Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/28/2022

Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder and former CEO of FTX, will be arraigned in court next week, and is expected to enter a plea. Meanwhile, Mr. Bankman-Fried’s parents — with whom he is staying under house arrest — have had to hire a private security firm to patrol the grounds of their house, due to the death threats they have received.

In other news, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari warned that a lot of Western weapons that were sent to Ukraine have ended up in Africa.

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

Thanks to Dean, DV, 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
» Canadians to See Five Major Tax Hikes in 2023: Taxpayers Group
» Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against FTX by Customers Hoping to Recover ‘Diminished’ Assets
» FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Expected to Enter Plea Next Week
» FTX Scheme Used Fake Money to Buy Up Other Companies: Robert Salvador on FTX Crypto Scandal
 
USA
» $1.7 Trillion Spending Bill Requires Platforms to Verify ID of Those Earning $5,000 Revenue Per Year
» 12 States Allow Home Equity ‘Theft’ Over Homeowners’ Tax Payment Shortfalls, Study Says
» 80-Year-Old California Store Owner Who Shot Robber Dies
» Andy Ngo Reports: Portland Antifa ‘Journalist’ Charged With Felony Robbery, Assault
» Arizona AG Brnovich Sues School District, Superintendent Who Paid Herself $3.3 Million Over 5 Years
» Biden Admin Expands Crackdown on Ghost Guns
» Breaking: Project Veritas Comms Director Who Released #ExposeFauci Documents Restored on Twitter
» Buffalo Area Blizzard Death Toll Rises as National Guard Looks Door to Door for Bodies
» Driver With Kids Aboard Accused of Mowing Down Wife Before Stabbing Her
» Elon Musk Calls Out ‘Legacy Media’ and ‘Corporate Journalism’: ‘We Have Only Just Begun’
» Georgia Would-be Robber Slips on Ice While Pulling Gun, Hits Head, Police Say: ‘Like a Scene From Home Alone’
» GOP-Controlled State Legislatures Weigh ‘Constitutionality’ of Presidential Executive Orders
» ‘I Just Killed My Daughter’: Chilling 911 Call Released After Mother Fatally Stabbed 3-Year-Old in North Miami Beach
» Illinois Judge to Determine What Happens Next With No Cash Bail
» Joe Biden Doesn’t Trust Some Secret Service Agents Because They Support Donald Trump New Book Claims
» Jonathan Turley Calls for New ‘Church Committee’ to Investigate the FBI: “Clearly, This is the Time for a New Church Committee, and Time to Reform the FBI”
» Judge Approves $10M Class-Action Settlement Over Mandatory COVID Shots
» Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly Bans TikTok on State Devices
» Kari Lake Appeals Dismissal of Arizona Election Lawsuit
» Live: America’s Frontline Doctors Talk About Alleged Corruption of Big Pharma and Government
» Man Suspected in Explosion Before Killing Wife, Himself
» Marjorie Taylor Greene Scolds Tulsi Gabbard Over New GOP Rep Who Was Caught Lying: “I Think We Republicans Should Give George Santos a Chance and See How He Legislates and Votes, Not Treat Him the Same as the Left is”
» Matt Gaetz Interrupts Kevin McCarthy’s Coronation, Urges Jim Jordan to Run for Speaker of the House
» Musk Announces Twitter Policy to ‘Follow’ and ‘Question’ Science
» NY DA Opens Investigation Into Rep.-Elect Santos Amid Revelations He Lied About His Background
» NYC Serial Thief Accused of 23 More Shoplifts After Getting Let Off by Progressive DA
» Officials Ask Residents to Review Surveillance Footage After Washington Substation Attacks
» Paul Pelosi Attack Suspect David Depape Pleads Not Guilty to State Charges
» Ron Desantis’ ‘Freedom Blueprint’ Touted by School Board Members as Way to Elect More Conservative Candidates
» Sam Bankman-Fried’s ‘Nervous’ Parents Hire Armed Guards Amid Death Threats
» South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem: Biden is ‘Destroying Our Border on Purpose’
» Southwest Airlines Cancels 2,500 More Flights Wednesday Amid Federal Officials’ Warnings
» Supreme Court to Take Up Trump-Backed Florida Social Media Censorship Appeal Next Week
» Tom Cotton: ‘Pentagon’s Woke Obsessions Could Have Severe Effects on Military Preparedness & Readiness’
» Top Virginia High School Accused of Withholding Academic Awards for ‘Equity’: ‘The Dumbing Down of America’
» Twitter Files Show ‘Shocking Level of Government Overreach and Abuse’: Kash Patel
» Twitter Employees Had ‘Fauci Fan Club’ Slack Group: Elon Musk
» U.S. Will Require Travelers From China to Show Negative COVID Test Before Boarding Flights
» Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System Trends on Twitter
 
Canada
» Canadian Small Businesses Expect to be Hurt Most by New ‘Green’ Regulations
» Danielle Smith Expresses Concern for Independent Media Amid Trudeau’s Censorship Efforts
» Iced Out! Furious Tesla Owners Share Videos of Their Cars Failing to Work in Harsh Winter Snowstorm as Arctic Temperatures Freeze Doors Shut
» Pierre Poilievre: ‘Shameful’ That Trudeau Gov’t is Pushing Assisted Suicide on Veterans
 
Europe and the EU
» Andrew Tate Mercilessly Trolls Greta Thunberg — ‘I Have 33 Cars With Enormous Emissions…I’ll Email You the Full Details’
» Pope Benedict XVI Reportedly ‘Very Ill’ As Vatican and Pope Francis Ask for Prayers
» Son of Italian Deputy PM Salvini Robbed on Streets of Milan
» UK: ‘Anti-Family’ Conservatives Ensnaring Thousands More in Middle-Class Households in ‘96 Per Cent Tax Trap’: Report
» UK: Glasgow Sex Trafficker Jagpal Singh Was BBC Reality News Show Star
 
Balkans
» Kosovo Shuts Main Border Crossing With Serbia
 
Middle East
» Paris Shooting: French Ambassador Summoned by Ankara for ‘Anti-Turkish Propaganda’
 
Russia
» Breaking: Zelensky Announces He is Planning to Join World Economic Forum in Davos, to Sign New Postwar Loans With BlackRock
» ‘Kind-Hearted’ Aussie Fighting to ‘Defend Freedom’ In Ukraine is Tragically Killed in the War-Torn Nation
» Lavrov Says Pentagon Threatening to Assassinate Putin
» Putin’s Thugs Shell Ukrainian Maternity Hospital Hours After Two Women Delivered Babies as His Lapdog Sergei Lavrov Claims Russia Will Win the War Because of Its ‘Patience’, Saying: ‘We Are in No Hurry’
 
Far East
» Almost Half of Passengers Travelling From China to Milan Have COVID-19, Italian Officials Says
» Breaking: Elon Says Gain-of-Function Research in Wuhan Was Bioweapon Research: ‘The Function Referred is Death!’
 
