Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/10/2022

Hunter Biden was reportedly seen at an art gallery in New York City selling his paintings for up to $200,000, notwithstanding alleged ethical issues. Meanwhile, Mr. Biden is said to be planning defamation lawsuits against Fox News and Rudy Giuliani.

In other news, the European Union intends to ban cash transactions over €10,000 in preparation for the transition to a cashless society.

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

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

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

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

Financial Crisis
» European Union to Ban Cash Transactions Over €10,000
» FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried to Testify Before Congress
» Report: Parents of FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Not Teaching at Stanford in ‘23
 
USA
» “Insidious”: Madonna, Jimmy Fallon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Other Celebs Sued Over NFT Endorsements
» 9 Million Millennials Moved Back in With Their Parents This Year
» A New Orleans Police Department Employee is Stabbed to Death While Driving for Uber
» Breaking: Hunter Biden Plans Defamation Lawsuits Against Fox News, Giuliani
» Case Closed! Moment Biden’s Non-Binary Energy Secretary ‘Stole’ Woman’s $320 Away-Brand Suitcase Stuffed With Over $3,000-Worth of Jewelry, Clothes and Makeup in Las Vegas During ‘Second Airport Theft’
» Chicago Man Got So Angry About TV News Story, He Started Shooting, Police Say
» Chicago Archdiocese Reinstates Controversial Father Michael Pfleger After Sexual Abuse Allegations
» Concealed Carry Holder Stops Armed Robbery in Chicago, Shoots One Crook in the Knee, Another in the Buttock
» DeSantis: Big Pharma COVID Shots ‘Ended Up Killing People’
» Disruptive African Journalist Accuses Biden’s Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre of Discriminating Against Him as He Storms Out of Briefing Room After Previous Warnings About His Behavior
» Elon Musk Exposes Twitter’s Plotting Against Trump in Latest Secret Files Drop
» FDA Says Ivermectin Doesn’t Work Against COVID-19 But Points to Studies That Show it Does
» Georgia Journalist is One of Few People in World Who’s Completely Immune to All Known Variants of COVID and His Blood Would Still Kill Virus Even if it Was Diluted by 90%
» GOP Puts Biden on Notice: ‘We Will Roll Out Red Carpet for Elon Musk to Testify Before Committee’
» Gun Shops and Customers Claim Credit Card Firms “Restrict” Firearm Purchases
» Heartwarming Moment Minnesota Liquor Store Worker Gave Destitute Man Her Prized Nike Air Jordans After Spotting Him Using Cardboard Boxes as Makeshift Shoes
» How Twitter Stretched Its Own Rules to Ban President Trump
» Hunter Biden’s Legal Team in Disarray Ahead of GOP Investigations: ‘Not Fully Coordinating’
» Hunter Biden Seen at Ritzy NYC Art Gallery Selling His Paintings for Up to $200K, Despite Ethics Concerns
» John Podesta’s ‘Niece’ Quits Job at Twitter as Elon Musk Cracks Down on Child Exploitation
» Juvenile Stabbed While Trying to Rob Adult, Morrisville Police Say
» Louisiana to Decide on an Amendment Allowing Only U.S. Citizens to Vote in the State’s Elections
» Musk: Twitter Child Porn Failures ‘A Crime’
» Newt Gingrich: Twitter Interfered With U.S Elections
» Oregon’s New Gun Law Temporary Blocked as Firearm Background Checks Erupt
» Police: Man Arrested in Gas Station Shooting Had Dead, Pregnant Woman in His Apartment
» Teen Denied Kidney Transplant Because She’s Not Vaccinated for COVID, Say Parents
» The White House Says it Was “Not Involved” in Twitter Censorship Pressure
» Twitter Files Part 4 Drop Showing Executives’ Approach to ‘Change of Policy for Trump Alone’
» Twitter Files Allege Different Levels of Election Tweet Scrutiny, Depending on Pro-Trump vs Pro-Biden Stance
» Twitter Had Regular Meetings With FBI, Allowed Them to Flag Tweets
 
Canada
» Babylon Bee Mocks Canada’s Scandalous Euthanasia System
 
Europe and the EU
» Catcalling to Become Illegal in Britain With Up to Two Years in Prison
» Exclusive Poll: Tories Face Wipeout at General Election as Reform UK Support Surges
» France: Macron’s Best Friend Convicted of Drugging Former Employee to Rape Her
» Police in Dresden, Germany Say Hostage Situation Following Gunshots Resolved
» Prestigious Psych Journal Cans Editor for Soliciting Criticism of Black Psychologist
» UK: Just Stop Oil Protest: Updates as Activists March Through London’s Streets Causing Traffic Chaos
» UK: Small State, Low Tax Agenda Set Back a Generation by Bumbling Truss Admin: Rees-Mogg
» What Did the Biggest Anti-Terror Raid in German History Uncover?
 
