At least 18 people were killed in a wave of Russian missile attacks on Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s top military spy chief, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, said that “it is not even conceivable to think that we can do without mobilization” to win the war against Russia.
In other news, a federal court in Canada Declared that Prime Minister Trudeau’s use of the Emergencies Act was unconstitutional
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, JW, McN, MM, Reader from Chicago, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
A majority of Americans are fed up with imploding progressive metro areas transforming into violent crime hellholes because Soros-backed District Attorneys refuse to enforce common sense law and order. Americans are tired of radicals in the Biden administration who knowingly push for open southern borders. At the same time, tax-payer-funded non-governmental organizations facilitate the greatest invasion this nation has ever seen of unvetted individuals — some of whom are on the FBI’s Terror Watch List. The president’s collapsing polling data is a symptom the American people have rejected this mumbling, silent generation president who should be in a nursing home or on a La-Z-Boy recliner at his beach house in the elite-only beach town of Bethany.
In recent years, the tyrannical overreach of government during Covid, BLM riots, and nationwide violent crime eruption, plus the 30-year fixed mortgage rate under 3%, unleashed the greatest-ever exodus of Americans from Demcorat-controlled states and metro areas for safer areas in red states.
The migration trends of the Covid period are still happening today, just less because of housing affordability woes.
However, an entirely new trend is emerging: a venture fund in rural Kentucky is building a new community for folks who want to escape all the chaos of progressive cities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
20% of American 18 to 29 Year-Olds Think Holocaust is a Myth: Poll
20 percent of US citizens between the ages of 18 and 29 believe that the Holocaust is a myth, a new poll has revealed.
The Economist/YouGov poll conducted between December 2 and December 5, found that in response to the statement “The Holocaust is a myth,” 1 in 5 participants between the ages of 18 and 29 agreed and 30 percent said that they did not agree or disagree.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
6 Attorneys Allege DOJ Seeking Retribution Against Journalist for Recent Jan. 6 Coverage
Authored by Joseph Hanneman via The Epoch Times,
Attorneys for a journalist threatened with prosecution for being at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, are challenging federal prosecutors to try his case outside the District of Columbia, suggesting prosecutors are seeking retribution for his recent reporting on possible Capitol Police perjury and the Jan. 6 pipe bombs.
Six attorneys who said they volunteered to represent Stephen Baker of Raleigh, N.C., released a statement on Jan. 22 expressing belief that the DOJ is seeking even more serious Jan. 6 charges as retaliation.
Mr. Baker, a former independent journalist, now writes for Blaze Media.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
President Biden referred to defeated Democratic ex-Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe as the state’s “real governor” Tuesday — even though Biden has made Donald Trump’s failure to accept the result of their 2020 presidential election a centerpiece of his re-election bid.
“Hello, Virginia! And the real governor, Terry McAuliffe,” the 81-year-old president said while gesturing to McAuliffe as Biden began a campaign speech in Manassas focused on abortion rights.
Virginia’s Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, who defeated McAulliffe in 2021 by 2 percentage points, tweeted Tuesday evening that he was the real deal.
“Mr. President, I’m right here,” Youngkin wrote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, America First Legal (AFL) released new documents from its lawsuit against the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) for records from its Mis— Dis— and Malinformation (MDM) team regarding the 2020 election. Reinforcing AFL’s prior findings of federal election interference, the new documents reveal that:
CISA knew mail-in and absentee voting are less secure than in-person (i.e., verified voting) voting, confirming warnings by former President Trump and others of increased fraud, and shared these concerns with mainstream media outlets during an unclassified “media tour” the Friday before the 2020 election. However, the mainstream media, having derided the notion that “vote by mail” was less secure than in-person voting, covered up the truth.
CISA knew that there was no credible evidence to support the claim that in-person voting would spread COVID-19. Yet, it covered up the truth and supported mass vote-by-mail schemes.
CISA relied upon Deloitte, an accounting and consulting firm, to gather disinformation “narratives” regarding vote-by-mail across social media for the purpose of monitoring and censorship.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Arizona GOP Chair Tried to BRIBE Kari Lake to Not Run for Senate: Leaked Audio
It has been revealed that the Arizona Republican Party chair attempted to bribe Kari Lake to not run for Senate in a leaked audio conversation.
The audio, released by the Daily Mail, revealed that Jeff DeWit, 51, chair of the Arizona Republican Party, did not want Lake to run in the same election cycle as former President Donald Trump.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California Job Growth Falls by Most in the Nation Post-Pandemic: Report
California experienced the largest decline in job growth in the U.S. when comparing job creation in all states before and after the COVID pandemic, a new report finds.
An analysis by the Orange County Register columnist Jonathan Lansner found that California’s job creation in 2019-2023 — a period that includes the last pre-pandemic year as well the COVID-induced shutdowns and the economy’s recovery — was 54% lower than it was in the 2015-2019 period.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CDC Labeled Accurate Articles as Misinformation, Documents Show
Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times
The top U.S. public health agency labeled multiple news articles as misinformation even though the articles were accurate, according to internal emails and experts.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added the misinformation labels to articles from The Epoch Times in widely-circulated internal messages, according to copies obtained by The Epoch Times.
One of the articles reported on a peer-reviewed paper that found heart inflammation, or myocarditis, was more common after COVID-19 vaccination than after COVID-19 infection.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
by Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner of Wirepoints
There’s little that better highlights the moral bankruptcy of Chicago’s ‘equity’ agenda than a look at how CPS is treating two of its schools: Northside College Prep and Douglass High.
