Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/7/2022

The CDC is recommending that travelers wear face masks to help prevent the spread of monkeypox. Meanwhile, Georg Maier, the interior minister of the German state of Thuringia, wants anti-lockdown protesters to be classified as “right-wing extremists”.

In other news, a man in Amherst, Virginia who was found dead, apparently from suicide, had threatened a mass shooting of law enforcement officers.

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

Thanks to Dean, DV, JAS, 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
» Czech Central Bank Could Raise Interest Rate a Significant 0.75 Points This Month
 
USA
» ABC Poll: Biden “Badly Under Water on All of the Top Issues”
» Biden’s CDC: Put the Masks Back on for Monkeypox
» Breaking: Project Veritas Exposes CBS News for Using Their Own Reporting to ‘Fact Check’ News
» ‘Equitable’ Grading Earns Illinois High Schools a Federal Civil Rights Complaint
» Gas Now More Than $5/Gallon in Nine States (And Rising)
» Grad Student Sues SIUE After College Suppressed Her Speech
» Ibram X. Kendi Worries Daughter Breathing in ‘Smog of White Superiority’ For Playing With White Doll
» Indianapolis Felon Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Possessing, Firing Gun During BLM Riots
» Judicial Watch Uncovers Dozens of Records of Illegal Molecular Research Reported to NIH
» Kyle Rittenhouse Prohibited From Using His Name on Instagram, Threatens Legal Action
» Law School Will Not Punish Students Who Shouted Down Conservative Scholar
» Man Charged in LA Hospital Stabbing of Doctor, Nurses
» Man Found Dead in Virginia Threatened ‘Mass Shooting of Local Law Enforcement, ‘ Police Say
» Most NYC Residents Say City is Less Safe Since Pandemic, Fear Being Victim of Violent Crime
» Musician Sam Fender Apologizes to Cancel Mob for Posting Photo With Johnny Depp
» New York Raises Age to Buy Semiautomatic Rifles, Revises Red Flag Law, Restricts the Sale of Body Armor
» New York Requiring Social Media Companies to Report ‘Hateful Conduct’
» Odysee Launches F-Droid App and Android APK
» Reddit Warns US Copyright Office Internet Upload Filters Would Harm Memes
» Rep. Liz Cheney Asks for Campaign Donations From Jan. 6 Witness She Subpoenaed
» Rumble Cloud Shares New Details on How it Will “Protect a Free and Open Internet”
» San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin Awaits Fate as Recall Election Vote Comes to a Close
» Seattle Council Members Who Defunded Police Blame Department for Lack of Detectives to Investigate Sexual Assaults
» Small Plane Crashes in Backyard of Southern California Home
» Trump-Backed Senate Candidate Blames Gun Violence on “Black People, Frankly”
» US Woman Pleads Guilty to Leading ISIS Battalion
» Video: White House Tells Americans They Have it Better Than Europeans on Gas Prices
» Video: BBC Reporter to MSNBC — U.S. Should Just Ban All Guns
» Video: Transportation Secretary Claims Biden’s Actions Haven’t Contributed to Gas Price DOUBLING
 
Canada
» Canadian Airports Call for Removal of Trudeau’s Vaccine Requirements for Air Passengers
» Half of Canadians Think Elon Musk’s Purchase of Twitter Will Lead to ‘More Hate Speech, Misinformation’: Poll
» Trudeau Liberal COVID Rules Stringent and Invasive, Says EU Report
 
Europe and the EU
» 61% of French in Favor of Publishing Nationality of People Arrested at Champions League Final
» Analysis: EU Lags Far Behind US in Aiding Ukraine
» Czech and Slovak Pms Agree That the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia Was Inevitable 30 Years Ago
» EU Chief Faces Vote of No-Confidence Over Aid Deal With Poland
» Face Mask Obligation and School Closures Were Useless, Led to Health Crisis, Says German Government Expert
» Germany Doesn’t Trust Zelensky — Der Spiegel
» Germany Continues to Pick a Fight With Telegram
» Germany: Minister Wants COVID-19 Protesters Classified as ‘Right-Wing Extremists’
» If Brussels Freezes Funds, Poland Should Paralyze the EU by Using Its Veto, Says Polish MEP
» Ireland: Great Reset: State Planning Harsh COVID-Style Lockdown in Event of Fuel Shortage — Leak
» Italy: Get an Apple iPad or Drop Out of School
» Poland: Kaczynski Rallies His Party at Warsaw Convention
» Poles Do Not Want a Federalized EU or Abandonment of Unanimity Voting, Polling Shows
» Swedish City Rocked by Suspected Arson Rampage as Cars, Buildings Set Ablaze
» Swedish Police Concerned Ukrainian War Weapons May End Up in Hands of Local Gangs
» UK: The General Public is Easily Led
» UK: The Strange Jubilee
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» June 8th — 55th Anniversary of USS Liberty False Flag Attack
» USS Liberty Veterans Interviewed on 55th Anniversary of Israeli Attack
 
Russia
» Fight in East Rages as Ukraine’s Zelensky Vows to Retake Russian Gains
» Russia-Ukraine War: What Happened Today (June 7)
 
Australia — Pacific
» New Zealand PM Uses Harvard Acceptance Speech to Complain About Online “Disinformation”
» YouTube Ordered to Pay Australian Politician John Barilaro $715,000 for Hosting “Defamatory” Content
 
Latin America
» Brazil’s President Bolsonaro Raises Doubts That Biden Won the 2020 Election Just Two Days Before Their Meeting at the Summit of the Americas and Praises Trump
 
