Gates of Vienna News Feed 1/20/2023

Illegal immigration into Switzerland nearly tripled last year compared with the year before. Meanwhile, an elderly Ukrainian immigrant was stabbed to death while he was fishing on a beach in Texas.

In other news, the Japanese government has downgraded COVID-19, giving it the same status as the seasonal flu.

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

Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, JW, LP, Reader from Chicago, 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
» Existing Home Sales Tumbled in December for 11th Straight Month, Falling to Lowest Level Since 2010
» Food and Fuel Crises Saw Surge in Protests Across Western Europe — Report
» Google Lays Off 12,000 Workers Worldwide
» Rents in Canada Are Through the Roof. Here Are the Most Expensive Cities
» Retail Sales Tumbled by 1% in December Dashing Hopes of Respite for Shops as Struggling Brits Cut Back on Christmas Spending — Amid Warnings Country Still Faces Recession
» ‘Sky-High’ Egg Prices: A Historical Look at Egg Costs Since 1980
» UK PM Sunak: ‘Idiots’ Think the Government Can Cut Taxes
 
USA
» After Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old, Staff and Parents Blame Tolerance of Violent Kids
» Alec Baldwin’s Denials of Pulling Trigger in ‘Rust’ Tragedy ‘A Load of Crap, ‘ Film Weapons Expert Says
» Andy Ngo Reports: Atlanta Autonomous Zone Turns Deadly
» Another Company Wants Hands to be a Payment Method
» Candidates Gang Up on Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot for Increasing Crime in First Debate
» Clinton-Appointed Judge Fines Trump Almost $1 Million Over Lawsuit Against Hillary Clinton
» Country Music Superstar John Rich Celebrates Huge Win in Lawsuit: “I Never Bent the Knee”
» Democrat-Led Cities Move to Ban Gas Stoves
» Desperate Small Business Owners Sleeping in Stores With Guns and Bulletproof Vests to Deter Robbers
» Exclusive: Rep. Allen to Introduce Legislation Targeting Chinese Military Access to U.S. Research Funding
» Exclusive — Special Interests Intervene in South Dakota in Attempt to Slow Noem’s Proposal Restricting Chinese Land Purchases
» Federal Judge Dismisses Suspended Florida State Attorney’s Suit Against DeSantis
» Florida Supreme Court Upholds Law Forbidding Local Governments From Over-Restricting Gun, Ammo Sales
» Fox News Senior VP Alan Komissaroff Dead at 47
» GOP Sen. Kennedy Goes Off on SCOTUS Leaker: ‘Congratulations, Butthead’
» House Judiciary Committee to Investigate Dobbs Leak: Report
» Hunter Laptop: Email About China Gas Deal Specifically Names Joe Biden
» Idaho Massacre Suspect Dined at Restaurant Where Two Victims Worked: Report
» Judge Issues Order Blocking Illinois Semiautomatic Gun Ban
» Just Say No: Two North Carolina Counties Reject ‘Zuckerbucks’ For Elections
» Lori Lightfoot Suggests Street Vendors Stop Using Cash in Order to Quell Chicago Crime Epidemic
» Los Angeles Hit-and-Run Driver Who Plowed Into Mom and Baby in Stolen Car is Murdered After Light Sentence
» Matt Gaetz Says Biden Doc Scandal is Inside Job: ‘Democrats Figured Out They’d Rather Roll With Gavin Newsom’
» Meta Gave the CDC de Facto Power to Police COVID “Misinfo”
» NYT Details How White House Thought They’d Get Away With a Cover-Up
» Police on ‘High Alert’ Following Death Threats From Atlanta Forest Defenders
» Republican AGs Demand Info on DHS Agents Who Worked to Censor ‘Disinformation’ Online
» Sarah Lawrence College Trafficker Larry Ray Sentenced to 60 Years for Sex Trafficking, Forced Labor Scheme
» The Unsustainable Left
» Trump Says GOP Should Not Cut Social Security as Part of Spending Deal
» Ukrainian Diplomat’s Disparaging Remarks About Hungary’s Democracy Slammed by Hungarian Press
» White House, DOJ Worked Together to Conceal Biden’s Classified Doc Scandal: Report
» White House Counsel Refuses to Say When Biden First Knew About Classified Documents
 
Canada
» B.C. Man Approved for Financial Compensation for Vaccine Injury, Others Still Waiting for Help
 
Europe and the EU
» Another Russia Hoax: Prosecutor Ending Investigation Into Italian Populists After Finding No Evidence
» Estonia to Build Bomb Shelters That Can Accommodate 730,000 People by 2034
» Norway: Fire Hazard: Ferry Company Bans Electric Cars
» PR Firm CEO Tells Davos: Businesses Need to Starve Platforms That Spread “Disinformation” Of Revenue
» They’re Trying to Build a Prison
» UK: Khan’s London: Foreigners Arrested Over 36,700 Times in 2021, 82 for Murder, 707 for Rape
» UK: Return of the Eco Mob: Just Stop Oil Activists Cause Traffic Misery in Sheffield as They Block Roads by Staging Slow March in First Climate Stunt of the Year Using New Tactic That Helps Them Evade Arrest
» Ukraine War: Germany Yet to Make Decision on Sending Tanks
» Watch: CNBC Says it’s a ‘Lizard People Conspiracy Theory’ That WEF is Promoting Vaccines and Bug Eating
» WEF Speaker: ‘We Must Form’ A ‘New World Order’
 
Russia
» Exclusive: Raw Footage From the Frontlines in Bakhmut as Russian Forces Advance on City and Ukrainian Troops
» Exclusive: Inside Look at Underground Civilian Bunker in Bakhmut, Ukraine
» Russian Orthodox Church Issues “End of the World” Warning
» ‘Wounded Russians Fail to Understand Why We Don’t Kill Them, ‘ Says Polish Medic Working on Ukraine Front Line
 
South Asia
» India in the Grip of Icy Cold Weather
» Pakistan: Powerful Explosion Derails Passenger Train, Eight Injured
 
Far East
» Japan to Downgrade COVID to Same Category as the Flu
 
Australia — Pacific
» Alice Springs Business Owner’s Distress After He Was Broken Into 41 Times During City’s Youth Crime Wave — as the PM is Urged to Act and Peter Dutton Says the Situation is ‘A National Disgrace’
» Kmart Drops Australia Day Bombshell as the Discount Store Refuses to Sell Merchandise Celebrating January 26
 
Latin America
» Reports From Cuba: Cuba’s Famous Ice Cream Parlor Closed for Lack of Ice Cream
 
Immigration
» Albanian Gangs Launch TikTok Advertising Blitz Offering Stowaway Lorry Trips to the UK for £18,000-a-Head as They Boast of ‘100% Success’
» Connecticut GOP: State Democrat Have ‘Lost Their Minds’ on Plan to Give Voting Rights to Illegals
» Italy Sees Thousands of Illegals Arrive in First Weeks of 2023, More Than Same 2021-22 Period Combined
» Swiss Illegal Immigration Tripled Last Year But Smuggling Arrests Fell
» Ukrainian Immigrant Stabbed to Death While Fishing on a Beach in Texas
 
Culture Wars
» Gavin Newsom’s Wife’s Films Shown in Schools Contain Explicit Images, Push Gender Ideology, Boost His Politics
» Malta: Christian Charity Worker Faces Potential Jail Time, Fine After Speaking About Leaving LGBT Lifestyle
» March for Life Attendees Say Work ‘Far From Over’ Six Months After Roe v. Wade Overturned
» Ohio Parents File Lawsuit Alleging ‘Activist Teachers’ Having Sexually ‘Intimate Conversations’ With Students
» Seattle’s Public Schools’ Diversity Employees Are Among Highest Paid in the System
» UK Man Fined for Silently Praying Outside Abortion Clinic: Report
» UK: Ban on Gay Conversion Therapy Risks Making ‘Spiritual Guidance and Prayer’ Illegal
 

Existing Home Sales Tumbled in December for 11th Straight Month, Falling to Lowest Level Since 2010

U.S. existing home sales slowed for the 11th consecutive month in December as higher mortgage rates, surging inflation and steep home prices sapped consumer demand from the housing market.

