Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced her approval of the Biden administration’s call to require all U.S. military vehicles to be electrically powered by the year 2030. Sec. Granholm said the requirement was necessary in order to achieve energy security.
In other news, the migrant reception center on the Italian island of Lampedusa will be expanded to include an additional 850 beds.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, Fjordman, McN, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
Ted Cruz, Jim Jordan Press San Francisco Fed on Silicon Valley Bank Collapse
The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco is facing calls for transparency from Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, regarding the Fed’s oversight of Silicon Valley Bank prior to its collapse.
Their letter, which was addressed to San Francisco Fed President and CEO Mary Daly, noted that Cruz’s previous letter requesting information about the San Francisco Fed’s regulatory supervision of SVB went unanswered. Cruz initially asked for information about whether SVB performed the required internal stress tests and whether the bank — which was the 16th largest bank in the U.S. by total assets at the time of its collapse — received an exemption from those requirements.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. GDP Rose at a 1.1% Pace in the First Quarter as Signs Build That the Economy is Slowing
Growth in the U.S. slowed considerably during the first three months of the year as interest rate increases and inflation took hold of an economy largely expected to decelerate even further ahead.
Gross domestic product, a measure of all goods and services produced for the period, rose at a 1.1% annualized pace in the first quarter, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting growth of 2%.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: People Need to ‘Accept’ Being Poorer Amid Inflation, Says Central Banker
The public should just “accept that they’re worse off” than they were a year ago amid rampant inflation, an ivory tower Bank of England boss said this week.
Huw Pill, the chief economist for the UK’s central bank, said that people should not seek salary increases to cope with the soaring inflation, which the Bank of England predicted would be a “temporary” phenomenon in August of 2021, yet, inflation remains in double digits in Britain nearly two years later.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
White House: Monitoring Situation at First Republic, Could Step in if Needed
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The White House is continuing to monitor the situation at First Republic Bank, which has continued to lose deposits this week, spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Thursday, vowing that the Biden administration stood ready to take action if needed.
Deposits at regional banks have stabilized and the Biden administration can use the same tools it used in recent weeks to address financial stress if needed, she said.
Jean-Pierre said financial regulators and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen agreed that the U.S. banking system remained sound after “decisive and forceful” actions were taken last month to protect depositors at two regional banks, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, and provide liquidity to the market.
“We have used important tools to quickly stabilize the banking system. We could use those tools again, if needed. Certainly we are monitoring this situation,” she told reporters when asked about growing market worries about First Republic.
First Republic’s shares were trading higher on Thursday after a bruising sell-off that wiped out 60% of the stock’s value this week following the San Francisco-based bank’s disclosure on Monday that it had lost more than $100 billion of deposits in the first quarter of the year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“It’s Fairy Dust”: The Proud Boys Case Goes to Jury
Authored by Julie Kelly via American Greatness
A marathon January 6 trial besieged by scandal, controversy, and acrimony is now in the hands of a Washington, D.C. jury. After nearly four months of back and forth, the government and defense attorneys made their final pitch during closing arguments this week in the multi-count case against five members of the Proud Boys.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Animal ‘Rescuers’ Wreaking Havoc by Stealing Farm Animals: ‘These Are Criminals, Not Activists’
Animal “rescue” groups in New York are scoping out and stealing livestock in the name of activism, leaving the local farming community on edge.
“These are not advocates. These are criminals,” New York State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, R., said Saturday. “It’s not advocacy when you’re trespassing on people’s personal property…”
Ortt, along with assemblyman Michael Norris are proposing legislation to impose stricter penalties for the crime that has made farmers extra vigilant.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Belief in a ‘Higher Power’ Surges Amongst American Youth
Faith in a higher power amongst young people in the United States is surging.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Approval Rating Hits All-Time Low Amid Re-Election Campaign Launch: Poll
President Biden’s approval rating has hit an all-time low amid his re-election campaign launch, according to a new poll released Thursday.
The poll, conducted by Gallup, found that just 37% of U.S. adults approved of Biden’s job performance as president, the lowest since July 2022 when just 38% said they approved. A whopping 59% of adults said they disapproved.
According to Gallup, Biden’s approval rating has hovered in the low 40s for the last 19 months, down from a high of 57% immediately after he took office in January 2021. The most recent poll drops his average (39.7%) over the ninth quarter period of his presidency to below that of former President Donald Trump (41.6%) during the same time period.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
President Biden has yet again refused to acknowledge his son Hunter’s estranged 4-year-old daughter while speaking about his grandchildren as an Arkansas paternity case involving the ordeal heats up.
On Thursday, Biden spoke to his staffers’ children on Take Our Kids to Work Day, saying he speaks to his six grandchildren daily and is “crazy” about them, a White House reporter tweeted.
While the comments may seem mundane and innocuous, Biden ignored his seventh grandchild, Navy Joan Roberts, who Hunter had with ex-stripper Lunden Roberts — a trend that has continued for some time.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: DeSantis Expected to Launch 2024 Presidential Campaign in Mid-May
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is said to be jumping into the GOP presidential candidate race as soon as mid-May. DeSantis would enter a field of candidates led by Donald Trump.
One GOP operative familiar with the matter revealed to NBC News that the foray into the presidential candidate field would be an exploratory committee, with an official launch coming soon after.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Nashville Trans School Shooter’s Manifesto to be Released by Authorities: Report
The manifesto left by Nashville Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale may soon be released to the public.
Metro Nashville Police Department’s Public Information Office told Fox 17 News on Thursday, “The investigation has advanced to the point that writings from the Covenant shooter are now being reviewed for public release. That process is underway and will take a little time.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
City of Asheville Trapped in Crime Crisis, Prepares to Impose 60-Day ‘Safety Initiative’
The City of Asheville, situated in North Carolina, is facing severe challenges due to soaring crime and a dwindling police force in the aftermath of the 2020 George Floyd murder, which sparked the nationwide ‘defund the police’ movement. In response to the rampant lawlessness, city officials have declared an emergency plan, beginning next week and lasting for two months, to tackle the crime wave.
“There are complex circumstances contributing to the safety issues that Asheville is currently seeing downtown, and it will take a community response to address these complexities,” the city stated in a press release.