Immigration
» Belgian Families Hosting Ukrainian Refugees Complain of Exhaustion, Social Worker Says
» Exclusive: Migrants Fight Back: More Than Half the 130 Asylum-Seekers Facing First Deportation Flights to Rwanda Next Week Launch Their Legal Battle to Remain in UK — But Home Office Source Declares Priti Patel ‘Won’t Back Down’
» Frontex: More Ukrainian Refugees Now Going Home Than Leaving
» Italy: 30 North African Migrants Sexually Assault 6 Teen Girls on Train to Milan
» ‘This is Africa’: Two Thousand-Strong Mob Sexually Assault Girls and Cause Havoc in Italian Lakefront Towns
» Tunisian Illegal Migrant is First Arrest in Wave or Mysterious Hypodermic Needle Attacks in Bars and Clubs in France and the UK
» UK: Terrified With Her Teddy: Little Girl Clutches Cuddly Toy as She’s Carried Ashore After 80 Migrants Landed in Dover Today… as Critics Say Government’s Rwanda Plan to Deter People Smugglers is ‘Not Working’
» Watch: Austrian Police Open Fire on ‘Underage Migrant’ Driving Stolen Car
 
Culture Wars
» “We Believe in Jesus”: Tampa Bay Players Say No to ‘Pride Night’
» California Lawmaker Who Relaxed Punishments for Sex Offenders Proposes Mandatory ‘Drag Queen 101’ Class for K-12 Students
» New York Pro-Life Pregnancy Center Allegedly ‘Firebombed’ By Left-Wing Group, Investigation Launched
» ‘Pride in the Park’ Event Targeted at Children Features Drag Queens and Satanists
» UK Police Force Mocked Over Gay Pride Tweet
» Washington Post’s Dave Weigel is Suspended for Joke Retweet
» Wisconsin School District Drops Sexual Harassment Probe Into 3 Students Accused of Using the Wrong Pronouns
 

Czech Central Bank Could Raise Interest Rate a Significant 0.75 Points This Month

At its meeting this month, the board of the Czech National Bank (CNB) is likely to raise the key interest rate by 0.75 percentage points or more due to the continuing rise in inflation, according to the outgoing governor of the Czech National Bank, Jiri Rusnok, during an interview with the Aktualne.cz news outlet.

The key interest rate is now 5.75 percent, the highest since 1999. The bank’s board last decided to raise it in early May, which at the time, was the sixth increase in the base rate by more than 0.25 percentage points in a row.

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

ABC Poll: Biden “Badly Under Water on All of the Top Issues”

An ABC News survey has concluded that Joe Biden is a “serious drag on Democratic candidates nationwide,” as his approval numbers on all major issues are “badly under water”.

The poll found that on gas prices Biden’s approval is just 27% and on inflation, he has just 28% approval.

That’s telling given that 80% of respondents also said inflation is an ‘extremely or very important factor’ in how they will vote, with a further 74% saying gas prices is a top factor.

Overall on the economy, Biden managed 37%, and given there is still a whole Summer to go until the midterms, that figure is expected to slump even further.

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

Biden’s CDC: Put the Masks Back on for Monkeypox

Joe Biden’s CDC announced Monday that Americans traveling should be wearing face masks because Monkeypox.

The CDC upgraded the monkeypox alert to level 2 on Monday, also issuing advice stating “Travelers should wear a mask. Wearing a mask can help protect you from many diseases, including monkeypox”.

There are three alert levels, level two decrees that Americans should ‘Practice Enhanced Precautions’, while level three advises ‘avoid non-essential travel’.

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

Breaking: Project Veritas Exposes CBS News for Using Their Own Reporting to ‘Fact Check’ News

In the latest undercover exposé from Project Veritas, a CBS News broadcast associate revealed that the network “fact checks” themselves by using their own reporting.

Mike Mulford, documentary broadcast associate at CBS News, told the Project Veritas journalist that he cites previous reporting from CBS News to issue “fact checks.”

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

‘Equitable’ Grading Earns Illinois High Schools a Federal Civil Rights Complaint

A conservative think tank led by former Department of Education officials has filed a federal civil rights complaint against an Illinois high school that announced it was implementing a grading system meant to equalize student outcomes by race.

In a Wednesday letter to the U.S. Department of Education, the president of the Defense of Freedom Institute Robert Eitel requested that the department’s Office for Civil Rights open an investigation into Oak Park and River Forest school district near Chicago after it began instituting “equitable” grading practices at a district high school.

A conservative think tank led by former Department of Education officials has filed a federal civil rights complaint against an Illinois high school that announced it was implementing a grading system meant to equalize student outcomes by race.

In a Wednesday letter to the U.S. Department of Education, the president of the Defense of Freedom Institute Robert Eitel requested that the department’s Office for Civil Rights open an investigation into Oak Park and River Forest school district near Chicago after it began instituting “equitable” grading practices at a district high school.

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

Gas Now More Than $5/Gallon in Nine States (And Rising)

The average price of a gallon of gas has surpassed $5 in nine states, seven of which are run by Democrats, with the national average price soaring this weekend to $4.85, according to the the American Automobile Association (AAA).

Motorists in 9 states — Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon and Washington — are now paying more than $5 a gallon.

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

Grad Student Sues SIUE After College Suppressed Her Speech

A Christian and conservative graduate student at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) has filed a lawsuit because the school acted against her for sharing her religious and political beliefs. Maggie DeJong, an art therapy student, was given three no-contact orders.

She shared her religious and political beliefs on social media, private messages, and in-class discussions, according to the lawsuit. The suit states that DeJong’s Christian and conservative views were different from those of the faculty and students.

“Under the Art Therapy Program’s ‘anti-oppressive framework’ and calls for ‘social justice,’ Ms. DeJong’s speech was often seen as ‘harmful,’“ the lawsuit reads.

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

Ibram X. Kendi Worries Daughter Breathing in ‘Smog of White Superiority’ For Playing With White Doll

Author and prominent critical race theory advocate Ibram X. Kendi wrote an extensive essay on his daughter’s attachment to a White doll in a Tuesday piece published in “The Atlantic.”

Kendi, a professor of humanities at Boston University, discussed his decision to take away a blue-eyed White doll from his one-year-old daughter, who whined, cried and threw tantrums when her parents repeatedly tried to remove the doll from her grip. The story was adapted from the newest edition of Kendi’s book, “How to Raise an Antiracist.”

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

Indianapolis Felon Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Possessing, Firing Gun During BLM Riots

An Indianapolis felon has been sentenced to five years in prison for possessing and firing a gun during the George Floyd riots in 2020.

