Depositors at the Silicon Valley Bank, which failed last week, will be able to access their funds beginning tomorrow, thanks to the backing of the federal government. At the same time, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that the government will not be bailing out the bank. It’s not yet clear how tomorrow’s action differs from a bailout.
In other news, a 13-year-old boy was arrested for carjacking a woman in Chicago.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, JW, MM, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, Upananda Brahmachari, 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.
Breaking: Federal Regulators Auctioning Silicon Valley Bank Remaining Assets
On Sunday, federal regulators are set to auction off Silicon Valley Bank in hopes a buyer would help in efforts to repay those who have deposits with the banks, reports the Wall Street Journal.
On Friday, federal regulators seized the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) following a run on the bank and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) later said they could only guarantee insurance on deposits up to $250,000.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: US Government Says it Will Back Silicon Valley Bank Customer Deposits
Customers of the failed Silicon Valley Bank who have been unable to access their deposits after the federal government seized the bank last week will be able, thanks to the feds, to access their cash as early as Monday.
“Today we are taking decisive actions to protect the U.S. economy by strengthening public confidence in our banking system. This step will ensure that the U.S. banking system continues to perform its vital roles of protecting deposits and providing access to credit to households and businesses in a manner that promotes strong and sustainable economic growth,” Federal officials said in a statement Sunday evening.
They clarified in that statement that taxpayers would not be footing the bill for the losses of the bank.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fatal Distraction? Senior SVB Risk Manager Oversaw Woke LGBT Programs
While Silicon Valley Bank careened toward its spectacular collapse, the bank’s head of risk management for Europe, Africa and the Middle East devoted a chunk of her time to various LGBTQ+ programs.
Meanwhile, SVB went without a chief risk officer (CRO) from April 2022 to January 2023, the Daily Mail reports, as the bank apparently had little urgency to replace Laura Izurieta before finally tapping Kim Olson earlier this year.
On the other hand, a few months before that long CRO vacancy began, SVB boasted, “We have a Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, an executive-led DEI Steering Committee and Employee Resource Groups with executive sponsors focused on these objectives.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The three announced Republican 2024 presidential candidates weighed in over the weekend on the shocking collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). Former President Donald Trump’s campaign blamed the Biden administration’s “anti-America policies” as former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy sounded off against a possible taxpayer bailout.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Government Won’t Bail Out Silicon Valley Bank, Which Paid Workers Bonuses Hours Before Collapse
The federal government won’t bail out the failed Silicon Valley Bank, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday — after it emerged that the bank’s workers landed bonuses just hours before Friday’s collapse.
Depositors could now get back as little as 30% of their money during an anticipated run on the bank Monday morning, a report said Sunday.
Yellen, appearing on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” balked at the government rescuing the nation’s 16th-largest bank, as was done for hundreds of institutions during the financial crisis in 2008.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland: Ministry Estimates Unemployment to Stay Flat at 5.5 pct in February
Poland’s unemployment rate stood at 5.5 percent in February, unchanged from the previous month, according to an estimate by the Social Policy Ministry.
Compared to the same month last year, the unemployment rate was down by 0.4 percentage points.
According to the ministry, the number of registered unemployed decreased by 55,700 people to 866,100 at end-February.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Regulators Close Signature Bank, Second Shuttered by Feds After SVB Disaster
US regulators shut down a second bank Sunday in a bid to stem the banking crisis after Silicon Valley Bank went down last week.
Signature Bank, a New York-based, cryptocurrency friendly financial institution, was closed Sunday by its state chartering authority, according to a joint statement from the Treasury Department, Federal Reserve and FDIC.
All depositors will be made whole and taxpayers won’t be on the hook for any losses, the US government said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Silicon Valley Bank Customers Will Have Access to Funds Monday, Feds Say
The U.S. government took emergency steps Sunday in an attempt to prevent more instability among banks after the historic failure of Silicon Valley Bank, and assured clients of the failed financial institution that they would be able to recover all of their money quickly.
The announcement came amid fears that the factors that caused the Santa Clara, California-based bank could spread, and only hours before trading began in Asia.
Regulators had worked all weekend to try and come up with a buyer for the bank or broker another intervention, and as another bank, Signature Bank, was shuttered.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
1 Arrested After 2 Michigan State Police Troopers Shot While Helping Search for Fugitives: Officials
DETROIT, Mich. — Two Michigan State Police troopers were recovering on Sunday morning after they were shot.
The shooting happened on Saturday in Detroit as the troopers were assisting a team of officers that were searching for fugitives.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
13-Year-Old Arrested for Carjacking Woman in Chicago
A 13-year-old boy has been arrested in Chicago for allegedly carjacking a woman at a gas station, according to reports.
The child was arrested Wednesday over the incident that occurred on Chicago’s South Side a month ago, WFLD-TV reported.