CPS and union officials want to end selective enrollment at Northside, a diverse, top-performing school where blacks and Hispanics excel at the highest level. At the same time, those officials want to keep open Douglass High School, a nearly-empty, all-black neighborhood school that spends over $68,000 per student…and yet not a single one of its students could read or do math at grade level last year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Mayor Johnson Targets End to Natural Gas in New Homes, Buildings
CHICAGO (WLS) — Gas or electric?
In Chicago’s future, there may not be a choice. In an effort for a cleaner environment, Mayor Brandon Johnson and 15 city council members are introducing an ordinance that would require new buildings and homes to use electric over natural gas.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The CIA has been revealed to have filed dozens of forms reporting employee conflicts of interest to the Department of Justice during the Biden administration.
According to a report from the Daily Caller, between January 2021 and May 2023, the CIA sent over thirty 202 conflict of interest forms regarding the federal employees.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CVS Store to Close After DC Thieves Ransack Location for Months, Leaving Shelves Bare
A Washington D.C. CVS store will close its doors after a group of sticky-fingered teens routinely ransacked the store, leaving the shelves bare.
According to Fox affiliate, WTTG-TV, the pharmacy storefront in Washington D.C’s Columbia Heights neighborhood is closing on Feb. 29.
The closing comes months after videos surfaced in Oct. 2023 of row after row of empty shelves at the CVS store after a group of shoplifting teens ransacked the store.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Former President Donald Trump did it again.
Eight days after he crushed the competition in Iowa’s low-turnout Republican presidential caucuses, Trump easily defeated Nikki Haley — his final remaining major rival for the GOP nomination — in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary.
Fox News projected Trump would win the primary ___ minutes after the final polls closed in New Hampshire.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
L.A. Times Editor Urges “Departees” Not Criticize California on Their Way Out
Authored by Jonathan Turley
In an editorial fit for The Onion or the Babylon Bee, Los Angeles Times’ letters editor Paul Thornton wrote a column this week entitled “If you want to leave, fine. But don’t insult California on the way out.”
The column acknowledges an exodus from the state, but sees the problem as former Californians sharing their experiences about what drove them from the Golden State.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
L.A. Times to Lay Off at Least 115 People in the Newsroom
The Los Angeles Times announced Tuesday that it was laying off at least 115 people — or more than 20% of the newsroom — in one of the largest workforce reductions in the history of the 142-year-old institution.
The move comes amid projections for another year of heavy losses for the newspaper.
The cuts were necessary because the paper could no longer lose $30 million to $40 million a year without making progress toward building higher readership that would bring in advertising and subscriptions to sustain the organization, said the paper’s owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
North Carolina City Spent Millions on Electric Buses That Don’t Run
The city of Asheville, North Carolina, shelled out millions of dollars in 2018 to add five electric buses to its fleet. Now, three of the five sit idle, and city employees are telling the cautionary tale.
Asheville’s interim transportation director, Jessica Morriss, told local station WLOS-TV that the three out-of-commission buses are down due to a combination of software issues and mechanical problems, and one has had a broken door since July that can’t be replaced.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Plans for the Tallest Building in the US Are Underway — And it Isn’t in NYC
Plans to build the tallest skyscraper in the United States are shaping up in an unlikely metropolis: Oklahoma City.
Developers at a real estate company are adjusting the already ambitious plans to construct the Boardwalk at Bricktown tower by a few hundred feet to make the building reach 1,907 feet high — which would make it the tallest in the country, the Oklahoma City Free Press reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RFK Jr Promotes Workout Challenge for Voters as Trump, Biden’s Fitness Becomes Issue in 2024 Race
FIRST ON FOX — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s super PAC on Tuesday will begin promoting a new workout challenge for potential voters, as questions about former President Trump and President Biden’s physical and mental fitness have emerged center stage in the 2024 election contest.
Championing Kennedy’s group of supporters at Gold’s Gym in Venice, California, where he sometimes works out, American Values 2024, the pro-Kennedy super PAC, is unveiling the AmericaMoves challenge on Tuesday, encouraging participants to get up and get active for at least 24 minutes of movement a day to kick-start healthier habits for 2024.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rumble Releases Rumble Studio, a New Tool to Help Creators Easily Stream Online
Today marks a significant development in the digital streaming world as Rumble, a rapidly expanding video platform and cloud services company, has unveiled Rumble Studio to the public. This new live-streaming tool is now accessible to all Rumble users, whether they’re on the Web, Android, or iOS.
Rumble Studio is designed as a comprehensive live-streaming solution for content creators. It streamlines the process of live streaming, making it easier for creators to broadcast their videos across multiple platforms, interact with their audience, invite guests, and easily monetize their work.
Rumble Studio has been in beta since last year and, after significant testing, is now available to all.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Suspect in Killing of 8 People Near Chicago Has Died in Texas, Police Say
CHICAGO — A man suspected of shooting and killing eight people in suburban Chicago fatally shot himself after a confrontation with law enforcement officials in Texas, police said late Monday.
Police in Joliet, Ill., said on Facebook that at about 8:30 p.m. Central time 23-year-old Romeo Nance was located by U.S. Marshals near Natalia, Texas, and that Nance shot himself after a confrontation.
The Medina County Sheriff’s Office in Texas said on Facebook that the agency received a call about a person suspected in the Chicago killings heading into the county on Interstate 35. A standoff then occurred between Nance and police from multiple agencies at a gas station, where Nance shot himself, the sheriff’s office said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas Man Sues Macy’s and Sunglass Hut Parent Over Wrongful Arrest Linked to Facial Recognition
A Texas man is suing Macy’s and the parent company of Sunglass Hut after the two companies allegedly relied on error-prone facial recognition technology to falsely accuse him of armed robbery.
