A woman named Daria Trepova has been arrested for handing Vladlen Tatarsky the explosive statuette that killed the Russian milblogger. Ms. Trepova has reportedly been associated with dissident political activities in Russia. The Russian government blamed the Ukrainian intelligence services for the assassination.
In other news, Donald Trump will reportedly be charged with 34 felony counts tomorrow in New York City, but will not be handcuffed and won’t have his mug shot taken.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, DV, JW, McN, Reader from Chicago, 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.
Eurozone Core Inflation Hits Record High
The Eurozone’s core inflation accelerated in March to a new all-time high of 5.7% from 5.6% recorded last month, preliminary figures from EU’s statistical agency Eurostat showed on Friday.
The reading excludes food, tobacco and alcoholic drinks in the countries that share the euro currency, which were 15.4% more expensive in March than this time last year. They were also higher compared with a 15% annual rise in February.
Meanwhile, headline inflation came in at 6.9% last month versus 8.5% in February. The decline is attributed to the drop in annual energy inflation from 13.7% to 0.9%.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Withdrawals Surge at Major U.S. Banks Amid Industry Volatility
Withdrawals have surged at the United States’ largest banks as depositors become increasingly wary of industry volatility in the wake of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.
The top 25 U.S. banks, lost $89.7 billion in the week ending March 22, according to the Epoch Times. Those firms saw a $67 billion increase in deposits the week prior and are currently down $22.7 billion since the collapse of SVB.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
300,000 Americans Killed by COVID Shots in 2022 Alone
An explosive new report from top U.S. researchers has revealed that a staggering number of Americans were injured, disabled, or killed by Covid shots last year.
According to the report, which was compiled by renowned analyst Ed Dowd and his research team at Phinance Technologies, 300,000 people in the United States were killed by the mRNA jabs in 2022 alone.
The researchers note in The Vaccine Damage Project report that, aside from the devasting death toll, 1.36 million people were also disabled by the shots while 26.6M suffered injuries.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Southwest Philadelphia man was sentenced Monday to five years in federal prison for his role in the torching of a police car outside City Hall during the 2020 racial justice protests.
Khalif Miller, 27, told the judge he was sorry for his actions, which prosecutors described as throwing papers into a burning cruiser as dozens of demonstrators gathered nearby. For that conduct, U.S. District Chief Judge Juan R. Sanchez imposed a 61-month penalty.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Nominee Boasted of Plan to Abuse Role to Force Aggressive Climate Agenda
One of Democrat President Joe Biden’s subagency nominees previously boasted that she planned to abuse her role to force through an aggressive climate agenda.
Ann Carlson was nominated by Biden to lead a little-known Department of Transportation subagency called the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Carlson, an environmental law expert, was nominated in February to be the NHTSA administrator.
However, it has now emerged that she boasted in 2021 that Biden recruited her to oversee climate standards for cars and trucks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bragg Backs Down, Won’t Pursue Charges Against Man Who Shot Robber in Self Defense
It was reported last week that Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney, was seeking murder charges against Moussa Diarra, a parking garage attendant in Manhattan who had shot a thief in an act of self-defense. However, Bragg has since changed his stance and will no longer pursue charges against Diarra.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Trans Nashville School Shooter Had Planned Attack for ‘Months’: Police
In an update released by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) on Monday, officials revealed that trans-identified shooter Audrey Hale planned the attack that killed 3 children and 3 adults “over a period of months,” and that Hale fired 152 rounds from the time she shot her way into the school until Hale was killed by police.
MNPD wrote in a press release that the ongoing investigation continues to show that Hale acted alone.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Trump Will be Charged With 34 Felony Counts — No Handcuffs or Mug Shot: Report
A source tells Yahoo News that Donald Trump will be charged with 34 felony counts for “falsification of business records”, but there will be no mug shot and Trump will not be handcuffed.
Yahoo News reports: “But, the source said, Trump will not be put in handcuffs, placed in a jail cell or subjected to a mug shot — typical procedures even for white-collar defendants until a judge has weighed in on pretrial conditions. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, which has been consulting with the Secret Service and New York City court officials, concluded that there was no reason to subject the former president to handcuffs or a mug shot.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Can Anyone Really Fix Chicago?
Like most big cities, Chicago has a crime problem. The city is not unique in that respect, nor is it unique in residents charging the police with racism, brutality, and the targeting of minorities.
But Chicago is afflicted with a deadly combination: a police department that walks on eggshells for fear of being accused of brutality, thus making far fewer arrests, and a local prosecutor who believes it’s more important to impose her idea of “restorative justice” than enforce the law.
The city’s police department is under a Department of Justice consent decree that does little to address the real, systemic problems on the Chicago police force but adds reams of useless paperwork to the job. Police morale is at rock bottom with more than 2,600 police officers leaving the department from 2020 to August 2022. As for the schools, more than 90,000 students have left the public schools in the last two years, leaving a huge hole in the budget.
On Tuesday, Chicagoans will vote for the next mayor. Paul Vallas is a former CEO of the city’s public schools while Brandon Johnson is the current Cook County Commissioner and a former lobbyist for the teacher’s union. By far and away, the top issue voters say concerns them is crime and public safety.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Confirmed: That Chinese Spy Balloon Made Fools of the Biden Administration
The Chinese spy balloon that was allowed to spend a week flying over the U.S. was able to transmit secret intelligence to Beijing about several military bases “in real time,” according to a Monday morning news report.
Three unnamed officials told NBC News that Communist China was able to “gather intelligence from several sensitive American military sites.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Congress Gets a Personal Lesson in Crime
by Daniel Greenfield
It used to be that Congress were the biggest criminals in D.C. Now they have competition.
In February, Rep. Angie Craig was assaulted by a career criminal in the elevator of her D.C. building. The attacker, who had previously been busted 13 times for assault, decided to go for his 14th outing by punching the congresswoman in the face while trying to force her inside.
Rep. Crag, a Democrat who had once attended a Black Lives Matter rally, wisely refused to let her attacker inside her apartment and threw hot coffee at him instead. In that moment, Craig perhaps decided that Congress Lives Matter more than those of oppressed criminals.
Had Craig been armed, she might have done better than rely on her coffee remaining hot for self-defense, but last year she had complained that “attempts to address gun violence in this country have been stymied by gridlock, special interests and career politicians”.