Sales of previously owned homes tumbled 1.5% in December from the prior month to an annual rate of 4.02 million units, according to new data released Friday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). On an annual basis, existing home sales are down 34% when compared with December 2021.

It is the slowest pace since November 2010, when the U.S. was still in the throes of the housing crisis triggered by subprime mortgage defaults.

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

Food and Fuel Crises Saw Surge in Protests Across Western Europe — Report

The worldwide food and fuel crises saw a spike in protests in countries across Europe in 2022, research by the American University has found.

A report on the cost of living protests across the world in 2022 has found that the number of demonstrations on the issues of food and fuel spiked in Europe last year, with France, Germany, Italy and Spain all being significant flashpoints for political unrest.

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

Google Lays Off 12,000 Workers Worldwide

On Friday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a round of mass layoffs, and took full blame for facilitating the situation that made such actions necessary.

In total, 12,000 workers from all over the world are set to lose their jobs, with those in the US going first.

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

Rents in Canada Are Through the Roof. Here Are the Most Expensive Cities

Rent prices are through the roof across Canada as decades-high inflation has increased the cost of living in the country.

The national average rent last month was $2,005 — an increase of more than 12 per cent compared with December 2021, according to Rentals.ca’s January 2023 Rent Report.

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

Retail Sales Tumbled by 1% in December Dashing Hopes of Respite for Shops as Struggling Brits Cut Back on Christmas Spending — Amid Warnings Country Still Faces Recession

The drop in volumes came despite analysts having pencilled in a 0.5 per cent rise — and will raise fresh fears about the outlook for the economy.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

‘Sky-High’ Egg Prices: A Historical Look at Egg Costs Since 1980

American consumers who regularly buy chicken eggs have noticed the food staple has risen in price substantially, and some have turned to social media to express their sticker shock.

While prices vary throughout the country, photos of 12— and 18-count egg cartons being priced around $8 have gone viral in the last week.

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

UK PM Sunak: ‘Idiots’ Think the Government Can Cut Taxes

Gaffe or mask slip? British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told an audience that because they weren’t “idiots” they’d have the capacity to comprehend why he wouldn’t be cutting taxes any time soon, leaving some reeling at the clear corollary implied.

Rishi Sunak and his Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance minister) Jeremy Hunt — the dynamic duo who brought down the previous Conservative Party government of tax-cutting Liz Truss in what was broadly seen as a globalist coup — were touring economically deprived areas on Thursday when the Prime Minister was asked about cutting taxes.

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

After Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old, Staff and Parents Blame Tolerance of Violent Kids

Shock over the shooting of a teacher by a 6-year-old in Newport News, Virginia has turned into anger, as both parents and staff say district officials tolerate violent students to bolster school ratings.

On Jan. 6, a first-grader fired a single pistol shot at his 24-year-old teacher, Abby Zwermer. A bullet passed through her hand and into her chest, sending her to a hospital with a life-threatening wound. Last week, school officials say a staff member searched the shooter’s backback earlier that morning — after someone tipped them to the possibility he was armed — but didn’t find the weapon.

Tuesday brought the first board meeting of Newport News Public Schools since the incident — and a stream of angry teachers and parents took to the podium to condemn a culture in which the pursuit of favorable district statistics means fostering an increasingly dangerous environment.

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

Alec Baldwin’s Denials of Pulling Trigger in ‘Rust’ Tragedy ‘A Load of Crap, ‘ Film Weapons Expert Says

A weapons safety expert with lengthy experience on film sets called Alec Baldwin’s denials that he pulled the trigger of the revolver in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer “a load of crap.”

Steve Wolf, who was involved in investigations into previous accidental movie set shootings including that of Bruce Lee’s son Brandon in 1993, told Fox News there is no way the particular gun Baldwin was handling could have fired without him putting pressure on the trigger.

Baldwin notably claimed last year to ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that “The trigger wasn’t pulled — I didn’t pull the trigger … No, no, no, no, no, I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them — never.”

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

Andy Ngo Reports: Atlanta Autonomous Zone Turns Deadly

In the premiere episode of Andy Ngo Live on Rumble, The Post Millennial editor-at-large Andy Ngo reveals the latest news out of the Atlanta autonomous zone, including recent arrests made in connection to the shooting of a law enforcement officer as well as calls for vengeance for a deceased militant who was fatally shot after shooting the officer. Plus, Ngo speaks on a cross-dressing model who posts photos taken in public exposing his genitals.

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

Another Company Wants Hands to be a Payment Method

Ingenico, a credit card company, has unveiled a palm vein biometric payment system in partnership with Fujitsu Frontech North America and Fulcrum Biometrics. The system will enable contactless transactions, supposedly to streamline the payment process. This solution may also minimize the risk of fraud to businesses but raises many questions surrounding privacy and civil liberties.

The system uses Fujitsu’s PalmSecure technology and Fulcrum’s biometric identification technology.

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

Candidates Gang Up on Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot for Increasing Crime in First Debate

Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was challenged by her opponents for the city’s crime surge in the first debate ahead of the mayoral election.

Lightfoot took part in the debate against eight other candidates Thursday night on ABC7 Chicago. Each candidate attacked Lightfoot’s record on crime as evidence Chicago needs new leadership, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Lightfoot offered a version of Chicago as a city recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic with plans to improve public safety, the outlet said.

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

Clinton-Appointed Judge Fines Trump Almost $1 Million Over Lawsuit Against Hillary Clinton

A federal judge who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton fined former President Donald Trump $937,000 for filing a frivolous lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, her campaign and others, according to a court ruling.

District Court Judge Donald Middlebrooks ruled that Trump and his legal team displayed a “continuing pattern of misuse of the courts” in order to “dishonestly advance a political narrative,” according to the court ruling. Trump’s suit, described by Middlebrooks as “a two-hundred-page political manifesto,” accused Clinton and her campaign of creating a narrative that Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election, according to the original lawsuit.

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

Country Music Superstar John Rich Celebrates Huge Win in Lawsuit: “I Never Bent the Knee”

Country music superstar John Rich scored a huge win in a lawsuit against a concert promoter over vaccine mandates. The promoter sued Rich after the singer canceled a performance at a venue that altered its policy regarding unvaccinated attendees during the pandemic.

But Rich won in court. Rich took to Twitter to celebrate his win saying he never bent the knee and that he stuck to his guns no matter what.

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

Democrat-Led Cities Move to Ban Gas Stoves

Leaders in Democratic cities across the country are moving forward with plans to ban natural gas stoves, even as Biden said that he would hit the brakes on a federal ban.

Cities that have already put in place some kind of restriction on gas stoves, ovens or furnaces, include New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, collectively affecting more than 10 million Americans, Fox News reports.

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

Desperate Small Business Owners Sleeping in Stores With Guns and Bulletproof Vests to Deter Robbers

A Houston bar owner is speaking out about crime in the city after repetitive break-ins and robberies.

