The ISIS-inspired Uzbek terrorist Sayfullo Saipov was convicted by a federal jury on all 28 counts related to his deadly 2017 attack in New York City. Mr. Saipov drove a pickup truck through pedestrians and cyclists on a bike path, killing eight people and wounding eleven others.
In other news, the British government has banned prisoners with male genitalia from being incarcerated in women’s prisons.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, DV, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
GDP in Fourth Quarter Grew at Annualized Rate of 2.9%, Federal Government
Gross domestic product, the market value of U.S. goods and services, increased in the fourth quarter of last year at an annualized rate of 2.9%, the Commerce Department said Thursday.
The growth comes amid high inflation and historically high interest rates. The fourth quarter is from October to December.
The increase is nevertheless a slowdown since from the 3.2% growth in the third quarter, which was preceded by two consecutive quarters of contraction, according to CNN.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Inflation in Europe is Falling But Food Prices Are Rising. Who is Paying the Most and What for?
Food prices have continued to rise across Europe despite inflation dropping for a second consecutive month in December, according to data shared on Wednesday by Eurostat, the European statistics agency.
The inflation of food prices in the EU was 18.2 per cent, and 16.2 per cent in the eurozone in December, which is a slight decrease compared to November on average. But some basic food items like sugar, milk cheese and eggs, oils, and fats prices are still going up.
The highest price rise was seen in Hungary at nearly 50 per cent, Lithuania the second highest with 33.5 per cent followed by Estonia with 30.8 per cent.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Massive Food Inflation in Canada May Spike Poverty Rates for Years: Gov’t Memo
OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — Inflation for food is so bad in Canada that a governmental agency in charge of social services has warned it might increase the nation’s poverty rate significantly.
A memo dated September 27, 2022, from Canada’s Department of Social Development, as noted by Blacklock’s Reporter, warned that with the average price of food having risen 11 percent, “poverty rates in Canada” could start spiking “in the coming years.”
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Prices Will Rise Because of WEF Climate Coalition, Says Expert
Canada joined two climate coalitions last week — and an economist says one of them will definitely raise prices for consumers.
In an interview with True North, UBC economist Werner Antweiler said market interventions from the “First Movers Coalition” (FMC) will spike production costs in several industries. He said the coalition’s mandate to push for more green technology use throughout the economy will be expensive, and companies won’t have much of a choice but to pass the cost on to consumers through bigger price tags.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The First Pause: Bank of Canada Hikes 25bps as Expected, Will Hold Rates as it “Assesses Impact”
The Bank of Canada joined the “one and done” bandwagon moments ago when the central bank hiked rates by 25bps — as expected by most strategists — for an eight consecutive, but also perhaps final time, because the central bank says it “expects to hold” rates “while it assesses the impact of the cumulative interest rate increases.” The hike brought the benchmark overnight rate to 4.5%, the highest level in 15 years… and where it was back in 2007 when it rapidly plunged to a record low one year later.
[Comment: Article dated January 25, 2023.]
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Adam Curry Plugs GrapheneOS on Joe Rogan
Linux-kernel based and permissive-licensed GrapheneOS came up in a conversation between Joe Rogan and Adam Curry — Rogan’s fellow podcaster and an (open source) tech entrepreneur and enthusiast.
Rogan “brought it upon himself” so to speak, when he noted that Curry was somebody who “like Zuckerberg” won’t use an iPhone.
One of the main topics was the government’s decision announced late in December to ban the use of TikTok on federal devices, and whether the Chinese-owned platform would get banned in the US altogether — and why.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
AG Merrick Garland Says No Double Standard of Justice in Biden Classified Docs Case
Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday that his agency hasn’t used a double standard when investigating President Joe Biden’s classified case.
Former President Donald Trump and some Republicans have said the Department of Justice has treated Biden more leniently than the former commander-in-chief, whose house was raided by FBI agents in August. Those agents found materials with classified markings, the Justice Department has said.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden ‘Dietary Expert’ Claims Willpower Doesn’t Exist and Obesity is a ‘Brain Disease’
Authored by Ben Bartee via PJMedia.com
Dr. Fatima Stanford, who sits on Biden’s 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, appeared on corporate media to share her lived experiences as a fat propagandist.
Here are the highlights of Stanford’s remarkably detached-from-reality obesity religion masquerading as science:
- “[Obesity] is a brain disease.”
- “Throw [willpower] out the window.”
- “The number one cause of obesity is genetics. That means if you were born to parents that have obesity, you have a 50-85% likelihood of having the disease yourself even with optimal diet, exercise, sleep management, stress management, so when people see families that have obesity, the assumption is, ‘Ugh. What are they feeding those kids? They’re doing something wrong.’“
- “Doctors do not understand obesity.”
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden’s Judicial Nominee Flunks Constitution Test Given by Sen. John Kennedy in Bad Sign
President Joe Biden sure can pick them. His nominee for a federal judgeship in Washington state flunked a basic constitution test from Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) during her confirmation hearing yesterday.
Biden has been confirming judges at a faster rate than even former President Donald Trump who moved to stack the bench with qualified constitutional conservatives. While Bidens, or at least this judge, can’t answer simple constitutional questions a first-year law student could.
Kennedy asked Spokane County Superior Court Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren, “Judge, tell me what Article V of the Constitution does.” She replied with a weird smirk, “Article 5 is not coming to mind at the moment.”
Kennedy said, “OK, How ‘bout Article II?”