D.C. isn’t suffering from “gun violence”, but from criminals running around on the loose…
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
Connecticut Plots Online Censorship Board
The Connecticut legislature plans to pass Senate Bill 6410, which would see the creation of a censorship board.
The board would study online “harassment” of individuals and government officials and recommend laws to censor speech.
The board would have nine members, four of them from the minority Republican Party.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DeSantis Signs Bill Into Law to Lift Unconstitutional Concealed Carry Restrictions in Florida
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a bill into law that lifts the unconstitutional requirements for Floridians to obtain a permit to carry a concealed firearm in the state.
DeSantis signed the bill into law on Monday to allow people to conceal-carry a firearm in Florida without obtaining a permit.
Florida’s new law now means that the majority of U.S. states have constitutional carry laws in place.
The move was celebrated in a statement from the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called for an investigation into the board that previously ran a district overseeing Disney World after it curbed his replacement board’s power over the corporate giant.
DeSantis asked Florida’s chief inspector general to probe how the original board forfeited its own power to Disney just before the Florida House of Representatives approved an overhaul that would replace the group with state-appointed members. The Republican requested that the Florida watchdog analyze the legality of the board’s move, determine whether Disney employees were involved and if the company had any financial gain.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Despite a massive staffing shortage that continues to cause units to be “browned out,” the Seattle Fire Department is still refusing to rehire firefighters who were terminated after refusing to get the COVID vaccine.
“L6 is browned out,” a source with the department told The Post Millennial on Friday. “Browned out” means to temporarily shut down a station or apparatus due to staffing concerns.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Federal Judge Upholds Delaware’s Assault Weapons Ban
Afederal judge has rejected a legal challenge by Second Amendment groups seeking to block Delaware’s “assault weapons” ban while a legal challenge over the law plays out in court.
The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Andrews, issued last week, rejected a request by the Delaware Sportsmen’s Association and other groups who sued the state for a preliminary injunction blocking the new regulations from being enforced as he considers the lawsuit.
[Comment: Prediction: The judge was appointed by a Democratic President. Looks at Wikipedia: Bingo!]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hillary Clinton Goes on Bitter Anti-American Rant With Nancy Pelosi
Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi held an event at Columbia where Clinton, still bitter over 2016, went on an anti-American, anti-free speech rant.
Remember, Hillary and her team carefully crafted a false narrative about Trump and Russia and pushed it out personally, Hillary was one of the first to alert the world to the fake Alfa Bank story via her Twitter account, and through the media.
Hillary Clinton personally approved of the decision to lie to the media and the American public and to falsely smear her political opponent. Politics is a rough game but she should be ashamed of what she did and should only bring it up to apologize.
But Hillary’s cynism knows no bounds. She said:
“When you have a media company that is like Facebook and like other platforms who do not care what lies they traffic in as long as they get ad money, you have consequences.
Rather than defend America and American exceptionalism she urged other countries in the world, “Don’t go where we went, which was to largely unregulated media with no fairness doctrine, no accountability for lies — unless, of course, these lawsuits against Fox are successful.”
She praised France’s restrictive speech laws: “Probably what really helped Macron was a law in France, which said no coverage of the election 72 hours before.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
How CNN’s Attempt to Cancel Joe Rogan Backfired
The world’s biggest podcaster Joe Rogan recently revealed how legacy media outlet CNN’s attempt to cancel him spectacularly backfired.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan threatened Sunday to defund any government agencies that engage in election interference, charging that both the FBI and the DOJ have done exactly that in their constant attempts to go after President Trump.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Measure to Lift Nuclear Power Moratorium Passes Illinois Senate
A bill that seeks to end the nuclear energy moratorium in Illinois has been approved by the Illinois Senate.
Illinois is one of the top states in the nation for nuclear energy. However, there is a moratorium on the construction of any new-generation facilities in the state.
Senate Bill 0076, if passed by the House and approved by the governor, would delete language in state statute that provides that no construction shall commence on any new nuclear power plant to be located within the state.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Minnesota University President Announces Retirement Following Criticism Over Muhammad Image Scandal
The president of a liberal arts college in Minnesota announced she is retiring next year following calls from faculty leaders for her resignation over her handling of an incident where an art history instructor showed depictions of the Prophet Muhammad during an “Islamic art” class.
Hamline University President Dr. Fayneese Miller announced she will retire on June 30, 2024, according to a Monday statement from the university. Miller has made headlines in recent months over criticism for the way she handled the situation regarding the art history lesson.
In October, Erika López Prater, a former adjunct art history professor at the university, was fired after a student complained that she showed images of the founder of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad, in her art history course.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Move Over, Pierre Delecto: It Looks as if AOC Has a Burner Account, And it’s a Doozy
A burner account, kids, is an anonymous account that a person, often a public figure, uses in order to have the freedom to say things that the public figure in question wouldn’t dare say if they could be attributed to him or her. One of the most notorious burner accounts was Mitt Romney’s Pierre Delecto, which he used to champion the last principled, upright politician in the land, a chap named Mitt Romney.
Now, however, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been unmasked as the operator of a burner account that gives old Pierre a run for his money. AOC has apparently even used it to wish death on at least one person. What? You thought Leftists were as sweet, loving, and tolerant as they claim to be?
The account, @zazasmoka, “zaza demon,” has now been deleted, but screenshots abound, and there is evidence a-plenty that it was AOC’s account. First, the name: “Zaza” can be a short form of “Alexander” or, of course, “Alexandria.” But that’s not what tied the account to AOC; the congresswoman did that herself by replying as AOC on the zaza demon account, forgetting to switch back to her main account.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NASA Announces Crew for First Moon Landing in 50 Years
NASA on Monday announced the astronaut crew members who will land on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.
The assortment of astronauts named for the Artemis II mission are set to fly 10 days around the moon aboard NASA’s Orion spaceship as soon as Nov. 2024, according to Insider.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pentagon Study: 77 Percent of Military-Age Americans Too Fat, Mentally Ill for Service
According to a recent Pentagon study, the state of America’s youth is not conducive to military service.
