Gates of Vienna News Feed 9/29/2022

Inflation in Germany has reached double digits for the first time since the euro was introduced in 1999. Meanwhile, Hungary is eliminating all non-essential budget expenditures due to the out-of-control energy prices brought on by EU sanctions against Russia.

In other news, Hurricane Ian weakened to a tropical storm before crossing Florida’s east coast into the Atlantic, whereupon it strengthened into a hurricane again, and is expected to make landfall in Charleston tomorrow afternoon as a Category 1.

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

Thanks to Dean, Dora, DV, LP, MissPiggy, MM, Reader from Chicago, Roger, 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
» Breaking: Biden Recession Confirmed Despite Admin Attempts to Redefine ‘Recession’
» Canadians Flock to Alberta Amid Cost of Living Crisis
» German Inflation Hits Double Digits for First Time in Euro Era
» Hungary Halts All Non-Essential Budget Expenditures
» Vancouver Gas Prices Pass $2.39, Breaking North American Record: Analyst
» Vast Majority of Economists Predict a Global Recession by 2023
 
USA
» “No Evidence” US Involved in Nord Stream Pipeline Attack Because Pentagon Says So
» 30 Ex-FBI Agents Voice Support for Whistleblower Who Was Suspended for Claiming Bureau Politicized Jan. 6th Investigation
» Andy Ngo Reports: San Diego Trans Antifa Member Pleads Guilty for Pacific Beach Attacks
» Austin Police Morale Cratered After City Defunded Police, Embraced BLM: Survey
» Cornell Professor Warns Universities Are Eliminating Meaning of ‘Objective Truth’ From Classrooms With CRT
» Court Orders Production of Seth Rich Laptop
» DeSantis Provides Update on Hurricane Ian, Says Report of Hundreds of Deaths ‘Not Confirmed’
» Facebook Announces Hiring Freeze, Warns of “Team Restructuring”, Stocks Slumps
» FBI Insiders Say Agents Who Took a Knee During BLM Protests Were Rewarded
» FDNY Medic Fatally Stabbed Giving Aid to Patient in Queens
» First Openly Trans Army Officer Charged in Plot to Give U.S. Military Medical Info to Russia
» First Openly Trans Army Officer Charged After Alleged Attempt to Leak Soldiers’ Medical Info to Russia
» GOP Challenger in Oregon Governor’s Race Nearly Tied Against Antifa-Supporting Democrat: Poll
» Harris Caps Asia Trip With DMZ Gaffe Praising U.S. Alliance With ‘Republic of North Korea’
» House Passes Sweeping Antitrust Package Targeting Big Tech
» Ian to Make Second Landfall Along South Carolina Coast Friday as Category 1 Hurricane
» Judicial Watch Files Lawsuit Says Air Force Academy Stonewalling in Critical Race Theory Lawsuit
» Libs of TikTok Threatens to Sue Twitter Over Censorship
» Locals Tool for Distributing and Selling on-Demand Digital Content is Now Available to All Creators
» Oakland School Shooting: Campuses Closed, Police Search Continues
» Oakland School Shooting: Two Gunmen Fired 30-Plus Rounds, Struck Students and Workers, Breached Entrance
» Oil Giant Sells California Office as it Ditches State for Texas
» Philly DA Krasner Insists His Crime Policies Are ‘Working’ Despite 1,000 Killings, Refuses to Resign
» Rep. Biggs Proposes Legislation to Ban Payment Processors From ‘Weaponizing’ Against 2A by Cataloging Gun Purchases
» Republican States Sue Biden Admin Over Plan to Cancel Student Debt
» School Officials Texted Oakland Shooting Victims to Not Cooperate With Police Investigation: Sources
» Seattle Residents Want to Refund Seattle PD Following Spike in Crime
» Stew Peters Show: 16-Year-Old Boy Drops Dead After Taking Pfizer Jab
» The FBI is ‘Revoking’ Conservative Agents’ Security Clearances, GOP Lawmakers Allege
» Trump Scores Another Win in Mar-a-Lago Case
» Why Didn’t This Video Go Viral?
» YouTube Censors Another CPAC Video, Gives the Channel a Strike
 
Canada
» Breaking: Manitoba Doesn’t Want RCMP Aiding Trudeau’s Gun Grab Scheme
» Canadians Think Poilievre Best Person to Lead the Country, Survey Shows
» Depleted Military Facing ‘Applicant Crisis’ Under Trudeau’s Woke Agenda
» Justice Centre Wants Trudeau Government to Drop All ArriveCAN Fines
» ‘Not Justified by Science’: Air Canada Blisters Government COVID Restrictions
» Poilievre Demands Trudeau Stop Vaccine Mandate for Canadian Armed Forces
» Sask. Government Claims Woman Died of “Natural Causes” Minutes After Receiving Booster
 
Europe and the EU
» BBC Puts Hundreds of Jobs on the Chopping Block in Push to Go Digital
» Biden Says ‘Democracy is at Stake’ After Italians Democratically Elect Right-Wing Government
» British Free Speech Group Allowed Back on PayPal After ‘Politically Motivated’ Ban
» Citing Soaring Energy Prices, ‘Tens of Thousands’ March Against Russia Sanctions in Euro Capital
» Energy Sovereignty is the Basis of Poland’s Security, Says Former Polish Energy Minister
» Europol Launches Crackdown on Most Wanted Criminals
» Germany Believes High Explosive Devices Equivalent to “500 Kilograms of TNT” Used to Destroy Nord Stream
» Italy Election: Polling Finds Wealthiest Voted Left, Working and Middle Voted Right
» Ko-Fi Unpublishes Page of UK Women’s Rights Group
» Scotland: Pervert Snared by Vigilantes After Being Caught Sending Explicit Pictures to ‘Teen Girl’
» Threats to Funding Shows EU is Ready to ‘Undermine’ Democracy in Italy — MEP
» Twitter Hides All Videos in Search Results for Italy’s Next Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni
» YouTube Says Giorgia Meloni Family Values Speech Was “Mistakenly” Removed
 
Middle East
» Iran President Says ‘Chaos’ Will Not be Accepted as Protests Continue
 
Russia
» Russia to Formally Annex 4 Ukraine Regions on Friday
» Ukraine War: Putin to Annex Ukrainian Regions; New Nord Stream Leak; and Finland Closes Border
 