“Neither is Article II,” Bjelkengren said. Kennedy could hardly believe his ears and was left scratching his head in frustration.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: ‘First Come the Tanks, Then Come the Nukes’: Trump Calls for War in Ukraine to End
Former President Donald Trump has called for the war in Ukraine to end, following President Joe Biden’s announcement that the US would be sending Abrams tanks to the wartorn eastern European country.
“FIRST COME THE TANKS, THEN COME THE NUKES. Get this crazy war ended, NOW,” Trump posted to Truth Social. “So easy to do!”
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The five former police officers involved in the death of Tyre Nichols will face charges of second-degree murder, Shelby County criminal court announced on Thursday.
Nichols, 29, was pulled over by officers on suspicion of reckless driving on January 7, police initially said. Officers approached his vehicle and a confrontation occurred, which led to Nichols fleeing on foot. Officers chased him, detained him, and took him into custody. Nichols complained of shortness of breath after the incident and was taken to the hospital where he died three days later, on January 10.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Elon Musk Reveals ‘Secret’ Twitter Labels Causing Shadowbans on Conservatives
On Thursday, conservative commentator Dave Rubin reported he had spent the last two weeks at Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters talking to engineers, product managers, and Elon Musk and learned that the team still “have more questions than answers” including around a batch of “secret” labels used to shadowban conservatives beyond the revelations from the Twitter Files.
Rubin tweeted, “Accounts aren’t just hit with labels that are obvious to insiders. They now found more ‘secret’ labels which are causing shadowbans. My account was hit with all three; ‘Recent abuse strike,’ ‘Recent misinformation strike’, ‘Recent suspension strike.’“
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Project Veritas released a new video Wednesday in which a Pfizer executive claimed the company is attempting to “mutate” COVID via “Directed Evolution” in order to preempt the development of future vaccines.
As a result, #DirectedEvolution trended worldwide.
Jordon Trishton Walker, Pfizer’s Director of Research and Development, Strategic Operations and an mRNA Scientific Planner claimed that Directed Evolution is not the same as Gain-of-Function research which according to the outlet is defined as “a mutation that confers new or enhanced activity on a protein,” meaning that the virus in question can become more powerful depending on the mutation or scientific enhancement.
Walker told an undercover Project Veritas journalist, “One of the things we [Pfizer] are exploring is like, why don’t we just mutate it [COVID] ourselves so we could create — preemptively develop new vaccines, right? So, we have to do that. If we’re gonna do that though, there’s a risk of like, as you could imagine — no one wants to be having a pharma company mutating f**king viruses.”
He added, “From what I’ve heard is they [Pfizer scientists] are optimizing it [COVID mutation process], but they’re going slow because everyone is very cautious — obviously they don’t want to accelerate it too much. I think they are also just trying to do it as an exploratory thing because you obviously don’t want to advertise that you are figuring out future mutations.”
Walker pleaded, “Don’t tell anyone. Promise you won’t tell anyone. The way it [the experiment] would work is that we put the virus in monkeys, and we successively cause them to keep infecting each other, and we collect serial samples from them.”
He continued, “You have to be very controlled to make sure that this virus [COVID] that you mutate doesn’t create something that just goes everywhere. Which, I suspect, is the way that the virus started in Wuhan, to be honest. It makes no sense that this virus popped out of nowhere. It’s bullsh*t,” which many have speculated is what happened at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Busted Pfizer R&D Exec Claims He Lied About “Mutating COVID” To “Impress a Date Like Normal People”
Update (1750ET): Project Veritas’ James O’Keefe was physically assaulted after approaching Jordon Trishton Walker, Pfizer’s Director of R&D, Strategic Operations, who had been caught on tape admitting to the fact that the company is exploring a way to “mutate” COVID via “Directed Evolution” in order to anticipate new strains for their Covid-19 vaccine.
When O’Keefe first approached him about his admission, Walker erupted in denial, exclaiming that “I was just lying to a person to impress them on a date.” He then lunged for O’Keefe and his staff in what appeared to be an effort to take away the iPad that O’Keefe was holding.
The situation escalated when Walker urged the restaurant owner to call the police, but the restaurant owner asked O’Keefe to leave… which left Walker pressuring him to stay until the police arrived.
As Walker raged around the empty restaurant, he once again claimed: “I was on a third date with a man and like normal people you lie to impress a date…”
Yeah, we are not sure lying about mutating the COVID virus in order that the company you work for can make more money will get you to 3rd base (let alone first base).
Walker went on to admit that “I’m not even a scientist by background…”
When speaking to the NYPD, Walker said “there are… five white people… and I am feeling very unsafe right now.”
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California Authorities See No Link Between Dance Hall Shooter and Victims
(Reuters) — Los Angeles-area investigators have found no connection between the victims of a mass shooting at a Monterey Park, California, dance hall and the elderly man who carried out the massacre last weekend, authorities said.
The 72-year-old assailant, Huu Can Tran, on Saturday killed 11 people and wounded nine others at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, a venue just east of Los Angeles that is popular with older patrons of Asian descent. The attack took place during the two-day Lunar New Year celebration, one of the most festive events on the calendar for many Asians.
“Based on interviews the investigators are still conducting, they have not been able to establish a connection between the suspect and any of the victims,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said during a news conference late on Wednesday.
— Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Chip Roy Spearheads Legislation to Defund K-12 Schools That Teach Critical Race Theory Concepts
After Republicans at the state level have advanced dozens of bills to ban the teaching of critical race theory and other so-called “divisive concepts” in schools, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is spearheading a federal effort to get “racist teaching” out of K-12 classrooms.
