Russia has launched its largest drone strike so far against the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. According to the Ukrainian government, of the 54 drones launched, 52 were shot down by Ukrainian air defense systems.
In other news, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won re-election, and will serve another five-year term after being in power for twenty years.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, JW, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, Subhra Basak, 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.
Americans Estimate Average Family of Four Needs Minimum $85,000 Annual Income to Get by: Poll
A U.S. family of four needs to earn a minimum of $85,000 a year on average to “get by,” which is nearly three times the federal poverty line and $27,000 more than the estimated needed annual average 10 years ago, according to a new poll.
When asked, “What is the smallest amount of money a family of four needs to make each year to get by in your community?”, the average answer respondents gave was $85,000, according to a Gallup Poll released Friday. In 2013, the average answer was $58,000 annually.
The poll also found that 30% of respondents said a family of four needs an income of more than $100,000 a year to get by, while 31% said they need to make between $50,000-$75,000 annually.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden, McCarthy Reach Debt Ceiling Deal to Avoid Default: Here’s What’s In It
President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have reached a much-awaited budget detail, averting a potentially catastrophic U.S. default just days ahead of a June 5 deadline.
Both sides are expected to point to some victories in the bill. President Biden said Sunday the bill “represents a compromise, which means no one got everything they wanted.”
The House released the 99-page text of the deal Sunday evening.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
63 Churches Attacked in the First 3 Months of 2023: Report
Sixty-nine acts of vandalism against churches occurred in the first quarter of the year, constituting a significant increase in the number of attacks compared to previous years.
The Family Research Council, a socially conservative think-tank based in Washington, D.C., released a supplemental report outlining “Hostility Against Churches” in the first quarter of 2023. The data builds on an earlier report published in December, which documented attacks on churches between January 2018 and December 2022.
January saw the highest number of church attacks, totaling 43 documented incidents. Fourteen acts of vandalism occurred in February, while 12 occurred in March.
The number of attacks against churches during the first three months of 2023 represents a marked increase in the number of incidents that occurred in the first three months of the previous five years. The Family Research Council recorded 15 attacks against churches in the first three months of 2018, 12 in the same period in 2019, 14 in the first quarter of 2021, and 22 in the first four months of 2022. 2020 saw no attacks on churches in its first three months.
The report documents the damage done in the attacks on churches by organizing them into five categories: vandalism, arson and/or fire, gun-related incidents, bomb threats and an “other” category. It categorized 53 of the attacks on churches as an example of vandalism, 10 as arson and three as gun-related incidents. The report measured three bomb threats and two incidents that fell into the “other” category. Two instances of vandalism fell into more than one category.
The attacks cited in the report span 29 states. North Carolina experienced the highest number of incidents at seven, followed by Ohio and Tennessee with five each and Florida, Missouri and Pennsylvania experienced four each.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Appeals Court Reinstates Religious Challenge to COVID Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Workers
Maine will again have to defend its refusal to grant religious exemptions to a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for non-remote healthcare workers under a ruling by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
A three-judge panel on Thursday reversed and remanded a trial court ruling that threw out the First and 14th Amendment challenge by seven fired healthcare workers, finding it “plausible … in the absence of further factual development” the mandate privileges secular exemption requests “without adequate justification.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Admin Accused of ‘Stonewalling’ Attempts to Unseal Prince Harry’s Visa Records
The Biden administration has been accused of “stonewalling” attempts under Freedom of Information laws to reveal details about Prince Harry’s visa application to the United States.
Prince Harry, who moved to California in 2020 alongside his former actress wife Meghan Markle to pursue money-making ventures in Hollywood rather than fulfil his duties as a member of Britain’s Royal Family, has faced questions about his American visa given his admission last year of drug use in his controversial memoir Spare.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bill to Legalize Psychedelic Mushrooms Advances in California Senate
Authored by Jill McLaughlin via The Epoch Times
A bill to decriminalize hallucinogenic mushrooms cleared the California Senate May 24, reaching the halfway point in the state’s effort to legalize the drug, despite increasing opposition by law enforcement and many citizens.
Senate Bill 58 was introduced in December by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who said criminalizing drug use and possession does nothing but fill up prisons with people who are addicted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California 12-Year-Old Graduates From Fullerton College With Five Degrees
A 12-year-old boy became the youngest person to graduate from Fullerton College in California on Saturday, leaving the college with an impressive five degrees.
At age nine, Clovis Hung enrolled in the Fall 2020 semester at Fullerton College after his mother pulled him out of public school due to his undeniable gifted abilities, according to KABC7.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Suffers 34 Shot, 8 Killed as Bloody Memorial Day Weekend Nears End
Chicago has suffered 34 shootings so far in Memorial Day weekend, with eight of them resulting in deaths, according to the Chicago Police Department.
As of Sunday, several of those injured remained in critical condition in hospitals across the city. The carnage is already well above what was seen the previous weekend.
The oldest victim of the weekend’s violence is 55, while the youngest is just 14. The young girl suffered a bullet graze wound to her right arm while standing on the sidewalk with group of people at roughly 10 p.m. Saturday, according to ABC7 Chicago.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Climate Activists Tipped Off WaPo Before They Vandalized a Famous Art Display, DOJ Says
The Washington Post received advance notice about a protest in which environmental activists vandalized a sculpture in Washington, D.C., the Justice Department (DOJ) said Friday.