Middle East
» American Soccer Journalist Grant Wahl Dies Suddenly at World Cup in Qatar
 
Russia
» Battle for Donbas: Zelensky Says Russians Have ‘Actually Destroyed Bakhmut’
» ‘Major War’ Between Russia and West Could Break Out Over Ukraine, Warns NATO Chief
» Peter Hitchens: The Arrogance and Folly in Ukraine That Could Yet Send US Hurtling Towards Nuclear Catastrophe
» Russians Have Turned Ukrainian City of Bakhmut Into ‘Burnt Ruins’ Says President Zelensky as Putin’s Forces Launch 20 Air Strikes and 60 Rocket Attacks on the Country in Last Two Days
» Russian Media Laughs at US Government’s Woke Trade for Griner Instead of Whelan
» Vladimir Putin Sends Nuclear Threat After Ukraine Reportedly Gets the Green Light From the US to Launch Drone Strikes in Russia Following Attacks on Ukrainian Cities
 
Australia — Pacific
» Warning — Graphic Content: Shocking Video Shows Terrified Teen Being Stalked, Taunted and Bashed on the Streets of Australia’s Second Biggest City — Before the Thugs Boast About Attack on Social Media
 
Immigration
» Lee Anderson: Britain Has Always Been a Kind, Welcoming and Tolerant Country That Has Looked After Refugees…
» UK Border Force Could be Deployed to Europe Under New Migrant Pact
» UK: Rishi Sunak Plans Crackdown on Channel Migrants People Traffickers This Week as Red Wall MPs Say: We’re Losing Patience
» UK: Two People Smugglers Led the 1,500-Strong Protest in Parliament Square at Which an Albanian Flag Was Draped Over Winston Churchill’s Statue After Suella Braverman Said Britain Faced an ‘Invasion’ Of Illegal Migrants
» UK: Watch Exclusive Footage as Migrants Manage Beach Landing Near Dover
 
Culture Wars
» Cross-Dressing Book for Pre-K Students Crossed the Line
» Parents Swept Up Into Controversy Over After School Satan Club Speak Out: ‘At Their Wits’ End’
 

European Union to Ban Cash Transactions Over €10,000

The European Union is introducing new laws that will ban transactions over €10,000 ($10,557) in a major push toward an eventual cashless society.

However, the laws also seek to impose stricter controls on cryptocurrency and will track crypto payments above 1,000 euros ($1,055).

EU leaders ostensibly claim that the new restrictions are aimed at fighting money laundering.

While announcing the new set of new directives, the EU boasts that the move will make it more difficult to use cash and crypto for criminal purposes.

However, the new rules will also make it illegal for people to use cash for legal purchases, such as buying a car.

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

FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried to Testify Before Congress

Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced former CEO of the cryptocurrency company FTX, will appear before the House Financial Services Committee on December 13 during a hearing titled “Investigating the Collapse of FTX, Part I” to speak about the downfall of his company.

Bankman-Friend posted on Twitter, “1) I still do not have access to much of my data — professional or personal. So there is a limit to what I will be able to say, and I won’t be as helpful as I’d like. But as the committee still thinks it would be useful, I am willing to testify on the 13th.”

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

Report: Parents of FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Not Teaching at Stanford in ‘23

There’s still much to unpack about the nuclear explosion that was crypto exchange FTX, founded and run by former billionaire and “effective altruist” Sam Bankman-Fried. The 30-year-old, who’s already earned the acronym/moniker “SBF” — normally a cool accomplishment, unless you become infamous rather than famous, as is the case here — has been on an ill-advised media tour attempting to prove he isn’t a completely-over-his-head fraudster. Good luck to him on that front.

Meanwhile, Bankman-Fried’s parents have reportedly been (figuratively) struck by the collateral damage of their son’s reckless exploits. Bankman-Fried’s father, Joseph Bankman, has canceled the one law class he was scheduled to teach at Stanford early next year, according to the Stanford Daily. Bankman-Fried’s mother, Barbara Fried, also isn’t teaching any classes next quarter.

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

“Insidious”: Madonna, Jimmy Fallon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Other Celebs Sued Over NFT Endorsements

Celebrities who thought doing crypto promotions would be a quick way to make some easy money have another thing coming.

Weeks ago, Tom Brady, Giselle Bündchen, Larry David & Steph Curry were sued over a now-infamous Super Bowl ad promoting failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX.

Now, a class action lawsuit filed in federal court is targeting clebrities who were secretly compensated for shipping ‘Bored Ape Yacht Club’ NFTs, Deadline reports. The lawsuit includes Kevin Hart, Madonna, Jimmy Fallon, Justin Bieber, Paris Hilton, Serena Williams, DJ Khaled, Gwyneth Paltrow and a host of other celebrities.

Universal TV is also named as a defendant, while high-profile music manager Guy Oseary has been fingered as the ‘brains’ behind the operation.

“Defendants’ promotional campaign was wildly successful, generating billions of dollars in sales and re-sales,” reads the lawsuit, filed by Adonis Real and Adam Titcher filed on December 8 in U.S. District Court in California. “The manufactured celebrity endorsements and misleading promotions regarding the launch of an entire BAYC ecosystem (the so-called Otherside metaverse) were able to artificially increase the interest in and price of the BAYC NFTs during the Relevant Period, causing investors to purchase these losing investments at drastically inflated prices,” the filing continues.

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

9 Million Millennials Moved Back in With Their Parents This Year

The good news is that they still have jobs (if one believes the goalseeked propaganda spewed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics). The bad news is that soaring rents have forced millions of young Americans to move back in with their parents this year, according to a new survey.