In May 2020, mass protests broke out across the country in response to the killing of George Floyd. Among the protestors in Indianapolis, Indiana was 30-year-old Tyrone Ross.

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

Judicial Watch Uncovers Dozens of Records of Illegal Molecular Research Reported to NIH

Judicial Watch announced today that it received 2369 pages of records from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) revealing over two dozen cases where research involving recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid (r/sNA) molecules was conducted in America without proper approval and in violation of NIH guidelines.

Recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid (r/sNA) molecules are constructed outside of living cells. The molecules are made by joining DNA or RNA segments (natural or synthetic) to DNA or RNA molecules that can replicate within a living cell. They may also result from replication of previously constructed recombinant molecules.

NIH guidelines detail safety practices and containment procedures for basic and clinical research involving recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules — including the creation and use of organisms and viruses containing recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules. These guidelines require that any significant problems, violations, or any significant research-related accidents and illnesses be reported to NIH within 30 days.

The documents further showed that the research, which occurred at Biosafety Level 1/2/3 laboratories, led to dozens of dangerous mishaps, accidents, and spills.

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

Kyle Rittenhouse Prohibited From Using His Name on Instagram, Threatens Legal Action

Kyle Rittenhouse took to social media on Monday to reveal that Instagram is claiming his name is a “violation of community standards.” Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all charges in November of last year after he exercised his Second Amendment rights to defend himself during the Kenosha riots.

Shortly after Rittenhouse was found not guilty, Meta reversed a previous decision to not allow Rittenhouse to have accounts on Facebook and Instagram. Meta had also implemented a policy that blocked Rittenhouse’s name from searches on the social media sites in August of 2020, following the Kenosha incident. Countless journalists and influencers who posted content of Rittenhouse, including footage of his testimony from his trial, were hit with content removals and account strikes.

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

Law School Will Not Punish Students Who Shouted Down Conservative Scholar

UC Hastings College of the Law will not punish law students who aggressively shouted down a conservative guest speaker earlier in the semester, actions which violated the school’s code of conduct.

Ilya Shapiro, a constitutional law scholar, was shouted down with profanity, insults, chants, desk banging and other measures at a Federalist Society chapter event March 1.

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

Man Charged in LA Hospital Stabbing of Doctor, Nurses

Prosecutors on Tuesday charged a man with attempted murder after they say he stabbed a doctor and two nurses inside a Southern California hospital emergency ward last week.

Ashkan Amirsoleymani, 35, remained inside a storage room at the Encino Hospital Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley for hours on Friday before police arrested him, authorities said. His arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday.

He is being held on $3 million bail on three counts of attempted murder with allegations of causing great bodily injury. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

The criminal complaint against Amirsoleymani lists five previous convictions, including assault with a deadly weapon in 2008 and assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury in 2018.

Police previously said Amirsoleymani had parked his car in the middle of a street and went to the emergency room, where he asked for treatment for anxiety. Prosecutors say he first stabbed the doctor and then the two nurses…

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Man Found Dead in Virginia Threatened ‘Mass Shooting of Local Law Enforcement, ‘ Police Say

AMHERST, Va. (WSET) — Police say a man discovered dead Saturday in Virginia had threatened a “mass shooting of local law enforcement.”

The day before on Friday, the Lynchburg Police Department began receiving threats through Facebook Messenger.

Police said 35-year-old Joseph Lombard was the one sending the messages and threatened police with a mass shooting of local law enforcement officers and judiciary employees.

The messages continued through the early morning hours of Saturday, which prompted an investigation by police.

The Virginia State Police Tactical Team then executed a search warrant Saturday at Lombard’s apartment.

Authorities charged Lombard with threats to bomb or burn a building, threats of death or bodily injury to a person and harassment by computer.

Police said when the tactical team tried to get into the home, a gunshot went off. The team took cover and said they tried to make contact with the man inside the home.

After repeated attempts to get in touch with him, police said they sent a robot into the home, which found Lombard dead and a gun near his body.

State police said none of their personnel fired their weapons during this incident.

Lombard’s remains were taken to the Office of the Medical Examiner for autopsy and examination.

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Most NYC Residents Say City is Less Safe Since Pandemic, Fear Being Victim of Violent Crime

A majority of New Yorkers believe the city has become less safe in recent years, with more than three-quarters saying they fear being a victim of a crime, according to a poll released Tuesday by the Siena College Research Institute.

Seventy percent said they feel less safe in the city now than before the pandemic. Half of those polled said they have changed their daily routine to feel safer, which included at least 40% of adults in every borough, gender, age, race, party or income level.

Only 29% of New York City adults believe Democratic Mayor Eric Adams is doing an excellent or good job as mayor overall, while 64% said he is doing only a fair or even a poor job.

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

Musician Sam Fender Apologizes to Cancel Mob for Posting Photo With Johnny Depp

Musician Sam Fender has apologized to an online mob following backlash after he posted an Instagram post referring to Johnny Depp as a “hero.” The photo, featuring Depp and John Beck, was posted before Depp was awarded $10 million in damages in a defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard.

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

New York Raises Age to Buy Semiautomatic Rifles, Revises Red Flag Law, Restricts the Sale of Body Armor

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a package of gun reform legislation on Monday that will increase the age to buy a rifle to 21, restrict the sale of body armor to specific professions, and revise the state’s red flag law.

The gun reforms come less than a month after an 18-year-old gunman allegedly used an AR-15 style rifle to murder 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket in what officials called a racist attack.

“In New York, we are taking bold, strong action. We’re tightening the red flag laws to keep guns away from dangerous people,” Hochul said a press conference on Monday.

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

New York Requiring Social Media Companies to Report ‘Hateful Conduct’

New York will now require social media companies to report “hateful conduct,” Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced on Monday.

Hochul on Monday signed gun control bills into law, which include actions such as tightening the red flag laws and raising the age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle to 21.

“No 18-year-old can walk in on their birthday and walk out with an AR-15,” she said. “Those days are over.”

During the press conference Hochul also announced that the Empire State will require social media companies to report “hateful” content.

“And in the state of New York, we’re now requiring social media networks to monitor and report hateful conduct on their platforms,” Hochul announced.

