Russian ballistic missiles are now targeting the Ukrainian capital Kiev, and attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure are expected. Meanwhile, a German study estimates that Ukraine’s accession to the EU would cost €190 billion.
In other news, according to a recent poll, former President Trump leads Joe Biden in Michigan and Georgia, despite the indictment of Mr. Trump.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Caroline Glick, Dean, DV, JW, McN, Reader from Chicago, SS, Vlad Tepes, 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 Describe Struggles to Afford Food While Biden Touts Strong Economy: ‘I Am Honestly Scared’
An increasing number of Americans are turning to food banks as many reveal they’re “scared” for the future and struggling to feed their families due to increased grocery prices, according to a new report.
“You used to be able to get five bags of groceries for $50, now you only get one bag for $50,” Janet Ortigoza, a mom from Fresno, California, told NBC News. “I am honestly scared to have another baby because I don’t think we will be able to provide for another baby. Now that she’s growing, she’s going to start eating three times a day, and just trying to provide the right nutrition to her, it’s hard.”
Jennifer Estrada, told the outlet she was making $7 more per hour than she was in 2022, but said rent and the price of groceries were making it extremely difficult to feed her family of seven.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
1-in-5 Young Americans Say Holocaust Was a Myth, Twice as Many Democrats as Republicans
A new poll sheds light on why so many college-aged Americans aren’t worried about expressing antisemitism: Twenty percent of those between the ages of 18 and 29 believe the Holocaust is a myth.
Specifically, as The College Fix reports, the YouGov/The Economist poll shows eight percent of that age group “strongly agrees” that the World War II Nazi Jewish genocide program is bogus, while 12 percent “tend to agree.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alex Jones is Reinstated on X, and David Icke Thinks it’s All a Big Conspiracy
By now you’ll know that Alex Jones has been reinstated to X by Elon Musk after a five year absence. The responses among free speech proponents were mostly positive, but David Icke chimed in to let everyone know that this entire thing is a big conspiracy.
Of course he did.
Icke, who is even more of a ‘conspiracy theorist’ than Jones, posted a lengthy tweet basically demonising Elon Musk as a wolf in sheep’s clothing and labelling Jones himself as a controlled ‘Mainstream Alternative Media’ figurehead.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hooky has gone haywire in American public school classrooms.
A staggering 14.7 million public school kids — about 30 percent of all enrollees — were chronically absent during the last school year, leaving districts across the country scrambling to get students back in their buildings.
According to a study released by Attendance Works, 66% of all public school children from California to New York attended a school with high or extreme levels of chronic absenteeism last year — defined as missing at least 10 percent of the academic year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Antisemitic Incidents in US Surge 337% Since Oct. 7 Hamas Terror Attack, ADL Says
The US has seen more reported antisemitic incidents since Oct. 7 than any two months in about 45 years, when the Anti-Defamation League started keeping such statistics, the group said Monday.
There were 2,031 antisemitic incidents reported in the US between Oct. 7 — when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel — and Dec. 7, according to preliminary data released by the ADL.
That figure is a staggering 337% spike compared to the same two-month time frame in 2022, when there were 465 incidents documented.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Misnames President’s Chopper, Claims Reagan Sent it for Him After 1980s Aneurysm
President Biden referred to the presidential helicopter Marine One as “Air Force Helicopter One” Monday — while claiming that Ronald Reagan sent the chopper to take him from Delaware to the DC-area Walter Reed military hospital when Biden had a brain aneurysm in the 1980s.
The 81-year-old’s anecdote is, like other biographical details he’s shared in public remarks, not supported by his own autobiography — or by Reagan’s daily presidential diary.
“President Reagan was nice enough to send Air Force Helicopter One to take me down, but it couldn’t fly,” Biden told firefighters during a day-trip to Philadelphia, using an incorrect name for the aircraft.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden is the Real Threat to Democracy — Trump
by RT
Former US president Donald Trump has brushed aside warnings from the Democrats over his potential return to the White House and claimed that it’s his successor, Joe Biden, who poses a danger to the country’s democracy. Trump made these comments ahead of a possible rematch between the two at the polls next year.
Trump, who remains entangled in a series of federal and state legal battles related to allegations that he attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election, has nudged ahead of Biden in polling for a potential presidential race in 2024, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Although his campaign is likely to be conducted in the shadow of mounting legal issues, the presumptive GOP nominee has dismissed Democratic Party warnings that a Trump win represents a threat to the US as a “hoax” and “misinformation.”
“Can you believe it? This is their new line, you know,” Trump said on Saturday at an event hosted by the New York Young Republican Club. “Here we go again — ‘Russia, Russia, Russia,’ ‘Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine.’ One hoax after another.”
Trump added: “But no, I’m not a threat. I will save democracy. The threat is Crooked Joe Biden.” The former president has claimed that the myriad legal cases he faces are politically motivated and has vowed to prosecute Biden if he returns to office.
The former president’s latest comments came soon after he was criticized by his Democratic rivals for saying that he intended to briefly be a dictator if he is reelected to install more border fortifications and introduce domestic oil production policies.
“I said I want to be a dictator for one day,” Trump added on Saturday in New York, in reference to his comments days before. “And you know why I want to be a dictator? Because I want a wall … and I want to drill, drill, drill.”
Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor and candidate for the Republican nomination for president in 2024, said during the party’s fourth primary debate last week that Trump’s comments reveal him to be “an angry, bitter man who now wants to be back as president because he wants to exact retribution on anyone who has disagreed with him.”
Meanwhile, Biden recently cast a dire warning about the potential outcome of a second Trump presidency. At a fundraising event in Los Angeles on Saturday, Biden said, “The greatest threat Trump poses is to the democracy.”
The president also said at an earlier campaign event last month in San Francisco that some of Trump’s rhetoric has its roots in authoritarianism, especially his promise to be his supporters’ “retribution” and describing political opponents as “vermin.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hannah Giles is stepping down as the CEO of investigative journalism outlet Project Veritas. Giles, who took the post in June after founder and former CEO James O’Keefe was essentially removed, had been working with O’Keefe as far back as his first video which exposed an Obama-backed mortgage assistance not-for-profit.
“I am stepping down from all roles Project Veritas and Project Veritas Action—effective immediately,” she posted. “Though I had high hopes when I joined the organizations, I stepped into an unsalvageable mess—one wrought with strong evidence of past illegality and past financial improprieties. Once such evidence was discovered, I brought the informaiton to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘DINK’ Couples Receive Mixed Responses After Flaunting Child-Free Lifestyle on TikTok
Young couples opting out of parenthood are taking to the social media giant TikTok to celebrate the joys of child-free living.
