Gates of Vienna News Feed 1/17/2023

The New York Supreme Court has struck down a COVID vaccine mandate for state health care workers. Meanwhile, a bill has been proposed in the Pennsylvania Senate that would ban vaccine mandates in the state.

In other news, China’s population has declined for the first time in more than sixty years.

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

Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, DV, Fjordman, LP, Reader from Chicago, Seneca III, 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
» Canada: Food Price Inflation Now Hovering at 11%, StatsCan Report Says
» Judge Called on to Name & Shame FTX CEO’s Secret High-Profile $250 Million Bond Guarantors
» UK: Stores Face Questions as Price of Basic Groceries Soars by 30% in Midst of Cost-of-Living Crisis, Consumer Group Says
 
USA
» Airplane ‘Karen’ Goes Viral After Screaming, ‘I Hope Y’All Crash and Die!’
» Biden Administration Argues CDC Has Right to Require Travelers to Mask Up in Appeals Court
» Biden Administration Gets Pushback Over Airport Face Scans
» Black Activists Demand Good Samaritan be Charged for Shooting Armed Robber at Houston Taco Joint
» Breaking: Project Veritas Exposes Education Specialist Bragging About Violating Georgia Ban on CRT
» Chicago Mayor Lightfoot Places Fourth in Poll Ahead of Reelection Day Next Month
» Dems Want Law That Would Characterize ‘Replacement Theory’ Discussion as a Hate Crime
» DeSantis Bans State Fund Managers From Weighing ESG Concerns in Investments
» DOJ Reportedly Declined to Have FBI Agents Monitor Joe Biden Document Search
» Donald Trump Blasts Evangelicals for ‘Disloyalty’ Over Lack of 2024 Support
» Ex-GOP Candidate Arrested in Shootings at Homes of Democratic New Mexico Elected Officials
» Florida Mom Dead After Gang-Related Mass Shooting at MLK Day Celebration
» Fox News Calls for Investigation Into CBS & NBC for Sitting on Biden Classified Docs Story to Help Dems in Election
» George Soros Tied to at Least 54 Influential Media Figures Through Groups Funded by Liberal Billionaire: Study
» GOP’s Jordan Threatens Subpoenas for Admin Officials Over Mounting Inquiries
» Harrowing Footage Shows Moment Accused Bike Path Terrorist is Shot by NYPD Cop
» Hunter’s $50K Rent Payments to Joe Biden Linked to Shady Deal With Chinese Communist Party Energy Firm
» Idaho Suspect Bryan Kohberger Repeatedly Messaged Victim Weeks Before Murders: Report
» New Bill Proposes Ban on Vaccine Mandates in Pennsylvania
» NY Supreme Court Strikes Down COVID Vaccine Mandate for Health Care Workers
» Obama Ethics Chief Says Biden Neglected ‘Basic Security’ for Docs
» One of ‘51 Intelligence Officials’ Admits Knowing Hunter Biden Laptop Was ‘Real’ Before Signing ‘Disinfo’ Letter
» Seattle Business Owners Left to Fend for Themselves on Crime Take Matters Into Their Own Hands
» Trump Reacts to Lack of Visitor Logs for Biden’s House Where Classified Documents Were Found
» University Walks Back ‘Islamophobic’ Claim About Professor Who Showed Students Muhammad Art
» White House Claimed Biden’s Delaware House Used for Official Business But Now Says it’s ‘Personal’
» Woman Dies After Shooting During MLK Parade in Fort Pierce
 
Canada
» CBC Given Grey Twitter Checkmark for Governmental Organization
» Guards Will Not be Charged After Toronto Woman Died While in Custody for Not Masking
» Smith Says No COVID-19 Pardons Because Canadian System Doesn’t Work Like the U.S.
» Smith Says New Report Confirms ‘Worst Fears’ on ‘Just Transition’ Ending Energy Jobs
 
Europe and the EU
» Actor Idris Elba Decries ‘Unjust’ Poverty After Jetting to Davos From Gucci Fashion Show
» Belgium: Bloody Knife Fight at Brussels Train Station
» ‘Dark Side of Davos’ Revealed as Global Elite Bookings for Sex Workers Soar
» Dutch Teachers Unaware That Students Use AI for Homework
» Elon Musk Mocks WEF as Global Elite Gather in Davos
» EU Sanctions Goal is to Crush Russian Economy — Von Der Leyen
» France: Half of Parisians Say They Feel Unsafe on Public Transit
» German Government and BioNTech Pushed Twitter to Censor Threats to COVID Vaccine Profits
» Germany Slips to 18th Out of 21 Nations for Competitiveness of Family-Sized Businesses, Study Shows
» ‘God Complex’: Klaus Schwab Will Run WEF Like a Pope Until Death, Associates Claim
» Greta Thunberg Detained by Police During Eco Protest in German Village
» Hungarians Least Afraid of Energy Shortages
» John Kerry Mocked for Speech on WEF’s ‘Almost Extraterrestrial Plan’ To Save the Planet: ‘Liberal Delusions’
» Polish PM Morawiecki Warns Against Relations With Russia in Berlin as a ‘Pact With the Devil’
» Prostitutes Gather in Davos for Annual Meeting of Global Elite — Where Demand for Sexual Services Rockets During Economic Summit
» Recruit Numbers in the UK’s Armed Forces Fall by 30% Amid Warning That Supporting Ukraine in Russia War Makes US Weaker
» Romania: Andrew Tate’s Security Chief Calls Accusers ‘Stupid,’ Spiteful for Not Being ‘His Next Wife’
» Swiss MP at Davos: Change Living Environments to Force the Public to Follow Climate Goals
» Syrian National Arrested for Throwing School Girl Onto Train Tracks in Germany
» UK: Never Mind the Diversity Flannel, Just Play Cricket
» Working From Home ‘Has Not Worked’, Wall Street Bosses Tell Davos Summit — as Citigroup Chief Says Slackers Should be Hauled Back Into the Office Until Their Productivity Improves
» World’s Oldest Rune Stone Found in Norway, Archaeologists Believe
» World Economic Forum Declares “Misinformation” a Top “Global Risk”
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Biden Tells Israel to Give Money to Terrorists, Not Terror Victims
 
Middle East
» Turkey Demands Sweden and Finland Hand Over 130 Alleged Terrorists in Return for NATO Membership
 
Russia
» Elite Australian Troops Set to Help Depleted Ukraine Army Fight Off Russian Forces Under Operation Kudu — as Putin’s Men Prepare to Wage a Bloody Springtime Offensive
» Facebook Bans Russian Language RT Page
» Finland’s PM Sanna Marin Vows to Back Ukraine ‘As Long as Needed’ As She Joins Global Elite in Davos
» Keeping Ukraine Afloat Costs at Least €3 Billion Per Month
» Pentagon Sends U.S. Arms Stored in Israel to Ukraine
» Ukraine’s First Lady Tells Davos Elites: You Must Do More to Support Kyiv
» We’re Not Mercenaries, We’re Book Publishers and Management Consultants, Says Russian Mercenary Group Wagner as They Step Out of the Shadows
 
Far East
» China’s Population Shrinks for the First Time in Six Decades and Projections Say it Could Half by 2100 — With India Set to Overtake as World’s Biggest in April
» China’s Population Declines for the First Time in Decades
 
