The first wave of tonight’s thunderstorms took out my voice connection, but left the Internet connection intact. Then the second wave of storms came through, and knocked out the electric power, as well as voice on the phone line. Fortunately, everything came back up in time for me to hastily throw the news feed together.
At a quick glance, the most interesting items seem to be those concerning Yevgeny Prigozhin and his supposed attempted coup against Moscow.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, DV, JW, Reader from Chicago, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
Fitch’s A-Level Credit Rating for Poland is Testimony to the Country’s Creditworthiness
Poland’s long-term foreign currency rating was kept at “A-” with a stable outlook by global rating agency Fitch over the weekend, the same level as set by S&P, but lower than the A2 rating given by Moody’s.
According to Fitch, “Poland’s ratings are supported by a diversified economy, a fairly sound macroeconomic framework anchored by EU membership, and slightly lower public debt levels than rated peers.”
Midterm growth is forecast to reach 3-3.5 percent by the agency, “thanks to a combination of strong investment dynamics, high productivity and a normalization of consumption trends as inflation eases.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Robert F Kennedy Jr. Calls CBDCs “Instruments of Control and Oppression”
In an interview with The New York Post, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democratic Party presidential candidate, took a deep dive into the topic of currency. He unfolded his candid views on Bitcoin, expressed trepidations over central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and rang the bell of caution around artificial intelligence (AI).
Kennedy plans to “support Bitcoin and the freedom to transact,” and enable individuals to wield command over “Bitcoin wallets, nodes, and passwords.” In his world, regulatory fetters would be whittled down to the bare essentials to curb money laundering.
Kennedy also locked horns with Biden’s proposed crypto tax, a formidable 30%, and sounded the alarm against CBDCs.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Climate warriors in New York, who banned gas stoves and furnaces from most new buildings across the state, are now coming after pizza ovens.
The New York Post reports new rules were drafted by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) that could order nearly 1,700 pizzerias across five boroughs to reduce carbon emissions by 75%. One city official said about 100 pizzerias could be impacted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden’s 2024 Campaign Struggling to Raise Money
Democrat President Joe Biden’s 2024 reelection campaign is struggling to raise money from donors, according to a new report.
A dozen bundlers and donors across the country told Politico that Biden’s campaign fundraising numbers are not as strong as he hoped.
The lack of cashflow is causing “anxiety,” “concern,” and “nervousness” among his supporters, the report says.
When the 2024 campaigns file Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports next month, the picture will become clearer.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrats Call on YouTube to Bring Back Its Election Censorship Rules
A ripple of indignation surged through the Capitol this Thursday as some lawmakers pushed against YouTube and its parent colossus, Alphabet Inc. At the heart of the issue is the tech behemoth’s about-face on its election misinformation policy, a move that emerges as a tinderbox in the countdown to the presidential race next year.
The fury emanated from the news that YouTube has decided to slacken its policy reins, no longer acting as the all-mighty censor against videos questioning the the sanctity of the 2020 presidential elections. The revelation, made through an announcement from YouTube, was met with the usual complaints from four high-profile Democrats of the US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee. Among the voices was that of Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (D.-NJ) who, along with his cohorts, denounced YouTube’s maneuver and demanded the tech giant retract this new stance.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Eco-Terrorists Crowdsource Harassment and Terror
by Daniel Greenfield
Some leftist groups beat around the bush about what they stand for and what they do.
Not ‘Climate Defiance’ which is running a fundraiser to ‘Make Complicit Climate Cowards’ Lives F____g Miserable’.
The ecoterrorist group which boasts of having “fully shut down Joe Manchin’s keynote” and “made pipeline lover Amy Klobuchar flee the stage at her own book launch party” is also pretty clear about what donors can buy by funding the environmentalist group.
For $100, you get “photography for one direct action” while $1,000 buys you a “whole keynote speech shutdown, soup-to-nuts”.
Funding for this illegal activity is being processed by Stripe and PayPal. Both companies have a history of suspending conservatives, but have no objection to allowing leftists to directly subsidize harassment of elected officials. When contacted for a comment, they did not reply.
But Climate Defiance’s operations also share a funding platform with the DNC…
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook Hires Ex-CIA Agent ‘Misinformation’ Chief to Lead ‘Elections Policies’
Meta has promoted a former CIA agent from a senior role on Facebook’s “misinformation” team to “Head of Elections Policies” at the social media giant.
Aaron Berman, a 17-year veteran of the CIA, served as Facebook’s “misinformation” chief during the 2020 election.
In the run-up to the 2020 election Facebook and other Big Tech companies buried information, such as the Hunter Biden laptop story, that was damaging to Democrats.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fox News Names Tucker Carlson’s Replacement, Announces New Primetime Lineup
Fox News has announced new changes to its lineup and has finally named who will take former star anchor Tucker Carlson’s old timeslot.
The network will debut a new primetime lineup on July 17th, said CEO Suzanne Scott.
Starting at 7 PM/ET, FNC’s Laura Ingraham will kick off primetime with Jesse Watters taking over the 8 PM/ET timeslot.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hacker Takes Down Pedophile Ring, Brings Child Predators to Justice
A “white hat hacker” has used his skills for good by taking down an online pedophile ring and bringing the child predators to justice.
Ryan Montgomery, also dubbed 0day, is not the typical hacker who uses computer manipulation to commit crimes.
Instead, Montgomery is more of a vigilante who catches bad guys.
Montgomery is what’s known as a white hat hacker, or ethical hacker.
The 29-year-old cyber prodigy from Pennsylvania went from causing mischief online to helping authorities dismantle child predator networks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FIRST ON FOX: The House Weaponization Subcommittee says the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has “facilitated the censorship of Americans directly” and through third-party intermediaries during the Biden administration.
Fox News Digital first obtained a new committee report Monday, stemming from the panel’s ongoing investigation into government-induced censorship on social media. The report focuses on CISA’s alleged work ahead of the 2020 election and the 2022 midterm elections.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
How Crime Novel Became Reality for 8 Cities With Soros-Backed ‘Rogue Prosecutors’
Violent criminals are being given a “slap on the wrist” and released back onto the streets in eight cities across America, says author Charles “Cully” Stimson.
Between the “defund the police” movement and the election of “[George] Soros’ bought-and-paid-for rogue prosecutors, crime exploded,” says Stimson, co-author of the new book “Rogue Prosecutors: How Radical Soros Lawyers Are Destroying America’s Communities.”
The term “rogue prosecutor” refers to “those who are funded by, or inspired and supported by, the George Soros network,” says Stimson, who is a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Stimson’s co-author, Zack Smith, is also a legal fellow there. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.)
