Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/26/2022

The latest reports from the Texas Department of Public Safety reveal that police officers wearing Kevlar vests formed a perimeter around the school in Uvalde but did not enter the building while Salvador Ramos was inside massacring children. One police official said they held back because they were afraid of getting shot. Officers prevented concerned parents from entering the building, and even handcuffed one mother to keep her from going in to look for her child.

In other news, when a man in Toronto was seen carrying a rifle near an elementary school, he was shot dead by police.

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

Thanks to Dean, DV, LP, MM, Reader from Chicago, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

Financial Crisis
» Biden’s America: Gas Price Average Reaches Record High of $4.60
» Foreclosure-Wave Sweeping US Crests in Chicago
» Swiss National Bank Chairman Says Global Monetary Policy Moving Into Tightening Phase — Magazine
» UK: Labour Light: Tory Govt to Impose 25 Per Cent Windfall Tax on Oil and Gas Firm Profits Amid Cost of Living Crisis
» US Economy Contracted Even More Than Expected in Q1, Raising Odds of Recession
 
USA
» 2 Dead, 3 Trapped in Apparent Explosion in Pottstown
» Americans Face Record Prices Memorial Day Weekend
» Biden Says “The Second Amendment is Not Absolute”
» BLM Activists Burn the American Flag in NYC on Anniversary of George Floyd’s Death
» Breaking: Mother Trying to Save Children at Uvalde Was Handcuffed by Federal Marshals
» Court Rules Cops Were Wrong to Arrest Louisiana Man for Criticizing Them in Emails
» Elon Musk Praises Ricky Gervais’ New Anti-Woke Standup Special
» Group Pushing for Texas Secession to Hold Info Meet in Jasper on Mon, May 30th
» ‘It’s Just Common Sense’: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt Promotes Conservative Values Against Woke Culture
» Meet the Billionaires’ Club Pumping Critical Race Theory Into Your Child’s Classroom
» Posts Misidentify Photos of Trans Women as Uvalde School Shooter
» Report Shows FBI Spied on 3.3 Million Americans Without a Warrant, GOP Demands Answers
» San Francisco School District Eliminated ‘Chief’ From Job Titles Out of Respect for Native Americans
» Senate Candidate Herschel Walker Proposes Social Media Monitoring
» Twitter Investors Sue Elon Musk, Alleging He “Manipulated the Company’s Stock Price Lower”
» Uvalde School Shooter Walked in ‘Unobstructed’ and ‘Was Not Confronted by Anyone’
» Uvalde Residents Slam ‘Disrespectful’ Beto O’Rourke for Using 19 Murdered Children to Stage Political Stunt
» Video: Ted Cruz Gets in the Face of Brit Journalist Who Blames “American Exceptionalism” For Mass Shootings
» Watch: Photo Bomb, Chicago Style — Man Points Gun at Live TV Crew
 
Canada
» City of Hamilton Extends Vaccination Deadline to September 30
» Parental Rights in Alberta’s Education System: Group Lays Out Case for Freedom of Schooling Choice
» Toronto Police Fatally Shoot Man Seen Carrying Rifle Near Elementary School
» Trudeau Climate Delegations Win Golden Pig Trophy for Worst Taxpayer Waste
» Watch: Ottawa Residents React to Freedom Convoy Organizer Tamara Lich’s Bail Hearing
 
Europe and the EU
» Actor Kevin Spacey Charged in UK With Four Counts of Sexual Assault
» Explosion at Spanish Plant Leaves 2 Dead; 250 Kids Evacuated
» From Switzerland With Love: Avi Yemini & Lewis Brackpool on Andrew Says
» German Elections Might be Re-Run in Berlin Over Vote Irregularities
» Hungary Slaps Windfall Tax on Corporations to Cover Costs of War
» Meat Eaters Warned Over Monkeypox
» Police in Ireland Are Criticized for Extensive Facial Recognition Use
» Polish PM Appeals to Hungary to Stop Importing Russian Oil as Soon as Possible
» Security Says Only ‘Approved Press’ Can Film Outside World Health Assembly
» Senator Manchin Tells Davos Audience That US Should Seek Removal of Putin From Power
» Spain Cracks Down on Own Intelligence Agency After Spying Abuse Revelations
» Sweden’s “Psychological Defence Agency” Issues Warning About Memes That “Spread Misleading Information”
» UK: Great Reset: Online Lockdown Learning Tool Recommended by Government Harvested Data of Schoolchildren
» UK: Labour-Ordered Report Denies Claims Rotherham Abuse Continuing ‘On the Same Scale’
» Ukrainian Women in Sweden Warned Not to Dress in a Way That Could Provoke Muslim Men
» WEF Elites: Countries Must Reject Sovereign Interests and Prioritize ‘Global Agenda’
» WEF Reports: ‘Russia House’ Turned Into ‘Russia War Crimes House’ In Davos
» WEF Reports: Is it Okay to be BFFs With Jeffrey Epstein if You’re Rich Like Bill Gates?
» WEF Wants Kids to Learn in the Metaverse to Curb Climate Change
» WHO Partners With Deutsche Telekom to Push Global Vaccine Passport System
 