Australia — Pacific
» Aussie Cops Ask Neighbors to Rat Out ‘Anti-Government, Anti-Police, or COVID-Vaccine Conspiracy Theorists’
» Free Flights, Cheap Rent and No Stamp Duty — the Incredible Perks Being Offered to Tradies to Live in One Australian State and Build Houses
» Incredible Moment Fed-Up Locals Perform a Citizen’s Arrest on a Group of Tearaway Teens Who’d Been Causing Trouble on Their Street: ‘The Community Has Had Enough’
» Teenagers Accused of Murdering a Brave Mum and Stabbing Her Husband in Horror Home Invasion Were Living in a Halfway House Just Metres Away — and Terrorising the Suburb While Out on Bail
» The World’s Mega-Rich Are Planning to Ride Out the Apocalypse in Luxury: Secretive Doomsday Bunkers Are Snapped Up in New Zealand and Remote Locations — as Four in 10 People Believe We’re ‘Living in the End Times’
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Boko Haram’s Explosive Devices Kill One, Injure Another in Niger
» Nigerian President: More Weapons for Ukraine End Up in Africa
 
Latin America
» Brazil Ramps Up Security for Lula Inauguration After Foiled Bomb Plot
 
Immigration
» Greg Abbott Dubs Biden ‘Hypocrite-in-Chief’ Over Migrant Busing Criticisms
» Revealed: Russians Fleeing Putin’s War Are Among the Thousands at the US Border in Mexico
» UK: Dover Border Force Official ‘Is Arrested for Being an Illegal Immigrant’
» Watch: Home Office Launches Video to Encourage Illegal Immigrants to Quit UK for Rwanda — ‘It’s for Your Own Wellbeing!’
 
Culture Wars
» Biden’s CDC Grills Teachers Over ‘LGBTQ Inclusivity’ Levels
» Britain’s Socialised National Health Service Dumping Millions Into Diversity Jobs
» Florida Warns Venues Hosting Explicit Drag Show Tour to Ban Children From Events or Lose Business Licenses
» Oxford Dictionary Adds ‘Multisexual, ‘ ‘Sistergirl’ And 16 Other Words Related to Gender-Identity
» Scotland’s Transgenderism Legislation Will Endanger Women — MPs
 

Canadians to See Five Major Tax Hikes in 2023: Taxpayers Group

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) has sounded the alarm about five incoming tax hikes in 2023.

Tax hikes will include a carbon tax increase, an alcohol escalator tax, hikes to Employment Insurance and more, according to the report New Year’s Tax Changes.

“Tax hikes will give Canadians a hangover in the new year,” said CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano.

“Canadians can’t afford gas or groceries and the government is making things worse by hiking taxes.”

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

Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against FTX by Customers Hoping to Recover ‘Diminished’ Assets

On Tuesday, a class action lawsuit was filed against FTX and Alameda Research by customers hoping to recoup some of the money they lost following the crypto exchange’s collapse.

The lawsuit argued on behalf of the over one million customers that since their assets “never belonged to FTX or Alameda,” they should be returned to their rightful owners rather than be used to pay off creditors.

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

FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Expected to Enter Plea Next Week

Former cryptocurrency mogul Sam Bankman-Fried is slated for an arraignment on Jan. 3, 2023, wherein he is expected to enter a plea in connection with criminal fraud charges he faces over the collapse of FTX.

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

FTX Scheme Used Fake Money to Buy Up Other Companies: Robert Salvador on FTX Crypto Scandal

Court documents show that FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried took hundreds of millions of dollars from his trading firm Alameda Research to buy Robinhood stock. NTD spoke to Robert Salvador, the CEO of Digibuild, who explained what it means in terms of possible criminal activity. Salvador said Bankman-Fried’s alleged “Ponzi scheme” used fake money to buy up other companies.

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

$1.7 Trillion Spending Bill Requires Platforms to Verify ID of Those Earning $5,000 Revenue Per Year

A massive, $1.7 trillion funding bill was approved in the US Congress last Friday and will become law once signed by President Biden.

And once that happens, it will bring into force proposed legislation introduced last year, INFORM Consumers Act, designed to regulate a sensitive segment of online marketplaces, delving deep into and disclosing sellers’ personal data under some circumstances.

Namely, the Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces (INFORM) for Consumers Act will require e-commerce companies to collect, verify, and disclose “certain information from high-volume, third-party sellers.”

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

12 States Allow Home Equity ‘Theft’ Over Homeowners’ Tax Payment Shortfalls, Study Says

Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)

Twelve states and the District of Columbia allow local governments and private investors to seize dramatically more than what is owed from homeowners who fall behind on property tax payments, according to a new report.

The practice, which Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) calls “home equity theft,” is documented in what the organization bills as the first national study aimed at exposing “the injustice of home equity theft through tax foreclosure.”

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

80-Year-Old California Store Owner Who Shot Robber Dies

NORCO, Calif.—An 80-year-old Southern California liquor store owner who opened fire with a shotgun and wounded a would-be armed robber this summer has died, the store reported Tuesday.

Craig Cope died Tuesday morning, and a memorial at Norco Market & Liquor will be held at a later date, according to a Facebook post. It didn’t mention a cause of death.

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

Andy Ngo Reports: Portland Antifa ‘Journalist’ Charged With Felony Robbery, Assault

Update: At Alissa Azar’s arraignment on Wednesday afternoon, Multnomah County prosecutors asked for a $50,000 bond given her violent criminal history. It is also confirmed the case stems from a violent robbery of a journalist in August, as TPM reported. Original article below.