Soros is a left-wing billionaire who has used his vast wealth to further the Left’s agenda, including spending “$40 million in [district attorney] races,” Stimson says, adding that in cities where these “rogue prosecutors” have been elected with Soros money, crime has spiked.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Idaho Massacre Suspect’s Lawyer Says DNA From Two Other Men Found at Crime Scene
Lawyers representing Idaho massacre suspect Bryan Kohberger claimed in documents filed on Thursday that there was “no connection” between the 28-year-old suspect and the students who were found fatally stabbed in their Moscow, Idaho home last year.
An Objection to State’s Motion for Protective Order, viewed by the Daily Mail, stated that “there is no connection between Mr. Kohberger and the victims. There is no explanation for the total lack of DNA evidence from the victims in Mr. Kohberger’s apartment, office, home, or vehicle.”
The filing stated that “by December 17, 2022, lab analysts were aware of two additional males’ DNA within the house where the deceased were located.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kamala Harris Receives Worst Vice Presidential Rating in NBC News Poll’s History
NBC News reported on Monday that Vice President Kamala Harris has dubious distinction of having the lowest net-negative rating of modern vice presidents in the history of their polling.
According to a new NBC News poll, only 32% of registered voters have a positive view of Harris, compared to 49% with a negative view, including 39% with a “very negative view.” This leaves Harris with a net —17 rating, which NBC News noted is “the lowest for any vice president in the poll’s history.”
Harris’ —17 net rating lined up against the last four vice presidents during their tenures, with Mike Pence —4 in Oct. 2019, Joe Biden +1 in Dec. 2010, Dick Cheney +23 in May 2003, and Al Gore +15 in March 1995.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lindsey Graham Pushes Resolution to Declare Russia’s Use of Nuclear Weapons an Attack on NATO
Warmongering U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have introduced a bipartisan resolution declaring Russia’s use of nuclear weapons to be an attack against NATO.
The resolution states that any use of nukes by Russia, or the destruction of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Powerplant in Ukraine, would be an attack on NATO.
Such a move would require the invocation of NATO Article 5.
Which means they want to go to war with Russia.
If we went to war with Russia it would end in a nuclear holocaust.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An NBC News poll has found that 68 percent of voters, including 43 percent of Democrats, are “concerned that Joe Biden does not have the necessary mental and physical health to be president.”
Overall, the figures constitute a 17-point increase in just two and a half years, with double the amount of Democratic voters expressing either moderate or major concern on the matter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RFK Jr: Obama Made a ‘Golden Handshake With the Devil’
Democrat 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has blasted former President Barack Obama for emboldening Big Pharma companies during his presidency.
In a new interview, RFK Jr. explains how Obama welcomed pharmaceutical companies into his administration.
According to RFK Jr., the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, Obama made a “golden handshake with the devil.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrat President Joe Biden’s son Hunter received over $5 million in two payments from a Chinese Communist Party-linked energy company just days after he sent a threatening text message demanding payment from an associate in China.
As Slay News reported, the July 30, 2017 text message emerged earlier this week and shows Hunter Biden threatening his Chinese business associate Henry Zhao.
In the WhatsApp message, Hunter specifically identifies Joe Biden and uses his father’s name to turn the screws on Zhao.
However, a Senate report from September 2020 shows that two of Hunter Biden’s firms received $5.1 million from Chinese firm CEFC in early August 2017.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Photographs extracted from Hunter Biden’s laptop place him at his father’s Wilmington, Delaware residence on the same day he threatened a Chinese business partner, according to a report from the Washington Free Beacon.
As Slay News reported, new text messages have emerged showing Hunter Biden demanding money from a foreign associate.
In the texts, Hunter warns that he’s “with my father” and threatens repercussions from Joe Biden if his demands are not met.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Terrible Tragedy’: Victims in Newton Triple Murder Identified as Couple and Mother, Church Says
Officials said that two of the three victims were celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary over the weekend, and were expected in church on Sunday morning when they were found
Three people killed in a home in Newton, Massachusetts, were identified Monday as a husband, wife and her mother, according to a letter to their church community, which described them all as beloved, longtime members.
In a letter from family members, sent out by the Sacred Heart and Our Lady’s Collaborative, the victims were named as Jill and Bruno D’Amore and Jill’s mother Lucia Arpino.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share that the terrible tragedy that happened yesterday in Newton hit very close to home…impacting our faith community and our own family,” a letter from cousins, who work for the church, and a niece read.
Jill was described as spending “endless hours in the care of our church,” gardening and managing decor. Bruce was said to be known for his “big voice and his exuberant personality,” especially when he stood in as chef flipping burgers at the parish picnic.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan — who told reporters on Sunday she could not recall any other triple murder in Newton’s history — said that two of the three victims were celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary over the weekend, and were expected in church on Sunday morning.
Law enforcement have asked residents to be on alert after what investigators believe may have been a random attack on the three, who were found in their home. The search for a suspect is ongoing.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Whistleblower: FBI Knew Hunter Biden Laptop Was Real Months Before it Became Public
A federal investigator has blown the whistle to reveal that the FBI knew Hunter Biden’s “Laptop from Hell” was real months before it was first reported by the New York Post in 2020.
A memo written by a now-whistleblower shows the FBI had already authenticated the contents of the laptop by the time it became public.
According to whistleblower Gary Shapley, a supervisory criminal investigative agent with the IRS, the FBI had been investigating the laptop for nearly a year before the 2020 election.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
OceanGate Titanic Sub: Royal Canadian Mounted Police Not Ruling Out Possible Criminal Investigation
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is looking into the circumstances surrounding the fatal voyage of OceanGate Expedition’s Titan submersible to determine whether a criminal investigation is warranted.
RCMP Superintendent Kent Osmond said Saturday a team of investigators had been established to decide whether a full criminal investigation would proceed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
AfD Scores Historic Victory for German Conservatives
German citizens in the district of Sonneberg in the eastern state of Thuringia, on Sunday, June 25th, firmly rejected the country’s liberal-globalist establishment in a district council election that saw the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) candidate—for the first time in the party’s 10-year history—cruise to victory, marking a historic breakthrough for that party whose popularity has surged to record highs in national polls.
AfD politician Robert Sesselman easily defeated incumbent district administrator Jürgen Köpper (CDU), garnering 52.8% of the vote in the municipal office run-off election, despite leaders from the country’s five establishment parties—SPD, Greens, FDP, CDU, and the Left—having called on local voters to mobilize in support of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) candidate, the Berlin-based newspaper Junge Freiheit reports.
Köpper, for his part, collected just 47.2% of the vote, despite the collective support he received from the mainstream parties.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Churches Across Europe Repurposed for Nightclubs and Hotels as Attendance Shrinks to Stunning Lows
Churches across Europe are being abandoned or converted into entertainment venues as Christianity continues to decline on the continent.