Star Sailor owner Marin Slanina joined “Fox & Friends” to discuss how crime is hurting small businesses like hers.

“You name it, we’re all getting broken into,” said Slanina.

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

Exclusive: Rep. Allen to Introduce Legislation Targeting Chinese Military Access to U.S. Research Funding

Georgia Republican Rep. Rick Allen is introducing legislation to close loopholes exploited by Chinese military firms to access federal research grants.

Allen’s legislation would prohibit the National Science Foundation (NSF) from providing grants to any individual or entity affiliated with or related to a Chinese military company. The bill is known as the American Science First Act and seeks to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from exploiting research funded by U.S. taxpayers.

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

Exclusive — Special Interests Intervene in South Dakota in Attempt to Slow Noem’s Proposal Restricting Chinese Land Purchases

A coalition of special interests and industry representatives has emerged to try to stop South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem from passing a measure that would restrict the ability of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or other foreign entities to purchase land in her state, Breitbart News has learned exclusively.

Noem’s proposal, introduced last month ahead of this year’s legislative session, would create a state-level version of the federal Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Titled CFIUS-South Dakota, Noem’s vision is to create a board that can review and then block any foreign entity’s proposal to purchase land in South Dakota. The measure has support in both the state House and the state Senate, and is likely to be considered this legislative session, which has a short window between now and the beginning of March, when the South Dakota legislature has its regular session.

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

Federal Judge Dismisses Suspended Florida State Attorney’s Suit Against DeSantis

A federal judge has dismissed a suit against Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis brought by a state attorney whom the governor had suspended for refusing to enforce state laws restricting abortion and transgender surgeries for minors.

Democratic State Attorney Andrew Warren, an elected official, had sought reinstatement via a suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. Judge Robert Hinkle had harsh words for DeSantis’ actions, asserting that the governor had violated state law, but that he, a federal judge, could not reinstate Warren “in this federal action based solely on a violation of state law,” according to The Hill.

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

Florida Supreme Court Upholds Law Forbidding Local Governments From Over-Restricting Gun, Ammo Sales

The Florida Supreme Court has upheld a law that forbids local governments from restricting sales of guns and ammunition beyond state law.

In a 4-1 ruling, the court said local officials could face stiff penalties if they try to enforce the restrictions that go beyond the Florida law.

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

Fox News Senior VP Alan Komissaroff Dead at 47

Fox News senior vice president of political news coverage Alan Komissaroff died Friday at the age of 47 after suffering a heart attack. Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and Fox News Media President & Executive Editor Jay Wallace issued a statement that said:

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

GOP Sen. Kennedy Goes Off on SCOTUS Leaker: ‘Congratulations, Butthead’

Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy on Friday maligned the mysterious leaker of the draft court ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson case that overturned the constitutional right to abortion.

The Supreme Court announced on Thursday, after a months-long investigation, that it had been unable to identify who leaked the draft opinion indicating that the justices would overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The leak prompted outrage among pro-abortion groups and even led to an assassination attempt on Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

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

House Judiciary Committee to Investigate Dobbs Leak: Report

The House Judiciary Committee intends to continue investigating the Supreme Court draft opinion leak that surrounded Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, an anonymous source close to the committee told Fox News.

The Supreme Court announced Thursday that its investigation into the Dobbs leak had failed to find the person responsible. The House Judiciary Committee is looking to pick up where the investigation left off, an anonymous source told Fox.

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has previously indicated that the committee would investigate the leak, according to Fox.

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

Hunter Laptop: Email About China Gas Deal Specifically Names Joe Biden

A new report has revealed that President Joe Biden was named in a 2017 email discovered on the infamous Hunter Biden laptop discussing a multi-million dollar gas deal with China.

Hunter Biden and his uncle, Joe Biden, were brokering a deal to supply up to 25 million tons of gas from Louisiana to the Asian nation on behalf of Chinese energy giant CEFC, their business partners at the time, according to the Daily Mail.

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

Idaho Massacre Suspect Dined at Restaurant Where Two Victims Worked: Report

A former employee of a local restaurant where two of the slain University of Idaho students worked says murder suspect Bryan Kohberger visited the establishment at least twice.

In a Thursday report from People, an anonymous employee of Mad Greek restaurant in the college town of Moscow, Idaho, revealed that Kohberger came in and ate where Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle also worked as waitresses.

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

Judge Issues Order Blocking Illinois Semiautomatic Gun Ban

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A judge issued a temporary restraining order Friday blocking the new Illinois law banning assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Effingham County Judge Joshua Morrison issued the order after former Republican candidate for attorney general Tom DeVore sued to block the law. DeVore said he’s representing hundreds of people from dozens of counties who argue the law violates their constitutional rights.

Morrison’s ruling only applies to 850 plaintiffs listed in the lawsuit in Effingham County and four licensed gun dealers.

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

Just Say No: Two North Carolina Counties Reject ‘Zuckerbucks’ For Elections

Two North Carolina county election offices named to receive grants from a nonprofit tied to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg will not accept any direct funding, opting instead to leverage the affiliation for networking and training.

The Center for Tech and Civic Life recently announced 10 county and municipal election offices slated to receive grant funding from the center’s U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, which bills itself as “a five-year, $80 million strategy to envision, support, and celebrate excellence in U.S. election administration.”

Brunswick and Forsyth counties join other 2023 grant recipients on the list from California, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan and Nevada.

The announcement follows more than $400 million distributed by the nonprofit during the 2020 presidential election — the vast majority donated by Zuckerberg — that Republicans have argued was unfairly distributed to Democrat-leaning districts. The money is often called Zuckerbucks.

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

Lori Lightfoot Suggests Street Vendors Stop Using Cash in Order to Quell Chicago Crime Epidemic

Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot suggested Thursday that street vendors stop using cash in order to quell Chicago’s crime spike.

The incumbent mayor listed her solutions to the ongoing crime crisis in the city during the mayoral debate with her eight opponents.

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

Los Angeles Hit-and-Run Driver Who Plowed Into Mom and Baby in Stolen Car is Murdered After Light Sentence

Graphic Content Warning

First on Fox: A Los Angeles 17-year-old who ran over a mother walking her baby in a stroller in 2021 and received just a few months of diversionary camp as punishment was gunned down in Palmdale, California, this week.

Kristopher Baca, whom Fox News Digital has previously not identified due to his youth, pleaded guilty to the hit-and-run last year.

[Comment: When there’s liberal soft-on-crime-policies, there will be more vigilantism.]

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

Matt Gaetz Says Biden Doc Scandal is Inside Job: ‘Democrats Figured Out They’d Rather Roll With Gavin Newsom’

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has said that he believes Democrat President Joe Biden’s mounting classified document scandal is an inside job.

Gaetz argues that Democrats want Biden gone so they can replace the president with someone else, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom.

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

Meta Gave the CDC de Facto Power to Police COVID “Misinfo”

The mask is slipping (pun fully intended), all over the place — regarding the Big Tech/Big Government collusion. Now it’s time to pay close attention to the role played by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

We’ve already been awed — just by the magnitude of the whole thing — if not exactly “shocked” by the Twitter Files.

After all, while it was happening, a whole lot of observers surmised that something of the sort had to be behind the unprecedented and, seemingly inexplicable levels of censorship on the platform.

But — what in the world was happening at Facebook, around the same time? After all, Facebook is an almost orders of magnitude bigger and more influential social network than Twitter.

