Boeing is having a bad year so far in 2024: a Boeing 747 cargo plane made an emergency landing last night after it trailed flames in the night sky over Miami. There were only five crew members on board the plane, and all landed safely.
In other news, Ford Motors announced a reduction in production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck, due to a lack of demand for electric vehicles.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Caroline Glick, Dean, JW, LP, MM, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
Even High Earners Struggle: Soaring Housing Prices Make Homeownership Elusive in Major US Cities
In major cities across the United States, even individuals with higher incomes are finding it challenging to afford homes due to the steep rise in housing prices in recent years, as reported by CBS News.
New data from the real estate investing platform Arrived reveals that those in the top 30% of income earners are unable to comfortably purchase a home at any age in cities such as Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Sacramento, San Diego and Seattle. In contrast, back in 2001, individuals in the top 30% income bracket could afford homes in some of these cities as early as age 24.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Adverse Events More Likely With Some COVID-19 Vaccine Batches: Data
Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
Some lots of COVID-19 vaccines caused significantly more adverse events than others, according to newly published information.
Some batches were linked to as many as 1,650 serious problems, while some produced zero reported issues, according to the data, which was obtained by the Informed Consent Action Network and presented on the website OpenVAERS.
The network received the data through Freedom of Information Act requests from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alec Baldwin Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter for a Second Time Over Fatal ‘Rust’ Shooting
Alec Baldwin has been charged with involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting on the set of “Rust” for a second time.
The actor has been indicted by a grand jury in New Mexico over the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was struck with a live .45 bullet when Baldwin was aiming an antique six-shooter during anon-set rehearsal in Oct. 2021.
Though the gun was real, it should have been loaded with dummy rounds.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bannon Predicts Trump’s First 100 Days Will Set 50-Year Agenda
Authored by Nathan Worcester via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
In an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times, Steve Bannon laid out what the beginning of former President Donald Trump’s second term would look like if he is elected later this year.
“The first 100 days of President Trump’s second term will be the equivalent of the first 100 days of FDR [Franklin Delano Roosevelt],” said Mr. Bannon, the host of the “War Room” podcast.
“FDR, in his first hundred days, started the foundations of building the administrative state, the deep state. The first 100 days of President Trump, I think you’ll see the beginning of the deconstruction of that and the destruction of the deep state, along with dozens and dozens and dozens of other policy proposals,” he added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Admin Failing to Monitor Chinese Purchases of U.S Farmland, Watchdog Warns
A government watchdog has warned that Democrat President Joe Biden’s administration is failing to keep track of Chinese Communist Party-linked purchases of American farmland.
The failure was revealed during an investigation by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
According to an investigation by the GAO, the Biden admin is failing to properly track foreign ownership of U.S. farmlands and doesn’t appear to have a plan to begin tracking that data.
A GAO report details the findings of its investigation into Biden’s Department of Agriculture (USDA).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice is seeking to put Peter Navarro, an aide to former President Donald Trump, behind bars for six months for each of two counts and want him to pay a fine of $200,000 for defying a subpoena from the House J6 select committee.
A 20-page-long sentencing memo details the argument made by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Aloi that was filed on Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Daily Mail Says Nikki Haley Banned the Outlet From Campaign Events
The Daily Mail has been banned from Nikki Haley’s campaign events following the publication of allegations that the presidential candidate cheated on her husband, according to the outlet.
On Friday, a Daily Mail reporter and photographer were asked to leave a campaign event at a diner in New Hampshire and were told they were banned from covering any future events.
According to the Daily Mail, Haley spokeswoman Chaney Denton addressed the reporter and photographer, pointed to the door, and said “Daily Mail is not credentialed for any more events. I’m politely asking you to leave.”
When the Daily Mail reporter followed up to ask whether this ban would be in effect for the rest of the campaign, the spokesperson said “Yes.”
According to the Daily Mail, Denton later told an editor that the publication was banned because it was “printing lies,” about the presidential candidate.
The ban comes after Daily Mail published a story reporting that Haley lied when denying that she had cheated on her husband. She was accused of engaging in affairs twice during her South Carolina gubernatorial campaign.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ex-IRS Consultant Took Job With Intention of Stealing Trump’s Tax Returns: DOJ
Authored by Caden Pearson via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
The Department of Justice told a sentencing judge on Wednesday that a former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) contractor took the job specifically to steal and leak President Donald Trump’s tax returns.
Washington resident Charles Littlejohn pleaded guilty in October last year to one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax returns and return information after he was accused of stealing and leaking data associated with President Trump and other wealthy individuals.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fani Willis and Nathan Wade Traveled Together Amid Trump Probe, Bank Statements Show
Bank records show Nathan Wade bought tickets for himself and alleged lover Fani Willis to fly to San Francisco in the midst of their probe into Donald Trump and election fraud in Georgia.
Wade was hired by Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, as a special prosecutor to bring charges against the former president and 18 others.
They have since been accused of having a romantic relationship, jeopardizing the integrity of the case, which appears to be backed up by the charges on Wade’s personal card.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FBI, CISA Warn of Risks Posed by Chinese-Made Drones
Authored by Frank Fang via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
The FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a new memo and report on Wednesday, warning U.S. owners and operators of critical infrastructures not to use Chinese-manufactured unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) due to security risks.