After being held in jail for nearly two weeks, Harvey Murphy Jr. was released once prosecutors verified he had not been physically present in the state when the robbery occurred, Murphy’s attorney told CNN. During his detention, however, Murphy was allegedly attacked and raped by three men, leaving permanent injuries.
Now, Murphy wants $10 million from the companies for what he alleges was a wrongful arrest based on the negligent use of facial recognition software, in the latest potential case of mistaken identity involving the controversial technology.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas Attorney General Paxton promised that the “fight is not over” after the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the Biden administration could give Border Patrol agents to go-ahead to cut down extra security the state government had put in place.
The Texas AG told Fox Digital in a statement, “The Supreme Court’s temporary order allows Biden to continue his illegal effort to aid the foreign invasion of America.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Soros of Silicon Valley: Reid Hoffman’s Millions for Democrat Activism
Authored by Hayden Ludwig via Restoration of America
There’s no shortage of leftist mega-donors for funding America’s “progressive” revolution. Meet the newest billionaire backing it: Reid Hoffman, whose campaign to destroy Donald Trump is matched only by the scale of his #MeToo hypocrisy.
His is hardly a household name. Yet Reid Hoffman, best known for co-founding the professional networking site LinkedIn, has rapidly become one of the Left’s top patrons of political activism to rival George Soros, Bill Gates, and eBay’s Pierre Omidyar.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tinley Park Murders: New Details Revealed in Court After Man Allegedly Kills His Family
TINLEY PARK, Ill. — On Tuesday, new information came out in court regarding the murders of four women in Tinley Park allegedly at the hands of their husband and father.
Maher Kassem, 63, was arrested on Sunday after allegedly shooting his wife, Majeda, and their daughters, Halema, Hanan, and Zahia at a home they shared in the 7400 block of W. 173rd Place.
Twin sisters, Halema and Zahia, were both 25 years old. The youngest, Hanan, was 24. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said all four women were shot multiple times. The murders were committed in front of the family’s 19-year-old son.
The following information is what was presented by prosecutors in court.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Washington State Dems Move to Let Felons Vote, Serve on Jury, Run for Office While in Prison
Washington Democrats are attempting to pass legislation that would allow felons, including serial killers, to vote, serve on a jury and even run for office while incarcerated.
House Bill 2030 is sponsored by Dem. Rep Tarra Simmons, an ex-convict who was sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2011 for theft, drug, and firearm crimes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
— as judge says she ‘had no control over her actions’ after cannabis caused ‘psychotic break’
A California woman who stabbed a man she was dating 100 times and killed him, before turning the knife on herself and her dog, has been handed 100 hours of community service.
Bryn Spejcher, 32, was given the astonishingly low sentence following psychiatrists’ ruling that the tragedy was ‘100 percent’ caused by cannabis-induced psychosis, which she suffered after taking two hits of the victim’s bong.
The judge ruled that Spejcher ‘experienced a psychotic break from reality’ and ‘had no control over her actions’ when she killed Chad O’Melia, then 26, on Memorial Day weekend 2018.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
X CEO Linda Yaccarino Says “Free Speech” Ends at “Hate Speech”
X continues to sit on two chairs and send mixed signals regarding the company’s stance on free speech.
A new blog post penned this week by X Corp CEO Linda Yaccarino goes into this, at once claiming that society must “empower people to express its thoughts” — but also, that the line must be drawn at “hate” and “hate speech.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“We Are Coming to Liberate Canada, “ Tucker Carlson Tells Trudeau in Voicemail
American media personality Tucker Carlson says he’s coming to “liberate” Canada — and he delivered the message right to Justin Trudeau’s office.
On Monday evening, Tucker Carlson posted a video to his Instagram of him calling the Prime Minister’s Office media line.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alberta is the Prime Target in Canada for Foreign Interference, Warns CSIS
Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) officials warned Alberta that it has become a “very attractive” target for foreign entities wishing to exert their influence due to the province’s economy, resources and large number of ethnic communities.
CSIS shared its findings at a presentation in Edmonton to several provincial political parties and representatives from Elections Alberta on December 9, 2022, according to documents obtained through an access to information request by Postmedia.
Foreign governments use “clandestine or coercive” activities to influence Canadian society to their benefit, warned the presentation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Federal Court Declares Trudeau’s Use of Emergencies Act Unconstitutional
In a long-awaited decision, the Federal Court has ruled that the measures Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked under the Emergencies Act were unreasonable and unconstitutional.
The decision follows an application for judicial review launched by the Canadian Constitution Foundation, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and several other applicants in 2022 after the emergency measures were used to end the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa.
The measures controversially allowed the government to freeze the bank accounts of protesters, conscript tow truck drivers, and arrest people for participating in assemblies the government deemed illegal.
The court declared that the decision to issue the Proclamation and associated Regulations and Order was unreasonable and beyond the scope of the Emergencies Act.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Statistics Canada Model Predicts 10.2% Poverty Rate in 2023
A recent Statistics Canada model projects Canada’s official poverty rate to reach 10.2% in 2023.
In a recent research paper titled “Modelled Market Basket Measure poverty rates for 2022 and 2023,” Statistics Canada unveiled projections indicating a potential surge in Canada’s official poverty rate.
According to one of the models employed by the federal data centre, the poverty rate is expected to climb to 10.2% in 2023, marking a significant increase from the estimated 7.4% in 2021.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Third of Spaniards Living Off the Government
In Spain, a full third of the population over age 15 relies on a monthly payment from the government for their income. The immediate question is, how sustainable is such a system?
The figures come from calculations by two news organizations—the regional El Correo and the national website El Debate. They reveal increasing levels of welfare dependency and a bloated public sector.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Beautiful Polish Tradition’ — Prom Dance Video Goes Viral and Charms Viewers Across the Globe
At the start of each year, Polish high school seniors face a flurry of activity, with their final exams looming and the “studniówka” — a traditional prom — offering a final moment of relaxation. The prom features the dance of the polonaise, which is a quintessential highlight.