Australia — Pacific
» Australia is Considering a Fifth COVID Shot Even Though the Country Has Well and Truly Moved on From the Pandemic and Case Numbers Have Dropped
» The Key Question Anthony Albanese is Refusing to Answer About the Indigenous Voice to Parliament
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» Nigeria Elections 2023: How Influencers Are Secretly Paid by Political Parties
» Pope Francis Prays for Victims of Jihadist Attack on Congo Christian Church
 
Immigration
» Border Patrol Union Calls for Kamala Harris to ‘Be Fired for Doing Nothing While Illegal Immigration Explodes”
» More Than 300,000 Migrants Are About to Arrive in Australia — Putting Even More Pressure on Housing, Hospitals and Schools
» Sweden: Government Declares War on Migrant Gangs
» Top ISIS Security Chief Masquerading as an Asylum Seeker Arrested in the Netherlands
» Victory Against Cohen Family’s Great Replacement Scheme in Rural French Village of Callac
 
Culture Wars
» Andy Ngo Reports: Social Media Uproar Over Cross-Dressing Model Who Exposes Privates in Public Spaces
» Bill Gates-Backed Politician Tells Church of England to Conduct Gay Marriages
» Cambridge, Ma to Host Elementary School ‘Girlx’ Sporting Event to Include Those Who Identify ‘With Girlhood’
» College Professor Claims He’s Being Fired for Asking Questions During Campus Diversity Meeting
» Conspiracy Theories Surround Scooby-Doo Spinoff ‘Velma’: ‘Leftists Are Claiming it Was a Right Wing Psyop’
» Gender Changes for 8-Year-Olds? Scottish MP Say We Should ‘Explore’ The Options
» Iowa Diocese’s Ban on Preferred Pronouns, Puberty Blockers Hailed as First Amendment Victory
» Twitch Streamer Hasan Piker Criticizes TikTok Ban
» UK: Clarkson is Cancelled
» U-S-A: America Now Leads the World in Child Sex-Change Treatments
» Women’s Sports Group Threatens to Sue NCAA Over Inclusion of Biological Males in Female Sports
 

Canada: Food Price Inflation Now Hovering at 11%, StatsCan Report Says

In December, groceries remained 11% more expensive than a year earlier — a trend that’s held firm since August — according to a new report by Statistics Canada.

The Consumer Price Index report released Tuesday morning shows that while food prices in Canada have stabilized at an inflation rate of just over 10% year-over-year, some items are hit harder than the average.

In December, the price of non-alcoholic beverages rose by 16%, bakery products rose by 13%, and coffee and tea rose by 13%.

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

Judge Called on to Name & Shame FTX CEO’s Secret High-Profile $250 Million Bond Guarantors

The U.S. judge overseeing the fraud case against Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) has come under pressure to name and shame the secret high-profile guarantors who helped front the FTX CEO and co-founder’s $250 million bond.

Eight major media outlets have asked the judge overseeing the case to make the names of two people public.

Currently, the names of the guarantors are being hidden by the courts.

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

UK: Stores Face Questions as Price of Basic Groceries Soars by 30% in Midst of Cost-of-Living Crisis, Consumer Group Says

Basic groceries, such as milk, butter and cheese, are seeing price rises of up to 30 per cent — sparking suspicions of supermarket profiteering.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Airplane ‘Karen’ Goes Viral After Screaming, ‘I Hope Y’All Crash and Die!’

This Karen’s behavior doesn’t fly in the skies.

A woman who was kicked off a Spirit Airlines flight Sunday in Las Vegas went viral for being a so-called “Karen,” with many shocked she screamed that she hoped the flight would crash and everyone would die.

The TikTok — which was posted by user @yutaka021 and has since gained nearly 3 million views — shows a man and woman being escorted out of the plane as several passengers boo them.

As of Tuesday, it is unclear as to why the duo was booted from the plane, though The Post has reached out to Spirit Airlines for comment.

“Boo you b**ch. If you were in my position you’d do the same thing,” screamed the woman responding to jeers from the crowd. “I hope y’all crash and die!”

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

Biden Administration Argues CDC Has Right to Require Travelers to Mask Up in Appeals Court

The Biden administration is appealing a federal judge’s ruling that the government didn’t have the right to impose a federal mask mandate on public transportation during the pandemic.

The Justice Department on Tuesday argued that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had the legal authority to require travelers to wear masks on planes, trains and buses to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals, the Washington Examiner reported.

The appeal comes nine months after a Florida judge struck down the federal mask mandate, ruling that the CDC failed to follow proper rule-making procedures.

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

Biden Administration Gets Pushback Over Airport Face Scans

The Biden administration is facing backlash over the rollout of facial recognition technology at Transport Security Administration checkouts at airports. The technology is similar to the one used by the Customs and Border Protection (CPB) to scan the faces of outgoing and incoming international passengers.

The facial scan eliminates the need for handing over a boarding pass, driver’s license, or passport at checkpoints but has raised many privacy concerns.

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

Black Activists Demand Good Samaritan be Charged for Shooting Armed Robber at Houston Taco Joint

A group of race hustlers organized a press conference on Sunday to demand the Good Samaritan who shot and killed an armed robber at a Houston taco joint earlier this month face criminal charges.

Watch:

From KHOU, “Houston activists say ‘vigilante killer’ who shot robbery suspect should be charged”.

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

Breaking: Project Veritas Exposes Education Specialist Bragging About Violating Georgia Ban on CRT

A newly released video from Project Veritas has revealed Teaching Lab Director Dr. Quinton Bostic bragging about violating Georgia’s ban on teaching critical race theory (CRT) in schools through the curriculum he sells to districts in the state.

Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe revealed that Bostic had his teaching license revoked around 2017, when he was a literacy educator. Bostic now works for Teaching Lab as a content manager “with a $15 million budget dedicated to creating more ‘equitable’ curriculums.”

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

Chicago Mayor Lightfoot Places Fourth in Poll Ahead of Reelection Day Next Month

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has an uphill battle to win reelection — facing eight challengers in next month’s election amid a crime problem that has rippled through the county’s third-most populous city.

From 2019, when Lightfoot took office, to the end of 2022, crime rose 33% overall. Specifically, murder rose 39%, theft increased 37% and motor vehicle theft rose 139%, Chicago Police Department data shows.

The election is Feb. 28, and a runoff will be held April 4 if no candidate receives a majority of votes.

Lightfoot, the first black woman and gay person to be elected Chicago mayor, finished fourth in the recently published Chicago Index poll, a collaboration between The Daily Line and Crain’s Chicago Business.

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

Dems Want Law That Would Characterize ‘Replacement Theory’ Discussion as a Hate Crime

Democrats in Congress are trying to pass a bill that would expand the definition of hate crime to include discussion of “replacement theory”.

Yes, really.

The legislation, which is sponsored by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), would criminalize speech that is found to have “inspired” a racially motivated crime.

The draconian law would effectively make an individual responsible for someone else’s crime if prosecutors were able to successfully argue that their political rhetoric was a motivating factor.

The Leading Against White Supremacy Act of 2023 includes a “conspiracy” charge that someone would be guilty of if they were found to have published “material advancing white supremacy, white supremacist ideology, antagonism based on ‘replacement theory,’ or hate speech that vilifies or is otherwise directed against any non-white person or group” on social media.

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

DeSantis Bans State Fund Managers From Weighing ESG Concerns in Investments

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Tuesday that fund managers handling state assets may not account for environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) considerations when weighing investments.

