Gates of Vienna News Feed 2/9/2023

Ukrainian government officials say that the long-expected Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine has begun. Meanwhile, the AfD (Alternative für Deutschland, Alternative for Germany) presented a motion in the Bundestag to end the war in Ukraine.

In other news, the death toll in Monday’s earthquake in Turkey and Syria has risen above 20,000.

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
» Americans Burn Through Pandemic Savings as High Inflation Pinches
 
USA
» 60-Year-Old Ex-Special Forces Soldier Turns Tables on Chicago Thug, Fights Back and Sends Criminal Running From the Scene
» A Second New Jersey Council Member Killed in a Week
» Alec Baldwin Sued by Halyna Hutchins’ Family Over Rust Film
» Art History Professor Moves to Dismiss Federal Lawsuit Against Hamline, Plans to File New Suit
» Biden Frees Al Qaeda Terrorist Involved in Marriott Bombing
» Breaking: Project Veritas Employees’ Letter Targeting James O’Keefe Leaked, ‘James O’Keefe IS Project Veritas’ Trends on Twitter
» Case Dismissed Against Spotsylvania Deputy on Trial in Shooting of Black Man
» ChatGPT Passes US Medical Licensing Exam
» Chinese Balloon Capable of Gathering Intelligence — US Official
» Donald Trump Back on Facebook and Instagram
» Elon Musk Calls Out Former Twitter Exec for Personally Placing ‘Visibility Filters’ On Elected Leaders
» Elon Musk Delights in Former Twitter ‘Woke Stasi Feeling the Heat’ at Congressional Hearing
» Exclusive: Activist Education Group Files Restraining Order to Prevent Release of Woke Curriculum Used in Washington State Teachers’ Training
» Florida Fines TV Station $10K for Not Letting Congressional Nominee Debate Due to Vaccine Status
» Former FBI Special Agent Nicole Parker Says Bureau Became ‘Politically Weaponized, ‘ Trickled Down From HQ
» Former White House Physician Demands Biden Undergo Immediate Cognitive Examination
» Gabbard Blasts Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney for ‘Baseless Smear’ Accusing Her of Being ‘Groomed’ by Russians
» George Soros Group Claims Credit for Squashing Convention of States in Montana
» GOP Rep Recounts Twitter Grilling: How Do You ‘Trust the Science’ When Government is Censoring Science?
» High-Tax State Exodus Accelerates as More Americans Flee to Florida, Texas
» House Republicans Demand Hunter & James Biden Hand Over Documents for Shady Business Deals
» Indiana Bill Would Ban Protests at Private Residences as Trend of Targeting Officials’ Homes Grows
» Internet Shreds Biden’s IRS Plan to Target Workers’ Tips: ‘Finally, We’re Gonna Take Down the Rich Waitresses’
» John Fetterman: US Senate Democrat Did Not Suffer New Stroke
» Lawsuit Filed by Man Critically Wounded in Lincoln Park Attack Blames CPD’s Non-Pursuit Policy
» Nikole Hannah-Jones Blasts ‘Demeaning’ Drug Store Experience Because of Locked-Up Merchandise
» ‘Pan-Africanist’ Professor Seeks Destruction of ‘White’ American Economy Through a ‘Political Revolution’
» Purported FBI Document Suggests Agency May be Targeting Catholics Who Attend Latin Mass
» Republican Sen. Romney Defends Biden’s Handling of Chinese Spy Flight: ‘Satisfactorily Answered’
» Snowden Chides White House Denial That US Was Responsible for Blowing Up Nord Stream Pipelines
» Soros-Funded Texas DA Accused of Evading Court Order, Grand Jury to Charge Police Officer
» South Dakota Lawmakers Move to Crack Down on Chinese Land Buys
» The Biggest Story of the Year
» Two More States Plan to Force Websites to Check Visitors’ ID
» Video: Biden Again Tells People on Balcony “Don’t Jump”
 
Canada
» 2 Children Dead, Multiple Injured After City Bus Plows Into Québec Daycare
» Alberta Premier Says She’s Spoken With Street Pastor and Others Facing Pandemic-Related Charges
» Farmers Call on Ottawa to End “Unfair” Fertilizer Tariffs, Provide Compensation for Losses
» Judge Gave Equity-Minded Bail to Indigenous Man Later Charged With Murdering Police Officer
» New Documentary Exposes Treatment of Churches During Pandemic
 
Europe and the EU
» Crisis for Germany and US? AfD Party Calls for Investigation After Bombshell Report Details How US Allegedly Blew Up Nord Stream Pipelines
» EU Criticizes Twitter’s Disinformation Reporting, Ahead of New Censorship Law
» EU Plans Sanctions Against Fake News as Report Shows China and Russia Leading Way on Disinformation
» Former Swedish PM: Country Should Have Banned Qur’an Burnings
» France: Convoy of Farm Tractors Hit Paris Streets to Protest Pesticide Ban
» Germany: AfD Submits Motion to Bundestag to End War in Ukraine
» Green Push is Making Global Power Supply More Vulnerable to Weather
» Hungary Would Annex Slovakian Territory if Russia Won in Ukraine, Claims Slovak Minister
» Polish Parliament Approves Legislation to Attempt to Unlock Billions in EU Funding
» ‘Populist Conservatives’ Funnelled Into UK Anti-Terror Programme at Expense of Radical Islamist Referrals, Review Finds
» Quran-Burning Protest by Anti-NATO Activists Banned by Swedish Authorities
» UK Considers Banning Encrypted Phones
» UK Prime Minister is Questioned About “Recording Political Dissent on Social Media”
» UK: Ex-Labour MP Jailed for 4 Years After Submitting False Invoices to Fund Cocaine Habit
» UK: Oblivion: Election Would See Tories Come Third With Sunak, Boris, Truss Losing Own Seats
» UK: Oxford University Chancellor Declares That Campus Safe Spaces Are ‘Mad’
» UK: Ubisoft Tackles Online Gaming “Toxicity” By Partnering With Police
» USA Warns of Terrorism Threat in Sweden After Qur’an Burning
 
North Africa
» Islamic Justice Prevails: Stripped Naked and Paraded in Egypt, Christian Grandmother is Now the Guilty One
 
Middle East
» Turkey-Syria Earthquake: Freezing Weather Adds to Despair as Quake Toll Passes 20,000
 
Russia
» Belarus Sentences Ethnic Polish Minority Activist to 8 Years Hard Labor
» Notorious Russian Nationalist Igor Mangushev Shot Dead in Ukraine
» Ukrainian Officials Say Expected Russian Offensive Has Begun in East
 
Australia — Pacific
» Could This be the Death of the Letter? Australia Post Warns of ‘Unstoppable Decline’ As Customers Issued Urgent Warning
» Disturbing Moment a Female Transport Officer Slaps an 11-Year-Old Boy After He Spat on Her While Being Restrained — But Police Commissioner Calls it a ‘Redirection Strike’
» Single Photo Exposes the Harsh Reality of Life in Alice Springs as a Crime Wave Spirals Out of Control
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» South Africa in ‘National State of Disaster’ Following Collapse of Power Grid
 
Immigration
» Chinese, Russian Illegals Pose Security Risks Amid Record Border Crossings, Experts Warn
» House Blocks DC Bill That Would Let Illegal Immigrants Vote
» Iraqi Criminals Arrested for Kidnapping, Drugging, Raping Teen Girls in Sweden
» Some Migrants Have Second Thoughts After Fleeing NYC for Canada, Reportedly Want to Return: ‘Lots of Snow’
» Watch: Pro-Open Borders Protesters Joined by Muslims Shouting ‘Allahu Ackbar’ In Dublin
 
Culture Wars
» California Beach Town Will No Longer Fly LGBT Pride Flag Outside City Hall; ‘We Are One’ City Says Councilman
» Lia Thomas Exposed Penis in Changing Room With Female Swimmers: Report
» ‘Sexual Activist’ Teacher Makes Students Share Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation as Part of ‘Identity’ Lessons
» Trans-Identified Male Allegedly Peeks Under Young Girl’s Stall in Changing Room in British Columbia
» Watch: Meet Australia’s New International Ambassador for Gender Equality
 

Americans Burn Through Pandemic Savings as High Inflation Pinches

U.S. households are burning through the savings buffer that they built up during the COVID-19 pandemic at an alarming pace as high inflation rages.

