Gates of Vienna News Feed 1/19/2023

The Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg accused the grandees gathered at the WEF meeting in Davos of assisting in the destruction of the planet. Also in Davos, the leaders of major pharmaceutical companies called for more concerted action to combat misinformation about vaccines.

In other news, the Santa Fe district attorney announced that Alec Baldwin and his armorer will be charged with involuntary manslaughter for the shooting death of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set where the movie Rust was being filmed.

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

Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, LP, Reader from Chicago, Roger, 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
» Recession Watch: Why the IMF Has Begun to Strike a More Positive Global Tone — But the UK May Still be in for a Comparably Bad Year
 
USA
» 16 High Schools in Northern Virginia Didn’t Notify Students of National Merit Recognition
» Alec Baldwin to be Charged With Manslaughter in Fatal Shooting on the Set of ‘Rust’, DA Says
» Alec Baldwin to be Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter Over Rust Shooting
» Andy Ngo Reports: Seven Charged With Domestic Terrorism Following Deadly Shooting at Atlanta Autonomous Zone
» Biden Approval Rating Nears Record Low After Classified Documents Discovery: Survey
» Black Activists Hold Armed Rally to Demand Reparations in Virginia
» California Storms Not Linked to Global Warming, Some Scientists Say
» DC Council Overrides Veto From Muriel Bowser, Passes Bill That Reduces Punishments for Rape, Murder
» DeSantis: ‘We’re Looking for a Flat Ban’ on Communist Chinese Land Purchases
» Florida Governor Ron Desantis’ “Prescribe Freedom” Plan Bans Vaccine Passports, Supports Doctors’ Free Speech
» Former U.N. Ambassador Haley Exploring a Presidential Bid
» Gaetz Introduces ‘Abolish the ATF Act’ After Ruling Against Stabilizing Braces
» Glenn Youngkin’s Office Blasts Anonymous Report After Update: ‘This is Why People Don’t Trust the Media’
» Hunter Biden Lived in Classified Doc House While Raking in Millions Through Chinese Intelligence Ties
» Idaho Murders Suspect Bryan Kohberger Followed 3 Female Victims on Instagram Before Stabbings, Report Claims
» Jamie Lee Curtis Deletes Post Showing Photo in Background of Naked Child Stuffed in a Box
» Kevin McCarthy Overrules Nancy Pelosi: “Effective Immediately, Members of Congress Have to Show Up to Work if They Want Their Vote to Count, No More Proxy Voting”
» Missing Dad Was Brutally Stabbed, Left for Dead in Drug Deal Gone Bad: Prince William PD
» Most Americans Want Congress to Reverse Hiring of 87,000 IRS Agents in Dems’ Spending Bill, Poll
» Secret Service Puts Biden on Notice, Will Provide Names of Delaware Home Visitors if Congress Asks
» Study: Law Forces Prosecutors to Dump 69% of NYC Criminal Cases
» Supermajority Want Biden Document Scandal Probed
» Supreme Court Says Cannot Identify Who Leaked Draft Opinion That Led to Overturning of Roe V. Wade
» Ten People Died Because of Pro-Crime ‘Bail Funds’
» Texas Bishop Slams ‘Godless’ World Economic Forum at Davos
» The Next Oberlin? Dumped Professor Sues College for Calling Her Muhammad Depiction ‘Islamophobic’
» Trump Announces First Big Political Speech, Promises ‘Giant Rallies’ Coming Soon
» Trump ‘Probably Coming Back to Twitter’: GOP Source
» Twitter Suspends Account Calling for ‘Night of Rage’ After Protester Shoots at Police and is Killed
» US Government Scooped Up Information on Money Transfers Without a Warrant
» Why the High Forgiveness Rate of PPP Loans is Troubling to Many People
 
Canada
» BMO CEO Questioned on Convoy Comments
» Campus Watch: Laurier Student Planning Protest Against University’s Mask Mandate
 
Europe and the EU
» BoJo at Davos: Don’t Worry About Escalating Ukraine War, ‘Fat Boy’ Putin Won’t Use Nukes
» British Food Tsar Hints at Cake Ban at the Office, Compares it to Passive Smoking
» Confident Hungarian Trade Minister Predicts Record Year of Investment
» Davos Vultures: German Chancellor Predicts ‘Ukrainian Economic Miracle’ For War Reconstruction Firms
» EU Trying to Bring in ‘Mass Surveillance’ With Proposed Chat Control Law — MEP
» FBI Director Tells WEF Future of National Security is in Partnership Between Tech Companies and Government
» France to Solve Prison Overcrowding by Releasing Inmates 3 Months Early
» France Strikes: One Million Protest Against Macron’s Rise in Retirement Age
» France: Macron Announces That Climate Crisis Has Arrived ‘Faster Than Expected’
» Germany Says it is No Longer Reliant on Russian Energy
» Greta Thunberg Accuses WEF Elites of ‘Fueling the Destruction of the Planet’
» High-Speed Rail Revolution is Coming to Central Europe’s Three Seas Countries
» Hungary’s PM Orban Mocks EU Corruption Scandal: ‘if They Continue Like This in Brussels, Soon Enough MEPs Will be Behind Bars to Form Their Own Football Team’
» Klaus Schwab Declares He Will Run WEF Into His 100s as Globalist Colleagues Demand Succession Plan
» Left-Wing Politicians in Germany Vent Their Fury at Appointment of New Defense Minister… Because He’s a Man
» Majority of Poles Oppose Capital Punishment Despite PM’s Support for Its Reintroduction
» Moderna CEO, Vaccine Group Chief, Criticize Online Misinformation at WEF in Davos
» ‘Nothing Will Happen About Corruption in European Parliament, ‘ Says Former Polish FM and Current MEP
» Poland: Port of Gdansk Recorded Highest-Ever Level of Activity Last Year
» Polish President Urges EU ‘To Put Its House in Order’ Over Corruption Scandal
» Suspected ‘ISIS Official” Caught Living as Refugee in Dutch Village
» Sweden: Stockholm Rocked by More Gang-Related Explosions as Bombings Reach Double Digits in 2023
» Tony Blair Calls for WEF and WTO to Introduce “Digital Infrastructure” That Monitors Vaccination Status
» WEF Pushes Digital Battery Passports
» World Economic Forum Speaker Calls on Leftist NGOs to ‘Hit Back’ Against ‘Right-Wing Groups’
 
Middle East
» Poszar Was Right: Saudis Confirm Non-Dollar Oil Trade Plans in Davos
 
Russia
» Breaking: Biden Sends Another $2.5 Billion in Military Equipment, 90 Strykers, 59 Bradleys to Ukraine
» ‘In War, There Are No Accidents’: Zelensky Blames Putin for Helicopter Crash Disaster That Killed 14, Vows to Take Back Crimea and Blasts Germany for Not Providing Tanks in Outburst to Davos Elite
» Putin ‘Wants to Make Our Flesh Creep´ But Will Not Use Nuclear Weapons — Johnson
» Ukraine Latest: More Weapons Pledges Before Ramstein Meeting
 
Far East
» American Mother Who Lived in China Says She Misses State Bringing Up Her Children
» China Proposes Making “Dissemination of False Information” A Crime in UN Treaty
» Extended ‘Booster’ Shots Collapse Immune System in Mice, New Study Shows
 
Immigration
» Belgian Couple Faced With €36,000 Repair Bill After Unknowingly Housing a Roma Family From Ukraine Who Wreaked Havoc
» Biden’s State Department Launches ‘Welcome Corps’ That Asks Americans to Help Resettle 125k Refugees in U.S.
» Ethnic Germans Are ‘Dying Out’ and Migrants ‘Will Inherit’ Germany, Claims Iranian Writer in One of Germany’ Biggest Newspapers
» Hungary Remains Under Attack: More Than 5,500 Migrants Have Already Attempted to Breach Border This Year
» Majority of Europeans See Illegal Immigration as a Top Concern Facing Continent and Want to Preserve Christian Culture, Poll Finds
» Spiraling Asylum Costs Have Resulted in Dutch Government Overspending on Refugees in 21 of Last 23 Years, Auditors Say
 
Culture Wars
» 360 Million Christians Are Being Persecuted Around the World, Report Says
» UK: Inside Our Woker Than Woke Police
» ‘We’re Gonna Fight’: Intense Protests at Calif. YMCA Over Transgender Policy
 

Recession Watch: Why the IMF Has Begun to Strike a More Positive Global Tone — But the UK May Still be in for a Comparably Bad Year

The International Monetary Fund has suggested 2023 may be a better-then-expected year for the global economy but storm clouds remain over the UK.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

16 High Schools in Northern Virginia Didn’t Notify Students of National Merit Recognition

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. (7News) — As of Tuesday, 16 high schools in northern Virginia delayed notification to students of their national merit recognition. 7News reported Monday that there were 13 but the number has since jumped after Loudoun County added one additional school Tuesday and Prince William County added two schools.