On Tuesday evening, Portland Antifa member Alissa Eleanor Azar was arrested and charged with multiple felonies in connection to a violent robbery.

Azar was charged with Robbery II, a class B felony; Robbery III, a class C felony; Theft II, a class A misdemeanor; Assault III, a class C felony; and tampering with physical evidence, a class A misdemeanor.

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

Arizona AG Brnovich Sues School District, Superintendent Who Paid Herself $3.3 Million Over 5 Years

Arizona Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich on Wednesday announced his office was suing the Buckeye Elementary School District and its superintendent, Kristi Wilson, over alleged “additional compensation” payments Wilson received but to which she was not entitled.

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

Biden Admin Expands Crackdown on Ghost Guns

The Biden administration has dialed up its crackdown on so-called “ghost guns” by issuing guidance that basically expands the definition of what “readily converted” means in a new federal rule and making more do-it-yourself pistol parts subject to restrictions.

In an open letter to firearms dealers (pdf) dated Dec. 27, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) told firearm vendors that nearly-complete handgun frames or receivers—basically the pistol grip and firing mechanism—will be treated the same as fully completed firearms.

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

Breaking: Project Veritas Comms Director Who Released #ExposeFauci Documents Restored on Twitter

Communications director for investigative journalist group Project Veritas, Eric Spracklen, has been restored to Twitter after his ban in January just one day after the release of military documents that contradicted Anthony Fauci’s sworn testimony on gain-of-function research.

“BREAKING: Project Veritas Comms Director @EricSpracklen has just been RESTORED on Twitter after being wrongfully suspended for leaking the #ExposeFauci Documents that confirmed gain-of-function research,” the group announced on Twitter.

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

Buffalo Area Blizzard Death Toll Rises as National Guard Looks Door to Door for Bodies

The National Guard is doing door-to-door wellness checks across Erie County, New York, as the death toll from the Buffalo-area blizzard has risen to 34, officials said Wednesday.

Over the next 48 hours, the National Guard will traverse neighborhoods that lost power during the storm, County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz said during a press conference, Fox News reported. Authorities are concerned more people may have died who have not yet been found.

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

Driver With Kids Aboard Accused of Mowing Down Wife Before Stabbing Her

NEW YORK — A mother is in critical condition after her estranged husband is accused of intentionally mowing her down with a vehicle and then stabbing her — all while their children were aboard, according to the New York City Police Department.

The incident happened Tuesday morning on Parsons Boulevard in Flushing, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens.

Stephen Giraldo, 36, is facing multiple charges, including attempted murder.

According to police, Giraldo was behind the wheel when he drove into his wife, Sophia. He then got out of the vehicle and stabbed her.

The children were not physically hurt.

Investigators are working to figure out a potential motive.

           — Hat tip: Roger [Return to headlines]
 

Elon Musk Calls Out ‘Legacy Media’ and ‘Corporate Journalism’: ‘We Have Only Just Begun’

Billionaire and Twitter CEO Elon Musk slammed “corporate journalism” and “legacy media” in separate tweets about the response to the Twitter Files and claims that his reputation is in trouble.

“Why is corporate journalism rushing to defend the state instead of the people?” Musk wrote Tuesday in response to a tweet about a Substack post headlined “In Response to the Twitter Files, Establishment Media Rushes to Defend the FBI,” written by Leighton Woodhouse.

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

Georgia Would-be Robber Slips on Ice While Pulling Gun, Hits Head, Police Say: ‘Like a Scene From Home Alone’

A Georgia man’s attempt to rob a business in the early hours of Christmas morning went awry when employees fended off the suspect, sending him slipping on ice and hitting his head on the ground, according to the Gainesville Police Department.

Luis Sajbocho-Ordonez, 30, is now facing armed robbery and aggravated assault charges.

The incident, which police likened to a “scene out of ‘Home Alone,’“ began around 1:00 a.m. on Christmas morning.

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

GOP-Controlled State Legislatures Weigh ‘Constitutionality’ of Presidential Executive Orders

Rep. Brian Seitz (R-Branson) will enter his third session when the Missouri General Assembly convenes in Springfield on Jan. 4 and, for the third time, he is sponsoring a bill that would require state lawmakers to scrutinize and, potentially disregard, some presidential executive orders.

Under his proposed House Bill 174, the Missouri House must review all presidential executive orders not affirmed by a Congressional vote to determine if “they are, in fact, Constitutional,” Seitz told The Epoch Times.

If the Missouri House has questions about the constitutionality of a presidential executive order, the bill requires it be referred to the state’s attorney general to determine if it “restricts a person’s constitutional rights.”

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

‘I Just Killed My Daughter’: Chilling 911 Call Released After Mother Fatally Stabbed 3-Year-Old in North Miami Beach

Jellisa Amoya Baxter, 24, made her first court appearance on Wednesday.

It’s Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022 — and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day

Police have released the chilling 911 call made by a mother who confessed to fatally stabbing her 3-year-old daughter in North Miami Beach on Tuesday morning.

“I just killed my daughter,” said 24-year-old Jellisa Amoya Baxter on the 911 call.

When asked by the dispatcher how she killed her daughter, Baxter calmly responded, “I tried strangling her. That didn’t work, so I stabbed her with a knife.”

The incident took place early Tuesday morning at an apartment in the 1000 block of Northeast 163rd Street, according to the North Miami Beach Police Department.

Detectives reported finding a knife next to the child’s body, which had deep stab wounds.

Baxter was taken into custody on Tuesday and made her first court appearance on Wednesday, according to NMBPD.

           — Hat tip: MM [Return to headlines]
 

Illinois Judge to Determine What Happens Next With No Cash Bail

A controversial law ending cash bail Jan. 1 dominated Illinois’ political debate in 2022. But implementation awaits a decision from a Kankakee County judge in a lawsuit brought by more than 60 state’s attorneys from across Illinois.

The Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity Today, or SAFE-T Act, was approved by the General Assembly in January 2021. It makes several changes to the criminal justice system in the state, including eliminating cash bail statewide, making Illinois the first state to do so.

The measure was met with pushback from large segments of the law enforcement community statewide, who say the act could allow harmful to allow alleged criminals back on the street as they await trial.