Next Monday, city officials are rolling out a 60-day initiative to address safety downtown.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Climate Protesters Smear Paint on Case and Pedestal of Degas Sculpture at National Gallery of Art
On Thursday, two climate protesters dressed in suits smeared paint on the case and pedestal of Edgar Degas’s sculpture Little Dancer Aged Fourteen sculpture at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
The protest, which happened around 11 a.m., was aimed at bringing attention to the climate crisis. The protestors also demanded President Joe Biden declare a climate emergency as well as stop issuing new drilling permits and subsidies for fossil fuels. Two people were arrested.
Declare Emergency, the climate group behind the protest, identified the two people who smeared paint as Tim Martin, 54, from Raleigh, North Carolina, and Joanna Smith, 53, from Brooklyn.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Congress Moves to Free IRS Whistleblower to Talk About Hunter Biden Probe, Protect Him From Reprisal
The tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee took a key step Thursday to free an IRS agent to reveal to lawmakers his concerns about political interference in the Hunter Biden criminal investigation as its powerful chairman pointedly admonished the agency’s director to protect the whistleblower from any reprisals.
“Last week, a whistleblower came forward with troubling claims about abuses of power,” Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) told IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel at the start of an oversight hearing on the agency’s affairs. “We are conducting a review of this matter and will go wherever the facts lead us. I expect full cooperation from the IRS, particularly with regard to ensuring this whistleblower is protected from retaliation.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DC Police Chief Retires After Two Years of Leading Force, With Homicides on Record Pace, to Join FBI
D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee III is retiring after 33 years with the department to become an assistant director at the FBI.
His last day on the force will be June 3, he said Wednesday.
“I want to congratulate Chief Contee on his retirement and thank him for his service to DC — for leading MPD with passion and purpose,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said. “He has pushed our criminal justice system to do more and be better.”
Contee was sworn in as chief at the start of January 2021, and crime has risen dramatically during that time. He took over just after the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
Homicides rose nearly 15% during his first year as chief. While they fell slightly in 2022, D.C. is on track this year to have the most homicides in nearly two decades, according to NBC Washington.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Energy Sec. Granholm Backs Democrats’ Plan Make All US Military Vehicles Electric Powered by 2030
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has put her stamp of approval on the Biden administration’s effort to make all U.S. military vehicles electric powered by 2030.
“I do, and I think we can get there,” Granholm said in response to a question Wednesday about the matter by Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
Amid concerns about moving the U.S. away from fossil fuel and as a result having to rely on foreign resources, Granholm said “energy security” is achieved only when the country has “homegrown clean energy that is abundant.”
Ernst criticized such efforts by Democrats, arguing they are “putting the climate crusade ahead of our [Defense] Department’s lethality.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A former US Army psychological warfare officer says that Tucker Carlson was fired by Fox News because of the regime’s agenda to maintain an “uninformed semi lobotomized quasi retarded population.”
The remarks were made by US counter-terror expert Scott Bennett.
Carlson and Fox News “parted ways” on Monday with speculation still raging as to the specific reason why the network canned its highest rated and most popular host.
According to Bennett, Carlson posed too much of a threat to institutional power because he turned Americans into proper “researchers and thinkers”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Court Issues Summons in Disney Lawsuit Against Ron DeSantis While He is in Israel
A Florida court issued a summons Thursday against Gov. Ron DeSantis in relation to Disney’s lawsuit against him, while DeSantis is more than 6,000 miles away from the state on a trip to Israel.
The summons, which was addressed to the governor’s office in Tallahassee, was issued by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.
“A lawsuit has been filed against you,” it says, adding that “[w]ithin 21 days after service of this summons on you (not counting the day you received it)… you must serve on the plaintiff an answer to the attached complaint or a motion under Rule 12 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
House Votes Against Withdrawing Troops From Somalia
The House on Thursday voted against withdrawing U.S. forces from Somalia, where U.S. forces have intermittently conducted operations for roughly 30 years.
Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz had proposed to withdraw all U.S. troops, save those guarding the embassy, within a one-year timeframe.
Lawmakers, however, rejected the plan in a decisive, 102-321 vote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
LA Times Denies Submitting Questions to the White House Ahead of Press Conference
The Los Angeles Times is denying submitting questions to the White House ahead of Wednesday’s press conference after a photo of the president’s cheat sheet showed a general summary of a question asked by the paper’s reporter.
The vice president of communications for the Los Angeles Times, Hillary Manning, provided the following to statement to Fox News Digital: “Our reporter did not submit any questions in advance of the Q&A with President Biden. Courtney Subramanian covers the White House for the Los Angeles Times. As such, she is in regular contact with the White House press office seeking information for her reporting. You would have to ask the White House who prepared the document for the president and why they included that question.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but has yet to receive a response.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lancaster Small-Business Owner and Employee Stabbed Before Attempted Carjacking, Authorities Say
LANCASTER, Calif. (KABC) — A suspect was arrested Wednesday night after he allegedly stabbed a small-business owner and an employee in Lancaster and then attempted a carjacking nearby, authorities said.
The incident occurred at about 8 p.m. at the Automod Racing body shop in the 44400 block of Sierra Highway, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies saw a man in his 20s attempting to carjack a female driver, a sheriff’s spokesperson said. The suspect fled but was apprehended by the deputies a short time later.
As the suspect was being taken into custody, two men approached the deputies. The men said they had been stabbed by the suspect earlier that evening.
Noel Dizon, the owner of Automod Racing, said the attack began when the suspect threw a beer inside the shop. Dizon said he chased the man, who then stabbed him in the shoulder with a knife.
The employee tried to intervene and was also stabbed in the confrontation.
According to Dizon, the attacker said: “Your shop is done. I’m coming back for you.”
“So now I’m threatened,” Dizon said in an interview. A scar was visible on his shoulder, and his ripped T-shirt was stained with blood. “So I said to the cop: ‘We’ve got to make sure he — I’m feeling not so good because this guy’s coming back for me.’“
Both of the stabbing victims sustained injuries that were not life-threatening, the Sheriff’s Department said.