“Our nation’s critical infrastructure sectors, such as energy, chemical and communications, are increasingly relying on UAS for various missions that ultimately reduce operating costs and improve staff safety,” said David Mussington, executive assistant director for CISA’s Infrastructure Security, in a memo that accompanied the report, titled “Cybersecurity Guidance: Chinese-Manufactured UAS.”
“However, the use of Chinese-manufactured UAS risks exposing sensitive information that jeopardizes U.S. national security, economic security, and public health and safety.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Flames Seen Shooting Out of a Boeing 747, Prompting an Emergency Landing in Miami
Cellphone video captured the plane fly across the sky with what appears to be a trail of fire behind it. The Federal Aviation Administration, which is already investigating Boeing, said it will look into the latest incident on an Atlas Air flight.
A Boeing 747 cargo plane made an emergency landing Thursday night after it was seen spewing flames in the night sky over Miami.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which is already investigating Boeing after an Alaska Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing when a door plug fell off the fuselage midair this month, said in a statement Friday that it will look into the latest incident on an Atlas Air flight.
The airlines said in a statement that Flight 5Y095, headed for Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico, “landed safely after experiencing an engine malfunction soon after departure from Miami International Airport.”
“The crew followed all standard procedures and safely returned to MIA. At Atlas, safety is always our top priority and we will be conducting a thorough inspection to determine the cause,” Atlas Air said.
The plane took off at 10:22 p.m. ET Thursday and returned to Miami at 10:30 p.m., the FAA said.
A source familiar with the investigation told NBC News on Friday that the preliminary examination of the Atlas Air engine revealed “a softball sized hole above the #2 engine.”
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Flaming Atlas Air Boeing Cargo Plane Lights Up the Sky Before Making Emergency Landing in Miami
Flames shot out the side of a cargo plane as it flew over Miami late Thursday, forcing it to make an emergency landing.
Terrifying footage posted to social media showed fire burning in the Atlas Air jet’s left wing as it made its way across the night sky , leaving a trail of smoke and flames in its wake.
“Oh my God, it’s on fire !” the woman taking the video says. “Oh my God, Mom!”
A pilot of the Boeing 747-8 immediately alerted air traffic control at Miami International Airport.
“Mayday, mayday … We have an engine fire,” he said, according to audio from the call obtained by NBC Miami.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Teacher Beaten by Student Wants Max Term for Teen Attacker While Supporters Lobby for Mercy
No matter his ruling later this month, Florida Judge Terence Perkins will likely face outrage.
The veteran Flagler County official has been thrust into the national spotlight over the polarizing case of Brendan Depa, an autistic teen student who viciously battered his teacher unconscious last February over a Nintendo Switch.
Perkins will sentence Depa on Jan. 31 — and can impose a term as mild as probation or as severe as 30 years behind bars.
The 270-pound teen’s victim, Joan Naydich, has never wavered in calling for the maximum term — and reiterated that position in an exclusive interview with The Post this week.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ford Slashes Production on EV F-150s Amid Low Consumer Demand
Ford Motors is reducing production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck and is increasing workforce at its gas-powered vehicle factories, citing weaker-than-anticipated demand for electric vehicles.
The Michigan automaker said on Friday that it would be moving 1,400 employees to its gas-powered factories, a sharp decrease from its 2,100 employee Lightning production team, the Wall Street Journal reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nathan Wade’s ex-wife claims he filed to divorce her just one day after he was hired by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis — his alleged paramour — to be the lead prosecutor in the Georgia election fraud case against former President Donald Trump, according to court documents filed Friday.
Wade then immediately moved to have records related to the breakup sealed by the court handling the proceedings, Joycelyn Wade alleged in a 19-page filing with the Cobb County Superior Court.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
GOP Reps in Swing States Move to Strike Biden From 2024 Ballot
Republican lawmakers in vital swing states have drafted legislation to remove President Biden from the 2024 Presidential Election ballot, citing political “lawfare” used to undermine GOP presidential frontrunner Donald J. Trump.
Pennsylvania Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R), Georgia Rep. Charlice Byrd (R), and Arizona Rep. Cory Mcgarr (R) are three state lawmakers that will be introducing bills to remove President Biden from the ballot, according to Breitbart News.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The president of the Heritage Foundation confronted hosts at the World Economic Forum Thursday in Davos, Switzerland, challenging claims that the WEF is protecting democracy and calling so-called elites “part of the problem.”
Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts spoke out from Davos, where he had been invited to speak on a panel at the World Economic Forum.
Roberts told reporters after his speech that he was somewhat shocked to have received an invitation to the annual meeting of world leaders and globalist figures, but said he cherished the opportunity to give voice to the “forgotten people” who are not collectively heard from or considered by those in attendance.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Stacks of local Colorado newspapers were stolen from their racks Wednesday morning — just hours after a bombshell story detailing a teen’s alleged gang rape at the police chief’s home ran on the front page.
The Ouray County Plaindealer broke the shocking news that three teenagers, including Chief Jeff Wood’s son, were accused of sexually assaulting a drunken girl on the bathroom floor as she faded in and out of consciousness.