Via American Military News:
A Pentagon study revealed that 77 percent of young Americans do not qualify for military service without a waiver due to being overweight, drug use, or mental or physical problems.
“When considering youth disqualified for one reason alone, the most prevalent disqualification rates are overweight (11 percent), drug and alcohol abuse (8 percent), and medical/physical health (7 percent),” the Pentagon’s 2020 Qualified Military Available Study of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 read.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NEWPORT NEWS — The teacher shot by a 6-year-old student at Richneck Elementary School on Jan. 6 has filed a $40 million lawsuit against the Newport News School Board — asserting that administrators were grossly negligent in allowing the shooting to take place.
Abigail Zwerner, 25, of York County, contends the first grader’s past behavior should have led to better safety protections for everyone. Instead, the complaint said, Richneck’s assistant principal ignored several stark warnings that the boy had a gun on him.
The complaint said Richneck’s assistant principal, Ebony Parker, would not even look at Zwerner when she first expressed concerns about how the 6-year-old was acting that day. Even after other students told teachers the boy had a gun, Parker would not allow him to be searched.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Rowdy Crowd Blocks Atlanta Roadway and Dances Atop Cars, Disperses as Shots Allegedly Fired: Reports
Crowds blocked a northeast Atlanta roadway as they jumped and danced atop cars before dispersing as shots were allegedly fired early Sunday morning, according to multiple reports.
The scene occurred near Georgia State University and stopped traffic on John Wesley Dobbs Avenue at around 1:30 a.m., WSB-TV reported. Congregated vehicles also shut down an intersection between Memorial Drive and Capitol Avenue, according to the outlet.
A white car performed donuts at the intersection as members of the crowd roamed among unattended vehicles, WSB-TV reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Suspect Who Beat Portland Robbery Victim With Golf Club in Shocking Video Arrested
A Portland man was arrested on Friday in connection with a string of violent robberies across the city. Harold P. Griffin III, 34, has been charged with two counts of robbery in the first degree, assault in the second degree, assault in the fourth degree, and fraudulent use of a credit card.
Griffin was apprehended just hours after Portland Police sent out a press release.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
During an appearance in Philadelphia, Joe Biden randomly stopped in the street, looked up at a resident in an apartment in Rittenhouse Square and yelled “DON’T JUMP!”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump attorney Alina Habba shut down Don Lemon after the CNN host defended Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg during an interview on CNN This Morning. Trump will be arraigned tomorrow on 30-34 counts.
Habba turned the tables on Lemon reminding him that someone in the DA’s office leaked the number of counts in Trump’s indictment to the media. This is a major violation of legal and professional ethics.
It may be a crime, Habba thinks it could be a felony, but as the number of counts would be released to the public with the indictment, leaking them is most likely not a felony offense.
But Bragg does have some exposure here.
If the leak violated the defendant’s right to a fair trial, it could lead to legal action against the Manhattan District Attorney’s office or the individual leaker.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Hires New Defense Attorney on Eve of NYC Arraignment
Former President Trump on Monday hired white collar defense attorney Todd Blanche to be part of his legal team ahead of his Tuesday arraignment in New York City, Fox News Digital has learned.
Blanche, a former partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, will serve as a defense attorney in the case brought against the former president by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Blanche joins Trump defense attorney Joe Tacopina and other lawyers working on the case for Trump.
The source told Fox News Digital that Blanche will be “additional firepower” to the Trump legal team.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Independent journalist, who reported on the Twitter Files, Michael Shellenberger slammed U.S. intelligence agencies, claiming they have turned some of their anti-terror practices onto the American people.
Shellenberger spoke on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast on Thursday about how the American government’s intelligence agencies have been coordinating with some of the biggest social media and political organizations. He noted that the consensus essentially switched from platforms like Twitter being run by progressive tech people to a “huge operation by U.S. government officials, U.S government contractors and all of these super sketchy NGO’s” that were “basically demanding that Twitter start censoring people.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter’s Open-Source Code Has References to “Government Requested” Influence
After examining Twitter’s now open-source recommendation algorithm, tech researcher Steven Tey discovered that there is a US government intervention tool, which allows US government officials to alter the algorithm.
In March last year, before purchasing the platform, Elon Musk suggested that the recommendation algorithm code should be open source.
Later, he said, “Our ‘algorithm’ is overly complex & not fully understood internally. People will discover many silly things, but we’ll patch issues as soon as they’re found!”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Ungrading’: Universities Eliminate Grades in Favor of Equity
In the ongoing pursuit by the Social Justice(tm) left of elusive and fictitious “equity,” universities across the United States are increasingly dropping grades altogether in favor of equity.
Via NPR (emphasis added):
Joy Malak floundered through her freshman year in college.
“I had to learn how to balance my finances. I had to learn how to balance work and school and the relationship I’m in.” The hardest part about being a new college student, Malak said, “is not the coursework. It’s learning how to be an adult.”
That took a toll on her grades. “I didn’t do well,” said Malak, who powered through and is now in her sophomore year as a neuroscience and literature double major at the University of California, Santa Cruz, or UCSC. “It took a while for me to detangle my sense of self-worth from the grades that I was getting. It made me consider switching out of my major a handful of times.”
Experiences like these are among the reasons behind a growing movement to stop assigning conventional A through F letter grades to first-year college students and, sometimes, upperclassmen.
Called “un-grading,” the idea is meant to ease the transition to higher education — especially for freshmen who are the first in their families to go to college or who weren’t well prepared for college-level work in high school and need more time to master it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A special election to fill an open Wisconsin Senate seat will determine whether Republicans gain a supermajority that would allow them to impeach Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and other office holders as well as move the GOP a step closer to overriding gubernatorial vetoes.
Voters on Tuesday will pick Democrat Jodi Habush Sinykin or Republican state Rep. Dan Knodl to represent Milwaukee’s northern suburbs. The seat has been under Republican control for decades but came open in November after longtime incumbent Alberta Darling chose to retire after 30 years in the Senate. Evers scheduled a special election to fill the position to coincide with the state’s spring Supreme Court election.
The stakes are huge. A Knodl win would give Republicans 22 votes in the chamber, enough to override gubernatorial vetoes if the state Assembly also votes to do so and enough to convict civil officers in impeachment trials.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pierre Poilievre Blasts “Creeping Authoritarianism” Of Canada’s Censorship Bill
During debate in the House of Commons, speaker Anthony Rota blasted leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Pierre Poilievre, for using George Orwell’s 1984 as a “prop.”