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

Joe Biden Doesn’t Trust Some Secret Service Agents Because They Support Donald Trump New Book Claims

Chris Whipple is a bestselling author with extraordinary access to the inner workings of Washington DC. He has a new book coming out about President Joe Biden called “The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden’s White House” where he spills the beans on what is really going on inside the White House.

The book jacket claims, “Prizewinning journalist Chris Whipple takes us inside the Oval Office as the critical decisions of Biden’s presidency are being made. With remarkable access to both President Biden and his inner circle—including Chief of Staff Ron Klain, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and CIA Director William Burns—Whipple pulls back the curtain on the internal power struggles and back-room compromises.

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

Jonathan Turley Calls for New ‘Church Committee’ to Investigate the FBI: “Clearly, This is the Time for a New Church Committee, and Time to Reform the FBI”

Legal scholar Jonathan Turley reached his limit and is calling for a new “Church Committee” to investigate and reform the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Turley made his case writing:

“‘Conspiracy theorists feeding the American public misinformation’ is a familiar attack line for anyone raising free-speech concerns over the FBI’s role in social media censorship. What is different is that this attack came from the country’s largest law enforcement agency, the FBI — and, since the FBI has made combatting “disinformation” a major focus of its work, the labeling of its critics is particularly menacing.

“Fifty years ago, the Watergate scandal provoked a series of events that transformed not only the presidency but federal agencies like the FBI. Americans demanded answers about the involvement of the FBI and other federal agencies in domestic politics. Ultimately, Congress not only investigated the FBI but later impanelled the Church Committee to investigate a host of other abuses by intelligence agencies.

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

Judge Approves $10M Class-Action Settlement Over Mandatory COVID Shots

A federal judge has approved a $10.3 million class-action settlement with a university healthcare system and workers who were denied religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Chicago-based NorthShore University HealthSystem came to terms with 500 current and former healthcare workers this summer, but it was only Friday that U.S. District Judge John Kness approved the settlement terms.

The class covers NorthShore team members who submitted religious exemption requests between July 1, 2021 and January 1, 2022, were denied exemptions and either took a vaccine to avoid termination or were fired or resigned due to their religious objections.

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

Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly Bans TikTok on State Devices

Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday banned the use of TikTok on state devices, following in the footsteps of both the federal government and many Republican governors.

With the signing of the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package, use of the social media platform on most federal devices is now prohibited. Moreover, many state governors, such as Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, have adopted similar measures.

“TikTok mines users’ data and potentially makes it available to the Chinese Communist Party,” Kelly said when announcing the ban, per the Associated Press.

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

Kari Lake Appeals Dismissal of Arizona Election Lawsuit

Kari Lake, the Arizona Republican nominee for governor, is appealing a Maricopa County judge’s dismissal of her lawsuit challenging her defeat to Democrat Katie Hobbs, who is currently serving as secretary of state.

In a notice of appeal filed Tuesday, Lake asked the Arizona Superior Court to reconsider all 10 counts that she brought up in her original lawsuit as well as the attorneys’ fees she was ordered to pay.

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

Live: America’s Frontline Doctors Talk About Alleged Corruption of Big Pharma and Government

Dr. Simone Gold, joined by other doctors from America’s Frontline Doctors, is hosting an online talk at 7:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 28.

They will talk about the alleged corruption of big pharmaceutical companies, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the government; discoveries revealed after Elon Musk took over Twitter.

NTD will livestream the event.

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

Man Suspected in Explosion Before Killing Wife, Himself

DENVER (AP) — A man who put three failed explosive devices inside a worship hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in suburban Denver before killing his wife and himself there on Christmas morning is suspected of causing an explosion at a union building, police said Wednesday.

Shortly before Sunday’s murder-suicide, Enoch Apodaca, 46, entered the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 68 building with a bucket and there was a “large explosion” shortly after he left, Thornton police said. The building, which police described as Apodaca’s “place of business,” was closed and no one was hurt. The bucket was similar to one used at the worship hall, police said.

Just over a year before the explosion and shootings, a representative of Apodaca’s former employer, Sturgeon Electric Company Inc., said Apodaca told a Local 68 representative that he would shoot his wife and the union representative, and then “will come after the people responsible” after he and his wife lost their jobs. The accusation came in an application for a protection order, first reported by The Denver Post. The document noted that Apodaca had been fired in June 2021 but did not say why.

According to police, Apodaca and his wife, identified by the coroner as 44-year-old Melissa Martinez, arrived at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Thornton at around 9 a.m., about a half hour before the first meeting of the day was scheduled. The couple had previously been members but were no longer welcome there, police said.

Apodaca directed his wife to back up a truck to a window before breaking the window with a hammer and putting the explosive devices inside, police said. Apodaca then shot her before shooting himself, they said.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

Marjorie Taylor Greene Scolds Tulsi Gabbard Over New GOP Rep Who Was Caught Lying: “I Think We Republicans Should Give George Santos a Chance and See How He Legislates and Votes, Not Treat Him the Same as the Left is”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) called out ex-Dem Rep Tulsi Gabbard for dismantling Congressman-elect George Santos (R-NY) in a Fox News interview. Santos was busted lying about his resume and went on Fox News to defend himself.

Tulsi wasn’t having it saying: “The thing is, Congressman-Elect, integrity means yes, carrying yourself with honor. But it means telling the truth — being a person of integrity.

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

Matt Gaetz Interrupts Kevin McCarthy’s Coronation, Urges Jim Jordan to Run for Speaker of the House

GOP Rep Matt Gaetz halted Kevin McCarthy’s coronation and publicly called for Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan to run for Speaker of the House. McCarthy is only a few votes short of locking up the job but the holdouts are not bending leaving him in a tight spot with time running out.

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs is running but Gaetz thinks Jordan has a better shot of knocking off Kevin. Gaetz wants a fighter in the job and there has not been a stronger force for the GOP in Congress than Jim Jordan

Gaetz said: “All I want for Christmas is @Jim_Jordan to realize he should be Speaker of the House! Make sure to join me in encouraging @Jim_Jordan to seek the Speakership.”