Readers who preferred the physical paper didn’t get a chance to read the piece, however, according to Plaindeadler co-publisher Erin McIntyre, who authored the story.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hunter Biden’s Celebrity Lawyer Hit With Ethics Complaint Over ‘Sugar Brother’ Relationship
Hunter Biden’s Hollywood celebrity lawyer has been hit with an ethics complaint over the unusual “sugar brother” relationship he has with the Democrat president’s son.
The complaint was filed by America First Legal (AFL) with California’s bar and alleges that attorney Patrick Kevin Morris may have violated California’s bar rules with his lavish spending on Hunter Biden.
The AFL, a conservative legal group founded by former Trump White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, filed the complaint Tuesday with the State Bar of California alleging Morris violated California’s rule that prohibits a lawyer from funding the lifestyle of a client or potential client.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Left-Wing Agitators, Politicians Protest Moms for Liberty Event in NYC
New York City became the scene of chaos on Thursday night when far-left agitators and Democrat-elected officials protested a Moms for Liberty town hall event in Manhattan.
A large group of agitators surrounded Bohemian National Hall in Upper East Side Manhattan, conducting speeches and engaging in chants. They arrived with picket signs and noise makers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Majority of Biden’s $136 Billion Student Loan Forgiveness Scheme Going to “Public Servants”
President Joe Biden is heaping another $5 billion onto a $136 billion pile of taxpayer-funded student loan debt forgiveness, as one of his signature 2024 (vote buying) schemes heading into the 2024 election.
Not only has moral hazard been reduced to an academic concept, shouldn’t taxpayer funds be used to bail out poverty-stricken Americans before people with college degrees who signed their names to a contract for non-dischargeable debt? We digress.
Around 74,000 student loan borrowers will now see debt canceled as a result of administrative changes enacted by the US Department of Education in the latest round of relief — including borrowers enrolled in the government’s income-driven repayment and public service loan forgiveness programs, Bloomberg reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NBA Coach Drops Dead at 46 After Sudden Heart Attack
NBA coach Dejan Milojevic has died suddenly after suffering a massive fatal heart attack, according to reports.
Milojevic was the beloved assistant coach for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
He was formerly a superstar player and coach in his home nation of Serbia.
However, he unexpectedly passed away on Wednesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Documents Provide More Insights on Moderna’s Online Speech Monitoring Efforts
Controversies originating from those who gained the most from the pandemic — most visibly, Big Pharma — refuses to go away.
One of the leading (and among the earliest) producers of Covid vaccines was US-based Moderna. We know for sure that the vaccine worked for Moderna — turning it from the verge of collapse into a $100 billion company, Defender reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police Charge Man With Killing Suburban Philly Neighbor After Feuding Over Defendant’s Loud Snoring
HATBORO, Pa. (AP) — A suburban Philadelphia man is accused of stabbing to death a neighbor with whom he had long feuded over the accused man’s loud snoring that could be heard through a wall connecting their homes, authorities said Friday.
Christopher James Casey, 55, was charged Thursday with causing the death four days earlier of Robert Wallace, who the coroner found had been stabbed several times.
Wallace, 62, removed a screen from a window in Casey’s home and opened the unlocked window as Casey was eating dinner Sunday, and after a verbal confrontation Casey stabbed him in the chest with a large, military-style knife, according to Upper Moreland Township Police and Montgomery County prosecutors.
Police said Casey told them Wallace had not been menacing him or threatening him when Casey stabbed him in the doorway of Casey’s home. They had been having “personal issues” for the past year and a half — prompting several police calls — over Wallace’s complaints about his snoring, Casey told investigators during an interview Sunday night at Abington Hospital.
After about 20 minutes of speaking through the window, Wallace appeared to calm down and wanted to shake hands and offered to help pay for nasal surgery to alleviate Casey’s snoring, Casey told police, according to the affidavit. Casey unlocked his front door, holding a knife and stun gun under a blanket.
“Casey described Wallace as being very ‘volatile’ ‘very strong,’ ‘he’s angry’ type of person,” police wrote in the charging documents. “Casey said he did not believe Wallace’s intention of ‘try to work this out’ and ‘shake hands’ and try ‘to fix this situation’ was genuine. As a result, Casey decided to ‘surprise him’ by stabbing Wallace with a knife.”
Police responding to Casey’s 911 call found Wallace about 50 feet (15 meters) from his home. He later died at a hospital. Casey required hospital care for what police called a self-inflicted and accidental stab wound on his leg. The window screen was outside on the lawn and the window open when police arrived. There was blood inside and outside the home.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Sports Illustrated to Conduct Mass Layoff After Publisher Loses Right to Use Brand Name
The publisher of Sports Illustrated (SI) informed employees that the company may have to lay off most—if not all—of its staff after the license to use the brand in digital and print media was revoked.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Squad Member Jamaal Bowman Demands $14 TRILLION in Reparations to Black Americans
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) wants the federal government to approve a $14 trillion reparations measure.
Bowman is one of nine sponsors of HR 414, which aims to hold the US government accountable for slavery and the aftermath that followed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Following the lifting of their group’s suspension on Wednesday, members of Students for Justice in Palestine at Rutgers University-New Brunswick held a press conference, laying out a “list of demands” for administrators including to divest from what they referred to as “Israeli settler colonialism.”