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

Odysee Launches F-Droid App and Android APK

Video sharing platform Odysee has released its Android app on the free and open-source Android app repository F-Droid and also made it available as an Android Application Package (APK).

The APK is full-featured whereas the F-Droid version doesn’t have support for push notifications or Chromecast.

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

Reddit Warns US Copyright Office Internet Upload Filters Would Harm Memes

Reddit has warned the US Copyright Office against internet upload filters, arguing the technology will harm free expression.

The US has been looking to update the DMCA to keep up with the copyright issues found online. Many proposals have come and gone, but the US Copyright Office is now looking into automated tools that can prevent content from being re-uploaded, aka upload filters.

In a submission to the US Copyright Office, Reddit, a platform known for user-submitted content, warned against Standard Technical Measures (STMs), including upload filters.

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

Rep. Liz Cheney Asks for Campaign Donations From Jan. 6 Witness She Subpoenaed

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), the Vice Chair of the House January 6 committee investigating the 2021 riot at the US Capitol, is sending letters to individuals that have been subpoenaed by the committee asking for campaign contributions.

Megan Small, who served as director of operations for the Trump administration and was subpoenaed by the committee in September of last year, posted on Twitter Monday that she received a mailer from Cheney’s campaign asking for donations.

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

Rumble Cloud Shares New Details on How it Will “Protect a Free and Open Internet”

Neutral video sharing platform Rumble has launched a new Rumble Cloud website that shares fresh details on the company’s upcoming cloud web hosting service and explains how Rumble Cloud will protect free speech online.

The site describes Rumble Cloud as “a neutral place for your business to be free, in the cloud” and reiterates that Rumble is “on a mission to protect a free and open internet.” It continues by describing how Rumble Cloud intends to “empower businesses, educational and religious institutions and government organisations to create online spaces that welcome every opinion and point of view.”

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

San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin Awaits Fate as Recall Election Vote Comes to a Close

San Francisco residents on Tuesday will vote to either keep or recall District Attorney Chesa Boudin, whose progressive policies have shocked even his early supporters, recall campaign spokesperson Richie Greenberg told Fox News Digital.

Boudin’s advocates praise the district attorney for keeping true to his promises of eliminating cash bail, not prosecuting quality-of-life crimes and putting fewer people behind bars after his father — a former member of the extremist Weather Underground group — spent about 40 years in prison for second-degree murder and first-degree robbery charges before being granted parole last year.

Voting on the recall measure, Proposition H, will end Tuesday. It is one of eight measures on the ballot, which voters can submit in person or by mail.

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

Seattle Council Members Who Defunded Police Blame Department for Lack of Detectives to Investigate Sexual Assaults

After the revelation that cases that are supposed to be handled by the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit are not getting assigned because of staffing shortages in the Seattle Police Department, council members are now blaming the police after having voted to defund the department.

Following the news, socialist Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales tweeted the Seattle Times article that broke the story and wrote, “If SPD wanted to have more officers to these cases, they would. SPD assigned twice the number of officers to sweep unhoused people than to investigating sexual assault. These are not only staffing issues, but management decisions. This is unacceptable.”

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

Small Plane Crashes in Backyard of Southern California Home

HEMET, Calif. — A small plane crashed into the backyard of a Southern California home on Tuesday and the pilot was hospitalized with injuries, authorities said.

The plane went down around 9:35 a.m. in the city of Hemet, about 75 miles east of Los Angeles.

The sole occupant suffered serious injuries and was taken to an area hospital, the Hemet Police Department said in a tweet.

Two people who were in the house were unharmed, Fire Chief Eddie Sell told TV station KCAL9.

The plane appeared to have crashed through a cinder-block wall and into the backyard, according to TV news images. The wreckage appeared burned.

The cause of the plane crash was under investigation, the department said.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

Trump-Backed Senate Candidate Blames Gun Violence on “Black People, Frankly”

Trump-backed Senate candidate Blake Masters has attracted controversy for resurfaced remarks in which he blames gun violence in America on “black people, frankly.”

Well, this is awkward.

Left-wing outlet Heartland Signal posted a clip of the comments to Twitter, which Masters initially made back in April.

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

US Woman Pleads Guilty to Leading ISIS Battalion

An American woman who prosecutors say led an all-female battalion of Islamic State militants in Syria pleaded guilty on Tuesday in a case that a prosecutor called a first of its kind in the United States.

Allison Fluke-Ekren broke down sobbing after admitting in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia to conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, a charge that carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence.

The guilty plea resolves a criminal case that came to light in January after Fluke-Ekren, 42, who once lived in Kansas, was brought to the U.S. to face accusations that she led an Islamic State unit of women and young girls in the Syrian city of Raqqa and trained them in the use of automatic rifles, grenades and suicide belts.

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

Video: White House Tells Americans They Have it Better Than Europeans on Gas Prices

Responding to questions about record high gas prices Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre completely copped out by saying that Americans aren’t as bad off as people in Europe where prices are higher.

Once again falling back on the totally debunked notion that Russia’s actions are purely to blame for high energy prices, Jean-Pierre said “This is a global challenge, this is something that everyone is feeling across the globe.”

She then noted that gas prices in the European Union are over $8 a gallon.

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

Video: BBC Reporter to MSNBC — U.S. Should Just Ban All Guns

Appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, a BBC reporter appeared completely confounded as to why the U.S. government hasn’t just banned guns altogether like the UK did in the 1990s.

BBC reporter Katty Kay, who was brought on to talk about the Queen’s Jubilee, was used by Joe Scarborough to hammer home the point that all the British people he knows keep asking him “what’s wrong with you Americans and your guns?”

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

Video: Transportation Secretary Claims Biden’s Actions Haven’t Contributed to Gas Price DOUBLING

In an interview with ABC News Sunday, Joe Biden’s Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg claimed that it is incorrect to say that Biden’s actions haven’t helped stave off gas prices rises.

During a conversation about rampant inflation, Buttigieg told George Stephanopoulos “I don’t think it’s correct to say [Biden’s action] hasn’t made any difference at all” on gas prices, despite the fact that Biden himself admitted this months ago.