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

NYT Details How White House Thought They’d Get Away With a Cover-Up

New York Times reporters Michael D. Shear, Peter Baker and Katie Rogers detailed Friday how the White House thought they would manage to cover up the ongoing scandal of President Joe Biden’s classified documents.

Biden’s lawyers discovered the first trove of classified documents, which date to his time as vice president, on Nov. 2 at the Penn Biden Center, Biden’s Washington, D.C., think tank. The administration reported the matter to the National Archives and Records Administration the same day, and NARA referred it to the Department of Justice two days later, according to a timeline compiled by the Times.

Lawyers subsequently found more documents during additional searches conducted on Dec. 20, Jan. 10 and Jan. 11 at his Delaware residence.

The discovery of the documents did not become public knowledge until Jan. 9. On Jan. 12, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Robert Hur as a special counsel to investigate the case.

“The decision … to keep the discovery of classified documents secret from the public and even most of the White House staff for 68 days was driven by what turned out to be a futile hope that the incident could be quietly disposed of without broader implications for Mr. Biden or his presidency,” the Times reported.

The Times also alleged that Biden’s advisers knew of the classified documents six days before the midterm elections and “gambled” on keeping the revelations hidden, hoping that the Justice Department would view the incident as “little more than a minor, good-faith mistake.”

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

Police on ‘High Alert’ Following Death Threats From Atlanta Forest Defenders

Following the fatal shooting of a militant who was part of an Antifa-aligned group occupying a stretch of land south of Atlanta, Atlanta police say they’re on “high alert” for a so-called “night of rage.”

The Scenes from the Atlanta Forest Twitter account was suspended on Thursday after calling for a “night of rage” following the fatal shooting of one of their members, 26-year-old Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, after The Post Millennial’s Andy Ngo reported on the call for action.

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

Republican AGs Demand Info on DHS Agents Who Worked to Censor ‘Disinformation’ Online

Republican attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana are calling for five current or former national security officials to come clean regarding the federal government’s efforts to allegedly flag election-related “mis-” and “disinformation” for social media companies, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said Friday.

The request comes after a deposition of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) election security agent Brian Scully, released Thursday, revealed further information on participation of the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security’s intelligence branch and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in meetings with social media firm executives to tackle online “misinformation” during the 2022 election cycle, the document shows.

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

Sarah Lawrence College Trafficker Larry Ray Sentenced to 60 Years for Sex Trafficking, Forced Labor Scheme

Lawrence “Larry” Ray, the man convicted of carrying out a multimillion-dollar sex trafficking and forced labor scheme targeting New York college students, among others, was sentenced Friday to 60 years in prison.

Ray, 63, was hauled into the Manhattan federal courtroom around 10:05 a.m., wearing a wrinkled khaki, prison-issued outfit and shackles, but no handcuffs. Several of his victims were present for the long-awaited sentencing.

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

The Unsustainable Left

by Daniel Greenfield

“Today, the Democratic Party may be the most ruthlessly organized and efficient political entity in the world,” the Wall Street Journal’s Editor-at-Large Gerard Baker wrote. “We can denounce the activism and deplore the outcome, but we can only marvel at the political efficiency with which it has been achieved.”

The Democratic consolidation is the product of ideological, economic and cultural forces. The Left seized the commanding high ground of the entertainment industry and the educational system to cultivate generations that were culturally primed to accept its ideas.

The current state of affairs that Baker bemoans, in which Democrats have captured white college graduates and Republicans now hold the working class, were triumphs of culture over economic interest. The Left did not win a debate of ideas, it formed a tribe of elites. Behind the violence, the radicalism and the posturing are the daughters of CEOs and the Ivy League.

The Democrats became the party of elites. That elitism has been thinly disguised by an ideological identity politics coalition of white elites and minority activists.

Democrats as a party retain the rigidly organized machine that Baker describes as an “impressive willingness to band together” so that “in 2009 and 2010 many of them voted for ObamaCare well aware that it could cost them their political futures. Like kamikaze pilots cheerfully climbing up into their Zero fighters at dawn, they knew they had an obligation larger than their own survival, a duty that superseded their doubts.” That was because they knew that they owed their allegiance and their careers not to their voters, but to the movement.

Dissent has virtually vanished among the members of the party, and its allied organizations, including nonprofits and the media, but there are signs that the coalition is crumbling…

           — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield [Return to headlines]
 

Trump Says GOP Should Not Cut Social Security as Part of Spending Deal

Former President Donald Trump is urging congressional Republicans to keep entitlement reform off the table as part of debt ceiling negotiations.

“Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security to help pay for Joe Biden’s reckless spending spree, which is more reckless than anybody’s ever done or had in the history of our country,” Trump said Friday in a video posted to TRUTH Social. “We absolutely need to stop Biden’s out-of-control spending. The pain should be borne by Washington bureaucrats, not by hard-working American families and American seniors.”

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

Ukrainian Diplomat’s Disparaging Remarks About Hungary’s Democracy Slammed by Hungarian Press

Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel, Yevgeny Kornychuk, has caused a stir in the Hungarian press after implying the country is not a democratic state.

As the Ukrainian mouthpiece in Tel Aviv, Kornychuk has been attempting to move Israel from its stance of neutrality on the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, and called on the newly elected Israeli government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, to sanction the delivery of modern weaponry to assist Ukrainian troops on the front line.

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

White House, DOJ Worked Together to Conceal Biden’s Classified Doc Scandal: Report

The White House and the Department of Justice (DOJ) worked together to conceal the discovery of President Joe Biden’s classified documents for months, according to The Washington Post (WaPo).

Days after the first trove of documents was discovered at the Penn Biden Center, a senior official in the DOJ wrote a letter to Biden’s personal attorney, Bob Bauer, asking for him to cooperate in the inquiry, WaPo reported.

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

White House Counsel Refuses to Say When Biden First Knew About Classified Documents

The White House Counsel refused to say when President Joe Biden first was informed about the classified documents found at the Penn Biden Center, not responding to several inquiries after insisting that it has been nothing but “transparent.”

Biden’s lawyers discovered classified documents at the think tank on Nov. 2. More were found Dec. 20, Jan. 11 and Jan. 12 at Biden’s Delaware residence. The White House Counsel did not inform the public about the discoveries for over two months. The White House only chose to release a statement after a CBS published a report.

Reporters pressed White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on why the White House said nothing about the documents for over two months. Jean-Pierre said the White House Counsel did not inform the press office about the documents until CBS published its Jan. 9 report.

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

B.C. Man Approved for Financial Compensation for Vaccine Injury, Others Still Waiting for Help

A B.C. man who suffered a rare COVID-19 vaccine injury that left him paralyzed will be getting financial support from the federal government.

But others, who have also applied for compensation through the Vaccine Injury Support Program, are frustrated they still haven’t received help.

Julian Scholefield, 45, said he was active and healthy until about two weeks after receiving his second Pfizer vaccine in July 2021.

“I started to get a tingling heat sensation in my left foot and then within two hours, I was paralyzed from the waist down,” the Summerland resident said.

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

Another Russia Hoax: Prosecutor Ending Investigation Into Italian Populists After Finding No Evidence

A Milan prosecutor has moved to drop an investigation into allegations that Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini’s League engaged in corrupt dealings with Russia over alleged sales of Russian oil.

The Milan prosecutor’s office is calling for dropping investigations into an alleged proposed oil deal between an Italian national linked to Salvini and the League, and a group of Russians dating back to a meeting in Moscow at the Metropol Hotel in October of 2018.