Australia — Pacific
» Australia Finally Scraps Mandatory COVID Isolation Rules
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Nigeria: Vigilantes Kill 31 Bandits in Zamfara
 
Immigration
» Dominican Republic Building Over 100 Miles of Border Wall to Stop Illegal Immigration From Haiti
» Josh Hawley Proposes Bill Which Would Allow State Governments to Enforce Federal Immigration Laws, Deport Illegal Immigrants
» Many People Smugglers Offer Illegal Crossing of the English Channel Via TikTok
» Migrant Chaos Mounting at Czech Borders
» UK: Migrants Resume Channel Crossings After Weather Put Five-Day Halt to People Traffickers as Liz Truss Insists Asylum Seekers Will Still be Sent to Rwanda
 
Culture Wars
» ‘Aligned With Our Mission’: Seattle Children’s Promises to Keep Operating on Trans Children
» Captain of the Croatian National Football Team Will Not Sport Rainbow Armband During World Cup in Qatar
» Planned Parenthood Doctor Tells Committee That ‘Men Can Have Pregnancies, Especially Trans Men’
» Syndichain Launches First Version of Its Open, Censorship-Resistant News Aggregator
» Virgin Atlantic Announces Transgender-Friendly Uniform Policy
 

Breaking: Biden Recession Confirmed Despite Admin Attempts to Redefine ‘Recession’

The US economy shrank at an annual rate of .6 percent last quarter, the second quarter the economy has shrunk in a row, confirming that the country is in a recession.

According to Forbes, a third and final estimate from the Bureau of Economic Analysis on Thursday confirmed the .6 percent gross domestic product shrinkage, which has economists predicting that economic slowdown will only continue. In July, the Biden Administration attempted to redefine the word “recession,” offering several competing definitions to minimize the severity of the American financial landscape.

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

Canadians Flock to Alberta Amid Cost of Living Crisis

Alberta is increasingly seen as a desirable destination for Canadians struggling under a cost of living crisis, new data suggests.

A new report from the Alberta Treasury Branch found that almost 10,000 more people moved to Alberta from other parts of Canada in the second quarter of 2022.

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

German Inflation Hits Double Digits for First Time in Euro Era

(Bloomberg) — German inflation reached double digits for the first time since the euro was introduced more than 20 years ago, surging more than anticipated after temporary government-relief measures ended and Europe’s energy crisis worsened.

Consumer prices jumped 10.9% from a year ago in September, topping August’s 8.8% advance, the Federal Statistics Office said Thursday. That’s more than the 10.2% economists in a Bloomberg survey had estimated.

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

Hungary Halts All Non-Essential Budget Expenditures

In order to be able to pay for the cost of energy prices inflated by the European Union’s sanctions against Russia, the Hungarian government has frozen all non-essential payments to ministries, the finance ministry confirmed on Wednesday.

In response to an inquiry by commercial television station ATV, the finance ministry confirmed in writing the spending freeze.

“The government has imposed disciplined, frugal management on the budget in response to the energy crisis triggered by the sanctions. Sanction surcharges have to be paid for natural gas and electricity, so while the sanctions are in place, the government will continue to manage (the budget) frugally,” the ministry said in a statement.

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

Vancouver Gas Prices Pass $2.39, Breaking North American Record: Analyst

Gas prices in Vancouver have hit a new high of more than $2.39 a litre at some stations, blowing past the previous peak set this summer.

One gas analyst says that’s a new all-time record for North America, and expects prices to continue to rise this week.

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

Vast Majority of Economists Predict a Global Recession by 2023

Nearly three quarters of economists believe a global recession is at least somewhat likely to occur by the end of 2023, according to a survey released Wednesday by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Roughly 70% of economists surveyed by the international lobbying group predict that the wave of interest rate hikes and tighter monetary policy that has swept the U.S. and E.U. in an attempt to combat inflation is unlikely to abate, echoing predictions from major financial analyst, Goldman Sachs. Fully 80% of respondents believed that real wages would decline in high-income countries with nearly 90% anticipating real wages declining in low-income countries.

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

“No Evidence” US Involved in Nord Stream Pipeline Attack Because Pentagon Says So

Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin has confirmed that the U.S. was not responsible for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline explosion, because the Pentagon told her so.

Yes, really.

Despite accusations flying that the United States could have been involved in the blasts that have reportedly could scupper the pipelines permanently, and without any investigation having taken place, Griffin’s crack journalism has solved the case.

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

30 Ex-FBI Agents Voice Support for Whistleblower Who Was Suspended for Claiming Bureau Politicized Jan. 6th Investigation

Dozens of former FBI agents have come out in support of an agent who was recently suspended after he spoke out publicly about the bureau’s extreme politicization and targeting of Trump supporters.

30 former agents, which include a head of counterterrorism, a retired deputy assistant director, and five SWAT agents voiced their support for FBI whistleblower Stephen Friend.

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

Andy Ngo Reports: San Diego Trans Antifa Member Pleads Guilty for Pacific Beach Attacks

A 38-year-old Antifa member and career criminal in San Diego is the first to be convicted over a violent Antifa conspiracy to attack Donald Trump supporters and beachgoers at Pacific Beach in January 2021.

Erich Louis Yach, of San Ysidro, Calif., admitted to conspiracy to riot, assaulting multiple persons and unlawfully using tear gas as a weapon, plus other felonies in court on Wednesday, in a deal in which she is expected to be sentenced to nearly five years in state prison. Yach is listed as a 6 feet 4 inches tall male in jail records, but she told the court she is trans and that her name is “Nikki.” She has a prior felony conviction in California for domestic violence.

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

Austin Police Morale Cratered After City Defunded Police, Embraced BLM: Survey

A workplace survey showed low morale and a lack of faith in Austin, Texas city leadership among police department employees leading to current and former law enforcement, along with a local politician, telling Fox News Digital that the low morale is a direct result of the city council defunding the police in 2020.

The Listening to the Workforce Survey, first reported by KXAN-TV, showed morale in the Austin Police Department below the citywide average in every area including only 20% of APD employees saying their department was well managed, 17% saying they felt comfortable challenging the way things are done, and 11% agreeing that “change is managed well” in the city.

Only 25% of Austin Police Department employees said they feel “valued” for the work they do, and 29% said they feel “proud” to tell people they work for the city of Austin.