The studniówka, which translates to “a hundred days” in Polish, marks the hundred days before final exams for students. This long-standing tradition enjoys immense popularity in Poland, with few students imagining approaching their final exams without participating in the “studniówka” and dancing the famous polonaise. With the advancement of technology, these events are often recorded and shared online, with some gaining significant attention.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
British Primary School Faces Bomb Threat Amid Palestine Row
Teachers at an east London primary school are facing abuse and threats of violence after a pupil was told he could not wear a Palestine badge to school.
Barclay Primary in Leyton was forced to close early for Christmas after protests at the school gates sparked by a TikTok video claiming that the eight year-old had been bullied by teachers.
In response, the school sent several letters to parents insisting its rules would not allow items of clothing demonstrating any political allegiance. But the boy’s mother, who is from Gaza, said this was wrong because her son should be permitted “to show empathy for his dead relatives and friends” in the Middle East.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Votes on Resolution to List “Hate Speech” as a Crime
As part of the growing support for censorship within the EU, the EU Parliament has cast their votes for a resolution, regarding making so-called “hate speech” a crime throughout the Union. The decision, which critics have likened to Orwell’s “Big Brother,” is set to redefine the landscape of freedom of speech within the European Union.
The move has garnered substantial attention due to its potential impact on individual liberties. Critics argue that this could lead to overreach and the suppression of free speech. Yet, the EU Parliament remains firm in its stance, asserting that this radical change is a crucial step in combating hate and is plowing ahead.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Europe Must Seize Russia’s State Assets Now
Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz is a member of the European Parliament, and a former prime minister and foreign minister of Poland.
Rarely are the moral, legal, political and economic arguments for action as strong as in the case for confiscating Russia’s state assets to fund Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction — now at over €400 billion and growing rapidly.
However, recently, far too much time and political capital has been spent on the separate issue of taxing profits from Russia’s underlying state assets, €200 billion of which is deposited at Euroclear — a financial pipeline based in Brussels.
Euroclear is an intermediary, transferring funds from one depository to another, and normally it wouldn’t hold these assets — it didn’t before the outbreak of the full-scale invasion. But now awash with cash, Euroclear’s position is that this wartime profit — around a hefty €4 billion in 2023 — is its own private property.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
French Farmers Join European Protest Movement
After the Netherlands, Germany and Poland, farmers in France are now revolting. For several days now, they have been engaged in an arm-wrestling match with the government to protest against the excessive regulations that are destroying their livelihoods.
The movement began in the department of Tarn, in the south-west of France, in a seemingly innocuous form: angry farmers started turning town name signs upside down. The movement gradually gained ground and spread throughout the country. While seemingly harmless at first glance, the discontent could lead to a social movement like that of the Yellow Vests (Gilets Jaunes), which paralysed the country in the winter of 2018.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French Mayor Calls for Teachers to be Armed With Tear Gas Amid Spike in Student Violence
A mayor in France has called for primary school teachers to be armed with tear gas grenades to protect themselves from the violent attacks that are becoming increasingly common in French schools.
In a letter addressed to all primary school teachers in his town of Marignane — and a copy sent to the National Education inspector — Éric le Disse’s bemoaned the lack of police officers available to help protect those working in education and suggested that all teachers acquire tear gas grenades and necklace or bracelet alarms to help diffuse a dangerous situation or, at the very least, to alert others to an immediate threat.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French Farmers Vow to Continue Tractor Protests for ‘As Long as Necessary’
French farmers have vowed to continue their tractor protests “for as long as necessary” while laying the blame for growing rural anger at the feet of the European Union’s green agenda and the globalist government of President Emmanuel Macron.
Building off the momentum of the political gains from farmers in the Netherlands last year and the recent uprisings seen across Germany — not to mention decades of tractor protests already seen in France — French farmers said that they plan to continue shutting down motorways with their tractors at least until the end of the week and maybe even longer if the government fails to heed their demands.
Near Toulouse, hundreds of farmers have been blocking a highway in both directions since last Thursday afternoon, while similar protests have been staged across the country.
Arnaud Rousseau, the president of the FNSEA agricultural union said according to Le Figaro: “I can tell you that from today and throughout the week and for as long as it is necessary, a certain number of actions will be carried out.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Despite mass protests that allegedly saw at least 300,000 people demonstrate against the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, two new polls showing the AfD has lost some support following the protests actually feature somewhat good news for the party.
Media commentators are celebrating that the AfD lost 1.5 percentage points in the INSA poll, dropping from 23 percent to 21.5 percent. In another RTL poll, the party lost 2 points, falling to 20 percent. The drop follows protests that were promoted by NGOs, Antifa, members of the left-liberal government, and other organizations against the AfD over the weekend.
However, the polls also need to be put in context. Given the mass media campaign currently directed at the AfD and the push for protests, the AfD lost remarkably little support. In fact, a 1.5— to 2-point percentage drop could be a blip, and the AfD could regain its strength over the coming months.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Opposes Another Attempt to Arm Ukraine
The European Union is working on yet another plan to assist Ukraine militarily, with €20 billion to be handed out over the next four years. The plan was introduced at the EU foreign affairs ministers’ meeting on Monday, January 22nd, and is strongly opposed by Hungary.
“The year is new, but the mood is old. The war psychosis of old remains. Nobody is willing to deviate from the path of a failed strategy,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjartó told journalists in Brussels.