The term “DINK,” meaning “dual income, no kids,” refers to married couples or partners in a committed relationship who remain childless by choice for reasons like lifestyle preferences, personal freedom and financial savings.
The acronym has gone viral over the past month as millennial and Gen Z couples flood the social media platform with TikToks highlighting the financial benefits of not having kids, such as midday Costco runs, freedom to travel, spontaneous nights out, extra sleep and more disposable income.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dozens of Pro-Palestinian Protesters Demanding Cease-Fire Arrested in Senate Office Building
More than 50 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested Monday morning after scattering what appeared to be bloodstained dollar bills in the lobby of a Senate office building and demanding a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, authorities said.
“Cease-fire now! Cease-fire now!” shouted protesters wearing black T-shirts that declared “Stop Weapons Now,” as they held up a banner that read, “Aid to Israel = Bombing Palestinians.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Jewish couple was attacked on their way to synagogue in Los Angeles on Saturday by a convict who allegedly screamed, “Give me your earrings, Jew” before beating the husband bloody with a belt.
Raphy, 75, and Rebecca, 70, who asked NBC LA to not use their last names out of fear of reprisal, told the outlet Sunday that although the attack had badly rattled them, they are more determined than ever to wear their faith proudly, even as antisemitic incidents across the US have increased amid Israel’s war on Hamas following the terror group’s Oct. 7 attack against the country.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Calls on Citizens to Have More Kids: ‘Really Important’
Father of eleven Elon Musk is calling on citizens to have more children, arguing that it’s “really important” for civilization.
The Twitter/X boss made the call during a public discussion with Andrew Tate and Alex Jones.
Musk emphasized the importance of having children.
The comment sparked a mini-competition between himself, Tate, and Jones as to who would have the most.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Says He Would Rather “Go to Prison” Than Restrict Free Speech on X
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news
X owner Elon Musk declared during a Spaces discussion that he will never restrict free speech on the platform, no matter what entities pressure him to do so, and asserted that he would rather “go to prison” than allow it to happen.
Musk’s comments came during a Spaces discussion, also featuring Alex Jones who Musk reinstated on the platform Sunday.
Human Events editor Jack Posobiec asked Musk what would happen if the FBI or DHS “come to X and say ‘these posts need to be censored , this information needs to be censored.”
Musk responded that the platform will remain “as transparent as possible,” adding “Basically we will see everything that is happening on the system and nothing will be hidden, that is the goal.”
Musk added that “frankly if I think a government agency is breaking the law in their demands in the platform I would be prepared to go to prison personally if I think they are the ones breaking the law.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Embattled Harvard President Claudine Gay is fending off accusations she plagiarized numerous portions of her 1997 Ph.D. thesis in direct violation of Harvard’s academic integrity policies.
Documents obtained by journalists Christopher Rufo and Chris Brunet posted on X juxtapose political scientist Gay’s paper with earlier works of several authors and academic scholars, which in some passages are replicated nearly word-for-word.
In one example, taken from page 12 of Gay’s dissertation, Rufo points out the now-Harvard president seemingly “lifts an entire paragraph” from a 1990 paper by Lawrence Bobo and Franklin Gilliam.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Epic Games Wins Lawsuit Against Google’s “Illegal Monopoly”
In the case of Epic v. Google, the jury on Monday announced its decision, determining that Google transformed its Google Play app store and Google Play Billing service into an unlawful monopoly.
The jury reached a unanimous consensus on all queries presented to them, affirming that Google possesses monopolistic control in both the Android app distribution and in-app billing service sectors. Jurors concurred that Google engaged in practices that stifled competition within these markets, resulting in harm to Epic Games, the maker of the popular Fortnite video game.
Furthermore, the jury concluded that Google unlawfully linked its Google Play app store with its Google Play Billing payment services. They also found that Google’s distribution agreements, its Project Hug initiatives with game developers, and its contracts with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), were similarly detrimental to competition.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
High School Basketball Player, Older Brother Beat Up Coach After Getting Benched
A Conroe, Texas, teen and his brother have been arrested and charged with beating up a high school basketball coach after the coach benched the player for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Jevin Allen, 17, and his older brother Jarrick Allen, 22, are accused of attacking the coach on Dec. 5 in a beating that left the man with injuries to his head, neck, face, and arms, the New York Post reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Homicide Detectives: 4 Dead, 1 Injured in Northwest Las Vegas Shooting Monday
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Five people have been shot in the northwest Las Vegas Valley on Monday. So far, four are dead and one was sent to the hospital.
During a press conference just before 2 p.m., police said the scene appears to be a murder-suicide where an adult man shot an adult woman and three children under the age of 14 years old.
The initial call to police came in when a man came by to check on his brother, the man believed to have carried out the shooting, and found several people dead and one with severe injuries.
LVMPD say they arrived and four of the victims were declared dead on scene and a fifth was transported to the hospital. The injured victim was one of the children and police say they are “clinging to life” at this time.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Hunter Biden Lawyer Whines First Son Was Indicted ‘Because He’s the Son of the President’
Here’s a new one: First son Hunter Biden’s attorney Abbe Lowell claimed Monday that his client was indicted because of his proximity to power — not in spite of it.
“It’s because he is the son of the president who’s named Biden,” Lowell told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” in response to last week’s indictment of the 53-year-old handed up by a Southern California grand jury convened by special counsel David Weiss. “Republicans … have tried and tried to say that President Biden has done something wrong. They can’t find a shred of evidence.”
“What they’ve successfully done … is basically saying, ‘OK, I can’t get the president, so I’ll besmirch his son in a way that suggests that there’s something going on between the two of them,’“ Lowell added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hunter Biden Lawyers Ask Delaware Judge to Dismiss Gun Charges
Lawyers for first son Hunter Biden asked a Delaware federal judge in four separate motions Monday to dismiss weapons charges brought by special counsel David Weiss.
Attorneys Abbe Lowell and Bartholomew Dalton requested that US District Judge Maryellen Noreika throw out the case, arguing in turn that the indictment violated a past agreement between the 53-year-old and the government, is based on an unconstitutional firearms statute and that Weiss was unlawfully appointed to special counsel status.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey Launches Official Investigation Into Media Matters
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has launched an investigation into Media Matters for America (“Media Matters”), a pro-censorship media monitoring organization, citing allegations of potentially unlawful business practices. The focus of the probe revolves around Media Matters’ strategies in targeting advertisers on social media platforms and their approach to content aimed at impacting various businesses and organizations.