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

Musk Announces Twitter Policy to ‘Follow’ and ‘Question’ Science

Twitter owner Elon Musk announced on Wednesday that the platform would pursue a policy of both following established science while questioning prevailing orthodoxies and challenging field experts to substantiate their positions.

“New Twitter policy is to follow the science, which necessarily includes reasoned questioning of the science,” he tweeted, prompting a bevy of reactions, including many who pointed to White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci and mocked his purported status on the left as an unquestionable authority.

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

NY DA Opens Investigation Into Rep.-Elect Santos Amid Revelations He Lied About His Background

New York Republican Rep.-elect George Santos faces an investigation from the Nassau County District Attorney after reports emerged that he lied about his education, work experience and family background, during the 2022 midterms.

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

NYC Serial Thief Accused of 23 More Shoplifts After Getting Let Off by Progressive DA

A New York City serial shoplifter previously let off by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been arrested yet again, after allegedly committing 27 additional heists following dozens of previous busts.

Prosecutors say Wilfredo Ocasio, 44, was held on bail Tuesday for stealing over $5,000 in merchandise from three separate Duane Reade convenience stores over the course of multiple weeks, the New York Post reported. Police sources alleged that Ocasio was caught red-handed at a location of the corner store and pharmacy in the Financial District, and charged with crimes against two other locations in Lower Manhattan.

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

Officials Ask Residents to Review Surveillance Footage After Washington Substation Attacks

Authorities in Washington state are asking residents and business owners in Pierce County to review surveillance footage for suspicious activity in connection to four energy substations that were vandalized on Christmas Day.

“If you have surveillance video at your home or business, please review it and let us know if you find anything that could help our detectives identify the suspect(s) responsible,” the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

On Dec. 25, thousands of customers were briefly without power after a total of four substations of the power companies Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU) and Puget Sound Energy (PSE) were deliberately damaged.

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

Paul Pelosi Attack Suspect David Depape Pleads Not Guilty to State Charges

David DePape, the man charged in the hammer attack targeting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) husband pled not guilty Wednesday to attempted murder and other state charges.

DePape, 42, previously pleaded not guilty to federal charges of assault and attempted kidnapping. Wednesday’s arraignment was for state charges.

The suspect also waived his right to a speedy trial. He will be back in court on Feb. 23 to set his trial date, a judge ruled, according to local media reports.

In November, during his initial arraignment, DePape pleaded not guilty via his public defender and denied all allegations against him. The Canadian national currently remains held without bail.

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

Ron Desantis’ ‘Freedom Blueprint’ Touted by School Board Members as Way to Elect More Conservative Candidates

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, R., laid out his blueprint for flipping school board seats during a training session he hosted and Fox News Digital spoke with a few of the school board members who attended the event.

DeSantis hosted a training session called “Freedom Blueprint” in Orlando, Florida, for school board members and potential candidates. DeSantis aims to build upon his success in the midterms by pushing for parental rights.

The governor tweeted about the event, vowing to help school board candidates in the 2024 cycle.

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

Sam Bankman-Fried’s ‘Nervous’ Parents Hire Armed Guards Amid Death Threats

Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of FTX, was granted bail last week on the conditions of a $250 million bond that he would be on house arrest at his parent’s house in Palo Alto, California. His parents secured his bail with the equity in their house. Word has quickly spread of SBF’s location, prompting the family to fortify the home.

NYPost reported the family had contracted a private security firm in the Bay Area to patrol the grounds for $10,000 per week to protect SBF from mounting death threats.

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

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem: Biden is ‘Destroying Our Border on Purpose’

South Dakota’s Republican Governor Kristi Noem has accused Democrat President Joe Biden of “destroying our border on purpose.”

Speaking during an appearance on Fox News’s hit show “Fox & Friends,” Noem said:

“It’s not a governor’s job. It’s the federal government’s job to secure our border.

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

Southwest Airlines Cancels 2,500 More Flights Wednesday Amid Federal Officials’ Warnings

More than 2,500 flights have been canceled by Southwest Airlines as of Wednesday morning as federal officials issued more warnings to the company after well over 10,000 fight were scrapped since late last week.

Data from FlightAware.com shows that 2,508 Southwest flights were canceled by about 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday, while another 185 were delayed. Since late last week, several thousand Southwest flights have been canceled—far more than any other carrier—as its chief executive warned that more are on the way this week.

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

Supreme Court to Take Up Trump-Backed Florida Social Media Censorship Appeal Next Week

Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)

The Supreme Court is scheduled next week to look at a case from Florida in which the state, 16 other states, and former President Donald Trump are urging the court to consider whether states have the power to regulate how social media companies moderate content on their platforms.

The case is in the public eye because it pits the right of individual Americans to freely express themselves online against the right of social media platforms to make editorial decisions about the content they host. Lawyers say both rights are protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, so the Supreme Court needs to weigh in to resolve the conflict.

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

Tom Cotton: ‘Pentagon’s Woke Obsessions Could Have Severe Effects on Military Preparedness & Readiness’

Republican Senator Tom Cotton reached his limit with Democrat President Joe Biden’s “woke” Pentagon and warned that it “could have severe effects on military preparedness and readiness.”

“The U.S. military should be the ultimate meritocracy — nothing matters on the battlefield other than training, leadership, and the trust between fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines,” Cotton said.

“Unfortunately, recent Democrat administrations — and Joe Biden’s is no exception — have made race, gender, and controversial political teachings an integral part of military training and values, from the Pentagon to our service academies.

“But unlike college campuses, elite boardrooms, and Hollywood movies, social experimentation in the military has life and death consequences, not to mention repercussions for troop morale and recruitment.

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

Top Virginia High School Accused of Withholding Academic Awards for ‘Equity’: ‘The Dumbing Down of America’

Virginia parents are outraged after a top-ranked high school allegedly delayed notifying students of national academic honors in the name of “equity,” making them unable to account for the recognition in some college applications.

Fairfax County parent Asra Nomani joined “Fox & Friends First” on Wednesday to discuss why the school delayed the awards and the importance of meritocracy in the classroom.

“This year the entire controversy just blew up because the kids got their certificate, weeks after early college application deadlines, just dropped on their desks as if it was just another piece of paper,” Nomani told co-host Todd Piro.