Millions of Americans stashed away extra cash during the pandemic as a result of multiple stimulus checks, boosted unemployment benefits and limited spending options.

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

60-Year-Old Ex-Special Forces Soldier Turns Tables on Chicago Thug, Fights Back and Sends Criminal Running From the Scene

A 60-year-old former special forces soldier was visiting Chicago. The man and his companion were on Wacker Drive just west of Michigan Avenue around 7 p.m. A man stopped them and started a conversation with the former soldier.

The suspect pulled out a knife and swiped at the ex-soldier. The suspect cut the victim’s arm but the victim’s training kicked in and he turned the tables on the thug.

According to police, because the former Army special forces soldier fought back, the cowardly suspect turned tail and fled the scene.

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

A Second New Jersey Council Member Killed in a Week

Elected officials on both sides of the aisle in New Jersey are expressing condolences over the killing of a second local council member Wednesday, just a week after another council member was murdered.

According to NJ.com, Milford councilman Russell Heller was shot and killed allegedly by a co-worker Wednesday morning outside the PSE&G Somerset Division Headquarters. His killing come after Sayreville councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour was fatally shot in a vehicle near her home on Feb. 1.

“Early this morning, a deadly shooting took place outside of a PSE&G facility in Franklin Township,” Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Russell Heller’s family and friends in the wake of this tragic act of gun violence.”

Newly-elected Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District took to social media to express his outrage.

“I am shocked and saddened by the tragic murder of Milford councilman Russell Heller,” Kean said. “Russell was an outstanding public servant who proudly represented the river town he loved. My prayers are with his family and the Milford community.”

The two incidents are considered separate and have shaken the Garden State. Both Heller and Dwumfour were elected Republicans.

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

Alec Baldwin Sued by Halyna Hutchins’ Family Over Rust Film

The family of a cinematographer who was fatally shot by Alec Baldwin on the set of a movie has filed a new civil suit against the actor and producers involved in the film.

Halyna Hutchins died on the set of Rust in New Mexico after Mr Baldwin allegedly fired a prop gun.

Mr Baldwin, 64, was charged with involuntary manslaughter last month.

The family has been “devastated by the shocking killing” of Ms Hutchins, their attorney Gloria Allred said.

The suit, which alleges intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence, is being brought in Los Angeles County Superior Court by Ms Hutchins’ mother, father and sister, who are living in Ukraine, Ms Allred said during a news conference on Thursday.

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

Art History Professor Moves to Dismiss Federal Lawsuit Against Hamline, Plans to File New Suit

Updated: 5:44 p.m.

A federal judge on Thursday dismissed the lawsuit Erika López Prater filed against Hamline University after the school criticized her for displaying two images of the Prophet Muhammad in her art history class.

David Redden, an attorney for López Prater, said in an email to Sahan Journal that his client planned to file a new suit against the university.

“Hamline hoped for a different venue so they removed the case to federal court,” he wrote in an email to Sahan Journal Thursday. “We served a new complaint today and will be filing it in Ramsey County Court, where the case belongs.”

López Prater dropped her claims of breach of contract in the new suit, which Redden provided to Sahan Journal.

“Dr. López Prater continues to pursue her claims against Hamline for religious discrimination, defamation, retaliation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress,” Redden wrote in an email to Sahan Journal.

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

Biden Frees Al Qaeda Terrorist Involved in Marriott Bombing

by Daniel Greenfield

After the bombing of a Marriott hotel that killed and wounded over 160 people, plots to poison water reservoirs near military bases, blow up gas stations and poison medications, Biden has decided to free Majid Khan from Gitmo and send him off to vacation in sunny Belize.

Biden has continued Obama’s policy of freeing all the Islamic terrorists from Guantanamo Bay.

His administration released an alternate 9/11 hijacker and a military base truck bomb plotter. He also freed a terrorist linked to a Chanukah massacre of Israeli children, an Al Qaeda ally who plotted to smuggle nukes into America and the Taliban commander who helped blow up the Buddhas. He’s also tried to cut a deal to spare 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed the death penalty. So Khan, a high-value detainee, knew that his day would soon come.

But in 2003, there was another day that allegedly had Khan’s bloody fingerprints on it.

On a hot August day in Jakarta, a station wagon blew up in front of the Marriott hotel. The explosion claimed a eleven lives, including that of 49-year-old Dutch banker Hans Winkelmolen, and Johanes Bolan, and wounded another 150 people…

           — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield [Return to headlines]
 

Breaking: Project Veritas Employees’ Letter Targeting James O’Keefe Leaked, ‘James O’Keefe IS Project Veritas’ Trends on Twitter

The letter sent by 16 staffers to the Project Veritas board of directors was revealed on Thursday, after it became clear that founder James O’Keefe may be ousted from the organization. As the news broke, “James O’Keefe IS Project Veritas” began to trend on Twitter.

That letter reveals complaints that staffers have with O’Keefe, about whom the board is expected to make a decision on Friday. The letter was obtained and published by Timcast.

“The undersigned are troubled and frustrated with James’ management style and business acumen,” it begins.

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

Case Dismissed Against Spotsylvania Deputy on Trial in Shooting of Black Man

David Turbyfill faced a felony charge of reckless handling of a firearm in the April 2021 shooting that left Isiah Brown critically injured with 11 wounds

The case has been dismissed against a Spotsylvania sheriff’s deputy accused of recklessly shooting a Black man multiple times.

David Turbyfill faced a felony charge of reckless handling of a firearm in the April 2021 shooting that left Isiah Brown critically injured with 11 wounds.

A judge dismissed that charge Thursday, ruling that the prosecution didn’t make its case against Turbyfill.

Prosecutors said Turbyfill shot Brown seven times outside Brown’s home in Spotsylvania County. Brown, who was unarmed, spent weeks in the hospital.

The incident began when Turbyfill, who is white, gave Brown a ride home after Brown’s car broke down at a gas station on Route 3, several miles from his home in the 12200 block of West Catharpin Road.

The deputy dropped him off and drove away.

Moments later, Brown called 911, reporting a dispute with his brother.

During the call, it sounds like Brown is asking his brother for a gun.

Brown then tells the 911 dispatcher, “I’m about to kill my brother.”

“Don’t kill your brother,” the dispatcher replies.

“Alright,” Brown says.

“Why would you say something like that?” the dispatcher asks.

“Somebody needs to come here real quick,” Brown says.

Brown then tells the 911 operator he doesn’t have a gun on him.

Turbyfill responded to the 911 call and shot Brown as he stood in the road while talking with the 911 dispatcher, allegedly mistaking Brown’s phone for a gun.

On body camera video, Turbyfill can be heard shouting orders at Brown.

“Show me your hands,” he shouts. “Show me your hands. Show me your hands, now. Show me your hands. Drop the gun. He’s got a gun to his head. Drop the gun now. Stop walking towards me. Stop walking towards me. Stop. Stop.”

The deputy fires and then begins CPR.