The governor indicated that rather than considering ESG concerns, state fund managers need to solely consider financial return. The new policy will directly affect those managers addressing the Florida Retirement System Plan and other state assets.

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

DOJ Reportedly Declined to Have FBI Agents Monitor Joe Biden Document Search

The Justice Department decided against having FBI agents watch over a search for classified documents conducted by President Biden’s lawyers at his Delaware homes — in part because the attorneys were deemed to be cooperating with the DOJ’s investigation, according to a report.

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that DOJ officials also opted for the hands-off approach in order to avoid complicating future phases of the probe and to not interfere with special counsel Robert Hur’s work.

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

Donald Trump Blasts Evangelicals for ‘Disloyalty’ Over Lack of 2024 Support

Former President Donald Trump lashed out at evangelicals for not supporting his latest presidential campaign, saying it was a “sign of disloyalty” after he appointed three conservative Supreme Court justices and made their long-held dream of overturning Roe v. Wade possible.

Trump, 76, told Real America’s Voice’s “The Water Cooler” Monday that the religious bloc of voters who were key to his 2016 victory have not yet come out to back his 2024 White House bid.

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

Ex-GOP Candidate Arrested in Shootings at Homes of Democratic New Mexico Elected Officials

Albuquerque police arrested a former Republican state House candidate in connection with recent shootings at the homes of Democratic lawmakers.

At a news conference on Monday night, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina announced that Solomon Pena, 39, was in police custody following a SWAT standoff in Southwest Albuquerque Monday afternoon.

“It is believed that he is the mastermind behind this and that was organizing this,” Medina told reporters in front of a projected picture of Pena wearing a red hoodie that reads “Make America Great Again” in front of two Trump flags.

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Florida Mom Dead After Gang-Related Mass Shooting at MLK Day Celebration

A Florida mother has died from gunshot wounds she suffered in a gang-related mass shooting Monday at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, officials said.

The unnamed 29-year-old — who was among eight people shot in the bloodbath — was trying to enjoy the holiday event with her young daughter, said St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara.

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

Fox News Calls for Investigation Into CBS & NBC for Sitting on Biden Classified Docs Story to Help Dems in Election

Fox & Friends star Steve Doocy has called for an investigation into CBS and NBC after it emerged that the networks withheld the story on President Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents to protect the Democrats in the midterm elections.

Doocy argues that the networks should be investigated over the claims they knew of the scandal in the run-up to the midterms but chose to sit on the information until this month.

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

George Soros Tied to at Least 54 Influential Media Figures Through Groups Funded by Liberal Billionaire: Study

Liberal billionaire George Soros is tied to some of the most influential media figures in the United States and abroad through cash he provides to groups affiliated with them, according to a new study conducted by MRC Business.

“The over $32 billion that leftist billionaire George Soros poured into his organizations to spread his radical ‘open society’ agenda on abortion, Marxist economics, anti-Americanism, defunding the police, environmental extremism and LGBT fanaticism around the globe has paid dividends,” MRC Business analysts Joseph Vazquez and Daniel Schneider wrote.

“In fact, his funding has helped him establish ties with some of the biggest name media personalities in the United States and abroad which help indoctrinate millions with his views on a day-to-day basis. MRC Business found at least prominent 54 media figures … who are tied to Soros through their connections to organizations that he funds,” Vazquez and Schneider continued. “These include personalities like ‘NBC Nightly News’ anchor Lester Holt and The Washington Post executive editor Sally Buzbee.”

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

GOP’s Jordan Threatens Subpoenas for Admin Officials Over Mounting Inquiries

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, has warned top officials in the Biden administration that they may face congressional subpoenas if they do not cooperate with Republican-led investigations.

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

Harrowing Footage Shows Moment Accused Bike Path Terrorist is Shot by NYPD Cop

New video shows the chaotic moment accused ISIS-inspired terrorist Sayfullo Saipov was confronted and shot by an NYPD officer shortly after he drove a truck into a bike lane off the West Side Highway and fatally mowed down eight people.

The dramatic footage, entered into evidence by federal prosecutors at Saipov’s Manhattan trial, shows the suspect running across the West Side Highway holding what appears to be a pistol in each hand.

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

Hunter’s $50K Rent Payments to Joe Biden Linked to Shady Deal With Chinese Communist Party Energy Firm

A detail has emerged that connects the Chinese Communist Party to the almost $50,000 per month in rent that Hunter claims he paid to rent the Wilmington, Delaware house from his father, Democrat President Joe Biden.

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

Idaho Suspect Bryan Kohberger Repeatedly Messaged Victim Weeks Before Murders: Report

Accused University of Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger slid into one of the girl’s direct messages on Instagram just weeks before the four students were killed in their beds, a report said Tuesday.

An Instagram account that belonged to Kohberger repeatedly sent Instagram messages to one of the college students found dead — but she never returned his advances, an investigator close to the case told PEOPLE.

“He slid into one of the girls’ DMs several times but she didn’t respond,” the anonymous source said. “Basically, it was just him saying, ‘Hey, how are you?’ But he did it again and again.”

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

New Bill Proposes Ban on Vaccine Mandates in Pennsylvania

An impending proposal in the Pennsylvania Senate takes aim at vaccine mandates.

“The fight for medical freedom continues into the new legislative session,” said prime sponsor Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Chambersburg) in a Jan. 4 press release.

Mastriano first introduced the measure, called the Medical Freedom Act, in December 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both versions of the legislation would shield residents from adverse employment actions or discrimination for refusing vaccination while working for state agencies or political entities.

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

NY Supreme Court Strikes Down COVID Vaccine Mandate for Health Care Workers

Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times

A state Supreme Court judge in Syracuse, New York, struck down a statewide mandate for medical staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, ruling that Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state’s health department overstepped their authority.

In a landmark ruling issued on Jan. 13, state Supreme Court Judge Gerard Neri declared the statewide COVID-19 vaccine mandate for medical staff “null, void, and of no effect.”

Hochul and the state Department of Health exceeded their authority by sidestepping the state legislature in imposing a permanent COVID-19 vaccine mandate for medical professionals, the judge wrote in the order (pdf).

Neri also found that the mandate was “arbitrary and capricious,” citing evidence that COVID-19 vaccines don’t prevent the spread of the virus, undercutting the basis for the mandate.

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

Obama Ethics Chief Says Biden Neglected ‘Basic Security’ for Docs

The former top ethics official in the Obama White House has accused President Biden of neglecting the “most basic security protocols” surrounding the handling of classified documents.

“It’s nothing like [former President Donald] Trump’s deliberate refusal to return classified records demanded by the National Archives, but Biden’s own retention of classified records reflects an inexcusable neglect of the most basic security protocols,” Walter Shaub told Fox News Digital Tuesday.

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

One of ‘51 Intelligence Officials’ Admits Knowing Hunter Biden Laptop Was ‘Real’ Before Signing ‘Disinfo’ Letter

One of the infamous 51 intelligence officials, who signed a letter suggesting that Hunter Biden’s laptop was a “Russian disinformation” campaign, has admitted to knowing that the information was legitimate at the time.

Reports on Hunter’s notorious “Laptop from Hell” first emerged in the run-up to the 2020 election.

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

Seattle Business Owners Left to Fend for Themselves on Crime Take Matters Into Their Own Hands

Seattle business owners outraged by the city’s crime trend put together a town hall-style meeting at a local barber shop to speak out about the violence and danger they face and to call on city leadership to take control.