“That is painful. I will not hide it. On the other hand, there is no return to the past possible,” Monsignor Johan Bonny, the Bishop of Antwerp, Belgium, told The Associated Press.
The bishop’s comments come as churches across Belgium and Europe sit increasingly abandoned, a symptom of the decline in Christianity on the continent that once helped spread the religion to every region of the world.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Endemic Crime in EU Heartland as Brussels Records Highest-Ever Number of Shootings
The region of Brussels recorded its highest-ever number of shootings last year as authorities responded to 46 incidents involving a discharged firearm, in addition to three further incidents of grenade or Molotov cocktail explosions.
The figures evidence a concerning increase in the number of shootings in the Belgian capital, and the de facto capital of the European Union, with more than double the number of incidents involving firearms being reported compared to five years ago.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Enormous Power Grab: Germany, France Want to End Veto Rights in the EU This Year
In what may be the beginning of the end for European nations, Germany and France are determined to reform national rights, including the EU right of veto, this year. The debate has caused a stir in recent months, and in recent weeks, the measure has been put back on the agenda.
France and Germany are convinced that a large-scale institutional reform of the European Union, including the abolition of the veto on European Council votes, could be achieved this year, French EU Affairs Minister Laurence Boone and German Minister of State Anna Lührmann told Euractiv.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Ready to Deploy Combat-Ready Troops in Lithuania
Germany is ready to permanently deploy a combat-ready brigade in Lithuania to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday.
On Sunday, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda urged NATO to strengthen the eastern flank, citing risks associated with Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s relocation to Belarus, per his agreement with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Leads Opposition Against EU Plan to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Rebuild Ukraine
Germany is leading the charge against plans proposed by the European Commission to use the funds from frozen Russian assets to assist with the reconstruction of Ukraine after the conflict.
EC President Ursula von der Leyen announced the plans to redistribute the profits generated by Central Bank of Russia assets worth an estimated €200 billion to help rebuild Ukraine during a conference in London on Wednesday, hinting a firm proposal would be submitted for consideration this summer.
However, critics of the plans, including the European Central Bank (ECB), have warned that such a move “might raise risks of undermining the legal and economic foundations on which the international role of the euro depends.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Humza Yousaf Plots Scottish Return to EU During Brussels Trip
Beleaguered Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf will discuss the logistics of Scotland’s readmittance to the EU Monday, June 26th, as he embarks on a three-day visit to Brussels in order to lay the diplomatic groundwork for an independent Scotland.
This is the 38-year-old first minister’s first foreign visit since ascending to the leadership of both the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the ministerial office in March. Rejoining the EU was a key selling point for post-Brexit Scottish nationalism.
Yousaf is expected to help open a Scottish permanent envoy in Brussels to help lobby for Scottish independence after an announcement earlier this week.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
AN eco group is terrifying SUV drivers by using lentils to deflate their tyres.
The Tyre Extinguishers are on the prowl in posh south Dublin in a bid to get gas-guzzlers off the streets in urban areas, warning: “Don’t take it personally.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
John Kerry, who is Biden’s special presidential envoy for climate, came up against rare pushback when he tried to issue the usual invective and talking points on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Putin’s aggression while speaking on French television in Paris.
But a French TV anchor wasn’t having it, and confronted Kerry over US hypocrisy, given Washington has mounted multiple invasions of sovereign countries in recent decades, especially since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Well-known French journalist Darius Rochebin during the Sunday night interview on news channel LCI posed the following: “We have to judge Putin for crimes of aggression, of course. But you, the Americans, you committed the crime of aggression in Iraq.” Rochebin then asked Kerry: “These countries of the Global South say, should we judge George Bush? Why isn’t Bush judged in the same way?”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland: Kaczynski Holds Major Rally in Turów Showing Determination to Resist EU Pressure
The attempts to close the giant Turów lignite mine is an attack on Polish sovereignty, and the Polish government will not budge in its opposition to the plans, the leader of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, told a rally at the site.
The government reacted to its failure to increase its poll ratings in recent weeks by scrapping the idea of holding a major rally in the city of Lódz in central Poland. Instead, the party hurriedly organized a rally in Bogatynia in Lower Silesia, the site of the huge Turów mine and power plant complex. The mine has been the subject of legal action by the Czech government and environmental groups but is seen by the present government as still being critical to Polish energy production.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pope Francis Welcomes ‘Piss Christ’ Artist in Vatican
ROME — Pope Francis stunned the faithful this weekend when he welcomed some 200 avant-garde artists in the Sistine Chapel, including photographer Andres Serrano, creator of the controversial “Piss Christ” work showing a crucifix submerged in a glass of urine.
The pontiff received the artists to mark the 50th anniversary of the Vatican’s collection of contemporary art, telling them that like the biblical prophets, “you confront things that at times are uncomfortable; you criticize today’s false myths and new idols, its empty talk, the ploys of consumerism, the schemes of power.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden Dumps Climate Agenda, Scraps Green Energy Targets
Sweden has just dealt a severe blow to the globalist climate agenda by scraping its green energy targets.
In a statement announcing the new policy in the Swedish Parliament, Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson warned that the Scandinavian nation needs “a stable energy system.”
Svantesson asserted that wind and solar power are too “unstable” to meet the nation’s energy requirements.
Instead, the Swedish Government is shifting back to nuclear power and has ditched its targets for a “100% renewable energy” supply.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A prominent Swiss climate activist who has participated in numerous blockades of major transit routes across the country to save the planet has been vilified after flying from Zurich to Paris and then to Mexico to travel for two months.
Max Voegtli, a member of Renovate Switzerland, was spotted on the short-haul flight to the French capital, which typically takes around one hour and 20 minutes. Renovate is an environmental activist group that has blocked highways across the country and the Gotthard Tunnel, a railway connecting the southern Italian-speaking Ticino region to the south of the Alps with the German-speaking north.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
It would be extremely refreshing to hear a government official in the UK, or in a number of other countries, make a, “think of the encryption” plea — which would show they understand the very fundamentals of a safe and privacy-preserving internet.
But instead, we are getting more and more “think of the children” platitudes — as always, designed not to actually do that, but mask other, controversial and unpopular policies.
This time, it is UK’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman who claims that her opposition to Facebook’s slow-moving, alleged attempt to make a number of its products safe via implementing end-to-end encryption has to do with fears that children might get abused online.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
As the climate change and environment activist group Just Stop Oil started their tenth week of protests in the country’s capital, things came to a head when a cyclist decided to take matters into his own hands and started pushing and pulling the protestors, telling them to “f****** move” and “go and protest properly”.
Dressed in blue shirt and blue shorts with a bike in hand, the cyclist appeared to aggressively shove the activists blocking the Holloway Road in Islington, London this morning to draw attention to the group’s demand for the government to stop licencing all new oil, coal, and gas projects.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
THE policing bill for Just Stop Oil protests in London has cost taxpayers £5.5million.