Authorities believe the attempted carjacking and the stabbings were random attacks.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Local and Federal Authorities Investigating Two Suspected Pipe Bomb Explosions in Weare
Police are investigating the explosion of two suspected pipe bombs that occurred along roadways in Weare on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, injuring at least one person.
Weare police and fire responded to 362 Dustin Tavern Road at 6:10 p.m. on Wednesday night after a suspected pipe bomb exploded. No injuries or damage were reported, the Weare Police Department posted on Facebook.
Early Thursday morning around 6:50 a.m., police and fire responded to 16 Sugar Hill Road after a second explosion occurred and caused minor injuries to a passerby.
The explosions are being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosions with assistance from the New Hampshire State Police and the Weare Police Department, ATF officials announced on their Twitter account. The two devices are being compared to determine whether the incidents are related.
The investigation is active and ongoing. ATF officials did not respond to requests for comment.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
Microsoft’s Edge is Caught Leaking All Website Visits to Bing
Microsoft Edge is leaking the sites people visit to the Bing API website. The problem started after Edge rolled out a new feature in the latest update.
The problem was first reported on Reddit by user hackermchackface.
However, the user was not able to find out why Edge was sending a request to bingapis.com every time users opened a new page.
According to software engineer Rafael Rivera, the problem was being caused by a poorly implemented feature that allows users to follow content creators on all platforms.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Over 100 Harvard professors have added their names to the school’s new Council on Academic Freedom in an attempt to defend free speech in one of America’s most famous schools.
“We are in a crisis time right now,” Janet Halley, a Harvard Law School professor and feminist legal theory scholar, told The New York Post.
“Many, many people are being threatened with — and actually put through — disciplinary processes for their exercise of free speech and academic freedom,” Halley said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Six Hour Standoff at Massachusetts Jail Results in $200,000 in Damages
On Friday, inmates and staff the Bristol County House of Correction in Massachusetts engaged in a six-hour standoff, and while nobody was injured, the facility was left in rough shape.
The inmates, who were protesting the jail’s decision to move them in order to do renovations, caused $200,000 in damage after fashioning weapons out of sharpened furniture and other items and trashing everything in sight.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Supreme Court Seems to Tilt Strongly Toward Grandmother in Property Rights Case
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday heard its last scheduled argument of the term — a case brought by a 94-year-old widowed grandmother in Minneapolis whose condominium was seized for failure to pay property taxes. Unsurprisingly, it looked like grandma will win.
The case is important because Minnesota is one of 20 states that handle the sale of such defaulted properties without sharing the proceeds with the previous owner when the property is sold.
Geraldine Tyler bought her condo in 1999 and lived there until 2010 when, at age 81, she moved to a senior living center at the urging of her children. It is undisputed that she failed to pay property taxes on the condo for five years, despite being repeatedly notified that she risked losing it if she didn’t pay up. By 2015, she owed $15,000 in unpaid taxes, interest and fees.
Finally, the county, after offering her a tax payment plan for seniors and other options, seized the condo and sold it at public auction for $40,000.
At the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Tyler’s lawyer argued that the county unconstitutionally took the property by keeping the $25,000 surplus over the amount owed in back taxes. Lawyer Christina Martin said that amounts to a taking without just compensation, something that the Constitution explicitly forbids.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Target Expands Locked Merchandise Cases to Hit Back at Shoplifting
One of the strategies Target has utilized amid its efforts to curb more shoplifting are locked-up cases.
The company has resorted to keeping all items in the personal care aisle at a location on San Francisco’s Folsom Street in locked shelves, footage of which recently received significant engagement on social media. WNCT-TV reported that has been the case for some things there since at least October.
Another Target outside of Manhattan in Riverdale, New York, has also made it so rows in its personal care section are locked up and require a staffer to open.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ted Cruz, Byron Donalds Take Action to Eliminate Federal Agency
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., are unleashing an effort to eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
The lawmakers are introducing a bill Thursday to repeal the Consumer Financial Protection Act that created the agency and restore federal laws “as if the act had not been enacted,” according to a copy of the bill obtained by Fox News Digital. Since it was established in 2010, Republican lawmakers and financial groups have criticized the CFPB as an unnecessary agency.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tucker Carlson Gets Revenge as Fox News Suffers Worst Ratings Since Pre-9/11
Fox News is continuing to see its ratings sink like a stone after firing network star Tucker Carlson.
As Slay News reported earlier, Fox has already been hit hard after the move to cut Carlson.
The company’s stock and viewer numbers have plummeted.
However, Fox News is now seeing record-low viewer numbers as people across the country boycott the network.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tucker Carlson Should Join Rumble, Joe Rogan Says
In the wake of Tucker Carlson’s sudden departure from Fox News, media circles have been abuzz with speculation about where the popular host will land next. Among those weighing in on the matter is podcast giant Joe Rogan, who has suggested that the news personality should consider joining Rumble, the growing video-sharing platform favored by independent creators for its neutrality.
In an episode with comedian Dave Smith, Smith said that Carlson was someone who, “would disagree with the rest of the people at his network,” and said he was unique in that way.
“He’s really designed for the internet,” Rogan responded.
“I hope he goes there,” Smith said.
“He’s going to,” Rogan added, “unless they’ve paid him off.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter Files: Who Stealth-Edited Vaccine Info to Help Twitter Censor Tucker Carlson
Authored by Paul Thacker, former lead investigator for Sen. Chuck Grassley, via The DisInformation Chronicle (emphasis ours),
In a revisit to his famed critique of the media “Manufacturing Consent,” MIT’s Noam Chomsky explained in a 2018 interview that money and elites shape and censor the news, ensuring journalistic complicity in protecting corporations and those in power.
“The myth is that the media are independent, adversarial, courageous, struggling against power,” Chomsky said. “That’s actually true of some. There are often very fine reporters, correspondents. In fact, the media does a fine job, but within a framework that determines what to discuss, not to discuss.”
Much of this framework was exposed in a blistering account by a Columbia Journalism Review investigation that documented years of faulty reporting and journalistic failures in coverage of Trump by media outlets including the New York Times and Washington Post—many times in articles that later won journalism prizes. One of the few Americans to challenge the official framework of acceptable narratives was a controversial and polarizing Fox News TV talking head, hated by the mainstream reporters for daring to throw darts at liberal pieties.