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

Alec Baldwin to be Charged With Manslaughter in Fatal Shooting on the Set of ‘Rust’, DA Says

Oscar-nominated actor Alec Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico set of the Western movie “Rust,” prosecutors said Thursday.

Baldwin and the film’s armorer who was in charge of weapons on the set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, will each face two counts of involuntary manslaughter, according to New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies.

The first assistant director, David Halls, has agreed to plead guilty to the negligent use of a deadly weapon, according to the DA’s office.

“This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice,” according to a statement by Baldwin’s attorney, Luke Nikas.

“Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win.”

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Alec Baldwin to be Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter Over Rust Shooting

Actor Alec Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter over the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was killed on a film set when he fired a prop gun.

Mr Baldwin had been rehearsing a scene for the Western film Rust when the shooting happened at a ranch near Sante Fe, New Mexico in October 2021.

Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the film’s armourer, will also be charged.

Lawyers for both said they intended to fight the charges in court.

Santa Fe’s District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced the charges on Thursday, adding that they would be filed by the end of the month.

“Actor and producer Alec Baldwin and armourer Hannah Gutierrez Reed will each be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter,” the statement read. “I have determined that there is sufficient evidence.”

“On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice,” she said.

Both face up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 (£4,040) fine if convicted. They will be tried by a jury, prosecutors said.

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

Andy Ngo Reports: Seven Charged With Domestic Terrorism Following Deadly Shooting at Atlanta Autonomous Zone

This report has been updated with additional information about more arrests.

Seven militants have been arrested and charged with domestic terrorism following a deadly shootout with law enforcement at their “autonomous zone” in a wooded area south of Atlanta. They are all from out of state.

On Wednesday morning, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies conducted a raid on the so-called autonomous zone at the site of the future Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. Since June 2021, Antifa and other far-left extremists from across the US have occupied the area to prevent the construction of what they call a “cop city.” The GBI says a Georgia State Patrol trooper was shot and severely injured during Wednesday’s raid by a man camped in the area. Officers returned fire and killed the gunman, who allegedly used a pistol.

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

Biden Approval Rating Nears Record Low After Classified Documents Discovery: Survey

President Biden’s approval rating has dropped to 40 percent, according to a new poll, amid criticism over the handling of classified documents that have been discovered in a former office and at his Wilmington, Del., home.

A new Reuters-Ipsos poll showed 40 percent of Americans approve of Biden’s performance in office. The three-day poll concluded on Sunday, which was the final day of news about classified document discoveries and fell right in the middle of the White House’s messaging around the issue.

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

Black Activists Hold Armed Rally to Demand Reparations in Virginia

Multiple BLM-affiliated groups held an armed rally in Richmond, Virginia demanding reparations for descendants of former slaves.

Video showed BLM757, BLMRVA, and the Fred Hampton Gun Club participating in the rally on Monday, armed with rifles in the gun-free zone of the State Capitol.

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

California Storms Not Linked to Global Warming, Some Scientists Say

California is reeling from a devastating series of powerful winter storms that pummeled the state, killing at least 21 people, and crumbled hillsides and damaged thousands of homes.

Many media figures and officials were quick to blame global warming as the culprit.

While assessing the damage earlier this month, Gov. Newsom said California was “proof that the climate crisis is real and we have to take it seriously.”

And while touring California Thursday, President Biden said “if anybody doubts the climate is changing, then they must have been asleep for the last couple of years.”

Some experts are saying the recent storms weren’t necessarily the result of global warming. The Los Angeles Times interviewed multiple climate researchers who suggested that the recent storms had more to do with the state’s well-documented historic drought-to-deluge cycles.

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

DC Council Overrides Veto From Muriel Bowser, Passes Bill That Reduces Punishments for Rape, Murder

On Tuesday, the Council of the District of Columbia moved to override a veto by Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser that prevented a bill aimed at reducing penalties for violent offenders, the Revised Criminal Code Act, from becoming law.

According to local news, “In a 12-1 vote — with Ward 8 Council member Trayon White voting in opposition — the council moved to override Bowser’s veto of the Revised Criminal Code Act. Essentially, the city’s code determines what punishments to assign to crimes, including sentence lengths, and also classifies what types of crimes are misdemeanors. The code sets guidelines that the police, attorneys, courts, and prisons all work from.”

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

DeSantis: ‘We’re Looking for a Flat Ban’ on Communist Chinese Land Purchases

Wednesday, during an appearance on FNC’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) discussed how his state was planning to deal with Communist China’s efforts to buy up land as real estate prices continue to increase.

The Florida governor said he was planning to work with the Florida Legislature to put in place a “flat ban.”

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

Florida Governor Ron Desantis’ “Prescribe Freedom” Plan Bans Vaccine Passports, Supports Doctors’ Free Speech

Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to introduce legislation that will, among other things, stop Florida from being a “biomedical security state.” The legislation will ban all vaccine passport mandates.

DeSantis said the purpose of the legislation is to “prescribe freedom.”

“When the world lost its mind, Florida was a refuge of sanity, serving strongly as freedom’s linchpin,” the Republican governor said on Tuesday. “These measures will ensure Florida remains this way and will provide landmark protections for free speech for medical practitioners.”

“It required us over the past few years to stand against major institutions in our society: The bureaucracy, the medical establishment, legacy media, and even the President of the United States who, together, were working to impose a biomedical security state on society,” he added.

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

Former U.N. Ambassador Haley Exploring a Presidential Bid

Former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has said she is considering a 2024 presidential campaign, a bid that would put her up against her former boss, former President Donald Trump, who is thus far the only Republican to have declared his candidacy.

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

Gaetz Introduces ‘Abolish the ATF Act’ After Ruling Against Stabilizing Braces

FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., introduced a bill to eliminate the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) following a controversial ruling that tightens regulations on pistol-stabilizing braces.

The ATF issued its final rule Friday that will treat guns with stabilizing accessories like short-barreled rifles, which require a federal license to own under the National Firearms Act.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the ruling enhances public safety, but Gaetz said it unfairly punishes disabled gun owners and veterans who rely on stabilizing braces to be able to fire with one hand.

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

Glenn Youngkin’s Office Blasts Anonymous Report After Update: ‘This is Why People Don’t Trust the Media’

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office told Fox News Digital on Thursday that an alarming update to a Richmond Times-Dispatch report is why “people don’t trust the media” after the Ford Motor Company shot down an anonymous claim that the automaker “selected” the state for an electric battery plant only to be turned away.

The original Richmond Times-Dispatch story appeared on the front page of the paper with the headline, “Sources: Ford had chosen Va. for plant,” and cited anonymous sources claiming Ford selected Southern Virginia as the site prior to “Youngkin scuttling the plan.”

Ford and the governor’s office have both since denied that Virginia was selected for the job-creating project.