Joanna Smith and Timothy Martin were charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and with injury to a National Gallery of Art exhibit stemming from a protest where they smeared paint on a case holding “Little Dancer, Age Fourteen” by Edgar Degas on April 27, and each faces up to five years in prison for each charge, the DOJ announced. The Washington Post, though not named in the indictment, received advanced warning of the attack, which reporters then captured on video, the DOJ said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two inner-city colleges are arming their on-campus police officers in an effort to crack down on increased crime three years after activists called for departments across the country to be defunded.
George Washington University (GWU), located in Washington D.C., announced it will allow some officers to carry firearms while on duty after typically relying on other armed police departments, while Portland State University (PSU), located in Oregon, reversed a 2021 policy that restricted officer’s ability to arm themselves. The decisions come three years after activists across the country took to the streets in 2020 demanding policing reform, including calls to defund departments, which sources tell the Daily Caller News Foundation will better prepare officers to deal with emergency situations when they occur.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jordan Peterson Says Fox News “Killed Itself” by Firing Tucker Carlson
Renowned author and psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson delved into the controversial firing of Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson and other pressing topics in a recent interview published by the Hungarian Conservative this week.
According to Peterson, Fox News has ensured its own demise by letting its most popular host.
“Fox News killed itself by firing Tucker Carlson. So all these legacy news media and its apparatus is degenerating and as they degenerate, they turn to clickbait and lie,” said Peterson.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lululemon Fires Two Store Employees for Calling Police on Masked Robbers
America’s descent toward lawlessness is most visible at retail stores in progressive metro areas. The latest incident occurred at a Lululemon store in Atlanta. Three masked men pillaged the store while two employees wearing overpriced yoga pants were fired by corporate for calling the police to report the robbery.
Local media outlet WXIA said Jennifer Ferguson, the former assistant manager of the Peachtree Corners Lululemon, and Rachel Rogers, a former employee at the store, encountered the men in “masks and hoodies” who “swiped” as much merchandise as they could before sprinting out the door.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mom Indicted for Killing Kids With a Knife
A mother was indicted for allegedly stabbing three of her children to death and attempting to murder two more of her children in Italy, Texas, with a knife.
A grand jury served the 25-year-old suspect Shamaiya Hall five indictments on Wednesday. Three of the counts are for capital murder, and two more counts for attempted capital murder. Hall could face life in prison without parole or the death penalty if convicted.
Hall allegedly murdered a 6-year-old boy and two 5-year-old twins, one boy and one girl. A 4-year-boy and a 13-month-old girl, also Hall’s children, were also critically wounded during the alleged attack.
Ellis County District Attorney Ann Montgomery has filed her intent to seek the death penalty.
Hall’s sister was also arrested in 2021 for also stabbing her child (Hall’s niece) to death. Hall’s sister Troyshaye was found mentally incompetent to stand trial and sent to a mental facility.
Hall was arrested on March 3 near Stafford Elementary School in Italy, a small town of 2,000 people just south of Dallas near I-35.
Hall allegedly stabbed her children during an unannounced CPS worker’s visit to see if Hall was having unsupervised visitation with her children. The children were placed under the guardianship of a relative.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Police: Suspect Arrested in 5 Separate Shootings in Arizona’s Phoenix Metro Area; 4 Dead
MESA, Ariz. (AP) — A suspect has been arrested in connection with five separate shootings in the Phoenix metro area that left four people dead and a woman wounded, authorities said Sunday.
Mesa police said 20-year-old Iren Byers was taken into custody Sunday on suspicion of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder.
A motive for the shootings wasn’t immediately clear, but police said Byers took responsibility for the shootings and told officers where they could find the clothes and gun used in the crimes.
[…]
Police said officers were dispatched around 10:30 p.m. Friday to a Mesa park and found a 41-year-old man dead at the scene.
While still at the park, police reported hearing shots being fired nearby and searched the area and later found a 36-year-old woman with serious injuries. She remains in stable condition at a hospital.
Police said they received a call about a body near a Mesa bus station around 1 a.m. Sunday.
They said officers discovered a 41-year-old man dead at the scene and then another dead man just after 2 a.m.
Authorities said all of the victims had gunshot wounds. They also said shell casings recovered from the shooting scenes were all linked to the same 9mm handgun, including a fatal shooting Friday afternoon in Phoenix.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Tech and real estate entrepreneur Peter Rex reacted to State Farm’s decision to cease home insurance applications in California, predicting there was an “unspoken reason” the firm made its decision. Rex joined “Fox & Friends Weekend” to discuss why he doesn’t “fully buy” the notion that the company made the move on economic grounds.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The FDA Wants People to Report “Misinformation”
In a recent announcement, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has revealed the launch of a webpage designed to address and curtail what it says is the spread of misinformation related to health and medical topics online. This initiative, known as the “Rumor Control” page invites users to report instances of perceived misinformation on the internet, particularly on social media platforms.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Top Fox News Anchors Looking to Quit Network and Join Tucker Carlson
Several top Fox News anchors are considering a new career path that doesn’t involve the embattled network, according to a new report.
Variety is reporting that a handful of current Fox News stars are contemplating quitting Fox News to join former top-rated host Tucker Carlson’s next project.