As Bloomberg’s Alex Tanzi writes, about one in four millennials are living with their parents, according to the survey of 1,200 people by Pollfish for the website PropertyManagement.com. That’s equivalent to about 18 million people between the ages of 26 and 41. More than half said they moved back in with family in the past year.

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

A New Orleans Police Department Employee is Stabbed to Death While Driving for Uber

A New Orleans Police Department employee who was driving for Uber in her time off was stabbed to death by a passenger on Thursday, and a suspect has been arrested, authorities said.

Yolanda Dillion, 54, picked up an Uber passenger in New Orleans and drove to the adjacent Jefferson Parish, according to parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto.

When the ride ended, the passenger “stabbed (Dillion) repeatedly before leaving the vehicle,” Lopinto’s office said Friday.

Someone reported the stabbing to authorities just before 3 p.m. Thursday, and sheriff’s deputies found Dillion wounded in the vehicle in a hotel’s parking lot. She was taken to a hospital, where she died, the sheriff’s office said.

           — Hat tip: MM [Return to headlines]
 

Breaking: Hunter Biden Plans Defamation Lawsuits Against Fox News, Giuliani

During a recent meeting between Hunter Biden, his lawyer Kevin Morris, Media Matters founder David Brock, and other political operatives the group discussed the idea of bringing defamation lawsuits against entities such as Fox News and people like Eric Trump and Rudy Giuliani.

The meeting took place at Morris’s home and Hunter reportedly briefly called-in to join and strategize about those who have accused the younger Biden of using his father’s influence to make profitable business deals overseas stemming, reported the Washington Post on Saturday.

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

Case Closed! Moment Biden’s Non-Binary Energy Secretary ‘Stole’ Woman’s $320 Away-Brand Suitcase Stuffed With Over $3,000-Worth of Jewelry, Clothes and Makeup in Las Vegas During ‘Second Airport Theft’

Security footage caught the moment President Biden’s non-binary energy secretary Sam Brinton, 35, appeared to snatch a suitcase from the airport in Las Vegas this summer.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Chicago Man Got So Angry About TV News Story, He Started Shooting, Police Say

CHICAGO — A Far South Side man who was apparently enraged by a television news story allegedly opened fire on several family members and neighbors outside his home earlier this week, hitting one man before he was shot by a Chicago police officer, according to prosecutors.

Kevin Singleton, 52, was charged with six counts of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated battery over the encounter that started Wednesday evening, prosecutors said during a bail hearing on Saturday.

Singleton was at the home in the 100 block of West 126th Place when he got upset over the TV news story, called police and then hung up, according to Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Lisa Sterba. He became further agitated when a dispatcher called him back, Sterba said.

Singleton’s mother, who was in the home at the time, called the man’s daughter for help dealing with Singleton, prosecutors said.

As Singleton’s daughter walked up to the home, he allegedly pointed a handgun at her and told her to “get away,” Sterba said. He then fired three shots as she walked back to a vehicle with her boyfriend inside, hitting three passenger-side windows, Sterba said.

After that, Singleton allegedly went back inside and then re-emerged with a shotgun that he fired at the house next door, Sterba said.

That neighbor called her son, who showed up with two friends whom Singleton also fired at, Sterba said. One was hit in the armpit and buttocks.

That man, 47, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. He was expected to survive but remained intubated Saturday, prosecutors said.

Police officers eventually arrived and Singleton tried to fire at them, but his gun apparently malfunctioned, prosecutors said.

As Singleton chased another person on the block, an officer shot him in the finger, prosecutors said. He was hospitalized in good condition and allegedly later acknowledged firing the shotgun.

           — Hat tip: Roger [Return to headlines]
 

Chicago Archdiocese Reinstates Controversial Father Michael Pfleger After Sexual Abuse Allegations

The Archdiocese of Chicago is reinstating Father Michael Pfleger after he was accused of sexually abusing a minor more than 30 years ago.

Pfleger faced the accusation in October and stepped aside while the allegation was investigated. The allegation of sexual abuse was reported to law enforcement officials and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

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

Concealed Carry Holder Stops Armed Robbery in Chicago, Shoots One Crook in the Knee, Another in the Buttock

A concealed carry holder stopped an armed robbery crew from stealing his car in downtown Chicago early this morning.

The armed permit holder shot two men during an exchange of gunfire in the heart of Chicago’s downtown.

He was able to stop the car theft while taking out two of the suspects.

According to Chicago police, the victim was leaving the Cambria Hotel in the theater district when someone fired shots at him from a red SUV.

The concealed carry holder returned fire at the red SUV, sending the thugs fleeing from the scene.

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

DeSantis: Big Pharma COVID Shots ‘Ended Up Killing People’

Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has put the pharmaceutical industry on notice by warning the public that Big Pharma’s mRNA Covid shots “ended up killing people.”

Gov. DeSantis issued a fiery statement where he vowed to hold Big Pharma companies accountable for those injured or killed by their vaccines.

DeSantis argues that people we led to believe the vaccines were safe because of a widespread effort by the corporate media and tech companies to suppress any information about the risks.