Nonetheless, the majority of reporters have shrugged aside their colleagues’ reporting fiascoes and the damage done to their own reputations, and continue to blame most failures in journalism on one person: Tucker Carlson.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Videos: Biden Wanders Around Lost All Day at the White House
Joe Biden spent the entire day Wednesday wandering around lost and constantly asking his handlers which way to go, while hosting the South Korean President.
Biden tried to hide the fact that he was again asking for directions as to how to get off the podium, and then wandered around aimlessly, not knowing where he was, like a patient in a nursing home.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Rand Paul Accuses USAID Administrator of Stonewalling COVID Origins Investigation
Senator Rand Paul grilled Samantha Power, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), during a Senate Foreign Relations Hearing Wednesday, accusing Power of working to withhold information requested by Republicans on the origins of COVID-19.
Paul immediately asked Power if USID had funded coronavirus research in Wuhan, China, prompting her to automatically deny any gain of function research took place.
“That is not the question,” Paul shot back, before noting that huge grants totalling 200 million dollars, under the PREDICT program, were given to coronavirus researchers in China, some of which were stationed at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Whistleblower Mysteriously Disappears After Vowing to Testify Against Biden Family
A whistleblower has mysteriously disappeared without a trace after coming forward with information about Democrat President Joe Biden and his family’s business dealings.
Israeli Professor Gal Luft has not been heard from since April 19.
In 2019, Luft independently approached the FBI as a whistleblower.
He reported to the federal agency that he had information regarding nefarious dealings by the Biden family.
However, the FBI reportedly never followed up with Luft on his claims.
The information that Luft gave to the FBI apparently runs parallel to, and possibly even corroborates, the content on Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop.
Luft’s testimony would have been especially significant since Hunter’s laptop was not public knowledge in 2019.
Nevertheless, rather than investigate the claims, the Southern District of New York instead issued an arrest warrant and extradition request against the whistleblower.
Almost four years after approaching the FBI, Luft was arrested at an airport in Cyprus on February 16 on his way back home to Israel.
He was arrested on a series of eyebrow-raising charges related to arms trafficking and espionage.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Trudeau’s Internet Censorship Bill Becomes Law
After significant parliamentary scrutiny and years of political pushback, the Trudeau Liberal government’s Online Streaming Act, known as Bill C-11, has passed and will become law.
The bill, focused on reforming the Broadcasting Act to include online content, has been a contentious issue for some time.
Bill C-11 is aimed at forcing popular social media platforms and streaming services to abide by Canadian content regulations similar to those imposed on traditional broadcasters. Platforms like Netflix, Crave, Spotify, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and YouTube will be required to spend millions of dollars investing in Canadian content and creators.
Critics have raised concerns about the Liberal proposal’s potential knock-on effects for content creators and the content users see online.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Edmonton’s 2022 Record Crime Rate on Track to be Topped This Year
Edmonton saw the most number of violent crimes ever reported in a single year in 2022 — and the Alberta capital is on track to see even higher numbers this year.
Sean Tout, Edmonton Police Service’s executive director of information management and analytics, said violent crimes during the first quarter of 2023 were up by about 6% compared to the same period in 2022.
“The volume of violent crime, the severity of violent crime and violence perpetrated against these victims continues to increase in the city of Edmonton at alarming rates,” Tout said at a news conference last week.
Last year, at least 15,040 violent crimes were reported in Edmonton. That’s an increase of 16.5% from the year before. Crime categories with the biggest increase during the time period include assaults, intimidation, and robbery.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Text messages between Tyler Meredith, a policy advisor at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Farees Nathoo, an issues manager at the PMO, and Alex Lawrence, director of communications for the deputy prime minister show that even they were concerned about Justin Trudeau’s public statements about the Freedom Convoy protests.
The texts, first noticed by Rebel, were obtained by the Public Order Emergency Commission, which was tasked with investigating if the use of the Emergencies Act to stop the protests was justifiable.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
After Being First G-7 Belt & Road Signatory, Italy Under Meloni Mulls Pullout
Italy’s firebrand conservative prime minister Giorgia Meloni is not playing ball with China, throwing a wrench into President Xi Jinping’s efforts to peel a handful of European Union countries away from US policy.
Bloomberg days ago reported that “Meloni, the right-wing leader who came to power less than a year ago, is leaning toward pulling out of an agreement to join China’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative, which has funded US$900 billion in infrastructure projects globally, according to people familiar with the government’s thinking.”
“Italian officials raised the prospect of withdrawal in talks with Taiwan this week, Bloomberg reported.” Meloni has previously been on record (in 2019) as calling the BRI “a big mistake”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Children Injured by Motorcross Riders in Multiple ‘Urban Rodeo’ Incidents Across France
Multiple children have been injured by out-of-control motocross riders engaged in ‘urban rodeos’ in recent days across France, according to reports.
Packs of ‘youths’ riding ATVs and dirt bikes continue to terrorize residents of France, often causing damage and hurting innocent bystanders.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cold War With China Would Betray Our National Interest Says UK Govt
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Tuesday that it is not in Britain’s national interest to isolate Communist China in a new Cold War.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Czech Teacher on Trial Over Ukraine War Misinformation
A Czech primary school teacher is due to face trial for spreading Russian disinformation about the war in Ukraine to her pupils.
Martina Bednarova, who until last year taught Czech at a school in Prague, told children last April there was “no war” in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
On the contrary, she claimed, Ukrainian soldiers were murdering the Russian-speaking inhabitants of Donbas.
A state prosecutor has filed charges against her, Czech daily Pravo reports.
Ms Bednarova is accused of the criminal offence of denying, questioning, approving or justifying genocide. She faces between six months and three years in prison if convicted.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
EU’s Vera Jourova Says She’s “Uncomfortable” on Twitter, Wants More Censorship
Vice President of the European Commission, Vera Jourova, said that she is “more and more uncomfortable on Twitter” because of what she said was the rise in Russian propaganda.