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

Cornell Professor Warns Universities Are Eliminating Meaning of ‘Objective Truth’ From Classrooms With CRT

An Ivy League biology professor is sounding the alarm on how critical race theory curricula is erasing the meaning and even existence of “objective truth” from classrooms and teaching a generation of students to treat the truth “fast and loose.”

“We’re supposed to be training people like biologists that will become doctors to make us healthier. Mechanical engineers that will build bridges or skyscrapers,” associate professor at Cornell University’s School of Integrative Plant Science Randy Wayne told Fox News Digital in a phone interview this month. “And if they are trained on a foundation that there is no truth, nobody wants to be operated on by such a surgeon, or drive over a bridge made by such an engineer.”

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

Court Orders Production of Seth Rich Laptop

Authored by Techno Fog via The Reactionary

Today, a federal judge ordered the FBI to “produce the information it possesses related to Seth Rich’s laptop.”

This case involves a multi-year fight by attorney Ty Clevenger to obtain records relating to the FBI/DOJ investigation of Seth Rich, particularly whether Rich was involved in the hack of the DNC or had communicated with Wikileaks.

This fight dates back to 2017 and includes two FOIA lawsuit. In the first lawsuit, the FBI produced no responsive documents. The parties knew the FBI had something, and so this sparked a second lawsuit — where the FBI somehow found 20,000 pages of potentially responsive documents.

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

DeSantis Provides Update on Hurricane Ian, Says Report of Hundreds of Deaths ‘Not Confirmed’

On Thursday morning, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis held a press conference providing an update on Hurricane Ian’s impact on the state, as well as recovery efforts that are underway.

“So as soon as that storm passed, in the very wee hours of the morning, first responders from the local, state, and federal level, descended on Southwest Florida,” said DeSantis.

“The Coast Guard has been performing rescue missions on the barrier islands consistently since the wee hours of the morning. We have Florida Guard assets on the ground participating in efforts, and we have our USAR teams, who they got there even while the winds were going, they wanted to get in there, get on the ground across Alligator Alley, and they are performing rescue efforts, again, starting with those barrier islands, but also looking at the places that had the most inland flooding.”

“And these operations are ongoing,” he added, saying that there are 28 large helicopters between the National Guard and the Coast Guard that are performing active rescue missions.”

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

Facebook Announces Hiring Freeze, Warns of “Team Restructuring”, Stocks Slumps

As advertising revenue growth stalls, Meta Platforms Inc., the owner of Facebook and Instagram, told employees that it plans to implement a hiring freeze and restructure employee teams in the latest effort to trim costs, reported Bloomberg.

A person in attendance during a company Q&A session said CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the hiring freeze as this is the latest evidence advertising revenue growth for the social media giant is slowing. There’s also the concern about waning activity among users.

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

FBI Insiders Say Agents Who Took a Knee During BLM Protests Were Rewarded

The politicization of the FBI is being implemented by the promotion of liberal agents into positions of authority and the punishment or dismissal of agents who support conservative causes, FBI insiders told The Washington Times.

They said this institutionalizes a liberal bias in the upper ranks of the nation’s premier law enforcement agency.

In one high-profile example, an FBI agent on duty demonstrated solidarity with Black Lives Matter marchers in Washington by “taking a knee” as the protesters passed. The agent was rewarded with a promotion to a supervisor rank.

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

FDNY Medic Fatally Stabbed Giving Aid to Patient in Queens

NEW YORK — An EMS lieutenant was stabbed to death giving aid to a patient in Queens Thursday, officials said.

The 61-year-old medic was attacked responding to a call on 20th Avenue near 41st Street in Astoria about 2:30 p.m., authorities said.

She was rendering aid to a patient when an emotionally disturbed relative of the patient stabbed her multiple times in the neck, police sources said.

The EMS lieutenant, a 20-plus year veteran of the New York Fire Department, was rushed to Mount Sinai Queens where she died. Her name was not immediately released.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

First Openly Trans Army Officer Charged in Plot to Give U.S. Military Medical Info to Russia

Baltimore, Maryland — A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Anna Gabrielian, age 36, and her husband, Jamie Lee Henry, age 39, both of Rockville, Maryland, with conspiracy and for the disclosure of individually identifiable health information (“IIHI”), related to their efforts to assist Russia in connection with the conflict in Ukraine. The indictment was returned on September 28, 2022 and unsealed today upon the arrest of the defendants.

Gabrielian is scheduled to have initial appearance at 11:30 a.m. today, in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brendan A. Hurson. Henry is also expected to have an initial appearance today, although a time has not yet been set.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

As stated in the indictment, Gabrielian is an anesthesiologist and worked at Medical Institution 1, located in Baltimore, Maryland. Henry, a Major in the United States Army, who held a Secret-level security clearance, is Gabrielian’s husband and a doctor. During the time of the alleged conspiracy, Henry worked as a staff internist stationed at Fort Bragg, the home of the Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps, headquarters of the United States Army Special Operations Command, and the Womack Army Medical Center.

According to the eight-count indictment, Gabrielian and Henry conspired to cause harm to the United States by providing confidential health information of Americans associated with the United States government and military to Russia. Specifically, the indictment alleges that beginning on August 17, 2022, Gabrielian and Henry conspired to provide IIHI related to patients at Medical Institution 1 and at Fort Bragg to an individual they believed to be working for the Russian government in order to demonstrate the level of Gabrielian’s and Henry’s access to IIHI of Americans; their willingness to provide IIHI to the Russian government; and the potential for the Russian government to gain insights into the medical conditions of individuals associated with the United States government and military in order to exploit this information.

           — Hat tip: MissPiggy [Return to headlines]
 

First Openly Trans Army Officer Charged After Alleged Attempt to Leak Soldiers’ Medical Info to Russia

A pair of married physicians, one being a former U.S. Army doctor, has been charged with trying to leak medical records to the Russian government, per a new indictment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland published Thursday.

Anna Gabriellan and U.S. Army Major Jamie Lee Henry were charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), by disclosing the medical records of U.S. servicemembers and their families, and seven counts of actually disclosing the information on Aug. 31, 2022, according to the indictment. The records disclosed pertained to a U.S. Army veteran, a DoD employee, and the spouses of other Army veterans who were patients at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, home to the Army Special Operations Command.