The young teenager was identified as one of the individuals who took a vehicle by force from a 34-year-old woman.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
21-Year-Old MMA Fighter Suffers Cardiac Arrest Mid-Fight
Mixed martial arts (MMA) fans in Indiana were left stunned when 21-year-old fighter Isaiah Abels suddenly suffered a cardiac arrest during his fight.
Abels was fighting Saevon Canto in Evansville when he unexpectedly collapsed in the ring.
The young athlete went into a sudden cardiac arrest shortly after landing a second-round takedown.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
2nd Amendment Watch: Colorado House Approves Gun Purchase Waiting Period
A bill that would institute a three-day waiting period for firearm purchases in Colorado was passed in the House of Representatives after an hours-long debate.
House Bill 23-1219 would only allow firearm purchases in the state “three days after a licensed gun dealer has initiated a background check of the purchaser.” The bill still faces at least one more vote before further advancing.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bill Would Ban Bias Response Teams From Pennsylvania Public Colleges
College campuses in recent years have created “bias response teams” to respond to student concerns over bias or controversial speech, with hundreds of them established nationwide.
However, free speech advocates have challenged the legitimacy of the teams, fearing that they can chill or limit constitutionally protected speech.
If a proposed bill becomes law, a number of universities across the state will have to shutter their bias response teams.
Sponsored by Rep. Joseph D’Orsie, R-York, House Bill 179 would prohibit bias response teams and limit “unreasonably high security fees” for controversial speakers — and allow someone whose free speech rights are violated to bring legal action against a college.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Child Influencers Lash Out at Parents Who Turned Them Into Social Media Stars
The children of parents who used them for internet fame are beginning to speak out on the recent explosion of family “vloggers” on TikTok and YouTube, and the negative impact having a digital footprint that they had no control of has had on them.
A well-known child “influencer” using the pseudonym “Claire” told Teen Vogue on Friday about the drama and discomfort her family’s vlog channel with millions of subscribers has caused, saying “it’s a lot of pressure,” and that she has plans to speak out against the exploitation publicly once she’s 18 and able to move out. She’s even “considering going no-contact with her parents,” interviewer Fortesa Latifi wrote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two conservative authors are speaking out after protesters derailed their book launch party in New York City celebrating the anti-woke publication.
The book, “Stolen Youth: How Radicals Are Erasing Innocence and Indoctrinating a Generation,” says that the far-left’s radical agenda is impacting the minds of America’s most vulnerable and the “all-out battle” targeting “the American family.”
The book’s co-authors, Karol Markowicz and Bethany Mandel, joined “Fox & Friends Weekend” alongside Forbes Media Chairman Steve Forbes to discuss how the event unraveled after activists reportedly threw drinks and destroyed a book display.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dad Slaughters Pedophile Who Was ‘Stalking’ His Baby Daughter
A Minnesota dad has turned himself in to the police after slaughtering a convicted pedophile who he says was stalking his 22-month-old baby daughter.
Walking into the police station “covered in blood,” 27-year-old father Levi Axtell admitted to beating sex offender Lawrence Scully with a shovel before he “finished him off” with a moose antler.
77-year-old Scully was previously jailed for molesting a six-year-old girl in 1979.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrats Refuse to Address the Contents of the Twitter Files — Attack the Messengers Instead
There are some that say not much was learned or gained from the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Weaponization of the Federal Government this past week as politicians sparred over the meaning of the release of the Twitter Files. Democrats in particular seemed adamant that they would not discuss the actual contents of the files or their implications. Their apparent goal? To disrupt exploration of the information and to attack the messengers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DOJ Hit With Legal Motion After Truth Emerges About Jan 6
Democrat President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice has been hit with a legal motion after explosive revelations emerged about what really transpired on January 6, 2021.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FBI Admits to Buying Geolocation Data
The last couple of months have been rough on the FBI. The Twitter Files let the genie out of the bottle, and now more serious allegations against the agency just keep piling on.
If you think revelations of direct involvement in curtailing free speech on social networks coming out for the whole world to see were bad enough — wait until you hear that the FBI has now admitted to what we reported they were doing, by any reasonable interpretation, bypassing warrants, and just buying US location data.
And that could only have come from the super-murky world of data brokers, tightly and opaquely, coupled with Big Tech and the online ad industry.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Drags New York for Letting ‘Criminals Run Wild’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dissed New York State Saturday for allowing “criminals to run wild” on the streets and for failing to halt a deteriorating quality of life.
In a Las Vegas speech, DeSantis claimed Florida enjoyed “better roads, better services higher performing K-12 schools and no income tax” and lower crime in spite of allocating a budget twice as small as New York’s.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Keith Olbermann Tries to Pick a Fight With Elon Musk, Gets Humiliated
Media leftist Keith Olbermann humiliated himself when he tried to call out Elon Musk over his response to the Jan. 6 Tapes.
Like many Americans, Musk has been outraged at the false narrative being pushed by the Democrats and media regarding Jan. 6.
Musk has joined the mounting calls for the release of the Jan. 6 political prisoners after the lie was exposed by Tucker Carlson’s recent reports.
