackdown on Anti-Lockdown Protesters

Over a million residents of Spanish capital are now living under curfew.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

The Secret History of How British Intelligence Created Amnesty International

Amnesty International projects itself as the watchdog on human rights worldwide with the stated mission to campaign for “a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments.” However, lesser known is the fact that Amnesty International was created by British Intelligence for intelligence gathering to carry out social engineering of targeted nations critical of the British Empire. Amnesty International was involved in not only the cover-up of torture and regime change by British agents but also in sparking a war.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Twitter Suspends Official Hungarian Government Account

Twitter has suspended About Hungary, an official account of the Hungarian government from Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s communication office, in what is seen as a dramatic escalation of censorship against the government of a European Union member state.

Zoltan Kovacs, the secretary of state for International Communication and Relations in the Prime Minister’s Office, has decried Twitter’s actions, stating, “The beautiful new world has finally arrived, in which tech giants are silencing those who hold different opinions. We have taken the necessary steps and are awaiting an official explanation from Twitter.”

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

Two-Year Plan for Czech Military Missions Abroad Approved

The Czech Chamber of Deputies approved the military mission plan for the next two years, which states that the Czech army will send up to 851 soldiers to foreign missions next year, and a maximum of 100 more in the following year.

The planned numbers for the next two years do not include the deployment of up to 60 members of special forces in Mali, Niger, and Chad. The government has prepared a special proposal for this mission, which has so far only been approved by the upper house of the Parliament.

Minister of Defense Lubomir Metnar emphasized that the missions are in accordance with international law.

[Comment: Countries should follow a non-interventionist foreign policy.]

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

UK Citizens Are Being Refused Entry to Businesses Unless They Download Contact Tracing App

When the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) contact tracing app was first announced, the government insisted it was optional and that customers wouldn’t be refused entry to businesses if they didn’t download the app.

Now, one week after the app’s launch, people are reporting that they’re being refused service at coffee shops, brasseries, and restaurants unless they download the app.

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

UK Journalist Allison Pearson Locked Out of Twitter for Disputing Government’s Coronavirus Plans

Daily Telegraph’s columnist Allison Pearson was locked out of her Twitter account after she shared her views about the COVID-19 that were not exactly coinciding with the government’s narrative about the pandemic.

Of late, governments have urged social media platforms to put “false” news on a tight leash and promote only authentic and government-approved narratives surrounding the pandemic. As a result, arguments that contradict the mainstream accepted narrative, no matter how scientifically accurate, are being censored across the internet.

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

UK: MPs Pass Boris Johnson’s Brexit Bill to Override EU Withdrawal Agreement

On Tuesday, the House of Common’s approved Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Internal Market Bill that seeks to give the United Kingdom the ability to amend sections of the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) with the European Union.

Despite claims from the EU that amending the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement is illegal, the bill passed with an 84 vote majority and will now be sent to the House of Lords, before it is given Royal assent and made into law.

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

Vatican Invested £100mn in London Flats Under Becciu — FT

Newspaper says documents don’t suggest wrongdoing

(ANSA) — ROME, SEP 29 — The Financial Times on Tuesday reported that the Vatican invested another £100 million in London properties while Cardinal Angelo Becciu was the Substitute of its Secretariat of State in addition to a controversial 350-million-euro investment in a building in Chelsea in 2014 that is at the centre of an investigation.

Pope Francis forced the 72-year-old to step down from the helm of the Holy See department that oversees sainthoods last week.

Becciu said he was not ousted in relation to the London operation but for alleged misappropriation regarding the use of Church money in Sardinia and for allegedly favouring activities run by his brothers.

He said he is innocent.