Russia
» Latest News in the Russia-Ukraine War
 
Immigration
» Illegal Migrant Arrivals to Italy Up 28 Per Cent So Far This Year
» Immigration Minister Grilled Over RCMP Chaperoning Roxham Road Migrants
» Migrants Swarming Italian Town on French Border
» Number of Migrants to Cross the Channel by Boat Was THREE TIMES Higher in the First Three Months of the Year Compared to the Same Period in 2021 as 4,540 Arrived in the UK
» Ohio Lawmakers Advance Constitutional Amendment to Ban Noncitizens From Voting
» Watch: Drew Hernandez Shows Illegal Immigrants Being Released Into the US by NGOs
 
Culture Wars
» Biden’s USDA: Schools Must Embrace Transgender Agenda or be Deprived of Food Funds
» Number of Young Britons Identifying as Lesbian, Gay, Or Bisexual Doubles in Four Years
» ‘Period Crunch’: Would You Eat Womb-Shaped Cereal?
» Soros-Funded Groups Demand Pelosi be Allowed to Receive Communion
» Virginia AG Backs Fired Teacher in First Amendment Case Over Preferred Pronouns
 

Biden’s America: Gas Price Average Reaches Record High of $4.60

Gas prices reached another record high on Thursday as Americans continue to grapple with rising prices across the board, all while the Biden administration continues to toe the line that Russia — not administration policies — are responsible for rising prices.

The national gas price average reached $4.60 on Thursday, reflecting a nearly 47-cent increase in the last month. For greater perspective, the national gas price average stood at $3.035 one year ago.

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

Foreclosure-Wave Sweeping US Crests in Chicago

By Dave Byrnes of Courthouse News Service

A report released in April by real estate data aggregator ATTOM has bestowed Chicago with a dubious honor. Amid a national surge in residential foreclosure rates, Chicagoans are currently losing their homes in greater numbers than in any other metro area in the country.

“A total of 50,759 U.S. properties started the foreclosure process in Q1 2022, up 67% from the previous quarter and up 188% from a year ago,” the report stated, with Chicago alone seeing over 3,000 foreclosures in the first three months of the year.

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

Swiss National Bank Chairman Says Global Monetary Policy Moving Into Tightening Phase — Magazine

ZURICH (Reuters) — Global monetary policy is moving into a new phase of higher interest rates to combat resurgent inflation, Swiss National Bank Chairman Thomas Jordan told Bilanz magazine in an interview.

“It’s a new situation, for the first time since 2008, we are seeing monetary policy moving toward tightening in most currency areas,” Jordan told the magazine in an article to be published on Friday.

“We are moving into an unpleasant situation for monetary policy: inflation is already high globally and is even rising in many countries, while at the same time economic activity is weakening worldwide,” he said.

The magazine said the comments hinted at a change from the ultra-expansive course the SNB has followed in recent years, marked by the world’s lowest interest rate and large-scale currency interventions to stem the rise of the Swiss franc.

The SNB declined comment on the magazine’s interpretation when asked by Reuters.

This week SNB governing board member Andrea Maechler said the central bank would not hesitate to tighten policy should inflation in Switzerland remain persistently high.

April saw the highest inflation rate in Switzerland for 14 years, with prices rising by 2.5%, outside the SNB’s target range of 0-2%.

Still Swiss inflation remains much lower than in 8.5% level in the United States and 7.4% in the eurozone.

The SNB is due to give its next policy update on June 16, where it would include the impact of higher inflation rates abroad in its assessment, Jordan told Bilanz.

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

UK: Labour Light: Tory Govt to Impose 25 Per Cent Windfall Tax on Oil and Gas Firm Profits Amid Cost of Living Crisis

The notionally conservative government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson will enact 25 per cent windfall tax on oil and gas companies to provide subsidies to the public after months of deriding the opposition-left Labour Party for proposing the very same measure.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced that the government will impose a £5 billion windfall tax on energy firms in order to provide an addition £200 in energy cost savings to means-tested households in the UK.

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

US Economy Contracted Even More Than Expected in Q1, Raising Odds of Recession

After the Atlanta Fed reported yesterday that it had cut its Q2 GDP nowcast to 1.8% from 2.4%, meaning that we are just 1.8% away from a full-blown technical recession after last month we learned that Q1 GDP unexpectedly tumbled deep in the red…

[…] few were too excited about today’s first revision of last month’s dismal GDP print, and yet while such revisions are usually ignored by the market — after all the latest data looks at what happened in the distant Q1 — we find that the US economy slowed even more than expected, with Q1 GDP contracting —1.5%, up from the —1.4% initially reported, and missing estimates of a modest bounce to —1.3%.

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

2 Dead, 3 Trapped in Apparent Explosion in Pottstown

First responders were called to a home along the 400 block of North Washington Street Thursday night.

At least two people were killed while three others are trapped following an apparent explosion that destroyed and damaged several homes in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

First responders were called to a home along the 400 block of North Washington Street around 8 p.m. on Thursday.