The keffiyeh-clad spokespeople suggested that they had been ordered to cease prior operations due to “Zionist pressure” and vowed to keep agitating “until our homeland is liberated, from the river to the sea.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump’s High-Level Security Clearance Extended to 2023: Lawyers for Mar-a-Lago Seized Docs Case
On Tuesday, former President Donald J. Trump’s lawyers filed a “motion to compel discovery” in the classified documents Mar-a-Lago case.
Trump’s legal team argued that the former Republican President acted in “good faith and non-criminal states of mind” when he took the classified documents from the White House and transported them to his Mar-a-Lago residence in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to court documents.
Additionally, Trump’s lawyers claim in the filing that a government document from June 2023 reveals that Donald Trump had a “Q” clearance from the Department of Energy, which indicates he maintained an active security clearance years after he left the White House.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tucker Carlson is ‘Certainly’ a Contender to be Trump’s VP Pick, Don Jr. Says
Donald Trump Jr. says former Fox News host Tucker Carlson “would certainly be a contender” for his dad’s pick as presidential running mate.
“That clearly would be on the table,” Don Jr. said when asked on Newsmax Thursday if the former president was “serious about Tucker Carlson” as a possible vice president if he wins the 2024 election.
“I mean they’re very friendly, I think they agree on virtually all of these things,” Don Jr. told Rob Finnerty on “Wake Up America.”
“They certainly agree on stopping the never-ending wars. And so, I would love to see that happen. That would certainly be a contender.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nova Scotia Man Charged in Largest Wildfire in Province’s History
A Nova Scotia man has been charged with allegedly igniting a forest fire last May, which went on to become one of the largest wildfires in the history of the province.
Known as the Barrington Lake fire, the fire started southwest of Shelburne, N.S., on May 26, 2023 and wasn’t fully brought under control until June 13.
It was completely extinguished over a month after it began, with the helping hand of heavy rainfall.
The fire burned around 23,000 hectares in the process, evacuated over 6,000 people and destroyed 60 homes and cottages and an additional 150 other structures.
Dalton Clark Stewart, 22, from Villagedale, N.S. was charged on Wednesday with three offences under the Forests Act, according to a statement released by the province’s Natural Resources Department.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trudeau Government May Begin Charging Bagel Shops and Pizzerias for Air Pollution
The Trudeau government is considering requiring certain bakeries and restaurants that cook food using wood-fired ovens to annually report their total air pollution emissions to the National Pollutant Release Inventory.
Annual reports must be sent to the NPRI, which is a federally legislated, publicly accessible inventory that tracks pollution output from industrial, commercial and institutional facilities.
Owners of businesses that meet certain requirements are obligated to send an annual report of their total pollution released each year to the NPRI, which then relays that information to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Economics Minister and Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) has called for tough action by the security authorities against the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, with Habeck claiming the party wants to “destroy democracy” and “turn Germany into a state like Russia.”
The minister outlined to Stern magazine a detailed picture of what the intelligence services, police and public prosecutors now have to do against the AfD.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cracks in EU? Germany Blasted by France for $7.6 Billion Aid to Ukraine
France’s representative to the European Commission attacked German Chancellor Scholz for sending the funds to Kyiv, rather than through the EU’s European Peace Facility weapons fund.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
EP Passes Resolution on Hungary, Fidesz MEP Denounces it as Political Blackmail
Fidesz MEP Balazs Hidvéghi has labeled the recent resolution passed by the majority of the European Parliament as “political blackmail,” accusing them of aligning with Soros sympathizers, as reported by Hungary Today.
The resolution, passed with 345 votes in favor, 104 against, and 29 abstentions, expressed concerns about Hungary’s alleged erosion of democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights, particularly citing the recently enacted law on sovereignty protection. The European Parliament called on the European Council to investigate whether Hungary has violated EU values under Article 7 during its EU Council presidency.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Estonia to Build 600 Bunkers on Eastern Border
Estonia has decided to establish a defensive line on its eastern border, taking steps to build approximately 600 bunkers, as reported by Postimees. These concrete structures will be primarily located in the Ida-Viru County region and the southeast of the country, with some also positioned near Lake Peipus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fears Grow Over the Future of Poland’s Nuclear Power Program as Tusk Ponders Location Change
Officials from Donald Tusk’s new Polish administration of the Baltic coast region have questioned the location of Poland’s first nuclear power station in Lubiatowo-Kopalino and appealed for an alternative site.
The government representative for the Pomeranian region, Voivode Beata Rutkiewicz, has the backing of the local authority in seeking the change of the planned location for the first nuclear power station in Poland, citing reasons of “degradation of the natural environment.”
Her office denies that the government has decided to change the location of the nuclear power station planned near Gdansk but admitted that Rutkiewicz believes the government should review the matter and take a final decision after a detailed analysis.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A German rapper who lost a huge chunk of his skull when his drug lab blew up is also staring down prison time for the blast, which he called “the biggest mistake of my life.”
Niko Brenner, 39, was making a hash oil he called “Nazi gold” when it combined with butane gas and blew up his Cologne studio in 2017, throwing him into the street and leaving him in a coma for three months, Bild said.
The rapper known as Dr. Knarf eventually had half his skull removed — with shocking photos showing it completely curved in on the right, like a partially deflated ball.