Olbermann, a former ESPN commentator who resigned from that role in 2020 to post unhinged rants on social media, tried to blast Musk over his position on Twitter.
Spoiler alert: He failed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
LA Times Blames White Drivers for Polluting the Air Breathed by ‘People of Color’
Authored by Rajan Laad via AmericanThinker.com
A few days back writer Sammy Roth wrote a piece in the LA Times about a new form of racism in LA.
Roth cited a study from the University of Southern California that states the following:
“Decades of racially-motivated freeway infrastructure planning and residential segregation shape today’s disparities in who produces vehicular air pollution and who is exposed to it, but opportunities exist for urban planning and transport policy to mitigate this injustice.
“[LA residents] who drive more tend to be exposed to less air pollution — and Angelenos who drive less tend to be exposed to more pollution.
“It’s a function of the racism that shaped this city and its suburbs, and continues to influence our daily lives — and a stark reminder of the need for climate solutions that benefit everyone.”
The study is titled ‘Local Inequities in the Relative Production of and exposure to Vehicular Air Pollution in Los Angeles’ — and was authored by Professor Geoff Boeing.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lindsey Graham Calls on Congress to Create Authorization to Use Military Force Against Drug Cartels
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., made a plea across the aisle for Democrats to work with him, not fight him, to end cartels fueling America’s drug crisis on “One Nation.”
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: Last year, 106,000 people in America died of overdose, 70,000 from fentanyl alone. It’s all coming from drug cartels in Mexico working with the Chinese suppliers. I want to break the back of these drug cartels, and foreign terrorist organization designation will change the game. It would allow us as a nation to go after Chinese suppliers to the drug cartels, bring them in U.S. court. Without FTO designation, we don’t have the tools we would have against China. China’s part of the problem. I want to break the backs of these cartels using a military force if necessary.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Massive Fight Among 200 Students, Parents at Louisiana High School Ends in 10 Arrests
An explosive fight at a Louisiana high school among nearly 200 students and parents ended with several cops injured and at least 10 arrests.
Swarms of police officers responded early March 8 to a “major campus disturbance” at East Baton Rouge Readiness Alternative School, finding a loaded gun abandoned on the ground, WBRZ reported.
Officials say one fight broke out and escalated, spilling out into the school’s courtyard and gym. By the time police arrived, there were about 200 people involved in brawls across the campus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mike Pence unloaded on former President Donal Trump at the Gridiron Club Dinner in Washington, D.C. on Saturday. Pence told a few jokes, mocked Transportation Secretary Buttigieg, and said history will hold Trump accountable.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Minneapolis Mayor Threatened by Far-Left Activists
The progressive mayor of Minneapolis is fearing for his life since receiving an uptick in death threats from left-wing extremists, nearly three years after the unrest over the police-involved death of George Floyd.
Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey and his wife, Sarah Clarke, told the Star Tribune of their woes, recounting the violent messages and vandalism they’ve been victim to over time.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
MSNBC Editor: Pro-America Message in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Is ‘Poisonous’
An MSNBC editor has slammed Tom Cruise’s anti-woke smash hit movie “Top Gun: Maverick” by arguing that its pro-America message is “poisonous.”
MSNBC opinion writer and editor Zeeshan Aleem said he is actively rooting against the Best Picture-nominated “Top Gun” sequel.
In a Saturday column, Aleem complains that the adrenaline-fueled film paints a picture of the United States military that’s too positive.
Aleem explains that the movie is sending a patriotic message that he blasts as “insidious” and “poisonous.”
He argues that the movie is “propaganda” that seeks to encourage viewers to respect the U.S. military.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Neighbor Allegedly Uses Kitchen Knife to Stab 3 Men After Flirting With 1 of Their Wives, Police Say
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A man is in custody and accused of using a kitchen knife during a fight after flirting with one of his neighbors’ wives, according to police.
Investigators said the incident happened on Saturday at about 11:25 p.m. at an apartment complex located at 7575 Plum Creek Drive.
Officers with the Houston Police Department said an apparent drunk man was at his neighbor’s family gathering when he started making advances toward the wife of one of the residents.
After an argument was sparked by the flirtatious comments, the man left and reportedly came back with a kitchen knife, and got into another argument, according to police.
He allegedly used the kitchen knife to stab three men at the gathering, including the woman’s husband.
One of the men is in critical condition after he was stabbed several times in the chest and face, according to HPD.
A second victim was stabbed in one side of his chest and lower stomach. Police said he is expected to survive.
A third victim was stabbed in the hand.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
NewsGuard Denies Being Government Funded After Matt Taibbi’s Twitter Files Expose
Matt Taibbi appeared before the new congressional Weaponization of Government Committee on Thursday and said the for-profit organization NewsGuard, an organization aimed at “combating misinformation,” according to their website, was “US government funded.”