The FT said the documents it has seen regarding a portfolio of ultra-prime flats in Knightsbridge did not reveal any wrongdoing.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Neo-Ottoman Fantasies: Turkey Eyes Azerbaijan

by Thomas O. Falk

Whether in Syria, Libya, or the Mediterranean, Ankara’s modus operandi of provocation and aggression is omnipresent. Syrian mercenaries are one of the keys to Turkish leader Recep Erdogan’s Neo-Ottoman fantasies. According to reports, Turkey is now sending mercenary fighters to Azerbaijan. Their track record of monstrosities is likely to yield mayhem and will leave Europe scrambling for leverage against Turkey once again.

Turkey’s Ties to the SNA Militia

Turkey remains a major player in Syria and relies on the Syrian National Army (SNA), a radical Islamic rebel militia that serve as ground troops loyal to Ankara. According to a report by the UN Human Rights Council, these groups are responsible for numerous war crimes in the region, primarily against the civilian population.

The malicious actions include looting, kidnapping, rape, torture, and displacement of non-combatants. In addition, there is the robbery and destruction of world cultural treasures and religious sites in the Kurdish region of Afrin, which the Syrian rebels conquered on behalf of Ankara in 2018.

[…]

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

Czechia is Interested in Economic Relations With Taiwan, Constitutional Officials Agree

In the meeting in the Lany Chateau, the highest constitutional officials agreed that the visit of Senate President Milos Vystrcil to Taiwan should not be considered a change in the Czech Republic’s policy towards China. At the same time, they also stated that within the One-China policy, Czechia is interested in deepening economic and cultural relations with Taiwan.

In this latest meeting of the highest constitutional officials, including the president, the prime minister, and the heads of the lower and upper house of the Czech Parliament, a joint statement of the top officials confirmed that the Czech Republic recognizes the One-China policy was released.

“Evolving relations with China under the 2016 declaration on strategic partnership, while honoring principles of mutual respect, convenience, and respect for the sovereignty of the other party, is in the interest of the Czech Republic. The Senate President’s trip to Taiwan cannot be considered a sign of any change in this policy,” they stated.

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

Are Victorians Finally Turning on Dan? Andrews’ Approval Rating Plummets as New Poll Finds Majority of Victorians Want Restrictions Ditched — Days After Most Supported His Lockdown

Most Melburnians say it’s time to get rid of restrictions and let them travel more than 5km from their home, visit immediate family and have hospitality venues with indoor dining.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Australian Scientists Insist Hydroxychloroquine Could Prevent People Catching COVID-19 After Giving the Controversial Drug to Hundreds of Health Care Workers

Researchers from Walter & Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne believe hydroxychloroquine could prevent people catching SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Disgraced Labor Minister Turns on Daniel Andrews and Accuses Him of Being Responsible for the ‘Biggest Policy Disaster in Australian History’

Adem Somyurek was sacked in June as the minister for local government and small business, following a 60 Minutes expose on his alleged Labor branch stacking.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

How Australia’s Rare La Nina — Bringing Torrential Rain and Flooding — Could Lead to More Bushfires Than Ever Before Despite Plunging Temperatures Because of One Unusual Change

The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed on Tuesday that a La Niña has formed off Australia’s south-east coast with fears it will cause more bushfires than ever before.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Revealed: The Eye-Watering Cost of Victoria’s ‘Pointless’ Hotel Quarantine Inquiry Which Has Still Found No Answers to Key Questions About Catastrophic Program — But is Blowing Millions in the Process

The inquiry board into the bungled program has requested an extra $2.7 million, which was approved by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Sam Newman is Spotted ‘Breaking Lockdown Laws’ By Having a Picnic 12km From His House With Don Scott and Two Other Mates While Using His Turtleneck Skivvy as a ‘Mask’ — But He Claims He Had a ‘Perfectly Legitimate’ Reason to be There

Sam Newman was photographed more than 12km from his home in Docklands having a picnic with three friends in Brighton, across town in Melbourne’s south, on Tuesday.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

The Cruel Reality of Daniel Andrews’ Lockdown: Driver Who Stopped by a River to Eat McDonald’s in His Car After Work is Fined $1,677 — Despite Being in a Country Town With No Corona Cases for 13 Days