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

Hunter Biden Lived in Classified Doc House While Raking in Millions Through Chinese Intelligence Ties

National security concerns over Joe Biden’s classified document scandal just got worse, as two reports have emerged which place Hunter Biden at the Bidens’ Wilmington, Delaware residence while he was raking in millions of dollars from CCP-linked business dealings.

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

Idaho Murders Suspect Bryan Kohberger Followed 3 Female Victims on Instagram Before Stabbings, Report Claims

Bryan Kohberger, the 28-year-old man accused of murder in the ambush of four University of Idaho students in November, allegedly followed three of them on Instagram before the attack, a new report claims.

Numerous Instagram accounts, using Kohberger’s name, appeared after his arrest was made public and followed the victims, but it was not immediately clear whether any of the accounts belonged to him.

He was arrested on Dec. 30, nearly seven weeks after police allege he entered a six-bedroom home in Moscow, Idaho, and stabbed four college students: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

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

Jamie Lee Curtis Deletes Post Showing Photo in Background of Naked Child Stuffed in a Box

Hollywood star Jamie Lee Curtis quickly deleted an Instagram post after her followers noticed there was a photo in the background showing a naked child stuffed in a box.

After Curtis posted the image, the comments quickly lit up and a backlash ensued.

Curtis said her post was a picture of her office, though she didn’t mention the creepy photo in the background.

In her original Instagram post, Curtis shared the image while telling her fans that she tested positive for Covid.

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

Kevin McCarthy Overrules Nancy Pelosi: “Effective Immediately, Members of Congress Have to Show Up to Work if They Want Their Vote to Count, No More Proxy Voting”

Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Republicans overruled former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and officially ended the practice of proxy voting. Proxy voting was instituted by Pelosi during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow lawmakers to vote without being present.

Both sides of the aisle abused Pelosi’s rule and McCarthy vowed to end the practice and make Congress show up to work. Before proxy voting, Congress barely worked but with it, the place set a bad example for hardworking Americans struggling to get by in Biden’s economy.

“No more proxy voting,” McCarthy, R-Calif., announced today. “Effective immediately, Members of Congress have to show up to work if they want their vote to count.”

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

Missing Dad Was Brutally Stabbed, Left for Dead in Drug Deal Gone Bad: Prince William PD

A drug deal gone wrong led to the brutal stabbing death of a Virginia dad whose blood-stained car was ditched in Prince William County, and his body in Prince George’s County, MD.

Olvin Daniel Argueta Ramirez, of Woodbridge, and a 17-year-old boy are believed to have stabbed Jose Abelino Guerrero dead four days before Christmas, police in Prince William County said.

Guerrero, Ramirez and the teen met up for a drug deal on Dec. 21, 2022, when an argument ensued, police said. That’s when Ramirez stabbed Guerrero multiple times and drove his body apparently with the teen to Prince George’s County, MD, and left it there, authorities said.

Guerrero’s car was found near Bel Air and Jeffries roads in Woodbridge, where evidence of a struggle and blood were found inside, authorities said.

Detectives identified Ramirez and the teen as persons of interest and executed a search warrant on the 14100 block of Matthews Drive in Woodbridge, police said. There, they found and arrested the two suspects.

Meanwhile, a body believed to be Guerrero’s was found on Thursday, Jan. 19 and transferred to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Maryland for an autopsy and confirmation on the identity.

Ramirez was charged with murder and stabbing in commission of a felony while the teen was charged with murder and robbery.

           — Hat tip: Roger [Return to headlines]
 

Most Americans Want Congress to Reverse Hiring of 87,000 IRS Agents in Dems’ Spending Bill, Poll

Three-fifths of likely U.S. voters said they want the new GOP-led House to “reverse the hiring of 87,000 new IRS agents,” according to a poll released Thursday.

While 60.1% of likely general election voters said they want the House to reverse hiring tens-of-thousands of new IRS agents, 28% said they do not want the measure reversed while 11.9% were undecided, according to a Convention of States Action survey conducted in partnership with The Trafalgar Group.

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

Secret Service Puts Biden on Notice, Will Provide Names of Delaware Home Visitors if Congress Asks

The U.S. Secret Service put President Joe Biden on notice and is prepared to hand over the names of individuals who visited Biden’s Wilmington, Delaware home if Congress asks, Fox News is reporting.

The White House claims it does not have formal visitor logs for the private residence but people there do come into contact with Secret Service agents so some names will be available to Congress if they make the request.

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

Study: Law Forces Prosecutors to Dump 69% of NYC Criminal Cases

A law has forced prosecutors to drop cases in New York City, which has only added to its crime problem, according to a study.

The issue resulted in suspects being freed without facing consequences, the New York Post reported Thursday:

The rate at which cases were dismissed citywide rose from 44% in 2019 — the year new “discovery” rules were adopted by state lawmakers — to 69% by mid-October 2021, the Manhattan Institute finds in the report, set for release Thursday.

For misdemeanor cases, the increase was even more dramatic, jumping from 49% to 82% during the same period, according to official data cited by the conservative think tank.

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

Supermajority Want Biden Document Scandal Probed

President Joe Biden has been laughing off questions about his improper taking of classified documents after leaving the vice presidency in 2017, but most believe it was wrong, and a supermajority back the Justice Department’s investigation into his actions.

A whopping 76% said in a just-released Economist/YouGov survey that they support the department’s special investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents found in a Washington-based think tank and his Wilmington, Delaware, home.

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

Supreme Court Says Cannot Identify Who Leaked Draft Opinion That Led to Overturning of Roe V. Wade

The Supreme Court said Thursday it cannot identify who leaking the draft opinion of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org., the landmark case that overturned the constitutional right to an abortion.

The Supreme Court marshal investigating the leak “has to date been unable to identify a person responsible by a preponderance of the evidence,” the court said.

The leak led to protests outside of justices’ homes and conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh was targeted in an assassination attempt before the final decision was released on June 24, 2022.

“After examining the Court’s computer devices, networks, printers, and available call and text logs, investigators have found no forensic evidence indicating who disclosed the draft opinion,” the marshal’s office wrote in a report on the probe.

Investigators interviewed 97 employees, all of whom denied sending the draft opinion to Politico, also according to the marshal’s office.

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

Ten People Died Because of Pro-Crime ‘Bail Funds’

by Daniel Greenfield

Chengyan Wang was cleaning up at the Shanghai Taste restaurant when a robber broke in. Wang tried to fight back and was shot 11 times. The officer on the scene in Las Vegas said that the Chinese waiter “was bleeding all over his body and appeared as if he was going to die.”

“I can still vividly remember when the first police officer on the scene immediately helped me stop the bleeding on my neck,” Wang recalled. “He was there the whole time encouraging me and making sure I stay awake and stay conscious and not fall asleep.”

Wang credits his “second chance in life” to “God’s grace.” And he fought back, not only against the criminals, but against the wealthy interests that enabled the murderous attack on him.

Rashawn Gaston-Anderson, the vicious thug who shot him, was only on the loose because a bail fund known as The Bail Project posted bond for him. The career criminal had been arrested a month earlier on weapons charges. In 48 hours he was arrested for burglary and larceny, and pled guilty to grand larceny while getting off with probation.

Wang came after The Bail Project, which had been backed by wealthy celebrities like Lizzo, John Legend, Danny Glover, Lil Nas X, Miss USA Asya Branch, Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer of Broad City, Richard Branson, and others, suing it over what happened to him

The panicked pro-crime group responded by shutting down operations in Vegas. It however continues to aid and enable criminals around the country…

           — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield [Return to headlines]
 

Texas Bishop Slams ‘Godless’ World Economic Forum at Davos

Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler Texas has blasted the Davos World Economic Forum (WEF) as an unelected power with a “Godless” agenda.

“Who elected the WEF?” Bishop Strickland wrote on social media Thursday. “Their agenda is Godless & does not respect our God given rights as human beings.”