Brown was unarmed. He had a phone in his hand.

Months after the shooting, a grand jury charged Turbyfill with felony reckless handling of a firearm. Officials said the charge against Turbyfill is usually a misdemeanor, but he was charged with a felony because of the significant injuries Brown suffered.

Turbyfill remains employed with the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office, but is assigned to administrative, non-law enforcement duties.

“I’m still trying to figure out where he felt the threat at, to feel the need to shoot,” Brown’s sister, Yolanda Brown, previously told News4.

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

ChatGPT Passes US Medical Licensing Exam

ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot that responds to user questions and prompts in a conversational manner and with comprehensive data, recently passed the US Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE), the standard test qualifying someone to practice medicine.

The Daily Mail reports that the tech company AnsibleHealth conducted the study and their researchers said, “Reaching the passing score for this notoriously difficult expert exam, and doing so without any human reinforcement, marks a notable milestone in clinical AI maturation.”

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

Chinese Balloon Capable of Gathering Intelligence — US Official

A suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that the US shot down this week was able to collect communications signals, a US official has said.

It was equipped with multiple antennas capable of “intelligence collection operations”, a senior State Department official said in a background briefing.

On Thursday, US lawmakers passed a non-binding resolution condemning China for the balloon.

China has denied the balloon was used for spying purposes.

It has said the balloon was a weather device blown astray.

The US, however, believes the balloon is part of a wider fleet of surveillance balloons that has spanned five continents.

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

Donald Trump Back on Facebook and Instagram

Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram pages have been restored after being suspended for more than two years.

Mr Trump was banned from the social media platforms after the Capitol riots in 2021.

The platforms’ parent company Meta said it had acted after the then-president praised people who were “engaged in violence at the Capitol”.

If Mr Trump breaks the rules again, he may be removed again — for between one month and two years — Meta has said.

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

Elon Musk Calls Out Former Twitter Exec for Personally Placing ‘Visibility Filters’ On Elected Leaders

Twitter owner Elon Musk claimed Wednesday that former Twitter Head of Trust and Safety Yoel Roth put “visibility filters” on elected officials’ accounts prior to leaving the social media company.

The comment was in response to Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley remarking on the House Oversight Committee hearing on Twitter’s role in suppressing the Hunter Biden story. Roth was among multiple former Twitter employees who were questioned on their role in potentially censoring a political story.

Turley reported, “Roth says that it would not surprise him if ‘visibility filters’ were placed on the accounts of elected officials without their knowledge.”

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

Elon Musk Delights in Former Twitter ‘Woke Stasi Feeling the Heat’ at Congressional Hearing

Elon Musk seemed to revel in the unrelenting grilling and exposition of former Twitter executives at yesterday’s House Oversight Committee hearing, branding them ‘the woke Stasi’.

As we highlighted, former Twitter Chief Legal Officer Vijaya Gadde, former Deputy General Counsel James Baker, and former Global Head of Trust & Safety Yoel Roth were grilled by Representatives, with Congressman Clay Higgins even telling them they could be arrested and jailed for interfering with the 2020 presidential election.

Reacting to the drubbing, Musk tweeted a fire emoji and noted “The Woke Stasi felt the heat today.”

He also included a link to information pertaining to “The Lives of Others,” a movie about East German residents living under the secret police force surveillance state.

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

Exclusive: Activist Education Group Files Restraining Order to Prevent Release of Woke Curriculum Used in Washington State Teachers’ Training

A restraining order has been against Washington state’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to prevent the release of documents requested by The Post Millennial’s Ari Hoffman for copies of ethnic studies curriculums that are being used to fulfill mandatory training hours for public school teachers.

The request was made via a public disclosure request, after The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) severed ties with Washington Ethnic Studies Now, the provider of the curriculum after the agency discovered “that WAESN was not just an education-focused organization, but also a political one — and that they had used their platform to make disparaging comments about others.”

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

Florida Fines TV Station $10K for Not Letting Congressional Nominee Debate Due to Vaccine Status

The Florida Department of Health fined a television station in Orlando $10,000 as a late punishment after it refused to let a GOP congressional candidate and staffer participate in a debate due to their COVID-19 vaccine status.

“On September 15, 2022, the Department received evidence demonstrating that on September 8, 2022, WESH-2 prohibited Scotty Moore, candidate for Florida Congressional District 9, from entering the WESH-2 television studio and from taking part in an in-person debate in which WESH-2 had invited Mr. Moore to participate because he denied having received COVID-19 vaccination in his written response to a WESH-2 questionnaire,” the department wrote in a letter.

According to the letter, the WESH-2 television studio violated Florida law Section 381.00316(1) which according to the letter, “expressly prohibits a business entity operating in this state from requiring documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or post-infection recovery to gain access to, entry upon, or service from the entity.”

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

Former FBI Special Agent Nicole Parker Says Bureau Became ‘Politically Weaponized, ‘ Trickled Down From HQ

A former FBI special agent on Thursday delivered an emotional testimony before the House Subcommittee on Weaponization, telling lawmakers that she had resigned from the bureau after it had become “politically weaponized.”

Nicole Parker, a former FBI special agent who served in the bureau from 2011-22, reflected on her career, saying that she had felt she had been making an “impactful difference.”

“Every day, I woke up and embraced being an FBI special agent. Until things changed,” she said, adding that the FBI’s “trajectory transformed.”

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

Former White House Physician Demands Biden Undergo Immediate Cognitive Examination

Former White House physician Ronny Jackson has called for Joe Biden to be subjected to an immediate cognitive examination after the president appeared to be lost on stage yet again.

Texas Congressman Jackson demanded an evaluation of Biden’s mental acuity after another clip showed Biden bumbling around in front of an audience at the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) training center.

“You know, uh…” Biden stammered before appearing to look confused.

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

Gabbard Blasts Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney for ‘Baseless Smear’ Accusing Her of Being ‘Groomed’ by Russians

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard blasted Hillary Clinton and GOP Sen. Mitt Romney during the first House weaponization subcommittee hearing Thursday, for spreading a “baseless smear” accusing her of “treason” and of being “groomed” by the Russians during the 2020 Democratic primary elections.

Gabbard, a veteran, former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, and former presidential candidate, testified on Big Tech censorship and the importance of protecting the First Amendment during the subcommittee’s first hearing.

“The threat Big Tech monopolies pose to our democracy is real and serious,” Gabbard said, adding that she has “had personal experience with this.”

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

George Soros Group Claims Credit for Squashing Convention of States in Montana

The George Soros-funded organization Common Cause is flattering itself for preventing the Montana state legislature from calling for a Convention of States.

Last week, the Montana Senate voted in favor of SJ2 calling for an Article V convention on its second reading in a 26-24 vote. We thought we had it in the bag. Sadly, one of the two Democrats who voted on our side flipped on us for the third and final reading the next day. The resolution ultimately failed by a tie vote of 25-25.

Just days later, Common Cause came out of the woodwork to claim responsibility for the Senate’s rejection in a fundraising email.

“With your help, we stopped Montana’s call for a Convention by a single vote just this week!” the email claims. “And before that, we rescinded them in New Jersey, Illinois, Colorado, New Hampshire, Delaware, New Mexico, Maryland, and Nevada — in addition to stopping nearly 150 new calls for a convention each year in states across the country.”

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

GOP Rep Recounts Twitter Grilling: How Do You ‘Trust the Science’ When Government is Censoring Science?

One day after Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., grilled former Twitter executive Vijaya Gadde during a congressional hearing, the lawmaker asked how Americans are supposed to “trust the science” as instructed when government wants to censor “science.”