Several thousand officer shifts have been used up during the demos instead of on fighting crime.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Young Girls Molested While Swimming in Beach Town Rocked by Series of Sex Assaults: Police
Two young girls were allegedly sexually assaulted by a middle-aged man while swimming in the ocean on the coast of the United Kingdom over the weekend.
The girls, ages 10 and 11, said the 43-year-old man touched them inappropriately while they were swimming near the pier on Bournemouth Beach, and the suspect has since been arrested, according to the Sun.
“Detectives are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward as they investigate two reported sexual assaults at Bournemouth Beach,” Dorset Police said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Yashin Warns Czech President That His Comments on Monitoring Russians Play Into Putin’s Hands
Jailed anti-Kremlin politician Ilya Yashin, addressing recent comments by Czech President Petr Pavel that Russians in the West should be monitored, said any such attempt would only play into President Vladimir Putin’s hands.
“Please don’t help Putin,” Yashin wrote from his prison cell in Russia in an open letter published on June 26 to the Czech leader.
Pavel came under fire earlier this month for saying in an interview with RFE/RL that while he has empathy for Russians outside the country who face hardships over Moscow’s decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine — a decision they may not support — “when there is an ongoing war, the security measures related to Russian nationals should be stricter than in normal times…. That’s simply the cost of war.”
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Inner Workings of Wagner Mercenary Group Revealed Amid Call to Add Organization to US Terror List
Russia’s heavily-armed mercenary Wagner force’s fleeting rebellion—and its scorched earth policies from Ukraine to Syria to sub-Saharan Africa—sparked a call on Sunday from The Soufan Center, a non-profit research organization, for the Biden administration to consider designating Wagner a foreign terrorist entity.
Its new 44-page report titled ‘Wagner Group: The Evolution of a Private Army,’ the Soufan Center study states “The U.S. government and allies should consider designating Wagner an FTO [ Foreign Terrorist Organization]. Building on the recent U.S. designation of the Wagner Group as a transnational criminal organization, the United States should consider designating it as a foreign terrorist organization, particularly in light of its activities outside conflict zones, where its behavior is subject to international humanitarian law as a non-state armed group.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Yevgeny Prigozhin’s decision to turn back from Moscow came after threats against the family members of Wagner leaders from the Kremlin, British security sources have claimed.
According to a report from London’s Daily Telegraph, the most closely connected British paper to the Conservative government, UK security services have come upon intelligence that suggests that prior to the decision by Yevgeny Prigozhin to turn back from his march on Moscow, Russian intelligence services made direct threats against the families of the Wagner group leaders.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Prigozhin’s Coup Attempt Was ‘Put-Up Job,’ Claims Retired Polish General
The rebellion initiated by the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was largely theater and could now serve Russian President Vladimir Putin as leverage in his attempts to pressure Belarusian dictator Lukashenko into joining Russia’s war in Ukraine, retired Polish General Leon Komornicki has claimed.
In an interview with Polish Radio, Komornicki said that he suspects Prigozhin’s decision to hold the Russian city of Rostov and march on Moscow was not his own doing and that the Kremlin was involved. The benefit of the outcome of this short spat is that the Wagner group will be based in Belarus, a country that Putin wants to draw into the war in Ukraine.
The retired Polish general believes that Putin no longer cares about his reputation either at home or abroad. His aim is to continue to hold power and win the war in Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed his country Monday for the first time since the end of a short-lived mutiny of Wagner mercenary troops led by Yevgeny Prigozhin over the weekend.
In a short speech, Putin said the mutineers “betrayed the country, their people and those who they dragged into this affair.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russian Defense Minister Shoigu Filmed Visiting Troops After Rumors He Was Detained
Very quickly on the heels of Wagner Group standing down after its short-lived mutiny and “march” on Moscow, during which time the mercenary convoys made it halfway up the M-4 highway, there emerged rumors that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had been placed under house arrest, under investigation for corruption and poor decision-making related to the Ukraine operation. These rumors were primarily perpetuated via Western social media accounts.
For example, a popular ‘open source’ analysis account, “OSINTdefender” said the following late Sunday: “Russian Sources are stating that Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu is currently under a form of ‘House Arrest’ by the FSB pending an Investigation into his Leadership within the MoD and the Theft of Military Funding.” But this appears false, with RIA and other state media sources releasing video Monday showing him visiting troops inside the “SMO” — or special military operation zone inside Ukraine…
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Speculation Abounds After Prigozhin Aborts Mutiny
Just over twenty-four hours into a military coup, in a peculiar turn of events, the Russian Federation on Saturday, June 24th, averted an apparent downward spiral into civil war as Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and his troops aborted their mission to topple Russia’s military leaders, leaving journalists, analysts, and commentators speculating as to what really happened.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
After clashes with Russia’s regular forces en route to Moscow, Prigozhin abruptly halted his troop’s ‘march for justice’ on Saturday after striking a bargain with the Kremlin.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Wagner’s Mercenary Leader Issues a Defiant Statement as Moscow Tries to Project Stability
The leader of the Wagner mercenary group defended his short-lived insurrection in a boastful audio statement Monday as the Kremlin tried to project stability, with authorities releasing a video of Russia’s defense minister reviewing troops in Ukraine.
Yevgeny Prigozhin said he wasn’t seeking to stage a coup but was acting to prevent the destruction of Wagner, his private military company. “We started our march because of an injustice,” he said in an 11-minute statement, giving no details about where he was or what his plans were.
The feud between the Wagner Group leader and Russia’s military brass has festered throughout the war, erupting into a mutiny over the weekend when mercenaries left Ukraine to seize a military headquarters in a southern Russian city. They rolled seemingly unopposed for hundreds of miles toward Moscow before turning around after less than 24 hours on Saturday.
The Kremlin said it had made a deal for Prigozhin to move to Belarus and receive amnesty, along with his soldiers. There was no confirmation of his whereabouts Monday, although a popular Russian news channel on Telegram reported he was at a hotel in the Belarusian capital, Minsk.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Wagner’s Prigozhin Resurfaces: Moscow Mutiny a ‘Master Class’ on Invading Ukraine
Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin on Monday morning issued his first statement since his aborted insurrection over the weekend.
In an 11-minute audio clip, Prigozhin said he had no intention of overthrowing Russian leader Vladimir Putin or toppling the entire Russian state but was only defending his Wagner mercenary organization against corrupt elements of the Russian military.
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We Have Liberated 50 Square Miles in Three-Week Counter-Offensive, Claims Ukraine
Ukraine has “de-occupied” 130 square kilometres (50 square miles) of national territory in its southern region since the start of the counter-offensive, real progress but a statement that perhaps underlines recent admissions that things are not moving as quickly as initially hoped.