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

GOP Challenger in Oregon Governor’s Race Nearly Tied Against Antifa-Supporting Democrat: Poll

Republican gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan and her Democratic opponent Tina Kotek are in a statistical tie in the three-way race for Oregon governor six weeks out from the November election, according to a new poll.

The poll, commissioned by The Oregonian and conducted by Portland firm DHM Research, said approximately 32 percent of likely Oregon voters responded that they would vote for Drazan if the election were today, while 31 percent said they would vote for Kotek, according to the poll. Longtime Democratic lawmaker Betsy Johnson, who is running unaffiliated, received 18 percent support.

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

Harris Caps Asia Trip With DMZ Gaffe Praising U.S. Alliance With ‘Republic of North Korea’

Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday mistakenly touted the U.S. alliance “with the Republic of North Korea” during her visit to the Demilitarized Zone separating the Korean Peninsula, in a gaffe marring a trip that was meant to burnish her foreign policy credentials amid skyrocketing tensions with China and Pyongyang.

“The United States shares a very important relationship, which is an alliance with the Republic of North Korea,” Ms. Harris told reporters at the DMZ, misstating South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.

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

House Passes Sweeping Antitrust Package Targeting Big Tech

The House of Representative passed sweeping antitrust legislation targeting Big Tech with bipartisan support following a Thursday afternoon vote.

The bill, known as the Merger Fee Filing Modernization Act, passed 242 to 184, combining a trio of antitrust bills designed to limit the impact of Big Tech firms by increasing merger application fees to fund stricter antitrust enforcement, requiring companies to disclose foreign subsidies when applying for a merger and exempting antitrust lawsuits brought by state attorneys general from processes that can result in court cases being transferred to districts more favorable to defenders. The package, passed with 39 Republican votes, was endorsed by the White House on Tuesday as part of its ongoing efforts to beef up antitrust enforcement.

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

Ian to Make Second Landfall Along South Carolina Coast Friday as Category 1 Hurricane

Ian is expected to be a Category 1 hurricane when it makes a second landfall along the South Carolina coast on Friday.

Ian was downgraded Thursday to a tropical storm after leaving a path of destruction in southwest Florida, trapping people in flooded homes, damaging the roof of a hospital intensive care unit and knocking out power to 2.5 million people.

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Judicial Watch Files Lawsuit Says Air Force Academy Stonewalling in Critical Race Theory Lawsuit

A veterans group says the Air Force Academy is promoting controversial critical race theory ideas to cadets and now a conservative legal advocacy group has filed a lawsuit against the Defense Department staying the veterans’ requests for information in the fight are being stonewalled.

On Thursday, officials at the conservative nonprofit Judicial Watch said they filed suit in D.C. after the Air Force Academy “refused to respond adequately to two [Freedom of Information Act] requests about its race theory materials.” The suit was filed on behalf of Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services (STARRS), composed of retired military officers.

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

Libs of TikTok Threatens to Sue Twitter Over Censorship

Libs of TikTok’s Twitter account was temporarily suspended, according to the account’s owner. The popular account was suspended for seven days and the reason for the suspension was not provided.

On a Substack post, the woman behind Libs of TikTok, described the suspension as “wrongful” and that it was “the result of a targeted harassment campaign from the Left to deplatform me.”

Libs of TikTok added that Twitter did not provide a specific reason for the suspension or cite any specific tweets that led to the suspension.

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

Locals Tool for Distributing and Selling on-Demand Digital Content is Now Available to All Creators

Locals, a subscription platform that’s owned by the video platform Rumble, is making Content+, a feature for distributing selling on-demand content, available to all creators.

Previously, Content+ had been made available to select creators who were distributing their films via Locals and Rumble. Most recently, author and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza used the feature to distribute his political documentary, “2000 Mules,” on Locals and Rumble. The film reportedly became the biggest political documentary in a decade within two weeks of launching and generated over $10 million in revenue.

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

Oakland School Shooting: Campuses Closed, Police Search Continues

OAKLAND — A campus that houses multiple schools in East Oakland remained closed Thursday morning after an afternoon shooting wounded six adults.

The schools in the 8200 block of Fontaine Street all are housed in an Oakland Unified School District building. The gunfire happened about 1 p.m. in a portion of the school complex known as the Rudsdale.

At least one person fired a weapon, Oakland Police Assistant Chief Darren Allison said in a Wednesday news conference. Authorities did not release information about a suspect or suspects in the shooting, and no arrests were announced as of Thursday morning.

As of Wednesday evening, two of the people wounded were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, according to police. Four other people were expected to recover from their injuries.

           — Hat tip: MM [Return to headlines]
 

Oakland School Shooting: Two Gunmen Fired 30-Plus Rounds, Struck Students and Workers, Breached Entrance

Two gunmen who injured six people in a mass shooting at an Oakland public school fired more than 30 rounds, the city’s police chief said Thursday, while revealing the assailants breached the entrance of school to target specific people.

“We thank God that many more students were not injured as a result of this action,” Chief LeRonne Armstrong told reporters during a video news conference.

Six adults were wounded in the shooting that occurred at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday at Rudsdale Newcomer High, at the King Estate campus on Fontaine Street in the Eastmont Hills area just south of Interstate 580. The victims were two students, a counselor, a security guard and two people working at the school.

Officials at the Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County identified the two visiting workers as carpenters. As of Thursday afternoon, three of the injured remained hospitalized, two with serious wounds. The other three had been released.

Police were searching for at least two shooters and another person who did not fire a gun, “but there may have been more,” Armstrong said.

He linked the shooting to conflicts between groups and gangs within the city, though it was not clear Thursday whether any of the people wounded had been targets.

The chief said his department received multiple calls about shooters and possibly barricaded suspects at the school, and had to break down doors to enter classrooms that were locked. Officers evacuated students and quickly realized the suspects had fled, he said.

           — Hat tip: Dora [Return to headlines]
 

Oil Giant Sells California Office as it Ditches State for Texas

Chevron is selling its global headquarters in California as it continues to move its operations and employees to Texas, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

The oil giant sold 92 acres of offices in San Ramon as its workers continue to relocate to its Houston campus, where it has three times the number of employees that California has, according to the WSJ. Chevron will follow in the footsteps of other large companies like Tesla and American Airlines that have left California in recent years for various reasons.

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

Philly DA Krasner Insists His Crime Policies Are ‘Working’ Despite 1,000 Killings, Refuses to Resign

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner insisted his far-left crime policies are “working” despite the city seeing more than 1,000 homicides in less than two years.