According to the Washington Examiner, “In a lengthy email to @mtaibbi on Friday morning, Newsguard’s CEO Gordon Crovitz refuted that the purported disinformation tracker is ‘U.S. government funded.’ In 2021, the Department of Defense awarded $749,387 to Newsguard.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NPR Puff Piece on Atlanta Leftist Gunman Revealed to be Written by Antifa Supporter
NPR on Saturday published a “misleading” piece on the circumstances surrounding the Atlanta police shooting of Antifa extremist Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, where Antifa-supporting journalist Kaity Radde claimed the accused cop-shooter had his hands up when he was killed, and promoted the debunked conspiracy theory that the officer shot by the gunman was supposedly hit by friendly fire.
“The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says officers killed [Teran] in self-defense after they shot a state trooper, but the City of Atlanta released videos in which an officer suggests the trooper may have been injured by friendly fire,” Radde wrote of the January 18 incident, referring to a claim made by Antifa sympathizers that investigators maintain is false.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FIRST ON FOX — Embattled St. Louis, Mo., district attorney Kim Gardner — who is currently facing pressure to resign — used an organization linked with far-left political donor George Soros to inject an “aggressive” “racial equity” agenda into the office’s daily operations, which affected prosecutorial decisions, a Fox News Digital investigation found.
In 2017, and shortly after she was elected, Gardner brought in The Vera Institute of Justice to aid an “aggressive” ideological reform.
Soros’ Open Society Foundations donated nearly $11 million to Vera in previous years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Stanford University Apologizes to Judge Accosted by Students, Faculty
Stanford University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne and law school dean Jenny Martinez apologized to Judge Kyle Duncan after students and faculty accosted him during a Federalist Society event.
In a joint statement to the Fifth Circuit judge, Tessier-Lavigne and Martinez said, “We write to apologize for the disruption of your recent speech at Stanford Law School.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Three Mexicans Charged, 1 Million Fentanyl Pills Seized Outside LA
Law enforcement officials seized roughly 1 million fentanyl pills in one single car outside of Los Angeles, California, this week.
If every single pill contained a lethal dose, the amount hidden inside of the body and trunk of a Volkswagen Jetta was enough to kill one million people.
According to a recent U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency analysis, 60% of pills it tests contain a lethal dose. A lethal dose is 2 milligrams, the weight of a mosquito.
At a minimum, the carload seized was enough to kill 600,000 people.
Three Mexican nationals — all single men ages 25, 28, and 29, were in possession of the fentanyl pills. They were arrested and charged in federal court, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Crown Withdraws COVID Charges Against Pastor Henry Hildebrandt
On April 3, 2021, Pastor Henry Hildebrandt, with his wife and son, participated in a “No More Lockdowns” rally in Brantford, Ontario. He spoke to roughly 1,000 attendees about their guaranteed Charter rights to worship and assemble.
The pastor, his wife Martha and son Herbert — who attended the protest as onlookers — received significant fines for participating in a peaceful assembly during the pandemic.
Attendees gathered outside to peacefully protest the arbitrary COVID mandates implemented by the Ontario government, with minimal police presence at the rally. These mandates enforced stay-at-home orders and limits on outside gatherings and worship for healthy Ontarians.
The Justice Centre wrote Pastor Hildebrandt had no interactions with any of the officers during the protest. However, a procession of law enforcement tagged their vehicle soon after the event.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Liberals Accuse Critics of Foreign Interference, But Now Face Evidence of Actual Chinese Meddling
The Privy Council Clerk and her deputy told the Public Order Commission elections were safe from foreign meddling.
The summaries of PCO Clerk Janice Charette and her Deputy Nathalie Drouin with lawyers for the POEC reiterated the duo’s confidence in repelling foreign influence in the 2021 election. A CSIS whistleblower claims up to 11 ridings, including that of Liberal MP Han Dong, were the subject of a Chinese sway campaign.
The same whistleblower asserts senior Liberal Party operatives were informed of the Chinese manipulation to ensure Dong won his nomination to be a candidate for the party in 2019. Still, his candidacy was greenlit by Trudeau anyway.
According to POEC documents, in the view of Charette, Chinese or even Russian foreign agents were not a concern. Rather, Republicans supportive of the anti-vaccine mandate Freedom Convoy were part of a foreign disinformation campaign.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RCMP Faces Recruit Shortage Amid Push for Local Policing Services
Among provinces that contract police, British Columbia has the most vacancies at 460. However, its 8% vacancy rate trails that of the Northwest Territories at 11.7%, missing 24 officers. Saskatchewan’s 113 vacancies represent an 8.7% rate, and Newfoundland and Labrador’s 35 vacancies equal 7.9%.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Democracy Fund Defends Coutts Trucker Accused of Using Truck as Weapon
James Sowery was charged with assault with a weapon and dangerous driving after police accused him of driving through an RCMP checkpoint in Milk River, Alberta, during the February 2022 anti-mandate border blockade.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The National Ballet of Canada Still Discriminates Against the Unvaccinated!
The National Ballet of Canada (NBC) continues with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in lieu of governmental directive.
The NBC states on their website that they “are so pleased to have you back in our studios again.”