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

Disruptive African Journalist Accuses Biden’s Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre of Discriminating Against Him as He Storms Out of Briefing Room After Previous Warnings About His Behavior

Simon Ateba, who runs the website Today News Africa, leveled the claim after a visibly frustrated Jean-Pierre walked out of Thursday’s daily briefing as he talked over her with questions.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Elon Musk Exposes Twitter’s Plotting Against Trump in Latest Secret Files Drop

Elon Musk has released “The Twitter Files: Part Three” which exposes the plotting by the company’s former executives to ban President Donald Trump during his presidency.

The bombshell secret files show internal discussions from Twitter that reveal executives had developed a framework for banning Trump while he was a sitting president.

According to the files, Twitter had established the framework long before January 6 2021 but used the Capitol riot as an excuse to execute the plan to ban Trump.

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

FDA Says Ivermectin Doesn’t Work Against COVID-19 But Points to Studies That Show it Does

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says a drug called ivermectin does not work against COVID-19 but links to studies that show it does, an Epoch Times review has found.

The FDA’s website states, “Currently available data do not show ivermectin is effective against COVID-19.”

But half of the studies to which the FDA points support using ivermectin against COVID-19, according to the review.

The papers cut against the drug agency’s repeated exhortations for people not to take ivermectin for COVID-19. In Twitter posts, public statements, and emails, FDA officials have repeatedly warned against ivermectin. Some of those statements triggered a lawsuit from doctors who say the agency’s role is to approve drugs, not to issue recommendations. The suit was dismissed this week.

Dr. Pierre Kory, who frequently prescribes ivermectin for COVID-19 and co-authored a meta-analysis that concluded the drug is effective against the illness, told The Epoch Times that the government’s position on ivermectin “is one of the most glaring examples of the corruption of modern evidence based medicine.”

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

Georgia Journalist is One of Few People in World Who’s Completely Immune to All Known Variants of COVID and His Blood Would Still Kill Virus Even if it Was Diluted by 90%

A journalist in Georgia has discovered he has ‘super blood’ that makes him among the most immune to COVID-19 in the world.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

GOP Puts Biden on Notice: ‘We Will Roll Out Red Carpet for Elon Musk to Testify Before Committee’

House GOP leaders have put President Joe Biden on notice by warning that Elon Musk will testify before Congress on Twitter’s efforts to censor Americans and meddle in elections on behalf of the Democrats.

Republicans say they have talked to Musk, or his team, about testifying before the House Oversight Committee as part of their new probe into Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said: “I have reached out to Elon Musk through backchannels to tell him that we would love for him to come before the committee.

“I’m pretty confident he’s going to provide more information, but he is welcome to come before our committee.

“We will roll out the red carpet for Elon Musk.

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

Gun Shops and Customers Claim Credit Card Firms “Restrict” Firearm Purchases

Gun rights advocates warned that a new change to the credit card industry to add a firearm and ammunition-specific Merchant Category Code (MCC) for gun stores wasn’t about tracking guns necessarily, but could lead to the denial of lawful firearms purchases by law-abiding citizens.

In September, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express all said they would adopt the MCC code to categorize sales at gun shops; months later, several social media posts of alleged gun stores and customers claim they experienced card issues.

Twitter account “Battlecock Tactical” tweeted, “Federal Firearms License [gun shop] in a Facebook group shared this. Looks like the doomers accurately called how that new firearms merchant code would go down.”

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

Heartwarming Moment Minnesota Liquor Store Worker Gave Destitute Man Her Prized Nike Air Jordans After Spotting Him Using Cardboard Boxes as Makeshift Shoes

Ta Leia Thomas of Minnesota pulled her favorite sneakers off her feet -a pair of purple retro Nike Air Jordans- to give a homeless man who was wearing cardboard boxes on his feet.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

How Twitter Stretched Its Own Rules to Ban President Trump

The new batch of “Twitter Files,” posted by journalist Matt Taibbi on Friday, detail Twitter’s decision to ban former President Donald Trump and show that Twitter was in constant communication with the FBI and other federal agencies.

Taibbi obtained internal messages, that were redacted, that showed “the internal debate leading to Trump’s ban.”

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

Hunter Biden’s Legal Team in Disarray Ahead of GOP Investigations: ‘Not Fully Coordinating’

A Saturday Washington Post report offered some details on the legal defense team taking shape to oppose congressional Republican investigations into Hunter Biden that are expected to start once the GOP majority takes over the House in January.

The article noted that the Biden defense team is “almost frantically” assembling, “not fully coordinating” and running the risk that it will “not share a unified approach” when the investigations begin.

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

Hunter Biden Seen at Ritzy NYC Art Gallery Selling His Paintings for Up to $200K, Despite Ethics Concerns

First son Hunter Biden was spotted Friday at his SoHo art exhibition where his pieces are carrying a hefty price tag despite him facing a congressional ethics probe.

The younger Biden, who recently launched his art career, is selling his art with prices going into the six-figures at his exhibition at the Georges Berge’s Art Gallery in the Big Apple.

The gallery told Fox News Digital that the prices at the public exhibition go between $65,000 and $200,000, depending on the piece and the exhibition.