Roy on Thursday will introduce the Combating Racist Teaching in Schools Act — called the CRT Act for short — which would block federal funding from elementary or secondary schools that promote “race-based theories” generally attributed to CRT.
The bill comes in response to reports of schools teaching concepts that Republicans and parents have lambasted as racist. In March last year, parents at a school in San Antonio, Texas, expressed outrage after their children were segregated into two groups by their hair color and treated differently as part of an “antiracism” lesson. In 2021, school choice activist Christopher Rufo called attention to a report of third-graders in Cupertino, California, being instructed on how the “dominant culture” in America” is “White,” “cisgender” and “Christian,” among other traits.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Colorado to Consider Its Own Gun Ban
Authored by Michael Clements via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
Colorado appears ready to join other states in clamping down on Second Amendment rights. A draft of the “Mass Shooting Prevention Act,” expected to be introduced in the upcoming legislative session, was made public and Second Amendment Advocates are concerned.
“This bill uses the most insane parts of the laws from California and New York,” Taylor Rhodes, executive director of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners (RMGO), told The Epoch Times. “This doesn’t just ban many commonly owned pistols and shotguns; this will ban almost 70 percent of all firearms overnight.”
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DeSantis Tops Trump in Key Presidential Primary State Poll Ahead of Potential GOP 2024 Showdown
A new poll in New Hampshire suggests that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a double-digit lead over former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2024 GOP presidential nomination matchup in the state that has traditionally held the first presidential primary in the race for the White House.
The poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center was released two days before Trump — the only major Republican who has declared his or her candidacy in the burgeoning presidential race — heads to New Hampshire to give a keynote address at the state Republican Party’s annual meeting.
DeSantis, who has yet to say if he’ll launch a presidential campaign, stands at 42% support in the survey of likely GOP presidential primary voters in New Hampshire, with Trump at 30%.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DeSantis Rejects ‘Woke’ Cash Bail Reform: ‘An Ideological Agenda’
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reiterated his opposition to eliminating cash bail in the state Thursday, saying the idea is not “sound judgment” and calling it part of “an ideological agenda.”
During a speech to the Miami Police Benevolent Association, DeSantis laid out ways his administration planned to preserve law and order in the state of Florida, including rejecting attempts by “rogue” judges to release alleged criminals for certain crimes and preventing prosecutors from treating them with “kid gloves.”
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DirecTV Cancels Newsmax Over Fee in What Network Calls ‘Blatant Act of Political Discrimination’
DirecTV cut Newsmax from its channel lineup rather than paying a licensing fee, despite reportedly paying fees to all 75 top cable channels, in what the CEO of the network says is a “blatant act of political discrimination and censorship.”
DirecTV, which is owned by AT&T, said the move is a “cost-cutting” measure and that the company will never pay Newsmax a fee for cable licensing, Newsmax reported Wednesday, citing Nielsen Media Research.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Department of Education has launched an investigation into the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine following complaints that the requirements for its Department of Surgery’s “diversity” internship were discriminatory.
The program is currently only open to members of certain races, and applicants are required to submit a photo of themselves.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Evil Walks Among Us: Child Trafficking Has Become Big Business in America
Authored by John & Nisha Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute
“Children are being targeted and sold for sex in America every day.”
— John Ryan, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
It takes a special kind of evil to prostitute and traffick a child for sex, and yet this evil walks among us every minute of every day.
Consider this: every two minutes, a child is bought and sold for sex.
Hundreds of young girls and boys—some as young as 9 years old—are being bought and sold for sex, as many as 20 times per day.
Adults purchase children for sex at least 2.5 million times a year in the United States alone.
In Georgia alone, it is estimated that 7,200 men (half of them in their 30s) seek to purchase sex with adolescent girls each month, averaging roughly 300 a day.
On average, a child might be raped by 6,000 men during a five-year period.
It is estimated that at least 100,000 to 500,000 children—girls and boys—are bought and sold for sex in the U.S. every year, with as many as 300,000 children in danger of being trafficked each year. Some of these children are forcefully abducted, others are runaways, and still others are sold into the system by relatives and acquaintances.
Child rape has become Big Business in America.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Feds Adapting AI Used to Silence ISIS to Combat American Dissent on Vaccines, Elections
The government’s campaign to fight “misinformation” has expanded to adapt military-grade artificial intelligence once used to silence the Islamic State (ISIS) to quickly identify and censor American dissent on issues like vaccine safety and election integrity, according to grant documents and cyber experts.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded several million dollars in grants recently to universities and private firms to develop tools eerily similar to those developed in 2011 by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in its Social Media in Strategic Communication (SMISC) program.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Students Threaten to Sue DeSantis Over Cancellation of AP African American Studies
A group of three Florida high schools students are preparing a lawsuit against Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis over his refusal to implement an AP African American studies pilot program.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
George Soros is the Most Dangerous Man in America — Here’s Why
With the five-part investigation of Matt Palumbo, The Post has spent the past week showing that 92-year-old finance titan George Soros is the most dangerous man in America.
Let us count the ways.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
ISIS-Inspired Terrorist Convicted on All Accounts for 2017 NYC Attack
A federal jury on Thursday convicted ISIS-inspired terrorist Sayfullo Saipov on 28 counts stemming from a deadly incident in 2017 during which he drove a rented truck through numerous civilians.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Major US Cities Brace for Possible Violence After Atlanta Riots Ahead of Tyre Nichols Video
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued a state of emergency order Thursday ahead of potential protests in Atlanta over the weekend in an effort to prevent the unrest and chaos that occurred during last week’s riots.