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

Twitter Files Show ‘Shocking Level of Government Overreach and Abuse’: Kash Patel

A Trump-era Pentagon official believes that the amount the FBI actually paid to Twitter to “censor free speech” is ten times higher than the $3.5 million that was revealed in a recent installment of the Twitter Files and that lawmakers in Congress should “keep digging” to uncover hidden ties between government and Big Tech.

Kash Patel, who served as the Pentagon’s chief of staff to Acting Defence Secretary Christopher Miller under the administration of then President Donald Trump, said on a recent episode of Epoch TV’s “Kash’s Corner” that the latest Twitter Files disclosures paint a picture of a “shocking level of government overreach and abuse.”

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

Twitter Employees Had ‘Fauci Fan Club’ Slack Group: Elon Musk

Twitter owner Elon Musk on Wednesday said that the social media company, under the old guard, had an “unironically”-named internal group chat in their Slack channel called “Fauci Fan Club,” in honor of Anthony Fauci, the health official who lead the US mask, vaccine, and lockdown response to Covid.

Fauci, who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical advisor to the president, has been widely criticized for dishonest and corrupt decisions that led to massive amounts of government tyranny in the form of forced social distancing, medical practices, inoculations, etc.

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

U.S. Will Require Travelers From China to Show Negative COVID Test Before Boarding Flights

The United States will require that travelers from China provide a negative COVID-19 test before entering the United States, marking a return to more stringent pandemic travel restrictions as China battles a surge in cases.

The new measure will take effect on Jan. 6, according to CNN. Any passenger must take the test within two days of flying. The test may be either a PCR test or a self-administered test.

A federal official told the outlet that the new measures “will help limit the number of infected people and provide us an early warning about new variants.”

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

Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System Trends on Twitter

The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) was trending on Twitter on Tuesday. There were reports that around 32,000 records of myocarditis and pericarditis were removed from its database.

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

Canadian Small Businesses Expect to be Hurt Most by New ‘Green’ Regulations

Analysis

OTTAWA (The Epoch Times) — Ottawa has committed to turning Canada into a global leader in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting, and as the time draws nearer for new regulations to hit public companies, analysts say small businesses stand to get hit disproportionately hard.

Regulations are being crafted by international bodies to ensure consistent global standards. They then feed into the basis of Canadian regulatory proposals. A new Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (CSSB) is set to launch in 2023 and has been tasked to work with the new International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), which will have an office in Montreal.

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

Danielle Smith Expresses Concern for Independent Media Amid Trudeau’s Censorship Efforts

(LifeSiteNews) — Alberta premier Danielle Smith has said she is very “concerned” about new federal legislation that, if passed, would regulate how online news media is shared on social media.

While speaking during a recent radio interview, Smith said that she had been talking with “members of the media,” in particular “the alternative media, who are very concerned about some of the laws that are coming down at the federal level.”

Smith noted that the independent media “think” and fear the looming internet legislation from the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “might run them out of business.”

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

Iced Out! Furious Tesla Owners Share Videos of Their Cars Failing to Work in Harsh Winter Snowstorm as Arctic Temperatures Freeze Doors Shut

Rachel Modestino, a meteorologist from Canada, was locked out of her Tesla on December 23 after a massive winter storm last week.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Pierre Poilievre: ‘Shameful’ That Trudeau Gov’t is Pushing Assisted Suicide on Veterans

OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) leader Pierre Poilievre blasted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government over the “embarrassing” reports that no less than six veterans had been offered assisted suicide instead of the help they need to get better.

“The heroes that protect our country and go to Veterans Affairs to get the services to which they are entitled, this government is now racking up an embarrassing and shameful record of having recommended medical assistance in dying at least,” Poilievre said December 14 during the last day of debate this year in the House of Commons. Poilievre shared the video Monday on Twitter.

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

Andrew Tate Mercilessly Trolls Greta Thunberg — ‘I Have 33 Cars With Enormous Emissions…I’ll Email You the Full Details’

Andrew Tate has taken a swipe at Greta Thunberg and her green agenda in his latest series of tweets.

The 19-year-old climate activist gained recognition at the age of 15 when she began spending her Fridays sitting outside the Swedish parliament building, calling for more serious action on climate change.

She has defended the actions of groups such as Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion, who have blocked roads and vandalised paintings in the UK.

Now, Tate has mocked the activist by sharing an image of himself filling up his Bugatti with petrol and asking for her to send him an email address so he can detail the “enormous emissions” his cars let out.

He said: “Hello Greta Thunberg. I have 33 cars. My Bugatti has a w16 8.0L quad-turbo. My TWO Ferrari 812 competizione have 6.5L v12s. This is just the start. Please provide your email address so I can send a complete list of my car collection and its enormous emissions.”

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

Pope Benedict XVI Reportedly ‘Very Ill’ As Vatican and Pope Francis Ask for Prayers

VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is reportedly “very ill,” and has been visited today by Pope Francis, after the emeritus Pontiff’s health reportedly worsened today.

At the end of his weekly general audience, Pope Francis delivered an announcement regarding Benedict’s health, asking Catholics for prayers.

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

Son of Italian Deputy PM Salvini Robbed on Streets of Milan

The 19-year-old son of Italy’s Matteo Salvini, leader of the populist League (Lega) party, Deputy Prime Minister, and Infrastructure Minister, was threatened with a broken glass bottle and robbed of his phone on the streets of Milan.

Mr Salvini’s son Federico was robbed of his mobile phone on Christmas Eve while walking the street after leaving his father’s home and heading to a friend’s house for a birthday dinner.

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

UK: ‘Anti-Family’ Conservatives Ensnaring Thousands More in Middle-Class Households in ‘96 Per Cent Tax Trap’: Report

The UK government’s massive ‘stealth’ tax grab will drag tens of thousands of families into a “tax trap” that could see some families face a marginal tax rate as high as 96 per cent, in just the latest punishment for the middle classes meted out by the Conservatives as they try to pay for a decade of borrowing.

In addition to actual tax rises, of which there has been no shortage in recent years, the UK Conservative government is also engaging in so-called stealth tax rises, which are engineered by keeping tax thresholds frozen in times of high inflation. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt — the knifeman dispatched by the Conservative party to take down the short-lived and would-be-tax-cutting Truss government earlier this year — has elected to freeze these thresholds until 2028, which will ensnare thousands more middle-class families in the coming years as their salaries are inflated without accruing extra real value, pushing them into arbitrarily low tax bands.