Poilievre was making a point that internet censorship Bill C-11 would give the government more control.
“Even Margaret Atwood, no conservative, has said that this bill represents ‘creeping totalitarianism.’ It gives the power to a woke agency, the CRTC, named by liberals, to manipulate social media algorithms in order to shut down voices it does not want people to hear,” Poilievre said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Smith Says She Has ‘Confidence’ in Elections Alberta After Voters Raise Concern Over Tabulators
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she has “confidence” in Elections Alberta’s plan to use tabulators for the advanced vote in the upcoming provincial election because a recount will be possible if necessary.
Her comments come after a group of motivated voters retained legal counsel, which argued last week that use of the tabulators would reduce election integrity.
But, Smith says Elections Alberta will preserve all paper ballots in case a recount is requested.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Weekend Knife Attack on B.C. Bus Was ISIS Terrorism, RCMP Alleges
An attack on a transit bus in Surrey, B.C. over the weekend is being treated as terrorism after RCMP national security police took over the investigation.
Abdul Aziz Kawam was initially charged with attempted murder for allegedly slashing a bus passenger’s throat on Saturday morning, but prosecutors added four counts of terrorism on Monday.
A second victim was also allegedly assaulted with a knife.
The charges allege the attacks were carried out for the so-called Islamic State.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Donald Trump Urged to ‘Keep on Fighting’ by Hungary’s Viktor Orban
Hungary’s Prime Viktor Orban offered his public support to U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, urging him to “keep on fighting” as he prepares to face a Manhattan court.
Orban’s post on Twitter featured a photograph of the two men smiling and exchanging greetings during a meeting at Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey, estate last August.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Finland to Officially Join NATO on Tuesday
Finland is slated to become NATO’s 31st member on Tuesday after Turkey ratified the Nordic country’s application to the world’s largest military alliance.
“It will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday.
All members of the alliance must approve new members, and Turkey had been opposed to Finland’s membership.
Sweden had jointly applied to join NATO with its neighbor Finland last year, but Turkey is still opposed to Sweden’s bid to join the alliance. Turkish officials have accused Sweden of not being aggressive enough to battle groups it deems to be terrorists.
By joining NATO, Finland, which shares a more than 800-mile border with Russia, will more than double the size of the alliance’s border with Russia.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French Minister Slammed for Playboy Photoshoot as Paris Protests Intensify
A French government minister has been scolded by members of her own party after posing for a photoshoot for the cover of Playboy magazine during a time of deep civil unrest following the government’s controversial pension reforms.
In another government faux pas, Marlene Schiappa, who serves as minister for the social economy, will become the first female politician to appear on the front cover of the magazine when the April edition is published.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Arms Manufacturer Sets Up Ukrainian Arms Repair Hub in Romania
German arms giant Rheinmetall has established a repair hub in Romania where it will carry out the maintenance of Ukrainian combat vehicles and self-propelled weapons, a spokesman for the German firm said on Sunday.
“Rheinmetall is working intensively on the construction of a military maintenance and logistics center on the territory of NATO partner Romania,” the official said, adding that construction work had already begun in the Satu Mare region near the Ukrainian-Hungarian border.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Government Introduces Legislation to Stop Invasion of English Language
A member of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party introduced new legislation that would penalize Italians who use English and other foreign words in official communications, in an attempt to stop the invasion of foreign languages in Italy.
Italians holding an office in public administration who use foreign words in official communications could face fines of up to €100,000 ($108,705) under the new proposed law, according to a draft of the legislation obtained by CNN.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NATO Bans Staffers From Downloading TikTok
NATO is the latest governmental organization to ban its staffers from using TikTok on official devices, CNN first reported Friday.
Officials reportedly sent a memo Friday morning announcing that the app was banned from NATO-issued devices. The note from leadership reportedly cited security concerns as the reason for the ban.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Non! Paris to Ban Rented Electric Scooters After City-Wide Referendum
Rental electric scooters are to go the way of the dodo in Paris after residents of the city voted to ban them in a referendum on Sunday.
Between riots, strikes, and mountains of trash, the average citizen of Paris has plenty to worry about, with 2023 seeing France as a whole descend into political chaos amid a cost-of-living crisis and Macron’s botched pension reforms.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland is Closing the Wealth Gap With the West
Despite the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, Poland has made significant strides in catching up with wealthier countries in the West.
Poland’s GDP per capita in relation to the EU average, a commonly used indicator of a country’s wealth, has steadily increased over the last three years, rising from 73 percent in 2019 to 79 percent in 2022.
While still behind the wealthiest EU nations like France (101 percent) and Germany (117 percent), Poland is catching up to Spain, Italy, Czechia, and the United Kingdom. At the same time, Denmark and Romania saw the most significant increases in prosperity, while the richest EU countries experienced a regression.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poles Are Leaving Britain to Return to Europe’s New Land of Opportunity
Poles who migrated to Britain in the aftermath of Poland’s accession to the European Union are now returning to their home country, which has become Europe’s latest land of opportunity, a report in Britain’s Sunday Times has claimed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Political Correctness Has Hindered Efforts to Tackle Asian Grooming Gangs, Claims British PM
Victims and whistleblowers of grooming gangs, largely made up of British-Pakistani men, have often been ignored by authorities due to political correctness, claimed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he announced fresh plans to tackle the long-standing issue.
Fresh measures including a new police task force will be created, and regional police forces will be ordered to improve the recording and analysis of ethnicity data.
“The safety of women and girls is paramount,” said Sunak ahead of Monday’s announcement. “For too long, political correctness has stopped us from weeding out vile criminals who prey on children and young women. We will stop at nothing to stamp out these dangerous gangs.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Security Guards Walk Out at UK’s Biggest Airport Ahead of Easter Holidays
Security guards at Britain’s busiest airport have begun a 10-day strike over pay — just as schools break up for the Easter holidays.
Some 1,400 staffers will walk out in a strike organized by super-union Unite after their employer Heathrow Airports Ltd (HAL) refused to improve on its its offer of a 10 percent pay rise and £1,150 lump sum payment in talks on Friday morning.