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

Estonia to Build Bomb Shelters That Can Accommodate 730,000 People by 2034

Estonia will have expanded its bomb shelter program to cater to over half the country’s population by 2034, the country’s Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets has revealed.

The plan will include the adaptation of cellars in existing buildings so they are bomb-proof and capable of accommodating people for considerable lengths of time.

According to Laanemets, Estonia needs another 10 years of planning and funding to reach the planned capacity of 730,000. The shelters have to be able to protect people from shock waves and shrapnel and will be required to have power generators, toilets, ventilation, and access to water.

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

Norway: Fire Hazard: Ferry Company Bans Electric Cars

The listed Norwegian shipping company Havila has banned electric, hybrid and hydrogen cars from its ferries. After a risk analysis, it was concluded that the risk to the safety of the shipping fleet was too great. If a car catches fire, the fire can no longer be extinguished.

The shipping company travels the so-called mail ship route along the coast of northern Norway. The tours are important for Scandinavian passenger and cargo traffic and are also very popular with holidaymakers.

The risks for ships from the transport of electric cars have been discussed since the Felicity Ace sank off the Azores last February. E-vehicles on board had caught fire and the blaze could not be extinguished. Finally, the huge ship sank with thousands of electric cars and vehicles from Porsches and Bentleys.

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

PR Firm CEO Tells Davos: Businesses Need to Starve Platforms That Spread “Disinformation” Of Revenue

During a panel discussion on “disrupting distrust” at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, it was posited that combating the spread of “disinformation” by “right-wing groups” is a crucial step in restoring trust in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that collaborate with governments and other entities on initiatives aimed at ameliorating global issues.

The CEO of global communications firm Edelman, Richard Edelman, noted with regret the decline in trust towards NGOs in recent years and attributed this shift to the influence of right-wing groups, while noting that companies are now viewed as more trustworthy in addressing matters pertaining to civil society.

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

They’re Trying to Build a Prison

Everything that comes out of the World Economic Forum is pure, unadulterated totalitarian garbage.

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

UK: Khan’s London: Foreigners Arrested Over 36,700 Times in 2021, 82 for Murder, 707 for Rape

Foreigners were detained by London’s Metropolitan Police an astonishing 36,735 times in 2021, including dozens suspected of murder and hundreds suspected of rape.

Data from the National Strategy for Police Information Systems (NSPIS) Custody system obtained by Breitbart London through the Freedom of Information Act broke down detainees in Met custody suites by nationality and their so-called First Arrest Offence — with the force noting that “Detainee[s] could later be dealt with for further Offences”.

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

UK: Return of the Eco Mob: Just Stop Oil Activists Cause Traffic Misery in Sheffield as They Block Roads by Staging Slow March in First Climate Stunt of the Year Using New Tactic That Helps Them Evade Arrest

Just Stop Oil shut down the centre of Sheffield this afternoon with another ‘go-slow’ protest — the group’s first action of 2023.

Police were again outfoxed by eco-zealots with banners who meandered along the Yorkshire city’s roads preventing traffic passing and causing huge queues.

Members of the Just Stop Oil group wearing high-vis jackets processed along major roads, heading from close to Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane stadium into the city centre.

South Yorkshire Police closed routes to try to divert traffic, but several lorries were stuck behind the human blockade with horns blaring at the activists who were chanting: ‘Just stop oil’, ‘Just stop gas’ and ‘no more coal mines’ at the top of their voices.

One critic who say them tweeted footage of the group and said: ‘A flock of rich privileged Brits from Just Stop Oil is protesting the laws of physics, economy and common sense in Sheffield this morning’.

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

Ukraine War: Germany Yet to Make Decision on Sending Tanks

Germany has not yet decided whether to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, or allow other countries to donate theirs, despite pressure on Berlin to act.

A meeting on Friday to co-ordinate military donations for Kyiv agreed to supply more armoured vehicles and air defence systems.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier appealed for the West to send tanks to repel Russia’s armed forces.

Poland’s foreign minister criticised Germany’s reluctance to send tanks.

“Arming Ukraine in order to repel the Russian aggression is not some kind of decision-making exercise. Ukrainian blood is shed for real. This is the price of hesitation over Leopard deliveries. We need action, now,” Zbigniew Rau wrote on Twitter.

Despite Germany’s lack of decision on sending tanks, Western countries have committed billions in other weaponry.

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Watch: CNBC Says it’s a ‘Lizard People Conspiracy Theory’ That WEF is Promoting Vaccines and Bug Eating

In a Thursday broadcast, CNBC talking heads claimed that anyone questioning the intentions of the World Economic Forum as potentially nefarious is a likely a ‘conspiracy theorist’ who believes in lizard people.

The network platformed Semafor Editor-In-Chief Ben Smith, who took shots at Elon Musk for “whipping up” conspiracies about the Davos elite on Twitter, after Musk described the WEF as “an unelected world government.”

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

WEF Speaker: ‘We Must Form’ A ‘New World Order’

A speaker at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland has told attendees that “we must form” a “new world order.”

While speaking at the summit on Thursday, Pakistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari explicitly stated that the WEF’s goal is to create a “new world order.”

Zardari made the comments while addressing world leaders, corporate heads, and globalist politicians who are gathered at the summit.

[Comment: I think it was US Senator John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) who said that we need new conspiracy theories, because the old ones have been shown true.]

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

Exclusive: Raw Footage From the Frontlines in Bakhmut as Russian Forces Advance on City and Ukrainian Troops

The Ukrainian town of Soledar has fallen to the Russian forces, and Ukraine’s military has fallen back. The town in the Donbas has been heavily contested, but is now in Russian hands. Russian forces have moved on toward the nearby town of Bakhmut, and fighting continues on the outskirts.

Exclusive raw footage from Polish war correspondent Witold Newelicz obtained by The Post Millennial shows scenes from Bakhmut, on the front lines in Ukraine in the Donbas region.

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

Exclusive: Inside Look at Underground Civilian Bunker in Bakhmut, Ukraine

Exclusive raw footage from Polish war correspondent Witold Newelicz obtained by The Post Millennial shows a bunker in Bakhmut, on the front lines in Ukraine in the Donbas region. This bunker is for civilians who have been displaced from their homes due to the fighting.

Newelicz was given a tour of the bunker, where beds and areas are separated with sheets, towels and laundry hanging from drying lines. Cots are set up side by side where families sleep, and their pets.

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

Russian Orthodox Church Issues “End of the World” Warning

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has warned that any attempt to “destroy Russia” by “madmen” trying to impose their values will lead to “the end of the world.”

The comments were made by Patriarch Kirill after a religious service marking the Orthodox Christian holiday of Epiphany.

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

‘Wounded Russians Fail to Understand Why We Don’t Kill Them, ‘ Says Polish Medic Working on Ukraine Front Line

Polish medic Damian Duda, who became known after he published a video online depicting a daring rescue mission, has shared his experiences from the war in Ukraine with TOK FM commercial radio.

During the interview, he recounted a number of Russian atrocities he has witnessed firsthand on the Ukrainian front line.

[Comment: I’m well aware that this could be propaganda.]

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

India in the Grip of Icy Cold Weather

While climate doomsday preachers in the West talk about heat waves and extreme weather when there is mild or warm weather over a period of time, other parts of the world instead experience problems due to the reverse. In northern India, an unusual and prolonged cold wave has held large areas in its iron grip for almost two weeks.

Thick fog and temperatures around zero degrees in the multi-million city of New Delhi have already claimed many lives through accidents and cold — but another threat comes from the risk of poisoning as the freezing residents of the city set fire to everything they come across, including trash and waste.