Key areas of the investigation include the preservation of internal communications related to strategies for targeting advertisers on X (formerly known as Twitter), interactions with major corporations like IBM, Lionsgate Entertainment, Apple, Disney, Warner Brothers Discovery, Paramount, NBCUniversal, Comcast, Sony, Ubisoft, and Walmart, and communications with third parties about these subjects. The Attorney General’s office is also scrutinizing Media Matters’ internal policies and operations concerning the generation of content intended to “cancel,” “deplatform,” “demonetize,” or interfere with Missouri-based businesses or those utilized by Missouri residents.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Montana Woman Busted for ‘Repeatedly’ Driving Car Into Black Hebrew Protest
A 55-year-old Montana woman was busted for allegedly slamming her car into a demonstration by a New York-based black Hebrew group in the Treasure State over the weekend, injuring one marcher.
Genevienne Rancuret was charged with drunk driving and felony assault after cops in Billings said she repeatedly drove her car into a gathering by members of Israel United in Christ on the sidewalk shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More than 500 Harvard faculty signed a letter in support of its president, Claudine Gay, despite intense blowback and calls for her firing after she failed to condemn calls for the genocide of Jews.
The 511 faculty members signed a letter Sunday to the Harvard Corporation urging the university to allow Gay to remain at her post — as billboard trucks circled the campus with signs reading “Fire Gay.”
The support came as a statement is expected to be made about Gay’s future, just days after University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill lost her job over similar testimony failing to condemn antisemitism, the Harvard Crimson said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Most Americans Back Israel in Hamas War, Democrats Deeply Divided: Poll
While a clear majority of American voters support Israel in its ongoing war against Hamas, Democrats and young Americans are split over where to place their sympathies.
Almost a quarter of Democrats (24%) said they sympathized more with the Palestinian people than their Israeli counterparts, according to a Wall Street Journal poll released Monday.
Just 17% of Democrats said they sympathized more with Israelis, while 48% had equal sympathy for both sides.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Hampshire Man Accused of Vivek Ramaswamy Threat: ‘Blow His Brains Out’
A 30-year-old New Hampshire man faces federal charges after authorities say he texted a threat to kill Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy.
Tyler Anderson, of Dover, made his initial appearance Monday afternoon in Concord federal court and was ordered held until a detention hearing due to take place Thursday morning.
According to investigators, Anderson responded to a text message from the Ramaswamy campaign advertising a Monday morning breakfast event in Portsmouth
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A new person of interest has been arrested in connection to the murder of Detroit synagogue president Samantha Woll.
The Detroit Police Department said in a statement to CBS, “DPD can confirm that a person of interest has been taken into custody in furtherance of the investigation into the murder of Samantha Woll.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Obama-Produced Netflix Apocalypse Movie Warns of Dangers of “White People”
An apocalyptic Netflix movie executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama features a scene where one of the characters warns about the danger posed by “white people.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
WASHINGTON — The 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who posted highly sensitive Pentagon documents online was privy to weekly intelligence briefings — despite the fact that he was only meant to maintain HVAC units and answer phones, according to a bombshell Air Force investigation.
The access given Jack Teixeira was just one of several glaring mistakes that led to disciplinary measures against 15 of his fellow Guard members — including his former unit commander — for failing to sufficiently supervise troops and alert proper authorities of concerning espionage-like activity.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Reports: Taylor Swift Attended Comedy Show Benefitting Gaza Charity
Pop superstar Taylor Swift attended a recent standup show by comedian Ramy Youssef benefiting a prominent Gaza charity, according to multiple reports.
Taylor Swift was spotted with fellow singer Selena Gomez at the performance that took place Friday at The Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. Other celebrities spotted in the audience were Cara Delevingne, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Zoë Kravitz, People magazine reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republicans Rally Behind Anti-Censorship Lawsuit Filed Against Biden Administration
Top Republicans are now rallying behind a pivotal lawsuit spearheaded by Texas and two prominent conservative media entities, The Federalist and The Daily Wire.
This legal challenge, an unprecedented move in American history, targets the State Department for its purported role in a sweeping censorship operation.
At the heart of the lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas by the New Civil Liberties Alliance, is a fierce accusation: the US government, through one of its most significant operations, has been unduly suppressing free speech. The complaint, heavily referencing the Washington Examiner’s investigations, describes this as one of the most flagrant acts of censorship against the American press.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The man accused of gunning down seven people last year at a July 4th parade in Highland Park, Illinois has decided to represent himself in his upcoming trial — now scheduled for February following the development.
Robert Crimo III, 23, dismissed his public defenders during a court appearance Monday and declared his intent to defend himself.
After making his declaration, Judge Victoria Rossetti repeatedly asked Crimo whether he understood the implications of his decision — pointing out the considerable amount of paperwork alone he would be required to file, along with the multiple life-sentences he faced if found guilty.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Monday, Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski revealed that the free speech platform had been the victim of an “unprecedented” attack.
He suggested that it was being carried out by those who seek to censor Rumble’s creators and could be related to the platform’s willingness to host certain videos, such as footage of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Special Counsel Jack Smith Wants Supreme Court to Rule on Trump Immunity Claims
Special counsel Jack Smith asked the Supreme Court Monday to weigh in on claims by former President Donald Trump’s lawyers that their client enjoys immunity from his federal indictment in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
“This case presents a fundamental question at the heart of our democracy: whether a former President is absolutely immune from federal prosecution for crimes committed while in office or is constitutionally protected from federal prosecution when he has been impeached but not convicted before the criminal proceedings begin,” Smith wrote in an 81-page petition to the high court filed Monday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Tops 50% in Iowa Poll; DeSantis Edges Haley for Distant Second
Former President Donald Trump has increased his already-overwhelming lead over the rest of the Republican field in Iowa, with 51% of likely caucusgoers calling him their first choice, a new poll shows.
The Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll, released Monday morning, shows Trump, 77, with the largest lead the survey has ever recorded so close to a GOP caucus.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 45, placed a distant second with 19% support, with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley close behind at 16%.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Leads Biden in Michigan, Georgia Despite Indictment: Poll
Former President Donald Trump is running in front of President Biden in two battleground states — including one where he’s under indictment for trying to overturn the 2020 election result, according to a new poll.
Surveys conducted by SSRS for CNN found Michigan registered voters break for Trump by double digits (50% to 40%) over Biden, while Georgia registered voters back the former president over his successor by five percentage points (49% to 44%).
The 2024 matchup polls also found that Trump, 77, is winning support from voters who didn’t participate in the 2020 election by a 26-point margin in Georgia and a 40-point margin in Michigan.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tucker Carlson on Trump Prosecutions: ‘You’Re Going to Get Violence if You Keep This S**t Up’
Tucker Carlson, founder of the Tucker Carlson Network, said Monday on SiriusXM’s “The Megyn Kelly Show” that violence was likely if Donald Trump is in prison ahead of the November election.