Yet it would appear that they are only happy to have those doubly-vaccinated in their studios.
After thanking people for keeping in-person classes as safe as possible, the studio website notes that it is a “fully vaccinated environment and all guests and visitors are expected to hold a valid vaccination status.”
“Although not required, boosters are strongly recommended,” reads the site.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘They Don’t Want to Admit Their Errors’: Former MPP Gives Update on COVID Charges
One of the most prominent voices to speak out against COVID-19 policies and restrictions in Canada was former Ontario MPP Randy Hillier. The longtime Kingston-area MPP was a member of Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative caucus before being removed in 2019 prior to the pandemic.
But as COVID-19 began to dominate news cycles and government business, Hillier founded a group called No More Lockdowns which hosted rallies against restrictions across the province. Doing so put the the independent MPP in violation of provincial and municipal bylaws, with Hillier racking up numerous charges for organizing or attending various protests, including the Freedom Convoy.
With the pandemic largely behind us, Hillier joined guest host David Menzies on last night’s episode of The Ezra Levant Show to provide an update on the charges he received.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trucker Cleared of ArriveCAN Charges for Refusal to Disclose Vaccine Status
With several Canadians already taking Ottawa to court over ArriveCAN, the Federal Court stayed outstanding charges against a Canadian man who did not disclose his vaccination status at the border.
Dan P. faced charges under the Quarantine Act for failing to disclose his vaccination status through ArriveCAN during a work assignment as a commercial trucker. He received a hefty fine totalling $9405 for the infraction.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trudeau Announces $5.5 Million to Fight “Disinformation”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he would appoint an “Independent Special Rapporteur” who will be tasked with a “wide mandate and will make expert recommendations on combating interference and strengthening our democracy.”
Adding to what he meant by that, Trudeau said that $5.5 million would be invested to “build capacity of civil society organizations to combat disinformation,” noting that “disinformation often generated abroad can be a real threat to our elections, and it’s a threat that the federal government cannot combat alone.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Activists Vandalize Scotland’s ‘Braveheart’ Monument in Climate Protest
A pair of climate activists in Scotland will face trial after allegedly vandalizing a display case holding national hero William Wallace’s broadsword.
“The police say the accused believe they were raising awareness of climate change and that their actions were necessary for the cause,” prosecutor Eilidh Smith said.
Alexander Cloudley, 29 and Katrielle Chan, 21, both from Glasgow, pleaded not guilty to vandalism in Stirling Sheriff Court last week. They allegedly damaged and spray-painted the case holding Wallace of “Braveheart” fame’s sword.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Paris Radicals Clash With Cops, Set Fires as Macron’s Retirement Age Increase Clears Senate
The seventh trade union-organised nationwide protest in France against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the French retirement age saw “angry” confrontations with police in Paris, as the legislation cleared a key hurdle in the Senate.
Following the largest such demonstration of its kind on Tuesday, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) quickly organised another protest on Saturday across France to keep the pressure up on the government in an attempt to stall President Macron’s central second-term agenda to raise the pension age from 62 to 64 years old, despite overwhelming worker opposition.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Geert Wilders: Dutch Nitrogen Targets Are ‘Leftist Rubbish.’
“The real aim here is to get rid of our farmers,” the Dutch Party for Freedom leader told me at a large protest against the fertilizer restrictions in the Hague. “Nitrogen is not a real problem. It’s an invented kind of problem. It’s totally unfair.”
The government of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is imposing climate change policies, including a 30% reduction in the use of nitrogen, on the agricultural sector that farmers say will limit yields, force them from their land and drive up the cost of food to consumers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
About 700 climate activists were arrested on Saturday at the Extinction Rebellion demonstration on the A12 highway in The Hague, according to the police. Two people were also arrested at the farmers’ demonstration in Zuiderpark in The Hague.
The climate activists occupied the beginning of the Utrechtsebaan since noon. The police called for them to leave. Before they could enter the tunnel, they were stopped by the police. The climate activists then began a sit-in blockade. According to the police, they asked the activists several times to stop their action and leave the tunnel.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Judge Orders Man to Pay Ex-Wife Over $200k for 25 Years of Housework
A Spanish judge ordered a man to pay his ex-wife $215,000 for 25 years of housework that she “exclusively” handled while they were a couple.
Ivana Moral won the judgment after arguing she was burdened by chores for the couple during their 25 years of marriage, according to a report from WSB, citing the Spanish language newspaper El Pais.
The court ordered Moral’s ex-husband to make monthly payments of $528 to his ex-wife, a sum that was determined by calculating the minimum monthly professional wage for housekeepers during the period the couple were married.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Welsh Government advice says statues of “old white men” such as Trafalgar hero Admiral Nelson may need to be removed or even destroyed to create the “right historical narrative” in an increasingly multicultural society.