According to the report, the anchors are drawn to whatever Carlson is working on, which could include programming that would be broadcast on Twitter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
While speaking at the Florida Parent Educator Association’s homeschool convention in Orlando on Friday, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis explained that data shows an individual is more likely to get shot in the Democrat-run city of Chicago than they are to receive a good education.
The 2024 presidential election hopeful made the comments on stage while addressing crime-ridden cities that have succumbed to the failures of progressive policies, like New York, Seattle, California, and Chicago.
“You think of a place like Chicago, these kids — you’re more likely to get shot than to get a world-class education in some of these places,” said DeSantis, who launched his bid for President of the United States last week on Twitter alongside Elon Musk.
The Florida governor slammed the city for keeping kids out of school during the coronavirus pandemic—a decision that has resulted in failing test scores and increased dropouts—while encouraging students to participate in the violent and deadly BLM/Antifa riots following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in 2020.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
City of Calgary Folds, Reinstates Firework Show Following Outrage
The City of Calgary is reinstating its Canada Day fireworks display after widespread outrage over its decision to axe the show over apparent racist and climate impacts.
The backlash included a letter from Calgary Nose Hill MP Michelle Rempel Garner and a petition launched by Common Sense Calgary.
“We have heard from many Calgarians as well as members of City Council that while the pilot program is valued, they would also appreciate an aerial fireworks display to celebrate on July 1,” said Calgary City Manager David Duckworth.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
City of Toronto Reverses Decision to Cancel Canada Day Celebration After Backlash
The City of Toronto is reversing its decision to cancel the city’s popular Canada Day celebration after receiving enormous backlash from residents.
A number of Torontonians let their voices be heard on social media after news broke that the Canada Day fireworks display at Nathan Phillips Square was going to be cancelled this year due to a lack of funding.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Excess Deaths for Canadians Under 45 Jumped 27% Since August 2022: StatsCan
According to Statistics Canada, excess deaths for Canadians under 45 jumped 27% more than expected in the last five months of 2022. That amounts to 10 extra deaths per day or 1,597 more deaths than anticipated during that period.
Though excess mortality increased among all age demographics, the rate for Canadians under 45 is significantly higher than for older Canadians. COVID did not contribute significantly to excess mortality among younger people, with only 102 fatalities attributed to the respiratory virus for Canadians under 50 between August and December 2022.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Québec Spent Nearly $6 Million on Assisted Suicide in 2022: Report
According to government documents, the province of Québec spent nearly $6 million on residents seeking Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) to end their lives.
A freedom of information request by Patricia Maloney uncovered that general practitioners and medical specialists charged taxpayers $5,880,162 for services in 2022 as part of the program.
Québecers paid $674,102 for consultations lasting 15 minutes and $2,333.692 for supplementary 15-minute consultations. Patients also paid $350,000 for the procedure and additional fees to cover administrative costs, forms, visits and recurring consultations.
According to the 2021 Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) annual report, the number of Canadians accessing the program increased from 2016 to 2021, totalling 31,664 patients, typically above 70.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Saskatchewan ‘Wars’ With Guilbeault on Net-Zero Electricity, Refuses to Close Coal Plants
Ottawa and the province of Saskatchewan have engaged in a war of words over net-zero electricity, with the federal environment minister making veiled threats over its Clean Electricity Standard.
On May 17, the Saskatchewan Party and NDP Opposition voted unanimously to support the province’s plan for affordable, reliable power generation to 2035 and beyond.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault told Saskatchewan it will be illegal to operate coal-fired power plants past 2030 without technology to reduce carbon emissions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Teenager Fined for Playing Basketball Alone During COVID Lockdown Has Charge Dropped
After nearly three years, teenager William Vogelsang — who was facing a notorious $880 COVID-related public health charge for the crime of playing basketball outside alone — has had his fine dropped.
A press release from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), which represented Vogelsang at no cost to him, reads:
On April 15, 2020, Vogelsang, who was 17 at the time, went to a local park to get some fresh air and play basketball by himself. Two Ottawa by-law enforcement officers approached and informed him that the park was closed except for walk throughs. William told the officers that he believed that playing basketball as a group was banned, but that he could play by himself. He then told the officers that he would leave voluntarily.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
York University Claims Christianity Fuels Colonialism
Toronto’s York University claimed in its recently released “Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy” document that Christianity fuels colonialism — and referred to the religion practiced by millions of Canadians as an “ideology.”
York’s anti-Christian statement comes amid hate crimes against Catholics being on the rise in Canada, and Christianity continuing to be the world’s most persecuted religion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
British Man Receives Life Sentence for Trying to Join ISIS in Syria
Shabazz Suleman, a 27-year-old British man from High Wycombe, has been sentenced to life in prison by a UK court for travelling to Syria nearly a decade ago to join the Islamic State (ISIS) group. Judge Mark Lucraft, who presided over the case at London’s Old Bailey criminal court, highlighted that Suleman knowingly joined an organisation proscribed under English law.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Commission Adviser Calls Europe Blind to Chinese Influence
Beijing is ramping up its efforts to covertly influence European policy-making and public opinion, but most EU countries are largely blind to what’s happening, Ivana Karaskova, a Czech academic expert on foreign influence and special adviser to the European Commission told Politico, according to an article published on Friday, May 26th.
Chinese propaganda is nothing new on the continent, as Beijing has long been seeking to undermine transatlantic unity while promoting its own interests, but things started moving much quicker around 2019, the adviser said. The propaganda became bolder and more direct, while the covert funding of pro-China think tanks, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations multiplied.