Kyiv’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar put the previous week’s fighting into context in a statement published early Monday morning, saying in Ukraine’s military eastern region of operations the Russian lines had been pushed back one-to-two kilometres (up to a mile-and-a-quarter) in battles pushing eastwards towards Donetsk and Bakhmut. Ukrainian soldiers are now entrenched at the new forward positions and continue to engage with Russian forces, said the minister.
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TikTok Admits Storing Some US User Data in China: Senators
Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
TikTok has admitted to storing some U.S. user data on China-based servers, which differs from its CEO’s previous testimony to Congress that “American data stored on American soil.”
The Chinese video-sharing platform confirmed this in a letter dated June 16 made in response to questions raised by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn) to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.
The senators had accused TikTok of making misleading claims to Congress regarding its storage of U.S. user data, citing a Forbes report that TikTok stored financial information—such as social security numbers and tax IDs—of U.S. content creators on Chinese servers.
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Ukraine will receive 70 more military vehicles, including 28 armoured tanks, 14 special operations 28 trucks and 14 trailers. Australia’s contribution to Ukraine now tops $790million.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
In a disturbing and shocking incident from Nigeria’s Sokoto, a mob has brutally stoned a man to death over allegations of ‘blasphemy’.
As per reports, the deceased person Usman Buda worked as a butcher in an abattoir in Sokoto city. Locals accused him of blasphemous comments against Prophet Mohammad on Sunday, June 25.
Disturbing visuals of the incident have surfaced on social media, where a large mob, including children, are throwing stones at a badly injured Usman Buda as he tries to get up, stumbles and falls. A heap of stones slowly gathers near Usman Buda as he dies. Young children are seen participating in the murder actively, with no adult trying to prevent the children from throwing stones or even trying to prevent them from watching the bloody murder.
Warning: graphic, violent content. Viewer discretion is advised.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ban on Encouraging Illegal Immigration Not Unconstitutional: Supreme Court
Authored by Zachary Steiber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
A U.S. law that bars encouraging illegal immigration for advantage or gain is lawful, the Supreme Court ruled on June 23.
“After concluding that this statute criminalizes immigration advocacy and other protected speech, the Ninth Circuit held it unconstitutionally overbroad under the First Amendment. That was error,” Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee, wrote for the majority.
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Frontex Considers Suspension of Greek Operations
Frontex, the EU’s Border and Coast Guard Agency, is considering temporarily suspending its activities in Greece following its row with Athens over the recent capsizing of an overcrowded fishing boat off the coast of Pylos, which claimed the lives of up to 600 migrants.
According to Le Monde, during Frontex’s June 20-21st management board meeting, it was its fundamental rights officer, Jonas Grimheden, who had recommended such a course of action.
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Germany: Chain Migration Fears After Bundestag Slashes Family Reunification Criteria
German populists sounded the alarm over the weekend after the Bundestag voted 388 to 234 on Friday, June 23rd, in favour of plans to radically reduce the entrance criteria for new migrants in the hope of solving the country’s alleged labour shortages.
The most worrying of the reforms liberalises the process of family reunification which is often noted for ballooning migrant numbers from the third world.
This new system, modelled on the Canadian migration model, will create a grading system based on skills and ability to speak German that enables migrants to work in Germany for an initial period of twelve months.
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Germany: Preteen Girls Sexually Assaulted by Afghan, Romanian Migrants at Swimming Pool
Migrants from Afghanistan and Romania were arrested for sexually assaulting underage girls at a swimming pool in Germany over the weekend, according to reports.
The latest disturbing incident at a German aquatic facility unfolded on Sunday in Mönchengladbach, a city in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
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Customs and Border Protection encountered over 275,000 illegal aliens crossing our borders nationwide in April alone, setting a distressing precedent for increased illegal entries under the Biden administration. While the majority of illegal aliens seek a better life, the undeniable link between increasing illegal immigration and crime poses a significant threat to American communities.
President Joe Biden’s decision to grant mass parole for millions of aliens, allowing them to remain illegally in the United States, only amplifies the devastating effects of increased illegal immigration on our society.
Since Biden took office, over 6.2 million illegal aliens have been encountered at the nation’s borders, and over 2 million of them have been released into the nation’s interior. A considerable number of them have engaged in criminal activities once they settled.
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One of Germany’s ruling coalition parties is using advertising boards on rickshaws in India to attract economic migrants to the country, insisting it has “never been easier” to migrate to Germany.
Boards have been plastered onto the three-wheel vehicles, a popular mode of transport in the Indian subcontinent, encouraging IT professionals to apply to live and work in Germany.
Paid for by the Free Democratic Party (FDP), a member of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition federal government, the adverts tell “IT experts, coders, and web developers” that “getting a German work visa has never been easier” and provide a QR code applicants can use to access information on how to relocate to the country.
The party posted photos of the adverts running in New Delhi on their social media pages.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Migrants Crossing Southern Border Chant “Let’s Go Brandon” (Video)
A group of migrants crossing the southern border took the time to talk to a reporter and hilarity ensued. The migrants were very happy to be in America and seemed quite satisfied with Biden’s smooth entry process
Although they did say they suffered during the 40 days it took to get to America. The reporter asked, “How long did it take to get here?” (See Video Below)
A migrant answered, “One month…40 days.” The migrant said they took all forms of transportation, “Bus, walk, everything, we have suffered” during their 40-day journey to the promised land.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
— as he is jailed for ten years
This is the moment a lorry carrying illegal immigrants was cracked open by British police as part of a probe into a million-pound people-smuggling gang — whose leader has now been jailed for more than a decade.
Mohammed Hossain, 54, who also ran a Bangladeshi cafe in east London, was sentenced to ten and a half years in prison on June 23 after admitting to smuggling hundreds of people in and out of the UK.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) said he made more than £1m by acting as an illegal ‘travel agent’ and helping fugitives flee justice for crimes including murder and child abuse.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NYC Mayor Shipped Illegal Aliens Out of ‘Sanctuary City,’ as Far as China
New York Mayor Eric Adams has been quietly shipping illegal border crossers out of his “sanctuary city” to other states and beyond.
Texas and Florida have been transporting illegal aliens from overwhelmed border communities to so-called “sanctuary” cities such as NYC and Chicago.
Despite offering to welcome illegals with “open arms” before they arrived, “sanctuary city” Democrats have been outraged that the issue has landed on their doorsteps.
Now it has emerged that Democrat Mayor Adams has been shipping illegals out of NYC.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
For many years, the left has denied the entire idea of the Great Replacement, labeling it a conspiracy theory, while at the same time calling for mass immigration to defeat conservative European political parties through demographic replacement.