Discussing what could happen if Trump is convicted in the federal election case, Megyn Kelly said, “If she puts him in jail pending appeal before the election the country’s going to burn. Then all this blowback, ‘Oh my God she is calling for violence.’ I’m not calling for violence. But there is no way the Trump base is not going to be beside itself with anger at that level of deprivation of being able to simply vote for the candidate of choice. That’s what’s being taken away here.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
University of Wisconsin Board of Regents Rejects $800 Million Deal That Would Limit DEI Initiatives
In a narrow vote on Saturday, the University of Wisconsin (UW) System Board of Regents chose to reject $800 million of additional funding in exchange for keeping and expanding their diversity offices.
For six months, Wisconsin Republicans have put forth funding bills that hoped to limit or cut diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at state universities in exchange for UW employee raises. Though the latest deal was seen as an ideal compromise, the UW board rejected it in a 9-8 vote while also agreeing not to table the vote for further discussion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Woke Lancet Laments Joe Biden ‘Thwarted’ on Gun Control
The once prestigious Lancet medical journal has praised Joe Biden’s end-around the U.S. Congress by establishing the first White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
Engaging in much partisan handwringing, the Lancet laments in its latest issue that “Republicans in Congress” have stymied attempts by Democratic lawmakers to pass laws curtailing Americans’ right to bear arms.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTuber ‘Count Dankula’ Spars With Piers Morgan Over Alex Jones Returning to X
Popular YouTuber Count Dankula, also known as Mark Meechan, made an appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored this week to talk about free speech and the return of Alex Jones to Elon Musk’s X platform.
Count Dankula first appeared in the news back in 2018 when he was a leftist who felt the wrath of the cancel culture mob over a viral video of his adorable pug mocking Adolf Hitler.
Now, after Jones defended his free speech among the left-wing attacks, Count Dankula is supporting Jones’ reinstatement to the social media platform.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Zelenskyy Issues Plea for Support During Washington Visit as Ukraine Funding Stalls in Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy kicked off a quick visit to Washington on Monday, warning in a speech at a defense university that Russia may be fighting in Ukraine but its “real target is freedom” in America and around the world. He also issued a personal plea for Congress to break its deadlock and approve continued support for Ukraine.
His time in Washington, which will include meetings on Tuesday at the White House and with Congress, is part of a last-minute push by the Biden administration to convince lawmakers to pass a supplemental funding bill, as officials warn that the money for Ukraine is running out.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
The assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada took place after a “secret Indian memo” ordered for “concrete measures” to be taken against him, reveals a new report by The Intercept.
The 45-year-old Nijjar was reportedly killed on June 18 when he was gunned down in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak temple. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decried the killing in September and accused the Indian government of being responsible for the attack.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Freedom Truckers Being ‘Punished’ With Lengthy Trial, Delays, Says Defendant Tamara Lich
Freedom Convoy personality Tamara Lich said Friday that her joint trial with Chris Barber has again recessed and she doesn’t expect the defense to begin summarizing its case until “hopefully 10 days in mid-March” 2024. That means a verdict shouldn’t be expected until at least the summer.
One should bear in mind that this trial began on the Tuesday after the Labor Day long weekend in September.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Are Poles Really That Unhappy?
Forums dedicated to Polish culture and travel often feature some rather controversial topics about Poles, asking why they “don’t smile” or “why Poles sound so sad.” Often, entire articles seem to paint Poland in a rather gloomy light, such as “Poland, Where Happiness Goes To Die.” That same article cites Professor Philip Zimbardo, a world-renowned social psychologist from Stanford University, who said about Poland: “Each time I come here, I feel like I’m in a mental institution. Nobody smiles, and people mutter instead of responding.”
However, what if such stereotypes of Poland and Poles are not very accurate?
According to Eurostat figures, Romania, Poland and Finland are all tied for second place as the happiest countries in the European Union.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Austria: Teen Arrested Over Alleged Plot to Attack Vienna Synagogue
BERLIN (AP) — A 16-year-old teenager has been arrested for allegedly planning to attack a synagogue in Vienna, Austria’s top security official said Monday.
The teenager, who was arrested Thursday, had announced in online chats that he intended to procure a weapon to attack an unspecified synagogue in Vienna, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark’s Quran-Burning Ban Draws Sharp Criticism
The decision taken by the left-liberal majority in the Danish parliament, the Folketing, late last week to ban public Quran burning has garnered sharp criticism from both domestic politicians and political leaders in neighboring Scandinavian countries, with many arguing the law represents a capitulation to Islamic thuggery.
Following a contentious debate on the floor of parliament on Thursday, December 7th, lawmakers voted 94-77 in favor of a law that criminalizes the so-called “inappropriate treatment” of religious texts. The three governing parties—the Social Democrats, the Liberals, and the Moderates—along with the Radical Left voted in favor of the legislation, while the rest of the opposition opposed it.
Anyone found guilty of violating the new law, set to take effect later this week, will face a fine or imprisonment of up to 2 years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Approves Digital ID Regulation That Forces Big Tech Companies to Support an EU Digital ID App
The EU Parliament’s Industry Committee last week endorsed the new EU Digital Identity Regulation (eIDAS 2). Approved despite opposition from the Pirate group, the new statute will introduce a digital identity app to facilitate EU citizens’ access to diverse digital services, both private and public, and co-opt the likes of Big Tech giants such as Google or Facebook, and to support online transactions.
While lawmakers, IT security specialists, and scientists have recently criticized the EU’s push against disinformation and have voiced their concerns about potential mass surveillance, the agreement was approved nonetheless. “This regulation is a blank cheque for surveillance of citizens online, endangering our privacy and security online,” states Patrick Breyer, a Pirate Party legislator.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU State Claims Fellow Member is ‘Against Europe’
by RT
Hungary’s stance on Ukraine suggests that it is opposed to European values, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis claimed on Monday while addressing an EU foreign ministers’ event.
Hungary actively opposes the EU’s continued military and financial support to Ukraine and has objected to any negotiations on fast-tracking its potential accession to the bloc.
“The only way I can read the Hungarian position, not just on Ukraine, but on many other issues, is that they are against Europe and everything that Europe stands for,” Landsbergis said, describing a “clash of ideologies” in the EU between those who want the union to be strong and those who don’t want it to exist at all.
The minister warned that unless a “rational solution” to the issue is found, “dark times can lie ahead.”
Landsbergis’ comments came after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the issue of Ukraine’s accession to the EU would be taken off the agenda of the bloc’s summit this week. Instead, members will only discuss whether to launch membership talks with Kiev, she said.
Her announcement came after Hungary and several other EU members openly opposed negotiations on fast-tracking Ukraine’s candidacy. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has repeatedly stressed that Kiev still has a long way to go before it can be considered for membership and has opposed expanding EU aid to Ukraine. As the leader of an EU member state, Orban is able to veto both proposals.