The order calls for 1,000 National Guard troops to be called up. It expires on Feb. 9.
“Georgians respect peaceful protests, but do not tolerate acts of violence against person or property,” the order states.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New York to Hire a “Chief Customer Experience Officer” To Oversee Digital ID Plans
New York state authorities plan to digitize access to various services and benefits and streamline it (i.e., launch single digital ID). And the authorities are selling this to the citizens under the label of improving “customer experience” and alleviating “customer frustration.”
It appears that no “customer experience” is complete without a “chief customer experience officer,” so the taxpayers can look forward to paying for one, whom Governor Kathy Hochul said will be hired shortly.
But the actual job description is either still unavailable to the public or has not yet been defined, and neither has the officer’s exact role, or the money needed to fund this scheme.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Nonsense’: Judge Halts California Law That Punishes Doctors for ‘Misinformation’
A federal judge has halted California from implementing a law allows medical professionals to be punished for giving patients information about COVID-19 that is “contradicted by contemporary scientific consensus.”
U.S. District Judge William Shubb on Wednesday ruled that the “consensus” on COVID is so vague and ill-defined that the physician plaintiffs are “unable to determine if their intended conduct contradicts the scientific consensus, and accordingly ‘what is prohibited by the law.’“
The judge granted preliminary injunction to the five plaintiffs, who were represented by the non-profit legal group the New Civil Liberties Alliance.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pennsylvania Throws Book at Chicago Crooks, Holds Them Without Bail
Pennsylvania has shown authorities in the Windy City how it’s done by throwing the book at a criminal gang of three Chicago men.
The crooks had traveled from Chicago to Pittsburgh, PA, and stole $200,000 worth of catalytic converters.
Unlike in Chicago, the suspects have been thrown in jail and are being held without bond, putting an end to their crime spree.
The three suspects, Christian Buie, 31; Antonio D. Johnson, 42; and Harold T. Wade, 29, are being held without bail on charges of corrupt organizations, conspiracy, theft, and related offenses.
The men, who Chicago police said are members of the Traveling Vice Lords street gang, targeted car dealerships rather than hit cars parked on the streets as is their usual MO.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Report: George Soros Funds Global ‘Fact Checking’ Empire
Over the past few years, a cottage industry of “fact checkers” and “misinformation” experts has emerged to advance the left’s mission of silencing dissent to its agenda around the world. Analysis of the funding of these organizations leads back to a familiar figure: left-wing billionaire George Soros.
The New York Post broke down the trail of Soros dollars linking a global network of organizations intent on suppressing and discrediting conservative voices online.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sen. Josh Hawley to Introduce Bill Banning TikTok From US
Authored by Andrew Thornebrooke via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is introducing legislation to ban social media app TikTok from distribution in the United States.
Hawley announced the bill on Twitter early Jan. 24, saying that the app gives China’s communist regime a means of violating the privacy of Americans, including children.
“TikTok is China’s backdoor into Americans’ lives,” Hawley said. “It threatens our children’s privacy as well as their mental health.”
“Last month Congress banned it on all government devices. Now I will introduce legislation to ban it nationwide.”
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
State Representative Hints at Digital ID Push
A big picture is now emerging based on reports from a number of US states that (concerted or not, time will tell) efforts to legislate some form of digital IDs have been picking up pace.
And in some cases, legislators behind these schemes seem to opt for the “fake it till you make it” approach, too.
In Pennsylvania, the focus is now on what some observers see as a “watered down” version of a previous proposal to tie people’s identities — their driver’s license or state ID — into an app.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘The Anti-Vaxxers Won’: Dilbert Cartoonist Admits He Was Wrong About COVID Jabs
(LifeSiteNews) — In an unexpected twist, the outspoken pro-vaccine cartoonist behind the famous comic strip Dilbert has admitted that when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccines he “lost” and those skeptical of the jab “won.”
“I’m going to tell you that … the anti-vaxxers appear to be right,” Scott Adams said in a video posted to YouTube on Sunday.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Top George Soros Director Has Frequent Biden White House Access, Records Show
A high-level director at George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF) who is tied to a group bankrolled by the billionaire and quietly working with President Biden’s administration on policy has close access to the White House, records show.
Tom Perriello, Open Society-U.S.’s executive director and part of Soros’ leadership team, and who sits on the board of Governing for Impact, an outside Soros-funded group maneuvering behind the scenes to shape and implement policy, has frequently visited the White House for meetings and events.
Perriello’s name appears in White House visitor logs 13 times on eight different days between May 2021 and September 2022, the last publicly available month for the records, a Fox News Digital review has found. On three of the days he visited, multiple appointments appear in the forms.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Responds to Facebook Reinstatement, Says Move Cost ‘Billions, ‘ Was Undeserved ‘Retribution’
Former President Trump has responded to Facebook reinstating his account after suspending it for roughly two year by arguing the move a financial disaster and “should never again happen to a sitting president.”
“FACEBOOK, which has lost Billions of Dollars in value since “deplatforming” your favorite President, me, has just announced that they are reinstating my account,” Trump said Wednesday evening on the Truth Social platform. “Such a thing should never again happen to a sitting President, or anybody else who is not deserving of retribution!
“THANK YOU TO TRUTH SOCIAL FOR DOING SUCH AN INCREDIBLE JOB. YOUR GROWTH IS OUTSTANDING, AND FUTURE UNLIMITED!!!”