Unusually cold

The coldest temperatures recorded so far were in the Kashmir province of northern India. There, the temperature in the lowlands has dropped to —7 degrees, which for Europeans may not be remarkable, but for Indians who rarely get weather colder than 6-7 plus degrees on any given day, it is a big difference from what they are used to.

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

Pakistan: Powerful Explosion Derails Passenger Train, Eight Injured

Pakistan Railways spokesperson revealed that a powerful on Friday (January 20) blast near a railway track derailed compartments of a train, injuring at least eight people. The train was going from Mach to Peshawar.

Jaffar Express was passing by the Paneer area of district Bolan in the restive Balochistan province when the explosion took place.

As reported by local media outlets, Pakistan Railways spokesperson Muhammad Kashif confirmed that eight passengers were injured. He mentioned that six bogies of the train were derailed.

“It appears that the explosive was triggered by a remote control device,” he said as quoted by DAWN. He further added that the rescue teams were rushed to the site.

Authorities were also working to repair the damaged tracks. Kashif added that those injured have also been sent to the hospital for treatment.

           — Hat tip: JW [Return to headlines]
 

Japan to Downgrade COVID to Same Category as the Flu

On Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that in the Spring Japan will downgrade the legal designation of Covid to the same classification as the seasonal flu.

CNN reports that Kishida said, “In order to further advance the efforts of ‘living with Corona’ and restore Japan to a state of normalcy, we will transition the various policies and measures to date in phases.”

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

Alice Springs Business Owner’s Distress After He Was Broken Into 41 Times During City’s Youth Crime Wave — as the PM is Urged to Act and Peter Dutton Says the Situation is ‘A National Disgrace’

An Alice Springs businessman has explained in stark detail how scared local people are — and why — as a new wave of violent crime, using ‘axes and machetes’ takes hold.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Kmart Drops Australia Day Bombshell as the Discount Store Refuses to Sell Merchandise Celebrating January 26

A frustrated customer took to the Kmart Facebook page to vent their anger about the store’s lack of Australia Day merchandise on Wednesday, while others said it was trying to ‘delete’ the day.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Reports From Cuba: Cuba’s Famous Ice Cream Parlor Closed for Lack of Ice Cream

Coppelia, one of the many symbols of the utopian dreams of the Cuban Revolution — in this case producing more and better flavors than the United States — is closed to the public this Tuesday.

It is not due to remodeling, as happened in 2019, nor due to sanitary measures, as it was for months during the covid pandemic — when, in fact, they did sell take-out at their outside counter — but quite simply because there is no ice cream.

The employees responded directly to customers who were surprised that the establishment had not begun to serve the public at its usual ten in the morning. “There isn’t any, there isn’t any ice cream.”

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

Albanian Gangs Launch TikTok Advertising Blitz Offering Stowaway Lorry Trips to the UK for £18,000-a-Head as They Boast of ‘100% Success’

Albanian gangs have launched a TikTok advertising blitz offering stowaway trips to the UK.

Ahead of a supposed crackdown on small boat arrivals, the criminals are demanding up to £18,000 a head but boast of ‘100 per cent success’.

Unlike small boat arrivals, who are usually collected by lifeboats and passed to Border Force officials, lorry migrants disappear on arrival.

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

Connecticut GOP: State Democrat Have ‘Lost Their Minds’ on Plan to Give Voting Rights to Illegals

The Connecticut Republican Party is criticizing the Democrat-led state House for a proposal this legislative session to consider voting rights for illegal immigrants, saying Democrats in the state in considering such as idea have “lost their minds.”

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

Italy Sees Thousands of Illegals Arrive in First Weeks of 2023, More Than Same 2021-22 Period Combined

Italy has seen a total of 3,862 illegal migrant arrivals in just over two weeks so far this year, more than five times the arrivals in the same counting periods in 2021 and 2022 combined.

The Italian Interior Ministry released figures for illegal immigrant arrivals from the start of January until the 17th, revealing a total of 3,862 illegals have arrived in Italy in just over two weeks compared to just 386 during the same period in 2022 and 340 in 2021.

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

Swiss Illegal Immigration Tripled Last Year But Smuggling Arrests Fell

Illegal immigration into Switzerland almost tripled last year, according to statistics published on Thursday by the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (OFDF).

The number of unlawful border crossings into the country has been on the rise in the last three years, jumping from 11,043 in 2020 to 18,859 in 2021, before skyrocketing last year to 52,077.

The substantial increase last year “is mainly due to the irregular entry of migrants into Switzerland via the eastern border as well as via the southern border,” the federal office stated, referring to its borders with Austria and Italy.

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

Ukrainian Immigrant Stabbed to Death While Fishing on a Beach in Texas

A 73-year-old immigrant from Ukraine was fatally stabbed multiple times in the back while fishing on a beach in Galveston, Texas, police said.

The deadly attack took place around 5:40 p.m. Jan. 17 in the area of Boddeker Road. Police who responded found Albert Titov suffering from apparent injuries.

Titov was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 40 minutes later.

The medical’s examiner’s office has ruled Titov’s death a homicide.

His autopsy showed that he suffered six stab wounds to the back, reported the Daily News of Galveston County.

Cops said they were looking for two black suspects in their 30s or 40s who were seen traveling in a white four-door vehicle.

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Gavin Newsom’s Wife’s Films Shown in Schools Contain Explicit Images, Push Gender Ideology, Boost His Politics

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, founded The Representation Project nonprofit to fight “sexism through films education, research and activism.” Siebel Newsom writes and directs “gender identity” films produced through her for-profit operation, Girls Club Entertainment, that are then licensed by the nonprofit to public schools.

The films, which include “Miss Representation,” “The Mask You Live In,” “The Great American Lie” and “Fair Play,” are licensed to taxpayer-funded schools across every state and sometimes contain sexually explicit imagery and push students to feel “shame and sorrow” about American society split by privilege and oppression. They are paired with curricula that include discussion on Gov. Newsom’s comments within the films, urging them to gather their friends and vote for aligned politicians that support a “care economy” that “embraces universal human values.”

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

Malta: Christian Charity Worker Faces Potential Jail Time, Fine After Speaking About Leaving LGBT Lifestyle

A Christian charity worker in Malta could face jail time after he claimed that his faith enabled him to turn away from a homosexual lifestyle he no longer wanted.

Matthew Grech, 33, faces potential fines and imprisonment for allegedly falling afoul of his country’s ban on “conversion practices” when he explained to a local media outlet last year how he left homosexuality behind because he came to believe it was wrong.

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

March for Life Attendees Say Work ‘Far From Over’ Six Months After Roe v. Wade Overturned

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Marching forward — that was the theme for the 50th annual March for Life in Washington D.C. on Friday. Thousands of people gathered in the nation’s capital for the first time since the historic Dobbs v. Jackson decision that overturned Roe v. Wade in June.

Every year since 1974, pro-lifers have been bringing their signs and slogans to show their support for the unborn, praying and hoping that Roe v. Wade would be overturned. The first march took place on the one-year anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, which was handed down by the Supreme Court on January 22, 1973.

Those prayers were answered last year and now, organizers of the March for Life say their fight is just getting started.

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

Ohio Parents File Lawsuit Alleging ‘Activist Teachers’ Having Sexually ‘Intimate Conversations’ With Students

A group of parents filed a lawsuit against the Hilliard school district in Ohio alleging that teachers are engaging in “intimate conversations about sexual behaviors” with students without parental consent.