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

UK: Glasgow Sex Trafficker Jagpal Singh Was BBC Reality News Show Star

International sex trafficker Jagpal Singh starred in a BBC reality show in which “real people” were invited to give “real opinions” on the news of the day.

Singh, 52, was part of the regular cast of Common Sense, which purported to feature “real” members of the public “chosen for their sharp wit and humorous take on life, [to] discuss the week’s news” in 2017.

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

Kosovo Shuts Main Border Crossing With Serbia

AFP) Kosovo closed its biggest border crossing with Serbia, police said Wednesday, after Serbs set up more barricades on their side in one of the worst regional crises in years.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade has refused to recognise it and encouraged Kosovo’s 120,000 ethnic Serbs to defy Pristina’s authority — especially in the north where ethnic Serbs make up the majority.

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

Paris Shooting: French Ambassador Summoned by Ankara for ‘Anti-Turkish Propaganda’

On Monday 26 December, following the shooting of three people of Kurdish origin in Paris three days earlier, the French ambassador was summoned by Ankara for “anti-Turkey propaganda”.

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

Breaking: Zelensky Announces He is Planning to Join World Economic Forum in Davos, to Sign New Postwar Loans With BlackRock

On Wednesday it was revealed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government is prepping to participate in January’s World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, and that the Ukrainian leader is in talks with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink regarding rebuilding efforts following the war with Russia.

According to Bloomberg, Zelensky said in an evening address to the nation, “Specialists of this company are already helping Ukraine to structure the fund for the reconstruction of our state.”

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

‘Kind-Hearted’ Aussie Fighting to ‘Defend Freedom’ In Ukraine is Tragically Killed in the War-Torn Nation

An Australian soldier who fought to defend the ‘freedom of the Ukrainian people’ has died, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Lavrov Says Pentagon Threatening to Assassinate Putin

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday lashed out at what he described as threats coming out of the US to assassinate President Vladimir Putin, apparently in response to a slew of anonymously sourced reports.

“There are some ‘anonymous officials’ from the Pentagon who have actually enunciated threats to deliver a ‘decapitating strike’ on the Kremlin, which is in fact an assassination threat against the Russian president,” Lavrov said, according to TASS.

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

Putin’s Thugs Shell Ukrainian Maternity Hospital Hours After Two Women Delivered Babies as His Lapdog Sergei Lavrov Claims Russia Will Win the War Because of Its ‘Patience’, Saying: ‘We Are in No Hurry’

A maternity ward in the recently liberated southern city of Kherson was among 33 civilian targets bombarded by Russian shelling on Tuesday and Wednesday.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Almost Half of Passengers Travelling From China to Milan Have COVID-19, Italian Officials Says

Italian health officials have sounded the alarm about travel from China after almost half of the total passengers on two flights to Milan tested positive for COVID-19.

The country will, accordingly, start testing arriving passengers from China and begin looking for potentially new variants, The Hill reported. Roughly 38% of passengers on one flight tested positive while 52% on a second plane did so.

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

Breaking: Elon Says Gain-of-Function Research in Wuhan Was Bioweapon Research: ‘The Function Referred is Death!’

Elon Musk went on the Fauci attack on Wednesday, insinuating that the gain-of-function (GoF) work the doctor was advocating for was essentially bioweapon research.

“‘Gain-of-function’ should be called ‘bioweapon’ research, as the function referred is death!” Musk tweeted.

The Twitter CEO points to a Yahoo News article from last year that unearthed a paper that Fauci wrote a decade ago, where he argues that the benefits of GoF research outweigh the potential pandemic risk.

GoF research consists of genetically altering an organism, such as a virus, in order to gain an increased understanding of its function, work that was taking place at the infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.

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

Aussie Cops Ask Neighbors to Rat Out ‘Anti-Government, Anti-Police, or COVID-Vaccine Conspiracy Theorists’

Australian police are using a brutal ambush on two cops to encourage residents to rat out neighbors who are skeptical of the Covid-10 vaccine, or harbor anti-government views.

On December 12, two Brisbane police officers were gunned down by a family of rural Australians, who opened fire as the two officers approached their home. Constables Rachel McCrow, 29, and Matthew Arnold, 26 died in the attack, while a third officer, Constable Randall Kirk, was shot in the leg but managed to escape. A fourth officer, Keely Brough, fled to safety in the bushes.

Later that evening, members of the rural family were killed in a shootout with tactical police.

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

Free Flights, Cheap Rent and No Stamp Duty — the Incredible Perks Being Offered to Tradies to Live in One Australian State and Build Houses

International tradespeople may be offered $20,000 worth of incentives to build a home and live in Western Australia as the state struggles with not enough workers amid a construction boom.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Incredible Moment Fed-Up Locals Perform a Citizen’s Arrest on a Group of Tearaway Teens Who’d Been Causing Trouble on Their Street: ‘The Community Has Had Enough’

A group of four teen boys allegedly drove into parked vehicles in a sleepy residential street in Helensvale on Queensland’s Gold Coast, triggering the fury of neighbours.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Teenagers Accused of Murdering a Brave Mum and Stabbing Her Husband in Horror Home Invasion Were Living in a Halfway House Just Metres Away — and Terrorising the Suburb While Out on Bail

The four teenagers arrested over the alleged home-invasion murder of mother-of-two Emma Lovell, 41, were living in a nearby halfway house that accommodates youth offenders in Brisbane.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

The World’s Mega-Rich Are Planning to Ride Out the Apocalypse in Luxury: Secretive Doomsday Bunkers Are Snapped Up in New Zealand and Remote Locations — as Four in 10 People Believe We’re ‘Living in the End Times’

In uber-wealthy circles, it is quietly agreed that New Zealand is an ideal location to ride out Armageddon and billionaires have been snatching up land there.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Boko Haram’s Explosive Devices Kill One, Injure Another in Niger

The dreaded Bokoharam terrorists group is reported to be planting Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in some communities in the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

Investigations by THISDAY revealed that so far one person has been killed and another seriously injured and admitted at the Zumba Health Facility for treatment following injuries sustained when one of the devices exploded.