Tom Tran (pictured) bought the meal at McDonald’s in Shepparton, 200km north east of Melbourne, to eat by the Goulburn River, where he was fined $1,677 on the spot.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Father of Paris Charlie Hebdo Attacker Claims to be ‘Proud’ of His Actions

The father of the Pakistan migrant arrested for stabbing two people outside of the former offices of satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo, claims to be “proud” of his son’s actions

The father of Ali Hassan, also known as Zaheer Hassan Mahmoud, was interviewed in his native Pakistan by local media and claimed his son had done a “good job” in regard to the terrorist attack last week.

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

France: Following Charlie Hebdo Terrorist Attacks, Marine Le Pen Demands Return of Unaccompanied Minors to Their Home Countries

French politician Marine Le Pen, president of the National Rally (RN) party, demanded on Tuesday the return of unaccompanied minors to their country of origin because she believes they generate enormous amounts of crime and cause “exorbitant financial cost”.

“True unaccompanied minors do not have to stay on our territory, but must, in conjunction with Unicef and NGOs specializing in these issues, be repatriated to their country of origin in order to be protected there. and to find their home,” Le Pen wrote in a press release of the party.

She also repeated her call to make bone tests compulsory to verify the age of these unaccompanied minors, however controversial the process may be.

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

German Court Evicts Elderly Couple From Home to Accommodate Refugees

A district court in Nürtingen, Germany, confirmed an eviction claim that orders an elderly pensioner couple from Neckartailfingen to move out by the end of the month because the local community wants to accommodate refugees in their apartment, Germans news outlet Wendlingen-Nürtinger Zeitung reported.

The 76-year-old man, who suffered a stroke last year, and his 73-year-old partner have to leave their six-room apartment, which they have been renting for 25 years. According to the court, which confirmed the eviction claim, accommodating refugees is more important than any other hardship.

“Since we received the notice of our eviction, our health has deteriorated,” says the elderly woman.

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

Greece Smashes Migrant Trafficking Network, Arrests Dozens of NGO Operatives

NGOs implicated in major espionage, human smuggling bust.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

ICE is ‘Preparing Targeted Arrests in Sanctuary Cities to Boost Trump’s Image as a Law and Order President’ As Election Campaign Enters Its Final Month

President Trump’s administration is preparing to carry out an immigrationenforcement blitz next month specifically targeting American cities that have adopted ‘sanctuary’ policies.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation could begin later this week in California before being expanded to other cities including Denver and Philadelphia.

The ICE operation is part of Trump’s attempt to project himself as a ‘law and order’ president in the run-up to November’s election.

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

Man Stabbed to Death by Migrant for Trying to Prevent Girlfriend Being Raped Was Targeted Over ‘Sweden Democrats’ Cap

A 19-year-old Swedish man who was stabbed to death by a Sudanese migrant while trying to prevent the culprit from raping his girlfriend was targeted because the migrant thought he was “racist” for owning a Sweden Democrats cap.

The results of the police investigation into the incident, which occurred in Härnösand on May 10 this year, have now been revealed.

A group of migrants entered a house party uninvited before 23-year-old Abubaker Mohamad Awad noticed the SD cap. Sweden Democrats is a right-wing populist party that opposes mass immigration.

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

Sweden: Gothenburg Police Concerned Over Growing Drug Trade Ethnic Gang Violence

An intelligence report from the Gothenburg police has revealed deep concern over growing violence between ethnic gangs in the city as they battle over the city’s illegal drug trade.

The report claims gangs of Syrian migrants along with Afghani and Somali migrants have repeatedly clashed over drug sales in the centre of the city and that police fear the violence could escalate if the members are able to procure firearms.

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

Atheist Group Files Brief Supporting Christian Student’s First Amendment Case

An atheist group known as the American Humanist Association has filed a brief in support of a lawsuit against a Georgia college by a Christian student.