Now, the founder and spokesperson for the Mission Lifeline International migrant rescue boat NGO, Alex Steier, has contributed to this trend by claiming that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) only won a recent election because Germany has not taken in enough immigrants. Steier says that if it had done so, then the AfD would have never had enough votes to win its first district election in the party’s history, an event that has shaken the German political establishment. Therefore, he demands open borders.
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Taxpayers will save £106,000 for every migrant deterred from reaching the UK by small boat, the Home Office has estimated.
An official analysis of the Government’s Illegal Migration Bill said the potential savings could reach £165,000 per person if hotel costs for would-be refugees continue to rise.
But the Impact Assessment also estimated it would cost £169,000 to deport someone denied asylum in Britain to another country such as Rwanda.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ron DeSantis traveled to the southern border on Monday to unveil his plan to tackle the migration crisis by allowing the use of deadly force.
The governor and presidential candidate said that the best way to deter cartels is by taking down coyotes and smugglers and making it clear they will be met with force from border enforcement if they break U.S. laws.
‘If you drop a couple of these cartel operatives, they’ll stop coming,’ DeSantis said at a press conference in front of the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas on Monday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sanctuary City Chicago: Migrant Charged With Shoplifting Over $3.1K of Ralph Lauren Merchandise
A newly arrived migrant to the sanctuary city of Chicago, Illinois, has been charged with felony theft after allegedly shoplifting over $3,100 worth of merchandise from Ralph Lauren.
Newman Castillo Delgado, a 20-year-old migrant who recently arrived in Chicago, was arrested and charged, according to CWB Chicago, with felony retail theft after he allegedly attempted to steal about $3,100 of Ralph Lauren products from a Macy’s along with three others.
One of the others who allegedly joined Delgado in the shoplifting scheme ran off as security guards arrived on the scene. One of the men with Delgado was allegedly attempting to steal $1,650 worth of Ralph Lauren merchandise.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Court proceedings against a rejected Iranian asylum seeker who threw a pan of hot oil over two employees of an asylum center in the Netherlands begin this week as prosecutors reveal his victims have been mutilated for life as cited by De Telegraaf.
The attack took place in January last year at the Sweikhuizen asylum center located in the south of the country, near the German border. The 42-year-old attacker, known as Tarek. S, is accused of pouring burning hot oil from the third floor of the facility down a stairwell, targeting two female employees.
Both victims sustained life-changing injuries and were transported to a burns injury unit in Aachen, Germany. “She has not been able to work, she is incapacitated for work. She worked there with heart and soul and is now scarred for life,” said Nino Pennino, a personal injury attorney for one of the victims, months after the attack.
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The EU’s Migration Pact Will Mean Germany’s Migrants Being Sent to Poland and Hungary
Poland and Hungary opposed the EU’s migration pact for the compulsory relocation of migrants. The Polish liberal opposition has rushed to argue that this opposition is unnecessary, as Poland has already received millions of war refugees from Ukraine and the pact will not apply to it.
The trouble is that this is not true.
The mechanism for derogation from the migration pact is totally discretionary. A member state will have to apply and will be assessed under 30 different criteria, including the evaluation of that country’s level of cooperation with the EU’s border agency Frontex. This is the very same agency that demanded Poland hand over the control of its eastern border to the agency.
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Glastonbury festival-goers called for open borders…while being surrounded by an 8,000 meter border wall that was put up to protect them from ‘illegal entrants’ and criminals.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
65% of Teenagers Are Targets of “Sextortion” Schemes: Study
Authored by Naveen Anthrapully via The Epoch Times
Almost two-thirds of teenagers globally have been targeted for “sextortion” schemes by criminals seeking to pressure victims into sexual activity or extort money, according to recent research.
Sixty-five percent of Generation Z teens and young adults have been targets of “catfishing” scams across popular social media platforms or had their personal data hacked by criminals, according to a June 21 report by Snapchat’s parent company Snap Inc. and published by the WeProtect Global Alliance.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Article Argues World Must Apply ‘Queer Theory’ to Nuclear Weapons Policy
A publication famous for analyzing nuclear weapons policy theorized about applying LGBTQ+ ideology to nuclear weapons.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is famous for its “Doomsday Clock,” a widely cited theoretical timeframe that takes account of various geopolitical events such as the war in Ukraine or the 2017 inauguration of President Trump to determine how close the world is to an apocalypse. The publication also theorizes about other dangerous scenarios due to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and climate change.
The publication released a piece in mid-June headlined “Queering nuclear weapons: How LGBTQ+ inclusion strengthens security and reshapes disarmament.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Check Out These Brutal Responses to UN’s ‘Global Goals’ Pride Tweet
The UN Development Program posted a ‘Pride’ tweet Sunday demanding everyone “celebrate and respect equality and dignity” every day, along with an animation of a host of alphabet rainbow people, prompting a brutal set of responses.
The UNDP, which claims to be “working to end poverty, inequality, and climate change,” used ‘Pride Month’ to promote its #GlobalGoals campaign which it says “leaves no one behind.”
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College Allegedly Fired Biology Professor for Teaching Sex Was Determined by Chromosomes X and Y
St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, Texas reportedly fired one of its biology professors for teaching his students that sex was determined by X and Y chromosomes.
First Liberty Institute, a law firm that defends religious liberty for Americans, sent a letter to the community college on behalf of the professor, Dr. Johnson Varkey, demanding the institution reinstate him after he was fired in January 2023.
“When teaching the human reproductive system, Dr. Varkey also stated that human sex is determined by chromosomes X and Y, and that reproduction must occur between a male and a female to continue the human species,” First Liberty stated in its letter. “In the course of teaching Human Anatomy and Physiology, he made these statements in every class for 20 years, without any incident or complaint.”
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Drag Queens March in NYC, Chant ‘We’re Coming for Your Children’
A large crowd of drag queens has marched on the streets of New York City while chanting, “We’re coming for your children.”
Far-left activists took to the streets for NYC’s annual drag queen parade over the weekend.
On Friday night, hundreds of LGBTQ advocates paraded from Tompkins Square Park to the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Jersey’s Democrat Governor Phil Murphy has filed “emergency” lawsuits to block school districts from implementing a new policy to notify parents of their children’s “gender transitions.”
Several of the state’s school districts implemented new policies requiring staff to notify parents if their child expresses the desire to change their “gender identity.”
Just one day after the policies were approved, Gov. Murphy’s administration filed lawsuits against Middletown, Marlboro, and Manalapan-Englishtown school districts.
The lawsuits are seeking a temporary restraining order to block the policies across New Jersey.
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Non-Binary Club Q Mass Shooter Sentenced to Life in Prison
The Colorado Springs gunman that massacred five people in a shooting at Club Q nightclub in November was sentenced to life in prison on Monday.