Addressing the Brussels meeting on a video call, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged EU ministers to ramp up their support for Ukraine and also to approve a long-term support programme—one blocked by Hungary at the last European Council summit in December.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Leftists Call for Killing of Right-Wing Voters at ‘Anti-Extremism’ Protest in Germany
Left-wing protesters in Germany called for supporters of the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to be killed during a rally against political extremism.
Amid nationwide protests over the weekend, in which organisers claimed over a million people rallied against the right-wing AfD party, it was ironically the left which seemingly exposed itself as harbouring extremists.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Dutch Queen Maxima utilized her platform during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos to advocate for the far-reaching benefits of digital ID for various sectors. Queen Maxima highlighted that a digital ID could become a critical instrument, capable of determining vaccination statuses, facilitating school registrations, and simplifying the process of claiming government subsidies.
There has been a growing push by various global elites, including governments, tech companies, and international organizations, towards the adoption of digital identity systems. This shift is often presented as a means to increase efficiency and security. But, few talk about the major implications for surveillance and the erosion of civil liberties.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Norway Military Chief Warns Europe Has ‘2, Maybe 3 Years’ to Prepare for War With Russia
The head of the Norwegian armed forces is warning fellow NATO countries that they only have “two, maybe three” years to brace for a Russian attack — just days after it was revealed that Germany is preparing for the likelihood as well.
Norwegian Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen claimed Moscow is building up its military stockpile at a rate far faster than previously predicted, all while Western nations have depleted their own weapons by supplying them to Ukraine, according to local outlet Daglabet.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish Culture Minister Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz has for the second time been found in breach of the law. Two weeks ago, his move to appoint new management of public media with the use of the commercial code was found to be invalid, and these boards were not registered by the courts.
On Monday, the courts ruled that he had no right to appoint liquidators for Polish Television TVP and Polish Radio and the courts have refused to register the liquidators too, with these courts referring to a ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal made days earlier.
The former head of the National Broadcasting Council, Marek Markiewicz, said he believes the present government is destroying the reputation of public media and leading it towards financial ruin.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Report: Jaroslaw Kaczynski to Step Down as Leader of Poland’s PiS Within a Year
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the chairman of Poland’s main opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, has reportedly informed his close associates that he will relinquish his leadership role, as per the left-liberal news outlet Onet, citing sources from the party. This revelation has sparked discussions about his potential successors and the future direction of the party.
Sources assert that Kaczynski has requested his decision be kept confidential from both the public and rank-and-file party members, and there has been no official announcement. Instead, the decision will be made at the party congress in the first half of 2025, ahead of the presidential elections. Kaczynski has expressed his desire to avoid unnecessary turmoil within the party, which he believes could harm Law and Justice’s standing.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Report: 2024 Election Will be a Battle of 5 ‘Crisis Tribes’
The most profound indicator of voter preferences in the 2024 super election year—when Europe will see nine parliamentary elections along with June’s EU election—is citizens’ personal perception of crisis. Researchers anticipate that five key social, economic, and political crises are set to shape electoral outcomes more than any traditional political camps or narratives.
A recent report, published by the European Council of Foreign Relations (ECFR), the EU’s leading foreign and security policy think tank, identified the ‘crisis tribes’—five major constituencies across the European Union—according to which of the EU’s biggest challenges has most impacted to how they look at the future.
The researchers claim that dividing the EU electorate into these crisis tribes grants a much better insight into voter preferences and possible election outcomes than the traditional Left and Right, liberal and conservative, globalist and nationalist, or Eurofederalist and Eurosceptic dichotomies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Revealed: Leftists Plan EU-Wide History Curriculum
An attempt to foist an EU-approved history curriculum on students Europe-wide has been heavily influenced by hard-left factions within the European Parliament, The European Conservative can reveal. Last week, MEPs backed a report wishing to define “European historical awareness” at a plenary session in Strasbourg.
The report, which originates from the Parliament’s education committee, aims to set the ideological tone of a prospective EU history curriculum and—in a demonstrably left-leaning text—describes “chauvinism, gender-stereotypes, power-asymmetries and structural inequalities to be deeply rooted in European history.”
It treats “ethnicity-based injustices” as embedded within the European historical experience and was passed by 19 votes to 7 last week with the support of MEPs from the EPP, S&D, and Renew groups.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spanish Government Withholds Report on Legality of Catalan Amnesty
Spain’s government has boasted that it has a report certifying the constitutionality of its planned amnesty for Catalan separatists but has yet to produce the report to the public.
The planned amnesty, which would pardon politicians who took part in the illegal 2017 independence referendum in Catalonia, has been at the center of a bitter national controversy since Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez returned to power in November. Separatist parties demanded the measure in return for propping up Sanchez’s minority government.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Turkish Lawmakers Approve Sweden’s Bid to Join NATO, Leaving Hungary as Last Holdout
Lawmakers approved the Nordic nation’s bid to become the 32nd member of the alliance after it won the public backing of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Parliament ratified Sweden’s accession protocol by 287 votes to 55, with four abstentions. The ratification will come into effect after its publication in the Official Gazette, which is expected to be swift.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson welcomed the vote in a social media post, writing on X: “Today we are one step closer to becoming a full member of NATO”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tusk Should Respect Hungary’s Position on Ukraine, Says FM Szijjartó
Hungary is a sovereign country, and whether Donald Tusk likes it or not, it has the right to represent its own position on the Ukraine war, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjartó said in Brussels on Monday.
In response to the Polish prime minister’s criticism of the Hungarian stance on the war, a statement by the Hungarian foreign ministry accused Tusk of showing “a complete lack of respect” to a sovereign nation and ally by claiming that Hungary is “betraying Europe and being un-European” and calling it “the darkest place in political hell.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two Farmers Dead After Car Hit Roadblock at ‘Breakneck Speed’ in France
Two people including a teenage girl have died and one person is seriously injured after a car driven by an Armenian migrant drove through a farmers’ road blockade and hit protesters in Ariège, France, on Tuesday morning.