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US Government Failed to Track $8M in Grants to EcoHealth Alliance, Which Gave Money to Wuhan Lab, IG
The U.S. government failed to track grants worth at least $8 million to EcoHealth Alliance, a research non-profit that gave money to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to study coronaviruses, according to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General.
The National Institutes of Health gave three grants worth $8 million to EcoHealth from 2014 through 2021, which in turn awarded more than $3.7 million to the lab in Wuhan, China, to study the emergence of bat coronaviruses during this time, the report states.
The watchdog identified more than $89,000 in what it called “unallowable costs” resulting from EcoHealth’s improper use of grant funds.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
What the Latest Arrest Says About FBI Corruption
by Daniel Greenfield
On Saturday, the FBI arrested one of its own. Charles McGonigal, who used to head counterintel for the Bureau in New York and investigated Trump over Russiagate, was busted at JFK Airport and has been charged with violating the sanctions placed on Oleg Deripaska.
Deripaska, a Russian oligarch allied with Putin, has his name scrawled on parts of Russiagate. Before Christopher Steele was brought on board to produce the infamous dossier aimed at Trump, the British ex-agent had been working on a project for Deripaska to go after Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign manager, who would also prove to be an FBI target.
In the tangled relationship that is an apt metaphor for Russiagate, the Russian billionaire appeared at times to be an FBI asset and at other times employed FBI personnel.
McGonigal is reportedly one of a number of ex-FBI agents who became freelance consultants, like American versions of Steele, under investigation. And connections between ex-FBI officials and the Russians have gone even higher than McGonigal. Louis Freeh, Bill Clinton’s former FBI director, represented a number of Russian oligarchs and his deceased predecessor, Director William Sessions worked for a top Russian mafia figure linked to Putin.
We may very well find that the retired FBI officials who haven’t gotten contracts as commentators for cable news have gone to work for the Russians. And McGonigal may be the first of a number of FBI figures who were tasked with fighting Russian influence who instead learned enough to go to work for the Russians.
If McGonigal is guilty, it’s because he was following in the footsteps of retired FBI directors and top elected officials. Deripaska had previously managed to purchase the services of former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole to “persuade U.S. officials his client isn’t a criminal” and of a firm linked to Hillary’s communications director and Bill Clinton’s deputy press secretary. When you can buy both sides of the 1996 presidential election, why quibble at a mere FBI official? Russia may be a mafia state, but unfortunately we’ve become one too…
— Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter’s GodMode, an internal tool that allowed teenage hackers to tweet from multiple high-profile accounts in 2020, is still accessible by all engineers at the company, according to a whistleblower complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The program allows Twitter employees to tweet from any account they wish. In 2020, teenage hackers, led by then-17-year-old Graham Clark, used the program to tweet from high-profile accounts, including Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos.
After the incident, Twitter claimed it had addressed the vulnerabilities that allowed the hackers to have control of the program. However, according to the whistleblower complaint, that is not the case.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada Falls From Top 10 List of Freest Countries, Says Report
Canada is no longer in the top-10 list of freest countries in the world, according to a new report.
Canada fell six rankings, and was overtaken by nations such as Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands on the annual “Human Freedom Index” released Thursday morning by Canadian think-tank the Fraser Institute. Their previous update that looked at Canada came out in 2021.
The report is based on measurements in 12 different areas, including: security and safety, rule of law, freedom of movement, association and assembly, and expression and information.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canadian Gov’t Spent Millions on Private Consultants to Censor Documents Requested by the Public
OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — In the last two years alone, multiple Canadian federal governmental departments spent $39 million hiring contractors to comb through and censor documents requested by the public under the Access to Information Act.
As per Blacklock’s Reporter, information revealed from an Inquiry of Ministry requested by Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) MP Kelly McCauley last June shows the large payouts to multiple firms and individuals.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Court Pauses COVID Charge Against Anti-Lockdown Canadian Politician Randy Hillier
BARRIE, Ontario (Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms) — The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms is pleased to announce that a charge against former MPP Randy Hillier relating to a May 2021 protest in Barrie has been stayed by the Court.
Hillier was charged with breaching a COVID order issued under the Reopening Ontario Act. The Crown stayed the charge on January 3, 2023.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
COVID Charges Dropped Against Anti-Lockdown Canadian Pastor
(LifeSiteNews) — Canadian Crown prosecutors have decided to drop the 2021 charges levelled against a pro-freedom and anti-lockdown Christian pastor for allegedly violating COVID health orders related to worship size gathering limits that were in effect at that time.
In a statement sent out last week, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) said the charges against “Pastor R” were dropped on January 16.
“We are pleased that the Crown prosecutor has withdrawn the charges against Pastor R,” said JCCF lawyer Henna Parmar, reacting to the news.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jordan Peterson Refuses to be Duped Again Into Taking Another COVID Booster Shot
(LifeSiteNews) — Canadian psychologist and cultural commentator Jordan Peterson said he would not be “fooled” into getting another COVID shot after Canada’s top doctor said Canadians need a sixth booster jab.
“How about ‘over my dead body,’“ Peterson tweeted Friday in response to Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam saying last Friday that Canadians should get their sixth booster shot.
“We still have a ways to go,” Tam said, in terms of trying to make Canadians get yet another COVID shot, noting that “even for the 65-plus population,” uptake for boosters is low.
Peterson last week also tweeted that he would not be fooled into taking the jab again as Tam called for more shots to “deal with a surge of COVID.”