The Hungarian prime minister has argued in recent weeks that it’s unrealistic to believe Kiev can defeat Moscow militarily and described Ukraine as “one of the most corrupt countries in the world.”
Orban has also insisted that the EU is not yet ready to accept a country with such a large farming sector as Ukraine. He claimed that if Kiev were to enter the bloc suddenly, it would destroy the union’s agricultural system “the next day.”
Meanwhile, Kiev has insisted that it has already fulfilled all preconditions for joining the bloc and has demanded that member states recognize its efforts. “We can jump, we can dance” if requested, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said, urging the bloc to “play fairly.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Privacy advocates are raising eyebrows as Professor Fraser Sampson, the former overseer of facial recognition technology in the UK, has joined Facewatch, the private company he previously green-lighted, as a non-executive director. The questionable transition has ignited concerns over a potential mass deployment of biometric surveillance cameras throughout the UK’s high streets and the revolving door between the government and the private sector.
Critics call Sampson’s career move a glaring “conflict of interest,” as he assumed his directorial role at Facewatch right after leaving his public role on October 31. As reported by The Guardian, Sampson joined Facewatch literally the next day, on November 1.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: “We Are Rebels Out of Fidelity”: An Interview With Julien Langella
Julien Langella was co-founder of the Generation Identitaire movement and is currently vice-president of the Academia Christiana association. He is the author of Catholics and Identitarians: From Protest to Reconquest and Remaking a People: For a Radical Populism.
This interview was conducted at the end of October 2023. On December 10, 2023, Academia Christiana announced that Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin instituted proceedings to dissolve the association.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French Teenager Stabbed to Death by ‘African Types’ Over Nike Tracksuit
A French teenager was stabbed to death on Friday evening by a gang of youths attempting to steal a tracksuit the victim had arranged to sell through an online marketplace.
The incident occurred around 8 p.m. in Valenton in Val-de-Marne, a commune in the southeastern Parisian suburbs. The 17-year-old victim, named Brian, was walking to meet up with a buyer he had agreed to sell a Nike tracksuit to through the Vinted online app.
He was walking with a group of friends when they were approached at the Lutéce bus stop by a gang of youths, reported by journalist Amaury Bucco to be of “African type, tall, dressed in down jackets and dark-colored parkas”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German news outlet Der Spiegel is “losing touch with reality” after its political editor penned an article calling for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to have public funding it is entitled to cut off by other parties in order to “strengthen democracy,” a German mayor has claimed.
Boris Palmer, mayor of Tübingen and a former member of the German Green Party, accused Der Spiegel’s Ann-Katrin Müller of being irresponsible by backing proposals to stifle support for the AfD, which is soaring in popularity among the electorate, particularly in the eastern German states.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungarian Truckers Join Blockades Against Ukraine
Hungarian truckers are planning on joining the spreading trucker protest movement against Ukraine, with Polish truckers — and to a lesser extent Slovak truckers — already blocking Ukrainian truckers from entering European territory.
From Monday, Hungarian truckers are also forming a blockade at the Zahony border crossing with Ukraine to pressure the European Commission and the Hungarian government to review a recent EU decision. In September, the EU Commission decided to lift the war-related ban on Ukrainian goods until next summer, allowing, for example, Ukrainian grain to be sold in the EU.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ireland’s Media Commissioner is Poised to Gain Substantial Authority Over Online Speech
Jeremy Godfrey has been named the executive chairperson of Ireland’s Media Commission, an organization tasked with overseeing social media regulation and censorship in Ireland.
This new role aligns with Ireland’s implementation of the EU’s censorship law, the Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA mandates that online platforms with more than 45 million monthly active users prioritize the moderation of content deemed “harmful.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Not So Fast: Swedish Socialists Take Credit for Defeating a Bill They Supported
The Swedish Social Democrat (SD) party did not think it through when it decided to take credit for the defeat of a catastrophic climate initiative in Brussels that could have cost homeowners thousands of euros. Claiming credit for the outcome does not work when you’re on record for voting in support of the legislation.
The proposal in question was aiming to reduce energy use throughout Europe, including a mandatory renovation requirement to make homes more energy efficient. While the proposal did pass in the European Parliament earlier this year, the Council put an end to it, fortunately. The forced renovation was dropped as the final bill emerged from the trilogue negotiations at the end of last week, replaced by potential EU assistance to those who want to renovate but have no means themselves.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland’s Conservatives Lose Confidence Vote, Paving Way for Tusk’s Return to Power
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has lost a parliamentary vote of confidence in his minority government, paving the way for the leader of the liberal opposition, Donald Tusk, to return to power.
A majority of 266 MPs voted against the recently formed conservative administration, compared with 190 lawmakers backing the government.
Morawiecki’s Law and Justice (PiS) party is the largest in the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, however, it failed to win a parliamentary majority in October’s general election.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish Consortium to Take Over Italian Port From Chinese
The southern Italian port of Taranto, which is currently controlled by Chinese companies, is to be taken over, with U.S. backing, by a Polish consortium with an investment of €60 million, according to weekly La Verita,
The consortium of three firms in the logistics sector will be headed by Poland-U.S. Operations Ltd. (PLUS Ops). Former senior U.S. Air Force officer and official in the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, Ronald Farkas, is the chairman of that company. The U.S. is giving this venture its blessing as it wishes to see less Chinese involvement in strategic ventures.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The left-liberal commissioners and MEPs now defending Spain’s left-wing government are the same ones at the forefront of the rule-of-law conflict with Poland and Hungary. A new law from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is said to make a mockery of judicial independence by Spain’s top judicial bodies, including its Supreme Court and its General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), as well as the country’s main associations of judges, including one that is known to be left-leaning, i.e., ideologically close to the Sanchez government, and was initially in favor of an amnesty law for Catalan separatists.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Study: Ukraine’s Accession Could Cost EU €190 Billion
Seventeen percent of the European Union’s joint budget would flow directly to Ukraine if it were given EU membership, according to a report released on Monday, December 11th by the German Economic Institute. Under the EU’s current seven-year budget, that 17% would amount to €190 billion: around €70 to €90 billion would come from the common agricultural policy (CAP) funding, another €50 to €70 billion from the cohesion funds, with the aim of supporting Ukraine’s frail economy. This means almost all other EU member states would become net contributors, with Ukraine becoming the main net beneficiary of the EU.
The question of course is, as the report points out, what kind of Ukraine would join the EU: how large would its territory be and how many people would live in it following a potential peace deal with Russia? The only current EU member state that has pointed out the obvious is Hungary: Ukraine is still at war and therefore cannot start accession negotiations with the EU.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Farage Hints at Political Comeback, ‘Would Not Rule Out’ Conservative Party Takeover
Fresh off reaching the finals of the I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here television programme, Brexit boss Nigel Farage said that he would not rule out rejoining the Conservative Party in a move to potentially take over the party as leader.