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

Canadian Airports Call for Removal of Trudeau’s Vaccine Requirements for Air Passengers

The Canadian Airports Council on Tuesday called for the removal of “all vaccine requirements for air passengers and aviation employees.”

“The aviation community has been a supportive partner of the federal government, in facilitating the vaccine mandate for travel since November 2021,” they wrote. “However, today all Canadian provinces have removed vaccine restrictions, so there is now a different standard for aviation employees and transportation than for other Canadians.

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

Half of Canadians Think Elon Musk’s Purchase of Twitter Will Lead to ‘More Hate Speech, Misinformation’: Poll

A new poll revealed that half of Canadians expect to see more hate speech and misinformation if Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter goes through.

The Elon Musk Twitter saga has divided the public. Many have applauded the billionaire’s plans to transform the platform to better serve its role as the public town square, while others have suggested opening up the floodgates could have unintended consequences.

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

Trudeau Liberal COVID Rules Stringent and Invasive, Says EU Report

The Trudeau Liberal government is garnering negative attention at the international level after travel policies in Canada were determined to be some of the strictest in the world by a healthcare law review submitted to European Parliament.

The report, titled “Right to health, a comparative law perspective: Canada by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS)” was published via McGill University law professor Dr. Derek Jones, reports True North.

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

61% of French in Favor of Publishing Nationality of People Arrested at Champions League Final

Almost two-thirds of French citizens agree with a proposal for authorities to publish the nationality of those arrested during the chaotic scenes that occurred on the evening of the Champions League final in Paris, according to polling published by CNEWS.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has initially refused to do so, opposing suggestions before the Senate law commission. “I do not have to give the nationality of the people we are questioning,” he told lawmakers.

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

Analysis: EU Lags Far Behind US in Aiding Ukraine

The Kiel Institute for the World Economy published a ranking of countries helping Ukraine financially after Russia’s invasion four months ago, including with both material and humanitarian aid. As expected, Ukraine’s biggest supporter has been the United States, while Estonia, Poland, and Latvia have contributed the most per capita.

The current study covers 37 countries and shows government commitments, private donations, and military or technical assistance. Statistics show, for example, that Czechia helps in terms of per capita aid as much as France.

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

Czech and Slovak Pms Agree That the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia Was Inevitable 30 Years Ago

The division of Czechoslovakia 30 years ago after the fall of communism was the right decision and an inevitable step, said Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala during a debate with Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger on Monday in Prague.

Fiala said that any efforts designed to keep Czechia and Slovakia together as one nation state would have only caused further tensions and disagreements.

“Maybe it would have disintegrated later under worse conditions,” Fiala said.

In connection with the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, Heger and Fiala spoke on Monday of a miracle in which the two new states peacefully parted ways and respected each other, with their representatives maintaining above-standard relations.

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

EU Chief Faces Vote of No-Confidence Over Aid Deal With Poland

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is facing the prospect of a no-confidence vote over the deal struck to provide Poland with long-delayed coronavirus recovery funding.

On the same day that UK Prime Minsiter Boris Johnson faced down efforts to oust him by rebels within his own party, top Eurocrat Guy Verhofstad also launched a leadership battle against EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.

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

Face Mask Obligation and School Closures Were Useless, Led to Health Crisis, Says German Government Expert

Much of what Germany did to stop the spread of Covid-19 was not just useless but led to a mental and physical health crisis, according to Professor Reinhard Berner, who sits on the Federal Government Expert Council, which actively advises Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The director of the Polyclinic for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the University of Dresden conducted a so-called meta-study comparing the restrictions in Germany with less-strict measures in other countries, according to German news outlet Die Welt.

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

Germany Doesn’t Trust Zelensky — Der Spiegel

Germany has been hesitant in sending tanks to Ukraine to counter Russian forces, due to “historical reasons,” government sources have told Der Spiegel magazine.

According to the unnamed officials, there is concern within Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government that Kiev could become over-confident if it achieves a series of victories, and might launch an incursion into Russian territory.

Such a development “would mean that German tanks would once again be inside Russia,” Der Spiegel wrote on Friday, in an apparent reference to Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

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

Germany Continues to Pick a Fight With Telegram

German authorities continue to put pressure on Telegram, one of the world’s most popular messaging apps independent of massive Silicon Valley tech corporations. For that reason, Telegram is a thorn in the side of many governments who are looking for ways to control content and users, as they are doing on Twitter, Facebook, Google, and elsewhere.

It is Telegram’s unwillingness to cave in and put its large platform at the disposal of law enforcement and censors that gets it praised as heroes when this happens in Russia, but the same thing happening in other countries puts the app on the collision course with governments and in the crosshairs of government-aligned media.

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

Germany: Minister Wants COVID-19 Protesters Classified as ‘Right-Wing Extremists’

The interior minister of one German state has openly advocated for anti-lockdown protesters to be classified as “right-wing extremists”.

Georg Maier, the left-wing interior minister of the German state of Thuringia, has said that he wants to see all COVID-19 protesters in the country classified as “right-wing extremists”.

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

If Brussels Freezes Funds, Poland Should Paralyze the EU by Using Its Veto, Says Polish MEP

There are powerful voices in Brussels seeking to reverse a new deal granting Poland access to EU funds, but if such voices win the debate, then Poland must turn to its veto powers to “paralyze” the EU, said Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, a senior MEP from Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party.

Last week, the European Commission announced it would unlock the EU Recovery Fund for Poland if certain milestones were reached, but in a letter to MEPs, Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt called for a vote of no confidence against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen if she moves forward with the plan.

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

Ireland: Great Reset: State Planning Harsh COVID-Style Lockdown in Event of Fuel Shortage — Leak

The Irish state is planning on reimplementing harsh COVID-style lockdown rules should the Ukraine crisis cause a major fuel shortage.

The Europhile government of Ireland is planning a return to draconian COVID-style lockdowns should a fuel shortage arise out of the ongoing Ukraine crisis, a leak revealed to the public on Monday has claimed.

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

Italy: Get an Apple iPad or Drop Out of School

Italy is pushing ahead with the digitization of schools — and the public institute Mazzini-Modugno in the Italian city of Bari is breaking new ground. The institute obliges the students to buy an iPad from Apple. If they do not comply, they have to change schools.