She added that Twitter was likely going to violate the upcoming censorship law, the Digital Services Act (DSA), once enforcement begins later this year, because of the “unregulated Russian aggressive propaganda”
The DSA requires platforms to remove “harmful” content or risk heavy fines.
Jourova said that the employees who were fired when Elon Musk took over last October meant staff responsible for content moderation were fired.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Berlin Swears in First Conservative Mayor Since 2001
Berlin’s first conservative mayor in 22 years took office on Thursday following a state election in which he capitalized on discontent in the German capital. Amid divisions in his own coalition, he had a rocky start.
Kai Wegner’s center-right Christian Democratic Union, Germany’s main opposition party, emerged as the biggest party in the February rerun election that was ordered by a court because of serious glitches in the previous vote in 2021. The CDU celebrated winning in a big city, which it has struggled to do in recent years, while all three parties in Berlin’s outgoing left-wing government lost supporters.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), which serves as the country’s domestic intelligence service, has classified the AfD party youth wing, Junge Alternative (JA), as a “certain right-wing extremist endeavor.” The new designation not only creates the conditions for increased monitoring and enforcement action against JA, it also comes as a political hit to the parent AfD party at a time when it has seen a surge in popularity.
The BfV had already listed the AfD youth group as a “suspected case” in 2019, and the agency is now allowed to use all intelligence tools to monitor the JA after its new designation. In addition to the use of so-called confidential informants, this will include telephone tapping and covert observation, according to German newspaper Die Welt.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Governments Now Pushing to Confiscate Farms Due to ‘Nitrogen Crisis’
A new enemy has emerged in the form of a so-called “nitrogen crisis” and, according to governments aligned with the global elite, fighting this alleged problem is now a top priority that involves confiscating farms.
In Europe, governments have already started pushing policies to tackle the allegedly harmful nitrogen emissions produced by farming.
New goals are being laid out that will require staggering numbers of farms to be shut down.
In the Netherlands, the big upset in the recent Dutch Senate elections was driven by a rebellion against the government’s latest green agenda.
This green agenda directly aligns with the goals of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and saw the Dutch government try desperately to confiscate farmland to reduce “carbon emissions.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
LOT Polish Airlines Block Russian Tennis Player From Boarding Flight
The Russian tennis player Vitalia Diatchenko was denied permission to board a LOT Polish Airlines flight from Cairo to Warsaw. LOT representatives stated that they acted in accordance with the law and cited regulations put into place after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian tennis player recently competed in Egypt, where she won only one match and was scheduled to play in the Ladies Open de Calvi-Eaux de Zilla tournament in Corsica, but ultimately did not participate due to her travel difficulties.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Meloni Urges EU to Speed Up Accession Talks With Ukraine
Speaking at a conference in Rome on Wednesday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called on European allies to start accession negotiations with Ukraine as soon as possible.
In a joint statement with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmihal, the Italian prime minister underlined that Ukraine’s future must be shaped in such a way that it can increasingly adapt to European dynamics and institutions.
“The smartest way to thank the Ukrainians for what they are doing is to accelerate their chances to participate in European institutions,” the Italian leader said. “We must acknowledge the enormous efforts made by Kyiv to reform its system and bring it more in line with the European Commission’s requirements.”
She added that Italy wants to play a leading role in the reconstruction of Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Microsoft Opens Top Cloud Data Center in Poland
Microsoft is launching the first cloud data storing and processing center in Central and Eastern Europe: Azure Poland Central. The technology giant announced on Wednesday that its new center in Poland will allow businesses to store valuable digital assets, ensuring compliance with regulations regarding data storage and processing.
“The cloud is a crucial contributor to accelerating the digitization and developing digital competence of Polish businesses and the overall economy, as well as strengthening their resilience in times of economic and geopolitical uncertainty, the American technology company wrote in a statement.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki welcomed Microsoft’s investment, saying it will turn Poland into a tech hub for Central and Eastern Europe.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Investigates ‘Remains of Aerial Military Object’ Found in Woods
Poland is investigating the remains of a presumably-crashed “aerial military object” in a forest in the centre of the country which local media claims has Russian inscriptions.
A party of Sappers — military engineers — supported by police deployed to a forest near Zamosc, about ten miles from the city of Bydgoszcz and 120 miles south-west from the major coastal city of Gdansk. In a central region of Poland called the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship or Province, the presumed crash site is a considerable distance from the Ukrainian border, about 350 miles.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EXCLUSIVE: of the maharajah who gave Koh-i-Noor diamond to Queen Victoria in 1849 have said they ‘would not have had any issue with Camilla wearing it’ at Coronation.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
UK: New Police Powers to Tackle Slow-Walking Protests
Police in England and Wales are to be given new powers to tackle “disruptive” slow walking used by protesters to block roads.
The new legislation would give officers more leeway to intervene when protesters attempt to block roads by slow marching.
It will need to be approved by Parliament before it comes into force.
Just Stop Oil, Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion are among the groups to have used the tactic.
The government says the new law is required because the police lack clarity on when their existing powers can be used.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Protesters Disrupt BP Meeting as Boss Recommits Extra Money for Fossil Fuels
Seven protesters have been removed by security from BP’s annual shareholder meeting, as they repeatedly interrupted chairman Helge Lund and chief executive Bernard Looney as the meeting began.
It came as Mr Looney recommitted the company to a plan to invest a further eight billion dollars (£6.4 billion) in oil and gas by 2030, on top of an equivalent extra investment in the energy transition.
A woman initially shouted that Mr Lund was “not telling the truth about the climate crisis”, as he started speaking at the ExCel centre in London’s Custom House.
Referring to BP’s plan to have net zero emissions by the middle of the century, she said: “2050 is far too late. We are nearly at the tipping point.”
Once she was taken out by security, several other protesters got up, one by one, each being removed by security in turn.
One man was carried out of the room.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Just Stop Oil zealots sparked another day of road chaos in London today as they launched a new protest.
While police in Germany this week dragged eco-fanatics who had glued their hands to roads in Berlin off highways, Metropolitan Police officers stood around and appeared to make no immediate action while protesters from the XR offshoot tried to bring the capital to a standstill.