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

The Next Oberlin? Dumped Professor Sues College for Calling Her Muhammad Depiction ‘Islamophobic’

Asmall liberal arts college with social-justice roots. A community member accused of career-ending discrimination against a minority. And an administration that repeatedly trumpets those accusations, which were made by student activists and hinged on an extreme interpretation of a largely undisputed factual record.

Those circumstances cost Ohio’s Oberlin College over $36 million in damages, interest and legal fees last year in a defamation lawsuit brought by a family-owned bakery accused of racial profiling for tackling a black student shoplifter.

Hamline University might be the next Oberlin.

Art history professor Erika Lopez Prater sued the Minnesota liberal arts school Wednesday for publicly defaming her as a bigot and not renewing her contract after a Muslim student complained that Prater showed depictions of holy figures including Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.

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

Trump Announces First Big Political Speech, Promises ‘Giant Rallies’ Coming Soon

President Donald Trump said he will be making a “big political speech” on Thursday during a Judicial Watch event.

It marks his first big political speech in a long while.

Trump also promised “giant rallies” in the future as his campaign for 2024 heats up.

He also vowed more “wild and exciting” events for supporters as he rolls out his 2024 presidential campaign.

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

Trump ‘Probably Coming Back to Twitter’: GOP Source

Former President Donald Trump is looking to return to Twitter and Facebook. Trump, whose account was reinstated following the purchasing of Twitter by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, has stuck to his own platform, Truth Social, despite his account’s unsuspended status.

A Republican with knowledge of private discussions on Trump’s potential return to Twitter, who spoke with NBC News on condition of anonymity, said, “Trump is probably coming back to Twitter. It’s just a question of how and when. He’s been talking about it for weeks, but Trump speaks for Trump, so it’s anyone’s guess what he’ll do or say or when.”

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

Twitter Suspends Account Calling for ‘Night of Rage’ After Protester Shoots at Police and is Killed

Twitter has suspended an account that called for violence against Georgia police officers and law enforcement after a police-involved shooting on Wednesday that left a state trooper wounded and one man dead.

The Twitter account Scenes from the Atlanta Forest had called for a “Night of Rage” on Friday to enact “reciprocal violence to be done to the police and their allies.” The violent threat, posted in a tweet, came after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said that law enforcement had shot and killed a protester who had shot at a state trooper on Wednesday morning.

By Thursday, the account had been suspended for violating Twitter rules.

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

US Government Scooped Up Information on Money Transfers Without a Warrant

International money transfers are far from private according to findings by The Wall Street Journal and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Regular readers will know Reclaim The Net covered the start of this investigation almost a year ago.

Law enforcement in the US can access international money transfer details without a warrant through a controversial surveillance program the Arizona attorney general’s office approved in 2014.

The program resulted in the creation of a money transfers database managed by the Transaction Record Analysis Center (TRAC).

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

Why the High Forgiveness Rate of PPP Loans is Troubling to Many People

The majority of Paycheck Protection Program loans given to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic have been forgiven, but new data show the program was rampant with fraud.

A Martinez, Host:

Interesting new data is out on the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP for short. It gave potentially forgivable government loans to small businesses during COVID, and the data shows the vast majority of those loans have been forgiven. Sacha Pfeiffer of NPR’s investigations team is here to explain why that high forgiveness rate is troubling to many people. So, Sacha, people who got these loans were hoping they’d be forgiven. What’s not to like about these new numbers, then?

SACHA PFEIFFER, BYLINE: So there is no doubt that these loans were a lifesaver for many companies. And anyone who got PPP funding is probably relieved to hear that 92% of all the loans have been granted full or partial forgiveness so far. That’s according to Small Business Administration data released this month. But a lot of that money went to businesses that didn’t need it — wealthy celebrities like Khloe Kardashian and Tom Brady, for example. They have companies that each got a PPP loan of about $1,000,000 entirely forgiven. Also, many businesses that thrived during COVID got their loans forgiven, like some manufacturing and construction firms.

MARTINEZ: But was it legal for them to take that money?

PFEIFFER: Yes, it was. To qualify for a loan, you just had to say you thought you needed it and to get it forgiven, you did not have to prove the money was necessary. So that meant not only did people get loans they didn’t truly need, it also attracted scam artists. Here’s how University of Texas finance professor Sam Kruger puts it.

SAM KRUGER: The PPP program seems to have resulted in billions of dollars of fraudulent loans that have ultimately turned into grants.

PFEIFFER: He estimates that $64 billion of the nearly $800 billion in loans show signs of fraud.

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

BMO CEO Questioned on Convoy Comments

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s meeting notes from last February say BMO CEO Darryl White wanted to classify Freedom Convoy protesters as “terrorists.” BMO never replied when True North asked for comment on it, but True North’s Andrew Lawton ran into Darryl on the streets of Davos and asked him directly.

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

Campus Watch: Laurier Student Planning Protest Against University’s Mask Mandate

A Wilfrid Laurier University student who has gone viral for using random items as face coverings to mock his school’s mask requirement is planning an in-person protest to demand a permanent end to the mandate.

As of January 2022, Laurier continues to require masking in instructional spaces — almost three years since the pandemic began.

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

BoJo at Davos: Don’t Worry About Escalating Ukraine War, ‘Fat Boy’ Putin Won’t Use Nukes

Ex-prime minister Boris Johnson is urging the West to escalate its military support of Ukraine with tanks, warplanes, and other materiel, confidently asserting that a nuclear war will not happen at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland.

Johnson, whose profile page on the World Economic Forum’s website still lists him as Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary of the United Kingdom — in fact has been left on the parliamentary back benches since his ouster — has looked to his enthusiastic support for the Ukrainian war effort as a key pillar of his political legacy, given he failed to cut taxes, take back control of his country’s borders, or deliver any more than the half-Brexit negotiated by predecessor Theresa May.

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

British Food Tsar Hints at Cake Ban at the Office, Compares it to Passive Smoking

The head of a food watchdog in Britain has been ridiculed for suggesting that workers bringing cake into the office is as harmful to the nation’s health as passive smoking.

Professor Susan Jebb, chairwoman of the Food Standards Agency (FSA), said that she only eats cake during the day because colleagues give her the opportunity to do so. She then called on office workers to refrain from the practice to help the fight against obesity.

“If nobody brought cakes into the office, I would not eat cakes in the day, but because people do bring cakes in, I eat them,” she told The Times newspaper. “Now, OK, I have made a choice, but people were making a choice to go into a smoky pub.

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

Confident Hungarian Trade Minister Predicts Record Year of Investment

Hungarian government officials are confident that 2023 will see the country record its highest-ever level of foreign investment as companies from across the globe continue to see Hungary as a good place to do business.

As the political and business elite flock to Davos for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade announced that its head, Péter Szijjartó, had been in discussions with several multinationals who had expressed their desire to not only retain their business interests in Hungary but to plan new ones.

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

Davos Vultures: German Chancellor Predicts ‘Ukrainian Economic Miracle’ For War Reconstruction Firms

German industry will benefit from the “Ukrainian economic miracle” once the reconstruction effort begins following the war with Russia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz predicted on Wednesday.

In a speech delivered on the stage alongside German-born World Economic Forum Chairman Klaus Schwab at the annual globalist meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that he expects German companies to be at the forefront in implementing a “Marshall Plan for the long-term reconstruction of Ukraine”.

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

EU Trying to Bring in ‘Mass Surveillance’ With Proposed Chat Control Law — MEP

A senior MEP within the European Parliament has accused the EU of trying to bring in “mass surveillance” with a new law controlling private online chats.

Dr Nicolaus Fest MEP, the leader of the populist Alternative für Deutschland party within the European Parliament, has accused the European Union of trying to implement a regime of “mass surveillance” with a law that would mandate that private chats be monitored online.