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

Trump Reacts to Lack of Visitor Logs for Biden’s House Where Classified Documents Were Found

Authored by Eva Fu via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)

Former President Donald Trump spoke out after the White House said there are no visitor logs for President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, where multiple classified documents were discovered.

“The White House just announced that there are no LOGS or information of any kind on visitors to the Wilmington house and flimsy, unlocked, and unsecured, but now very famous, garage. Maybe they are smarter than we think!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social on Jan. 16.

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

University Walks Back ‘Islamophobic’ Claim About Professor Who Showed Students Muhammad Art

Hamline University confessed to a “flawed” characterization of a professor’s decision to show students’ artwork depicting the Prophet Muhammad as “Islamophobic,” days after a national Muslim group rejected the term and Hamline’s board of trustees intervened amid a growing academic freedom furor and looming accreditation probe.

The Minnesota liberal arts school did not renew adjunct art history professor Erika Lopez Prater’s contract after one of her students, the Muslim Student Association president, complained about the opt-out lesson that was disclosed in the syllabus. The school’s top diversity official said Prater’s departure came “[i]n lieu of this incident.”

The new statement released Tuesday night is signed by Ellen Watters, chair of Hamline’s board of trustees, and President Fayneese Miller, who herself released a defiant statement Jan. 11 denying that Prater had a job to lose, given her adjunct status.

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

White House Claimed Biden’s Delaware House Used for Official Business But Now Says it’s ‘Personal’

The White House has previously claimed that President Biden works while taking trips to his Wilmington, Delaware home, but is now claiming that the residence is “personal” amid a number of classified documents being found at the address.

During a White House press briefing on Feb. 25, 2022, former press secretary Jen Psaki said that Biden can get work done from anywhere.

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

Woman Dies After Shooting During MLK Parade in Fort Pierce

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) — One person has died after a shooting during a MLK Jr. Day event on Monday night.

St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara announced that a 30-year-old woman from Fort Pierce passed away due to her injuries. The sheriff said the woman was at an after-parade party with her 6-year-old daughter when the shooting occurred.

Eight people were shot during the event, with four others being injured as patrons fled the scene.

The investigation is now being treated as a murder investigation. Investigators said the shooting appears to be the result of two rival Fort Pierce gangs, and local law enforcement is working with federal and state partners on the case.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

CBC Given Grey Twitter Checkmark for Governmental Organization

The Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) was given a grey verification badge on Twitter, rather than the gold one that was awarded to other state-affiliated media outlets like PBS or NPR.

A grey checkmark denotes that the “account is verified because it is a government or multilateral organization account.”

“Specifically, eligible government institutions include national and local crisis response, public safety, law enforcement, and regulatory agencies, embassies, and other major national level agencies.”

Eligible elected or appointed officials include heads of state, foreign official spokespeople, top diplomatic leaders, and cabinet members (national level). Eligible multilateral organizations include institutional accounts, top officials, and official spokespeople.

In 2020, Twitter started labeling “state-affiliated media entities.” China’s Xinhua and People’s Daily as well as the since-banned Russia Today and Sputnik at the time were labeled under their Twitter profiles as being state-affiliated. CBC was not given a label.

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

Guards Will Not be Charged After Toronto Woman Died While in Custody for Not Masking

Newly released security video from the Toronto General Hospital shows the moments that led up to a woman’s death after she refused to wear a mask.

Danielle Stephanie Warriner died after an incident with security guards at the hospital in May of 2020. An Ontario judge struck down the case that was set to start in May.

“My first reaction was shock, horror. There’s been no accountability and there’s a gaping hole in my heart,” Warriner’s sister Denise told CBC News.

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

Smith Says No COVID-19 Pardons Because Canadian System Doesn’t Work Like the U.S.

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she is no longer pursuing amnesty for COVID-19 health-rule violators because Canada doesn’t work that way.

“Because we’ve been so influenced by the (United) States, I think that some people think that a premier has the same power as they do in the States of clemency or offering pardons,” Smith told the Shaun Newman podcast Monday.

“I’ve not observed that that’s the case in Canada. We just have a different criminal justice and different legal system, and once things have been handed over for prosecution, politicians have to be hands off.”

However, law professor Lorian Hardcastle says there is a way.

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

Smith Says New Report Confirms ‘Worst Fears’ on ‘Just Transition’ Ending Energy Jobs

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says a new report on the federal government’s “Just Transition” proposal confirms her “worst fears” that it will seek to shut down Alberta’s oil and gas industry.

On Monday, Blacklock’s Reporter uncovered a June 1 briefing note to Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson which said a “green economy” would still require workers without “green skills,” like janitors and truck drivers.

Speaking on the Shaun Newman Podcast on Monday, Smith said the memo confirms her “worst fears.”

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

Actor Idris Elba Decries ‘Unjust’ Poverty After Jetting to Davos From Gucci Fashion Show

British actor Idris Elba used the elite, champagne-soaked world of canapes and billionaires that is the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos to decry global food poverty and “the unjustness of half the world eating and half the world not eating.”

The Luther star and his wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba are both goodwill ambassadors for the U.N.’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). He spoke in an interview with AFP to urge the world’s corporate and political elite to do more to help small farmers in Africa.

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

Belgium: Bloody Knife Fight at Brussels Train Station

A French police officer intervened when a man was stabbed during a knife fight at a busy train station in Belgium this week, according to reports.

The harrowing incident unfolded at around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning in Brussels, the de facto capital of the European Union.

Two suspects began fighting with blades at Brussels-Midi station in the municipality of Saint-Gilles.

Security guards attempted to subdue a “yelling” combatant armed with a “big butcher’s knife” after he slashed his adversary, a witness told RTL.

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

‘Dark Side of Davos’ Revealed as Global Elite Bookings for Sex Workers Soar

This week, global elites who are supposedly tackling the world’s problems, such as ‘climate change,’ at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, will also be partying.

Demand for sex workers by business tycoons and world leaders surges during the five-day summit.

One escort named “Liana” told the German newspaper Bild that she dresses in business attire to blend into the crowd of elites while at the summit. She said her client is an American who attends the meeting. She charges 700 euros per hour and 2,300 euros for the whole night.

She sheds light on the ‘dark side of Davos’, telling Bild that demand for prostitutes skyrockets during the meeting. An escort service also confirmed sex workers would be very busy this week.

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

Dutch Teachers Unaware That Students Use AI for Homework

The advanced AI text generator ChatGPT is being used for homework assignments by many Dutch students without teachers being aware that the work had been generated by an artificial intelligence bot.

Dutch news outlet NOS interviewed students with more than 250 saying that they used the bot for school assignments, and in almost all cases, they got away with it.

ChatGPT has come in handy to answer parts of questions, write paragraphs, correct spelling errors, come up with ideas and even write entire essays. Dutch language assignments for example, have been made a lot easier, they say.

One student told NOS that he used the tool all the time. “I use it to quickly do my homework,” he said. “It often says in an assignment: put it in your own words. A teacher really can’t check what my own words were.”

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

Elon Musk Mocks WEF as Global Elite Gather in Davos

Authored by Liam Cosgrove via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to his newly acquired social media platform over the weekend to make a series of quips aimed at the global organization, the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The WEF’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland—which features a host of international leaders, central bankers, Wall Street executives, and celebrities—began on Monday and will continue throughout the week.