“In some countries, awareness of [Chinese influence operations] is high because they have a history of Russian-backed action. Elsewhere, it’s complete denial,” Karaskova said. “It’s very uneven in terms of awareness. There are some countries where the discussion isn’t happening at all.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Official Threatens Twitter for Pulling Out of Anti-Disinfo Pact
EU officials have been mega-triggered after Twitter decided to abandon the bloc’s voluntary disinformation “code of practice” that other major platforms have pledged to support.
“You can run but you can’t hide,” European Commissioner Thierry Breton tweeted, ominously.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germans Are Outraged About the Country’s Oil and Gas Boiler Ban
Authored by Irina Slav via OilPrice.com
Germans are criticizing a government plan to ban oil and gas boilers and replace them with heat pumps, arguing it is happening too fast and is going to cost a lot of money.
Germany wants to become net-zero by 2045. To this end, the government recently announced it would ban boilers working with fossil fuels, effectively forcing people to switch to heat pumps as the only green enough option for people with no access to district heating.
The cost of the ban is estimated at over 9 billion euros, or $10 billion, annually until 2028. After that, according to the Scholz government, costs will drop by almost half thanks to a ramp-up in heat pump production and a scale-up of wind and solar capacity.
The government is offering financial help to households, to the tune of 30% of the cost of the switch but Germans appear to not be particularly enticed by that offer.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Police Launch Investigation as Water in Venice Grand Canal Turns Neon Green
Police have launched an investigation in Venice after a section of the Italian city’s famed Grand Canal turned a bright phosphorescent green colour on Sunday.
A section of Venice’s Grand Canal near the Rialto Bridge turned a bright shade of neon green on Sunday morning, sparking concerns about the health of the local residents.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The EU Wants All Citizens to Have a Digital ID by 2030
The digital ID rollout is accelerating with little attention and not enough pushback. The European Commission has set aside €46 million (about $49 million) for the controversial European digital identity wallet, an upcoming smartphone app that will allow citizens of all 27 member states of the EU to store and share a digital ID. The money will be invested in pilot programs.
The wallet could be used for presenting travel credentials, registering a SIM card, opening a bank account, and accessing services like social benefits.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Top Professor Testifies: COVID ‘Intentionally Released’ to Push Vaccines Onto Public
A world-renowned professor has given an explosive testimony before the European Parliament in Brussels regarding the origins of the pandemic.
Testifying before Europe’s top officials at the International Covid Summit, Dr. David Martin asserted that COVID-19 was “intentionally released.”
According to Martin, the virus was released with the intention of triggering a global pandemic.
The goal was to create widespread acceptance of vaccines through fears of the virus, he stated.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Green Madness: Labour Party to Ban All New Gas and Oil Projects in North Sea
The left-wing Labour Party is reportedly prepping plans to ban all new oil and gas developments in the North Sea and only provide loans and investments to so-called green projects.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who is widely predicted to become the next prime minister of the United Kingdom, is set to make the green agenda a central feature of his pitch to voters in the upcoming general election.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Erdogan Wins Reelection to 5-Year Term as President After 20 Years in Power
Update(1424ET): It’s official, according to state media — Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been re-elected as Turkey’s president after passing the 50% threshold required for victory over his challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
With 97 percent of ballot boxes opened, Erdogan has captured 52.1 percent of votes over Kilicdaroglu with 47.9 percent. He is Turkey’s longest running president in history, already long surpassing the rule of the Republic of Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (at 15 years).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The call to order was a stern one. With Ukraine stepping up its strikes and incursions into Russian territory in recent days, the United States has firmly reminded Kiev that it’s forbidden to use American military equipment for such actions. “We don’t want to encourage or enable that, and we certainly don’t want any US-made equipment being used to attack Russian soil,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told CNN on Thursday, May 25.
“We’ve been very clear that we want Ukraine to be able to defend its own soil, its own territory. They’ve been attacked. They’ve been invaded. They have the right to defend themselves. But (…) we don’t want to see this war escalate beyond the devastation and violence that is already befalling the Ukrainian people,” explained the White House adviser, maintaining that he had “obtained assurances from the Ukrainians that they would respect these wishes.”
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Lindsay Graham Meets With Zelensky — Says Ukraine War ‘Best Money We’ve Ever Spent’
Lindsay Graham, a remnant of the Bush era Neocon fold, has been a busy bee in the past year. He has visited Ukraine at least three times since the war with Russia began, called for the assassination of Vladimir Putin, called for the US to directly attack Russian planes, and he’s even demanded that the US put troops on the ground in Taiwan to fight the Chinese. It just goes to show that there are certainly a number of politicians that identify as GOP Republicans that do not represent the will of most conservatives and moderates.
Graham’s latest visit with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has been broadly publicized. Andriy Yermak, the head of the president’s office, released footage of the meeting, intercut with dramatic piano music for effect.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Launches 15th Air Assault on Kyiv in May
May 29 (Reuters) — Several explosions shook the Ukrainian capital early on Monday, city officials said, in what was Russia’s 15th air assault on the city in May and second overnight attack in a row.
“A missile shot down near Kyiv,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging channel. “Air defence working!”