On “The Story,” anchor Martha MacCallum recounted Mace’s questioning of Gadde, wherein the lawmaker asked the tech exec where she went to medical school. When Gadde replied she did not attend medical school, Mace responded, “That’s what I thought.”

Mace asked Gadde why she believed she had the medical expertise to censor actual experts like Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and others who offered diagnoses of the coronavirus mitigation measures and “the science” forwarded by then-NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci.

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

High-Tax State Exodus Accelerates as More Americans Flee to Florida, Texas

Republican-controlled states saw an influx of residents in 2022 as the exodus from high-tax states accelerated.

A growing number of Americans migrated from predominantly blue states with steep taxes like California and New York to red states with lower taxes like Florida and Texas last year, according to new data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Florida saw the biggest rush of new residents, with about 319,000 Americans relocating there in 2022. That amounts to a population increase of nearly 2% — well above the 0.4% national growth rate recorded in the U.S. between July 2021 and July 2022.

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

House Republicans Demand Hunter & James Biden Hand Over Documents for Shady Business Deals

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee and have demanded that Democrat President Joe Biden’s family members hand over documents related to their shady foreign business dealings.

On Thursday, the Committee made a formal request to Hunter Biden to surrender information and records related to his deals.

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) also sent requests for records to the president’s brother, James Biden, and Hunter’s business partner, Eric Schwerin.

The requests come as Republicans investigate whether members of the Biden family leveraged Joe Biden’s position as vice president to “sell access around the world.”

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

Indiana Bill Would Ban Protests at Private Residences as Trend of Targeting Officials’ Homes Grows

Indiana lawmakers are considering a new bill that would prohibit picketing or protesting outside someone’s home with the intention to harass.

The bill would establish a new offense known as “residential harassment,” a Class C felony that would apply to all homes, regardless of whether they belong to elected officials.

“The intent of the bill, which has come to me from the Prosecuting Attorneys Council, is to protect the sanctity of our private residence … to prevent people from picketing and intending to harass people in their homes,” Republican state Sen. Scott Baldwin, who authored the bill, told the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

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

Internet Shreds Biden’s IRS Plan to Target Workers’ Tips: ‘Finally, We’re Gonna Take Down the Rich Waitresses’

The Internal Revenue Service was slammed on Twitter after the government agency proposed a new reporting program for workers who receive tips.

The program would track point-of-sale data provided by employers in order to ensure that service workers like waiters, many of whom are paid less than minimum wage and rely on gratuity from customers, are paying taxes on the tips they receive.

President Biden previously promised that new funding provided to the IRS in the Inflation Reduction Act would not be used to target Americans making under $400,000 per year. This latest development, conservatives argue, represents a violation of that promise.

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

John Fetterman: US Senate Democrat Did Not Suffer New Stroke

Hospital tests show US Senator John Fetterman has not suffered another stroke, says his spokesman.

The Pennsylvania Democrat remained in hospital on Thursday night a day after he was admitted feeling lightheaded.

Sworn into office last month, he suffered a stroke in May and was in recovery for much of his election campaign.

Mr Fetterman’s victory handed Democrats a wafer-thin majority in the upper chamber of Congress.

His communications director, Joe Calvello, released a statement on Thursday evening saying the senator had just received the results of an MRI scan, which together with the other hospital tests ruled out a new stroke.

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

Lawsuit Filed by Man Critically Wounded in Lincoln Park Attack Blames CPD’s Non-Pursuit Policy

A lawsuit filed by a former culinary student against the Chicago Police Department and Mayor Lori Lightfoot alleges that CPD’s non-pursuit policy is to blame for a shooting attack in Lincoln Park last year that left him critically wounded.

Dakotah Earley, 24, sustained gunshot wounds to the head and back during a brazen attack in the 1300 block of West Webster Avenue last May.

The lawsuit alleges police could have apprehended the perpetrator prior to the attack, as he was engaged in several robberies leading up to the shooting of Earley.

More than a week later, the gunman, Tyshon Brownlee, was arrested and charged with the attempted murder of Earley, in addition to armed robbery.

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

Nikole Hannah-Jones Blasts ‘Demeaning’ Drug Store Experience Because of Locked-Up Merchandise

The “1619 Project” author, Nikole Hannah-Jones, complained about drug stores locking up merchandise without recognizing the threat of shoplifting in a tweet on Tuesday.

The New York Times reporter remarked how if stores are going to lockup merchandise, they should have plenty of workers to help open the cases.

“If you’re going to lock up everything in the drug store, an already demeaning shopping experience, at least have enough workers to open up the cases for all the customers who just need a razor,” Hannah-Jones tweeted. “It can’t be a financial winner. I spend a lot less because I’m not waiting every time I need to grab something from a different aisle or even a different shelf in the same aisle. You can’t read labels, etc. I’ve literally walked away. It’s just a terrible shopping experience.”

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

‘Pan-Africanist’ Professor Seeks Destruction of ‘White’ American Economy Through a ‘Political Revolution’

A self-identified “Pan-Africanist” professor, said that White capitalist America needed to be dismantled and called the stock market “racist.”

Melina Abdullah is a professor of Pan-African Studies at California State University. Her role in academia is “intrinsically linked to broader struggles for the liberation of oppressed people.” She co-founded and is active in the Los Angeles Black Lives Matter chapter and is currently suing the national branch for allegedly siphoning off $10 million for a personal consulting agency.

Abdullah believes that capitalism needs to be dismantled and said that it was designed to oppress Black people.

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

Purported FBI Document Suggests Agency May be Targeting Catholics Who Attend Latin Mass

Former FBI special agent and federal whistleblower Kyle Seraphin reportedly obtained a leaked FBI document that outlines a plan to spy on a segment of one of America’s biggest religious denominations.

“The FBI’s Richmond Division would like to protect Virginians from the threat of ‘white supremacy,’ which it believes has found a home within Catholics who prefer the Latin Mass,” Seraphin reported for Uncover DC. “An intelligence analyst within the Richmond Field Office of the FBI released in a new finished intelligence product dated January 23, 2023, on Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists (RMVE) and their interests in ‘Radical-Traditionalist Catholics’ or RTCs.”

He added that the document “assesses with ‘high confidence’ the FBI can mitigate the threat of Radical-Traditionalist Catholics by recruiting sources within the Catholic Church.”

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

Republican Sen. Romney Defends Biden’s Handling of Chinese Spy Flight: ‘Satisfactorily Answered’

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, defended President Biden’s handling of a Chinese surveillance balloon that drew scorn and outrage as it made its way across the United States last week.

In a press briefing, Romney said he was satisfied with answers from the administration about the apparatus, The Hill reported.

“My questions were satisfactorily answered and I believe the administration, the president, our military and our intelligence agencies acted skillfully and with care. At the same time, their capabilities are extraordinarily impressive,” Romney told reporters after the briefing.

[Comment: Romney is a four letter word that begins with the letter ‘c’. The word’s use is discouraged here.]

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

Snowden Chides White House Denial That US Was Responsible for Blowing Up Nord Stream Pipelines

Whistleblower Edward Snowden responded to the White House’s denial that US intelligence agencies were responsible for blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines by pointing out that they also once denied involvement in the Bay of Pigs invasion.

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

Soros-Funded Texas DA Accused of Evading Court Order, Grand Jury to Charge Police Officer

FIRST ON FOX: A Texas court has ordered Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza to record all grand jury proceedings related to investigations into use-of-force by law enforcement, said attorneys for a police officer charged in connection with allegedly assaulting a man.

The motion filed by Doug O’Connell and Ken Ervin specifically cite the ongoing grand jury investigation involving Austin Police Department Officer Alejandro Gaitan.