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

EU Sanctions Goal is to Crush Russian Economy — Von Der Leyen

EU sanctions are aimed at plunging the Russian economy into a recession for years to come and depriving the country of crucial technologies, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in an address to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Tuesday.

The European bloc has imposed nine rounds of sanctions against Russia since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, targeting many sectors of the economy, including energy, high-tech, aviation, banking, mining, automotive and other industries.

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

France: Half of Parisians Say They Feel Unsafe on Public Transit

A considerable minority of French, and a full half of Parisians, claim they do not feel safe while travelling on public transit, research that closely follows a mass stabbing attack at a Paris rail station shows.

Nearly half of the French public, 46 per cent, claim to feel unsafe while travelling on public transport across the country. Broken down into the sexes, 49 per cent of women feel unsafe compared to around 42 per cent of men.

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

German Government and BioNTech Pushed Twitter to Censor Threats to COVID Vaccine Profits

A recently published internal Twitter email shows that German authorities warned the company about posts that would target Big Pharma and “may violate TOS [terms of service]” shortly before the start of a global online campaign calling for large pharmaceutical companies to share their Covid vaccines with the world.

The email was published by journalist Lee Fang as part of the latest release of Twitter Files — internal Twitter communications that have revealed how Twitter censored at the behest of federal government agencies, Democrat staffers, and others.

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

Germany Slips to 18th Out of 21 Nations for Competitiveness of Family-Sized Businesses, Study Shows

Germany’s medium-sized businesses are no longer keeping up with the United States, Scandinavia, and Western Europe after the country ranked fourth from the bottom in terms of competitiveness in a study comprising 21 industrial nations.

The study, conducted by the Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), showed Germany had dropped significantly in the rankings after placing 10th in the first study of its kind by the research center back in 2006.

“Germany’s location factors for family businesses cannot keep up with those in top locations in North America, Western Europe, and Scandinavia. Germany is rated unfavorably in the areas of regulation, taxation, and energy in particular,” the survey revealed.

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

‘God Complex’: Klaus Schwab Will Run WEF Like a Pope Until Death, Associates Claim

Klaus Schwab, the founder and head of the World Economic Forum, is said to have a “god complex”, and aims to run the organisation until his death like a pope or monarch, current and former staffers have reportedly claimed.

A number of individuals involved with the World Economic Forum are reportedly discussing the NGO’s post-Klaus Schwab future as the organisation’s annual conference once again kicks off in Davos this week.

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

Greta Thunberg Detained by Police During Eco Protest in German Village

Greta Thunberg has been detained by police during a demonstration in Germany.

The environmental activist, 20, has been taking part in protests against the demolition of a village to make way for the expansion of a nearby coal mine.

Luetzerath has become the frontline for Germany’s climate debate.

It is the second time that the Swedish activist, who joined protests on Saturday, has been moved on by police in the village this week.

The local Aachen police force said Ms Thunberg was part of a group of protesters that “stormed” towards the edge of the open-cast mine, described by officers as “steep and extremely dangerous”.

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

Hungarians Least Afraid of Energy Shortages

Europeans’ confidence in their energy supply has been declining for years, and this trend has accelerated significantly in the wake of the energy crisis. While in 2016, nearly two out of three EU citizens did not fear blackouts, in 2021, half of the population said they were confident of uninterrupted supplies, and by 2022, only a quarter.

However, this fear is not evenly distributed across the EU, and in Hungary, citizens have the least fear of power cuts. It is, in fact, the only country in the EU where the majority of people are confident about their electricity supply, a survey by Hungarian think tank Szazadvég showed.

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

John Kerry Mocked for Speech on WEF’s ‘Almost Extraterrestrial Plan’ To Save the Planet: ‘Liberal Delusions’

Former Secretary of State and current U.S. climate envoy John Kerry turned heads with a speech at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, in which he called himself and his fellow attendees a “select group” with an “almost extraterrestrial” plan to save the planet.

Critics reacting to clips of Kerry’s address called it hypocritical and delusional.

Kerry gave his remarks before WEF guests Tuesday, speaking in grandiose terms about their plan to save the planet from climate change, which he literally described as out of this world.

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

Polish PM Morawiecki Warns Against Relations With Russia in Berlin as a ‘Pact With the Devil’

The head of the Polish government, Mateusz Morawiecki, visited Berlin on Monday to attend a celebration to mark 50 years of public service by Wolfgang Schaeuble, a former German finance minister and speaker of the Bundestag.

In his speech, Morawiecki stressed that imperialism was the defining feature of Russian policy and said that at present all relations with Russia resembled a “pact with the devil.” The Polish leader called on the German government to take decisive action and supply the weapons needed by Ukraine. He recalled the words of German philosopher Jurgen Habermas from 10 years ago when he said that solidarity and democracy were becoming scarce in the European Union.

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

Prostitutes Gather in Davos for Annual Meeting of Global Elite — Where Demand for Sexual Services Rockets During Economic Summit

Demand for sex work skyrockets each year at the meeting of world leaders and business tycoons who jet in from all around the world to rub shoulders with each other.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Recruit Numbers in the UK’s Armed Forces Fall by 30% Amid Warning That Supporting Ukraine in Russia War Makes US Weaker

The number of recruits enlisting in the UK’s Armed Forces has dropped by 30 per cent as Russia wages war on Europe’s doorstep.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Romania: Andrew Tate’s Security Chief Calls Accusers ‘Stupid,’ Spiteful for Not Being ‘His Next Wife’

Andrew Tate’s head of security has bluntly dismissed the incendiary influencer’s sex accusers as being “young and stupid” and likely seeking revenge for not being picked as his “next wife.”

Bogdan Stancu told the BBC that in the last two years, he’s seen more than 100 women passing through the accused rapist’s compound in the Romanian capital, Bucharest.

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

Swiss MP at Davos: Change Living Environments to Force the Public to Follow Climate Goals

The World Economic Forum’s annual meetings in Davos have become a prominent window into the minds of globalists, with admissions every year of some of the most bizarre and disturbing political objectives imaginable. Davos is where we first heard founder Klaus Schwab call for the “Great Reset,” a global event which WEF members say will change the very fabric of civilization and herald a new world order.

Davos is also where we first heard of the globalist concept of “smart cities” and the “shared economy” in which you will “own nothing, have no privacy” and be happy about it by the year 2030.

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

Syrian National Arrested for Throwing School Girl Onto Train Tracks in Germany

A 27-year-old Syrian national has been arrested after reportedly throwing a teenage girl onto the train tracks at a railway station in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The incident occurred on Sunday, Jan. 8, shortly after 5:15 p.m. at the Altena train station in the Märkisches Kreis district.

The 16-year-old schoolgirl disembarked a regional express train traveling to Dortmund and made her way across the platform where she was apprehended by the suspect.

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

UK: Never Mind the Diversity Flannel, Just Play Cricket

ACROSS Britain, sports bodies are queueing to sign the ‘Muslim Athlete Pledge’, an initiative launched in June 2021 by a group called Nujum Sports which aims ‘to see a world where Muslim athletes flourish and fulfil their potentials’, and supported by the Football Supporters’ Association and Kick it Out. Signatories so far include a host of Premier League and EFL clubs, the Welsh FA, the Rugby Football League, the English Cricket Board, and Lancashire and Middlesex County Cricket Clubs.

The latest is Sussex County Cricket Club, the oldest first-class county, which I’ve followed since boyhood. As I discovered when I searched its website recently, the club vows, through the new charter, to ‘build an environment and culture that actively supports Muslim athletes’.