Todd Stieritz, the Public Affairs Coordinator with the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety, confirmed with NBC10 at least two people were killed while at least three others are trapped in the rubble. Numerous people have also been hospitalized though officials don’t have an exact number…

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Americans Face Record Prices Memorial Day Weekend

Americans are preparing to face the most expensive Memorial Day weekend gas prices on record, as the cost of food is increasing as well.

The average price of a gallon of gas on Thursday hit another record high of $4.60 in the United States, according to AAA. That is up more than $1.50 from a year ago, when the average price was $3.035.

Gas prices have either risen or remained the same every day since April 24, AAA observed.

Memorial Day cookouts will also be more expensive this year for Americans facing inflation.

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

Biden Says “The Second Amendment is Not Absolute”

Joe Biden declared Wednesday during remarks on the Texas school shooting that the right to bear arms in the U.S. is “not absolute”.

After signing an executive order to reform policing, and wheeling out George Floyd’s family for the press, Biden addressed the shooting, saying he “just sick and tired.”

“When in God’s name will we do what needs to be done to, if not completely stop, fundamentally change the amount of the carnage that goes on in this country?” Biden continued.

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

BLM Activists Burn the American Flag in NYC on Anniversary of George Floyd’s Death

Black Lives Matter activists took to the streets of New York City on Wednesday and burned American flags to commemorate the two-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death.

Floyd died while in the custody of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020, which sparked nationwide civil unrest. Chauvin, who kneeled on Floyd’s neck as he muttered the famous words, “I can’t breathe,” was convicted of second and third-degree murder last year.

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

Breaking: Mother Trying to Save Children at Uvalde Was Handcuffed by Federal Marshals

After it was revealed on Thursday that not only did police delay their response to sending tactical teams into the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Tex. amid a school shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead but prevented parents from entering, the Wall Street Journal reported that one mother sprinted into the school to get her children, over objections from law enforcement.

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

Court Rules Cops Were Wrong to Arrest Louisiana Man for Criticizing Them in Emails

The US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana has ruled that three police officers in the state’s St. Tammany Parish violated the law when they arrested a man for criticizing them.

The man, Jerry Rogers Jr., was expressing his criticism in emails he was exchanging with the family of a murder victim, Nanette Krentel — a case that remains unsolved for five years now.

Reacting to the messages, the sheriff’s office indicted Rogers for defamation despite the fact they were told by the district attorney this would be unconstitutional. They eventually arrested him.

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

Elon Musk Praises Ricky Gervais’ New Anti-Woke Standup Special

Comedian Ricky Gervias received high praise for his new Netflix special “Ricky Gervais: SuperNature,” from Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday.

Musk posted on Twitter “@NetflixIsAJoke @rickygervais Great show!”

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

Group Pushing for Texas Secession to Hold Info Meet in Jasper on Mon, May 30th

A group with a goal of Texas seceding from the United States has announced that they will hold an information meeting in Jasper.

Mack Dunkin, who is with the Texas Nationalist Movement and is the Local Coordinator for the organization’s Lufkin office, says that it’s time for a “Texit”.

Dunkin says there is a long list of reasons for Texas to secede, including the United States Federal Government refusing to secure the border with Mexico, imposing lockdowns during the Coronavirus pandemic, compelling Texans to be vaccinated for the virus, and also printing excess amounts of money which results in a devalued dollar.

According to Dunkin, those interested in learning more about their efforts can do so by attending a meeting at Smitty’s Smokehouse on the northeast corner of Highways 96 and 190 on Monday, May 30th at 6:30 p.m.

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

‘It’s Just Common Sense’: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt Promotes Conservative Values Against Woke Culture

The state of Oklahoma has enacted multiple new laws in recent months to fight the conservative fight in the ongoing culture war for America’s future.

As detailed by Rebel News, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed legislation to protect the unborn, as well as legislation to protect the integrity of women’s sports by prohibiting the participation of biologically male transgender athletes from competing against women in schools and colleges.

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

Meet the Billionaires’ Club Pumping Critical Race Theory Into Your Child’s Classroom

A decade ago, when an Obama-era initiative called “Common Core” convinced 41 states to give up control of their education standards, it was infamously the result of a massive influence campaign by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Now, with America’s K-12 landscape being turned upside down by “equity” initiatives that divide children by ethnicity and devalue rigorous academics, the culprit is much the same: Gates and other philanthropic foundations.

That’s a takeaway from the two years I spent poring through educational and financial records for my new book, “Race to the Bottom: Uncovering the Secret Forces Destroying American Public Education.” These philanthropic foundations are perhaps the most powerful and least understood force in American politics — and a key node in moving critical race theory from academic papers to society. Pick any radical racial initiative in your child’s school, and it is likely to tie back to the Ford, Kellogg, Gates, Annie E. Casey, MacArthur, or Surdna foundations.

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

Posts Misidentify Photos of Trans Women as Uvalde School Shooter

CLAIM: Photos shared on Reddit of a transgender woman — wearing a Coca-Cola sweatshirt and black skirt in one picture, a NASA shirt in another — show Salvador Ramos, who officials say fatally shot 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas. Another photo of a trans woman holding a green bottle to her mouth also shows Ramos.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. None of those images show Ramos. The two images shared on Reddit were posted by a woman named Sam, who confirmed her identity to The Associated Press and has posted new images since Ramos was killed by authorities on Tuesday. The image with a green bottle is of a woman named Sabrina.