The father of one is also paralyzed on one side after his injuries led to a series of strokes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Truckers Join Farmer Revolt Against Green Cuts and Net Zero Taxes
Rocked by two weeks of farmers’ demonstrations against cuts in diesel subsidies, Germany now faces hundreds of disaffected hauliers protesting, as they assembled in Berlin Friday morning to oppose plans for raising road tolls and carbon taxes on their industry.
Approximately 1,500 trucks paraded along the A13 road towards Berlin in a two-kilometre long convoy before paralysing the city centre on Friday afternoon. Truckers are getting organised against recent government tax hikes and foreign, predominantly Eastern European, drivers undermining wage rates.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
If Russia is Defeated, Liberal Reforms Are Possible, Says Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski
In a debate on Russia at the 54th World Economic Forum in Davos, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski stated that if Russia were to lose on the battlefield, the country might witness liberal changes, as it has reformed itself every time it has lost a war.
Sikorski also warned that a Russian victory in Ukraine could encourage China to occupy Taiwan.
Discussing Sino-Russian relations, Sikorski noted that, after a period of Kremlin dominance, Beijing is now the stronger partner in the bilateral relationship.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In New York, as in the Belgian parliament, you can meet more and more people who are convinced that the Islamization of Brussels — and London and other capitals, they often add — is now inevitable and only a matter of time.
The growth of the Muslim population in Brussels has been both enormous and meteoric. Over the past 50 years, the number of Muslims has grown steadily, and given the erasure of Europe’s borders, thanks to the 1985 Schengen Agreement, there seems to be no end in sight.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
MEPs Threaten to Sue EU for Giving Hungary Its Own Money
The European Parliament on Thursday passed a harshly worded resolution threatening legal action against the EU Commission for its decision to unblock €10.2 billion in cohesion funds for Hungary last December.
With 345 votes in favour to 104 against (and 29 abstentions), MEPs easily passed the nonbinding resolution that “calls on the European Council [the governments of the 27 member states] to determine whether Hungary has committed serious and persistent breaches of EU values.” Despite its pretext, this resolution is rightly seen as an attempt by the EU to subject Hungary to the progressive agenda of the left-liberal majority in the European Parliament for whom ‘EU values’ equates to woke ideology on everything from LGBT rights to multiculturalism.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban raised the ire of his detractors in December by securing the release of billions in European Commission funding earmarked for Hungary after he declined to use the Hungarian veto on commencing Ukrainian accession negotiations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NATO Has Announced a “Large-Scale Investment” in the Purchase of 155mm Ammunition
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Director of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, Stacey Cummings, will sign an agreement on the purchase of 155mm artillery ammunition next Tuesday, January 23.
As announced by the North Atlantic Alliance on January 19, the planned agreement is a “new large-scale investment in artillery projectiles.” NATO has not disclosed the details of the deal, only announcing statements from the Secretary-General and the Director of the Alliance Support and Procurement Agency.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
PM Orban: EU Parliament Wants to Rob Citizens of a Choice on Ukraine Funding
By forcing through a four-year, €50 billion aid package to Ukraine just a few months ahead of European elections, members of the European Parliament want to rob people of the right to choose their future, Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote on X.
“Liberal MEPs attacked Hungary once again in the European Parliament yesterday. They want to give money to Ukraine for 4 years, while the European elections are just 5 months away. They essentially want to strip people of their rights to make decisions on their future. What an anti-democratic position! Hungary disagrees. If we want to help Ukraine, let’s do it outside the EU-budget and on a yearly basis! This is the only democratic position just 5 months before the elections,” Orban wrote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland: “Our Country Now Looks Like a Banana Republic”: An Interview With Filip Styczynski
Filip Styczynski is the former director of TVP World (Polish state television’s English-language channel), which until its closure was the first English-language channel in the Central and Eastern European region.
We discussed the closure of TVP World and the arrest of two Law and Justice (PiS) MPs at the presidential palace.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish Constitutional Court Rules Changes in Public Media Unconstitutional
Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal (TK) has ruled that using commercial law to implement changes in the management of public media or to liquidate public media entities, which were the methods used last month by the new left-liberal government, is unconstitutional.
Thursday’s judgment was made in response to a request to the TK by PiS MPs, submitted shortly before the new government used commercial law to justify removing and replacing the management of public media outlets. The government also later unilaterally put those outlets into liquidation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain’s Government Announces ID App to Restrict Access to Online Porn
The Spanish government is proposing new age verification rules for accessing online pornography in the form of an app that would certify the user’s age without revealing their identity to the website.
Whereas conservatives should treat pornography as a moral issue, the ruling PSOE administration claims to have thought up a technical solution, in the form of a proposal that seems genuinely aimed at the common good.
The project has been developed by the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) and the National Currency and Stamp Factory. Government spokesperson Pilar Alegria said on Tuesday that it has already been piloted, “tested with the main browsers and whose main objective is to protect minors from accessing adult content.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Swedish Customs Officials Told to Carry Firearms Amid Rise in Serious Crime
Customs officials in Sweden will be equipped with service pistols and rifles to protect themselves against drug gangs amid an alarming increase in serious, violent crime at the Swedish border.
In a press release following a report to the Swedish government on Monday, the chief customs officer said the organization has a duty to ensure the safety of its staff who are increasingly more likely to come into contact with violent criminals smuggling narcotics across European borders.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tedros Tells the World Economic Forum the WHO Pandemic Treaty is Needed to Combat “Disease X”
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has publicly advocated for a global pandemic treaty that has major implications surrounding speech, surveillance, and digital vaccine passports.