Sussex has, like many other counties, employed several Pakistani players over the years, notably that country’s greatest player and captain, Imran Khan, and arguably its finest batsman, Javed Miandad, as well as Mushtaq Ahmed and currently Mohammad Rizwan. Not so long ago, such a recruitment record would have spoken for itself. In today’s Diversity and Inclusion climate, and with home-bred Muslim players entering professional sport, it’s merely a jumping-off point.

The pledge, which you can see here, could scarcely be accused of timidity. The word ‘actively’ is key: clubs are required to ‘set out the baseline they are starting from, set targets with timeframes to improve their provision of services and care, and lay out what steps they will take to achieve their goals’. For its part, Nujum Sports supplies a ‘suite of toolkits to help organisations realise those targets’, and will ‘profile pledge organisations, with their permission, through blogs and social media’…

           — Hat tip: Seneca III [Return to headlines]
 

Working From Home ‘Has Not Worked’, Wall Street Bosses Tell Davos Summit — as Citigroup Chief Says Slackers Should be Hauled Back Into the Office Until Their Productivity Improves

Jane Fraser (pictured) said that it was important for employees to collaborate together and learn from ‘eccentrics’ in the workplace as she did.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

World’s Oldest Rune Stone Found in Norway, Archaeologists Believe

The ancient Norwegian rune stone was found during an excavation of a grave field in Hole municipality, near Tyrifjorden (Lake Tyri) west of the capital Oslo. It has an inscription the researchers believe may be between 1800-2000 years old.

The find is finally made public after a radiocarbon dating of other material found in the grave together with the rune stone, show that these artefacts date back to some time between 0-250 CE. That means we are back in what is called the Roman Iron Age.

And it means, according to the researchers from the Museum of Cultural History, that it may be the earliest example we have of words recorded in writing in Scandinavia.

We know very little about where the first runic alphabet once came from.

Perhaps this stone can help us figure out just how old the runic alphabet actually is?

And who made up this Germanic written language with its very own letters?

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

World Economic Forum Declares “Misinformation” a Top “Global Risk”

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has published a report, citing, as part of its annual meeting, “misinformation and disinformation” among the top global “risks” in a report covering the period of the next two years, and of the next decade.

These days, the poorly if at all defined concepts of “misinformation and disinformation” are often used by governments, and (social) media they influence, simply as a “one-size-fits-all” excuse to censor information and stifle free speech.

But in the narrative pushed by the elites gathered by the WEF, “misinformation and disinformation” is up there with fears of a world conflict, out of control inflation, food security, and other real calamities that could befall the world over the coming years.

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

Biden Tells Israel to Give Money to Terrorists, Not Terror Victims

by Daniel Greenfield

The Biden administration condemned Israel for giving $39 million in tax revenues to the victims of terrorism instead of the terrorists.

“It is morally just and important for the war against terror. There is no greater justice than using the funds for the victims of terror,” Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said of the move.

State Department spokesman Ned Price condemned Israel’s actions as a “unilateral response” that will “exacerbate tensions. and warned that the administration will raise the issue with Israel.

Price did not address whether the Palestinian Authority spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year to finance terrorist attacks against Israelis through the ‘Pay-to-Slay’ program raises any tensions. The ruling PLO body spending millions to kill Jews is not unilateral, but Israel refusing to finance the murder of its own citizens is a dangerous move that will make peace difficult…

           — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield [Return to headlines]
 

Turkey Demands Sweden and Finland Hand Over 130 Alleged Terrorists in Return for NATO Membership

The Turkish government has demanded both Finland and Sweden extradite 130 alleged terrorists as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes new demands for approval of NATO membership.

Turkish President Erdogan spoke on Sunday, saying that Finland and Sweden must deport 130 alleged terrorists to turkey in order for Turkey to proceed with approving the two countries for membership in NATO.

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

Elite Australian Troops Set to Help Depleted Ukraine Army Fight Off Russian Forces Under Operation Kudu — as Putin’s Men Prepare to Wage a Bloody Springtime Offensive

Australia is beefing up its military assistance to Ukraine by sending crack troops as part of a mission dubbed Operation Kudu.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Facebook Bans Russian Language RT Page

Facebook suspended the page of Russian state-affiliated media outlet RT in Russian, allegedly without an explanation. The move came almost a year after Meta platforms would limit access to RT in Europe. It’s worth noting Facebook itself is blocked in Russia.

On Monday, RT tweeted: “Facebook shut down RT in Russian page without an explanation.” The tweet added that the page was one of the “largest Russian-language media pages” on Facebook with 2 million followers.

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

Finland’s PM Sanna Marin Vows to Back Ukraine ‘As Long as Needed’ As She Joins Global Elite in Davos

Finnish PM Sanna Marin, who was attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, updated world leaders on her nation’s plans to counter Russian aggression.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Keeping Ukraine Afloat Costs at Least €3 Billion Per Month

Ukraine’s financing needs are estimated at €38-40 billion a year, or more than €3 billion per month, according to our sources at the European Council. However, other sources put that figure far higher. The EU’s contribution will be around €1.5 billion per month this year, or €18 billion for the whole year, the Council told Magyar Hirlap.

The figure of €3 billion a month is likely the absolute bare minimum the country needs to stay afloat, with the IMF putting that figure at €4 billion. In addition, huge sums of additional money have been required to keep arms flowing to Ukraine, and that is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that his country needs €7 billion a month to keep running.

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

Pentagon Sends U.S. Arms Stored in Israel to Ukraine

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is tapping into a vast but little-known stockpile of American ammunition in Israel to help meet Ukraine’s dire need for artillery shells in the war with Russia, American and Israeli officials say.

The stockpile provides arms and ammunition for the Pentagon to use in Middle East conflicts. The United States has also allowed Israel to access the supplies in emergencies.

The Ukraine conflict has become an artillery-driven war of attrition, with each side lobbing thousands of shells every day. Ukraine has run low on munitions for its Soviet-era weaponry and has largely shifted to firing artillery and rounds donated by the United States and other Western allies.

Artillery constitutes the backbone of ground combat firepower for both Ukraine and Russia, and the war’s outcome may hinge on which side runs out of ammunition first, military analysts say. With stockpiles in the United States strained and American arms makers not yet able to keep up with the pace of Ukraine’s battlefield operations, the Pentagon has turned to two alternative supplies of shells to bridge the gap: one in South Korea and the one in Israel, whose use in the Ukraine war has not been previously reported…

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Ukraine’s First Lady Tells Davos Elites: You Must Do More to Support Kyiv

Ukraine’s first lady flew into the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual gathering in Davos on Tuesday, leading a push by President Volodymyr Zelensky and his government to secure more battlefield weapons to defend against Russia’s invasion.

Olena Zelenska used the opportunity afforded by a special address to warn that Kyiv and its forces are all that stands between Russian aggression and a new nuclear disaster along the lines of Chernobyl, while scolding foreign government representatives to do more to help her embattled country.

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

We’re Not Mercenaries, We’re Book Publishers and Management Consultants, Says Russian Mercenary Group Wagner as They Step Out of the Shadows

Russian mercenary company the Wagner Group has registered as a company for the first time in Russia, pictured, Wagner boss Yevheny Prizgozhin, left, with Vladimir Putin

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

China’s Population Shrinks for the First Time in Six Decades and Projections Say it Could Half by 2100 — With India Set to Overtake as World’s Biggest in April

China, a nation of 1.4 billion, has seen birth rates plunge to record lows as its workforce ages, in a rapid decline that analysts warn could stymie economic growth a strain public coffers.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

China’s Population Declines for the First Time in Decades

HONG KONG — China said Tuesday that its population declined last year for the first time in six decades, a historic shift with profound implications for the world’s second-largest economy.