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

John Podesta’s ‘Niece’ Quits Job at Twitter as Elon Musk Cracks Down on Child Exploitation

A member of Twitter’s Trust & Safety Council, who claims to be the niece of top Clinton/Biden advisor John Podesta, has quit her job at the social media company amid new owner Elon Musk’s crackdown against child exploitation on the platform.

Lesley Podesta resigned from Twitter on Thursday with two other employees.

In a statement regarding the exit, she said the move is due to concerns about the “wellbeing of Twitter’s users.”

While the alleged family ties are not public, Lesley Podesta claimed in 2018 that John Podesta is her “uncle.”

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

Juvenile Stabbed While Trying to Rob Adult, Morrisville Police Say

MORRISVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — Two juveniles have been charged after they tried to rob an adult late Thursday night in Morrisville.

The incident happened in what police believe to be the 100 block of Fairview Drive, however, the exact location is currently unknown, police said Friday afternoon.

Officers were called to the scene at 11:22 p.m. where police said one of the juveniles had been stabbed by the victim in self-defense during the robbery and was taken to a hospital.

Police said they believed drugs were involved and they are continuing to investigate.

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Louisiana to Decide on an Amendment Allowing Only U.S. Citizens to Vote in the State’s Elections

Voters in Louisiana are going to the polls on Saturday to cast ballots on whether to adopt an amendment to the state constitution to explicitly require that an individual be an American citizen to vote in the state.

The Louisiana-based CBS affiliate KNOE reported that the current state constitution permits all Louisiana citizens to vote but does not explicitly require that voters be a U.S. citizen. Federal law requires voters be American citizens to vote in federal elections for offices like president and Senate, but states and municipalities can allow noncitizens to vote in their own local elections.

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

Musk: Twitter Child Porn Failures ‘A Crime’

On Thursday, three members of Twitter’s Trusty & Safety Council quit the company in a huff, claiming in a tweeted screed that the “safety and wellbeing of Twitter’s users are on the decline” since Elon Musk took over.

The individuals in question — Anne Collier, Eirliani Abdul Rahman, and Lesley Podesta (niece of John Podesta) — wrote about how they’ve worked tirelessly on ‘digital safety’ — with Rahman proudly serving on the Council’s “Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Prevention advisory group.”

Except — these three beacons of virtue apparently didn’t do much when it came to pedophiles running rampant on the platform — which led several major brands to pull campaigns with the company shortly before Musk’s acquisition.

“You all belong in jail,” tweeted commentator Mike Cernovich, linking to a New York Post article outlining how Twitter refused to remove child porn because it “didn’t find a violation.”

To which Elon Musk replied: “It is a crime that they refused to take action on child exploitation for years!”

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

Newt Gingrich: Twitter Interfered With U.S Elections

Social media company Twitter played a key role in interfering in America’s elections, according to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Gingrich describes the revelations coming from Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk about the platform’s behind-scenes operation to suppress certain viewpoints as “pretty horrifying.”

He says the “Twitter Files” release shows that the platform was part of the efforts to interfere with the 2020 presidential election.

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

Oregon’s New Gun Law Temporary Blocked as Firearm Background Checks Erupt

Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) secured a temporary restraining order (TRO) in Oregon state court earlier this week, preventing a new law that requires a permit to purchase firearms and bans high-capacity magazines from being enforced. In recent weeks, the threat of more gun control has led to a state-wide scramble for gun enthusiasts to panic buy firearms and magazines.

Ballot Measure 114, which Oregon voters passed on Nov. 8, was scheduled to take effect on Thursday.

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

Police: Man Arrested in Gas Station Shooting Had Dead, Pregnant Woman in His Apartment

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (WJLA) — An arrest has been made in the fatal shooting of a Shell gas station employee in White Oak, Maryland. Police have also revealed another shocking revelation in their investigation.

During a news conference on Friday, Montgomery County Chief of Police Marcus Jones said officers arrested and charged Torrey Moore, 31, of Silver Spring, Maryland, in connection to the deadly shooting at the Shell station on Thursday.

Police said Moore entered the gas station and got into a confrontation with a clerk, identified as 61-year-old Ayalew Wondimu. The incident escalated and Moore pulled a handgun from his vest and shot Wondimu multiple times before leaving the scene, police added.

Detectives were able to track Moore to the Enclave Apartments, located directly across the street from the gas station. Subsequently, a search warrant was requested and received for Moore’s home.

Police said when they searched Moore’s apartment, they found the body of a pregnant woman in an advanced stage of decomposition. Chief Jones said Moore had told police that he was in a relationship with the woman found in his home, and that she was eight months pregnant.

Moore was also found in the apartment, and police believe he had been living there, alongside the woman’s decaying remains.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

Teen Denied Kidney Transplant Because She’s Not Vaccinated for COVID, Say Parents

Appearing on “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Saturday morning to discuss the dire medical dilemma their family is facing, the parents of a teenage girl who is not vaccinated against COVID-19 revealed that their daughter has been unable to move forward with the kidney transplant she needs at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina.

Chrissy Hicks, the mom of 14-year-old Yulia Hicks, recounted her exchange about the issue with a medical official.