Anderson Lee Aldrich, who is “non-binary” and uses “they/them” pronouns, pleaded guilty to five counts of murder and 46 counts of attempted murder and was ordered by a judge on Monday to serve five consecutive life sentences, plus 48 years on each attempted murder in prison.
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Police Called to Drag Queen Den, Find ‘Drugs, Sex Toys, a Dead Man’ and ‘Four Children Being Hidden’
Police have reported finding a horrific scene after being called to a Boston apartment filled with drag queens.
Police were called to a Boston Housing Authority-run (BHA) apartment that was being used as a drag queen den.
The Boston Fire Department was called to the property last Saturday during Juneteenth celebrations.
When firefighters arrived on the scene, they found several drag queens in the apartment along with “alcohol, drugs, sex toys, and a dead man,” according to reports.
Authorities were stunned to discover four children who were apparently living in the apartment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The UN Wants People to Report Each Other for “Hate Speech”
There’s been a lot of talk about the United Nations (UN) and its actions of late — mostly, those actions that fall way beyond the scope of what its founding Charter designates the organization’s role to be.
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U.S. Presidential Candidates Spar on Abortion Battlegrounds
It appears abortion will be one of the issues to dominate the U.S. national debate ahead of next year’s election. Few of the leading presidential candidates have unveiled unexpected views on the subject, though it seems their rhetorical tools are being sharpened.
It is no surprise, for example, that Joe Biden is having a pop at the Republicans (unless, of course, you consider his previous convictions). But his latest remarks demonstrate a concerted effort to look tough on abortion—to be the ‘pro-choice’ option. The president said on Saturday that state bans on abortion—following the overturning last year of Roe v. Wade—were “just the beginning,” adding that “their agenda is extreme, dangerous, and out-of-step with the vast majority of Americans.” (“Vast majority” doing a good deal of work here.) He also criticised restrictions on mifepristone abortion pills, which have been the focus of much controversy over recent months.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Trump Vows to “Sign a Law Prohibiting Child Sexual Mutilation in All 50 States”
Addressing the Faith & Freedom Coalition convention in Georgia on Saturday, President Trump promised to sign a law if he is re-elected that would ban transgender surgeries on children.
“Something else I find hard to believe that I have to even say,” Trump told the crowd, adding “It’s so ridiculous. It’s so horrible and so ridiculous. I will keep men out of women’s sports. And I will sign a law prohibiting child sexual mutilation in all 50 states. Prohibited.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Woke’ Disney Lost $890 Million at Box Office on Last 8 Releases
Disney lost a staggering $890 million at the box office on its last eight theatrical releases, according to a new industry analysis.
The Walt Disney Co. suffered huge losses on “woke” releases such as “The Little Mermaid” and “Elemental.”
After flopping at the box office, these movies will likely expand on the losses and they head for streaming.
The company is restricting the movies to Disney+ streaming only, so they won’t appear on more popular services such as Netflix or Amazon Prime where they could generate extra revenue.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Women’s Rights Activist Attacked at New York City Pride
A women’s rights activist, known on Twitter as “Stop Female Erasure / K Yang,” was attacked during New York City Pride after holding up a sign that says, “defend female sex based rights,” she was attacked by LGBTQ activists.
In a video posted to Twitter, Yang held up a sign that was critical of common phrases that are used to be “gender neutral” towards biological women. It criticized phrases such as “pregnant person,” “cis-woman,” and “uterus haver.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
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RT News – June 26 2023 (2000 MSK) —
RT News
https://swebbtube.se/w/jRYmFQtSLWZaQhuf1gc9LJ
==========================================================
A handful of mega corporations — private investment companies — dominate every aspect of our lives; everything we eat, drink, wear or use in one way or another. These investment firms are so enormous, they control the money flow worldwide.
(unlimited version)
MONOPOLY
Who owns the world Documentary by Tim Gielen
https://youtu.be/7JRKGJS26l8
https://rumble.com/v1q0xsk-monopoly-who-owns-the-world.html
“Churches Across Europe Repurposed for Nightclubs and Hotels as Attendance Shrinks to Stunning Lows”
Consider the alternative of them being scooped up by Muslims and turned into mosques. Even the seediest nightspot can be cleaned up and returned to a different service should the environment change, these things happen in an orderly manner. But Islam does not give up territory it once held without a bloodshed.
“Trump Vows to ‘Sign a Law Prohibiting Child Sexual Mutilation in All 50 States'”
Is everybody aware that this also applies to the regularly performed circumcision of male children?
Circumcism is NOT sexual mutilation.
It is an hygiene issue.
Water, soap and education are hygiene, not cutting off body pieces nature put there for a reason. The rest of what I could say in response to this [material that I deprecate] would not pass moderation.
My apologies, I did not expect that “d…” would meet with disapproval.
The issue is to not insult fellow commenters. It’s possible to disagree with what someone says without denigrating them. Calling what someone says “drivel” is functionally equivalent to calling them a “fool” or a “nitwit”.
Even calling someone a liar is questionable, unless you somehow know for certain that they intentionally told an untruth. In many cases, people who say something that’s not true do so because they sincerely believe that it is true.
Then I will resort to calling it nonsense. This is a judgement of a statement and associated beliefs, not the person. It does not occur to me to intentionally insult a fellow commenter. It is a fact of life though that contradictions often beget emotional reactions, and large parts of our society will never stop arguing about whether the speaker or the receiver is to blame when, or even in the event of a mere possibility that, something could be taken personal.
Well, good. They should decide for themselves when adult.
NO they shouldn’t. The parents should be the ones who have their baby boys circumcised.
Furthermore, Mark Grown men have a problrm with bacteria growing in their foreskin. And it is painful for grown men to have the foreskin removed when they are adults.
I couldn’t walk for a year after mine.
Male circumcision may not be as drastic as mutilating females, but can cause problems.
Anyway, that’s not the point. It’s an unnecessary violation of bodily autonomy, not required of Christians.
On a personal note, I was circumcised around the age of four for medical reasons. I was also baptised when a few days old, at the insistence of my (not very Christian) Methodist aunt, as I was not expected to live, but did and turned out not to be a Christian anyway.
Strongly agree.
This should be the way. The issue why we have this conflict is that several religious communities persist on viewpoints rooted in ancient history, when children were seen as a kind of property, over whose life the family head was entitled to decide at will. These people will not accept our current understanding that every person is equipped with inalienable rights from the moment of birth. The mere possibility that they might object to what the previous generation expects from them is a thorn in their side, and they have no scruples to make some decisions on their behalf which cannot be undone. In principle, Christian baptism of babies falls into the same category, but at least is inconsequential to the individual who decides to walk away.
Thanks, K. You’ve summarised my position better than I did.