THE FACTS: On Tuesday, Ramos stormed an elementary school and committed the deadliest school shooting in the U.S. in nearly a decade. Immediately, social media users began speculating about Ramos’ identity and sharing purported images of the shooter.

Some social media users shared a photo of a woman wearing a Coca-Cola sweatshirt and a black skirt, and a similar image in which she is holding a transgender pride flag. Other widespread posts showed a photo from the same account of the woman wearing a black NASA shirt with a red skirt.

“OMG! I found the shooter’s reddit account. Was a transgender,” one tweet of the two photos claimed. The post was later deleted for violating Twitter rules. The images were also shared in Facebook posts claiming to show Ramos.

But the photos are not of Ramos.

The photo with the woman in the Coca-Cola shirt was originally posted to a Reddit account in February, while the photo with the NASA shirt was posted in April. The Reddit user is actually named Sam, and she confirmed her identity to the AP. The AP is not using Sam’s last name to protect her privacy…

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

Report Shows FBI Spied on 3.3 Million Americans Without a Warrant, GOP Demands Answers

Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)

Top House Republicans are demanding answers from the FBI after court-ordered information came to light showing that the federal agency had collected the information of over 3 million Americans without a warrant.

In a May 25 letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Mike Turner (R-Ohio) asked Wray to explain why his agency had wiretapped and gathered personal information on over 3.3 million Americans without a warrant.

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

San Francisco School District Eliminated ‘Chief’ From Job Titles Out of Respect for Native Americans

The San Francisco public school district announced Thursday it will drop the word “chief” from all job titles out of respect for Native Americans.

A spokesperson for the San Francisco Unified School District said the decision was made Wednesday.

“While there are many opinions on the matter, our leadership team agreed that, given that Native American members of our community have expressed concerns over the use of the title, we are no longer going to use it,” spokesperson Gentle Blythe told the San Francisco Chronicle.

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

Senate Candidate Herschel Walker Proposes Social Media Monitoring

Georgia Senate Candidate Herschel Walker has suggested that a government agency be set up to monitor the social media accounts of young men and women in the wake of Tuesday’s mass shooting at a Texas elementary school where the shooter killed 19 students and two adults before being fatally shot by law enforcement officers.

Walker made the comments while being asked about his stance on gun control during a Fox News interview on Thursday.

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

Twitter Investors Sue Elon Musk, Alleging He “Manipulated the Company’s Stock Price Lower”

Among the headaches that Elon Musk faces regarding his proposed takeover of Twitter is now an investor lawsuit claiming that Musk “manipulated the company’s stock price downward” during the course of his involvement in the company.

Investors are alleging that Musk saved himself $156 million by not reporting, in a timely fashion, that he had purchased more than 5% of Twitter by March 14, a new report from Bloomberg/Yahoo says.

The investors also asked to be certified as a class and to be awarded both punitive and compensatory damages. In addition to Musk, Twitter was also named as a defendant, as investor agued that the company didn’t do enough to look into Musk’s conduct.

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

Uvalde School Shooter Walked in ‘Unobstructed’ and ‘Was Not Confronted by Anyone’

The Texas Dept. of Public Safety Regional Director Victor Escalon said during a press conference on Thursday that there was not a school resource officer on location at Robb Elementary School when the shooter arrived.

“It was reported that a school district police officer confronted the suspect that was making entry—Not accurate. He walked in unobstructed,” said Escalon “initially. From the grandmas house… into the school, he was not confronted by anyone.”

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

Uvalde Residents Slam ‘Disrespectful’ Beto O’Rourke for Using 19 Murdered Children to Stage Political Stunt

On Thursday, Turning Point USA correspondent Drew Hernandez, reporting live from Uvalde, Tex., the site of a recent tragic school shooting, interviewed a person who was protesting against Beto O’ Rourke showing up and trying to barge his way into an official press conference on Wednesday.

“BETO STAY AWAY: Citizens here in Uvalde Texas want @BetoORourke to stay out of Uvalde and this local man believes what he did yesterday was disrespectful to the community,” tweeted Hernandez along with footage from Uvalde.

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

Video: Ted Cruz Gets in the Face of Brit Journalist Who Blames “American Exceptionalism” For Mass Shootings

Texas Senator Ted Cruz lost his patience with a British journalist who kept on badgering him, asking why America is the global epicentre of mass shootings and blaming “American exceptionalism”.

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

Watch: Photo Bomb, Chicago Style — Man Points Gun at Live TV Crew

“Good day, Chicago!”…

Chicago police are looking for a man who took photo-bombing to the next level on Wednesday morning as a local Fox affiliate aired the quite aspirationally-titled “Good Day Chicago.”

During a live shot from the corner of Clark and Hubbard Streets in downtown, a man crossed behind reporter Joanie Lum and pointed a gun over her shoulder at the crew.