He emphasized the importance of international cooperation during a speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, pointing out the potential obstacles posed by an overemphasis on national interests.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
THAT’s How You Stop Eco Protesters! Italy Brings in £50,000 Fines for Climate Activist Vandals
Eco-vandals in Italy are set to be fined up to £50,000 under a new bill that came into law on Thursday in a bid to stop disruptive environmental protests.
The move comes after climate activists targeted a string of well-known monuments in the European nation in recent years, as well as blocking roads.
It also came after a judge on Wednesday indicted three members of Italy’s Ultima Generazione (Last Generation, or UG) climate activism group.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is in Davos these days for the annual World Economic Summit (WEF), and his address at one of the panels has been in keeping with the meeting’s agenda(s) — but also, clearly, those recently forcefully pushed by the world organization.
Among the schemes Guterres spoke about are the UN’s Global Digital Compact and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The first consists of several proposals, including digital ID that is linked to people’s bank accounts, while the second, overarching one, that enjoys the support of some of the world’s most powerful countries, also involves digital ID, and UN’s “vision” of disinformation moderation (also known as censorship).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Violence in German Hospitals is on the Rise: Nearly 7,000 Cases in a Year
In German hospitals, acts of violence such as assault and robbery are becoming more frequent. Nationally, the number of so-called violent crimes in medical facilities has increased by 20 percent since 2019, reaching 6,894 incidents in 2022, as revealed by a Spiegel survey conducted with all 16 state criminal investigation offices.
In Berlin, where a video in the New Year’s Eve night made headlines, showing a patient and his brothers attacking a doctor and a nurse in a clinic’s emergency room, statistics for 2023 are already available. Here, the number of violent incidents increased by 51 percent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Caroline Glick: The U.S. Campaign to Oust Netanyahu
Is Israel on the cusp of political upheaval? In recent days, evidence has grown that two key actors—the Biden administration and Israel’s security establishment—are both pushing the country in that direction to advance their longstanding common goal of ousting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the religious-right bloc from power.
The Biden administration showed its hand on Tuesday when U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken gave Israel an ultimatum to support Palestinian statehood or risk demonization by the administration.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Blinken restated the administration’s demand that Netanyahu present a plan for the day after the war against Hamas in Gaza and the administration’s goal of using the war to establish a Palestinian state. Blinken insisted that the only side that refuses to accept the administration’s goal is the Israeli public—and its leader, Netanyahu.
Insisting that “Arab leaders, Palestinian leaders” have prepared their people for Palestinian statehood, Blinken said: “I think the challenge now, the question now, is is Israeli society prepared to engage on these questions? Is it prepared to have that mindset?”
Israelis, of course, have engaged in the question of Palestinian statehood. After the atrocities that the Palestinians carried out against their people and state on Oct. 7—and as the full mobilization of Palestinian society in Gaza and Judea and Samaria on behalf of Hamas’s war of genocide against Israel has been revealed—Israeli support for Palestinian statehood dried up. As Direct Polls revealed last month, 81% of Israelis, including Arab Israelis, say there is no prospect for peace with the Palestinians, including 70% of left-wing voters. Some 88% of Israelis do not trust the Palestinian leadership.
Blinken, however, doesn’t seem to care what Israelis think. He wants them to obey, and he views Netanyahu as the obstacle to Israeli obeisance to the administration’s program. As a result, he wants the prime minister ousted from power, as NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell reported on Wednesday.
She wrote that during his visit to Israel last week, Blinken offered Netanyahu a deal. In exchange for Israeli support for Palestinian statehood, Saudi Arabia would normalize its ties with Israel.
Netanyahu said no.
Netanyahu’s position, the administration believes, means he has to go…
| — Hat tip: Caroline Glick | [Return to headlines] |
Rifts Emerge Over Israeli Handling of War, as UN Warns of Catastrophic Situation in Gaza
A member of Israel’s War Cabinet has cast doubt over the strategy for releasing hostages, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of the United States calls to scale back its offensive.
The US also wants steps to be taken toward establishing a Palestinian state after the war, a suggestion Netanyahu has soundly rejected.
According to former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, only a cease-fire deal can win the release of dozens of hostages still held by Islamic militants in Gaza. Eisenkot, who is one of five members of the War Cabinet, said that claims they could be freed by other means were spreading “illusions”.
The comments are the latest sign of disagreement among political and military leaders over the direction of Israel’s offensive on Hamas.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Netanyahu: Who Says We’re Not Attacking Iran, We’re Attacking
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that he was doing everything possible to prevent a nuclear Iran and assured the Israeli public that Israel was already executing attacks against it.
“Who says we are not attacking Iran, we are attacking,” Netanyahu told reporters in Tel Aviv on Saturday night. “Iran is the head of the octopus and you see its tentacles all around from the Houthis to Hezbollah to Hamas.”
“Iran is standing behind it. We are in conflict with Iran. . Imagine not what Iran can to do us, to destroy us,” Netanyahu said.
He described a situation in which Israel is battling the proxies of the Islamic Republic on three fronts, Israel’s southern and northern borders as well as in its waterways.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Russian FM Says West is Aware Zelensky Getting ‘Out of Control’
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in fresh Thursday statements says the West is trying to reign in Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky as he’s doing everything possible to stamp out dissent and cling to power, including canceling an expected presidential election this year.