“I said, ‘So basically you’re telling us if she does not get the vaccine, then she’s not getting a transplant,’“ Chrissy Hicks said. “And [the medical employee] said, ‘Yes, that is the one thing that is holding us up.’“

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

The White House Says it Was “Not Involved” in Twitter Censorship Pressure

The Biden administration has insisted that it was “not involved” in attempting to influence Twitter’s content moderation decisions, nor colluded with former Twitter deputy general counsel Jim Baker to vet the internal documents Twitter CEO Elon Musk has made public through independent journalists Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss.

Last year, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the White House was “flagging” misinformation to Facebook.

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

Twitter Files Part 4 Drop Showing Executives’ Approach to ‘Change of Policy for Trump Alone’

This article will be updated as story develops…

Twitter CEO Elon Musk and independent journalist Michael Shellenberger have released another installment of internal files from Twitter with this latest batch highlighting the chaos within the company on the day after the January 6 Capitol Hill riot.

“The Removal of Donald Trump: January 7,” author Shellenberger posted Saturday night as part of a larger thread. “As the pressure builds, Twitter executives build the case for a permanent ban.”

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

Twitter Files Allege Different Levels of Election Tweet Scrutiny, Depending on Pro-Trump vs Pro-Biden Stance

In the third batch of “Twitter Files,” posted by independent journalist Matt Taibbi, the journalist suggests that Twitter executives went above and beyond to suppress tweets by high-profile conservatives but found justifications not to censor pro-Biden tweets.

In one case, staff did not find a “firm policy basis” to censor a pro-Trump tweet by pro-Trump conservative actor James Woods. So they vowed to “hit him hard on future [violations].”

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

Twitter Had Regular Meetings With FBI, Allowed Them to Flag Tweets

Independent journalist Matt Taibbi posted a new batch of “Twitter Files” that show that Twitter’s former head of safety Yoel Roth had weekly meetings with the FBI. The Files also revealed that the FBI flagged tweets related to the 2020 election.

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

Babylon Bee Mocks Canada’s Scandalous Euthanasia System

International voices continue to pile on Canada over the Liberal government’s assisted suicide policies after more reports of veterans being nonchalantly offered euthanasia by government workers emerge.

The latest criticism comes from the popular satirical news website The Babylon Bee.

In a Dec. 9 article titled Canadian Dentist Now Offering Euthanasia As Alternative To Cavity Filling, the website quips about the “growing demand for assisted suicide in” Canada.

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

Catcalling to Become Illegal in Britain With Up to Two Years in Prison

Catcalling or wolf-whistling is set to become a criminal offence in England with sentences of up to two years in prison, Home Secretary Suella Braverman says.

The embattled Home Secretary, who has so far failed to fulfil her main duty in stopping illegal migration, announced that she has backed a change in the law to heavily penalise so-called street harassment.

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

Exclusive Poll: Tories Face Wipeout at General Election as Reform UK Support Surges

SUPPORT for Reform UK is continuing to surge and the Tories face a “wipeout” at the General Election, it emerged today.

A new poll by People’s Polling for GB News, found Labour is on 47% of the national vote, the Conservative Party down to 20%, the Liberal Democrats on 8%, the Greens on 6% and Reform on 9%.

This represents a one-point fall for Conservatives and a one-point jump for Labour from last week, increasing the gap between the two parties to 27 points.

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

France: Macron’s Best Friend Convicted of Drugging Former Employee to Rape Her

Laurent Bigorgne, a close friend of French President Macron, and former director of the Montaigne Institute, who resigned on 27 February, has been found guilty by the courts of drugging his ex-sister-in-law and former employee to commit “rape or sexual assault”.

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

Police in Dresden, Germany Say Hostage Situation Following Gunshots Resolved

BERLIN (AP) — German police say they have ended a hostage situation in the eastern city of Dresden, following reports of shots fired Saturday morning.

Authorities had urged people to avoid an area in the city centre and ordered Dresden’s Christmas market to remain closed while the operation was underway.

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

Prestigious Psych Journal Cans Editor for Soliciting Criticism of Black Psychologist

The editor in chief of one of the world’s most prestigious psychology journals, Perspectives on Psychological Science, resigned on Tuesday after the board of directors of the journal’s publisher demanded he step aside—or be fired—for soliciting academic criticism of a black psychologist.

The editor, the prominent German psychologist Klaus Fiedler, stirred up controversy by agreeing to publish trenchant critiques of a 2020 article by Steven Roberts, a black psychologist at Stanford University, who had argued, among other things, that “color-blind leadership” promotes “structural inequality.”

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

UK: Just Stop Oil Protest: Updates as Activists March Through London’s Streets Causing Traffic Chaos

Activists from Just Stop Oil staged a large protest in Central London this afternoon (December 10) which caused significant disruption to traffic. The protesters met at Parliament Square before they began to march in solidarity with the 150 people who have been imprisoned for taking action with Just Stop Oil (JSO) this year.

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

UK: Small State, Low Tax Agenda Set Back a Generation by Bumbling Truss Admin: Rees-Mogg

The chaotic failure of the short-lived Liz Truss government in Britain has set back any hope of rolling back the gargantuan British state or cutting now record-high taxes for “a generation”, a prominent Conservative has lamented.

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

What Did the Biggest Anti-Terror Raid in German History Uncover?