Activists from Just Stop Oil blocked a Ferrari driver on the world-famous Strand this morning at around 8.30am. Shortly before 9am, police issued a dispersal order to clamp down on another stunt at Waterloo Bridge.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Iran ‘Secret Way’ to Target Celebrities Amid Anti-Hijab Protests Revealed
Iranian authorities formed a ‘secret’ committee last year in order to keep a tab on celebrities who supported the massive anti-hijab protests which erupted following Mahsa Amini’s death, BBC reported citing leaked documents.
In a letter dated September 22 last year, the committee sent a list of 141 well-known figures to the economy ministry. The letter asked them to investigate their tax returns, marking a well coordinated action against the celebrities who participated in the nationwide protests.
Demonstrations began across Iran after the death of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini who was detained by the controversial morality police over her ‘inappropriate’ attire— not wearing her hijab properly. Mahsa Amini’s custodial death then led to huge protests that lasted for months in which hundreds of protesters lost their lives.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey’s Erdogan Cancels Election Rallies After Falling Ill on Live TV
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has canceled a series of upcoming election rallies after falling ill on live television and was forced to abruptly cut off the interview.
Erdogan, 69, was interviewed live on Turkey’s Ulke TV and Kanal 7 stations late Tuesday when the broadcast abruptly ended.
After the interview resumed around 20 minutes later, Erdogan explained that he had developed a serious “stomach flu” while campaigning and apologized for the interruption.
“Today I will rest at home under the advice of our doctors,” Erdogan tweeted. “With God’s permission, we will continue our program from tomorrow.”
Erdogan returned to the public spotlight on Thursday by inaugurating a nuclear power plant via video. The president looked pale sitting behind a desk surrounded by Cabinet members, aides, and political allies to president at the event.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Report: Russian Pranksters Trick Fed Chair Jerome Powell Into Interview
A pair of Russian pranksters famous for their hoax calls posed as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and tricked U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell into sharing a call with them, a report Thursday claims.
According to video shown on Russian state television Powell was tricked into answering questions on topics ranging from the outlook for inflation to the Russian central bank., Bloomberg reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russian Army is Bigger Today Than When Ukraine War Started, Says U.S. General
“Much of the Russian military has not been affected negatively by this conflict”, says top U.S. general, stating the Kremlin’s army is bigger today than when their Ukraine invasion began.
Despite the perception of a Great War-like meat-grinder on the front and military intelligence assessments of huge casualties producing little to no discernable advances, the Russian military has actually lost little of its major equipment and the army is actually bigger now than when the invasion began.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Flooded With NATO Military Hardware: Nine New Armoured Brigades Raised, Equipped
NATO allies and partners have sent Ukraine some 1,550 armoured vehicles and 230 tanks to form new heavy battlefield formations in a little over 12 months, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday, promising more to come as part of a “multi-year programme of support.”
The deliveries, since the start of the war in February last year, represent “more than 98 percent of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine,” Stoltenberg told a news conference, AFP reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Chinese Communist Party’s Secret Projects in the US: What is Going on?
In 2018, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) celebrated “Michigan-China Week” to highlight the growing economic ties between Michigan and China. At the time, Michigan already had more than 300 Chinese companies located in the state, with more than $4 billion in investment, supporting roughly 6,000 jobs. MEDC wanted to publicize this story in its bureaucratic hopes that more Chinese businesses would follow.
Michigan may be reaping the fruits of this engagement in the coming months as more Chinese money and workers are set to come to the state. Two Chinese companies, Gotion and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL), are on the verge of building two new battery manufacturing facilities in Michigan. These companies were lured by billions in state and local tax incentives and infrastructure investments, and the environmental requirements buried in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
Recently, MEDC CEO Quentin Messer stated, “Generational bets are being made, and we want to make sure that Michigan has what it takes. We’ve got to win.” Building on Messer’s thinking, the state of Michigan is making a big bet on electric vehicle technology in concert with the Chinese Communist Party. What could go wrong?
The answer to that is simple: Plenty.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Why China is Trying to Mediate in Russia’s War With Ukraine
BEIJING — Chinese leader Xi Jinping said Wednesday that Beijing will send an envoy to Ukraine to discuss a possible “political settlement” to Russia’s war with the country.
Beijing has previously avoided involvement in conflicts between other countries but appears to be trying to assert itself as a global diplomatic force after arranging talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran in March that led them to restore diplomatic relations after a seven-year break.
Xi told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call that a Chinese envoy, a former Chinese ambassador to Russia, would visit Ukraine and “other countries” to discuss a possible political settlement, according to a government statement.
It made no mention of Russia or last year’s invasion of Ukraine and didn’t indicate whether the Chinese envoy might visit Moscow.
The Xi-Zelenskyy phone call was long anticipated after Beijing said it wanted to serve as a mediator in the war.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Another Huge Blow for the Construction Industry as Major Brick Maker Closes State’s Last Factory
Australia’s biggest brick maker has announced the closure of its last WA plant in the latest piece of bad news for the embattled construction sector. But could better days be just around the corner?
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Thousands of locals have worked at the site over the years and many gathered on Friday morning to farewell the plant that they refer to as “the old girl”.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
A climate activist has sparked peak morning chaos after scaling Australia’s biggest performing arts venue as fellow protesters threaten to shut down CBD streets.
An Extinction Rebellion Australia member named Brad climbed up 162 metres onto the spire of the Arts Centre Melbourne around 5am on Friday and was still almost four hours later.
The protester unfurled a giant pink banner promoting the controversial group’s Occupy for Climate campaign as he was watched on by supporters from below.
Channel Seven reported that the protester spent at least 15 minutes trying to light a flare at the top of the spire but has been unsuccessful so far.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Senator Lidia Thorpe said she had ‘laughed’ after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recommended she ‘seek some support’ after video surfaced of her yelling profanities outside a Melbourne strip club.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
‘All Hungarians Arrived Home Safely’ — Hungarian Armed Forces Evacuate 32 People From Sudan
Due to the civil war in Sudan, the Hungarian government evacuated 32 people, including 7 Hungarian citizens, in a special operation, announced Minister of Defense Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky at the Kecskemét Air Base on Thursday morning.