Krasner made the comments during an extensive interview with Fox 29 Philadelphia on Wednesday. Krasner has come under fire from critics for the city’s surging crime, and the Pennsylvania state House voted to hold him in contempt earlier this month.

“Maybe it’s not working,” Fox 29 reporter Mike Jerrick said of Krasner’s policies.

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

Rep. Biggs Proposes Legislation to Ban Payment Processors From ‘Weaponizing’ Against 2A by Cataloging Gun Purchases

An Arizona Republican is firing back against payment processors like American Express, Visa, and Mastercard after they established a new merchant code to catalog sales from firearm retailers.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) introduced the “No SmartPay for Anti-2a Companies Act” on Wednesday that seeks to effectively ban payment processors from continuing with their unique merchant code for gun retailer transactions.

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

Republican States Sue Biden Admin Over Plan to Cancel Student Debt

Six Republican-led states are suing the Biden administration for allegedly overstepping executive powers related to President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan.

The Biden administration unveiled its plan to partially forgive student loans for certain borrowers in August, using the HEROES Act of 2003 as precedent for the decision and arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic created an emergency situation allowing the federal government to forgive student debt. The Republican states argued that the Biden administration exceeded its statutory authority, as well as citing a “60 Minutes” interview in which Biden said the pandemic was “over” as evidence that the pandemic could not be used to justify the action, according to a press release from Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt.

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

School Officials Texted Oakland Shooting Victims to Not Cooperate With Police Investigation: Sources

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — Another disturbing headline about the shooting in Oakland comes from the ABC7 I-Team, law enforcement sources tell us school officials have sent text messages to shooting victims, instructing them not to cooperate with police.

We’re hearing it’s a pattern, and some parents at the school are worried that a lack of action by school officials after previous incidents may have led to this escalation in violence.

Law enforcement sources tell the I-Team, Oakland police investigators have obtained text messages from the shooting victims’ phones in which Rudsdale school officials tell them not to cooperate with police.

During a virtual news conference, the I-Team’s Dan Noyes asked Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong about that information. He answered, “Our investigation will be thorough, it will be complete and we will exhaust all options to figure out what happened on this campus. But at this time, I will not speak to any evidence that we’ve recovered at this time.”

           — Hat tip: Roger [Return to headlines]
 

Seattle Residents Want to Refund Seattle PD Following Spike in Crime

As crime continues to increase in Seattle, Washington following the popular ‘Defund the Police movement in 2020,’ fatal shootings have reached a historic 25-year high, according to police.

“This is one of our highest years, and we are on pace to exceed the last two years, and this has been a concerning trend,” Interim Police Chief Adrian Diaz said earlier this month of fatal shootings in the city.

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

Stew Peters Show: 16-Year-Old Boy Drops Dead After Taking Pfizer Jab

The Stew Peters Show has reported on yet another horrifying COVID vaccine death of an American teenager, who dropped dead just five days after taking the Pfizer jab while he was running onto the basketball court to play with a friend.

16-year-old California kid Ernesto Ramirez died in April of 2021, just five days after taking the Pfizer jab, with doctors blaming the heart condition of myocarditis for his sudden demise — the calling card of COVID jab deaths.

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

The FBI is ‘Revoking’ Conservative Agents’ Security Clearances, GOP Lawmakers Allege

The FBI is revoking the security clearances of conservative agents and retaliating against suspected whistleblowers, three House Republicans alleged in a Thursday letter.

Republicans in both chambers of Congress have alleged widespread politicized misconduct in the FBI, most notably by a Washington, D.C., agent who investigated Hunter Biden. That agent, Timothy Thibault, resigned in August rather than face an internal review. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has said that whistleblowers have approached his office to report internal misconduct in the bureau’s investigations into former President Donald Trump.

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

Trump Scores Another Win in Mar-a-Lago Case

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday scored a major win in the ongoing court battle pertaining to the FBI’s seizure of documents from his Mar-a-Lago estate in early August.

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

Why Didn’t This Video Go Viral?

This says everything about the world we live in.

The Library of Congress decided in its infinite wisdom to loan a flute owned by founding father James Madison to the pop star Lizzo, making her the only person to ever be allowed to play the instrument, which dates from 1813.

How was this presented to the public?

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

YouTube Censors Another CPAC Video, Gives the Channel a Strike

YouTube removed a video of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) recent event in Texas, which featured key conservative figures like former President Donald Trump, Senator Ted Cruz, and Rep Jim Jordan, according to the event’s organizer, the American Conservative Union.

The video was removed for violating the platform’s policy on “misinformation” and the account was given a strike, meaning it cannot post new content for a week. Should the account get two more strikes within a 90 day period, it will be permanently banned.

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

Breaking: Manitoba Doesn’t Want RCMP Aiding Trudeau’s Gun Grab Scheme

Following Alberta and Saskatchewan’s lead, Manitoba is the third province to tell the Trudeau Liberals it does not want its provincial RCMP to aid Ottawa’s gun grab scheme.

Earlier this week, the governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan announced they told the federal government their provincial RCMPs would not be made available to help the federal government’s gun confiscation efforts.

On Thursday, Manitoba Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen said he told Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino the so-called buyback program unnecessarily targets lawful gun owners while having little impact on criminals.

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

Canadians Think Poilievre Best Person to Lead the Country, Survey Shows

Canadians think Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is the best person to lead the country — including Ontarians, where the voter-rich Greater Toronto Area has largely handed victory to the Trudeau Liberals in the last two federal elections.

The Ipsos poll for Global News was conducted from Sept. 19-20 and surveyed over 1,000 Canadian adults.

Of the respondents, 35% said Poilievre is the best candidate for prime minister, while Trudeau fell four points behind at 31%.

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Depleted Military Facing ‘Applicant Crisis’ Under Trudeau’s Woke Agenda

Canada’s military is so short-staffed under Trudeau’s leadership that 10,000 positions are currently unfilled, and recruitment admits there’s an “applicant crisis.”

“We are without a doubt in an applicant crisis right now,” says Brig.-Gen.Brigadier-General Krista Brodie, who oversees the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) recruitment and training.

Of the 100,000 positions required to protect and serve Canada domestically and abroad, about 10,000 are currently unfilled.