“We believe the extraordinary number of police officer indictments obtained by Mr. Garza since 2021 has been the result of his office carefully selecting what evidence to show to grand juries, and more importantly what evidence to withhold,” O’Connell and Ervin said in a news release.

They said the court order’s intent is to “prevent Mr. Garza from abusing our grand jury system to indict police officers.”

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

South Dakota Lawmakers Move to Crack Down on Chinese Land Buys

South Dakota lawmakers are advancing a number of bills that would curb Chinese influence in South Dakota’s farmland amid concerns among Republican leaders after a spy balloon was spotted and shot down last week.

Republican Rep. Will Mortenson proposed Thursday investigating partnerships between landowners and foreign entities. It comes a week after other lawmakers pushed forth other propositions tackling foreign influence, like banning contracts between state land and foreign countries, and establishing a committee to oversee future foreign purchases.

“We don’t know what we don’t know, and we’re going to start finding out so we can make the next step,” Mortenson said, after his bill passed a house committee vote with a unanimous vote.

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

The Biggest Story of the Year

US intel blew up the Nord Stream pipelines and the media is more interested in talking about Chinese balloons.

[Comment: It’s not just some balloons, but point taken.]

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

Two More States Plan to Force Websites to Check Visitors’ ID

Two more states are working on legislation to prevent children from accessing adult content and “harmful” content by forcing platforms to check ID. Starting this year, the state of Louisiana started requiring some websites to verify the ages of users to ensure minors do not get access.

In Arkansas, a similar bill has been introduced. This bill would require businesses hosting one-third or more content that could be considered “harmful” to minors to implement age verification systems. Businesses that do not comply would be held liable for the harm experienced by children exposed to nudity and other harmful content.

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

Video: Biden Again Tells People on Balcony “Don’t Jump”

During a speech in Wisconsin, Joe Biden again told people in the audience who were sitting on a balcony “don’t jump,” and acted oddly throughout the appearance.

Why does he keep doing that and why are his handlers not stopping it?

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

2 Children Dead, Multiple Injured After City Bus Plows Into Québec Daycare

The people of Laval, Québec and beyond are in mourning today after a city bus plowed into a daycare in the Montreal suburb leaving two children dead and six injured.

The bus driver, Pierre Ny St-Amand, was arrested and has since been charged with two counts of first degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and assault with a deadly weapon causing bodily harm.

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

Alberta Premier Says She’s Spoken With Street Pastor and Others Facing Pandemic-Related Charges

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she has spoken directly with people charged with pandemic-related offences, including Artur Pawlowski, but adds she simply explained to the street preacher that her office was unable to grant him amnesty.

Smith was speaking Thursday afternoon at a news conference on federal funding for provincial health care.

Pawlowski faces two counts of criminal mischief and a charge under Alberta’s Critical Infrastructure Defence Act related to the Coutts border blockade a year ago. His trial took place last week and a date for the judge’s decision has not yet been set.

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

Farmers Call on Ottawa to End “Unfair” Fertilizer Tariffs, Provide Compensation for Losses

Farmers groups have called on the federal government to immediately end tariffs placed on fertilizers imported from Russia and Belarus as a result of the war in Ukraine.

In a press release on Thursday, Ontario Bean Growers executive director Ryan Koeslag said that while it welcomed the fact that Ottawa has set aside the $34 million acquired via the measures, it should immediately scrap the tariffs citing the fact that Canada was the only G7 nation to impose such sanctions.

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

Judge Gave Equity-Minded Bail to Indigenous Man Later Charged With Murdering Police Officer

An Indigenous man charged with first-degree murder of a rookie police officer was out on bail in part due to equity concerns, hearing records show.

On Wednesday, The Globe and Mail released portions of the transcript from a previous bail hearing of Randall McKenzie, who is accused of murdering 28 year old OPP officer Cst. Grzegorz Pierzchala in December.

The portions show Ontario Superior Court Justice Harrison Arrell ruled in favour of bail for McKenzie after consideration that Indigenous people are overrepresented in Canada’s prison system.

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

New Documentary Exposes Treatment of Churches During Pandemic

A new documentary produced by an Ontario pastor delves into government treatment of churches and faithful during the pandemic.

The pastors featured in the film include Albertans James Coates and Tim Stephens, who both spent time in jail after refusing to shut down their churches. Pastor Steve Richardson from Tillsonburg and Saskatoon Pastor Steve Flippin, who both face charges, are also interviewed.

The documentary, Antichrist and his Ruin, first premiered in November 2022 and has now been released widely to the public in digital format.

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

Crisis for Germany and US? AfD Party Calls for Investigation After Bombshell Report Details How US Allegedly Blew Up Nord Stream Pipelines

Following a report that the United States bombed Germany’s Nord Stream gas pipelines from one of the most renowned journalists in the U.S., Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is calling for an investigation into the new allegations.

“As the American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh claims to have learned from a source involved in the operational planning, the United States of America is said to have planned the demolition of Nord Stream and carried it out jointly with Norway,” wrote co-chairman of the AfD parliamentary group, Tino Chrupalla.

In addition, Chrupalla urges Germany to not only investigate the report from Hersh, but also take dramatic action if the report is true and subsequently expel U.S. troops from the country.

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

EU Criticizes Twitter’s Disinformation Reporting, Ahead of New Censorship Law

Twitter has angered EU officials after it failed to submit complete reports on disinformation efforts as part of its commitment to the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation.

“I am disappointed to see that Twitter’s report lags behind others and I expect a more serious commitment to their obligations,” wrote Vera Jourova, the Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency.

The European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton, who has contacted Twitter owner Elon Musk at least twice about the Code of Practice, said “it comes as no surprise that the degree of quality vary greatly according to the resources companies have allocated to this project,” but did not mention Twitter directly.

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

EU Plans Sanctions Against Fake News as Report Shows China and Russia Leading Way on Disinformation

The European Union’s foreign affairs representative, Josep Borrell, has announced that he will propose sanctions against the deliberate spread of misinformation across the bloc.

“I will propose a new mechanism that will allow us to sanction these malicious disinformation actors,” the Spanish socialist told a public conference on disinformation at the European Parliament on Tuesday.

“All our delegations will be equipped with experts on countering disinformation in many parts of the world in order to make our voice be heard better,” Borrell said in Brussels.

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

Former Swedish PM: Country Should Have Banned Qur’an Burnings

Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt has criticised Swedish police in Stockholm for allowing Danish anti-Islam activist Rasmus Paludan to carry out the burning of the Qur’an.

Bildt, who served as Swedish Prime Minister from 1991 to 1994 and later as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2014, slammed the police for allowing the Qur’an burning protest to take place, noting the negative effect the incident has had on Sweden’s relations with Turkey and other countries in the Islamic world.

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

France: Convoy of Farm Tractors Hit Paris Streets to Protest Pesticide Ban

Adding to the days of strikes and mass street demonstrations about French President Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular plan to raise the retirement age, farmers have flooded the streets of Paris for an entirely different reason.

French farmers drove hundreds of tractors, if not more, into Paris on Wednesday to protest against a ban on pesticide use.

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

Germany: AfD Submits Motion to Bundestag to End War in Ukraine

The AfD introduced a peace plan for Ukraine to the Bundestag. A classical music concert featuring Russian composers organized by the party underscored their demands.

The Bundestag will discuss a motion in which the AfD parliamentary group today called for a German peace initiative to end the Ukraine war. It is “high time that the federal government remembered Germany’s responsibility for peace in Europe and finally acted more actively for the end of hostilities and for peace,” it said.

AfD members Tino Chrupalla, Alexander Gauland, and Matthias Moosdorf presented the AfD motion “Living up to Germany’s responsibility for peace in Europe”.