He added that blasts were heard in several districts of the city, including Kyiv’s historic neighbourhood of Podil where falling debris damaged a roof on a house.
According to preliminary information from Klitschko and the city’s military administration, there were no casualties in the overnight attacks.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Launches ‘Largest’ Drone Strike on Kyiv, Ukrainians Claim
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s capital was subjected to the largest drone attack since the start of Russia’s war, local officials said, as Kyiv prepared to mark the anniversary of its founding on Sunday. At least one person was killed.
Russia launched the “most massive attack” on the city overnight Saturday with Iranian-made Shahed drones, said Serhii Popko, a senior Kyiv military official. The attack lasted more than five hours, with air defense reportedly shooting down more than 40 drones.
A 41-year-old man was killed and a 35-year-old woman was hospitalized when debris fell on a seven-story nonresidential building and started a fire, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Ukraine’s air force said that Saturday night was also record-breaking in terms of Shahed drone attacks across the country. Of the 54 drones launched, 52 were shot down by air defense systems.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Top US General: Ukraine Should Not Use US Equipment to Attack Russia
Authored by Connor Freeman via AntiWar.com
The top US general reaffirmed that Kiev has long been asked not to use military equipment provided by Washington to conduct attacks against Russian territory, according to Reuters. This policy is necessary because such attacks could provoke a direct clash between NATO and Russia, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley emphasized while speaking with reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday.
Milley’s comments came after a neo-Nazi group, which operates as part of Kiev’s armed forces and cooperates with Ukrainian military intelligence, carried out a cross-border raid in Russia. Denis Nikitin is the leader of the Russian Volunteer Corps, which is said to be made up of Russian citizens including some members of the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion who fought, since 2014, for Kiev during the Donbas war. Nikitin said his men were using US equipment, such as two M1224 MaxxPro armored vehicles, also known as MRAPs, during the raid. Members of another militia, the Freedom of Russia Legion, also participated in the assault.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Vindictive’ Russia Will be Major Threat to NATO if Beaten in Ukraine, Warns UK Air Force Chief
A Russia beaten in Ukraine will be a “vindictive” threat to NATO, the outgoing head of Britain’s Royal Air Force has warned.
Sir Mike Wigston, the head of the Royal Air Force, has warned that if Russia is defeated in Ukraine the country would end up being “brutal” and “vindictive”, ultimately representing a serious threat to both the UK and NATO as a whole.
The Air Chief Marshal is to step down next month from his position in the organisation — which has repeatedly been criticised as being in a state of dysfunction — later this year, having presided over the force as it allegedly banned the recruitment of white males in the hopes of hitting diversity quotas.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
India: Indore: Islamist Mob Manhandle Muslim Woman & Her Hindu Male Friend for Dining Out Together
The victims were returning from a hotel when they were stopped by the accused, 6 arrested.
FPJ Online | Indore (Madhya Pradesh) | May 27, 2023:: A group of Muslim youths allegedly waylaid a hijab-clad woman and her Hindu male friend as they were returning from dinner in Indore on Thursday night. The group started moral-policing the woman for apparently violating ‘Islam’ as she went out with a man of different faith.
Six persons were arrested by the police and they are being questioned for other accused.
Additional DCP Rajesh Raghuwanshi said that a student along with his female friend had gone to have dinner at a hotel in Tukoganj area. They were leaving from there when they were stopped by a group of youths, who argued and manhandled them. They were asking the girl why she was roaming with a man of a different religion.
Seeing the mob thrashing the youth, two persons named Yash Joshi and Himanshu Patel tried to intervene but the accused misbehaved with them and one of them attacked Yash and Himanshu with a knife after chasing them.
After the matter came to light, Bajrang Dal coordinator Tannu Sharma met the injured persons and assured them of support.
The police have registered a case against seven identified youths and others under section 307 of the IPC and arrested six of them within hours. The accused are being questioned by the police.
| — Hat tip: Subhra Basak | [Return to headlines] |
South Korea: Passenger Arrested for Opening Emergency Exit During Flight
A man was arrested for allegedly opening an emergency exit door during a South Korean flight, and he faces up to 10 years in prison, officials said.
The suspect, described as a 33-year-old man with the surname Lee, told investigators in preliminary questioning that he felt suffocated and tried to quickly escape the plane, police said, according to The Associated Press. The man also reportedly said he felt stressed since he lost his job recently.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
13-Year Old Girl Dies From ‘Chroming,’ Latest Alarming Social Media Trend
The family of a 13-year-old Australian girl who died from “chroming” has urged action to prevent similar deaths from occurring.
“We want to help other children not fall into the silly trap of doing this silly thing. It’s unquestionable that this will be our crusade,” Paul Haynes, the girl’s father, told Australian outlet the Herald Sun. “No matter how much you lead a horse to water, anyone can drag them away. It’s not something she would have done on her own.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
American, Sophia Kim, claimed she was too ‘stressed’ to see the signs warning her of the speed limit and speed cameras while driving through Sydney’s Cross City Tunnel on May 23.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Australians have woken up to freezing temperatures as a high-pressure system sweeps across the country, with some areas recording temperatures as low as -2.7C.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Furious Homeowner Shames Neighbour for Burning Wood to Keep Warm in Affluent Sydney Suburb
A campaigner against wood fires is bitterly dividing her affluent community with her most recent post showing a house chimney billowing smoke that she says affects her health.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Woman, 26, Dies ‘Suddenly’ in Front of Parents After Suffering Massive Cardiac Arrest
A young woman has “tragically and suddenly” died in front of her parents during a family dinner, according to reports.