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

Justice Centre Wants Trudeau Government to Drop All ArriveCAN Fines

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) wants the Trudeau government to drop all fines related to the controversial ArriveCan app amid its mandatory use coming to an end.

The Trudeau government announced Monday that the app would no longer be required to enter Canada as of Oct. 1. The border vaccine mandate and mandatory masking policy for planes and trains will also be dropped.

JCCF lawyer Henna Parmar told True North that given the feds’ announcement, “it is not in the interest of justice to proceed with prosecuting Canadians for laws that are no longer in effect.”

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

‘Not Justified by Science’: Air Canada Blisters Government COVID Restrictions

Air Canada ripped Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s COVID-19 travel restrictions in a statement Monday after the Canadian government announced it would finally lift mandates and quarantine rules beginning in October.

Several airlines welcomed the news that travelers will no longer have to be vaccinated to fly or wear masks on planes, and that incoming travelers will no longer have to submit health information through the ArriveCAN app, beginning Oct. 1. Air Canada took things one step further, issuing a statement blasting the government for having restrictions in the first place.

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

Poilievre Demands Trudeau Stop Vaccine Mandate for Canadian Armed Forces

The Canadian Armed Forces aren’t likely to drastically alter their vaccine mandate, despite demands from Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre.

Poilievre called for the Covid-19 vaccine mandate for members of the CAF to be dropped, calling it “obviously unscientific and contradictory” to keep the mandate in place while dropping border requirements.

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

Sask. Government Claims Woman Died of “Natural Causes” Minutes After Receiving Booster

A Saskatchewan woman has been left devastated after her mother died suddenly in a local Shoppers Drug Mart minutes after allegedly receiving her Covid-19 booster dose on Sept. 14.

According to Stephanie Foster, she had spoken to her mother Carol Pearce before she left her house for her vaccine appointment.

“She (texted) me at 12:31 p.m. and said she was waiting her 15 min,” said Foster.

“At 12:38 p.m. she was unconscious.”

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

BBC Puts Hundreds of Jobs on the Chopping Block in Push to Go Digital

BBC World Service recently cut hundreds of jobs and radio services in an effort to switch to a digital platform.

The international broadcast network, which is owned by BBC, are slashing a net total of 382 jobs “to create a ‘modern, digital-led and streamlined organisation’“ BBC News reported.

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

Biden Says ‘Democracy is at Stake’ After Italians Democratically Elect Right-Wing Government

On Sunday, Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia claimed victory in Italy’s federal elections with 26 percent of the vote, making history as the first female-led party to win, as well as the most right-wing government to be elected in the country since World War II.

While many rejoiced, others expressed concern, with US President Joe Biden going so far as to suggest that Meloni presented a threat to democracy.

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

British Free Speech Group Allowed Back on PayPal After ‘Politically Motivated’ Ban

On September 15, free-speech crusader Toby Young was informed by PayPal that his personal account, as well as those of his news site, the Daily Sceptic, and the Free Speech Union were being permanently kicked off the online payment platform for spreading “misinformation.”

Following immense backlash from civilians and politicians, PayPal backed off, reinstating all three accounts. While Young was pleased with the decision, he warned that cases like his are becoming all too common in a world that relies more and more on services such as PayPal.

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Citing Soaring Energy Prices, ‘Tens of Thousands’ March Against Russia Sanctions in Euro Capital

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in the Czech capital of Prague to demand an end to sanctions against Russia on Wednesday, as well the resignation of the country’s government.

Protesters gathered in Prague’s Wenceslas square on Wednesday in opposition to the Czech Republic’s government’s stance on the Ukraine war, with the tens of thousands reportedly gathered demanding that sanctions against Russia are dropped, and that the country pulls out of NATO.

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Energy Sovereignty is the Basis of Poland’s Security, Says Former Polish Energy Minister

The completion of the Baltic Pipe is a success for Poland and for the politicians who actually backed it, and will enable Poland to free itself from Russian blackmail surrounding gas energy, said the country’s former energy minister, Piotr Naimski.

Naimski was the minister for strategic energy infrastructure in the current government from 2015 until the summer of this year. He was instrumental in overseeing the construction of the Baltic Pipe, which is now transporting gas from Norway directly to Poland.

In his view, Poland had been proven right that Russia would use gas to blackmail Europe to cause a crisis.

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Europol Launches Crackdown on Most Wanted Criminals

The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) is asking for the public’s help in tracking down the most dangerous criminals wanted by member states, with 92 people linked to various criminal gangs or serious offenses in this year’s campaign.

According to the Hague-based EU body, this year’s campaign, which can be viewed on Europol’s website, is looking for people wanted in Europe for serious crimes such as murder, human trafficking, armed robbery, and terrorism. They include mafia leaders who have massacred innocent people, drug and human traffickers, and criminals who have committed murder or other violent acts in the name of their gangs.

However, some of the suspects are also wanted for white-collar crimes, such as accounting and tax fraud.

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

Germany Believes High Explosive Devices Equivalent to “500 Kilograms of TNT” Used to Destroy Nord Stream

Update (0954ET):

German newspaper Der Spiegel reported that German security officials believe “highly effective explosive devices” were used to blow up the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

According to SPIEGEL information, it was calculated that explosive devices with an effect comparable to that of 500 kilograms of TNT must have been used to destroy the tubes. The seismic signals registered by various measuring stations were also included in the estimate.

The previously unknown estimates support the assumption that only a state actor can be behind the action. So far, the federal government has held back with speculation about the background to the interruption of the pipelines.

There is a lot of speculation that Russia is behind the action. The Russian leadership, however, described the process as international terrorism directed against Russia.

The federal government is hoping for more information from a more detailed examination of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which are interrupted to the north-east and south-east of the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm. In security circles it was said that divers or a remote-controlled robot could possibly assess the damage at the weekend.

In the best-case scenario, one could then draw initial conclusions about the type of explosion under water and the explosives used, according to security circles. However, it is difficult to predict how many traces can still be found. — Der Spiegel

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Italy Election: Polling Finds Wealthiest Voted Left, Working and Middle Voted Right

Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy were the most popular party among workers and the middle class in last weekend’s election, while the wealthiest Italians, along with university graduates, were more likely to vote for left parties.

The Brothers of Italy (FdI) came first in last weekend’s elections with 26 per cent of the vote, winning nearly six million more votes than in the previous election in 2018, and according to a breakdown of voting by the firm Ipsos, the party managed to secure just over 30 per cent of the votes of lower-middle-class people amid strong numbers across all income ranges.