Lavrov characterized the situation as one wherein America’s man in Kiev is increasingly “out of control” but that his Western backers “would have liked to have more flexibility,” according to state media translation of the new remarks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russian Prosecutors Seek Lengthy Prison Terms for Suspects in Cases Linked to the War in Ukraine
A Russian court in Siberia on Friday sentenced a man to 19 years in prison for shooting a military enlistment officer, while prosecutors in St. Petersburg asked for a 28-year sentence for a woman charged in the bombing of a café last April that killed a prominent military blogger, reports said.
Both cases underscore the tensions in the Russian society heightened by President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, with some of those opposing it turning to violent acts.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Pakistan: Young Christian Unjustly Sentenced to Death
Shahzad Masih, a Pakistani Christian, was 16 years old and working in a hospital as a janitor in 2017, when Muslims falsely accused him of blasphemy. Since then, has spent more than five years in prison, and has been sentenced to death by hanging for statements he did not even make.
In 2017, authorities arrested Masih after a Muslim coworker and another man linked with the Islamic terrorist group, Tehreek-e-Taliban Islami Pakistan (TTIP), accused him of insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. In 2022, a court sentenced Masih to death.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tokyo Faces Unanticipated Surge as Over 7,000 Women Enroll in Fertility Subsidy for Egg Freezing
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is grappling with an unexpected influx of interest in its novel fertility subsidy initiative, aimed at addressing Japan’s critically low birth rates, Bloomberg writes.
A staggering 7,000 women have signed up for informational sessions regarding the program, offering up to ¥300,000 ($2,023) in support for egg-freezing costs. Surprisingly, 1,800 women have already applied since the program’s launch in October, far surpassing the government’s initial estimates.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
ABC Slammed for Social Media Posts Urging People to Turn Up to ‘Invasion Day’ Rallies on January 26
The ABC is under fire for urging people to attend ‘Invasion Day’ rallies on January 26 rather than celebrating Australia Day.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Warren Mundine has slammed ‘haters’ who are seeking to undermine Australia Day, claiming ‘change the date’ campaigners are a divisive continuation by the losers of the Voice referendum.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Colombia Spent $50K at WEF on Gas-Guzzling Jeep While Climate Minister Opposed Capitalism
Despite insisting that it’s at the forefront of sustainability, one of the main staples at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos this year was a gas-guzzling Jeep rented out at exorbitant rates by a country that sent its environment minister to speak about getting rid of capitalism.
The Jeep in question was decked out in the Colombian flag with a driver wearing a poncho and sunglasses.
Often seen driving the streets of Davos and honking at pedestrians, the vehicle would also sit idling as World Economic Forum participants took photos with its happy driver.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
18 Arrested in Shelter Stabbing Chaos on Randall’s Island
Police said 18 people were arrested Thursday after a migrant shelter melee on Randall’s Island sparked chaos among asylum seekers and left at least one person hospitalized following a stabbing.
Multiple people were seen being escorted away in handcuffs following the afternoon brawl. Cell phone video shared with News 4 showed a man struggling on the ground as officers surround him, eventually getting him cuffed along with more than a dozen other migrants.
More video shows a man desperate to get past police as he yells “my brother, my brother.” The man’s 24-year-old brother had just been stabbed and was being taken away in an ambulance.
According to a witness at the migrant shelter, two men got into an argument Thursday and were asked by a security guard to move outside. That’s when things apparently escalated, and more people got involved.
The witness said he saw the security guard take out a knife and stab a migrant in the neck. Police could not confirm whether a security guard was involved, but did say the victim was stabbed in the neck.
Police sources told News 4 that “multiple” knives were recovered from the area.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
7 in 10 French Citizens Opposed to Solving Demographic Decline With Immigration
At a time when France is experiencing a spectacular demographic decline, an overwhelming majority of French citizens are not in favor of using immigration as a lever to boost the birth rate, recent polling showed.
According to a CSA survey conducted for CNews, Europe 1, and Le Journal du Dimanche, 69 percent of respondents rejected using replacement through immigration as a means of injecting fresh blood into the French economy.
Upon further analysis, women (71 percent) were slightly more opposed to mass immigration than men (67 percent), and while every age group rejected the idea, elderly respondents were more firmly opposed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Asylum Seekers Vanish Following Russia-Finland Border Crossings
Scores of asylum seekers have reportedly vanished after crossing the border from Russia into Finland, according to Finland’s immigration authority. Approximately 160 individuals who sought asylum at Finland’s eastern border last year are now unaccounted for, a development attributed to a sudden surge in asylum seekers entering from Russia.
Finland closed its eastern border late last year amid a rising influx, accusing Moscow of directing migrants to the border—a claim that the Kremlin denies, as reported by Reuters
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Parliament Passes Watered-Down Deportation Law
Germany’s federal parliament, the Bundestag, adopted the so-called Repatriation Improvement Act on Thursday, January 18th—a law designed to speed up the deportation of rejected asylum seekers. However, an amendment from the Greens makes it unlikely the law will actually make any noticeable difference.