26-year-old Dani Duchatel from Australia went into cardiac arrest just after 10 pm May 21.
She suffered the fatal heart failure while having dinner and playing cards with her parents at their home in Moreton Bay, Brisbane.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Illegal Immigrant Accused of Killing Florida Sheriff’s Deputy in Line of Duty
A sergeant at St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office in Florida was killed by an 18-year-old homeless illegal migrant worker from Guatemala, officials said.
“Sergeant Michael Kunovich was killed in the line of duty by an illegal immigrant who took advantage of our open border,” Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis tweeted Friday. “Our prayers go out to the Kunovich family. … Joe Biden’s reckless immigration policies are deadly — it is no way to run a country.”
St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said Kunovich attempted to pat down Vergilio Aguilar Mendez on the evening of May 19, when the suspect attempted to flee. Additional deputies arrived at the scene and Mendez “continued to violently resist” arrest for more than six minutes, officials said.
After Mendez was handcuffed, he produced a pocket knife that deputies forcefully removed. Moments later, Kunovich collapsed from “medical distress,” received lifesaving measures and died, Sheriff Robert Hardwick said, according to The Florida Times Union.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: 151 Migrants Land at Crotone Inc 34 Unaccompanied Minors
(ANSA) — ROME, MAY 28 — Shortly after midnight Saturday night, 151 migrants landed at Crotone in Calabria after being rescued off the coast of Calabria by the patrol boat Bojador of the Portuguese National Guard, which operates in the Frontex surveillance system, officials said Sunday.
They are all male and among them are 34 unaccompanied minors from Pakistan and Egypt, the officials said.
They were on board a fishing boat intercepted by a Coast Guard patrol boat, from which they were transhipped onto the military vessel.
They left the Turkish coast five days ago.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Several authors of a Soros-funded Penn Biden Center report advocating for increasing the number of refugees allowed into the country now work in the Biden administration, handling immigration and national security policy.
The Penn Biden Center and the National Conference on Citizenship published a 2020 report, which was funded by a $259,050 grant from Open Society Foundations, recommending increasing the number of refugees permitted to come to the U.S. and easing restrictions on refugee eligibility, actions the White House has since taken. The report was led by Ariana Berengaut, who now serves as senior adviser to national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and Eric Hysen, who was sworn in as chief information officer (CIO) for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in February 2021; Rosanna Kim, who serves as senior adviser for the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) since January 2021, also contributed to the report.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Boycott Target’ Climbs iTunes Charts, Garners Millions of Views
The song “Boycott Target” has garnered millions of views online and climbed to No. 3 on iTunes Hip-Hop charts within days of being released.
“Attention all shoppers: There’s a clean-up on every aisle. Target is targeting your kids,” the song by Forgiato Blow and Jimmy Levy featuring Nick Nittoli and Stoney Dudebro opens up. The music video, which has more than 3.6 million views on Twitter, features the rappers walking through what appears to be Target as they hold up Pride-themed merchandise.
The group, whose other songs include “Fock Bud Light,” “Let’s Go Brandon” and “Trump Train,” released the single taking aim at Target on Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Campus Watch: “Anti-Racist” Professor Claims “Whiteness Institutionalizes Lies”
York University professor Vidya Shah is being accused of racism after going on a tirade on Thursday, claiming protocol, professionalism and conflict management are used by “whiteness” to “institutionalize lies, denials and cover-ups.”
The “anti-racist” education scholar made the claim on Twitter, while tweeting about disrupting “whiteness in leadership.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Children’s Hospital ‘Health Hero’ Award Given to Trans Democrat Pushing Child Sex Changes
The Children’s Minnesota hospital system awarded state Rep. Leigh Finke an award last week after authoring a bill designed to promote child sex changes, the Daily Caller reports.
Finke, a transgender individual, authored Minnesota’s HF146, the so-called “trans refuge” bill, which would prevent the enforcement of out-of-state laws that would remove a child from parents who cross state lines to administer transgender medical interventions, such as hormones or puberty blockers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Disney Pushes Marxism, Teaches Kids ‘Equity Will Make it Right’
A cartoon has emerged on Disney+ that seeks to push Marxist ideology onto preschool children.
In an episode of “Ready For Preschool” by Disney Junior called “Learn about Fairness,” kids are taught about the far-left theory of “equity.”
Not to be confused with “equality,” so-called “equity” promotes the idea that “some” should be given an advantage in life over others based on factors such as race, gender “identity,” or sexual preference.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jane Fonda Blames ‘White Men’ for ‘Everything, ‘ Calls to ‘Arrest and Jail’ Them
Hollywood actress Jane Fonda blamed white men for the world’s problems and called to arrest and jail them during a conversation at the Cannes Film Festival with Deadline.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nearly One Year After Dobbs, Half the Country Now Bans Abortions by 12 Weeks
Only weeks ahead of the first anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, half of the country is set to impose restrictions on abortions after 12 weeks or sooner.