Among upper-middle-class people and university graduates, the left-wing Democrats were the most popular party, followed by Meloni’s FdI, the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera reports.

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

Ko-Fi Unpublishes Page of UK Women’s Rights Group

Conservatives for Women, a UK campaign group that works to “raise awareness of issues which threaten the safety and dignity of women,” has had the page it uses to accept donations unpublished by the donation and membership platform Ko-fi.

Conservatives for Women said the page “enabled us to receive occasional small donations which were very welcome as we get no funding from anywhere else apart from the sales of our postcards.”

The group also noted that it will not be able to take small donations at conferences while its Ko-fi page is down

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

Scotland: Pervert Snared by Vigilantes After Being Caught Sending Explicit Pictures to ‘Teen Girl’

A pervert was caught sending explicit pictures to a ‘teenage girl’ after vigilantes arranged to buy a guitar from him.

Craig Telfer, 42, struck up a conversation with the 14-year-old on dating app Skout from his own ‘Craigyboy’ profile.

He turned the chat towards sex unaware he was talking to an adult member of the group Maximum Exposure UK.

They aim to expose adults communicating indecently with children and trying to meet youngsters for sexual activity.

Telfer sent a string of depraved messages to ‘Amy’ before sending explicit images of himself and others carrying out sexual acts.

A probe by the paedophile hunter group led to Telfer being identified on social media selling guitars. Members of the group arranged to buy one but confronted him in Chapelhall, Lanarkshire, and streamed it live on Facebook.

Telfer, of Easterhouse, Glasgow, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted sending sexual messages and images in November 2020.

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

Threats to Funding Shows EU is Ready to ‘Undermine’ Democracy in Italy — MEP

Threats made by the EU against the funding of the incoming Italian government show that the bloc is ready to “undermine” democracy in the country, an MEP has argued.

Dr Gunnar Beck, an elected representative within the European Parliament for the right-populist German Alternative für Deutschland party, has told Breitbart Europe that recent threats made by senior officials within the bloc against Italy indicate that it is ready to “undermine” democracy in the country.

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

Twitter Hides All Videos in Search Results for Italy’s Next Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni

Twitter is suppressing video searches for Giorgia Meloni, who was this week elected as Italy’s first woman Prime Minister.

At the time of writing, when Twitter users type her name in the search bar and choose “Videos” no results come up. An archive of the search captured the censorship here.

“No results for “‘Giorgia Meloni’“ Twitter says.

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

YouTube Says Giorgia Meloni Family Values Speech Was “Mistakenly” Removed

YouTube removed a video featuring incoming Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The video is of a speech she gave at the 2019 World Congress of Families, where she focused on family values.

The removal of the video sparked outrage among many, considering the video had been on the platform for years and was only censored when Meloni was elected as Italy’s first woman Prime Minister.

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

Iran President Says ‘Chaos’ Will Not be Accepted as Protests Continue

Iran’s president has warned that he will not accept “chaos”, as authorities continue to crack down on protests that have swept across the country since the death in custody of a young woman.

Ebrahim Raisi said Mahsa Amini’s death two weeks ago, after she was detained by morality police, had “saddened all”.

But he added that his government “[could] not allow people to disturb the peace of society through riots”.

Fresh unrest was reported on Wednesday night amid a mounting death toll.

State media have said that 41 people, including security personnel, have been killed and that more than 1,200 have been arrested.

One human rights group has said at least 76 protesters have been killed by security forces, whom it has accused of using disproportionate force and live ammunition to suppress peaceful dissent.

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

Russia to Formally Annex 4 Ukraine Regions on Friday

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is expected to take a dramatic turn on Friday with Moscow all set to formally annex four Ukraine regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson. Russian-installed administrations carried out referendums in these four partially occupied regions earlier. According to a report, the officials said a huge majority is in favour of joining Russia. While the vote is likely to pave the way for the formal annexation of swaths of Ukraine, Kyiv and its allies have called Russia’s referendums “illegal” and “sham”. The Russia-Ukraine war has been raging on for over seven months now even as the West eyes imposing even more sanctions on Russia now.

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Ukraine War: Putin to Annex Ukrainian Regions; New Nord Stream Leak; and Finland Closes Border

1. Putin to annex four Ukrainian regions on Friday

The Russian-installed leaders of the four regions of southeastern Ukraine have visited Moscow to finalise plans for annexation.

Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia have all held “referendums” on joining Russia in the last week.

Kyiv and its international allies have slammed them as a sham.

According to Russian officials, the four regions — which represent about 15% of Ukraine — voted overwhelming to be incorporated into Russian territory.

The West has stated that it will never recognise the annexation, with videos on social media showing armed soldiers enforcing the vote door-to-door.

“I am in Moscow,” Leonid Passetchnik, the Russian-installed head of the Lugansk region, told the Tass news agency on Thursday.

The separatist leaders will soon be received by Russian President Vladimir Putin to ratify their “official” requests for annexation on Friday.

Russia’s state parliament in Moscow is then expected to vote on the matter in the next few days.

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Australia Finally Scraps Mandatory COVID Isolation Rules

Australia’s National Cabinet has announced it will scrap mandatory Covid-19 isolation rules in a move that all but signals a final closing chapter to the pandemic.

Mandates will remain in place for some hospital and aged care workers but will be dropped elsewhere from October 14.

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Nigeria: Vigilantes Kill 31 Bandits in Zamfara

Thirty-one bandits were killed by vigilante groups in Kanoma town of Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State on Tuesday.

Recall that bandits had last Sunday attacked the town where they killed three persons and abducted eight nursing mothers.

An indigene of the town, Abubakar Ibrahim, informed The PUNCH that the bandits who attacked the town last Sunday had planned to return for another attack.

Ibrahim said they were, however, confronted by the vigilante group of Kanoma town and those from surrounding villages who got the information that the bandits were planning to attack the town again.

Ibrahim said, “The vigilante groups got the information that the bandits, who were on motorcycles, were on their way to our town (Kanoma) to launch another attack.

“So, immediately the vigilante heard this, they mobilised themselves and also invited other vigilante groups of surrounding villages who came and rendered help.”

Ibrahim said the military personnel attached to the town were also informed of the development, but none of them came.