.
It is high time for people to wake up and pay attention to their existential interests.
The doomsday clock shows 90 seconds to midnight.
============================================
Under guardianship
By Wolfgang Bittner
Published on: June 24, 2023 | by Wolfgang Bittner
https://apolut.net/unter-vormundschaft-von-wolfgang-bittner/
How German politicians are ruining their own country in collusion with the US
For decades, the US has been creating destroyed and mutilated countries on the principle of “divide and rule”: Korea, Vietnam, Cyprus, Yugoslavia, Libya, Iraq, Syria – to name just a few. Germany is a very special case, in the hands of the US since 1945 after the unconditional surrender. What would Germany, what would Europe look like today if the “European house” proposed by Mikhail Gorbachev and Vladimir Putin had become a reality, a common economic area from Vladivostok to Lisbon? But the US prevented this. Nor did it prevent the chaos and confusion in Germany. The population is deeply divided, indoctrinated and agitated – a theater of the absurd.
Betrayal of German interests
Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck is ruining the German economy. After his inaugural visit to Washington in March 2022, he declared that Germany was a party to the war [1] and must “lead in service” [2]. Then, in mid-June 2023, he made it clear: “If Russian gas does not come to Eastern Europe at the rate it is still flowing through Ukraine, what has been agreed at the European level would apply: Before the people there freeze, we would have to limit or even shut down our industry.”[3].
This is consistent with a statement by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who wants to ruin Russia in agreement with Joseph Biden [4] At a panel discussion on Ukraine policy in Prague on August 31, 2022, she stated: “When I say to the people of Ukraine, ‘We will stand with you as long as you need us’, I also want to deliver. No matter what my German voters think: I want to stand by the Ukrainian people. … And that means that any action I take must be for as long as Ukraine needs me.” [5]
It is clear from the statements of these leading politicians that Germany continues to be foreign-dominated. They are criminally ignoring the oath they swore when they took office. It reads: “I swear that I will devote my strength to the welfare of the German people, increase its benefit, avert harm from it, uphold and defend the Basic Law and the laws of the Federation, fulfill my duties conscientiously and do justice to all.” The policy of the Berlin government is far from this.
The enemy state of Germany
If we go back to the past, two world wars have had a serious impact on both the people and the geopolitical position of Germany: since 1918, the German Reich, until then a major central power in Europe, has lost about a third of its national territory. And because of the unconditional surrender at the end of World War II, the victorious powers were able to take over and carve up Germany. Subsequently, the US managed to position West Germany again against the Soviet Union. After the unification of the two remaining states, the Federal Republic of Germany and the GDR, the Federal Republic of Germany then emerged in its current form, a state that remains under US tutelage to this day[6].
It is hardly known that there are eleven major US military bases in Germany – in addition to the smaller US bases. Grafenwöhr alone, with runways for long-range bombers, is 233 square kilometers in size, and Ramstein is the command center for the NATO air force. The stationed forces have special rights, e.g. all German communications can be controlled. There are currently around 35,000 US troops in Germany.
It is also not known that Germany does not yet have a peace treaty, so theoretically it is still at war, i.e. also with Russia. Moreover, according to the United Nations Charter, Germany is still an enemy state. Presumably this is no longer relevant, but if it were, this passage could have been deleted long ago. The enemy state clause states that coercive measures can be taken without specific authorisation from the UN Security Council if Germany were to pursue another aggressive policy. An aggressive policy against whom? It is open to a broad interpretation, and includes military intervention if necessary. So it’s a constant factor of uncertainty in politics. It is true that the 1990 reunification treaty, the two-plus-four treaty, gave Germany full sovereignty. But the agreement was again relativized by additional treaties, for example on troop deployment and military cooperation [7].
Now Germany is facing Russia for the third time – again initiated by the US and the UK. And as it has become known, Russia is planning to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus in response to the increasing transfer of American weapons to Europe. The outcry in the so-called Value West was shrill and mendacious. Because, as we know, American nuclear weapons are present in several Western European countries, including Germany, and more and more high-tech weapons are being transferred to Europe.
Serious consequences
US President Joseph Biden believes he is close to achieving the goal of his decades-long effort to subjugate Russia to Western desires as well as strategic interests. But Russia is a nuclear power and will never allow a defeat that would result in its transformation into a vassal state and dismemberment. Therefore, the war in Ukraine, which was orchestrated and continues to be driven by the US, will end when it is clear that Russia will not give up and will win. Until then, the country will be further weakened. However, it cannot be ruled out that a major war will break out, even if it is due to an unforeseen event. In that case, Germany would disappear from the map.
Apart from the acute nuclear threat, the consequences of the US-provoked confrontation are serious. Russia has long since begun to disengage from the West, forge new paths with new partners and defend itself against the US policy of aggression. Russia is not alone in this. More than half of humanity no longer wants to put up with US imposition and oppression.
It is noticeable that the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are becoming more and more popular. They promote a different economic and financial system from the Western one dominated by the United States. Among other things, the status of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency is being questioned, but this will lead to further very dangerous conflicts. Because the US will not allow itself to be driven into bankruptcy without resistance. It has the greatest military power in the world, and this must be taken into account in any future efforts to create a more peaceful world. Currently, two nuclear powers are facing each other in a proxy war that could escalate at any time. It is high time for people to wake up and pay attention to their existential interests. The doomsday clock shows 90 seconds to midnight.
+++
Sources
[1] See Bild, 31.3.2022; http://www.bild.de/bild-plus/politik/inland/politik-inland/ukraine-krieg-wirtschaftsminister-habeck-kuendigt-harte-zeiten-an-79632310.bild.html
[2] See Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 12.3.2022; http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/habeck-zu-ukraine-krieg-deutschland-muss-dienend-fuehren-17870492/es-gibt-im-moment-keine-17870488.html
[3] See http://www.bild.de/politik/inland/politik-inland/schock-satz-von-habeck-muessten-industrie-drosseln-oder-abschalten-84317384.bild.html
[4] See Annalena Baerbock: Attack on Ukraine! EU package of sanctions? “This will ruin Russia”; 25.2.2022; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2Vskc9XxmY (25.8.2022)
[5] Cited as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78-_Ou5sH3k, from about 1:23 h (15.9.2022)
[6] On this: Wolfgang Bittner, “Der neue West-Ost-Konflikt – Inszenierung einer Krise”, Verlag zeitgeist 2019, p.141 ff.
[7] Ibid, p. 146 ff.
Writer and publicist Wolfgang Bittner is the author of a large number of books. His latest book is ‘Ausnahmezustand – Geopolitische Einsichten und Analysen unter Berücksichtigung des Ukraine-Konflikts’, Verlag zeitgeist 2023.
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We thank the author for the right to publish this article.