While many states had abortion laws on the books before the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, they were unable to enforce them or pass new legislation due to the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. Since the Dobbs ruling, 25 states now have laws restricting abortions after 12 weeks or sooner, with 14 of them banning abortion completely or with extremely limited exceptions, and eight are awaiting verdicts from courts before enforcing the laws after protests from pro-abortion groups, according to The New York Times.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A North Dakota school district is catching flak from parents who allege it continues to keep families in the dark about students’ gender identities despite Gov. Doug Burgum, R., signing a bill into law prohibiting the shady practice earlier this month.
“We will not openly out any student because of one law if we know that that’s going to cause harm to that child,” Fargo Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Rupak Gandhi announced in response to the law.
Gandhi also cited perceived conflict between state and federal law on the issue, arguing the district should continue to advocate for students who identify as transgender, according to a report from The National Desk.
Despite the district’s claim that the policy is not in place to push back against parents, some took exception at a board meeting scheduled for last Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Study Links Left-Wing Extremism With Narcisissm and Psychopathy
A groundbreaking study featured in the peer-reviewed journal Current Psychology uncovers a link between left-wing extremism, psychopathic tendencies, and narcissism.
“Given existing research, we predicted a correlation between high levels of left-wing authoritarianism and increased narcissism,” the authors stated. This fresh perspective has led researchers Ann Krispenz and Alex Bertrams to introduce a novel term for this behavioral phenomenon: the “dark-ego-vehicle principle.”
Elaborating on the principle to PsyPost, the authors explained, “This principle posits that individuals exhibiting dark personality traits, like extreme narcissism and psychopathy, are drawn towards certain forms of political and social activism. These become a conduit to fulfill their ego-centric needs rather than genuinely striving for social justice and equality.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Target Stores Hit With Bomb Threat After ‘Turning Its Back’ on LGBTQ+ Community
At least five Targets in multiple states received bomb threats Friday over company executives pulling the Pride collection section because of mounting boycotts, leading to multiple stores being evacuated as police and the FBI searched for explosive devices.
“Target is full of [redacted] cowards who turned their back on the LGBT community and decided to cater to homophobic right wing, redneck, bigots, who protested and vandalized their store,“ reads a threatening email sent to several Target locations in Ohio and one in Pennsylvania, Cleveland 19 News reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
WaPo Backs Trans Satanist Who Target Tapped to Make Kids Pride Merch
On Friday, the Washington Post published a piece claiming that conservatives are painting designer Erik Carnell, and the retail chain Target, as promotors of Satan out of anti-LGBTQ hate. They said this is “a common occurrence whenever a major corporation shows support for the community.”
“The attacks on Carnell are part of an onslaught against public displays of queer culture,” the article states. “Most notably the campaign against Budweiser over its partnership with Mulvaney, and a seemingly organized campaign to ban books with LGBTQ+ content from school libraries. This month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a slate of bills that target drag shows, pronouns, bathroom use, and gender-affirming care for minors.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
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Henry Kissinger turned 100 years old
May 28, 2023, Fria Tider
During his time as US Secretary of State, diplomat and political scientist Henry Kissinger tried to end the Cold War. Today, his successor has essentially undone that job.
Kissinger, who turned 100 on Saturday, is considered the godfather of realpolitik and one of the most influential diplomats and thinkers in shaping the US-led world order.
He was US National Security Advisor between 1969 and 1975, overlapping for two years with the position of US Secretary of State from 1973 to 1977.
Like many other American leaders, he became a red flag for the Western left, which was pro-peace at the time. Especially since he was the US Secretary of State at the time of the US expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia.
Nevertheless, Kissinger eventually contributed to the peace process in Vietnam. He played a crucial role in negotiating the 1973 Paris Agreement, which provided for an armistice and US withdrawal from Vietnam.
This diplomatic effort helped to end the war and begin a process of peace and reconstruction in the region.
Kissinger was also active in improving relations between the United States and China. His secret trips and negotiations led to the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and opened the door to mutual cooperation and trade.
Towards the Soviet Union, he advocated détente, which meant reducing tensions and seeking diplomatic solutions instead of military confrontation. He conducted negotiations with Soviet leaders, including Leonid Brezhnev, and worked to reduce the risk of war between the superpowers.
He played a crucial role in reaching successful disarmament agreements, including the SALT I agreement during the 1972 peace conference and the SALT II agreement in 1979.
At the time, the peace talks were already facing strong opposition from the US media, which tried to sabotage the conference and prevent it from taking place.
This infuriated the incumbent President Richard Nixon, who in confidential talks with Kissinger, himself of Jewish descent, threatened to deliver an anti-Semitic speech to the nation if the media did not back off.
– Let me put it this way, Henry: it will be the worst thing that has happened to Jews in the history of the United States. If they sabotage this conference, I will hold them responsible for it, and I will do it publicly at 9 p.m. in front of 80 million people,” Nixon told Kissinger.
Despite Henry Kissinger’s star status in American diplomacy, his successor has chosen a different, and in recent years, opposite path. It is now confrontation and increased tensions.
One of the most tangible examples is of course Ukraine, a crisis that began in 2014 when the country underwent a US and EU-backed coup d’état.
In response, Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula and the US imposed economic sanctions and began arming and training Ukraine, including in cooperation with Sweden.
The result was a Russian invasion in early 2022 and a US-European proxy war against Russia that is still ongoing in Ukraine.
After all that. I STILL think Kissinger is an evil man.