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

FBI Director Tells WEF Future of National Security is in Partnership Between Tech Companies and Government

FBI Director Christopher Wray spoke at the World Economic Forum’s meeting in Davos on Tuesday, accompanying his private meeting with banking leaders with a panel on cybersecurity. The panel on national security and cybersecurity focused on the conflict in Ukraine, using that war as a lens through which to discuss partnerships between tech companies and government, AI, and autonomous vehicles.

“The sophistication of the private sector is improving, and particularly important, the level of collaboration between the private sector and the government. Especially the FBI has I think made significant strides. We are focused on looking at cyber attacks,” Wray said. His comments are in-line with WEF founder Klaus Schwab’s ideas on how leaders should “master the future” through public and private partnerships.

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

France to Solve Prison Overcrowding by Releasing Inmates 3 Months Early

French inmates who have been sentenced to less than two years in prison will be released three months early in order to ease concerns of prison overcrowding, French newspaper Le Figaro reported on Tuesday.

The move by the French Ministry of Justice means that, since Jan. 1 of this year, criminals are free to leave prison three months earlier than their sentence ordered, provided they have been sentenced to less than two years in prison and have appropriate accommodation.

The early release will not apply to those convicted of domestic violence, sexual offenses such as rape and sexual assault, or offenses against minors under the age of 15. It will mean, however, that convicted drug traffickers, robbers and thieves, and violent criminals will be free to roam French streets earlier.

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

France Strikes: One Million Protest Against Macron’s Rise in Retirement Age

More than a million people have joined a day of protests and strikes, according to France’s interior ministry, against plans to push back the age of retirement from 62 to 64.

Some 80,000 protesters took to the streets of Paris, with demonstrations in 200 more French cities.

President Emmanuel Macron called the reforms “just and responsible” — but they are facing a make-or-break moment.

The strikes severely disrupted public transport and many schools were closed.

Protests took place across France, in Nantes, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille and Toulouse, as train drivers, public sector workers and refinery staff walked out.

The head of the big CGT union, Philippe Martinez, put the total number of protesters at beyond two million, higher than the government’s 1.12 million figure. They said 400,000 peopled had joined the biggest march, from Place de la République in Paris.

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

France: Macron Announces That Climate Crisis Has Arrived ‘Faster Than Expected’

On Tuesday 17 January, Emmanuel Macron published a nearly 18-minute video on YouTube entitled “Your questions on ecology: I’m back at it!”. As reported by Le Figaro, the President of the Republic wished to revisit his remarks on climate change which caused a green controversy during his wishes on 31 December. “I was misunderstood […] What did I really mean? It is that basically, it [climate change] came even faster than expected,” said Emmanuel Macron on camera.

The tenant of the Elysee was reacting to the sentence he had pronounced, in which he stated: “Who could have predicted the climate crisis with spectacular effects again this summer in our country?” Indignant green climatologists, NGOs and political opponents reacted angrily to his comment.

The EELV national secretary Marine Tondelier, responded that “scientists had been warning [about this] for decades”. Their criticisms were well-timed, to say the least. Asserting that the State have been preparing for “years” for the climate emergency and pointing out the “bad faith” of his detractors, Macron also announced that an “ecological planning council” should be held before the end of January to “take stock of what we must do in the coming years and decades”.

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

Germany Says it is No Longer Reliant on Russian Energy

Germany no longer depends on Russian imports for its energy supply, the country’s finance minister has told the BBC.

Christian Lindner said Germany had completely diversified its energy infrastructure since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.

Following the invasion, Russia turned off the gas taps to Europe, leading to fears of blackouts this winter.

But Germany had found new sources of energy, Mr Lindner said.

“Yes, of course Germany is still dependent on energy imports, but today, not from Russian imports but from global markets,” he said.

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

Greta Thunberg Accuses WEF Elites of ‘Fueling the Destruction of the Planet’

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has accused globalist elites attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos of “fueling the destruction of the planet.”

Thunberg made the comments shortly after arriving at the lavish Swiss ski resort for Klaus Schwab’s annual gathering.

She blasted attendees while speaking to reporters alongside other climate activists from the event.

Thunberg returned to Davos to join a panel that debated how the world can rapidly accelerate the clean energy transition.

Her appearance at the WEF summit comes shortly after she was accused of faking her arrest while protesting the expansion of a coal mine in Germany, as Slay News reported.

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

High-Speed Rail Revolution is Coming to Central Europe’s Three Seas Countries

Almost 4,500 kilometers of high-speed railway (HSR) lines are planned for the Three Seas region, with new connections between Poland, Hungary, Czechia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia expected to radically boost the nations’ infrastructure potential.

During Railway Direction Days in Warsaw, a cooperation agreement was signed by representatives and investors from the six countries, with the new rail lines expected to jumpstart growth, reduce emissions, and add more economic weight to the entire region.

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

Hungary’s PM Orban Mocks EU Corruption Scandal: ‘if They Continue Like This in Brussels, Soon Enough MEPs Will be Behind Bars to Form Their Own Football Team’

After a tax advisor to the European Parliament was detained on corruption charges in Italy on Wednesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban commented on the growing number of EU officials being put in handcuffs.

“If they continue like this in Brussels, soon enough MEPs will be behind bars to form their own football team. Who knows? Maybe they would even make it to the 2024 European Championship. Time to drain the swamp in Brussels,” wrote Orban on Twitter.

The EU, and in particular the European Parliament, has long accused Hungary of corruption and rule-of-law violations. However, the institution is currently undergoing what is being labeled the biggest corruption scandal in its history, leaving left-wing politicians scrambling to respond to the growing crisis.

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

Klaus Schwab Declares He Will Run WEF Into His 100s as Globalist Colleagues Demand Succession Plan

Arch-globalist Klaus Schwab has declared he will run the WEF well into his hundreds despite demands from his colleagues that he put in place a succession plan.

A mutiny attempt has reportedly engulfed this year’s World Economic Forum conference at Davos, Switzerland, with senior elites surrounding the organisation reportedly demanding that its leader, arch-globalist Klaus Schwab, put in place plans for his own replacement.

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

Left-Wing Politicians in Germany Vent Their Fury at Appointment of New Defense Minister… Because He’s a Man

With Boris Pistorius set to be sworn in as Germany’s latest defense minister on Thursday, several politicians, including some within Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s own party, expressed their fury that the federal government will once again be a majority-male cabinet.

With Pistorius set to replace the outgoing Christine Lambrecht, whose reign at the German Ministry of Defense was littered with PR disasters and incompetence, the make-up of the federal government will be male-orientated — 9 males to 7 females.

The move temporarily contravenes a pledge made by then-Vice Chancellor Scholz in 2020, who tweeted: “I am making the promise here today: At least half of the cabinet that I lead as Federal Chancellor is made up of women!”

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

Majority of Poles Oppose Capital Punishment Despite PM’s Support for Its Reintroduction

The majority of Poles remain opposed to the reintroduction of capital punishment in the country, despite Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s revelation earlier this month that he in principle supports the death penalty for the “heaviest crimes.”

According to polling conducted by the Institute for Economic and Social Research (IBRiS) for the Rzeczpospolita newspaper, a total of 54 percent of respondents disagree with Morawiecki’s stance on the death penalty, compared to 39 percent who are in favor of its reintroduction.

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

Moderna CEO, Vaccine Group Chief, Criticize Online Misinformation at WEF in Davos

Head of the international vaccine group Gavi, Seth Berkley, and the CEO of Moderna Stéphane Bancel, have addressed the World Economic Forum at Davos and have made fresh statements about online platforms allowing what they see as vaccine misinformation.

Moderna CEO Bancel complained about the amount of scientific and political debate taking place in the media, saying the US was one of the “worst.”

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

‘Nothing Will Happen About Corruption in European Parliament, ‘ Says Former Polish FM and Current MEP

On Wednesday, an emergency debate was held in the European Parliament (EP) on the Qatargate corruption scandal involving a leading socialist MEP and former MEPs, said a senior conservative MEP.