They include security officers at Terminal Five and other guards who check cargo entering the airport.
British Airways, Heathrow’s biggest airline customer which has exclusive use of Terminal Five, said it had cancelled five per cent of flights in response and stopped selling tickets for remaining flights on strike days.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden Blames Hungary for NATO Membership Delay
After signals from Hungary, Sweden is “less certain” that it will be a member of NATO by July, said Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström on Thursday.
Last week, the Swedish diplomatic chief said he was confident that his country would be a member of the North Atlantic alliance by July, the same month the NATO summit in Vilnius is scheduled.
But he told the Swedish news agency TT on Thursday: “I have taken note of what has been said in recent days, especially from Hungary’s side […] I think the word ‘hopeful’ is more appropriate in the current context.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Thousands March for Pope John Paul II on Anniversary of His Death
Thousands walked through the streets of Warsaw and other Polish cities on Sunday to commemorate the late Saint John Paul II.
People waved flags and held portraits of the Polish pope, as those who marched in his honor emphasized the event was an attempt to resist attempts to belittle or defame what he had achieved and what he meant to Poland.
The marches, which took place across many Polish cities, were in response to a commercial TV report that claimed John Paul II had failed to act against pedophilia in the Roman Catholic Church when he was still an Archbishop in Kraków.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. Congress Approves Sale of 800 Hellfire Missiles to Poland
The U.S. Congress has approved the sale of 800 Hellfire missiles to Poland, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced on Saturday.
In a social media post, Blaszczak revealed both the AW149 and Apache support helicopters will be equipped with the missiles, and the two countries will soon begin to negotiate the finer details of the agreement.
“We are starting negotiations on pricing,” Blaszczak added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ultimately Ukraine Must Join NATO, Says Leading U.S. Professor and International Security Expert
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine could have far-reaching consequences for the balance of power in Europe and the world, a leading U.S. political scientist has claimed.
In an interview for Polish Radio, Professor Andrew Michta warned about the consequences of the conflict not being communicated loudly enough to the citizens of NATO states and the West; he also said that the West’s slowness in delivering weapons to Ukraine creates a very dangerous situation.
Michta, who is the Dean of the College of International and Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch, Germany, believes that the next six months will be crucial for the fate of the war in Ukraine and that the window of opportunity for Ukraine to win may never reopen.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The spokesman for the Polish government has slammed Thomas Bach, the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), for his remarks critical of Poland’s stance opposing the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Paris Olympics 2024
Bach has hit back at the Polish government for criticizing the IOC decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete internationally. He called the criticism “blatantly unfair and a violation of the autonomy of sport governing bodies.” Bach also said that it was wrong to question the will of the majority in the Olympic movement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Tourism and Civil Aviation Committee of the Parliament of Egypt approved draft legislation to give the Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA) the authority to fine people for posting “misinformation” about the weather.
Misinformation about the weather would result in a fine of up to and LE 5 million ($161.8,000)
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Iran Says it Chased Off US Spy Plane Over Territorial Waters
Iran’s military has claimed a US spy plane violated or at least came close to violating its airspace on Sunday, having flown over Iranian territorial waters. An Iranian navy statement said it tracked the movements of “an American spy plane” that approached Iran without authorization.
“After the US Navy’s EP-3E aircraft entered Iran’s territorial waters, vigilant Navy commanders sent a warning to prevent the aircraft from entering the country’s airspace without authorization,” the statement said.
The incident happened over waters in the Gulf of Oman, and Iranian state media is saying its military chased it away. Navy commanders said the American Navy EP-3E plane returned to international routes after Iran “sent a warning”.
The Pentagon did not immediately confirm or comment on the alleged incident in the hours after the Iranian media reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Oil Prices Skyrocket After OPEC+ Unexpectedly Cuts Production, With US Gas Prices Already Rising
Oil prices rose Monday after the OPEC+ oil alliance unexpectedly cut production by more than a million barrels daily.
Brent crude oil, the global benchmark, hit $84.80 a barrel by 8:30 a.m. ET, an increase of nearly $5, or more than 6%, from when the market closed Friday.
Algeria, Gabon, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates are collectively cutting production by more than 1 million barrels a day starting in May until the end of the year, OPEC+ announced Monday.
At the same time, Russia said it is reducing production to 500,000 barrels of oil a day until the end of the year. This puts total oil production from most OPEC+ members and Russia at about 1.6 million barrels a day.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Arabia Applies to Join BRICS, Further Threatens U.S. Petrodollar
Saudi Arabia, the world’s most prolific exporter of Sunni Islamic terrorism and notoriously disloyal U.S. “ally,” continues its jihad against the struggling U.S. petrodollar.
The petrodollar, which underpins U.S. geopolitical hegemony, is not long for this world. It was dealt another huge, and possibly fatal, blow when BRICS — an acronymized economic alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — publicly announced it was mulling admitting Saudi Arabia and Iran into the fold.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A prominent pro-Russia blogger, described as a war correspondent by the Kremlin, was killed on Sunday by an explosion in a St Petersburg cafe, with Moscow blaming a nexus of anti-war activists, anti-Putin politicians, and Ukraine.
Blogger Maxim Fomin, also identified as Vladlen Tatarsky, was killed in a blast in a St Petersburg cafe on Sunday after, it is claimed, he was handed a statue stuffed with explosives. The Russian government said the device contained “a yield of more than 200 grams of TNT”, and the 6 pm blast was large enough to blow out all of the windows of the city-centre venue.
Russian emergency services report 32 people were injured in addition to the one fatality.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
With No Peace in Sight, NATO Countries Eye More Ukraine Military Aid
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s Western allies have sent the country 65 billion euros ($70 billion) in military aid to help thwart Russia’s full-scale invasion, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday, and with no peace negotiations on the horizon the alliance is gearing up to send more.
“We cannot allow Russia to continue to chip away at European security,” Stoltenberg told a news conference in Brussels, adding “there are no signs that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is preparing for peace. He is preparing for more war.”
NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday “will discuss how we can step up our support, including by continuing to strengthen Ukraine’s armed forces,” Stoltenberg said. “Our support is for the long-haul.”