The incident occurred at approximately 5:30 a.m. on RD 119 when a vehicle with three occupants crashed into a haystack barricade constructed by agricultural campaigners, leading to the death of 37-year-old Alexandra Sonac and the hospitalization of her husband and teenage daughter — the latter of which sadly died later in hospita
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Labour Flirts With Brussels and ‘Woke’ National Trust as Election Looms
Despite its efforts to win over Tory voters on migration and green issues, Labour can’t help but remind them of its attachment to the EU and all things ‘woke.’ While this could reflect growing confidence in a forthcoming election win, it also foreshadows what a Labour government would look like.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan made headlines last week when he urged his party to reconsider its position on rejoining an EU customs union. He also called for a ‘youth mobility agreement’, changing visa restrictions on young people working in other European countries. To date, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has ruled this out.
Separately, Hilary Benn, who is a member of Starmer’s top team, said it would “make sense” for Britain to cosy up further to Brussels—a position which Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy has described as a top priority—while predicting that von der Leyen and co. will breathe a “sigh of relief” if Labour wins the next election.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Raises Alarm Over Sudden Death Surge: ‘Worst Heart Care Crisis in Living Memory’
Experts in the United Kingdom are raising the alarm over the “crisis” of surging heart-related sudden deaths.
Alarming data revealed that premature deaths from cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, have hit their highest level in more than a decade.
Early heart deaths had tumbled since the 60s thanks to plummeting smoking rates, advanced surgical techniques, and breakthroughs such as stents and statins.
But six decades of progress have been reversed in recent years.
British Heart Foundation (BHF) analysis shows that heart deaths in people under 75 have soared to record highs.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: 39-Year-Old Mom Drops Dead in Middle of Funeral Eulogy After Sudden Cardiac Arrest
A 39-year-old mother-of-three has dropped dead in front of her family in the middle of giving a eulogy at her father-in-law’s funeral.
Sarah Healey, a nurse from Surrey in England, died suddenly after suffering a fatal cardiac arrest.
The young mom collapsed while speaking at the funeral in front of her husband and her three children.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Just Stop Oil activists are brazenly raising money online to buy super glue and paint for stunts in the coming weeks.
The group has already raked in £19,467 of a new £100,000 target to heap misery again on the public in 2024.
And the shameless bunch are openly mocking police and the authorities by boasting about the chaos the money collected will cause.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A scaffolder who shoved Just Stop Oil protesters in a bid to clear the road has had his legal case dropped after eight months.
Louis Grieves, 22, was arrested for common assault after he shoved two protesters on Blackfriars Bridge in London last May.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: ULEZ Blade Runner Vigilantes Use Sadiq Khan’s Own Face to Hijack Enforcement Camera
Anti-Ulez campaigners have taken action once again by putting Sadiq Khan stickers on cameras to block the sensors.
The “blade runner” protesters targeted around 10 cameras within a five-mile radius around Orpington, Bromley and Lewisham in South East London last week.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Update: UK Security Guards Block Elton John’s Public Piano After CCP Censorship Attempts
Popular YouTuber Brendan Kavanagh, who plays the piano in public spaces, had an encounter in London’s St. Pancras Railway Station earlier this week when a group of CHICOM activists/agents approached him and demanded he stop recording them and delete his footage of them.
Following the confrontation, Kavanagh later learned security guards at the train station were blocking the piano from being played whatsoever.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Warsaw: EU Greenlights the Release of Frozen Polish Funds
Poland is ready to apply for most of its €111 billion in payments owed by the European Union. The cash was blocked by the European Commission amid allegations at the time that the Law and Justice (PiS) government was undermining judicial independence.
Whereas PiS faced various sanctions on the pretext of ‘rule of law’ violations, its governing successor in parliament—a left-liberal coalition led by arch-Eurocrat Donald Tusk—now seems primed to receive the funding. According to Warsaw, the Commission has informally agreed that the new Tusk-led liberal government has implemented the last remaining judicial reforms needed for the unblocking of some €76 billion worth of cohesion funds from the 2021-2027 budget, which will be gradually released in the months ahead.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
21 Israeli Soldiers Killed in Single Deadliest Incident Since Gaza Offensive Began
Israel’s military has suffered its single deadliest incident of the Gaza war, which left twenty-one soldiers killed after they came under attack by (presumably) Hamas militants who fired a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) which triggered a bigger detonation.
It happened Monday but what was made public Tuesday, resulting in the Israeli defense ministry raising the official death toll from the ground offensive to 219 (though some analysts believe the true figure could be much higher). According to Israeli media, “The buildings were being rigged for demolition by troops when Palestinian gunmen fired an RPG at a tank securing the forces.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rifts Within Israel Resurface as War in Gaza Drags on; Some Want Elections Now
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Ever since Israel was attacked on Oct. 7, a main Israeli highway has been flanked by billboards preaching national unity and a ubiquitous wartime slogan: “Together we will win.”
But lately those billboards have been replaced with a starkly different message: a call for immediate elections.
The mood of the Israeli public is shifting after more than 100 days of war in Gaza — and the catalyst is a rift over the polarizing leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israelis stunned by the brutal Hamas attack initially put aside their differences and rallied behind the war effort. Now old divisions that could alter the course of the war are reemerging.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
The US unleashed airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq on Tuesday after a weekend rebel assault on an Iraqi airbase that injured multiple American troops, officials said.