Nigel Farage, one of the most impactful British politicians of the past century, has hinted at a political comeback after he came in third place in the popular I’m a Celebrity jungle reality show.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Just Stop Oil and Palestine Protesters Leave Met Police With £240 MILLION Funding Gap
Sadiq Khan has warned pro-Palestine and Just Stop Oil protests have left Scotland Yard with a funding gap of £240 million.
It comes as there is concern that frontline and neighbourhood policing in London is suffering under the constant round of public order pressures.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Why Do Europeans Find the EU Undemocratic?
Since the next European elections are just half a year away, Eurocrats might want to pay close attention to what the people of Europe feel when they think of Brussels.
Europeans are largely dissatisfied with the state of democracy in Brussels and believe there is an increasing gap between EU institutions and the citizens they are supposed to represent, a new Ipsos poll, conducted in five EU member states, shows. Low confidence in the EU institutions could result in a low voter turnout in the 2024 elections, which could increase the level of distrust in the European Union even more.
The September survey was taken in France, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and Croatia, as well as two non-EU countries, the U.S. and the UK—both of which will also hold general elections in the coming November and January 2025, respectively. The online probability survey questioned people aged 16 and older in European countries, and 18 and older in the United States.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has blasted the United Nations and other international groups for being too slow to condemn rapes and additional sexual attacks by Hamas terrorists — which he says are “beyond anything that I’ve ever seen.”
“The atrocities that we saw on Oct. 7 are almost beyond description or beyond our capacity to digest,” Blinken said in a Sunday interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper.
“And we’ve talked about them before, but the sexual violence that we saw on Oct. 7 is beyond anything that I’ve ever seen, either.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Doctor: Hostages Underwent ‘Terrible Abuse’; Some Have Had Suicidal Thoughts
Hostages abducted into Gaza during Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel were drugged to keep them docile in captivity and subjected to psychological and sexual abuse, a specialist says.
“I’ve never seen anything like that” in 20 years of treating trauma victims, says Renana Eitan, director of the psychiatric division of Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Medical Center.
“The physical, the sexual, the mental, the psychological abuse of these hostages that came back is just terrible,” she adds. “We have to rewrite the textbook.”
The center has received 14 ex-hostages released by Hamas, some of whom reported being drugged, including with what doctors believe were benzodiazapines, a class of depressants with a sedative effect that includes drugs like Valium.
“They wanted to control the kids, and sometimes it’s difficult to control young children, adolescents. And they know that if they drug them they will be quiet,” she adds.
| — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes | [Return to headlines] |
Gaza Echoes on Israel-Lebanon Border: ‘It’s Dangerous Here’
The farmer was harvesting apples on a north-facing slope along Israel’s border with Lebanon when he was killed by a guided anti-tank missile fired by fighters of the Shiite militia Hezbollah.
Local residents say Eyal Ozen should not have been in the orchard near Mattat Thursday afternoon. The tiny Israeli community is one of dozens perched on the Israel-Lebanon border that were evacuated to avoid a possible repeat by Hezbollah, in the north, of Hamas’ Oct. 7 ground incursion in the south, which left 1,200 people dead and 240 taken hostage.
Israeli forces targeted the “source of fire” on the Lebanon side with attack helicopters and tank and artillery rounds. For those who live here, cheek-by-jowl with Israel’s northern archfoe Hezbollah, the killing was just the latest episode in a series of escalating daily tit-for-tat exchanges.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Hamas Nears Breaking Point in Northern Gaza as Israel Surrounds Strongholds, Kills Commanders
Hamas is nearing its breaking point in northern Gaza as Israeli forces surround its last two strongholds there and takes out local commanders, Israel said Monday.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed that Israel Defense Forces were “on the verge of dismantling” the remaining Palestinian terror strongholds in Jabalya and Shejaiya after mass surrenders in the area, CNN reports.
“We are near a breaking point in the northern Gaza Strip,” Gallant said. “Anyone who prefers to surrender, as hundreds have done already — we will spare their lives.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Energy Minister Chris Bowen began a speech at the Cop28 Dubai climate talks with a modified Acknowledgment of Country, which normally is used to honour Aboriginal traditional owners.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Caroline Glick: Israel’s Survival Clashes With America’s Lebanon Delusions
Eyal Ozen was a 54-year-old farmer from Kibbutz Gesher Haziv in the Upper Galilee. He was killed by an anti-tank missile fired by Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon last Thursday while tending to his apple orchard.
Ozen was the fifth Israeli civilian killed along the border with Lebanon since Oct. 7. His death is further proof that Israelis evacuated from their communities along the border with Lebanon cannot return home until the balance of forces between Israel and Hezbollah is radically transformed in Israel’s favor.
Early last week, Lebanon’s Al Akhbar newspaper reported that Amos Hochstein, President Joe Biden’s senior adviser and point man for dealing with Hezbollah, presented the Lebanese government with a proposal to avoid such a war. Hochstein’s proposal entails Israel surrendering sovereign territory from Nahariya in the west to the Syrian border in the east in exchange for symbolic concessions from Hezbollah.
Since Oct. 7, Hezbollah has gradually escalated its missile and drone assaults against Israeli civilian and military targets in northern Israel. So far, Iran’s Lebanese legion has opted not to launch either a major ground offensive into the Galilee or to expand its missile and drone offensive to areas of Israel further removed from the border.
From the outset, the Biden administration has worked energetically to prevent the expansion of the war in Gaza to the northern front. Biden’s decision to send the USS Eisenhower carrier group to the eastern Mediterranean was informed by this determination.
Israel was initially deeply appreciative of the deployment. In the immediate aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7 invasion, Biden’s announcement that he was sending the aircraft carrier group was a life saver. It took Israel several days to mobilize its reserves and remove its civilians from the border with Lebanon. If Hezbollah had attacked before Israel was mobilized and its civilians a safe distance from the border, the holocaust Israel suffered in the south on Oct. 7, would have looked like a walk in the park by comparison.
Hezbollah’s terror army comprises a combination of 150,000 missiles of all ranges and a terror army consisting of fanatical, armed-to-the-teeth veterans of the wars in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. This combined force is capable of invading and occupying large swaths of the Western and Upper Galilee and destroying strategic installations throughout Israel while causing tens of thousands of civilian and military casualties. A Hezbollah assault against an unprepared Israel has the potential to effectively destroy the Jewish state. Which is why the U.S. deployment was a godsend.