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

City of Hamilton Extends Vaccination Deadline to September 30

The tug-of-war continued in Hamilton on Wednesday between councillors who want to scrap the city’s vaccine mandate for workers and those who want the unvaccinated to be fired.

Council voted 11-3 to carry a motion by councillor Esther Pauls to extend the existing deadline to Sep. 30. The city had originally required all city workers to show proof of two Covid shots — or an approved exemption — by May 31 or face termination.

Hamilton city hall has said that nearly 94% of workers — or 7,149 people — are considered fully vaccinated, with 505 who have not disclosed their status. Of those, 441 are undergoing rapid testing, while 64 have been forced off the job without pay for noncompliance.

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

Parental Rights in Alberta’s Education System: Group Lays Out Case for Freedom of Schooling Choice

The Alberta Parents’ Union is a parent-driven organization that advocates for quality education for all students. They are also strong proponents for choice in education, whether that be public, homeschool or separate charter schools, and believe that parents are better equipped to determine the educational needs of their children than the government.

Despite a great deal of fear mongering from NDP politicians and the Alberta Teachers Association over the quality of education in Alberta and the need for more spending, according to Alberta Parents’ Union organizer Jeff Park, Alberta is doing very well when compared to other regions even on a global scale.

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

Toronto Police Fatally Shoot Man Seen Carrying Rifle Near Elementary School

Officers responded to reports of a man in his late teens or early 20s carrying a firearm in Scarborough’s Port Union area

Police in Toronto have shot and killed a man after he was spotted carrying a rifle near an elementary school, prompting an emergency lockdown for hundreds of students.

Officers responded to reports of a man, described as being in his late teens or early 20s, carrying a firearm in Scarborough’s Port Union area of the Canadian city about 1pm.

Witnesses told local media they heard three gunshots and then saw police attempting to revive the man.

The police chief, James Ramer, told reporters Thursday afternoon that the event was “isolated” and there was no further threat to public safety, but that police would increase patrols in the area.

“Due to the proximity to a school, I certainly understand the trauma and how traumatic this must have been for staff, students and parents, given the recent events that have happened in the United States,” he said…

           — Hat tip: MM [Return to headlines]
 

Trudeau Climate Delegations Win Golden Pig Trophy for Worst Taxpayer Waste

The Trudeau government’s infamous climate delegations were the big winners at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF)’s 24th annual Teddy Waste Awards in Calgary on Wednesday, taking home the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award for wasting taxpayers’ money.

CTF Alberta director Kris Sims and federal director Franco Terrazzano announced the nominees and winners at a gala-themed presentation that was live streamed by the Western Standard, honouring “the best of the worst of government waste.”

Also called the Teddies, the Teddy Waste Awards — represented by golden pig trophies — are named after former federal appointee Ted Weatherill, who has gone down in history for bloated expense claims, including $150,000 in food bills over eight years.

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

Watch: Ottawa Residents React to Freedom Convoy Organizer Tamara Lich’s Bail Hearing

Lincoln Jay for Rebel News here in Ottawa, Ontario, where I recently finished listening in on a bail review hearing for Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich.

Now for those of you that don’t know, Tamara Lich was one of the main organizers of the Freedom Convoy that took place back in February in Ottawa. If you need to get up to speed with what took place during the truckers’ convoy, you can view our coverage at convoyreports.com.

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

Actor Kevin Spacey Charged in UK With Four Counts of Sexual Assault

British prosecutors have charged actor Kevin Spacey with four counts of sexual assault against three men, officials said Thursday.

The Crown Prosecution Service said Spacey “has also been charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent,” the Associated Press reports.

The alleged incidents took place in London from March 2005 to August 2008, and in western England in April 2013.

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

Explosion at Spanish Plant Leaves 2 Dead; 250 Kids Evacuated

MADRID (AP) — An explosion hit a biodiesel production plant in northern Spain on Thursday, killing two people and forcing the evacuation of 250 children who had been on a field trip nearby, police said Thursday.

Police video of the explosion showed flames engulfing the plant in the northern region of La Rioja, sending large plumes of black smoke into the sky. The two people killed were both workers at the plant, said police.

Emergency workers scrambled to evacuate the area, including a nearby theme park.

“A few metres away from the plant was a field trip of 250 children who had to be transferred out of danger to another area,” police said in a statement.

None of the children were reportedly harmed. Officials are investigating the reason for the explosion…

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

From Switzerland With Love: Avi Yemini & Lewis Brackpool on Andrew Says

Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) and Lewis Brackpool (@Lewis_Brackpool) report in from Switzerland to explain the ins-and-outs of the World Economic Forum.

From interviews with officials on the streets, to dystopian pop-up corporations, not everything is quite what it seems in Davos.

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

German Elections Might be Re-Run in Berlin Over Vote Irregularities

Last year’s German federal elections in Berlin were so riddled with irregularities that at least six areas in the capital should have a do-over, the country’s elections administrator said this week.

In the first-ever public hearing of the election examination committee of the German parliament (Bundestag), MPs were told by elections administrator George Thiel that half of Berlin’s constituencies (six of twelve) had experienced enough irregularities on the September 26th election last year to warrant a repeat of the vote.