“I got vaccinated because I naively believed the woke force-mongers would leave me the hell alone thereafter. Fool me once… “ Peterson tweeted last Thursday.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
(LifeSiteNews) — The leader of a top pro-life hospice group has sounded the alarm over a recent study showing Canada as the world leader in organ donations from people who obtained state-sanctioned euthanasia.
The study was published in the American Journal of Transplantation in September 2022.
It found Canada is first in organ transplants, or organ donation after euthanasia (ODE) as it is known, from people who obtained assisted suicide.
Data shows Canada as having 49 cases of ODE in 2021 alone, with 136 cases since euthanasia, or medical assistance in dying (MAiD), as it is called, became legal in Canada in 2016.
Between Canada, the Netherlands, Spain, and Belgium, there were 286 cases of ODE.
According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, 6% of all organ donations for transplants in Canada come from a person who died from MAiD.
Canada’s increasingly permissive laws have allowed euthanasia to rise 32% since 2020, with more than 10,000 people dying in 2021 alone.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lockdown Critic to Lead Alberta Gov’t Review of COVID Response Under Former Premier Jason Kenney
EDMONTON, Alberta (LifeSiteNews) — The government of Alberta under new freedom-oriented Premier Danielle Smith will be establishing an “expert panel” to investigate her predecessor Jason Kenney’s government’s use of COVID dictates. The panel will be led by former MP Preston Manning, who has been critical of lockdowns.
The panel said in an announcement last week the Alberta government will review “the legislation and governance practices used by the Government of Alberta during the management of the COVID-19 public health emergency.”
It will be tasked with recommending “changes necessary to improve government response to future health emergencies.”
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Maxime Bernier Reminds Canadians Not to Forget That COVID Jabs ‘Never’ Prevented Transmission
LifeSiteNews) — Maxime Bernier, the outspoken leader of the People’s Party of Canada, said Canadians should not forget how the COVID jabs were not as effective as promised by the government and how injection mandates resulted in discrimination against the vaccine free.
“Time to remind everyone that the ‘vaccine’ never prevented the transmission of the virus,” Bernier tweeted Friday.
Bernier then spared no words in blasting the “tyrannical governments” in Canada for going after those who chose not to get the jabs with draconian COVID mandates.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Privacy Commissioner Rules Saskatchewan Library Cannot Mandate COVID Vaccine for Employees
(LifeSiteNews) — The privacy commissioner for the Canadian province of Saskatchewan has ruled in favor of the vaccine-free, saying that Saskatoon Public Library cannot mandate its employees show proof of COVID vaccination or a negative test as a condition of employment, without a lawful order.
Blacklock’s Reporter revealed Wednesday that Saskatchewan privacy commissioner Ronald Kruzeniski has ruled in favor of a Saskatoon Public Library employee who objected to management’s decision to extend its COVID mandates after the provincial government rescinded the policy.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Smith Asks Trudeau to Agree on “Sustainable Jobs” Alternative to “Just Transition”
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is proposing a sustainable jobs alternative to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “Just Transition” proposal, which she says would face “irrepressible opposition” from Alberta.
The federal government has yet to table “Just Transition” legislation, but Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said it would be a priority this spring.
In an open letter, Smith said the leaders have reached a crossroads in Alberta’s relationship with the Federal Government.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trudeau Admits Millions Spent on COVID Travel App to Two-Man Firm ‘Illogical’
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has admitted it was “illogical” for his government to give millions of dollars to a two-person firm to develop a coronavirus travel app after it emerged the firm subcontracted out the work.
Prime Minister Trudeau was asked about the development of the ArriveCAN app, a mobile app developed during the coronavirus pandemic for travellers entering Canada and about a report noting that the government had given millions to the company GCstrategies that had subcontracted work.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark Plans Mandatory Military Service for Women as NATO Deepens Ukraine Support
At a moment the NATO alliance is broadly pushing for its members to bolster defense readiness and spending, Denmark is planning to introduce compulsory military conscription for women in order to greatly boost the size of national armed forces.
Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, Denmark’s defense minister and deputy prime minister, announced his intent to introduce women’s conscription in an interview with broadcaster TV2, with Bloomberg subsequently reporting on the comments.
He stressed that at current levels, the Danish defense forces cannot really defend Denmark, and so the nation needs to tap more manpower.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch Minister Proposes Ban on Flat-Faced Dogs, Folded-Ear Cats Who Have ‘Miserable’ Health Problems
The Netherlands is proposing a ban on dogs with flat faces and cats with folding ears, claiming they suffer from “miserable” health problems due to their appearance.
Dutch Minister of Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality Piet Adema announced the proposal Friday, saying the issue of pets having certain genetic traits, such as dogs with short muzzles, affected him personally.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Extreme Weather in Several Countries Across the Northern Hemisphere
Authorities in countries across Europe are trying to cope with an unusually long period of severe cold.
In Lisbon, city officials have set up special centres to allow the homeless to keep warm. Although, NGOs say that persuading them to go there is sometimes a challenge.
“This is the coldest place, it’s very cold and draughty and yet they stay here. Even when there are these cold nights, this is usually one of the few places they stay,” said Natalia Amador, a volunteer with CASA, an organisation that works with the homeless.
In Greece, a different kind of extreme weather is causing problems.
Torrential rain has lashed Athens and other parts of the country, provoking flash floods. Police have urged people to avoid travelling if possible.
Countries in Asia are experiencing even harsher conditions.