The minister said after the landing of the Airbus A319 military aircraft carrying evacuated Hungarians and foreign nationals that “the safety of the Hungarian people is the most important thing wherever they are in the world.”
“Thirty-two people were brought home from the civil war-stricken Sudan. With this, all Hungarians arrived home safely,” said the Hungarian minister.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Illegal Migration Fuelling Prostitution, Drug Trade in Britain, Home Secretary Claims
Illegal migrants arriving in the UK are boosting prostitution and the drug trade in the country, the UK interior minister has claimed.
Suella Braverman, the Conservative Party’s Home Secretary, has described illegal migrants coming to Britain as fuelling criminality within the country.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Migrant Reception Capacity on Lampedusa to be Expanded
(ANSA) — ROME, APR 27 — Reception capacity on Lampedusa is to be expanded with the creation of an additional 850 places within the next 20 days, the interior ministry said on Wednesday evening.
The small Sicilian island is struggling to cope with the influx of migrants and refugees from north Africa, which has increased significantly in recent weeks.
On Thursday morning there were 2,705 people in the hotspot in Contrada Imbriacola against an official capacity of less than 400 places.
Meanwhile efforts are underway to transfer people away from Lampedusa after the arrival of 1,078 in 20 separate landings on Wednesday further compounded the overcrowding.
Provisions have been made to transfer up to 2,900 arrivals by Friday in an operation involving the navy, air force, finance police, coast guard and regular ferry, according to the interior ministry.
A first group of 389 migrants and refugees departed by ferry to Porto Empedocle on Wednesday evening.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The French are overwhelmingly in favor of the government passing a law that would facilitate deportations, with 82 percent saying they want such a law, even as the Macron government has overseen a dramatic drop in deportations over the years.
The poll, conducted by Consumer Science and Analytics (CSA) for CNews, was published on Wednesday, April 26. According to the precise wording of the questionnaire provided to 1,011 people, deportation concerns foreigners who are “delinquent” or “illegally” in France.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russian FSB Stoking Problems for EU’s Eastern Border, Says Deputy Head of EU’s Frontex Agency
The deputy head of Frontex, Uku Sarekanno, urged Europe to be ready to face hybrid threats on its borders. In his opinion, although the number of illegal migrant crossings on the eastern border of the EU may be decreasing, the problem will not disappear because on the other side of the border, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) remains active.
“As an Estonian, I know what that means,” he said.
He also thanked Polish border guards for their efforts during the migration crisis with Belarus and for helping Ukrainian refugees.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More than 1,850 migrants crossed the channel in April, making it the busiest month for small boat arrivals so far this year — and dozens more have been seen making the perilous journey today.
Government figures reveal that a total of 5,652 asylum seekers have crossed the Channel in 136 boats to date in 2023, an average of 42 people per vessel.
This month alone has seen 1,859 migrants arrive on British soil by inflatable dinghy or other small craft, making it the busiest this year, and April 22 saw 497 people undertake the perilous journey over a 24-hour period — a record day for 2023 at this stage.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Andrew Tate: UK’s Pro-Transgenderism Government is ‘Simply Evil’
British-American influencer Andrew Tate has branded the pro-transgenderism UK government as being “simply evil” over its treatment of boys and men.
Controversial kickboxer and social media influencer has lashed out at the UK government on social media, branding the institution as being “simply evil” over its treatment of him, as well as men in general.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A trans person suspected of child sex abuse was arrested at an in-home child daycare in Paulding County, Ga.
Dion Blake Keaton, an 18-year-old transgender person who identifies as a woman, was first arrested by Dallas Police on Feb. 23 on suspicion of three felony counts of sexual exploitation of children, and felony purchase, possession, manufacture, distribution or sale of controlled substances. (Keaton was found with a white powder at the daycare believed to be meth, according to the police report.)
Keaton’s iPhone and laptop were confiscated as part of the arrest. Following an investigation of those devices, Keaton was re-arrested on March 31 on suspicion of an additional 50 felony counts of sexual exploitation of children. Though Keaton was arrested weeks ago, the daycare-connected nature of the case and Keaton’s transgender identity is now being reported exclusively by The Post Millennial.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bud Light to Spend ‘Heavily’ on Marketing After Dylan Mulvaney Controversy: Report
Anheuser-Busch is reportedly planning a major marketing push for Bud Light as the beer giant scrambles to recover after the brand’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney prompted a boycott from conservative drinkers.
Benj Steinman, editor of Beer Marketer’s Insights, told the New York Post that Anheuser-Busch executives informed distributors this week in a closed-door meeting in Washington, D.C., that the company will “spend heavily on the brand after spending fell of a cliff last year.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrat Bill Seeks to Make Pedophiles a Protected Class
Democrats in Minnesota have introduced a new bill that seeks to make pedophiles a protected legal class in the state.
State representatives introduced legislation this week that would end the exclusion of pedophilia from legal protections of sexual orientation in state law.
The bill was co-authored by Democrat legislator Leigh Finke, a biological man who claims to be a transgender “woman.”
Last month, Finke won USA Today’s “Women of the Year” award alongside Michelle Obama.
The state’s existing anti-discrimination law excludes sexual attraction to children from legally protected sexual orientations.
However, the Democrats’ bill, HF 1655, would remove that exclusion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ireland: Babies Being Born Alive After Abortions, Government Confirms
A government report into abortion in Ireland has confirmed that some babies are left alive after abortions in the country.
Some abortions in Ireland do result in the baby being born alive, a review into Ireland’s abortion system and corresponding legislation published on Wednesday has confirmed.
It comes after an academic paper published back in 2020 revealed that some babies were being born in Ireland after being aborted, sometimes resulting in infighting amongst medical staff with conflicting views over what to do in such a situation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kansas GOP Lawmakers Enact Sweeping Transgender Bathroom Law, Override Democrat Governor’s Veto
Republican legislators in Kansas have enacted a bill to prevent transgender people from using the restrooms associated with their gender identities, overriding a veto of the measure by the state’s Democrat governor.
The measure is among the most the sweeping transgender bathroom laws in the U.S., according to the Associated Press.