The suit was filed by conservative law firm The Alliance Defending Freedom against George Gwinnett College for punishing Christian student Chike Uzuegbunam for preaching outside of a limited free speech zone on campus.

The college has since changed its policy on free speech and expression, but continues to refuse to accept any penalty for past actions.

AHA Executive Director Roy Speckhardt said in a statement released Tuesday that he believes people must “be given every chance to preserve their First Amendment rights.”

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

Navy Seals Now “Gender Neutral” Under New Mission Statement

Will Trump move in to stop this? Will political correctness affect the SEALs fighting ability? Time will tell.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

New Bill Aims to Spend Public Funds on Investigating Social Media Coronavirus “Misinformation”

The coronavirus saga is still ongoing, with all the extremely serious and deep problems that it brings, not only to people’s health, but also to people’s civil liberties, freedoms, jobs, and overall well-being.

Therefore, it might seem like the most logical thing to do at this point is invest time and money into learning how to end it and support people’s livelihoods — while social, media, and in general anthropological research into some side-effects of the crisis should perhaps take the back seat for right now?

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

US Ambassador Mosbacher to Poles: You Are on the Wrong Side of History Concerning LGBT

An open letter in support of LGBT activists in Poland was published by the US embassy in Warsaw on Sunday and signed by 50 ambassadors currently residing in Poland.

The letter caused enormous controversy in Poland and many commentators have pointed to the ambassadors’ activity as interference with Poland’s internal affairs.

In an interview for news portal Wirtualna Polska, US ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher declared that Poland has the reputation of a country “unfriendly to sexual minorities”, which in turn negatively affects investment decisions and military issues.

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

17 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 9/30/2020

  1. RIP.Deutschland ,Merkel&CO importing more this savages, criminals from Moria camp as We speak , Citizens who rebuild the country and make this country great , has been throw out almost on the streets to make a room for so called “ refugees “ my heart is bleeding what is happening, Germany is lost , they don’t even protesting about this madness..

  2. On the situation in Karabakh: Did you know that the collapse of the USSR began with the conflict in this region?

    Meanwhile, the situation in Russia is extremely alarming. I monitor social networks and see support for Erdogan from Russian Turks and Muslims.

    The Kremlin (more precisely: the oligarchs of multinational origin who settled there) were so afraid of the “terrible” Russian nationalism and self-awareness that it emphasized the development of Turkic and other ethnic self-awareness and self-identification.

    Now let the Kremlin eat problems with a full spoon.

    By the way, in the conflict, despite the propaganda (there are many Armenians in the media), they are in no hurry to support the Armenian side, although we are told that the Armenians are our Christian brothers. We have not seen anything “Christian” from the Armenian mafia and diaspora.

    Most Russians say: Eat each other. We are tired of you.

    • Cressida Dick has now claimed tht Muslims have been grooming English girls for centuries and centuries. Sounds like the 1619 lie that is being pushed on Americans by liberal blacks.

    • From the comment section:
      “Total non-issue: You all knew about the Tory policy on immigration before the election, and by voting in huge numbers for the Conservatives, you just validated their policy of bringing in as many people as possible in order to suppress wages.
      You’ve made your bed, and now is the time to lie in it. Sorry – no sympathy here.”

      “ The last straw for me, time to get rid of this New Labour clone govt. Four reason’s why mass immigration will never stop…
      1) The politician’s don’t care about British people, culture or heritage.
      2) Importing dirt cheap foreign workers undercuts native wages, reduces wage inflation, increases company profits and corporate tax revenue.
      3) A bigger economy / pop gives the globalist UK govt a bigger sway at the top table (UN) i.e soft power.
      4) After 40 years of mass immigration and the stigmatising of opposition to it, the native British public are cowed, beaten and too scared to demonstrate.”

    • Well if our sworn enemies can just walk in and demand and receive luxury services then a hairy in every respect Boris must have seemed a very credible choice for a Prime Minister.

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