Analysts suspect Putin plans to dig in and hold out against a possible Ukraine counteroffensive in the coming months, hoping that the West’s costly support for Kyiv will unravel.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Woman Arrested Over Killing of Russian Military Blogger in Explosion in St Petersburg
A 26-year-old woman has been arrested over the death of a pro-war military blogger killed in an explosion at a cafe in St Petersburg.
Daria Trepova has been detained following the death of Vladlen Tatarsky in the blast as he held a talk on Sunday, Russia’s Investigative Committee said.
Trepova’s partner, Dmitry Rylov, told the Russian news site SVTV News that while his wife was against the war in Ukraine, “she would never kill” and “believes his wife was framed”.
The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has released a video of Daria Trepova which appears to show a confession.
The circumstances under which the filming was done is not known.
Around 30 people were also wounded in the explosion, with 10 of them said to be in a critical condition, according to the authorities.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
India: ‘Violence in Bengal Planned, Sponsored and Targeted by BJP’ Alleges Uddhav-Led Shiv Sena
West Bengal Violence: Uddhav Thackeray-led faction on Monday alleged BJP for planning, sponsoring and targeting violence in West Bengal.
West Bengal Violence: Uddhav Thackeray-led faction on Monday alleged the saffron party for planning, sponsoring and targeting violence in West Bengal. The senior leader of Uddhav Thackeray-led faction, Sanjay Raut on Monday asserted that BJP is in fear for the general election 2024 and has planned, sponsored and targeted violence in Bengal. Moreover, he alleged that where ever BJP government is weak there are riots.
Sanjay Raut, leader of the Uddhav Thackeray faction on Monday said, “the violence happening in Bengal is planned, sponsored & targeted by BJP…Wherever elections are nearing & BJP is fearing their loss, or where BJP government is weak there are riots,”
Communal violence in Sasaram and Bihar Sharif
Communal violence rocked Sasaram and Bihar Sharif towns during Ram Navami festivities. The police till Saturday arrested 45 people in connection with the communal violence at Sasaram and Bihar Sharif. Vehicles, houses and shops were torched and several people injured in the communal flare-ups reported in both towns. Howrah’s Shibpur and Kazipara area in West Bengal had also witnessed clashes during a Ram Navami procession.
On Sunday evening, fresh arson and violence erupted in Hooghly during Ram Navami Shobhayatra at Rishra. As per the latest development, internet services have been suspended in the region to avert any untoward incident.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
Vanishing Hindu Population in Bangladesh!
Disappearing Hindus in BangladeshThe Dhaka Tribune on July 27, 2022 reports that the population of Muslims has increased in the country compared to devotees of other religions, according to the preliminary report of Population and Housing Census-2022. The report said that the Hindu population decreased from 8.54% to 7.95%, the Buddhist population from 0.62% to 0.61%, the Christian population from 0.31% to 0.30%, and the population of other religions decreased to 0.14% from 0.12%. However, the Muslim population has increased from 90.39% to 91.04%.
PTI (Press Trust of India) on 23 June 2016 reported from Dhaka that the number of Hindus in Muslim-majority Bangladesh has grown by one percent to 1.70 crores in one year constituting 10.7 percent of the population by the end of 2015, an official report said today. The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) said their latest vital sample statistics report found the country’s total population to be 15.89 crores by the end of 2015 with the number of Hindus at 1.70 crores. Previous BBS studies showed Bangladesh’s Hindu population size was 1.55 crore in 2014 suggesting that the numbers of the country’s largest minority community increased by 1.5 million in one year.
2015 to 2022, only 7 years, according to government statistics, the Hindu population in Bangladesh has dwindled from 10.7% to 7.95%? Similarly Buddhist and Christian populations also decreased while the Muslim population increased. On religion basis, after Muslims, Hindus are the largest population group. Hindus in Bangladesh are always complaining that they are persecuted and forced to leave the country. One can easily understand the reason for the sharp decline of the Hindu population, is nothing but unbearable persecution and Hindus are leaving the country silently for neighboring India.
Islamists want Bangladesh to be a monolithic Islamic country, the administration is looking otherwise, while the government is silent. Is not it the government’s responsibility to explain why in 7 years the Hindu population dropped astronomically? Well, the sources cite two reasons for the decline, first, there is out-migration of Hindus, i.e. Hindus are leaving the country, and secondly, the relatively low total fertility rate among the Hindu population, that is, Hindu couples give birth to relatively fewer children. The government frequently demanded that, ‘No Hindu leaves the country for India’, if so, then the government needs to explain why the Hindus are missing?
According to different sources and Human Rights activists, since 1947, from Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan) roughly 50 million religious and ethnic minorities, mainly Hindus, were forced to take shelter in India. The non-Muslims in that area are subjected to humiliation, vandalizing and desecrating their places of worship, burning down their homes and business, eviction, forced conversion, mass rape, kidnaping followed by rape and killing, burning people alive, church massacre, and grisly murders, for more than 7 decades, including Bangladesh’s half a century.
Citing Professor Dastidar’s (Empire’s last casualty: Indian subcontinent’s vanishing Hindu and other minorities, Dastidar, S. 2008), US Congressman Robert Dold’s reported on the House floor that, . “Since 1947, forty-nine million Hindus of Bangladesh have gone missing.” and on July 19, 2019, Ms. Priya Saha, a Bangladeshi human rights activist, reported to former President Donald Trump that “37 million Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians have disappeared from Bangladesh [She didn’t mention the years but perhaps it’s since 1971],”
Dr. Abul Barakat, a Professor of economics Barakat of the University of Dhaka has predicted that “No Hindus will be left in Bangladesh after 30 years.” (Dhaka Tribune, Nov. 20, 2016)…
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Pandemic Privateers: The 40 (Largely Chinese) COVID Profiteers-Turned-Billionaires
A Forbes article from 2021 has resurfaced, documenting the spectacular riches generated by the COVID-19 pandemic that birthed no fewer than 40 (largely Chinese) billionaires.
Via Forbes:
A record 493 new billionaires joined the list this year, propelled by a red-hot stock market and unprecedented economic stimulus. Among those newcomers are at least 40 new entrants who draw their fortunes from companies involved in fighting Covid-19. Some, such as Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel and BioNTech cofounder Ugur Sahin, have become household names thanks to the vaccines they helped develop.