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

Green Push is Making Global Power Supply More Vulnerable to Weather

The ever-increasing use of green energy is making the world’s power supply more vulnerable to weather, a report on Wednesday has claimed.

A report into the global production and consumption of electricity published by the International Energy Agency has predicted that weather will play an increasingly disruptive role on energy generation across the world as the shift to green energy continues.

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

Hungary Would Annex Slovakian Territory if Russia Won in Ukraine, Claims Slovak Minister

According to Slovakia’s foreign minister, if Russia had won in Ukraine, Hungary would have already moved to claim territory in Slovakia, an unfounded accusation that has been met with outrage by the Hungarian government.

Slovak Foreign Minister Rastislav Kacer made the claim on Tuesday during the Markiza television’s political program “Na telo plus,” saying without evidence that “if Vladimir Putin had been successful in Ukraine, Hungary would have already had territorial claims against Slovakia.”

According to news portal Bumm.sk, Kacer was asked on the program whether Slovakia is threatened by Hungary and whether Hungary will, in a few years’ time, make territorial claims against Slovakia.

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

Polish Parliament Approves Legislation to Attempt to Unlock Billions in EU Funding

Legislation to reform Poland’s judicial system in accordance with EU demands is making its way through Poland’s parliament — all it needs now is the signature of President Andrzej Duda. If he signs off on the law, the country may be eligible for billions in EU funding, which, up until now, has been blocked. However, there are no guarantees the EU will actually send Poland the money it is owed.

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

‘Populist Conservatives’ Funnelled Into UK Anti-Terror Programme at Expense of Radical Islamist Referrals, Review Finds

“Populist conservatives” are being referred to Britain’s anti-terror programme over radical Islamists, the author of a report into the system has claimed.

William Shawcross, the author of a report into the UK’s Prevent anti-terror programme, has warned that “populist conservatives” are often being dealt with by the system rather than supporters of extremist Islam.

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

Quran-Burning Protest by Anti-NATO Activists Banned by Swedish Authorities

An activist group that planned to further derail Sweden’s NATO membership bid by burning a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm has been denied permission for its demonstration.

Members of Apallarkerna, a little-known organization opposed to Swedish membership of the defense alliance, had hoped to further stoke tensions with Turkey, which the Swedish government needs to ratify its NATO application.

Stockholm police refused permission for the protest on Wednesday, claiming it would pose “a serious disturbance to national security.”

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

UK Considers Banning Encrypted Phones

The UK is preparing for a showdown with “bespoke” phones — at least if the country’s Home Office has its way.

The intent behind the idea is to criminalize both the sale and possession of encrypted phones that are used for criminal purposes. But observers are not yet able to understand what would even qualify as a “bespoke” phone.

“Overbroad and poorly defined” — that’s how civil rights advocates are already branding this proposal and no surprise there. At this point, it’s almost an unofficial requirement that potentially freedom-limiting rules would be worded in this manner.

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

UK Prime Minister is Questioned About “Recording Political Dissent on Social Media”

This week, UK Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy asked the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to disclose how much of taxpayer’s money has been spent on the government’s shadowy “counter disinformation units” that was brought to the public’s attention by Big Brother Watch.

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

UK: Ex-Labour MP Jailed for 4 Years After Submitting False Invoices to Fund Cocaine Habit

A former left-wing MP was sentenced to four years in prison on Thursday after being found guilty of fraud for submitting fake invoices worth £24,000 to fund his expensive cocaine habit.

Jared O’Mara was found guilty at Leeds Crown Court on six counts of plotting to defraud British taxpayers by claiming expenses for non-existent work to pay off the considerable debt he owed to his drug dealer.

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

UK: Oblivion: Election Would See Tories Come Third With Sunak, Boris, Truss Losing Own Seats

A snap general election would see Britain’s governing Conservative (Tory) Party sink to third place in Parliament and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and predecessors Liz Truss and Boris Johnson kicked out of parliament, polls suggest.

While the Tories have placed first in the last four general elections, winning their biggest parliamentary majority since the 1980s under Boris Johnson in 2019, polling conducted by Find Out Now and Electoral Calculus for The Daily Telegraph suggests the British public’s patience has snapped, with Prime Minister Sunak — elevated to the country’s highest office with no mandate from the electorate or even his own party members — facing a crushing defeat and the loss of his own seat in the House of Commons.

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

UK: Oxford University Chancellor Declares That Campus Safe Spaces Are ‘Mad’

Woke concepts that have infected college campuses such as safe spaces are “mad” and “oxymoronic”, according to the Chancellor of Oxford University.

Lord Patten, who served as the final British governor of Hong Kong before the handover of the former colony to the communist government in Beijing, said that imposing restrictions on freedom of speech runs contrary to the very purpose of universities.

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

UK: Ubisoft Tackles Online Gaming “Toxicity” By Partnering With Police

Ubisoft, the gaming developer behind titles like Assassin’s Creed, says it’s tackling “toxicity” in gaming by collaborating with the police.

At a Customer Relationship Center in Newcastle, England, Ubisoft is collaborating with the Northumbria Police. Experts in the force share their expertise and knowledge in “harmful” interactions online with the team at the center, who then apply what they learn to their everyday work.

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

USA Warns of Terrorism Threat in Sweden After Qur’an Burning

The United States Swedish Embassy has issued a terrorism warning for Americans in Sweden, noting a heightened risk of attacks following demonstrations that saw the Islamic Qur’an set on fire.

The U.S. embassy in Sweden put out a terrorism threat alert on Sunday advising its citizens of a possible heightened terror threat, calling on citizens to avoid crowds, monitor local media and “keep a low profile.”

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

Islamic Justice Prevails: Stripped Naked and Paraded in Egypt, Christian Grandmother is Now the Guilty One

Islamic “justice” — which usually finds Muslims in the right, and non-Muslims in the wrong — or rather, tribal justice, has, once again, prevailed in Egypt.

Not only have the Muslim men who stripped naked and publicly abused an elderly Christian grandmother been acquitted in a court of law; now she is the one facing serious legal charges to compensate her tormentors.

As the nearly seven-year-old case of Soad Thabet, now 76, comes to its disgraceful close, it is important to recall the facts.

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

Turkey-Syria Earthquake: Freezing Weather Adds to Despair as Quake Toll Passes 20,000

More than 20,000 people are now known to have been killed in Monday’s earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, though the UN warns the disaster’s full extent is still unclear.

Rescuers are still searching rubble for survivors, but hopes are fading almost 100 hours since the tremors struck.

Freezing conditions threaten the lives of thousands of survivors who are now without shelter, water and food.

Turkey’s president called the quake “the disaster of the century”.

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

Belarus Sentences Ethnic Polish Minority Activist to 8 Years Hard Labor

An activist for the ethnic Polish minority that lives in Belarus has been sentenced to eight years in a labor camp by a court in Grodno, Belarus, on Wednesday.

Andrzej Poczobut, who is also a journalist, is seen as a leader in the ethnic Polish community, which is increasingly persecuted by Belarusian authorities. Poczobut’s trial was held behind closed doors, meaning that neither his relatives nor the media were able to witness it, and his defense lawyers were also forbidden to report about it.

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

Notorious Russian Nationalist Igor Mangushev Shot Dead in Ukraine

Notorious Russian army captain and mercenary Igor Mangushev has died in hospital, days after he was shot in the head at close range in occupied Ukraine, his friends have said.

Mangushev’s wife Tatyana described his killing as an execution.

He commanded an anti-drone unit in occupied Luhansk, but had also been one of the founders of a mercenary group fighting Ukrainian forces in 2014.

He took to a stage last summer holding a man’s skull.