Italian weekly l’Antidiplomatico, reported that the school itself offers the devices for sale, with various options. Prices range from 469 euros to 729 euros.

“This is an unacceptable impertinence that strictly excludes the use of equivalent devices (the much cheaper Android) and forces families to bear very expensive costs […] Children of families who do not comply are obliged to pay to change schools (and classmates).”

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

Poland: Kaczynski Rallies His Party at Warsaw Convention

The convention held in the suburb of Warsaw only had one key speaker, the leader of Law and Justice, Jaroslaw Kaczynski. He positioned his party as the custodian of the legacy of his brother, Lech, whose vision of Poland and its place in the world, he argues, is being implemented by the current government.

Kaczynski used the occasion to defend the record of his government. He was proud of the fact that the state budget is today nearly twice what it was back in 2015 when his party came to power. This enabled the party to implement key social policies to help families and the elderly.

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

Poles Do Not Want a Federalized EU or Abandonment of Unanimity Voting, Polling Shows

A majority of Poles want the EU rule of unanimity when taking important decisions to remain, and almost half are opposed to the concept of federalization of the European Union, new polling has revealed.

According to a survey by Estymator research center for portal dorzeczy.pl, 24 percent of respondents strongly agreed, and 36 percent somewhat agreed that the EU should keep the rule of unanimity voting in key decisions — a combined total of 60 percent.

On the contrary, 30 percent of Poles wanted the unanimity rule scrapped, while 10 percent of respondents did not know how to respond.

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

Swedish City Rocked by Suspected Arson Rampage as Cars, Buildings Set Ablaze

A slew of suspected arson attacks rocked the small Swedish city of Trollhättan last week, according to reports.

Dozens of cars and multiple buildings were damaged or destroyed on Thursday night in what police believe may have been retaliatory actions following arrest of a gang member hours previously.

Police received a call about the first fire just before 10:30 p.m. and more alerts began pouring in, Aftonbladet reports.

Emergency crews were deployed across the city to battle blazes in at least six neighborhoods.

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

Swedish Police Concerned Ukrainian War Weapons May End Up in Hands of Local Gangs

Swedish police have expressed concern that weapons being used in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia may make their way to Sweden where they could fall into the hands of criminal gangs.

Swedish police are growing concerned that weapons being used in the Ukrainian conflict with Russia may end up being smuggled out of the country by arms traffickers who may then sell those weapons on to the gangs operating in Sweden.

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

UK: The General Public is Easily Led

A new poll finds the British public thinks;

  • 5% of population is trans (actually 0.3%)
  • 20% of population is black (actually 3%)
  • 15% is Muslim (actually 4%)
  • 15% of men are gay (actually 1.3%)

How have they been so easily misled?

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

UK: The Strange Jubilee

What was strange about the Queen’s Jubilee, is that it didn’t really feel like a celebration of Britain.

More like a wake for a Britain that used to exist, but is no longer with us.

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

June 8th — 55th Anniversary of USS Liberty False Flag Attack

ON JUNE 8, 1967, while patrolling in international waters in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, USS Liberty (AGTR-5) was savagely attacked without warning or justification by air and naval forces of the state of Israel. Of a crew of 294 officers and men (including three civilians), the ship suffered thirty four (34) killed in action and one hundred seventy three (173) wounded in action…

After the Israeli fighter aircraft completed their attacks, three Israeli torpedo boats arrived and began a surface attack about 35 minutes after the start of the air attack…

Two flights of rescue aircraft … had been launched from [U.S.] Sixth Fleet aircraft carriers. After those flights were recalled, Sixth Fleet personnel listened to our calls for help as the attack continued knowing they were forbidden to come to our assistance.

           — Hat tip: JAS [Return to headlines]
 

USS Liberty Veterans Interviewed on 55th Anniversary of Israeli Attack

Hear exclusive interviews with the brave survivors and listen to the People’s Bullhorn deliver a speech to the heroes who refused to let their ship sink, and their memory be erased.

           — Hat tip: JAS [Return to headlines]
 

Fight in East Rages as Ukraine’s Zelensky Vows to Retake Russian Gains

Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk, Popasna, remain the most difficult places, President Zelensky said late on Tuesday.

Kyiv: Ukrainian forces struggled to hold their ground in bloody street-to-street fighting in the eastern frontline city of Sievierodonetsk as President Volodymyr Zelensky said the situation was difficult, also pledging to retake Russia’s gains.

The days-long battle for the industrial city has emerged as pivotal, with Russia focusing its offensive might in the hope of achieving one of its stated aims — to fully capture surrounding Luhansk province on behalf of Russian-speaking separatists.

“We have to achieve a full deoccupation of our entire territory,” Zelensky said by video link at an event hosted by Britain’s Financial Times newspaper on Tuesday…

           — Hat tip: MM [Return to headlines]
 

Russia-Ukraine War: What Happened Today (June 7)

As Tuesday draws to a close in Kyiv and in Moscow, here are the key developments of the day:

The World Bank warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “has magnified the slowdown in the global economy, which is entering what could become a protracted period of feeble growth and elevated inflation.” The bank’s new Global Economic Prospects report projects a drop in global growth from 5.7% last year to 2.9% in 2022 and beyond. “For many countries, recession will be hard to avoid,” World Bank President David Malpass said.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry tweeted that Russia is “blocking the exports” of 22 million tons of grain. The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, accused Russia of destroying a major grain terminal in the southern port city of Mykolaiv — part of a wider campaign that he said is driving up food prices and destabilizing entire regions. And European Council President Charles Michel said at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday that the Kremlin is using food as a missile against poorer countries, which caused Russia’s ambassador to walk out. Meanwhile the U.S. has accused Russia of trying to sell grain it has stolen from occupied parts of Ukraine.

Japan and NATO agreed to increase cooperation during a visit to Tokyo by NATO Military Committee chief Rob Bauer. The agreement arose from concerns over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The security of Europe and Asia are closely intertwined, especially now with the international community facing serious challenges,” said Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi. If Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends the next NATO summit, to be held in Spain at the end of June, he will become the first Japanese leader to do so.