Officials from the National Bureau of Statistics said mainland China had 1.41175 billion people at the end of 2022, compared with 1.41260 billion a year earlier, a decrease of 850,000. There were 9.56 million births — a record low birth rate of 6.77 per thousand — and 10.41 million deaths.

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

Australia is Considering a Fifth COVID Shot Even Though the Country Has Well and Truly Moved on From the Pandemic and Case Numbers Have Dropped

The government is considering a fifth Covid booster for Australians in preparation for the winter despite case numbers dropping by half over the past month.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

The Key Question Anthony Albanese is Refusing to Answer About the Indigenous Voice to Parliament

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has refused to say whether he would legislate an Indigenous Voice to Parliament even if it lacked enough support from the public at an upcoming referendum.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Nigeria Elections 2023: How Influencers Are Secretly Paid by Political Parties

A BBC investigation has discovered that political parties in Nigeria are secretly paying social media influencers to spread disinformation about their opponents ahead of general elections in February.

The BBC’s Global Disinformation Team has spoken to whistle-blowers working for two of Nigeria’s political parties, and prominent influencers who have described it as “an industry”.

The whistle-blowers say parties give out cash, lavish gifts, government contracts and even political appointments for their work.

We changed their names to protect their identity. “Yemi” is a prominent strategist and “Godiya” a politician.

“We’ve paid an influencer up to 20m naira ($45,000; £37,000) for delivering a result. We’ve also given people gifts. Other people prefer to hear: ‘What do you want to d

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

Pope Francis Prays for Victims of Jihadist Attack on Congo Christian Church

ROME — Pope Francis offered condolences and prayers Tuesday to the victims and families of a lethal bombing by the Islamic State on a Christian church in eastern Congo that took the lives of at least 14 people and injured more than 60.

“His Holiness Pope Francis has learned with sadness of the attack on a Pentecostal church in Kasindi that caused the death of innocent people,” declares the telegram, written by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin at the behest of Pope Francis.

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

Border Patrol Union Calls for Kamala Harris to ‘Be Fired for Doing Nothing While Illegal Immigration Explodes”

The Border Patrol union slammed Vice President Kamala Harris for doing nothing while illegal immigration explodes in this county despite her being given the job of solving the problem two years ago.

The Union said on social media: “If you were given a job 2 years ago with the explicit goal of reducing illegal immigration, and then you sit around and do nothing while illegal immigration explodes to levels never seen before, you should be fired and replaced. Period.”

The Border Patrol union also ripped President Joe Biden over the crisis. The group posted a photo of Joe Biden on social media with the caption: “The problem with our border captured in one photo.”

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

More Than 300,000 Migrants Are About to Arrive in Australia — Putting Even More Pressure on Housing, Hospitals and Schools

Treasurer Jim Chalmers admitted the forecast of 235,000 migrants made in October’s budget is likely to be dwarfed as high labour shortages entice foreign workers to the country.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Sweden: Government Declares War on Migrant Gangs

Sweden has been experiencing non-stop explosions, shootings and murders for weeks now. The cities of Stockholm and Malmö are particularly affected and the police have been overwhelmed. The government intends to lead the charge against escalating violence by various migrant gangs.

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

Top ISIS Security Chief Masquerading as an Asylum Seeker Arrested in the Netherlands

A Syrian asylum seeker was arrested in the Netherlands on Tuesday on suspicion of acting as one of the Islamic State’s top security chiefs during the terror cell’s infamous rise to power in the Middle East.

The 37-year-old man was arrested in the village of Arkel, approximately 40 kilometers east of Rotterdam, where he had resided since entering the Netherlands and claiming asylum back in 2019.

The suspect is believed to have been in a senior position in the security services of both the Islamic State and, prior to this, Jabhat al-Nusra, another proscribed Salafist jihadist terror group, according to the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM).

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

Victory Against Cohen Family’s Great Replacement Scheme in Rural French Village of Callac

A plan to settle up to 70 refugee families in the rural French town of Callac has been withdrawn after mass protests from residents.

The local government’s decision to cancel the project, which was backed by the wealthy Cohen family and the Macron government, is being hailed as a victory for native French people opposed to their own dispossession.

Many of the politicians who backed the project are acknowledging that public pressure drove their decision to cancel the “Horizon” refugee reception and care project, which faced mass opposition from locals.

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

Andy Ngo Reports: Social Media Uproar Over Cross-Dressing Model Who Exposes Privates in Public Spaces

A large shopping center in Nottingham, England has been forced to respond after social media users brought attention to a cross-dressing man who takes and posts photographs of himself without underwear inside its stores.

Last week, Twitter user “@troonytoons” posted censored images of a cross-dresser taken from his Flickr account. The photos show user “Rosemary Times” lifting up his dress and skirt to expose his privates while inside the women’s section of a clothing store and a cafe.

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

Bill Gates-Backed Politician Tells Church of England to Conduct Gay Marriages

UK government cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt has called on the Church of England to wed same-sex couples in an unprecedented act of interference in church matters by a sitting UK government official.

Mordaunt, who serves as Leader of the House of Commons, urged the Church of England — which is headed by King Charles III — to recognise same-sex marriages ahead of a vote on the issue among the bishops of the church.

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

Cambridge, Ma to Host Elementary School ‘Girlx’ Sporting Event to Include Those Who Identify ‘With Girlhood’

Cambridge, Massachusetts, is set to host a “sports night for girlx” for “families with girlx (anyone who identifies as a girl or with girlhood) in Kindergarten through 5th grade.”

The event is scheduled for Wednesday, and will allow “girlx to explore new sports, learn about existing teams, and enjoy prizes, pizza, games, and hands-on demonstrations,” according to the city.

According to the flyer, it will offer “girlx” the opportunity to try sports like basketball, cheer, football, lacrosse, and soccer, among others.

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

College Professor Claims He’s Being Fired for Asking Questions During Campus Diversity Meeting

A California college professor is fighting back after he says his job has been threatened due to allegations of racism and hate speech that he said were “completely fabricated.”

Tenured Bakersfield College history professor Matthew Garrett said he and other faculty members of a free speech coalition were targeted with false allegations after they asked questions during a campus diversity meeting last October. Shortly afterwards, Garrett received a notice of unprofessional conduct by the administration that claimed he had caused “real harm” to students and said he was being removed from the diversity committee “effective immediately.”

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

Conspiracy Theories Surround Scooby-Doo Spinoff ‘Velma’: ‘Leftists Are Claiming it Was a Right Wing Psyop’

The critics have weighed in, and most agree that “Velma,” a new animated show on HBO Max, is terrible. But some internet personalities went even further, claiming that the show was so bad that it must be a “psy-op” intended to embarrass the woke left.

The highly anticipated show produced by “Office” star Mindy Kaling was panned by critics as “exhausting” and “horribly wrong.” The audience was even harsher, giving the show just a 6 percent average score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Less than one week after “Velma” premiered, the show has become a lightning rod for conspiracy theories and arguments online.