In Japan, heavy snowfall has hit northern and eastern coastal areas. While this is a nightmare for people who need to travel, it has been a visual delight for visitors to a frost-shrouded Mount Fuji.
Blizzard conditions have also brought hardship to South Korea. Up to 70 cm of snow was recorded in some places.
And the wintry blast has even reached as far south as the Arabian peninsula, with rare snowfalls seen in the highlands of Oman.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Paris: Churches Targetted by Arson Attacks Three Times Within Days
Two churches in the city of Paris have been subjected to arson attacks over the period of several days as police have yet to arrest any suspects linked to the fires.
The fires took place over a period of several days from January 17th to the 22nd, with the Notre-Dame-de-Fatima Roman Catholic church in Paris’ 19th arrondissement (district) attacked on the 17th and then attacked again on the 22nd.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Government Secretly Met With US Big Tech to Censor Speech
German authorities have made quite a name for themselves over the past several years by walking the fine line, and critics say sometimes crossing it, between protecting citizens’ freedom of speech, and censoring them for “online speech.”
So is it really surprising that, in the wake of scandalous revelations about Covid (and elections) related collaboration, or some would say, collusion between US government and Big Tech, something of the kind was also happening in Germany?
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Says Erasmus Scholarships Not in Danger
There is no threat to the continuation of the Erasmus+ program, and the 180,000 Hungarian students who currently attend foundation universities will continue to benefit from the EU initiative, the Hungarian minister in charge of EU funds, Tibor Navracsics, said in Brussels on Wednesday.
The same applies to the Horizon Europe program, for which applications will continue to be accepted, he added.
As Remix News reported two weeks ago, the European Commission suspended 21 of the country’s universities from the Erasmus+ student exchange and educational cooperation program. It said the country had not changed its practice of nominating politicians close to the government to the boards of the institutions, something it claims attacks academic freedom.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
PKN Orlen Signs 20-Year Supply Deal to Import LNG to Poland From USA
Polish energy giant PKN Orlen has agreed to a 20-year supply contract for a million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year from the U.S. terminal in Port Arthur Texas.
The million tons of LNG will be converted to 1.3 billion cubic meters (m³) of gas for consumption. The price for the contract is calculated on the basis of the Henry Hub index, with supplies starting in 2027.
The contract with U.S. utility company Sempra Infrastructure means the total volume of contracts PKN Orlen has with American suppliers now stands at close to 8 million tons per annum.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey’s Elections Are Not Just Turkey’s
Everyone in Turkey, in its region and in countries with interests or concerns about Turkey’s political future, probably agree that presidential and parliamentary elections this spring will be the most important for every nation involved. To maximize the opportunity for the Turkish public to come to the polls, after calculating external factors such as Muslim Hajj pilgrimage, a religious holiday and university entrance exams, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan brought forward the election date from an originally scheduled June 18 to May 14.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Hit by Russian Missiles Day After West’s Offer of Tanks
Russia launched a wave of missiles at Ukraine on Thursday, a day after Germany and the US pledged tanks to aid Kyiv’s fight against the invasion.
Eleven people died and 11 others were injured after 35 buildings were struck across several regions, the state’s emergency service said.
It added the worst damage to residential buildings was in the Kyiv region.
Officials also reported strikes on two energy facilities in the Odesa region.
The barrage came as Russia said it perceived the new offer of military support, which followed a UK pledge to send Challenger 2 battle tanks, as “direct” Western involvement in the conflict.
In what was a sustained and wide-ranging attack, the head of the Ukrainian army said Moscow launched 55 air and sea-based missiles on Thursday.
Valery Zaluzhny added that 47 of them were shot down, including 20 around Kyiv.
Earlier, Ukraine’s air force said it had downed a cluster of Iranian-made attack drones launched by Russian forces from the Sea of Azov in the south of the country.
— Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
While Western children’s lives and academic potential are being destroyed through social media use and nearly unlimited screen time, China is actively restricting TikTok and other social media platforms to benefit the development of their children, according to French neurologist and author Michel Desmurget.
“You can already see a significant difference between OECD countries and Asian countries. When China joined the Pisa program in 2009, which tests children’s abilities, it was a real electric shock for the West,” he said in an interview with one of Germany’s top newspapers, Die Welt. “Even Barack Obama spoke of a Sputnik effect, referring to the trauma Americans experienced when the Russians sent the first satellite into space before they did. That’s exactly what then drove the United States to create NASA and launch massive space programs.”
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Famous Australian journalist Jessica Rowe said it’s ‘well and truly’ time to change the date of Australia — noting even her kids don’t want to celebrate the holiday anymore.
— Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Thousands of protesters have gathered in Belmore Park in Sydney’s CBD to rally against Australia Day, demanding the national holiday be changed to a day of mourning.
— Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The Australian flag has been slowly disappearing from Australia Day celebrations nationwide as opinion on the January 26 public holiday becomes increasingly divisive.
— Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The intensity of Invasion Day marches proved too much for one protester — holding a sign saying ‘No pride in genocide’ — who burst into tears and had to be consoled as Lidia Thorpe declared war.
— Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch Government Scrambling to Find 38,000 New Spaces to Handle Expected Influx of Asylum Seekers
The Dutch government needs to create an additional 38,000 spaces to accommodate the anticipated influx of asylum seekers arriving into the country this year, investigative work from Dutch current affairs program Nieuwsuur reveals.
In recent publications, the country’s Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) wrote it expects a total of 75,500 places will be required to sufficiently handle new arrivals, up from the 50,000 reception places that currently exist.