In a video posted on social media in August, Mangushev was filmed saying the skull belonged to a Ukrainian fighter killed defending the Azovstal steel works in the southern port of Mariupol.

An extreme nationalist, Mangushev said Russia was not at war with people, but with an idea of Ukraine as an “anti-Russian state”, and it did not matter how many Ukrainians died.

Mangushev emerged from a neo-Nazi movement to co-found private mercenary group Yenot (raccoon).

He was later known to have collaborated with Russia’s most notorious mercenary boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, as a political strategist.

The shooting has prompted widespread speculation about who might have carried out the attack at a checkpoint in the occupied Ukrainian town of Kadiivka, some distance from the frontline.

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Ukrainian Officials Say Expected Russian Offensive Has Begun in East

KYIV, Feb 10 (Reuters) — Ukrainian officials in the east, scene of the fiercest fighting in the war with Russia, said an anticipated fresh offensive by Moscow is underway, while President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said several European leaders were ready to supply aircraft he has sought.

Zelenskiy, who was due to return to Kyiv on Friday, said in Brussels that several European Union leaders told him at a summit on Thursday they were ready to equip Ukraine with aircraft including fighter jets. If confirmed, this would be one of the biggest shifts yet in Western support.

           — Hat tip: JW [Return to headlines]
 

Could This be the Death of the Letter? Australia Post Warns of ‘Unstoppable Decline’ As Customers Issued Urgent Warning

Australian households get just three letters a fortnight, meaning drastic changes such as a doubling of prices and fewer deliveries, are likely if Australia Post is to avoid huge losses.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Disturbing Moment a Female Transport Officer Slaps an 11-Year-Old Boy After He Spat on Her While Being Restrained — But Police Commissioner Calls it a ‘Redirection Strike’

Victoria’s top cop has defended the actions of a protective services officer shown slapping a boy who is resisting arrest in a video. Shane Patton preferred to call it “a redirection strike’.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Single Photo Exposes the Harsh Reality of Life in Alice Springs as a Crime Wave Spirals Out of Control

A cinema in Alice Springs has been forced to board up their front door despite being open after it was broken into five times in the last four weeks.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

South Africa in ‘National State of Disaster’ Following Collapse of Power Grid

On Thursday, South Africa declared a National State of Disaster as the country’s power grid continues to collapse despite scheduled power outages lasting up to 12 hours by the state run power company Eskom, which supplies 90 percent of the entire country’s power.

According to a statement from the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, “Considering the magnitude, severity, and progression of the severe electricity supply constraint.”

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

Chinese, Russian Illegals Pose Security Risks Amid Record Border Crossings, Experts Warn

A mid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and the revelations of Chinese spy balloon incursions on U.S. airspace, illegal border crossers from those nations are arriving in droves and may present further security concerns for the U.S., a group of immigration experts warn.

Border authorities reported 1,915 encounters with Chinese individuals from October through December of 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data indicates. They encountered 17,298 Russians in the same period.

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

House Blocks DC Bill That Would Let Illegal Immigrants Vote

On Thursday, the GOP-led House of Representatives passed a resolution blocking a bill that allows illegal immigrants to vote in local elections within Washington, DC.

In October 2022, the Council of the District of Columbia passed the DC Act 24-640, or the District of Columbia Council’s Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, which gave legal non-citizens and illegal immigrants voting rights in the nation’s capital. DC City Council transmitted the bill to Congress on January 11, 2023.

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

Iraqi Criminals Arrested for Kidnapping, Drugging, Raping Teen Girls in Sweden

Two Iraqi migrants with criminal records were arrested for kidnapping, drugging, and raping three underage girls in Sweden over the weekend, according to reports.

The horrifying episode unfolded late last Thursday night in Falkenberg, a small city on Sweden’s west coast.

Three girls, one aged 15 and two aged 16, were trapped inside an apartment under undisclosed circumstances.

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

Some Migrants Have Second Thoughts After Fleeing NYC for Canada, Reportedly Want to Return: ‘Lots of Snow’

Just days after news broke that some migrants were fleeing New York City because “drugs” and high rates of homelessness made life difficult, some migrants are having second thoughts.

The New York Post reported Wednesday that even a free bus ticket up north was not enough to keep some migrants in Canada.

One migrant from Colombia told the Post that after just one week, he already wanted to come back to the U.S. after crossing into Canada.

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

Watch: Pro-Open Borders Protesters Joined by Muslims Shouting ‘Allahu Ackbar’ In Dublin

A group of Muslims shouting ‘Allahu Ackbar’ marched behind a demonstration in favour of Ireland’s open borders approach to immigration on Monday.

A small demonstration supporting the Irish government’s open borders policies was joined by a group of Muslims holding signs protesting Qur’an burning while chanting Allahu Ackbar.

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

California Beach Town Will No Longer Fly LGBT Pride Flag Outside City Hall; ‘We Are One’ City Says Councilman

A California beach community has reversed a decision to fly the gay pride flag in front of government buildings and will now only allow a select group of flags to be flown.

In a 4-3 party line vote, the city council in Huntington Beach, California voted to advance a proposal that would no longer allow the gay pride flag to be flown in front of government buildings, KTLA 5 reported.

The move comes roughly two years after the city council unanimously voted in 2021 to fly the gay pride flag in front of city hall during gay pride month.

According to the proposal, which did not specifically mention the LGBT flag, the only flags that may be flown in front of city government buildings are the U.S. flag, the California state flag, the city flag, the county flag, the POW/MIA flag and flags representing the six branches of the military.

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

Lia Thomas Exposed Penis in Changing Room With Female Swimmers: Report

In an interview with Fox News’ “American Reports” on Wednesday, former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, who tied with transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA championships, recalled being exposed to Thomas’ “male genitalia” in a women’s locker room after a swim meet.

“We were not forewarned beforehand that we would be sharing a locker room with Lia. We did not give our consent. They did not ask for our consent. But in that locker room, we turned around and there’s a 6’4” biological man dropping his pants and watching us undress and we’re exposed to male genitalia,” Gaines recalled.

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

‘Sexual Activist’ Teacher Makes Students Share Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation as Part of ‘Identity’ Lessons

Tahoma High School English and World Culture Through Film teacher Hilary Ledford gave her students an assignment that required them to provide answers about their gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, religion, and class status.

According to the parental rights group Tahoma Parents, “Hilary Ledford has been giving her students assignments that require them to divulge their religion, gender identity, and sexual preference while simultaneously creating a ‘sexual activist’ type environment in her class.”

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

Trans-Identified Male Allegedly Peeks Under Young Girl’s Stall in Changing Room in British Columbia

A mother in British Columbia has spoken out about a disturbing incident allegedly involving a trans-identified male in a female changing room at the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre last Friday.

Janayh Wright told Chek News that she was in the women’s changing rooms with her nine-year-old daughter when she saw a male wearing a wig and a face mask acting suspiciously. She said the individual had no bag, towel, or swimsuit and was looking around in the showers. The person then went into the stall next to the one her daughter was in.

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

Watch: Meet Australia’s New International Ambassador for Gender Equality

Australia’s left-wing Labor government has announced the appointment of a new international Ambassador for Gender Equality.

According to Foreign Minister Penny Wong, “Promoting gender equality is a priority for Australia and central to Australia’s diplomatic, economic, development, and regional security efforts.”

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

8 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 2/9/2023

  1. Hmm, there are at least three four-letter epithets beginning with “c” that, while contradictorally descriptive of failed presidential candidate “Mittens” Romney, are essentially correct in defining him.

  2. .
    .
    When Swedish police refuse a permit for a demonstration where a Koran is to be burned, they give in to threats and violence from foreigners and foreign powers. It is a literally deadly path to take.