Now, however, Israel is in position to block a Hezbollah invasion. And the question of U.S. aims is cause for concern. It is one thing to prevent a war Israel would lose, and perhaps be destroyed fighting. It is another to prevent a war that Israel needs to fight and win to prevent Hezbollah from attacking it in the future. No war means no return of civilians to their homes. It means Israeli farmers permanently unable to return to their orchards and fields, and IDF forces being sitting ducks at the border for as long as they remain deployed. No war, in short, means Israel loses…
| — Hat tip: Caroline Glick | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Attacking on All Fronts — Senior Ukrainian Commander
by RT
Russian troops are attacking Ukrainian positions in all areas along the conflict front line, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Colonel General Aleksandr Syrsky, has said.
In a Telegram post on Sunday, Syrsky acknowledged that “the operational situation in the east remains difficult” and that the Russian military “doesn’t stop conducting offensive operations along the entire front.”
He added that he had held a meeting with fellow Ukrainian commanders, who have been “on the defensive in the eastern direction,” to analyze the situation and plan further steps.
Decisions were made at the gathering to “ensure the sustainability of our defenses, preserve the lives of our soldiers, and rationally use the ammunition,” Syrsky stressed.
President Vladimir Zelensky announced in late November that Ukrainian forces would switch from attacking to building fortifications, acknowledging that Kiev’s much-hyped counteroffensive, which began in early June and aimed to cut Russia’s land bridge to Crimea, had ended without success.
According to Russian estimates, Ukraine has lost over 125,000 troops and 16,000 pieces of heavy equipment in failed attempts to advance over the past half a year.
Zelensky also complained last month that Western artillery deliveries to Kiev’s forces had “really slowed down” since Israel began its military operation in Gaza in response to the attack by Hamas on October 7.
The administration of US President Joe Biden recently warned that funds for Kiev had almost run out, with attempts by the White House to push through a $106 billion ‘national security package’ for Ukraine and Israel being blocked by hardline Republicans.
A Ukrainian artilleryman told The Times last week that he had stopped targeting smaller Russian units in order to conserve shells, which are now only being used in “critical situations.”
In contrast, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that the country’s defense industry had been “gaining momentum” and was able to increase production multi-fold amid the conflict with Kiev.
Ukraine is “running out of [everything],” Putin stated. “They don’t have their own base. When you don’t have your own base, don’t have your own ideology, don’t have your own industry, don’t have your own money, don’t have anything of your own, then there is no future,” he argued.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Targets Kyiv With Ballistic Missiles as Fears Increase of Attacks on Energy Infrastructure
The ballistic missile strike raises fears of attacks on energy infrastructure.
KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s capital early Monday destroyed several homes and left more than 100 households without electricity.
The predawn attack on Kyiv came amid warnings that Russia will step up its attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure as winter sets in with freezing temperatures.
A series of loud explosions followed by air raid sirens broke the silence in Kyiv just after 4 a.m. as the city was under its nightly curfew.
Ukraine’s military said its air defenses intercepted all eight ballistic missiles. However, falling debris from rockets damaged homes on the ground, leaving one person wounded and three others suffering severe shock, officials said.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine has released chilling video and photos documenting its assassination of a pro-Russian former local pol who defected to Moscow — saying the killing should serve as a warning to “all traitors and war criminals.”
Ilya Kyva, 46, who had defected to Russia and was publicly labeled a traitor by Kyiv for siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime, was shot and knifed to death in a snow-covered park in the Odintsovo region Wednesday.
Photos released by the Security Service of Ukraine, a k a the SBU, the country’s spy agency, showed Kyva’s lifeless body lying in the snow surrounded by drops of blood.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Zelensky Tells DC Audience Ukraine Troops Watching Congress Aid Fight
WASHINGTON — Ukrainian troops on the front lines of Russia’s invasion are anxiously awaiting US lawmakers’ decision on sending additional military aid, Kyiv President Volodymyr Zelensky told an audience here on Monday.
“Every one of you here understands what it means for a soldier to wait for munition, waiting for weeks, months without knowing if support will come at all,” Zelensky told a room of military leaders and students at the National Defense University, about two-and-a-half miles from the US Capitol.
“Every one of you with command experience knows what it means when instead of moving forward you’re just watching, waiting for armor or equipment while your enemy is satisfied and preparing for assaults,” he added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Australian savings rates have plunged to the lowest level since 2007. This occurred after Labor declined to extend the low and middle-income tax offset that gave $1,500 in relief during a tough time.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
One of Australia’s most notorious terrorists, who planned attacks at three locations across Melbourne and Sydney , could soon be freed into the community.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Dr Michael Yung — a former intensive care pediatrician — was viciously assaulted by multiple attackers who broke into his home on James St in Gilberton, Adelaide, about 4.20am on Monday.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock has warned the decline of cash could see consumers struggle to find at ATM and one day be charged for the privilege of using banknotes.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Wild Moment Kmart Worker Confronts Alleged Thieves With Trolley Full of Goods in Adelaide
The video showed the frustrated retail employee approach two alleged shoplifters in the carpark of Munno Para shopping centre, in north Adelaide , South Australia .
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Mineral-Rich Congo Braces for Election Violence
The Democratic Republic of Congo, which is a key source of minerals for the EU’s green agenda, is facing a violent election season and the possibility of a coup, observers have warned. The threat of increased instability in the already volatile country could also have ripple effects on migration patterns, as the country currently hosts more than half a million refugees and 6.2 million internally displaced people, the largest such population in Africa.
The decision by the EU and other international observers to reduce their on-the-ground presence in the African nation in the lead-up to the elections due to security concerns is drawing media attention as experts warn that the already war-torn African state runs the risk of spiralling into chaos.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Promise Kept: Javier Milei Cuts 9 Argentine Government Offices on First Day
Argentine President Javier Milei used his first executive action in the top office on Sunday to dramatically rearrange the federal executive branch, reducing the number of cabinet-level ministries from 18 to nine.
Many of the ministries eliminated were folded into new offices, suggesting that their functions will continue with a much smaller office and reduced staff. Three ministries — the General Ministry, the Office of Media and Communications, and the Legal and Technical Office — were elevated to cabinet level. Milei put the General Ministry in the hands of his sister and campaign fixture Karina, which required the signing of a separate executive order to undo limitations on appointing family members to top positions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Border Patrol chiefs say there’s a ‘new phenomenon’ of migrants turning themselves in and not avoiding arrest because they know they will be released under Biden administration policies.
The stunning admissions by the chiefs of several border sectors was revealed during testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee. The committee, led by top Republican Mark Green, is actively probing Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ role in perpetuating the ongoing border crisis
DailyMail.com exclusively reviewed transcripts of the depositions by the chiefs taken between May and September 2023.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Mayor Launches Lawsuits Against Companies Transporting ‘Rogue Buses’ of Migrants to City
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has begun filing dozens of lawsuits against “rogue” bus companies transporting migrants from the southern border.