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

Hungary Slaps Windfall Tax on Corporations to Cover Costs of War

Hungary will levy a windfall tax on corporations in a range of economic sectors to help cover the costs of the ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on Wednesday.

In a video posted on his official Facebook account, Orban explained the levy was necessary to help pay for the cost of capping utility prices and the requirement to rearm and bolster national defenses.

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

Meat Eaters Warned Over Monkeypox

In the UK, the NHS warned people to avoid meat “from endemic countries”. The chances of thus spreading the disease is however negligible as meat from African wild animals is not readily available in Britain. Moreover, Monkeypox is contagious, not infectious.

In fact, current data indicate that Monkeypox is not very infectious in humans. “It has a low Ro (perhaps below 1), which is the term used to describe how efficiently an infectious disease can spread from human to human. Again, this is super good news for containment,” noted mRNA inventor Dr Robert Malone.

“The risk of immunologic escape is very, very low. And the spread of this virus can be readily stopped by simple, inexpensive classical public health measures. If it were otherwise, we would already have experienced a pandemic of Monkeypox decades ago.”

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

Police in Ireland Are Criticized for Extensive Facial Recognition Use

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), Ireland’s oldest human rights organization, has warned against the use of facial recognition technology (FRT) by law enforcement agencies and in public spaces.

In its submission to the parliament (Oireachtas) on the Grada Digital Recordings Bill, the ICCL called for a ban of the use of FRT.

It argues that the technology poses a privacy risk because someone’s face “is permanently and irrevocably linked” to their identity.

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

Polish PM Appeals to Hungary to Stop Importing Russian Oil as Soon as Possible

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has appealed to Hungary once again to move away from importing Russian oil as soon as possible.

Speaking to U.S. media at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Morawiecki explained that the European Union was working for unity on the proposed Russian oil embargo but acknowledged some central European nations — particularly landlocked countries like Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and the Czech Republic — would find a move away from Russian oil more difficult than others.

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

Security Says Only ‘Approved Press’ Can Film Outside World Health Assembly

Reporting for Rebel News, Sophie Corcoran (@SophieLouiseCC) reports that security told our team in Geneva that they were not allowed to film outside of the World Health Organization’s headquarters because they are not considered ‘approved media’.

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

Senator Manchin Tells Davos Audience That US Should Seek Removal of Putin From Power

On Monday, West Virginia’s Democrat Senator Joe Manchin conveyed to an audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that the United States should seek the complete removal of Russian President Vladimir Putin from power.

Manchin said, “Let me speak about Ukraine, first, what Putin… Putin’s war on Ukraine and Ukraine’s determination, resolve, and the sacrifices they’ve made for the cause of freedom, has united the whole world, that it has united us as Senate and Congress I think like nothing I’ve seen in my lifetime. I think we’re totally committed to supporting Ukraine, in every way possible. As long as we have the rest of NATO and the free world helping, I think we’re all in this together. And I am totally committed as one person, to seeing Ukraine to the end with a win. Not basically resolving in some type of a treaty, I don’t think that is where we are or where we should be.”

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Spain Cracks Down on Own Intelligence Agency After Spying Abuse Revelations

MADRID (AP) — The Spanish government will tighten judicial control over the country’s intelligence agency, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Thursday, weeks after the agency admitted it had spied on several pro-independence supporters in the region of Catalonia with judicial authorization.

The country’s National Intelligence Centre, or CNI, has been under fire since April, after Canada-based digital rights group Citizen Lab alleged that the phones of more than 60 Catalan politicians, lawyers and activists had been hacked with controversial spyware. The CNI later acknowledged in a closed-door meeting with Spanish lawmakers that it had hacked into the cellphones of “some” of these politicians.

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Sweden’s “Psychological Defence Agency” Issues Warning About Memes That “Spread Misleading Information”

Sweden’s “Psychological Defence Agency,” which is dedicated to preventing and countering “malign information” and “disinformation,” has taken aim at “misleading” memes in its new “Do Not Be Fooled” campaign.

On a page titled “Laughter that can hurt,” the agency warns that:

“Humor, parody and satire are usually harmless forms of entertainment that can sometimes be used to spread misleading information and ridicule or criticize people or opinions — for example in the form of memes.”

Not only is the Psychological Defence Agency warning Swedish citizens to be on the lookout for misleading memes but it also urges them to be wary of the persuasive power of memes.

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UK: Great Reset: Online Lockdown Learning Tool Recommended by Government Harvested Data of Schoolchildren

A government-recommended online learning tool used by thousands of schools during the lockdown harvested the data of children, an investigation has found.

Research done by the NGO Human Rights Watch has found that an online learning tool recommended to schools by the British government during lockdown harvested the data of children who used it.

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UK: Labour-Ordered Report Denies Claims Rotherham Abuse Continuing ‘On the Same Scale’

A report commissioned by Labour politicians in the rape gangs hotspot of Rotherham denies child sexual exploitation is continuing on the “same scale” as previously.