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

Gender Changes for 8-Year-Olds? Scottish MP Say We Should ‘Explore’ The Options

A member of the Scottish parliament has suggested the government should “explore processes” that could see children as young as eight be allowed to legally and independently change their own gender.

Maggie Chapman, a member of the Scottish Green Party, suggested in an interview with broadcaster LBC that the current reforms may not go far enough. Chapman is an ardent supporter of the Scottish government’s controversial gender reforms to make it easier for individuals to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) and effectively change their gender.

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

Iowa Diocese’s Ban on Preferred Pronouns, Puberty Blockers Hailed as First Amendment Victory

The Diocese of Des Moines triggered backlash from progressives with its strict new “gender identity” policies in schools and parishes, including bans on using preferred gender pronouns and puberty blockers.

Democratic State Sen. Claire Celsi slammed the move as un-Christian in a Jan. 4 Facebook post, claiming the diocese was pushing to “[codify] ostracism of transgender kids.”

“These schools want public dollars and want to treat kids in a way that might cause them to commit suicide. This is not what Jesus would do,” Celsi said.

The seven policies, which went into effect Monday for 17 Catholic schools and 80 parishes across southwestern Iowa, require students to use restrooms, wear school uniforms and play on sports teams corresponding with their biological sex in addition to the banned use of puberty blockers and preferred pronouns on diocese properties.

Fox News contributor and civil rights attorney Leo Terrell applauded the diocese’s right to make the decision Tuesday on “Fox & Friends.”

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

Twitch Streamer Hasan Piker Criticizes TikTok Ban

Popular Twitch streamer Hasan Piker slammed TikTok for banning him over his viral videos. The video game streamer is popular for his commentary on political issues.

Hasan often posts clips from his Twitch streams on TikTok. He claims that TikTok frequently suspends his account when his clips on political issues go viral on the platform.

On January 16, Hasan took to Twitter to announce that he had been banned on TikTok. He posted a screenshot of the message he received from TikTok that said that his account had been “permanently banned” for “multiple violations” of Community Guidelines.

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

UK: Clarkson is Cancelled

Clarkson apologized twice and Amazon still cancelled him.

Now Harry & Meghan want him to apologize for his entire career.

Cowing to the woke mob only ever emboldens it.

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

U-S-A: America Now Leads the World in Child Sex-Change Treatments

America has added a new string to her bow by becoming a world leader when it comes to putting children through life-altering sex-change treatments.

According to a new study, the United States is more lenient than any European country when it comes to gender transitions for minors.

The study was published by Do No Harm, an anti-woke group that seeks to insulate the health care profession from “radical, diverse and discriminatory ideology.”

The study found that it is easier to put a child through sex-change treatments in the U.S. than in any other Western nation.

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

Women’s Sports Group Threatens to Sue NCAA Over Inclusion of Biological Males in Female Sports

The Independent Council on Women’s Sport (ICONS) has threatened legal action against the NCAA for their inclusion of biological males in women’s sporting events.

“We write as attorneys on behalf of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS), a network of current and former collegiate and professional women athletes and their families, to put you on official notice that your practice of allowing male athletes on women’s teams constitutes illegal discrimination against women on the basis of sex,” a January 12 letter to the NCAA’s Office of Legal Affairs read.

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

5 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 1/17/2023

  1. Decision at a NY Supreme Court subject to review by Appellate and then highest court, the Court of Appeals.

  2. Apparenty, the NY Supreme Court is not the highest court in NY State, thus, the ruling will get appealed and may not stand.

  3. GREEN [coital trysts]?

    Prostitutes gather in Davos for annual meeting of global elite – where demand for sexual services rockets during economic summit
    Prostitutes report a surge in business during the annual gathering of leaders
    Escorts are booked into delegates’ hotels alongside business executives
    Sex workers dress in business attire and rub shoulders with the global elite

    By JACK NEWMAN FOR MAILONLINE

    PUBLISHED: 10:10 GMT, 17 January 2023

    The global elite tackling the world’s greatest problems – including gender inequality -at the Davos summit are fuelling a surge in prostitution in the Swiss resort town.
    Demand for sex work skyrockets each year at the meeting of world leaders and business tycoons who jet in from all around the world to rub shoulders with each other.
    Escorts are booked into the same hotels as high-powered bosses and their employees during the five-day summit, which started on January 16.
    One sex worker named Liana said she dresses in business attire so she doesn’t stand out among the executives, despite prostitution being legal in Switzerland.

    Salome Balthus (pictured), a sex worker and writer, is staying at a hotel near Davos during the summit
    She told Bild she regularly sees an American who visits Switzerland multiple times a year and is among the 2,700 conference attendees.
    Liana charges around €700 ($760) for an hour and €2,300 ($2,500) for the whole night, plus travel expenses.
    The manager of one escort service in Aargau, 100 miles away from the summit, says she has already received 11 bookings and 25 inquiries – and expects many more to follow this week.

    She told 20 Minuten: ‘Some also book escorts for themselves and their employees to party in the hotel suite.’
    Salome Balthus, a sex worker and writer, posted on Twitter: ‘Date in Switzerland during #WWF means looking at the gun muzzles of security guards in the hotel corridor at 2 a.m. – and then sharing the giveaway chocolates from the restaurant with them and gossiping about the rich… #Davos #WEF.’
    Demand for sex work skyrockets each year at the meeting of world leaders and business tycoons
    The 36-year-old is staying at a hotel near Davos throughout the summit but refused to reveal who the influential clients are.

    She cautioned: ‘Believe me, you don’t want to get into litigation with them.’
    In 2020, an investigation by The Times found at least 100 prostitutes travel to Davos for the summit according to a Swiss police officer.

    One official driver for the forum said he picked up one sex worker who claimed she had been forced by her ‘boss’ to sleep with an older client at a delegates’ hotel.
    Among the topics up for discussion at this year’s summit are the Ukraine war, global inflation rates, climate change and inequality.

    Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska will give a rare international address today at the annual gathering.
    The Covid-19 pandemic torpedoed the event for the past two years but a springtime version was held eight months ago.

    Alain Berset, president of Switzerland, Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission and World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab, pose together today
    Dozens of sessions on Tuesday will focus on issues as diverse as gender parity, the return of manufacturing, the green transition, efforts to end tuberculosis and the intersection of food, water and energy, which will feature actor Idris Elba.
    European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He are also among the speakers.

    Nearly 600 chief executives and more than 50 heads of state or government are expected but it is never clear how much concrete action emerges from the elite event.
    The elite gathering is regularly skewered by critics who argue that attendees are too out-of-touch or too profit- or power-minded to address the needs of common people and the planet.

    Throughout the week, critics and activists will be waiting outside the Davos conference centre to try to hold decision-makers and business leaders to account.
    It started on Sunday, when dozens of climate activists, some with clown makeup, braved snowfall to wave banners and chant slogans at the end of the Davos Promenade, a thoroughfare now lined with storefront logos of corporate titans like Accenture, Microsoft, Salesforce, Meta, as well as country ‘houses’ that promote national interests.

    Greenpeace International also blasted use of corporate jets that ferry in bigwigs, saying such carbon-spewing transportation smacks of hypocrisy for an event touting its push for a greener world.

    It said over 1,000 private-jet flights arrived and departed airports serving Davos in May.
    Forum president Borge Brende acknowledged on Sunday that some government leaders and chief executives fly in that way.
    ‘I think what is more important than that is to make sure we have agreements on how we, overall, move and push the envelope when it comes to the green agenda,’ he said.

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