In its current form, the studiously woke guidance, which should be finalised by the end of March, laments the fact that “powerful, older, able-bodied white men” are often depicted in public statues and memorials and that this may be “offensive” to Britain’s increasingly diverse population, according to The Telegraph.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Disinformation Unit Monitored Headmaster Who Questioned COVID-19 Vaccines for Children
Authored by Owen Evans via The Epoch Times
A headmaster who questioned the effects of lockdown and masking on children, as well as the mRNA vaccine rollout, was reported to the UK’s terror watchdog and had his social media posts monitored by government disinformation units.
In January, Westminster confirmed that it had monitored lockdown critics including Conservative MPs and journalists on social media platforms via its disinformation units, after documents were obtained by the civil liberties group Big Brother Watch.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Scientists Create Motherless Lab Mice, ‘Could Pave the Way for Gay Men to Have Children’
Scientists have created mice with no biological mother by turning skin cells from a male mouse into an egg — potentially allowing gay male couples to have biological children, the lead researcher and media reporters suggest.
The experiment’s results were reported at the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing at the Francis Crick Institute in London, with The Times reporting that it could ultimately “pave the way for gay men to have children related to both parents.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Aussies are putting Ukrainian recruits through gruelling and sometimes gruesome training exercises in England as they prepare to fight Russian forces. WARNING: Graphic
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Kremlin Admits Putin Losing Control of Russia’s War Narrative — Isw
A Kremlin spokesperson admitted that Russian President Vladimir Putin is losing control of Russia’s narrative over the Ukraine war, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The admission comes more than one year after Putin launched the Ukraine “special military operation” on February 24, 2022, aiming for a quick victory against the Eastern Europe nation. However, Ukrainian troops responded with a stronger-than-expected defense effort, since bolstered by Western aid, that has prevented Russia from making substantial gains and sparking some internal Kremlin infighting about the war.
As the war continues, Russia has used the “information space” to promote its perspective on the conflict via news and social media platforms. Russia has long used these techniques to push its viewpoint and influence global affairs—all while cracking down on dissent within Russia’s borders amid the Ukraine war.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Russia’s Ethnic Minorities Suffering Disproportionate Losses: UK Intel
Ethnic minorities from Russian regions far from Moscow and St Petersburg are taking disproportionate losses in the war in Ukraine, according to British intelligence.
In its Sunday update on the course of the war in Ukraine, Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) asserted that Russia is continuing to “suffer extremely heavy casualties” — but that the impact of this “varies dramatically” depending on which part of the sprawling Eurasian state is being considered.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine, Russia Say Hundreds of Enemy Troops Killed in Battle for Bakhmut
By Nick StarkovMarch 11 (Reuters) — Ukraine and Russia claimed on Saturday that hundreds of enemy troops were killed over the previous 24 hours in the…
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Convert, Marry Me, or Die by Acid: Christian Women in Muslim Pakistan
A Muslim man recently splashed acid onto the face of a teenage Christian girl, disfiguring her permanently. Her crime? Refusing to convert and turning him down.
On February 1, 2023, in Karachi, Pakistan, according to the report, when Sunita Munawar, aged 19, stepped off the bus on her way to work:
“While at the bus stop she noticed that Kamran Allah Baksh a local neighbour who had been stalking and harassing her for several years, was already waiting at the bus stop. Despite a sense of foreboding, Miss Munawar bravely exited the bus and headed towards her workplace.
“As she passed by Mr Baksh without warning he threw something on Miss Munawar’s face. She could feel intense pain in her eyes and on the skin of her face, arms, torso and legs and knew immediately, that something was seriously wrong. She screamed and tried to wipe away the acid but found that the pain would not stop, a pain so severe that at some point Miss Munawar fainted and collapsed to the ground.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Maharashtra: Islam allows me to have four wives, said Mohd Sahil Sayyed who married two Muslim and a Hindu woman
Last week a Hindu woman filed a police complaint against her husband Mohammad Sahil Sayyed after being tortured for more than two years. This complaint is a classic example of why polygamy should be banned in India even if Islam allows it. One man ruined the lives of four women. He has been in relationships with multiple women out of which he married one Hindu and two Muslims. He is currently in a live-in relationship with another Hindu woman.
Notably, Sahil got this woman converted to Islam and made her follow all the Islamic rituals. She would wear a full-body veil and offer namaz five times a day.
The incident is from the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra and the police have booked the accused under charges of rape only. Maharashtra has no law to curb forced religious conversion, hence accused like Sahil Sayyed will go unpunished for their crimes.
An FIR (number—146/2023) was registered at the Ahmednagar Camp police station of the Ahmednagar District on March 7…
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
India: Bill Gates Checks in With the Digital ID Project He’s Funding in Bangalore
Bill Gates visited MOSIP (Modular Open Source Identity Platform) in Bangalore, India, according to a LinkedIn post MOSIP shared. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has supported MOSIP’s free-to-use digital ID platform.