The former Polish foreign minister and MEP for Poland’s ruling conservatives (PiS), Witold Waszczykowski, told portal wPolityce.pl that “it was routine and minimalistic” and that he did not expect any significant decisions to be taken. He believes that some minor restrictions will be placed on MEPs but that the real causes of the corruption, which are the extensive foreign travel and the attempts to assess the world from an ideological perspective, will remain.

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

Poland: Port of Gdansk Recorded Highest-Ever Level of Activity Last Year

The Port of Gdansk had its busiest year on record last year due to a sharp increase in the handling of coal and other fuels, grain, wood, and iron ore, the port’s CEO Lukasz Greinke confirmed.

The port handled 68 million tons of various goods in 2022, an 28 percent increase of 15 million tons compared with 2021.

In an interview with the wnp.pl news portal, Greinke explained the increase was a result of the war in Ukraine, which meant that much traffic stopped across land from the east. Coal is a classic example here, accounting for 12.5 million tons of the total. The CEO reported that the port’s capacity for handling coal has now risen to 20 million tons per year.

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

Polish President Urges EU ‘To Put Its House in Order’ Over Corruption Scandal

Polish President Andrzej Duda called on EU officials to “put their own house in order” when asked to comment at a press conference in Davos on the corruption scandal engulfing the European Parliament.

Despite assurances from eurocrats that they were on top of tackling corruption within EU institutions, Duda reminded them that it was not they themselves who uncovered the corruption scandal, but rather the Belgian public prosecutors together with the French authorities.

“Instead of lecturing others, they should tackle the need for the rule of law in their own ranks,” the Polish president told journalists.

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

Suspected ‘ISIS Official” Caught Living as Refugee in Dutch Village

A Syrian man believed to have served as a high-ranking ‘official’ in Islamic terrorist groups was arrested this week after living for years as a ‘refugee’ in the Netherlands, according to reports.

The suspect, a 37-year-old male, was apprehended on Tuesday at a residence in the village of Arkel, where he was settled by the Dutch government in 2020.

Authorities reportedly launched an investigation after receiving concerning information about the man’s past, which had apparently not been uncovered when he applied for asylum in 2019.

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

Sweden: Stockholm Rocked by More Gang-Related Explosions as Bombings Reach Double Digits in 2023

An explosion on Wednesday outside an office building in the Kista district of Stockholm brought the number of bombings in Sweden to double digits already for the year.

The blast, which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday in the Swedish capital, was the result of a large explosive charge that detonated, causing extensive damage to an office building, police spokesperson Ola Osterling told Swedish public broadcaster SVT.

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

Tony Blair Calls for WEF and WTO to Introduce “Digital Infrastructure” That Monitors Vaccination Status

Former United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Tony Blair has called for global organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and World Economic Forum (WEF) to push national governments to introduce “digital infrastructure” that monitors who has been vaccinated and who hasn’t.

Blair pushed for this government-controlled digital vaccine database during an appearance at the World Economic Forum’s 2023 annual meeting — a yearly event where powerful business leaders, politicians, and other influential figures meet in Davos, Switzerland to discuss the agendas they want to advance.

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

WEF Pushes Digital Battery Passports

The Global Battery Alliance (GBA), a coalition of more than 130 international organizations, industry leaders, NGOs, governments, and academics, launched the first battery passport proof of concept at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

GBA was incubated by the WEF in 2017 and became a nonprofit organization in 2020. By 2030, its members hope to have established a sustainable battery value chain and the Battery Passport is an effort toward that goal.

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

World Economic Forum Speaker Calls on Leftist NGOs to ‘Hit Back’ Against ‘Right-Wing Groups’

A World Economic Forum (WEF) speaker declared before attendees at this year’s globalist summit in Davos, Switzerland that leftist non-governmental organizations (NGOs) must “hit back” at so-called “right-wing groups.”

Richard Edelman, the CEO of the global communications corporation Edelman, was a panelist in a discussion about “disrupting distrust.”

While addressing the audience of global elites at the lavish Swiss ski resort, Edelman called for NGOs to attack “right-wing groups” and weaken public trust in them.

Edelman took aim at “right-wing groups” for promoting so-called “disinformation” that links globalist organizations to “Bill Gates and George Soros,” Fox News reported.

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

Poszar Was Right: Saudis Confirm Non-Dollar Oil Trade Plans in Davos

Earlier this month, former NY Fed repo guru Zoltan Pozsar wrote one of his most important reports of 2022, in which he described how Putin could unleash hell on the Western financial system by demanding that instead of dollars, Russian oil exporters are paid in gold, effectively pegging oil to gold and launching Petrogold.

Then, China’s President Xi visit with Saudi and GCC leaders marked the birth of the petroyuan and a leap in China’s growing encumbrance of OPEC+’s oil and gas reserves: that’s because with the China-GCC Summit, “China can now claim to have built a ‘special relationship’ not only with the ‘+’ sign in OPEC+ (Russia), but with Iran and all of OPEC+.”

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

Breaking: Biden Sends Another $2.5 Billion in Military Equipment, 90 Strykers, 59 Bradleys to Ukraine

On Thursday the Department of Defense announced that the Biden administration would be sending an additional $2.5 billion in security assistance “to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs.”

The move marks the Biden administration’s 13th drawdown of equipment from US military inventories for the country since August of 2021.

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

‘In War, There Are No Accidents’: Zelensky Blames Putin for Helicopter Crash Disaster That Killed 14, Vows to Take Back Crimea and Blasts Germany for Not Providing Tanks in Outburst to Davos Elite

Zelensky has frequently pleaded for modern Western weapons, especially heavy battle tanks, so Ukraine can regain momentum following some battlefield successes in 2022.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Putin ‘Wants to Make Our Flesh Creep´ But Will Not Use Nuclear Weapons — Johnson

The ex-PM compared the Russian president to ‘the fat boy in Dickens´ during an event on Ukraine at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Ukraine Latest: More Weapons Pledges Before Ramstein Meeting

A number of weapons donations to Ukraine by Western allies were announced ahead of Friday, when defense ministers from several nations gather at Ramstein Air Base in Germany for an event hosted by the US defense chief.

The Biden administration is planning to send about 100 Stryker armored vehicles in its next package of military aid to Ukraine worth about $2.5 billion. The UK on Thursday it will send a further 600 Brimstone ground- or air-launched missiles, and Denmark will send French-made howitzers. Ukrainian officials have urged allies to provide more battle tanks, artillery and longer-range missiles

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

American Mother Who Lived in China Says She Misses State Bringing Up Her Children

An American fashion designer who raised her two daughters in Shanghai before returning to the US says she misses how her kids were ‘co-parented by the Chinese government’.

Yes, really.

49-year-old Heather Kaye and her husband arrived in the Communist country in 2005 and stayed there until last year, when they were forced to return to the US to escape China’s brutal COVID lockdown.

But far from feeling glad to be back, Kaye says she was sad to leave, describing Washington DC as a “culture shock” and lamenting the loss of the government’s direct intervention into family life.

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

China Proposes Making “Dissemination of False Information” A Crime in UN Treaty

A new international convention on cybercrime is being negotiated at the United Nations (UN) meeting in Vienna, Austria, and China has proposed the criminalization of the “dissemination of false information.”

The proposal seems like an attempt by China to legitimize its internet controls and is likely going to be contested by Western countries, even though many of them have been copying parts of China’s playbook in recent times.

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

Extended ‘Booster’ Shots Collapse Immune System in Mice, New Study Shows

A bombshell new study has revealed that laboratory mice suffer a near complete collapse of their immune systems when they receive more than two “booster” shots, according to reports.

The study was conducted by top Chinese researchers from China’s Chongqing Medical University.