In an effort to show the seriousness of the migrant crisis, some Republican governors have sent buses of migrants to Democrat-controlled states and sanctuary cities. These Republicans argue the action is necessary to show the rest of the country what border states are dealing with due to the surge of migrants.
The Chicago Tribune (The Tribune) went into detail about how Johnson’s administration has begun filing lawsuits against those behind the transportation of migrants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU: Immigration Contributes to Decline in School Aptitude Test Results
Fifteen-year-old students in several European countries have seen a decline in reading and maths scores over the past year, partially due to mass immigration, results from the PISA school test show.
Several European countries have reported a fall in their PISA test scores this year, including France, Germany, Sweden and Finland. Some low scores have been linked to the measures undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic, but others have been blamed on mass immigration.
The PISA test is conducted across countries that are part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) every three years. It measures student aptitude in subjects from mathematics to reading comprehension and scientific literacy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jim Chalmers Makes Extraordinary Claim That One Factor is Not Fuelling Australia’s Inflation Crisis
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has denied high immigration is behind Australia’s inflation problem. He blamed high petrol prices, after the Reserve Bank chief cited population growth.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
South Korea, for the first time ever, is considering opening up its borders to mass migration.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas has added yet another border barrier meant to slow down unending waves of illegal immigrants.
Anti-climb fencing that is 8 feet high by 12 feet wide and and strung together by multiple layers of razor wire are going up near Brownsville, Texas.
The new barrier is the latest effort by Gov. Greg Abbott to make crossing into Texas harder for migrants through his Operation LoneStar security plan.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Shocking Video Reveals Democrats Stuffed Nearly 3,000 Illegals Into Chicago Warehouse
A new video has surfaced on X showing the location of a warehouse in the Chicago metro area where nearly 3,000 illegal migrants have been packed into. This comes as the US southern border continues to spiral out of control as disastrous open border policies by the Biden administration have flooded major metro areas with hundreds of thousands of illegals, if not more.
“I honestly couldn’t believe it when I first heard it. 2700 illegals being housed in a warehouse in south Chicago (2241 S. Halsted St),” Ben Bergquam, a reporter for Real America’s Voice News, said in a post on X.
Bergquam continued, “People have no idea how bad this is going to get! The truth about the Democrat’s illegal invasion: drugs, prostitution, child trafficking, and modern-day slavery.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Daily Mail Australia can reveal 60 per cent of respondents were in favour of a temporary pause to its intake of new immigrants.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Ministers anticipate small-boat arrivals could continue for up to a decade, it has emerged, amid vast sums being spent on the Channel crisis.
The Home Office thinks migrant reception centres will continue operating for up to ten years at a cost of £700million.
Documents show ministers are seeking contractors for the processing centre at Manston, Kent, and a reception site at Western Jet Foil, in the port of Dover where Channel migrants disembark.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Antifa Biochemist Pleads Guilty to Firebombing Wisconsin Office of Pro-Life Group
The radical leftist biochemist suspected of firebombing the Madison office of a pro-life group called Wisconsin Family Action has pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive.
Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury, 29, now faces a mandatory minimum of five years in jail, with a maximum penalty of 20 years behind bars. He is set to be sentenced by a district court judge on Feb. 14, 2024.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Scottish Prison Service has issued guidance saying that biological males who identify as women, including some with a history of violence against women, should be placed in female-only jails in order to allow them to spend time around people of their “affirmed gender”.
Transgender criminals should be “provided the opportunity and supported to work towards” serving their prison sentence in a jail that “aligns with their affirmed gender,” the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) said according to the Scottish Daily Express.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Officials in Seattle have decided against allowing the construction of a privately funded children’s playground at Denny Blaine Park on Lake Washington, which is home to a nudist beach popular with the city’s LGBTQ+ community.
Following public backlash to the proposition, Seattle Parks and Recreation agreed with opponents, who argued that the plan could impact the site’s position as a sanctuary for those who use it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Seattle High Schooler Fails ‘Gender vs Sex’ Quiz for Saying Men Can’t Get Pregnant: Report
A left-wing public school history teacher gave a Seattle student a failing grade after he acknowledged that only women have the ability to conceive a child and that only men have penises on a class quiz.
These responses by the student came on a quiz entitled, “Understanding Gender vs. Sex.” Included in the test were numerous true/false statement questions as well as questions with multiple choice responses, KTTH reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Supreme Court Declines to Take Up Challenge to Washington ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban
The Supreme Court decided not to take up a challenge to Washington State’s ban on “conversion therapy” for minors on Monday, allowing a lower court decision upholding the law to stand.
The High Court was divided in its decision, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh indicating he would have heard the case and conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito penning separate dissents. The law, called SB 5722, was passed in 2018 and adds “conversion therapy” for minors to the list of violations that could cost a therapist their license.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas Woman Kate Cox Leaves State to Obtain Abortion Amid Legal Battle
AUSTIN, Texas — A pregnant Texas woman who sought court permission for an abortion in an unprecedented challenge to one of the most restrictive bans in the US has left the state to obtain the procedure, her attorneys said Monday.
The announcement came as Kate Cox, 31, was awaiting a ruling from the Texas Supreme Court over whether she could legally obtain an abortion under narrow exceptions to the state’s ban. A judge gave Cox permission last week, but that decision was put on hold by the state’s all-Republican high court.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Kremlin reported an almost 60-fold increase in the number of mosques in the Russian Federation since 1991.
In 1991, there were only 120 operating mosques throughout the country, but today there are more than 7 thousand.
https://tass.ru/obschestvo/19512933
I reckon there are more than 7000 in London alone. In one street I am familiar with, Romford Road in east London, there are 44 mosques and “Islamic cultural centres”(…). One street.
“I reckon there are more than 7000 in London alone. In one street I am familiar with, Romford Road in east London, there are 44 mosques and “Islamic cultural centres”(…). One street.”
Can you say “future no-go zone”?
“Former President Donald Trump is running in front of President Biden in two battleground states — including one where he’s under indictment for trying to overturn the 2020 election result, according to a new poll.”
“A new national…finds that 21% of Likely U.S. voters who voted by absentee or mail-in ballot in the 2020 election say they filled out a ballot, in part or in full, on behalf of a friend or family member.”
https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/partner_surveys/one_in_five_mail_in_voters_admit_they_cheated_in_2020_election
Those indictments against REAL President Donald John Trump by Biden are false charges. Every time Biden was exposed for his corruption, he pressed fake charages against Trump.
Furthermore, Trump has always been right about the stolen election. Here is a video in which Biden brags about committing election fraud.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA8a2g6tTp0