“MOSIP is fortunate to have had the BMGF’s support over many years, and we were honored to have this opportunity to showcase MOSIP’s milestones, major achievements, and roadmaps to the team and their illustrious Founder,” MOSIP wrote in the post.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A review has been launched into mobile phone detection cameras after one snapped a compromising picture of a woman, sparking privacy concerns.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The Nelson Mandela Bay metro braces for week-long water outages after two major electricity failures and a substation explosion.
A large substation in Nelson Mandela Bay’s industrial development zone exploded on Saturday night, causing more widespread water outages in a metro that has been hard-hit by ongoing water shortages and drought.
The explosion led to the third major electricity blackout to hit the water supply line in four days.
Authorities said there were signs of forced entry at the substation.
Water supply to Nelson Mandela Bay has been in crisis for some time with supply dams now having only 6.97% of water left, or around 19,114 megalitres.
Nelson Mandela Bay is one of the country’s widest metros, making water crisis management very difficult. Its water supply is mainly from the Nooitgedacht Water Scheme, which requires it to pump water from its eastern side to its western side, but electricity failures make this impossible.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
At Least 8 Dead After Suspected Smuggling Boats Crash Near San Diego
At least eight people are dead after two suspected migrant smuggling boats crashed near San Diego’s Black’s Beach, officials said Sunday.
Rescue efforts are underway after at least one of the boats capsized on Saturday, The Los Angeles Times reported. Eight bodies have been recovered so far, but weather hampered initial overnight search efforts.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Border Crisis: Over 1000 Migrants Rush Bridge Linking Mexico to U.S. In El Paso, Texas: Video
A group of at least 1,000 migrants rushed the Paso Del Norte bridge linking Mexico to the U.S. in El Paso, Texas, on Sunday, to gain access into the United States, video shows.
Crowd control measures were used when the group of mainly Venezuelan migrants continued to press forward, though according to sources at the border, the efforts were thwarted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A British woman who fostered an Afghan migrant who was jailed after raping a 12-year-old girl has told him not to come back — as he attempts to smuggle himself across the Channel on a boat.
Emal Kochai, 28, was thrown out the country in 2019 after serving half of his nine-year prison sentence for the rape of a girl in Reading, Berkshire, five years earlier.
But he is now living in a French migrant camp waiting for his chance to board a small boat back to the UK.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada: Feds Only Deport 10% of Foreigners Flagged as ‘Security Risks,’ Says Report
According to Canada’s Immigration Department, border agents flagged nearly half of all border crossers as “security risks” when they entered the country.
“Due to multiple factors and considerations, the Department of Immigration authorized entry or permission to stay in Canada to a significant proportion of applicants who had received a non-favourable recommendation or an inconclusive screening,” said the report Evaluation Of The Immigration National Security Screening Program by the Canada Border Services Agency.
The CBSA reviewed cases of foreigners it deemed a risk, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. Of 7,673 people it flagged as a security concern, auditors found Immigration permitted 3,314 or 43%, to enter Canada.
Of another 14,290 foreigners whose files the CBSA marked “inconclusive,” meaning that “concerns may exist and cannot be ruled out” due to missing paperwork, they allowed 11,575 or 81% to enter Canada.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada: Undercover: Trying to Get Answers to Roxham Road’s Human Trafficking
On Monday, February 6, Rebel News‘ Alexa Lavoie went to the U.S. to continue her coverage on what’s going on with the increase of illegal immigration to Canada at the Roxham Road crossing.
She went undercover at the Plattsburgh International Airport, the City Taxi company in Plattsburgh, New York, the Plattsburgh mayor’s office and finally to the Plattsburgh police station, to ask some important questions about the illegal business of human trafficking happening right in front of our eyes.
Roxham Road is situated about 50 km south of Montréal and about 35 km north of Plattsburgh. This small road leads to a direct and unguarded path to the U.S.-Canada border.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: ‘Allahu Akbar!’ — Migrant Knifeman Attacks Police
A Tunisian migrant attacked French police with a knife in southern France this week, yelling the phrase “Allahu akbar!”
The incident took place in the commune of Hyères, which lies on the Mediterranean Sea near Toulon. It saw the Tunisian, said to be in his thirties, charge at the police with a knife, wounding the officers before they were able to subdue and arrest him.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Australia: Gender Queer Book Referred to Classification Board by Queensland Police
Gender Queer: A Memoir, a book aimed at teenagers and centred on coming out as non-binary, has been referred to the Australian Classification Board (ACB) for review after a complaint led to its removal from the shelves of a library in Queensland.
Queensland Police confirmed the referral to the ACB after a four-day investigation. Until the complaint, the board had not classified the book, and it is available in several libraries across Australia.
Logan City Council removed the book from shelves following the complaint but left it available to borrow for anyone who requested it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Colorado School District Hires ‘Genderqueer Shapeshifter, ‘ ‘Witch’ For Staff Training
A school district in Colorado hired a self-proclaimed “genderqueer shapeshifter” and “witch” to conduct staff training on “transgender” issues.