Some 36 hours after the largest raid in the history of Germany, there are increasing indications that the investigators apparently did not find the expected arsenal of weapons. The Attorney General has offered no explanation.

The massive raid continues to make waves, especially after more than 3 000 police officers searched more than 150 properties across Germany on Wednesday. At least 27 people were arrested and another 25 are being investigated. They are said to have planned an extensive armed coup.

But what have the investigators actually found in this unprecedented large-scale operation?

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

American Soccer Journalist Grant Wahl Dies Suddenly at World Cup in Qatar

Celebrated American soccer journalist Grant Wahl has died suddenly after collapsing while covering the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Wahl was just 48 years old when he died on Friday.

He reportedly collapsed while covering Friday’s quarterfinal game between Argentina and Netherlands.

Paramedics performed CPR on Wahl for several minutes at the scene.

He was then rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

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

Battle for Donbas: Zelensky Says Russians Have ‘Actually Destroyed Bakhmut’

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces have “destroyed” the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, while Ukraine’s military on Saturday reported missile, rocket and air strikes in multiple parts of the country that Moscow is trying to conquer after months of resistance.

The latest battles of Russia’s 9 1/2 month war in Ukraine have centred on four provinces that Russian President Vladimir Putin triumphantly — and illegally — claimed to have annexed in late September. The fighting indicates Russia’s struggle to establish control of those regions and Ukraine’s persistence to reclaim them.

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

‘Major War’ Between Russia and West Could Break Out Over Ukraine, Warns NATO Chief

A full-blown “major war” between Russia and the West could possibly break out over Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned on Friday.

Commenting on the state of play ten months since Russia mounted a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said that it is a “fateful time for Europe” and that things could “go horribly wrong” and spill over from a proxy into a direct conflict between Russia and the NATO alliance.

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

Peter Hitchens: The Arrogance and Folly in Ukraine That Could Yet Send US Hurtling Towards Nuclear Catastrophe

PETER HITCHENS: All kinds of slime will now be hurled at me, saying I am trying to justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I’m not. I continue to think it stupid, barbaric and wrong.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Russians Have Turned Ukrainian City of Bakhmut Into ‘Burnt Ruins’ Says President Zelensky as Putin’s Forces Launch 20 Air Strikes and 60 Rocket Attacks on the Country in Last Two Days

President Zelensky said in his nightly address yesterday that Russia had turned the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine into ‘burnt ruins’ amid a two-day bombing campaign of the country.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Russian Media Laughs at US Government’s Woke Trade for Griner Instead of Whelan

While the Biden Administration does not represent half the country (some might argue far more than half) when it comes to principles, values, morals, intelligence, courage, common sense, etc., it unfortunately does represent all of us when it comes to the world stage and geopolitics.

Millions of Americans are fully aware that the Brittney Griner prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout is a bad trade, and that US Marine Paul Whelan, now imprisoned in Russia for two years, should have been included in the deal. We all know that Biden’s agenda for this trade was based on winning woke points with his far-left base (and part of some unspoken arrangement with Saudi Arabia and UAE), but the prisoner swap is more than just foolish political gamesmanship, it is also an embarrassment for the US as a whole.

The Russian media acknowledges (and laughs) about the deeper meaning behind the trade and it’s hard to disagree with them when they argue that it symbolizes a display of internal ideological weakness.

[Comment: The article has a Russian video with English subtitles.]

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

Vladimir Putin Sends Nuclear Threat After Ukraine Reportedly Gets the Green Light From the US to Launch Drone Strikes in Russia Following Attacks on Ukrainian Cities

Vladimir Putin’s henchmen warned last night that the fighting in Ukraine could escalate into an ‘all-out nuclear war’ after America gave Ukraine the green light to launch drone strikes deep inside Russia.

The Russian officials were responding to reports that the Pentagon had told Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky that he can launch the attacks within Russia, which the US previously advised against, fearing an all-out war between Russia and Nato.

One source in Putin’s circle said last night: ‘This is playing with fire, risking full-scale war which could easily go nuclear.’

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Warning — Graphic Content: Shocking Video Shows Terrified Teen Being Stalked, Taunted and Bashed on the Streets of Australia’s Second Biggest City — Before the Thugs Boast About Attack on Social Media

Horrifying footage shows a boy being viciously and mercilessly set upon by a youth gang at Berwick station in Melbourne’s south-east with the gang later bragging about the attack on social media.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Lee Anderson: Britain Has Always Been a Kind, Welcoming and Tolerant Country That Has Looked After Refugees…

Yet today our warmth and generosity are being abused by the criminal gangs trafficking people to our shores

LEE ANDERSON: This year, more than 12,000 people have arrived in Britain illegally from Albania — up from 800 last year and 50 in 2020.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

UK Border Force Could be Deployed to Europe Under New Migrant Pact

The United Kingdom has come to an agreement with several European Union nations to tackle the record waves of illegal migrants landing on British shores, which may see UK Border Force agents deployed throughout the bloc.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman came to an agreement with her counterparts in France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, alongside representatives from the European Commission in Brussels, on Thursday, which should step up measures to confront the ever-growing Channel migrant crisis.