Others got rich making everything from personal protective equipment and diagnostic tests to antibody treatments and software that helps authorities schedule vaccination campaigns, which will be essential in reopening economies and returning to normal life.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
There’s Another China-Owned App That’s Vulnerable to Communist Party Spying
A giant e-commerce app where Chinese people can purchase a variety of low-cost items has the ability to spy on its users, according to a CNN investigation published Monday.
Pinduoduo can overcome users’ mobile phone protections to track behavior on other apps, view notifications, read private messages and change settings, according to cybersecurity researchers in a CNN investigation. While there are other apps that collect information, this is an unprecedented level of privacy and data violation, the experts told CNN.
Company insiders at Pinduoduo stated this exploitation was designed to surveil users and rivals, allegedly to augment sales, according to CNN. Pinduduo’s international sister app, Temu, is at the top of both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store charts in the U.S., according to apptopia.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hun-Jing Tiong was axed from the committee of the corporation that owns residential skyscraper Aurora Melbourne Central, the fifth largest building in Australia.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Bevan Tittums, 33, was found guilty of flinging the officer from the car, leaving him with a broken wrist after he tried to stop him from speeding away at a Costco service station in Perth in November, 2021.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
It’s one of the big questions on everyone’s lips about the Voice to Parliament — why are there so many questions Anthony Albanese is determined not to answer?
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
African Suspect Arrested for Urinating on Homeless in Germany
An African national was arrested for urinating on homeless people in Germany and recording video of himself in the act, according to authorities.
The disturbing incident unfolded on Thursday night in Düsseldorf.
Three young men got into an altercation with a vagrant near the central train station for unknown reasons, German police explained in a press release.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Municipalities Cannot Accept More Migrants, Claim Conservatives
Local authorities are buckling under the high number of migrants arriving in Germany, yet the federal government persists with its open-door policy and refuses to act, German conservatives have claimed.
“More is not possible now,” Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz claimed on Thursday as municipality leaders met to discuss their ongoing struggles.
Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) clearly attacked the government’s direction on travel on Friday, telling Deutschlandfunk radio station: “We are well above the number of people seeking protection in 2015 and 2016. There are very many people from Ukraine, and there is no discussion at all about whether they should be taken in or not.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Turks Fight Ukrainians in German Town
German police arrested suspects from rival groups following a street brawl between Turks and Ukrainians last week, authorites say.
The incident unfolded at around 8:30 p.m. on Friday night in Parchim, a town in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Officers arrived at a supermarket where a dispute between at least 10 people had spiraled out of control.
“According to initial findings, a group of 4 Ukrainians with 6 people of Turkish origin initially got into a verbal argument and insulted each other,” Ludwigslust Police explained in a press release.
“As a result, there were several physical altercations between the two groups, as a result of which three young people of Turkish origin aged 13 and 16 were slightly injured.”
The argument reportedly turned violent when a man of Turkish origin suddenly struck an 18-year-old Ukrainian who suffered injuries from the attack.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ministers are facing legal action over £20,000-a-day migrant ‘flotel’ barges where asylum seekers could be housed amid concerns that the policy could hurt the local tourism industry.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman is set to announce that a deal has been struck to house around 500 migrants in a three-storey barge in Portland Harbour named the Bibby Stockholm, which costs around £4,500 a day plus the £15,000 daily cost of chartering it from Bibby Marine.
Further costs would include utilities, catering, and healthcare utilities, it has been reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘A Pure Experiment on Children’: Belgian Doctor Says to Toss WPATH Guidelines Out
A leader of a major medical association has suggested that the guidelines of a much-cited transgender health organization should be dismissed, according to a report.
Accord to VRT News, Patrik Vankrunkelsven, the Director of Belgium’s Center for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBAM), states that guidelines provided by the World Professional Association on Transgender Health (WPATH) are not scientifically sound, as they did not go through the same rigorous process used in other widely-accepted scientific research.
“What you are doing is a pure experiment on children, without any scientific evidence for it.” CEBAM director Patrik Vankrunkelsven said, “People have never, as we traditionally do in medicine, strictly compare these children with a group that did not receive this treatment.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A woman who has become the face of outrage over a trans woman’s domination of a female soccer league is being investigated by police over alleged hate crimes.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The co-director of the Center for Gender Surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital is calling for an increase in capacity for clinics providing experimental medical sex changes for minors in response to numerous Republican states outlawing the interventions, reports Fox News.
Oren Ganor, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon specialising in sex change surgeries, co-authored an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on March 14, in which he calls for the capacity to perform sex change surgeries on minors to be increased.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada: Vancouver Police Investigate Violence at Trans-Rights Protest
Vancouver police are investigating alleged assaults that took place at a trans-visibility rally on Friday.
The Vancouver Police Department said in a news release on Saturday that it had assigned detectives to review video, eyewitness accounts, and victim statements from two confrontations that took place between rally-goers and counter-protesters in Grandview Park during International Transgender Day of Visibility.
“The incidents occurred when rally-goers confronted a group of counter-protesters inside Grandview Park, where between 75 and 100 people had gathered,” the statement from Vancouver Police Department (VPD) said.
“Police believe at least two people were assaulted.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chinese Communist Party Bans ‘Sissy Men’ From Appearing in Media
In a bid to shore up its perceived strength as an ascendant global leader, the ruling Chinese Communist Party has banned effeminate men, which it refers to by a phrase in Chinese that translates roughly to “sissy men,” from the media.
The ban affects a spectrum of Chinese males, ranging from full-on transgenders to pop music stars with silky smooth skin and boyish charm.
It’s no exaggeration to say that East Asian “sissy men” are effeminate in the extreme.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cornell University Rejects Student Demands to Insert ‘Trigger Warnings’ Before Class Discussions
UPDATE: This piece has been updated to reflect statements from Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), Cornell Student Assembly president Valeria Valencia and Speech First.
The Cornell University Student Assembly unanimously voted in March to approve a resolution that would require instructors to inform students about “traumatic content” being discussed in class.