Ibrahim maintained that the vigilante groups moved to the bush where the bandits were coming from and laid an ambush.

“He said, “Immediately the bandits came close to where the vigilante groups were hiding, they (bandits) were heavily attacked and ran helter-skelter because they were not expecting any attack.

“The vigilante groups were able to kill 31 bandits on the spot; as their dead bodies were counted, while others escaped with serious wounds.”

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Dominican Republic Building Over 100 Miles of Border Wall to Stop Illegal Immigration From Haiti

The Dominican Republic is building a 13-foot-high border wall — set to be the second-longest border wall in the Americas — in the hopes of ending waves of illegal immigration from Haiti.

The government of the Dominican Republic began building the border wall in February to put a halt to illegal immigration from Haiti, which citizens have said is overwhelming their small communities, depressing wages, and undercutting their quality of life.

The concrete and steel wall, when finished, will stand 13 feet tall, and stretch just over 100 miles. The only other existing border wall in the Americas that is longer is the United States-Mexico border wall.

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Josh Hawley Proposes Bill Which Would Allow State Governments to Enforce Federal Immigration Laws, Deport Illegal Immigrants

A Republican U.S. Senator proposed legislation that will enable states to enforce federal immigration laws.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the “Empowering States to Deport Illegal Immigrants Act” on Tuesday, which if passed, will allow state governments to deport illegal immigrants out of the country, regardless of the Biden administration’s views.

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

Many People Smugglers Offer Illegal Crossing of the English Channel Via TikTok

Dozens of accounts on TikTok maintained by smugglers offer refugees the ability to illegally cross the English Channel, with the price of such a trip between €2,250 and €13,450.

For six months, dozens of videos in Albanian promoting so-called trips from France to England have been posted daily on the social media platform. Their authors use the same marketing codes as tour operators, including idyllic London landscapes, smiling faces on spacious boats navigating calm waters, and upbeat music. Except these people are not exactly selling a weekend in London, but an illegal Channel crossing.

The messages posted by the smugglers on the social network could not be more explicit. They claim phrases like “Fast and safe transport, the best price on the market at £6,000,” or “Calais-Dover in two hours and thirty minutes, 1,000% safe crossing,” or “Another successful passage today, contact me in PM, there are departures every day.”

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Migrant Chaos Mounting at Czech Borders

Pressure at the borders of the Czech Republic is increasing substantially as a sharply-rising number of migrants penetrate the European Union and make their way west, according to reports.

Czechia and Austria have reintroduced border controls with Slovakia as thousands of migrants coming mainly from Syria via Turkey have been caught attempting to enter illegally in recent weeks.

“We must take this preventive measure in order to deal with the situation in the long term and to discourage illegal migrants from taking this route,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced in a recent press conference.

Czech authorities have detained over 12,000 illegal migrants so far this year, including more than 9,500 since early June.

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UK: Migrants Resume Channel Crossings After Weather Put Five-Day Halt to People Traffickers as Liz Truss Insists Asylum Seekers Will Still be Sent to Rwanda

Crossings of the English Channel in small boats have resumed today after weather put a five-day halt to people trafficking operations.

A group of people was brought to shore in Dover, Kent this morning following a small boat incident in the Channel, the world’s busiest shipping lane.

People, including a small number of children, were wrapped in blue blankets and carrying their belongings in black bin bags as they walked through the Border Force compound in Dover.

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‘Aligned With Our Mission’: Seattle Children’s Promises to Keep Operating on Trans Children

Seattle Children’s Hospital doubled down on its “mission” to operate on children with sexuality and gender identity issues in a statement to the Daily Caller on Wednesday, even as pressure mounts on health systems to quit pushing irreversible surgeries on adolescent patients.

The hospital website boasts it is “the only pediatric academic medical center with fellowship-trained plastic surgeons who provide gender-affirming surgery in our region — Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho.” The hospital told the Daily Caller that despite increased tension, it plans to continue performing “gender-affirming care” on its pediatric patients.

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Captain of the Croatian National Football Team Will Not Sport Rainbow Armband During World Cup in Qatar

The captain of the Croatian national football team, Luka Modric, will not wear a rainbow armband during the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) confirmed.

Some of European participating national teams joined the “One Love” campaign that aims to “support inclusiveness and condemn discrimination.” Team captains are ready to wear armbands that include a rainbow and a heart to support the LGBT community.

Captains of England, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Wales want to wear those armbands. It is currently only a plan, as FIFA has not yet permitted players to wear their own armband designs.

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Planned Parenthood Doctor Tells Committee That ‘Men Can Have Pregnancies, Especially Trans Men’

A House committee hearing on abortion restrictions took an unexpected turn Thursday when a Democratic witness who works for Planned Parenthood testified that men can become pregnant.

Dr. Bhavik Kumar, medical director for primary and trans care at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, replied in the affirmative after being asked by Rep. Andrew Clyde, Georgia Republican, if men could become pregnant.

“So men can have pregnancies, especially trans men,” Dr. Kumar told the House Oversight and Reform Committee.

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Syndichain Launches First Version of Its Open, Censorship-Resistant News Aggregator

Syndichain, a blockchain-based news aggregator that provides open algorithms, public data, and protection against censorship, has launched the first version of its app.

Unlike many existing news aggregators and social media feeds, which use proprietary algorithms to determine the content their users see, Syndichain uses open algorithms that tell users which metrics are used to surface content in their feeds. The default feed shows content based on the accounts a user follows, the accounts they follow, and the user’s activity. Users can also create custom algorithms to sort Syndichain content.

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Virgin Atlantic Announces Transgender-Friendly Uniform Policy

Virgin Atlantic has announced its new transgender-friendly uniform policy.

My primary concern while flying 500 miles and hour at 30,000 feet in a metal tube is that xe than feel comfortable in they/them’s tight red dress and heels.

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4 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 9/29/2022

  1. Dr Gunnar Beck of AfD accuses the EU of “undermining ” democracy in Italy. That is not the only matter the EU is targeting. Remember the late UN “Special Representative for International Migration”, the bullying and tainted Peter Sutherland? You know, the one who instigated the revealingly named “Global Forum on Migration and Development”? This is what he said:

    “We still nurse a sense of our homogeneity and difference from others, and that’s precisely what the European Union, in my view, should be doing its best to undermine.”
    https://gatesofvienna.net/2019/11/eu-nation-breaking/

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