According to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from Parents Defending Education (PDE), the Thompson School District hired Silen Wellington, a “transgender” activist, to conduct the training.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France’s First Lady Loses Transgender Lawsuit
Brigitte Macron, the First Lady of France, filed a complaint last year against two women who uploaded a YouTube video titled “Brigitte Macron is a man.” The video alleged that Brigitte had a gender reassignment at 18.
On Wednesday, the French newspaper Le Point reported that Brigitte’s complaint against the two women was “voided” by a Paris Judge.
In its decision, consulted by AFP, the court declared void the summons issued by Brigitte Macron for invasion of privacy and image rights, considering that the facts she denounced should have been qualified of public defamation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Skywriting Australia — which wrote ‘Jesus Is Lord’ followed by a huge cross in the sky above Sydney’s WorldPride equality march last Sunday — was paid thousands for the job.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Jane Fonda Scrambles to Walk Back Calls to ‘Murder’ Pro-Lifers: ‘Obviously Made in Jest’
Hollywood leftist Jane Fonda is scrambling to walk back her calls to “murder” pro-lifers amid a severe backlash over the remarks.
As Slay News reported, Fonda stated twice during an appearance on “The View” that the solution to the abortion debate was to “murder” Americans who support the pro-life movement.
Fonda made the shocking statement on Friday when she was asked what the appropriate response to legislation restricting access to abortion on demand should be.
She was asked to clarify what she meant but chose to double down and repeat the statement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada’s prisons department has released an alarming study revealing that nearly half of the country’s male-to-female trans inmates previously committed sexual offences.
Research from Correctional Service Canada (CSC) shows that 44% of the nation’s trans women detainees have a history of sexual offences, of which 71% committed murder or sex crimes to land in prison.
In recent years, gender has become a more significant concern in Canadian prisons, with reports of violence and sexual coercion involving “gender diverse” inmates.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Shakespeare Was ‘Central to the Construction of Whiteness, ‘ University Scholar Argues
Visiting scholar Daniel Pollack-Pelzner penned an article for The Atlantic that suggested that all of William Shakespeare’s classic plays were about race and helped construct “whiteness” for Western culture.
In his article on Friday, Pollack-Pelzner previewed a new essay collection by UCLA professor Arthur L. Little Jr. titled “White People in Shakespeare” that he complimented for framing Shakespeare’s plays through the lens of whiteness. He summarized the collection as explaining how Shakespeare’s collections was “central” to reforming whiteness in the Renaissance era.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Zombie Apocalypse of Leftist Institutions
by Daniel Greenfield
Western civilization depends on the existence of objective truths. And not just any objective truths. All societies believe in something, but our civilization is unique in forming intellectual systems for discovering truths, objectively determining their validity, and building institutions around them.
That is the genius of western civilization.
America took this genius to its apex with the self-evident truths of the Declaration of Independence, taking government out of the realm of mysticism, away from specialists, and turning it over to the people, guided not by class and title, but by pursuing their own interests with character and virtue.
Today, American government is almost wholly run by specialists, a massive administrative state whose employees are virtually impossible to fire, and an elected class of officials with near universal law degrees, without character or virtue, for the sake of the collective good. As they understand it.
Our institutions are useless and mistrust is universal because we have run out of objective truths. Institutions and intellectual systems don’t function without objective truths. Neither do people.
The Left began its civilizational assault by spreading mistrust in the independence of the individual and the worth of institutions through conspiracy theories about class, gender and then race. It undermined confidence in meritocracy and individual initiative to build support for a takeover of institutions through violent revolution and political agitation so that those institutions would pursue its political goals…
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
EXCLUSIVE: A parent at the school where a drag queen allegedly gave sex education lessons has told of her fury after her 11-year-old daughter was taught about oral and anal sex.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
University of Notre Dame to Host Event on ‘Queer Holiness’
The University of Notre Dame’s gender studies program is hosting a talk with the author of a book titled “Queer Holiness.”
Set to take place on March 23rd, the event titled “Queer Holiness” will focus on “the gift of LGBTQI people to the church” and will feature Charles Bell, the author of a book by the same name.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube CEO Reiterates Commitment to Stopping “Harmful Misinformation”
During an interview with tech and lifestyle creator iJustine, new YouTube CEO Neal Mohan reiterated the company’s commitment to suppressing content that he deems to be “harmful misinformation.”
Mohan made the comments when iJustine asked him about artificial intelligence (AI) making things up and whether YouTube has been doing anything to help “stop these false narratives.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New YouTube CEO Neal Mohan discussed how advertisers are the focus of its monetization policies during an interview with tech and travel creator iJustine and said the intention of monetization policy changes is to make advertisers feel “safe” and “more comfortable.”
Mohan discussed “putting yourself in the shoes of the advertisers” and said, “you have to make it so that it feels to the advertiser not just safe but relatively clear in terms of where their advertising is going to run.”
He continued: “They don’t want to inadvertently damage their brand in any particular way and so our policies are really oriented towards that when I say…one of the best ways to increase creator monetization is to make advertisers more comfortable with the content and that is the goal of our policy changes.”
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