In November 2021 it was alleged that Rotherham, where officials including police officers and social workers failed to act against the large-scale grooming, raping, and pimping of mostly white girls and young women by mostly Muslim predators of South Asian heritage for years, continues to be a place where action against such abuse is inadequate following an investigation by opposition councillors.

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Ukrainian Women in Sweden Warned Not to Dress in a Way That Could Provoke Muslim Men

Ukrainian women at the Galaxen refugee center in Olofström, Sweden, have been told not to dress in a way that could provoke men from “other cultures” who also live at Galaxen housing facility, according to the Swedish online newspaper, Nyheter Idag.

The instruction has prompted one women’s shelter to start informing Ukrainian women of their rights.

Gitana Bengtsson, who has been helping refugees, reacted to the “advice” from the refugee housing management and made sure to connect with a women’s shelter.

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WEF Elites: Countries Must Reject Sovereign Interests and Prioritize ‘Global Agenda’

As the World Economic Forum continues in Davos, Switzerland, two European elites who spoke following WEF founder Klaus Schwab’s remarks, proclaimed that the global energy crisis is a “transition” toward green energy.

Admitting that the so-called “transition” would be “painful,” the elites said that nations need to put aside their national sovereignty to prioritize the “global agenda.”

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WEF Reports: ‘Russia House’ Turned Into ‘Russia War Crimes House’ In Davos

Rebels News New York-based reporter Jeremy Loffredo visited the Russia War Crimes House in Davos, Switzerland, while covering the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting with our six-person team.

Formerly called Russia House — and with no Russians being invited — Ukrainian artists have rented the space to showcase their exhibition. From May 23-26, this is a place where people can witness alleged war crimes that are being committed in Ukraine by Russians.

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WEF Reports: Is it Okay to be BFFs With Jeffrey Epstein if You’re Rich Like Bill Gates?

Reporting for Rebel News in Davos, Switzerland, Jeremy Loffredo (@LoffredoJeremy) asked attendees if the World Economic Forum should distance itself from Bill Gates, given his historic relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

One attendee quoted a Dave Chappelle skit and referred to Epstein as “this other guy who was pedophilic and everything” but appeared to question the need to blockade “one of the billionaires of the world [who can] do good things for the environment.”

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WEF Wants Kids to Learn in the Metaverse to Curb Climate Change

“Disconnecting” children from the physical world and “plugging them” into a virtual one is the way to go when it comes to the future of education, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).

This is one of the “gems” that have come out of this year’s gathering in Davos, with a post on WEF’s website arguing that this direction is necessary, among other things, to combat climate change — rather, pressure to do so will drive the digitization of education. Other reasons would be better quality, accessibility, and affordability of education.

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WHO Partners With Deutsche Telekom to Push Global Vaccine Passport System

The Covid pandemic is truly turning into “a gift that keeps on giving” when it comes to governments and organizations using it to usher in long-term policies and schemes that are questionable, from the privacy, data security, and even national sovereignty point of view.

The UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) is now preparing to roll out a worldwide pandemic treaty and is teaming up with Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, one of the world’s biggest telecoms, to “link every person on the planet to a QR code digital ID” that will allow for the establishment of a global vaccination passport system.

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Latest News in the Russia-Ukraine War

Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelensky joined other senior Ukrainian officials in denouncing suggestions that Ukraine should cede territory to Russia in return for peace.

Russia stepped up its attacks in Ukraine’s east, mounting offensives against the cities of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk—without success, according to a Ukrainian officer. Heavy shelling of Kharkiv killed seven people and injured 17, a local official said.

Ukraine said Russia was also strengthening its defense lines around occupied parts of southern Ukraine as it attempts to cement its control there.

A Ukrainian man who survived Russian beatings and death threats recounted his ordeal.

Russia: The central bank cut its key interest rate for a third time since early April as it sought to steady a strengthening ruble and support a faltering economy. Sanctions against Russia have pushed its economy into what could be the biggest decline in decades—but the country’s currency has gone the other way.

The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church has helped President Vladimir Putin generate domestic support for the war in Ukraine.

Europe: Finland’s prime minister visited Ukraine, as her country and Sweden pressed on with their bids to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

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Illegal Migrant Arrivals to Italy Up 28 Per Cent So Far This Year

Since the start of the year, Italy has seen over 17,000 illegal immigrants arrive in its territory, a 28.5 per cent increase from the same period last year.

The figures represent migrants who have arrived in Italy on their own by boat as well as those who have been picked up by migrant taxi NGOs and those rescued by the Italian coastguard and other naval authorities since the start of the year.

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Immigration Minister Grilled Over RCMP Chaperoning Roxham Road Migrants

A Quebec MP has demanded to know why the Trudeau government ordered a quarter of the RCMP officers stationed in Quebec to chaperone illegal border crossers at Roxham Road rather than focus on gun trafficking.

Bloc Quebecois MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe put the question to Immigration and Refugee Minister Sean Fraser during a May 12 Commons immigration committee hearing.

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Migrants Swarming Italian Town on French Border

Nearly 100 illegal migrants are arriving daily in an Italian resort town along the French border, according to reports.

Authorities have announced that a permanent reception center for migrants will be opened in Ventimiglia, located in the Italian region of Liguria along the Gulf of Genoa.