Though Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in October that the government would begin “large-scale” deportations, the home affairs ministry has admitted that it does not expect an exponential rise in the number of deportations, only an increase of 600 people (a 5% rise) once the law is in force
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The German parliament voted in favor of the left-wing federal government’s new citizenship law on Friday, a move that will reduce the time migrants must reside in the country before receiving voting rights, potentially enabling 2.5 million previously non-German citizens to support left-wing parties in next year’s federal election.
Foreign nationals living in Germany will soon be able to obtain citizenship after just five years instead of the previous eight, and in some cases, migrants who can show “special integration performance” will be instantly naturalized after just three years of residence.
The new law also relaxes the requirement for elderly foreign nationals to show proficiency in the German language, while children of foreigners who have lived in Germany for five years or more will be automatically naturalized.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
People smugglers have massively expanded their launch sites for migrants’ boats bound for Britain across more than 100 miles of Channel coastline.
It means longer journeys and potentially more deaths.
The area police now vainly struggle to control reaches all the way from Belgium, through Dunkirk and Boulogne, and down the French coast to St-Valery-sur-Somme, 75 miles down from the original hotspot of Calais.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NYC Migrant Shelters Adding Cameras as Violence Spikes: ‘Just Wait Till They Get a Hold of Guns’
The violence is so bad at New York City’s migrant shelters that authorities are installing security cameras and considering metal detectors as cops grapple with “an influx of knives — just wait till they get a hold of guns,’’ officials and law enforcement sources say.
The latest bloodshed includes a fatal stabbing Jan. 7 and Thursday’s separate massive brawl and knifing — both at the tent-city shelter on Randall’s Island.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Situation at U.S.-Mexico Border a “Catastrophe”
U.S. Republicans will not support a White House aid package for Ukraine unless the United States border with Mexico is secured. U.S. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called the situation at the border a “national security and humanitarian catastrophe” after meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and other lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday, January 17th.
Biden has for months demanded that Congress approve $61.4 billion in additional funding to help supply Ukraine with weapons as part of a “supplemental” request that also includes $14.3 billion for Israel and $13.6 billion for border protection.
While there is clear bipartisan support for Israel, Republicans are increasingly sceptical of funding Ukraine, because the war has reached a stalemate, with neither the Ukrainian nor the Russian troops making any significant advances.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
American travelers are outraged by signs appearing at US airports appearing to allow migrants onto flights without showing proper identification.
US citizens traveling domestically have to show a valid identification card or a passport to board a plane, but signs at certain airports say there are different rules for some newly arrived migrants.
The signs claim the Transport Security Administration is working with Customs and Border Protection to “validate adult non-US citizen travel documentation when the traveler does not otherwise have an acceptable form of identification.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California 8th-Grader Sues Middle School Over False Claims He Wore ‘Blackface’ at Football Game
A lawsuit in California against the principal of Muirlands Middle School and superintendent of San Diego Unified School District has been filed by a middle schooler who was suspended for wearing eye black to a football game that school officials deemed “blackface.”
The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, brings to memory recent headlines about a young boy who was accused of the same racist act when he was falsely accused of “blackface” in November 2023 at a Chiefs football game.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
English Medical Authorities Permit First Private Gender Treatment Centre for Children
England’s health regulator has approved a private hormone clinic which threatens to continue the work of the discredited Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS).
Dr. Aidan Kelly worked at GIDS between 2016 and 2021, The Daily Mail reports.
Since then, he has founded the private Gender Plus Hormone Clinic, which this week became the first of its kind to be approved by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to prescribe hormones to over-16s.
Kelly’s new clinic is part of the private company Gender Plus, which describes itself as “a team of clinicians specialising in gender identity … [which feels] passionately about the rights of the transgender and non-binary population to access appropriate care.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Milwaukee Public Schools is apparently working to “de-center” and “dismantle” whiteness in the classroom.
The Young America’s Foundation published an exclusive report on a 33-page memo titled “Educational Community and District Climate” from the school district that is meant to explain the “best practices addressing discipline disproportionality through a positive educational community.” A significant approach in the memo discussed “anti-racism” with a note on “Understanding Whiteness.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Must Watch: NBC Edits Out NFL Quarterback Thanking Jesus Christ in Post-Game Interview
NBC has been revealed to have edited the post-game interview of Houston Texans’ quarterback CJ Stroud, removing reference to Jesus Christ.
After helping the team win 45-14 against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Stroud said during the live postgame interview with NBC’s Sunday Night Football, “First of all, I just want to give all glory and praise to my lord and savior, Jesus Christ.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Seattle-Area Elementary School Pushes Radical Activist Content on Students Against Parents’ Wishes
A Seattle area elementary school was called out for pushing transgender and radical socialist ideology on students this week, just days after parents slammed the school board for promoting radical sexual content to their children.
According to the Burien News, Marvista Elementary in Normandy Park, Washington did not inform parents that the day following Dr. Martin Luther King Jr day, children were read the book “A is for Activist,” by Innosanto Nagara, filled with activist slogans and radical far-left ideology.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Ford Motors is reducing production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck and is increasing workforce at its gas-powered vehicle factories, citing weaker-than-anticipated demand for electric vehicles.”
The increasing failure—both technical and marketing—of EVs should come as a surprise to no one who’s familiar with the inherent limitations of modern battery technology. I think the (near- and mid-range) future belongs to hydrogen fuel cells.