It was learnt that Afabiyi and Marufa communities in the local government area are where the IEDs are believed to have been planted in large numbers.

The idea behind the planting of the IEDs THISDAY learnt was to serve as protection for the Boko Haram elements and as a warning signal for them when security operatives or men of the local vigilance groups approach their camps.

According to the findings, experts from the police ordinance department and those of the Nigerian Army have secretly been dispatched to the two communities to detonate the planted bombs and arrest those behind act.

A relation of one of those injured, Mr Zaharadeen Kudodo, who spoke to THISDAY, said normal business activities in the communities have been hampered by the fear of the bombs and activities of the Boko Haram elements.

Kudodo said the terrorists group have been having a field day in the area killing, maiming, raping and extorting money from innocent villagers.

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Nigerian President: More Weapons for Ukraine End Up in Africa

Some time ago, FWM reported on arms deliveries to Ukraine, which shortly afterwards were resold on the Internet. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has warned that “weapons used in the war in Ukraine are gradually leaking into the region” and called for strengthened border security.

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

Brazil Ramps Up Security for Lula Inauguration After Foiled Bomb Plot

Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is set to be inaugurated on Sunday, weeks after a close upset victory over ultra-conservative incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in what was the most consequential election in Brazil in decades.

Bolsonaro’s supporters alleged widespread election fraud, leading to sporadic protests and clashes with police since October, which two weeks ago escalated into an attack on the headquarters of the federal police in Brasilia. Fierce protests urging an investigation into alleged election irregularities are still ongoing.

And over the weekend police foiled a bomb plot, reportedly intended to disrupt the Lula inauguration, and which is now driving fears that there could be an attack on the Sunday events in the capital which is expected to have a massive turnout.

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

Greg Abbott Dubs Biden ‘Hypocrite-in-Chief’ Over Migrant Busing Criticisms

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott this week excoriated the Biden administration for its handling of the migration surge at the southern border after the White House derided his busing of migrants to the nation’s capital.

“The White House is full of a bunch of hypocrites, led by the Hypocrite-in-Chief. Instead of their hypocritical complaints about Texas providing much-needed relief to our overrun and overwhelmed border communities, President Biden and Border Czar Harris need to step up and do their jobs to secure the border — something they continue failing to do,” a spokesperson for the governor told reporters.

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

Revealed: Russians Fleeing Putin’s War Are Among the Thousands at the US Border in Mexico

Russians fleeing from the draft and President Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine are joining the hundreds of thousands of migrants claiming asylum in the U.S. by way of Mexico.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Dover Border Force Official ‘Is Arrested for Being an Illegal Immigrant’

An official working for the UK Border Force has been arrested on suspicion of being an illegal migrant himself.

The man was detained while working for the Home Office agency responsible for protecting the UK’s borders.

His bosses are understood to have acted quickly as soon as doubts were raised about his status, The Sun reports.

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

Watch: Home Office Launches Video to Encourage Illegal Immigrants to Quit UK for Rwanda — ‘It’s for Your Own Wellbeing!’

THE Home Office has released a video in association with Rwanda to encourage illegal immigrants to leave the UK.

In the clip, entitled: “Explained in 30 seconds: The UK-Rwanda Migration Partnership”, migrants are encouraged to relocate to the the central African country.

The video was posted on the official Home Office Twitter page.

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

Biden’s CDC Grills Teachers Over ‘LGBTQ Inclusivity’ Levels

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is testing school teachers’ levels of “LGBTQ inclusivity” with self-assessment handbooks that urge them to “commit to change” if they aren’t deemed to be inclusive enough, said the government agency on Tuesday.

In a tweet from the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, they wrote: “School administrators: Our LGBTQ inclusivity self-assessment tool can help you quickly gauge inclusivity at your school. See your score today and learn ways to increase inclusivity.”

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

Britain’s Socialised National Health Service Dumping Millions Into Diversity Jobs

Britain’s socialised National Health Service (NHS) is spending nearly $10 million a year on “woke warrior” diversity roles, a report suggests.

The United Kingdom’s publicly-funded National Health Service (NHS) is said to be spending just short of $10 million per annum on roles aimed at improving “diversity and inclusion” — possibly much more.

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

Florida Warns Venues Hosting Explicit Drag Show Tour to Ban Children From Events or Lose Business Licenses

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) has notified multiple venues around the state that they must keep minors out of an explicit Christmas drag show or face loss of business licenses.

In a letter addressed to the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza, which hosts an orchestra as well as other shows and events including an all-ages “A Drag Queen Christmas,” Governor Ron DeSantis’ agency handed down a stern warning.

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

Oxford Dictionary Adds ‘Multisexual, ‘ ‘Sistergirl’ And 16 Other Words Related to Gender-Identity

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) added 18 new words related to gender identity and the LGBTQ community in 2022, including the terms gender-affirming, brotherboy and pangender, according to a new report.

Over the course of the year, the OED was incrementally updated with over 2,050 words in March, June and September. It is expected to receive several hundred more words by year-end.

In March, the OED added anti-gay to their myriad of words, accompanied by a definition that reads “opposed or hostile to homosexual people (sometimes specifically gay men) or homosexuality.” Anti-homosexual was also added as a subcategory of the word, The Daily Caller found.

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

Scotland’s Transgenderism Legislation Will Endanger Women — MPs

New transgenderism legislation that was recently passed in Scotland will endanger the lives and welfare of women across the UK, multiple MPs have warned.

Elected representatives from the Tory Party, the Labour Party and the Democratic Unionist Party have openly warned that new transgenderism legislation passed in Scotland will put women across the UK in danger.

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

4 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/28/2022

  1. The revenge of the Mediocre and Wanna-Be Thralls is almost complete.

    Our “elites” are acting as successful barbarians. They are too smart to learn from History of the Human Race what is coming up. Alas.

    • They only act like how they imagine a successful barbarian acts.

      A barbarian is quite intimately familiar with using violence, oftentimes against an opponent who is also armed and just as familiar with violence. This is where the elite dreams of megolamania break down since no one in their right mind is afraid of what Gates, Soros, Buffet, Schwab, Cuckerberg, Bezos, Fink, etc can do physically. And their bodyguards certainly aren’t afraid of them…

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