Researchers found giving mice extended SARS-CoV-2 RBD booster vaccination, two initial shots then more than two “booster” jabs, induces humoral and cellular immune tolerance.

The study sought to investigate the long-term impact of receiving regular booster shots, such as yearly jabs.

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

Belgian Couple Faced With €36,000 Repair Bill After Unknowingly Housing a Roma Family From Ukraine Who Wreaked Havoc

A couple in Belgium is facing repairs of around €36,000 after they volunteered to welcome refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine into their home. They claim the Roma family they took in destroyed their property and left them footing the bill.

The couple, Sven and Evy, had recently upsized to a larger home. They retained their previous property in the city of Ninove to use as an office and decided to use other former homes to house Ukrainian refugees.

After contacting Belgium’s Public Center for Social Assistance (CPAS), they were asked if they could pick up a Ukrainian woman and her two children whose father had been killed in Ukraine.

“Then we got another call asking if we had a problem with the woman being pregnant. When we arrived, a pregnant woman with three children and her husband were waiting for us. During a half-hour conversation, we were told where they came from and the route they had taken. Then we went back with them,” the couple told Belgian news outlet, 7sur7.

The couple quickly noticed that all was not as it seemed. “This was no ordinary Ukrainian family,” they said.

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

Biden’s State Department Launches ‘Welcome Corps’ That Asks Americans to Help Resettle 125k Refugees in U.S.

President Joe Biden’s State Department is launching a “Welcome Corps” program that will ask Americans and green card holders to help resettle refugees across the United States.

Last year, the Biden administration announced a massive increase in the annual number of refugees it would try to resettle across American communities. Though the cap is merely a numerical limit and not a goal to be reached, top officials have suggested they are looking to resettle about 125,000 refugees in Fiscal Year 2023.

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

Ethnic Germans Are ‘Dying Out’ and Migrants ‘Will Inherit’ Germany, Claims Iranian Writer in One of Germany’ Biggest Newspapers

Following the mass riots involving migrant youth on New Year’s Eve, German-Iranian author and commentator Behzad Karim Khani is criticizing the debates about the young men of foreign origin, which he says are fueled by historical racism. He asserts that regardless of what Germans think about the riots, migrants are not only going to stay in the country but will eventually “inherit Germany” from ethnic Germans, who are “dying off.”

“We are here — not just for your pension funds, but because we make sure that the Aryan nightmare never becomes a reality in this country,” he wrote in one of Germany’s top media outlets, Berliner Zeitung in a piece entitled “Behzad Karim Khani on New Year’s Eve: Integrate yourself!”

Khani, who was accepted to Germany as a political refugee from Iran, along with his family, when he was 10 years old, writes that migrants will inherent Germany. He adds that time is on the side of migrants, as ethnic Germans are “dying out.”

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

Hungary Remains Under Attack: More Than 5,500 Migrants Have Already Attempted to Breach Border This Year

More than 5,500 illegal border-crossing attempts have been recorded at Hungary’s external border so far this year, with authorities already arresting 50 people smugglers in less than three weeks, according to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief adviser on internal security.

Speaking on Kossuth Radio’s Thursday morning program, György Bakondi revealed the Hungarian border force is primarily focused on the Balkan migratory route, much of which stems from Turkey through Bulgaria and Serbia up to Hungary.

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

Majority of Europeans See Illegal Immigration as a Top Concern Facing Continent and Want to Preserve Christian Culture, Poll Finds

An overwhelming majority of Europeans believe illegal immigration remains a key concern affecting the continent and consider Christian culture and traditions worthy of preservation, polling by a Hungarian think tank has revealed.

According to the 2022 Europe Project poll conducted by the Szazadvég Foundation based in Budapest, almost four in five respondents (78 percent) are concerned about the continuous influx of illegal immigrants into Europe, while a smaller majority of 56 percent think it’s important to preserve Europe’s Christian heritage.

The poll covers not only EU member states but the wider European community, including the United Kingdom, the Balkan region, and Turkey. A summary of the polling was sent to the MTI news outlet on Wednesday

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

Spiraling Asylum Costs Have Resulted in Dutch Government Overspending on Refugees in 21 of Last 23 Years, Auditors Say

The Dutch government spent over €1 billion to accommodate asylum seekers last year, close to double the €538 million it had allocated for its asylum policy, the country’s Court of Audit (COA) revealed.

Such excess has been the norm in the Netherlands for over two decades, with an auditors’ investigation into the funding of asylum reception facilities showing the government has spent significantly more than budgeted in 21 of the last 23 years.

In a damning report, the COA slammed State Secretary Eric Van der Burg, who is in charge of asylum policy, and the country’s Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers for failing to have any idea of how much is required to spend each year to enforce the government’s asylum plans.

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

360 Million Christians Are Being Persecuted Around the World, Report Says

Christians remain a highly persecuted religious minority in many countries around the world, the latest report by the Open Doors charitable organization has revealed.

The mission’s 2023 report showed Islamic regimes to be the most hostile to minority Christian groups, followed by communist countries. However, it is worth noting many European nations and U.S. states have placed barriers on the expression of Christian beliefs in the public domain.

In the 50 countries covered by the report in one year, a total of 5,621 Christians were killed just for practicing their faith. This relates to the period from Oct. 1, 2021, to Sep. 30, 2022.

Of the 760 million Christians residing in the same 50 countries, a total of 360 million are suffering serious and continuous persecution.

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

UK: Inside Our Woker Than Woke Police

The writer is a serving police officer.

IT IS a widely held belief that public bodies have, these days, been completely captured by woke ideology amid the ongoing culture wars. HR departments are having their collective heads turned by intersectional dogma and managers care more for what’s said about them on Twitter than they do in performing efficiently.

Particular concern has been focused on the police, which, as if to illustrate the point, now prefers to be called a service rather than a force. Some otherwise sensible folk are of the opinion that, surely, an institution which deals with catching often violent offenders and bringing them to justice simply cannot have been taken over by this quasi-religious ‘be kind’ zealotry? Unfortunately, dear reader, I’m here to tell you that it has.

Nothing illustrates this more clearly than the police intranet. To log on is to be presented with a meaningless word salad of corporate niceness, punctuated occasionally by an article on solving crime. What follows is a genuine look through the pages of my own force’s intranet…

           — Hat tip: Seneca III [Return to headlines]
 

‘We’re Gonna Fight’: Intense Protests at Calif. YMCA Over Transgender Policy

A YMCA in Southern California’s Santee saw intense protests on Wednesday night when a large group arrived in objection to the organization’s locker room policies.

Many YMCAs across the country — including the one in Santee — have in recent years begun allowing transgender people to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that match the gender they identify with, and California law requires that “all business establishments” offer “full and equal accommodations” to everyone — including trans people — regardless of their sex.

The protests broke out after a 17-year-old girl publicly told the Santee City Council last week that she allegedly saw a transgender woman with male genitalia using the women’s locker room.

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

9 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 1/19/2023

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    Anti-missile system on Moscow’s rooftops

    Published 20 January 2023

    Russia appears to be preparing for attacks on Moscow by deploying anti-missile systems, such as the Pantsir anti-aircraft system, on the roofs of several buildings, The Guardian reports.

    The systems are designed to protect against aircraft, helicopters and cruise missiles, as well as smaller targets such as military and commercial drones.

    The installation comes ahead of a meeting at the US Ramstein airbase in Germany, where Nato countries will discuss a new military aid package for Ukraine.

    The US has pledged nearly $2 billion in additional military aid to Ukraine, including a Patriot air defence system.

    However, Russian politicians have warned Nato against providing more advanced weapons that could potentially trigger a conflict with the risk of a nuclear war, writes the Guardian.

    Russia itself uses missiles and drones to attack infrastructure, mainly the power grid, near Ukrainian cities.

    Kremlin-believing military bloggers say the systems’ presence in Moscow shows the Kremlin is concerned about retaliatory attacks on its own city.