Approximately 90 migrants have entered the town each day in recent weeks, many of whom are passing through en route to the French border just a few kilometers away.

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Number of Migrants to Cross the Channel by Boat Was THREE TIMES Higher in the First Three Months of the Year Compared to the Same Period in 2021 as 4,540 Arrived in the UK

The number of migrants to cross the Channel by boat was three times higher in the first three months of 2022 than during the same time last year, with 4,540 people arriving in the UK.

A report by the Home Office published today said in January to March this year there was an average of 32 people on each boat, compared to 18 people per boat in the same months last year.

The number of boats making the journey has also almost doubled from 74 to 141 during the same time period, with crossings taking place on 30 out of 90 days.

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Ohio Lawmakers Advance Constitutional Amendment to Ban Noncitizens From Voting

Ohio voters moved a step closer to deciding if noncitizens can vote in local elections after the House on Wednesday approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would put the issue on the November ballot.

Supporters said House Joint Resolution 4 would close a loophole that could allow noncitizens to vote on local candidates and tax issues in cities and villages. If it passes the Senate, it could appear before voters in November.

“With our vote today, we are giving Ohio’s voters a very clear choice,” said Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Green Township. “They can either decide that Ohio should imitate New York and San Francisco by allowing noncitizens to vote, or that Ohio reserves its voting rights only to qualified citizens. I am confident in their judgment.”

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Watch: Drew Hernandez Shows Illegal Immigrants Being Released Into the US by NGOs

Video taken near the southern border has revealed illegal immigrants being process and bussed from Eagle Pass, Texas to various places across the United States.

The video, taken by journalist and Frontlines host Drew Hernandez, was filmed outside of the Border Patrol station in Eagle Pass. The station is part of the Del Rio sector in Texas, which is one of the busiest.

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Biden’s USDA: Schools Must Embrace Transgender Agenda or be Deprived of Food Funds

The Biden administration announced in May that K-12 schools must allow boys into girls’ bathrooms in order to qualify for federal funds used to pay for school lunches.

The move, which was made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, was made based on the interpretation of the prohibition on discrimination based on sex, as detailed in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as well as the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008.

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Number of Young Britons Identifying as Lesbian, Gay, Or Bisexual Doubles in Four Years

The percentage of people between the age of 16 and 24-years old identifying as either lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) in Britain has nearly doubled over a four year period.

According to a survey conducted by the UK’s Office for National Statistics, eight per cent of 16 and 24-year olds identified as a member of the so-called LGB community in 2020, increasing from 6.6 per cent in 2019 and just 4.1 per cent in 2016.

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‘Period Crunch’: Would You Eat Womb-Shaped Cereal?

Intimina, a Swedish brand dedicated to offering a range of feminine hygiene products, has developed a raspberry-flavoured cereal called “Period Crunch” to help inspire open conversations around menstruation during breakfast.

According to the Daily Mail, the cereal resembles the entire reproductive system and is “dyed red to mimic the colour of blood,” which seeps into the milk, also dying it red.

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Soros-Funded Groups Demand Pelosi be Allowed to Receive Communion

ROME — Two George Soros-funded leftist pressure groups — Faith in Public Life and Faithful America — have launched a petition drive protesting San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone’s decision to bar Nancy Pelosi from receiving Holy Communion because of her aggressive abortion advocacy.

“A holy sacrament should never be weaponized for political ends or to fight the culture wars,” the letter accompanying the petition declares, adopting arguments famously articulated by then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick in 2004.

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Virginia AG Backs Fired Teacher in First Amendment Case Over Preferred Pronouns

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) has filed a brief in support of a West Point, Virginia, teacher who was fired for refusing to use the preferred pronoun of a transgender student.

Miyares’s brief begins, quoting case law:

No State has more jealously guarded and preserved the questions of religious belief and religious worship as questions between each individual man and his Maker than Virginia. The Commonwealth’s interest in securing the religious liberty of its citizens against interference or penalty from any government remains as strong today as it was when those [constitutional] provisions were adopted more than 200 years ago.

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3 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/26/2022

  1. “WEF Elites: Countries Must Reject Sovereign Interests and Prioritize ‘Global Agenda’”

    Comrade! You must reject the ownership of your farm and prioritize the Global Agenda!

    I believe that Russia, being one of the biggest natural resources country, probably sees through this and knows that under the conditions of this new “communism”, they have most oil, gas, metals, wood and food – to lose. That might be what Putin means when he says that they feel threatened.

    The Ukrainian Government of the Czech Republic just managed to get some of the profits off of a Polish coal mine, and Poland is asking Norway to share the profits they make on Oil and Gas… This, in my humble opinion, is the agenda. Communism of the countries and states of the world.

    • And Turkey is asking Greece to share the wealth that exists in the bottom of the Aegean,that is,Gas,Oil,and a lot of other things since this country is the result of volcanic eruptions.

  2. Baron. Twice tonight 5/29 I have clicked on an article and it gave a response that side ‘this site can’t be reached” and then it went to the article.

    Something is happening with google. They must be watching this blog.

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