“Today, at President Biden’s direction, US military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
“These precision strikes are in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks against US and Coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias,” Austin added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
At Least 18 Killed in Wave of Russian Missile Attacks on Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promises strong response as rescuers scour rubble for survivors in sub-zero temperatures.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
As the war in Ukraine approaches its second anniversary, the average age of Ukrainian armed forces personnel is rising. Middle-aged men are fighting against Russian aggression today, making it difficult for commanders to plan and conduct the operations needed to achieve campaign objectives.
“The average age of a soldier in my battalion is 45,” Dmitro Berlin, battalion commander of the 32nd separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, told the publication. The brigade’s soldiers are fighting today near Kupiansk, one of the targets of the Russian Armed Forces’ winter offensive campaign.
“At this age, it is already difficult to perform all the necessary tasks. Some even find it hard to carry ammunition and body armor while on the frontline,” Berlin admitted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland’s new prime minister, Donald Tusk, has visited Kyiv for his first trip to a foreign capital since taking office last month and assured the Ukrainians of Poland’s support for Ukraine against Russian aggression.
“I would like to appeal from here to European leaders who have not fully understood what Ukraine is fighting for today,” said Tusk, speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “Anyone in the free world who pretends to be neutral deserves the darkest place in political hell,” said Tusk, adding that the situation in Ukraine was of a fight between “good and evil.”
“There is no more credible politician in the world working for peace today than President Zelensky,” continued the Polish prime minister.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Reverse Card: Zelensky Announces Plans for ‘Historically Ukrainian’ Regions of Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree “on the territories of the Russian Federation historically inhabited by Ukrainians”, saying it is time to “take steps” to out “the truth about our history”.
Speaking to mark Ukrainian Unity Day, a state holiday marking the 1919 Unification Act proclaiming the short-lived Ukrainian People’s Republic — largely absorbed into the Soviet Union the same year — President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke on Ukrainian pride and identity. While saying he was moving to give passports to all ethnic Ukrainians worldwide, President Zelensky also said he wanted to develop the “restoration of truth about the historical past” of Ukrainian areas in Russia.
The Ukrainian President said: “Today we must take steps not only to strengthen the unity of Ukraine and our people, but also to act for the unity of rights and freedoms, the truth about Ukrainians, the truth about us and the truth about our history. To this end, today I signed the decree ‘On the territories of the Russian Federation historically inhabited by Ukrainians’.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine’s Spy Chief: “Not Even Conceivable” That We Can Win Without Massive Mobilization
“The shortage [of manpower] is palpable,” Ukraine’s military top spy chief, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, told Financial Times in a new interview, describing the most pressing situation facing the country after nearly two years of war.
He warned that “it is not even conceivable to think that we can do without mobilization” — which reflects the consensus of the military’s leadership, and strongly points to staggering losses by the Ukrainian side, though an official running casualty count has never been revealed. Russia has also likely suffered immense losses, but can tap into much greater manpower and artillery, which is also allegedly being supplied from such nefarious actors as North Korea.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Running Dangerously Low on Ammo for Its US Guns as American Aid Package Stalls: Report
Ukraine is running out of the ammunition needed for its US-supplied Howitzer guns as additional American aid for its military is held up by Congress — all while Russia is quickly bolstering its firepower, Kyiv soldiers warned.
A Ukrainian artillery crew operating an M109 Paladin Howitzer said they have been forced to start rationing their shells to try to beat back Russia’s forces near Bakhmut because of the dwindling supply.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
6 Killed, 14 Injured in Mongolia Gas Explosion: Officials
Six people were killed and 14 injured in a gas explosion caused by a vehicle crash in Mongolia’s capital on Wednesday, authorities said.
“According to preliminary results, three people died in the fire,” the country’s National Emergency Management Agency said on its website, adding three firefighters were killed and 14 sent for medical treatment.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
In Early 2020, a Chinese Source Trusted by FBI Said COVID Leaked From Wuhan Lab, Sources Say
Authored by Michael Shellenberger and Alex Gutentag via Public subsatck
FBI’s entire 25-person Chinese intelligence squad knew of reliable human intelligence that SARS-CoV-2 Covid leaked from a lab…
Over the last several months, Public has reported on a growing body of evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused the Covid pandemic escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China. Last year, Public and Racket were the first to report that US government officials had identified that the first patients to become sick with Covid worked at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).
Now, Public has learned from multiple sources that the FBI knew since at least March 2020 that Covid was the result of a lab leak. A Chinese national from Wuhan, working as a confidential human source (CHS) for the FBI, told their handler at the FBI’s Chinese Intelligence Squad. The sources said it was probable that the whole squad of 25 people knew.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Toyota: Electric Cars Will Never Dominate Market
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda has declared that electric vehicles (EVs) will never dominate the car market.
Battery-powered EVs will only ever capture 30% of the global market share, Toyoda has predicted.
The comments come as auto industry experts are raising concerns about consumers’ willingness to align with the green agenda’s “Net Zero” goals.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alpha Building Group Collapses as Melbourne Builder Goes Into Liquidation
A major construction company that built houses across Melbourne has collapsed, owing up to $3.5million.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Cairns Regional Council has changed the title of their ‘Australia Day Awards’ to the ‘Citizen of the Year’ ceremony which will instead be held in February 1.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
A Jewish passenger’s complaint about a male flight attendant wearing a Palestinian flag pin during a domestic flight on Sunday has been investigated by Virgin Australia.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Pauline Hanson has claimed people who complain about Australia Day shouldn’t take the public holiday off work.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Sunrise host Nat Barr has accused the boss of Woolworths of trying to making a political statement about Australia Day, sparking a fiery response.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Mayor’s New Migrant Plan Revealed
CHICAGO — Thirty-four thousand asylum seekers have arrived in Chicago, and there is no indication that the number of new arrivals is likely to slow any time soon.