Last year, the government relied heavily on temporary accommodation, including cruise ships, but these will no longer be available for asylum purposes come the spring when the tourist season returns.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Migrant Yelled ‘Death to Christians’ While Killing Church Official, Wounding 4 in Spain: Witnesses
One person is dead and four others are wounded, including a priest, after a Moroccan national attacked people with a machete in two Catholic churches in Spain while reportedly yelling “Allahu Akbar” and “death to Christians.”
Police began surveilling the 25-year-old migrant suspect, Yasin Kanza, several days before the attack in Algeciras due to suspicious behavior, according to the Spanish outlet El Mundo.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Yuma Arizona ‘On the Brink of Collapse’ Due to ‘Unprecedented’ Migrant Surge
The border city of Yuma, Arizona is on the ‘brink of collapse’ as a flood of migrants have overloaded hospitals and food banks.
According to officials, some 5 million migrants have crossed into the US since President Biden took office in January 2021.
As a result, Yuma County’s Border Patrol has seen a rise in migrant crossings of 171%. According to County Supervisor Jonathan Lines, the county will ‘crumble’ if it can’t support the flow of migrants. Lines says that the situation will only get worse, according to the Fox News.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A&W Puts Pants on Its ‘Polarizing’ Bear Mascot in Joke Statement Made at M&M’s Expense
WASHINGTON (TND) — After popular candy brand M&M’s made a surprising announcement that it was replacing its “spokescandies” for being “polarizing,” root beer makers and restaurant chain A&W have decided to make a change themselves.
“Rooty the Great Root Bear,” A&W’s beloved mascot since 1963, is also “polarizing” because he isn’t wearing pants, the company said in a statement shared by tweet on Tuesday.
The statement is worded and stylized in such a way that it is instantly recognizable as a parody of M&M’s announcement.
“America, let’s talk,” A&W began, mirroring the opening of M&M’s statement word for word. “Since 1963, Rooty the Great Root Bear has been our beloved spokesbear. We knew people would notice because he’s literally a 6-foot tall bear wearing an orange sweater. But now we get it — even a mascot’s lack of pants can be polarizing.”
A&W then says that it has therefore decided “Rooty” will be wearing “jeans” going forward. Fans are told not to worry, as he will remain the company’s “official spokesbear.”
“We are confident Rooty will continue to champion good food & good times for many years to come… now in denim,” A&W says in its statement.
On Wednesday, A&W posted a follow-up tweet, asking “is now a good time to mention this is a joke?”
— Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Associated Press Urges Journalists to Drop Phrases Such as ‘The French, ‘ ‘The College Education’
The Associated Press on Thursday drew criticism for promulgating a newly proposed rule that journalists drop “the” qualifiers when reporting on large groups of people.
“We recommend avoiding general and often dehumanizing ‘the’ labels such as the poor, the mentally ill, the French, the disabled, the college-educated,” the AP Stylebook wrote on Twitter.
“Instead, use wording such as people with mental illnesses,” the organization urged. “And use these descriptions only when clearly relevant.”
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Colorado Masterpiece Cakeshop Owner Loses Appeal Over Gender Transition Cake
A Colorado baker who won a partial U.S. Supreme Court victory in a case where he refused to make a cake for a gay wedding lost an appeal in another legal fight in which he rejected a request for a birthday cake celebrating a gender transition.
The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday that the refusal by Jack Phillips and Masterpiece Cakeshop to make a cake requested by Autumn Scardina did not constitute free speech. The court also found it was illegal to refuse to provide services to people based on characteristics like race, religion, or sexual orientation.
“We conclude that creating a pink cake with blue frosting is not inherently expressive and any message or symbolism it provides to an observer would not be attributed to the baker,” said the court, which also rejected procedural arguments from Phillips.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Founder of UK Drag Queen Story Hour Raises Funds for Pedophile Drag Performer’s Funeral
The founder of Drag Queen Story Hour UK is fundraising for the funeral of a pedophile drag queen who was found dead Monday.
On Jan 23, drag performer Aida H. Dee launched a crowdfunder for the funeral costs of his deceased friend and fellow drag queen Darren Moore, reports Reduxx.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pope Francis: ‘Being Homosexual Isn’t a Crime’, But a ‘Sin’
Pope Francis criticized laws criminalizing homosexuality as “unjust” but said the action still constitutes a “sin.”
“Being homosexual is not a crime,” he told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “It’s not a crime. Yes, but it’s a sin. Fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime.”
The pontiff added: “It’s also a sin to lack charity with one another.”
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK to Ban Transgender Convicts With ‘Male Genitalia’ From Female Prisons
The UK government has announced that it is set to considerably reform its policy on transgender prisoners so that inmates with “male genitalia”, or who were convicted of sexual offences, will be prohibited from being placed in women’s prisons.
Following a review initiated by the short-lived administration of former PM Liz Truss, who was unceremoniously kicked out of office by her own party in October for attempting to institute a set of mild free-market reforms, the Conservative government announced on Wednesday that it is prepared to change its policy on housing transgender inmates.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
5 years later he is convicted. This is not Justice.
He will get 3 hots and a cot ,cable TV, weight training in a GYM ,get to meet and greet MSM people to complain what a bad deal he got. Did they deport his America hating dead beat family who came to America as “refugees”? I am sure PBS, NPR, will do specials in the future after he has been in jail for 10 or 15 years on why he should be paroled ,that he is a changed man.
I expect the Trans groups to go after the british government claiming Transphobia in 3-2-1