The lawsuit, filed earlier this week with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, refers to teachers as “activists” and claims that they are taking steps to hide their conversations with children as young as six-years-old.

The eight parents are asking for an injunction to end conversations between teachers and employees who are not trained on the topic, and said the current climate is a “recipe for indoctrination and child abuse.”

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

Seattle’s Public Schools’ Diversity Employees Are Among Highest Paid in the System

Seattle Public Schools is focused on addressing the “legacies of racism in our education system” and has made its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion employees among the highest paid in the district.

The top administrators for the African American Male Achievement and the Department of Racial Equity Advancement are among the highest paid in the district.

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

UK Man Fined for Silently Praying Outside Abortion Clinic: Report

A UK man was reportedly fined after he admitted he was praying in front of an abortion clinic.

Adam Smith-Connor, a physiotherapist and army veteran from Southampton shared video of his confrontation with two local council officers while he was standing and silently praying outside a BPAS clinic in Bournemouth.

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

UK: Ban on Gay Conversion Therapy Risks Making ‘Spiritual Guidance and Prayer’ Illegal

A ban on gay and transgender “conversion therapy” planned by the UK’s Conservative Party risks making “spiritual guidance” and certain private prayer illegal, a Christian think-tank has warned.

The Christian Institute, a UK-based religious think-tank, has slammed the Conservative Party’s attempt to ban conversion therapy targeting gay and “transgender” individuals, saying that such a ban risks making various religious practices illegal.

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

10 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 1/20/2023

  1. Ukraine East- Mariupol residents given keys to brand new apartments. Even western media have shown pictures of the buildings.
    How many Ukrainians will stay in the west when there are free apartments in Mariupol?

    Why would they go to Texas and get stabbed fishing?

    Scott Ritter interviewed former marine who was born in Lugansk and migrated to US and now gone back due to disillusionment.

    Ukraine East is getting free apartments, USA getting fentanyl/tranq. Hmmm hard to decide where is better?

  2. .
    .
    Turkey summons Sweden’s ambassador over Koran burning

    Published 20 January 2023 in Fria Tider

    Turkey summoned the Swedish ambassador in Ankara on Friday over the Stockholm police’s decision to grant permission for a planned Koran burning outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

    Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the Danish anti-Muslim party Stram Kurs, was given permission to burn the Quran outside the Turkish embassy on Saturday by Stockholm police.

    Now comes the reaction from Ankara.

    Ambassador Staffan Herrström was told that Turkey “strongly condemns this provocative act, which constitutes an obvious hate crime, and that Sweden’s attitude is unacceptable, that Ankara expects the act not to be allowed and that insults to sacred values cannot be allowed under the pretext of democratic rights”, a Turkish diplomatic source told the Turkish state news agency Anadolu.

    Turkey warned Sweden against allowing propaganda activities expected to be carried out by PKK-affiliated circles in Stockholm on Saturday, saying it would be a “clear violation” of the tripartite agreement between Finland, Turkey and Sweden.

    Foreign Minister Tobias Billström says he is concerned that the demonstration risks further delaying Turkey’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO application.

    However, he added that it would be “very inappropriate” for him to demand that a person not be allowed to hold a demonstration.

    NOTA BENE

    The Swedish and Finnish governments formally applied to join Nato in May last year,
    after being invited to a secret “high-level meeting”
    with Jacob Wallenberg and other oligarchs
    with vested interests in the issue.

    However, the decision was justified to the public
    by Russia’s war against Ukraine,
    which began in February of that year.

  3. Corruption in the EU,
    elementary guide for
    beginners, Qatar and others

    By Rainer Rupp

    Published on: 20 January 2023

    View
    Listen

    part1/3

    The biggest corruption scandal in the history of the European Parliament has made waves. The analysis below shows that it is mainly the bungling of the Gulf sheikhdom of Qatar that has led to the revelation that there is a functioning whistleblowing system. At the centre of the scandal was the Vice-President of the European Parliament, the young and beautiful Greek Eva Kaili.

    But this story need not end with the police investigation and the arrest of Kaili and others. It was the Qatari commissioners who were the only ones to blame for what happened, because they did not follow the simplest rules of corruption that apply in the EU and EP Brussels environment. Perhaps this elementary guide will help Qatar do better next time.

    After the news of what would be the EU’s biggest corruption scandal had been broadcast for days on radio and TV in EU member states and “clean men” and “clean women” in the European Parliament (EP) had become sufficiently outraged by the rotting apple “Kaili” in the otherwise hygienically clean EP basket, the question remained, what the hell Qatar had in mind when it bribed Socialist MEP Kaili and other EU officials in this rather primitive way with lots of money.

    Among the few investigative journalists still left in Brussels, the question was even raised whether the Belgian police had really found €1.6 million in bribes in paper bags and suitcases in the accused’s apartments. This was like an old movie from the 1980s, when there were no Bitcoins or other cryptocurrencies.

    Stacks of cash in luxury Louis Vuitton suitcases certainly have a certain charm on the viewer, but it would have been much safer and easier with offshore bank accounts in one of the well-known tax havens. Why were these not used?

    Questions upon questions that will probably never be answered. But all those who had already protested against the World Cup in Qatar and who never tired of displaying their green charity on big posters and pushing it under the noses of others, all these now felt ethically and morally vindicated and point to the “dirty money from Qatar” with which the sheikhs wanted to infiltrate and destroy our democracy. The extraordinary, artificially-fuelled outrage from the media and the European Parliament’s cleaners probably served the purpose of diverting attention from the system of legally-permitted corruption and cronyism built up in Brussels over decades. Therefore, it is time someone told Qatar how the EU really works behind the clean façade.

    The “extra jobs” of EU parliamentarians and officials.
    In EU Brussels, bribery is legal and flourishing. No one has to spend a single day in jail to collect their “share”. MEPs can even amass a substantial fortune by working part-time legally.

    What else will they do with their time? To carry out their real mission, namely to represent the citizens who elected them at European level, for which, of course, they do not need a full-time job.

    In this context, one cannot fail to mention the multi-billionaire and hard-line financial speculator George Soros and his impressive network of NGOs and think tanks that are throwing around huge sums of money, especially in the European Parliament.

    But in addition to Soros, there are a large number of commercial special interests at EU level who promote their agenda through entirely legitimate lobbying activities. As one report shows, MEPs earn many millions from various side jobs, often with clear conflicts of interest, alongside their role as EU politicians.

    Many of these people are already millionaires. And those who are not yet are jealous of most other Europeans, simply because of their lavish salaries and near-monetary privileges. However, it seems that “enough is never enough” in the EU’s Brussels, and there is always more money to be made.

  4. part 2/3

    Take MEP Guy Verhofstadt, whose favourite target for years has been Hungarian President Viktor Orbán, whom he has constantly accused of corruption, but without providing any evidence.

    Although Verhofstadt is a left-wing politician, he is a very wealthy person, which in itself is not reprehensible. He became internationally known as the Prime Minister of Belgium. When he was politically exhausted in Belgium, his party sent him into European politics as an MEP. There he was clearly able to draw on a wealth of experience, so much so that for several years he has regularly been ranked as one of the most deserving politicians in the entire European Parliament.

    According to a 2018 Transparency International (TI) report, he earned between €920,000 and €1.4 million that year alone. This money comes on top of his salary as an MEP, which already stands at around €13,000 a month, according to a report by the Belgian news agency BRF. A 2021 report, also based on TI data, puts him among the top five earners in the European Parliament.