John Lennon’s “Imagine”, sung on the Poland-Belarus border. (with applause from the invaders, on the other side)…
https://twitter.com/obserwujesobie/status/1663058081469669376
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“Swedish school is worse than I thought”
From the mail stream, I select the following very important
message for general announcement – preferably world wide.
+++
Personally I am convinced thatt it is both a disaster and a tragedy
for a person not to have a fluent, easy-to-read, easy-to-write
handwriting, and also to lack an easily readable but “deeply
grounded” personal signature. Lack of such is egodemoralizing.
Also, finger motor skills and learning ability are deeply intertwined!
The Swedish socialistic school was lousy and mostly uninteresting / uninspiring in the 40s and 50s; today it seems to
be thoroughly rotten, solely focused on the creation of ignorant,,
submissive subjects.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Swedish school is worse than I thought
https://www.daneriksson.com/p/svenska-skolan-ar-varre-an-jag-trodde?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1546237&post_id=122667617&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email
A necessary awakening to the failure of the school,
and a realization of my own responsibility as a parent.
The Swedish socialist curriculum directly and deliberately sabotages the knowledge and personality formation of Swedish children.
Dan Eriksson
Today my new nine-year-old, who is also my oldest son, was going to a birthday party. For the Minecraft game he bought as a gift, he had chosen a greeting card with cool graphics and fuzzy text, as it should be. Before he left, we were going to write a little greeting in the card and I give the boy an ink pen.
Disaster. I can see immediately that he has zero experience of writing by hand. Of course, I have noticed that since we moved to Sweden, all homework is on the iPad, but I had still understood that in school they learned to write by hand. I ask him about it and he says they only do it on Thursdays. One lesson a week. The rest is digital.
I feel completely frustrated.
When we moved to Sweden from Germany almost exactly one year ago, he wrote quite beautiful writing style. In Swedish school, he was forbidden to write in cursive; when they wrote by hand, they had to “texta” instead.
We thought it was sad, but assumed there was some kind of pedagogy behind it.
Now he has forgotten the writing style, and his “texting” handwriting has deteriorated significantly.
One really wonders what the point of Swedish schools is, when children are not taught such basic things as handwriting.
Fortunately, there seems to be some debate about this, here is a sample:
Karin Pihl: Sad that children don’t learn to write by hand anymore.
https://substack.com/redirect/a1af84b4-b265-4d47-82ca-fd225da39bc8?j=eyJ1IjoiMWp1OG9mIn0.AAd2_tk7vIc-sDhvZ9jHxLyNYcbLeQD4k4xNkbGuWpo
Martin Flodkvist Hjort: Students can’t write because they haven’t practiced handwriting.
https://substack.com/redirect/8e3a6313-2e55-4b6d-869e-2d366c0d5816?j=eyJ1IjoiMWp1OG9mIn0.AAd2_tk7vIc-sDhvZ9jHxLyNYcbLeQD4k4xNkbGuWpo
Sabrina Di Tullio: Pupils learn more when they write by hand
https://substack.com/redirect/322c6698-8cc1-4535-bb05-812846ab50d3?j=eyJ1IjoiMWp1OG9mIn0.AAd2_tk7vIc-sDhvZ9jHxLyNYcbLeQD4k4xNkbGuWpo
Filippa Mannerheim: Not teaching students to write by hand is an unforgivable betrayal?
https://www.svd.se/a/3Jdx8q/ett-oforlatligt-svek-att-inte-lara-elever-skriva-for-hand?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Mathias Bred: Why children should be taught to write by hand
https://substack.com/redirect/5968dc20-a86e-402f-9d66-fd5dfb105f94?j=eyJ1IjoiMWp1OG9mIn0.AAd2_tk7vIc-sDhvZ9jHxLyNYcbLeQD4k4xNkbGuWpo
I have of course taken note of the debate, but what happened today was a real wake-up call to how serious it is. Of course, I also understand that the responsibility now rests mainly on my and my wife’s shoulders, which is why we have started looking at how to organize homeschooling in the future to focus more on writing. In addition, I have some ideas on how to develop materials and organize parent groups to support each other in the necessary homeschooling, which I will return to if it becomes relevant.
It is obvious that the Swedish school has no pedagogy behind this “digitalization”, but that it is a continued development towards a school that breaks down the students rather than builds them up. Instead, the focus seems to have been placed on learning about the “Convention on the Rights of the Child” (by extension, the continued atomization of the family), that God does not exist (it is “just something that some people believe in”) and so on – at least those are the things I am told they learned in school.
We have compulsory schooling in Sweden, and the task of the school is obviously to make the children good social democrats with no sense of faith, family, nation or tradition. The total capitulation to “digitalization” and the abolition of handwriting is just another of many examples of this.
I have said these things many times now, but I think it was only today that I really understood it. From now on, I will take more responsibility for homeschooling my children, and I hope I can reach out to other parents in a similar situation to inspire them to do the same.
Are you interested in joining a homeschooling parents’ group?
There we can exchange ideas, materials and support each other in giving our children the best possible conditions at school.
Email me at
dan.eriksson@live.com
and we can talk further and see if we can make something good out of it!
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MUST WATCH:
Expert Tells EU Parliament “COVID-19 Was An Act Of Biological Warfare”
https://madmaxworld.tv/channel/the-alex-jones-show
Fewer disturbances – less Jones!
https://madmaxworld.tv/watch?id=6470def41cd98dc354c2a94a