    The vast majority of Swedes would probably never think of burning a Koran. Many probably think it is inappropriate. But the burning of the Koran has become a litmus test, a way of seeing whether Sweden has the power to put something behind the fine words about freedom of expression and secular legislation.

    The provocateur Rasmus Paludan recently burned a Koran outside the Turkish embassy, which infuriated the Turkish and Arab worlds. Muslims around the world, and free speech sceptics in Sweden, called for Sweden to introduce blasphemy laws.

    Perhaps they are now halfway there already?

    Demonstration permit denied
    On February 8th, the police authorities decided to reject an application for a demonstration permit to burn a Koran. It refers to a dialogue with the Security Service, and speaks of a “changed threat to Sweden” and that such a – in itself perfectly legal – gathering, “is deemed likely to cause serious disruption of national security”.

    Whatever one thinks of the burning of books or the desecration of religious symbols, the decision by the police authority is a major scandal. It is not a matter of “respecting religion” or protecting someone’s feelings, but of giving in to violence and threats orchestrated by foreigners and foreign powers.

    Permitted incitement against Christians
    In Sweden, we have had exhibitions such as “Piss Christ” by Andres Serrano, in which Jesus is immersed in urine, and “Ecce Homo” by Elisabeth Olsson Wallin, in which he is portrayed as a homosexual. Both of these led to fierce criticism and hurt feelings within Christianity, as well as a number of minor sabotages.

    But there was never any talk from authorities or politicians of stopping these exhibitions. On the contrary, Ecce Homo was even exhibited in the Swedish parliament. Something like that could only be matched by the fact that Muhammad cartoons and burnt Korans were also displayed in the Riksdag, but that seems rather far away.

    When the police authority now gives in to Muslims’ demands for special treatment and further restrictions on Swedish freedom of expression, it is a serious step towards mob rule.

    The signal now being sent to the Muslim world is that if they use just enough violence and threats, Sweden will do as they wish, a literally perilous road to travel!

    An unprincipled state?
    We fully understand that people get upset when something they hold sacred is treated in a way they think is wrong. But a state cannot give in when an interest group feels “offended” and threatens violence, but must instead stand up straight and principled for the ideas on which the state claims to rest – in this case, freedom of expression, assembly and demonstration.

    A Swedish state must always put Swedes first, and never conform to the ideas of other peoples, whether they reside within our country’s borders or remain outside them. This can lead to a deterioration in international relations and temporarily increase the threat to our country and our people. But the alternative is an unprincipled state that allows itself to be ostracised by the whims of foreigners, and that is a dance of death in which we are never the one to lead.

    Sweden must choose a path
    The fundamental problem is the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural social experiment that in itself requires extremely high tolerance between groups, but whose inherent dynamics make tolerance impossible in the long run. For it is easy to talk about tolerance when you have a very clear majority and one or more small minorities. But as the minorities grow larger, so do the demands for adaptation to their world view and way of life, as we are now seeing unfolding before our eyes through the Muslims who are demanding Sharia-compliant laws.

    Sweden must choose a path.
    Either we adapt to Islam and prepare to meet a similar fate as Lebanon and Kosovo, or we state that Sweden is the country of the Swedes, and then other peoples living within our borders must respect our way of life and respect our laws, and never, ever demand that we adapt to them.

  3. .
    .
    Right-wing woman’s parents banned from using Airbnb

    Published 9 February 2023

    The parents of conservative Canadian YouTube profile Lauren Southern have been banned from Airbnb’s booking and rental platform. According to the company, this is because of their daughter, who has criticised immigration policy, reports Junge Freiheit.

    Journalist Lauren Southern is perhaps best known for her 2019 documentary “Borderless,” about how illegal immigrants from the Third World are smuggled into Europe.

    Now her parents are no longer allowed to use Airbnb.

    “We have removed you from the platform because your account is strongly associated with a person who is not allowed to use Airbnb. This means you will no longer be able to make bookings in the future,” the US company wrote to Southern’s parents, according to a screenshot shared by the profile on Twitter.

    According to Lauren Southern, she herself was barred from using Airbnb several years ago because of her political involvement and “ties to certain groups” that the company did not specify at the time.

    She is surprised by the company’s decision to ban her parents as well.

    “They have never made a booking for me and do not represent me. Nor do they make any public political statements at all. How is this in any way reasonable?” the 27-year-old profile wrote on Twitter.

    “My mom and dad are the kindest people I know. They were just planning a romantic getaway. They are not political activists,” she continues.

    Lauren Southern is supported by many other users on Twitter. The daughter of renowned psychologist Jordan Peterson, Mikhaila Peterson, writes that Airbnb has now reached “a new low.” Jake Shields, an American MMA practitioner, tweets that the whole thing “sounds like North Korea.”

    ******************************************

    ONLY SWEDEN HAVE SWEDISH DOCTORS ?
    But at least they have to pay tax.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Fast-tracked to become a ~medical doctor –
    prosecuted for a long list of crimes

    2023 at 07.47

    An African doctor in Stockholm who was hailed as the Swedish medical profession’s saviour in Aftonbladet is now charged with aggravated accounting offences, aggravated drug offences, bribery and more. He is also alleged to have printed false evidence of covet tests.

    The now 54-year-old doctor appeared in 2002 in an article in Aftonbladet with the headline “Here is medicine for the medical crisis”.

    The article described how “medically trained refugees” were fast-tracked in the so-called Stockholm Project to work in Sweden.

    – Without them, the medical crisis would already have been a fact, said Anders Helldén of the Stockholm Project, to Aftonbladet.

    The doctor is now being prosecuted for a wide range of offences, including taking bribes.

    The 54-year-old is alleged to have, among other things, improperly prescribed drugs to addicts and also printed PCR certificates (covid tests) in return for payment.

    The investigation has also revealed that the African doctor did not keep proper records of his private activities or pay taxes. He is therefore also charged with aggravated bookkeeping and tax offences.

  4. .
    .
    Follow Sameh Egyptson’s dissertation:

    Islamists have infiltrated Sweden

    On Friday, researcher Sameh Egyptson will present his dissertation on how Islamists have infiltrated Sweden. Below is a live video from Lund University.

    The presentation of Sameh Egyptson’s 740-page thesis will begin at 2pm. Egyptson has for several years mapped out how the Muslim Brotherhood is said to have infiltrated both organisations and political parties in the country.

    READ MORE: Researcher warns of Islamist infiltration of Swedish parties: ‘It’s time to investigate now’

    Egyptson singles out Muslim leaders, political parties and authorities in his research. Over the years, municipalities and authorities have given out hundreds of millions of kronor to study associations, schools and organisations that the researcher claims are controlled by Islamists.

    One of those accused of being the Muslim Brotherhood’s organisation in Sweden is the Islamic League. An influential network that raises millions of kronor in support from taxpayers and also runs Stockholm’s mosque in Södermalm.

    Security arrangements
    Lund University has been forced to take security measures ahead of the presentation, including closing down the building. This after Islamists have expressed their intention to attend and protest against the thesis.

    Below is a live video of the presentation. The video can also be viewed HERE

    https://samnytt.se/folj-sameh-egyptsons-disputation-islamister-har-infiltrerat-sverige/

    READ ALSO: Centre Party organises seminar with links to Muslim Brotherhood

    Author of the text
    Simon Kristoffersson

      • In the Russian version of this opera, it is sung instead of
        Où brille l’ardent métal!..
        (Where the burning metal shines!)
        Люди гибнут за металл! – People die for metal.

        Satan rules the ball there – Satana tam pravit bal
        People die for metal – Lyudi gibnut za metall.

Comments are closed.