    In other words, MEPs and officials can be bought, but they have to be bought the right way. An example of how this is done was described by Politico in an article on 13 June 2016. It concerned two German members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education. At the time, the two parliamentarians were tasked with drafting an EU directive (law) to regulate private broadcasters such as Netflix or Amazon Prime, despite receiving monthly payments from your competing company, namely the German public broadcaster WDR.

    One received between €1,000 and €5,000 per month, depending on her workload, for her part-time work as a member of WDR’s Broadcasting Council, and the other between €500 and €1,000 per month as a deputy, according to her declaration of financial interests in Parliament.

    The European Parliament’s Code of Conduct states that a Member of Parliament who has a conflict of interest shall take the necessary measures to remedy the conflict and to act impartially. In general, however, the problem of conflicts of interest is already resolved in the European Parliament once the financial interests have been disclosed.

    The rest is an “ethical issue” left to individual MEPs. In this way, corruption is simply defined away. An excellent solution to make the European Parliament free of conflicts of interest.

    My urgent advice to Qatar is to also consider the example of the two German members of the European Parliament’s “Committee on Culture and Education” in future attempts to bribe.

    They were already available for only a few thousand euros per month. With its extravagantly high payments to Kaili (a suitcase full of money), Qatar has seriously disturbed the usual fare for corruption in the European Parliament and has not made any friends among the more than 6,000 lobbyists registered in Brussels.

    Even in the US, there are politicians and members of influential think tanks who have been bought by the likes of Google and other tech companies for a few thousand dollars. The money offered by lobbyists to politicians is intended to feed the targets and then keep them on a leash, but in no case should it be enough to buy a yacht and sail away to some retirement paradise.

  5. part3/3

    A new report in the Hungarian media describes how the EU and the European Parliament usually go about buying influence. For example, the report describes how the Open Society Foundation, owned by multi-billionaire and notorious financial speculator George Soros, does not pay journalists directly, but instead generously “covers” their expenses, including exquisite meals, stays in expensive hotels and paid “luxury trips”. This is because it is often too difficult to give money directly to officials, MPs or journalists. Instead, lobbyists or NGOs – which is just another name for lobbyists – sign a contract with a press agency [cf. TT], for example to work for a whole month on a certain project which he or she completes in two days, for which they are then paid, for example, €10,000. This example, however, only applies to journalists.

    In the case of politicians and civil servants, lobbying can go much further, for example through the promise of a well-paid “honorary” post in an NGO or company once the persons concerned have left their post. Well-paid speeches and lectures are also a very lucrative option, from which many politicians, especially in the US, have already earned tens of millions. Even so, there is a revolving door between the political position and a top position in suitable companies.

    [compare in this context with Swedish political bigwigs like Persson, Reinfeldt, Bildt, Borg, Löfven etc]

    But the obscenely large sums of money that Qatar handed out to certain members of the European Parliament did not fit at all into this financially finely balanced landscape of established corruption, neither in Brussels, nor in Washington or in other European capitals. This was probably why journalists and MEPs reacted so angrily, as their “legitimate” bribes gave them much less than what Kaili collected. It is tempting to think that the surprising and widespread coverage of the latest EU corruption scandal was due to envy among journalists and MEPs and anger among other lobbyists, because Qatar had simply set the price level for bribes far too high. In fact, Qatar’s exclusivity has completely distorted the corruption market in Brussels.

    Qatar must now work quickly to improve its poor reputation and adapt to modern Western approaches to corruption. Direct contacts with members of the European Parliament and other parliaments are therefore undesirable. But through Al Jazeera, the world-famous and respected media group, something can be done. Hundreds of so-called liberals and leftists have already worked for Al Jazeera or given interviews to the news agency, which is financed by none other than Qatar, the country where feudalism reigns and Sharia rules. But who cares that this connection is not clearly visible?

    Part of Qatar’s policy will be to first thoroughly investigate the target’s personal environment and character before attempting to bribe anyone. In Kaili’s case, there had already been enough warning signs beforehand. Although officially a socialist, she was a person with a penchant for private jets, Hermès silk dresses and luxury hotels on Greek islands.

    As Focus reported online, her Instagram is full of pictures of her jet-setting life around the world, where she hobnobs with the rich and famous, including Greek oligarchs.

    She loved to show off her luxury, but as any smart criminal knows, it’s best not to show off illegally earned hundreds of thousands of dollars. Instead, Kaili reportedly wanted to buy luxury real estate in Brussels shortly before her arrest. Apparently, she also had no qualms about calmly discussing her bribe money openly with her accomplice on the phone, while Belgian investigators listened in.

    Perhaps Qatar will take this little guide to heart and do better next time, and follow the tried and tested model of Western legal bribery, and even invite the authors of this modest guide on a luxury holiday in a temperate climate.

    https://tube4.apolut.net/w/osd5zJXxj8fMAEt7jeSBhQ

  6. The U.K. “conservative party” is not conservative and hasn’t been for some time, at least until Blair led the Labour Party and the Tories ( conservatives) wanted a piece of the “have your cake and eat it” action.
    We have the uniparty where globalists take it in turn to destroy the country. Rushi Sunak, even though educated at Eton, has zero loyalty to this country. Not one British voter voted for him, he was selected by a small group of Tory MPs. They don’t even bother to hide their contempt for voters.

  7. HURRA – WE MIGHT SLIP NATO JOINING
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Devlet Bahceli controls 48 seats in the Turkish parliament and his support is necessary for Erdogan’s government to admit Sweden to NATO.

    Turkish power party ends NATO bid after Koran burning

    21 January 2023

    The Turkish nationalist MHP party, which President Erdogan depends on to get Sweden’s NATO application through parliament, is now saying a definite no to bringing the Nordic country into NATO.

    The reason is the Koran burning that took place at the Turkish embassy today.

    – The Swedish government’s decision to allow a degenerate Danish politician to burn the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy is not only a scandal, but also a clear provocation and an embodiment of barbarism and vandalism, Devlet Bahceli told Anadolu.

    Devlet Bahceli holds 48 seats in the Turkish parliament and – like so many other things – is often described as a “fascist” in the Swedish media.

    – Sweden’s NATO application will not be approved by our parliamentary group under these circumstances.

    – It would be a betrayal of our religion, our language and our goals for Turkey’s development in the first century of the 21st century,” he says.

    Bahceli says Sweden must correct this mistake by apologising to the Turkish and Islamic communities.

    – It is offensive to have political and diplomatic relations at all with countries that are hostile to our national and moral values, and then it is out of the question to put ourselves in the same NATO alliance as them,” he says.

    – The Muslim Turkish nation will not tolerate this and will not be fooled by various outbursts, he says, adding that the assessment is now clear.

  8. Quiet Koran burning outside the Turkish Embassy

    video
    https://youtu.be/OxPMy3DhtkM

    Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan burned the Koran outside the Turkish Embassy on Saturday as planned.

    The action, which was carried out without violence from the counter-demonstrators present, was in support of Swedish freedom of expression, according to Paludan.

    Turkey summoned the Swedish ambassador on Friday to object to the Stockholm police’s granting of permission for the Koran-burning, which

    Turkey considers a hate crime.
    Turkey also protested that Sweden had allowed a Kurdish demonstration at the same venue, which it said violated the agreement that would allow Sweden to join Nato.

    LIVE: Stockholm
    Sweden – Rasmus Paludan protest at Turkish Embassy – 21.01.2023
    https://youtu.be/OxPMy3DhtkM

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