State Department spokesman Ned Price accused the Kremlin of engaging “in a full assault on media freedom, access to information and the truth” after Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Moscow-based U.S. journalists and media representatives Monday and threatened them with expulsion. Price told reporters in Washington that the U.S. “continues to issue visas to qualified Russian journalists, and we have not revoked the Foreign Press Center credentials of any Russian journalists working in the United States.” Meanwhile, both Price and Russia’s U.S. Ambassador Anatoly Antonov praised an interview with U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan that appeared in Russia’s TASS news agency on Monday: Antonov called it a sign of Russia’s openness to other points of view, while Price said it showed that the U.S. “continues to engage with Russian media outlets because we believe it is vital for the people of Russia to have access to information.”

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

New Zealand PM Uses Harvard Acceptance Speech to Complain About Online “Disinformation”

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern recently received an honorary degree from Harvard University. She used the opportunity to give a speech that attacked online “disinformation.”

Ardern attacked social media companies, saying that they needed to be more transparent and responsible.

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

YouTube Ordered to Pay Australian Politician John Barilaro $715,000 for Hosting “Defamatory” Content

In an explosive ruling, Google was ordered to pay $715,000 in defamation damages to the former deputy premier for New South Wales John Barilaro for now deleting two YouTube videos that criticized the politician.

Barilaro sued the tech company for refusing to remove the videos, published by comedian Jordan Shanks in 2020.

According to Barilaro, the videos were “vulgar,” portrayed him as corrupt, and had “racial slurs” attacking his Italian heritage.

The judge agreed, saying that the videos were a “relentless vicious campaign against Mr. Barilaro.”

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

Brazil’s President Bolsonaro Raises Doubts That Biden Won the 2020 Election Just Two Days Before Their Meeting at the Summit of the Americas and Praises Trump

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro raised doubs that President Joe Biden won the 2020 election two days before their first in-person meeting at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.

Bolsonaro, nicknamed the ‘Trump of the Tropics,’ said in a television interview Tuesday that he is still suspicious of Biden’s win, echoing complaints made by former President Donald Trump, who still falsely claims he was robbed a second term due to widespread voter fraud.

‘The American people are the ones who talk about [election fraud,],’ he said, according to Reuters. ‘I will not discuss the sovereignty of another country. But Trump was doing really well.’

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

Belgian Families Hosting Ukrainian Refugees Complain of Exhaustion, Social Worker Says

Belgian families are facing strain and exhaustion in their efforts to accommodate refugees from Ukraine, due to financial issues, tensions in everyday life and language barriers, Andre Maton, a social worker in the city of Charleroi, told Sputnik.

According to the social worker, all newcomers first arrive at the general reception center where they receive a stay permit that is valid until March 4, 2023, and can be renewed. Those without any contacts in the country are sent to public social services centers in municipalities and then dispatched to families willing to take them in. A refugee also receives about €1,300 ($1,388) a month plus €300 per child. They are also offered to sign a standard agreement with a host which stipulates that the refugee would give up 20% of the money income to cover food and housing costs.

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

Exclusive: Migrants Fight Back: More Than Half the 130 Asylum-Seekers Facing First Deportation Flights to Rwanda Next Week Launch Their Legal Battle to Remain in UK — But Home Office Source Declares Priti Patel ‘Won’t Back Down’

More than half the migrants scheduled for the first Rwanda charter flight have lodged legal challenges, the Daily Mail can reveal today.

The Home Office has selected 130 individuals for next Tuesday’s operation under a £120million asylum deal with the east African nation.

But lawyers for around 80 of them have already submitted legal challenges asking to stay in the UK.

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

Frontex: More Ukrainian Refugees Now Going Home Than Leaving

The European Union border agency Frontex has claimed that more Ukrainian refugees are now returning to their country than leaving it despite the ongoing conflict with Russia.

Frontex has maintained that in recent weeks more Ukrainian refugees are heading back to Ukraine than coming to Europe, with an estimated 2.3 million refugees having already returned to the country since the outbreak of the war with Russia in February.

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

Italy: 30 North African Migrants Sexually Assault 6 Teen Girls on Train to Milan

A day that was supposed to be fun and exciting turned into a nightmare for six Italian girls returning by train to Milan from their trip to Gardaland amusement park. The young women, four from Milan and two from Pavia, all aged 16 to 17 years old, were sexually assaulted by a large group of North African migrant males while traveling on board the 2640 regional train from Peschiera del Garda to Milan, according to Italian news reports.

‘White women don’t come up here’

“We were surrounded. The heat was suffocating, and some of us passed out. While we were looking for a controller, the sexual harassment took place,” said one of the victims.

They then recalled that their attackers, while laughing, had told them: “White women don’t come up here.”

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

‘This is Africa’: Two Thousand-Strong Mob Sexually Assault Girls and Cause Havoc in Italian Lakefront Towns

A mob of an estimated two thousand or so young men, mostly from migrant backgrounds according to reports, terrorised towns along with Lake Garda in northern Italy, with reports of women being sexually assaulted, shop windows smashed and police attacked.

The incidents took place last Thursday between the towns of Peschiera and Castelnuovo along Lake Garda and saw the mob of youths, mostly aged between 16 and 20 with some as young as 12, harass and cause havoc. Some were claimed to have shouted during the rampage, “We came to reconquer Peschiera. This is our territory, Africa must come here.”

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

Tunisian Illegal Migrant is First Arrest in Wave or Mysterious Hypodermic Needle Attacks in Bars and Clubs in France and the UK

A mysterious wave of hypodermic needle attacks has gripped France and parts of the United Kingdom, with over 300 victims in France alone reportedly suffering strange illnesses and side effects after being punctured by a needle inside clubs and bars.

Now, one arrest has been made related to the attacks, with the alleged perpetrator an illegal Tunisian immigrant, according to French newspaper Le Figaro.

[Commnet: Wow.]