    The defence establishment apparently considers the risks of attacks to be very high and is taking action before rather than after the first attacks, according to Russian bloggers quoted by the Guardian.

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    “The Arabs are the Jews’ revenge against the Germans”

    Published 19 January 2023 in Berliner Zeitung

    The brutal immigrant riots in Germany on New Year’s Eve are basically the fault of the Germans themselves.

    That’s the thesis of immigrant profile and journalist Behzad Karim Khani in an article in the Berliner Zeitung.
    “You biological Germans will die out and we immigrants will inherit the country,” he notes mischievously.

    The districts in Berlin worst hit by the Arab chaos on New Year’s Eve were Kreuzberg and the ghetto of Neukölln.

    That’s where Sonnenallee street, popularly known as “Gaza Strip”, is located.

    “The street that once inspired one of my Israeli friends to jokingly and not entirely without malice aforethought say:

    ‘The Arabs are the Jews’ revenge against the Germans’,” writes Behzad Karim Khani in the Berliner Zeitung.

    According to the immigrant profile, Germany often tries to blame others for its own problems, as now when Arabs are being blamed for their widespread New Year’s violence. Then it’s no wonder the Arabs are angry given Germany’s support for Israel and that Germany is completely riddled with “racism” and “Islamophobia”, he continues.

    In fact, it is immigrants who, after the Second World War, rebuilt Germany “from piles of rubble”,
    Khani further claims.

    “Demographically, you will disappear”
    “We immigrants, foreigners… whatever you choose to call us – will not disappear. And neither will you, dear biological German.

    Well, demographically you will definitely disappear.

    You are dying out at such a rate that your country will need about 400,000 new workers over the next 15 years, which means about a million immigrants a year.”

    “We immigrants will probably inherit this country,” Behzad Karim Khani continues.

  3. .
    .
    Ekeroth: “Culture matters – even on the bus”
    Published 08:15

    Just over a year ago, there was an uproar in oversensitive Sweden when Björn Söder tweeted about an incident in which a bus driver played Arabic music on the bus.

    The other day I experienced the same thing. And the phenomenon deserves attention again.

    As recently as October 2021, the debate was sparked by a Twitter post by Björn Söder. The drive was on, of course, but 80% of Swedes, if not more, surely understood exactly what Söder meant and probably felt the same way.

    Yesterday, on public transport in Dalarna, I experienced the same thing. I was sitting on a bus and suddenly heard Arabic music being played so clearly that I could hear it. Completely unbroken. Completely brazen.

    True to my habit, I don’t like to keep quiet in such situations, unlike many confused people who are so common in this country. So I said kindly but firmly to the driver:

    – Excuse me, could you turn that music off please?

    The driver didn’t object but replied something like “Yes, ok” and turned it off, or at least turned it down to the point that the sound was no longer heard.

    A problem
    Even if it could be deflected this time, it is a problem that is probably growing and increasingly present in the public space. In the debate last autumn, as almost always when cultural aberrations of this kind are discussed, the left tries to play dumb and question it with “uhh, what, what does it matter if people listen to music!”.

    In the name of relativism, they have to reflexively pretend that music is music, in the same way that they like to lump all immigrants together as a homogeneous group (well, you’ve all heard the argument FOR immigration when they bring up Dutch immigrants in response to our criticism of immigrants from the Middle East and Africa).

    In the summer of 2020 I wrote about a similar phenomenon when it came to light that the promenade in Helsingborg in Skåne is now more like Baghdad.

    “Öhh what!? Is it wrong for people to sing, dance and play music!?” roared the indignant left, thus pretending that music is music and immigrants are immigrants.

    Culture matters
    If any group is aware that culture matters, it is the left. That’s why they’re so eager to try to stop new politicians from meddling in it. The “arm’s length distance” motto is one such attempt, despite the fact that in reality the left has always had its arm up to its elbow right into the culture.

    Culture, and its various manifestations, matters even on the beach or the bus.

    I, and many others like me, do not want Sweden to look, sound, smell, feel or be experienced as the Arab world, and it is damn rude for a bus driver to play Arabic music, so that others can hear it anyway, in the Swedish country to which he has immigrated.

    It’s actually a strange mentality, an audacity. Occupation mentality at heart.

    The reverse?
    I try to imagine the reverse if I had immigrated to another country: would I then play Swedish music loudly on the bus, in a language nobody understands? No, certainly not.

    The difference (in my favour) would of course be that Swedish music or for that matter Swedish culture in general is not seen as negative (on the contrary) but still I wouldn’t be made to be so disrespectful. But in Sweden they are. Everything from gang criminals to bus drivers.

    It stems from two things I suppose: firstly, an inherent disrespect for the country that stupidly invited them here.

    And secondly because Sweden, in its bottomless naivety, has taught them that they can, may and almost should be disrespectful. The state has told them that this is their country as much as ours, which is not true, at least not morally speaking.

    When we wrote about Gröningen in Helsingborg, we were contacted by several readers. One of them wrote:

    I have lived in Helsingborg all my life and have been at Gröningen every summer since I was a child. I felt at home then. Since then it has just been replaced by refugees, by something completely different. The only thing you hear is Arabic.

    Culture matters – even on the bus.

    READ ALSO: Driver held Muslim prayer in SL bus – refused to let woman in

    READ ALSO: Unclear rules on prayer on the bus floor for drivers in Malmö

    READ ALSO: Amanda not allowed to ride bus in Malmö – was too lightly dressed

    Author of the text
    Kent Ekeroth

  4. .
    .
    Outrage in ‘journalist mecca’ after bombing in Södermalm
    Published 2023-01-18

    Swedish journalists are heavily concentrated in the inner city of Stockholm, and it is mainly on Södermalm that they have chosen to settle. For a long time, the district represented a safe distance from the consequences of the open borders, but this week it was Södermalm’s turn to be bombed.

    Most recently in 2015, a study showed that three out of ten journalists live in the city of Stockholm and Södermalm was described as “a journalist Mecca”. It also found that journalists avoid areas with many immigrants.

    Now that the bombs and grenades have also reached Södermalm, where a bomb attack took place at a Greek restaurant on Tuesday night, many residents of the area are surprised that they too are being forced to face the new reality in Sweden.

    READ ALSO: Explosion and shooting in Stockholm

    One of those woken by the blast is Åsa Holmgren, who lives on the first floor of the building where the explosion took place.

    – Imagine standing next to a bomb, that’s how loud it sounded. What’s so scary is that my first thought was: now a bomb went off. The fact that it’s so close to your consciousness, that it’s the first thing you think, it’s horrible,” she tells SvD.

    The boundaries of reality are blurred
    After the explosive realisation that Södermalm is part of Sweden outside the customs, her whole world view has changed.

    – But you still don’t think it’s going to happen at your doorstep. Some kind of boundary of reality broke.

    As a member of the housing association’s board, she has been in contact with residents all night.

    Not the first time
    The police investigation is ongoing.

    – We have opened a criminal investigation under the heading of public desecration and we are currently investigating a number of observations and interviewing people to identify what happened and what the motive was, says police spokesperson Ola Österling.

    However, this is not the first time Södermalm has been hit – the last time an apartment building on Barnängsgatan was bombed was at the end of September.

    READ ALSO: Shooting and explosions in Stockholm

    READ ALSO: So many shootings and bombings have hit Sweden this year

    Author of the text
    Andreas Nilsson

  5. Saint Greta dared to criticize the ELITE?

    Oops, I see something coming.

    Either we will soon see some articles ripping the holiness of Saint Greta to pieces or it will be sudden and unexpected (name your illness that leads to fast death, including fast-travelling lead or a lethal dose during the next vaccination session.)

  6. In my opinion, the only “misinformation” about the so-called “vaccines” (which are not actually vaccines) is that they were “safe” and “effective”, when in fact they were neither.

    Don’t get fooled again.

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