The university rejected this proposal because it violates academic freedom and freedom of inquiry, according to an email obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Faculty must also be free to provide trigger warnings if they so choose, but it must be a decision left up to the faculty member — not students or administrators,” Sabrina Conza, Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) program officer, told the DCNF.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DOJ Finally Finds a Church Attack it Doesn’t Like
After years of virtually ignoring attacks on churches, synagogues, and pro-life pregnancy centers, the DOJ has finally found a case worth prosecuting—a Molotov cocktail attack on a so-called “church” preparing to host a drag queen story hour.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An Arizona school district encouraged students to attend “queer” spring break activities put on by an organization aimed at serving the LGBTQ youth, according to an email obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
In an effort to “provide supports for our queer students,” Chandler Unified School District’s department of counseling and social services asked teachers to direct kids to a list of spring break activities put on by One-n-ten, a nonprofit that works to assist LGBTQ youth ages 14 to 24, according to an email obtained by the DCNF. Students could attend events such as “Trans & Gender Non Conforming (TGNC): Hair Journey” and “Queer Island Utopia” during their time off from school.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Senate OKs 6-Week Abortion Ban
The Florida Senate passed a bill on Monday to ban abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.
The bill provides exceptions of up to 15 weeks of pregnancy in cases of rape, incest, and human trafficking, Politico reported. Such a ban would still need to secure passage in the lower chamber before reaching the governor’s desk.
The upper chamber backed the ban 26-13, with two Republicans opposing its passage. Republicans hold a supermajority in the House, which is slated to take up the issue next week. Republican Gov. DeSantis has voiced support for the measure and it is likely to become law.
Protesters interrupted debate on the bill for 10 minutes, the outlet noted, prompting Senate President Kathleen Passidomo to order security to remove them.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A woke professor of anthropology claimed there was no difference between the skeletal structures of men and women.
He was almost laughed out of the building.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Study Confirms Trans ‘Social Contagion’ Theory
A study published in Archives of Sexual Behavior confirms the common-sense conclusion many observers of the “transgender” hysteria have long drawn regarding the sociogenic nature of deviant sexual identity.
The findings were interesting on several fronts: “gender transition” is driven by social pressure; females are by psychological disposition more susceptible to the “trans” social contagion; and mentally ill youth were more likely than non-mentally ill to “transition.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: MSNBC Talking Head Says “Guns Are Our New Moloch”
MSNBC’s Joy Reid ran a segment last week in the wake of the Nashville Christian School shooting by a transgender individual, during which a transgender activist and a leftist preacher blamed “White Christian nationalism” for the shooting, claimed that “guns are our new Moloch,” and that Americans having reservations or questions about transgenderism is “anti-Christ.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Woke Feds Refused to Deploy Facial Recognition on Key Portal Because They Thought it Was Racist
Woke employees from the General Services Administration (GSA) refused to incorporate facial recognition into a new government login system as required because they believed the technology was “racist,” an internal investigation found.
The saga didn’t end there, as the GSA employees later falsely certified that Login.gov did in fact have the facial recognition elements when it did not. The original intent for the login platform was “to create a seamless, secure, and user-friendly ‘lock’ to the government’s digital services.”
The extraordinary security saga was highlighted last week at a congressional hearing during which lawmakers in both parties excoriated the rebellious GSA workers for putting federal agencies at risk.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Wyoming Democratic House representative Karlee Provenza has been vocal on social media about her far-left beliefs, however, Provenza’s TikTok and Instagram accounts shared videos and memes that appear to call for violence against political opponents, namely those who oppose the left’s radical gender ideology.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Staggering One in Six People Across the World Are Infertile, Landmark WHO Report Claims
Major World Health Organization investigation into infertility shows North Africa and the Middle East enjoy lowest rates whist Asia and Australia have the highest with the UK and Europe hitting the global average.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Global lies over Bucha: How people’s minds are manipulated
The situation in Bucha has become the main agenda for all the world’s media. Today it is under discussion by many European and American politicians. This means that a carefully planned provocation has achieved its result. And now we will prove that this is a provocation. For everyone who has already managed to accuse Russia of “inhuman crimes”, it’s time to remember Bismarck’s famous expression – “People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war, or before an election.”
https://waronfakes.com/lies-about-bucha/strong-global-lies-over-bucha-how-people-s-minds-are-manipulated-strong/
I am impressed that the Soros shill DA has managed to parley the charges against the Donald to 34. Impressive. Lucky New York does not have the death penalty, he’d be sure to go for it.
Sadly, I fear the Donald will be found guilty. No Republican will ever get a fair trial in NYC. Thing is, his supporters know this is a show trial. A guilty verdict means nothing. The only thing which really matters is voter fraud. Will the Stupid Party actually tackle it now they control the House? It’s not the way to bet.
By the way, did you read the telegram channel of the blown up Tatarsky? This is a terrible Goebbelsism of bad taste.
I would also kill him for bad manners.
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Jural philosopher: “Climate crisis” is a scam – it’s about taking people’s land and freedoms.
4 April, 2023 Main news, SwebbTV.
The so-called climate crisis is not about the climate. It is an excuse to erase people’s rights and freedoms. And the state wants to own more land. So says Dutch legal philosopher Eva Vlaardingerbroek in an interview with The Spectactor.
What is the Dutch government’s war against its farmers really about?
According to jural philosopher Eva Vlaardingerbroek, it’s very simple.
It’s about land. Not ‘climate’. There is another agenda in the background.
A very large part of the Netherlands is agricultural land. That is, land that the state does not own. That’s what this is about. The state wants to take the land.
– I don’t think they really believe there is a crisis,” she explains to The Spectator. ‘But they use this pretence about nitrogen. There is also talk of carbon dioxide. But why are they so obsessed with nitrogen? I think they chose this because it directly affects farmers more than any other group. If you use this for a different agenda, then it makes sense.
– If you know the agenda behind it is something else, it makes a lot more sense. Mark. It’s very simple, she continues.
– The Netherlands is a very small country with a very large population increase due to immigration. Just because of immigration. Our natural population growth has completely stopped. We are overcrowded. We have a housing crisis. That crisis is real. So we need more housing where people can live, but there is no available land. And the government says this in a couple of its own reports. They say that they need space for housing.
– If a country is 80 per cent agricultural land, that means the state doesn’t control it. So it would obviously help them if they owned more of the land.
https://youtu.be/WcIQ_A27LqM