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

UK: Terrified With Her Teddy: Little Girl Clutches Cuddly Toy as She’s Carried Ashore After 80 Migrants Landed in Dover Today… as Critics Say Government’s Rwanda Plan to Deter People Smugglers is ‘Not Working’

A young girl clutching a teddy bear was among the 80 migrants who landed in Dover in around three boats today, as fears grow that Boris Johnson’s Rwanda plan is not working.

The mostly male group, which included children and a woman carrying a teddy bear, was escorted into Dover Marina in Kent on board Border Force catamaran Typhoon by UK officials wearing white Hazmat suits and masks shortly before 11am this morning.

Soldiers dressed in camouflage fatigues and high-vis vests helped the latest arrivals off the vessel and led them along the gangway for processing.

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

Watch: Austrian Police Open Fire on ‘Underage Migrant’ Driving Stolen Car

Police in Austria fired at an ‘underage migrant’ who threatened to run over an officer in a stolen vehicle this weekend, according to reports.

The harrowing incident unfolded during the overnight hours between Saturday and Sunday in the capital city of Vienna.

Cops approached a poorly parked vehicle in the city center to conduct an inspection.

The driver tried to flee, hitting a civilian and a patrol car, according to a local prosecutor.

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

“We Believe in Jesus”: Tampa Bay Players Say No to ‘Pride Night’

Several Tampa Bay Rays players opted out of displaying support for gay pride by refusing to wear Pride Night uniforms, citing their belief in Jesus Christ as the reason.

“In an effort to make their commitment [to the LGBTQ+ community] more visible, the Rays this year decided to follow the lead of the Giants and add rainbow-colored logos to their Pride Night uniforms, to the “TB” on their caps and a sunburst on their right jersey sleeves,” reports the Tampa Bay Times.

However, numerous players chose to peel off the pride logo and wear their normal hats, including Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Thompson.

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

California Lawmaker Who Relaxed Punishments for Sex Offenders Proposes Mandatory ‘Drag Queen 101’ Class for K-12 Students

In response to a Texas state representative announcing that he will file legislation to ban drag shows from having children in their audience, California state senator Scott Wiener proposed offering drag queen curriculum in schools.

Responding to a tweet from Rep. Bryan Slaton of Texas in which he announced the legislation, Wiener wrote, “This guy just gave me a bill idea: Offering Drag Queen 101 as part of the K-12 curriculum. Attending Drag Queen Story Time will satisfy the requirement.”

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

New York Pro-Life Pregnancy Center Allegedly ‘Firebombed’ By Left-Wing Group, Investigation Launched

Authorities in New York launched an arson investigation after a pro-life Christian pregnancy center in Buffalo was allegedly targeted by vandals and lit on fire.

“Early this morning police and firefighters responded to smoke at CompassCare’s Buffalo office. The building was firebombed. The windows in the reception room and nurses’ office were broken and fires lit. Graffiti on the building left by the arsonists refers to the abortion terrorist group Jane’s Revenge reading, ‘Jane Was Here,’“ pro-life group CompassCare posted on its company blog Tuesday regarding the incident.

Police in Amherst, New York, have since launched an investigation, treating the case as an act of arson.

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

‘Pride in the Park’ Event Targeted at Children Features Drag Queens and Satanists

A ‘Pride in the Park’ event in Idaho to mark gay pride month which is geared towards children will include the participation of drag queens as well as satanists who have vowed to perform “unbaptisms.”

What could possibly go wrong?

The event, set to take place in Coeur d’Alene this coming Saturday, is billed as a “family friendly celebration of LGBTQ+ diversity.”

According to the North Idaho Pride Alliance website, The Satanic Temple will be in attendance handing out material and talking to children and others present.

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

UK Police Force Mocked Over Gay Pride Tweet

A UK police force faced ridicule for tweeting its support for gay pride but then in the same tweet warning respondents that it would “monitoring” replies for “hate crime.”

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

Washington Post’s Dave Weigel is Suspended for Joke Retweet

The Washington Post reporters aired their dirty laundry on Twitter this week, after one of them, Dave Weigel, retweeted a joke that some employees thought was in bad taste, to then get suspended by the newspaper for a month without pay.

Saying that “all” women are either bipolar or bisexual may not be everyone’s brand of humor, but then again, we’re talking about comedy here, and the very idea of imposing rules of “wokeness” onto that genre is still alien to many people — because the conclusion of any “war on comedy” is likely to be comedy’s destruction.

“Every girl is bi. You just have to figure out if it’s polar or sexual,” is the joke, originally posted by YouTuber Cam Harless.

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

Wisconsin School District Drops Sexual Harassment Probe Into 3 Students Accused of Using the Wrong Pronouns

A Wisconsin school district is closing a Title IX inquiry into three middle school students accused of sexual harassment for using improper pronouns.

“We have issued clear directives and expectations to all students involved in this matter for the purpose of preventing bullying and harassment and ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment for all of our students,” Kiel School District said. “Based on these actions, and pursuant to District policies and procedures, the School District considers this matter closed.”

The students subject to the Title IX inquiry were represented by a conservative legal group called the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty.

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

3 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/7/2022

  1. Re: UK: the Strange Jubilee.

    It is a strange moment for we Brits, and I daresay some in the British “Commonwealth”.

    I’m a republican, thinking the monarchy an odd anachronism, yet hugely admire the Queen’s dedication to her role. Also, as I understand it, the cost of maintaining the royal family is outweighed by the revenue from tourists, especially from the US, who are attracted by the idea of a royal family still living in their palaces. (Personally I’ve enjoyed having access to Versailles because the French got rid of their monarchy, but I may be odd.)

    What is more concerning is that Her Majesty apparently does believe in a divinely ordained royal succession, so she must be succeeded by Prince Charles, even though his pomposity is resented by many here, and many more in, eg, Canada and Australia, and her grandson, Prince Edward, would be a more popular candidate for King.

    • Prince Edward is the Queen’s son, not Grandson. Are you thinking of Prince William? He is just as woke as his father.

  2. It is a little unclear on that face mask recommendation. Is it to be worn during the gay monkey sex or just generally? If it is the former will a leather mask work or one with a ball gag? I’m thinking that guy from Pulp Fiction would be protected.

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