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

UK: Rishi Sunak Plans Crackdown on Channel Migrants People Traffickers This Week as Red Wall MPs Say: We’re Losing Patience

Rishi Sunak is planning to ‘seize control’ of the Channel migrants crisis by announcing a crackdown this week on the Albanian people-traffickers linked to the majority of cases.

Whitehall sources said the Prime Minister was ‘looking at all options’ to fast-track the return of Albanians who come to the UK, including the use of the Albanian police to check criminal records.

It comes as the Prime Minister is under mounting pressure from Red Wall Tory MPs to tackle the issue.

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

UK: Two People Smugglers Led the 1,500-Strong Protest in Parliament Square at Which an Albanian Flag Was Draped Over Winston Churchill’s Statue After Suella Braverman Said Britain Faced an ‘Invasion’ Of Illegal Migrants

Brothers Taulant and Enkeleid Omi led a 1,500-strong protest outside Parliament last month after Home Secretary Suella Braverman said Britain faced an ‘invasion’ of illegal migrants.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Watch Exclusive Footage as Migrants Manage Beach Landing Near Dover

Dozens of migrants have crossed the Channel this morning as calmer weather creates better conditions for small boats.

GB News sources say around 200 people have been picked up by Border Force vessels as part of an ongoing operation.

[Comment: Article published December 10, 2022.]

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

Cross-Dressing Book for Pre-K Students Crossed the Line

Authored by Michael Ryan via RealClear Wire

A school district that gave preschoolers a book on cross-dressing has changed its procedures for giving out books after news of the incident surfaced last week.

As first reported exclusively by The Lion and The Heartlander news sites, a 4-year-old preschooler in the Turner School District in Kansas City, Kansas, took home the book Jacob’s New Dress. It’s a picture book in which a little boy wears girls’ clothes and even competes with his friend Emily to be a princess.

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

Parents Swept Up Into Controversy Over After School Satan Club Speak Out: ‘At Their Wits’ End’

As controversy roils a Virginia town over a planned Satanist after-school club, organizers and parents on both sides of the issue spoke to Fox News Digital to share their perspectives.

The city of Chesapeake has recently drawn national attention as the center of a firestorm sweeping the southeastern Virginia community after The Satanic Temple has attempted to establish an After School Satan Club (ASSC) for kids at the local B.M. Williams Primary School.

‘Fear and indoctrination’

“Regarding parents who are upset about the club, I would like them to know that we are here because we have worked with educators to develop an after-school program that is engaging and fun and helps young minds grow and thrive,” June Everett, an ordained minister in The Satanic Temple and campaign director of ASSC, told Fox News Digital.

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

9 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/10/2022

  1. .

    WHEN THE TIDE GOES OUT YOU CAN SEE WHO IS NAKED

    YRAR 2010

    Andre Geim’s remarcable speech at the Nobel Banquet in the Stockholm City Hall, 10 December 2010.

    He and college got the prize “for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene”.

    PDF https://www.nobelprize.org › uploads › 2018/06

    https://www.nobelprize.org › prizes

    – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

    Yesterday’s, 10 December 2022 , more or less mediocre 4+1
    speeches in in the same Stockholm City Hall:

    https://voca.ro/18vAgJ49uVI7

    ========================================
    …try a closing smile:

    https://voca.ro/11AT2wDeZSZ3

    [“-Don’t like the tourist –
    thinking tourist is trist/boring!”]

  2. .

    Jews rage against the Swedish Academy

    Published 10 December 2022 in Fria Tider

    The Jewish Simon Wiesenthal Center is furiously criticizing the Swedish Academy for awarding the Nobel Prize in Literature to Frenchwoman Annie Ernaux, Expressen reports.

    Annie Ernaux is alleged by the Simon Wiesenthal Center to have links to what they call anti-Semitism.

    – The message to the Jewish community is “Quite frankly, we don’t give a damn about you and you might get what you deserve,” says the Jewish organization’s founder, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, according to Expressen.

    The background is that journalist Olle Svenning has written in Dagens Nyheter about Annie Ernaux’s connection to the French-Algerian writer Houria Bouteldja, whom Svenning describes as “a well-known anti-Semite”.

    Abraham Cooper also points out that Annie Ernaux has supported the so-called BDS movement, which organises boycotts of Israel. That such a person can receive a Nobel Prize is “disgusting”, according to the Jewish profile.

    • Houria Bouteldja is not French and never will be, she is a bloody 3rd worlder Algerian. It is too bad the Legion didn’t get rid of that traitor De Gualle when they had the chance, it would have saved France from the 3rd world invasion.

  3. Just read about a 91 year old Daniel Ellsberg saying it is time to go to SCOTUS regarding the Espionage Act in the Julian Assange case.
    He reveals that he has the Bradley/Chelsea Manning data which makes him indictable.
    Isn’t it pretty to think so…that there is anything left that is not totally sold out and corrupted.

    (h/t-LR)

  4. Wow! Just read one with a theory about Viktor Bout being released to launder money for the CPUSA wing of the Uniparty bird with weapons sales.
    What if the Green Screen war is really about the cash Laundromat for the imperial swamp?
    The Brandon Circus is the slow motion controlled demolition trainwreck of sabotage disguised as incompetence while the immaculate Barry sits in sweats a few blocks away plotting and scheming in between choom blunts.

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