An overrride vote by the House on Thursday followed one by the Senate on Wednesday.
The House vote was 84-40, exactly the two-thirds majority they needed to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s action.
The Senate vote was 28-12, and the new law will take effect July 1.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Note: This article may contain spoilers from the new DLC Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores.
Metacritic plans new ways to censor user reviews after players criticized Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores.
The owner of the platform, Fandom, has responded to press reports about the wide discrepancy between the critics scores of the downloadable content compared to the user reviews.
The game, which was released last week, was praised for its visuals and gameplay.
However, many players, among accusations of having a thin story, have criticized the plot in which the character Aloy, who fans have played as since 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn, meets Seyka a “marine of the Quen tribe” and includes options to allow the two women to engage in a romantic relationship.
“Stop pushing those farking woke agenda upon gamers,” one review reads.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Montana Republicans have voted to bar trans-identified lawmaker Zooey Zephyr from the House floor for the remainder of the legislative session, citing “decorum” rules after the Democrat state representative accused them of having blood on their hands for voting to ban experimental child sex changes.
Zephyr will be permitted to vote remotely and participate in committees but will be prevented from discussing proposals and amendments in the House, according to the Associated Press.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Christian mother in the U.K. who sued after claiming her 4-year-old son was forced to participate in an LGBT pride march at his school without her consent is appealing after a court dismissed her case.
Izoduwa Montague filed a suit with her husband Shane in 2019 claiming the headteacher at Heavers Farm Primary School in Croydon, South London, aggressively informed her in 2018 that her son was not allowed to opt out of the march despite her family’s religious beliefs, according to a press release from the London-based nonprofit Christian Concern.
She further objected to posters and other books, flags, posters and other materials throughout the school allegedly promoting the celebration of LGBT behavior to its youngest pupils. She claimed school leadership created a “hostile” and “intimidating” environment toward parents who oppose LGBT ideology.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EXCLUSIVE: Conservative Dad’s Ultra Right Beer, which launched immediately after Americans began boycotting Bud Light for its controversial partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, is expected to surpass $1 million in sales since mid-April, FOX Business has learned.
After only being in business 12 days, Ultra Right is expected to surpass $1 million in sales by Sunday, gaining over 10,000 customers and selling 20,000 six-packs since the April launch.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Virginia College Students Get Heated Protesting Liz Wheeler’s ‘Ideology of Transgenderism’ Speech
Conservative commentator Liz Wheeler was met by dozens of protesters Wednesday evening when she arrived to a Virginia college to deliver remarks about “transgenderism” and its impact in America.
The protest kicked off ahead of Wheeler’s arrival on the campus of James Madison University, where she delievered a speech, “The Ideology of Transgenderism,” and was challenged by a number of her detractors in attendance.
Wheeler, a podcast host who often sounds off on topics critical to the conservative agenda, was invited to speak at the event by the school’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
.
.
IT’S ALMOST OVER WITH SWEDEN
Report:
Organized crime now spread across the country
Published on April 27, 2023 in Fria Tider
Organized crime operates throughout the country, in all geographical contexts, and is not just linked to ghettos. This is according to a new report.
When criminologist Amir Rostami and sociologist Hernan Mondani recently presented their report, “Criminals on the Map”, they were able to show an extensive geographical spread of organized crime in Sweden.
According to the researchers, organized crime exists throughout Sweden, but with some differences between different areas and criminal environments. Motorcycle gangs are widely spread across the country and have established clubhouses in many different regions. On the other hand, mafia-like organizations are strongly localized to Gothenburg and Stockholm.
‘Mobile individuals’
However, some municipalities stand out. In Botkyrka and Södertälje, for example, large spillover effects are seen even outside the so-called vulnerable areas, where organized crime has also existed for a long time. Furthermore, the researchers find so-called ‘mobile individuals’.
– These individuals move across large geographical areas, are very active in crime and account for between 45-65% of crimes. ‘They help spread organized crime, create new contacts and establish new markets,’ says Hernan Mondani.
Organized crime tends to spread to new areas and arenas, according to Amir Rostami.
– ‘This requires cooperation at both local and national level, but also between different municipalities such as Botkyrka and Södertälje,’ says Rostami.
Criminals cooperate more and more
The two researchers can see that the number of collaborations in crime has increased significantly. In the case of violent crime, a sharp increase from 1995 of between 60 and 111 percent, depending on how many people are involved in these collaborations.
But it is mainly economic crime that has seen a very strong development in cooperation, with between 116 and 371 percent.
– This involves fraud against the state, such as tax crime and welfare crime, but also fraud against individuals, and the criminal profits are large. ‘The criminal economy is estimated to have an annual turnover of 100 to 150 billion,’ says Amir Rostami.
A multi-criminal ecosystem
Organized crime is an ecosystem of groups and individuals with different skills, subculture and organization. Focusing only on the shootings and forgetting that they also engage in economic crime misses an important source of how they organize themselves, according to the researchers.
For Amir Rostami, a key to tackling organized crime is to make it difficult for the actors to organize themselves. It is important to avoid tunnel vision where shootings or vulnerable areas overshadow other crime problems.
– Measures against organized crime need to focus on strengthening controls on financial and benefit systems, thereby reducing their room for manoeuvre. There is also a strong focus on the police when other authorities can have a greater impact on organized crime,” said Amir Rostami.
+++
https://www.friatider.se/rapport-organiserade-brottsligheten-nu-spridd-over-hela-landet
It is very simple.
You arrest the low-level criminals and then interrogate them about their organizations and bosses.
How did the US Army called it?
Hard interrogation methods.
Or was it: Send them to Syrya and ask the secret service of Syria to interrogate them.
Then you know the next level of criminals.
Rinse and repeat.
Once you have them all, you know what to do.
Yes, it is Thunderdome Night!
In my opinion, transsexuals are either mentally ill or nefariously motivated (to gain access to female protected space), if not both at once.
Words are cheap Georgia Meloni , she promised Italians to send all illegals back where they came from , and now she is welcome them all !!, or maybe she will send them to Germany, German communist government take them all and more ..
Welcomes them as organ donors?
Oh wait. That is China and Ukraine.