On Monday, Mayor Brandon Johnson held an impromptu meeting with suburban leaders to outline a new plan of attack.
It’s a change in strategy from Mayor Johnson for dealing with the steady arrival of migrants into the city. A closed-door meeting was held today between his office and two dozen suburban leaders, including Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Suburb Official Suggests Locals ‘Sign Up’ to House Migrants
A city council member in the Chicago suburb of Naperville proposed that local families who want to volunteer to house migrants should put their names on a sign-up sheet.
“I think we live in a compassionate community,” Naperville Council member Josh McBroom said at a city council meeting on 16 January, before recommending that his staff “create a sign-up sheet for individuals that would be willing to house migrant families”.
“We hear from people that we should do more,” Mr McBroom said. “We do have a very affluent community, a lot of big homes.”
Although the city council member said that he doesn’t support using taxpayer money to fund migrant aid, he sought volunteers to house migrants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republican Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) has called on officials in his home state of Texas to ignore the recent order from the U.S. Supreme Court.
The SCOTUS ruling gave Democrat President Joe Biden’s administration a green light to cut down border fences to allow illegal aliens to flood into Texas.
On Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s orders, Texas officials had placed razor wide along the border to stem the flow of illegal crossings.
However, federal officials have been cutting the fences down to allow foreign nationals to continue making illegal border crossings.
The dispute triggered a Supreme Court intervention.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Borders are incapable of stopping immigration into Europe and campaigners should refrain from adopting “superficial” alarmism toward the issue and accept that migration is a reality, the man responsible for running the European Union’s border agency has claimed.
In an interview with Germany’s Die Welt newspaper, Frontex chief Hans Leijtens said that “nothing can stop people from crossing a border — no wall, no fence, no sea, no river,” and insisted that the European Commission look to create more legal routes into the bloc in order to take the power away from people smugglers profiteering from the current migratory landscape.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Around 100 migrant men, women and children are camped out in Boston’s main international airport, with the state’s shelter system having reached capacity in November and the governor begging the federal government to do more to help.
Footage obtained by CBS News showed rows of people sleeping on the floor. One woman, Keturah Douze, said she had been collecting hygiene products to try and help them.
‘While they’re at the airport they don’t have access to a shower, so there’s like some shower wipes, little towels, just to clean up while they wait,’ she said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Is UK Government Incentivising Illegal Migration With Right to Work?
The Conservative government’s efforts to stop Channel crossings cannot be taken seriously while illegal entrants are given the right to work, a migration analyst has claimed.
Data obtained by The Daily Telegraph under Freedom of Information laws show that more than 80% of the 19,231 asylum seekers who applied for British work permits in 2022 alone were given the green light. These figures include migrants who illegally crossed the Channel.
Under the Home Office scheme, many of these almost 16,000 migrants went on to work in the care, construction, and agricultural sectors and could remain in state-subsidised accommodation at the same time.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Oseghale Life Term Upheld in Murder of Mastropietro
The supreme Court of Cassation on Tuesday court definitively upheld a life term for Nigerian pusher Innocent Oseghale for killing and cutting up 18-year-old Roman woman Pamela Mastropietro outside Macerata in Marche in January 2018.
The 32-year-old Oseghale killed Mastropietro on January 30 that year at Pollenza.
Mastropietro’s murder prompted a rightwing militant, Luca Traini, to shoot and wound six African migrants in a drive-by ‘revenge’ shooting in Macerata days later.
He was sentenced to 12 years in jail for that in March 2021.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two lawsuits by black Chicago residents have forced the city to abandon plans to use community buildings as migrant shelters.
Chicago is struggling to care for more than 35,000 asylum-seekers bussed in from the border by Texas Governor Greg Abbott over the past 18 months.
Shelters in converted warehouses are filled to the brim with new arrivals living in poor conditions, leading to the city commandeering other venues.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Migration Puts Huge Financial Burden on European Nations
Migration has cost Austria a whopping €21.6 billion in ten years, according to a report by the economic research institute EcoAustria. The institute made the calculations based on state revenues and expenditures starting from 2015—the beginning of the European migration crisis—to 2023, and financial projections for 2024-25.
Austria has faced a growing number of migrants entering the country in recent years, with 112,000 people seeking asylum in 2022. Though the number decreased last year—56,000 migrants claimed asylum from January until November—it was still the third-highest number since the beginning of the migration crisis. The issue has had political consequences: the staunchly anti-immigration FPÖ party has been leading polls last year, with almost a third of voters supporting them.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. Border Crackdown Could Shift Latin American Migrants to Europe
The likelihood of a future Trump presidency clamping down on illegal migration from South America has raised concerns that migrants could take advantage of visa loopholes to flood into Europe through Spain, one leading migration think tank warns.
The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) issued the warning as part of its annual migration outlook report. Greater conflict between states and the waning of the American-led unipolar order will contribute to 2024 likely being a record year for illegal immigration into Europe, the report says.
While the traditional migration routes to Europe from Africa and the Middle East will remain important in the year ahead, the report also broaches the possibility of a spike in the number of Colombian and Venezuelan migrants heading to Europe, should security at America’s southern border tighten.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The controversial Aussie legend has arrived in Melbourne for the final five days of the Australian Open , where she won 11 singles and 12 doubles titles
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Ellie Gonsalves has sparked controversy over her ‘proudly child-free’ life yet again after she posted a mocking video against a young mother on Sunday.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The controversial Aussie tennis legend, was courtside at the Melbourne Park grand slam watching the women’s quarter final three set thriller between Coco Gauff and Marta Kostyuk.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Oklahoma Proposal Would Make Watching Porn a Felony, Ban Sexting Outside Marriage
An Oklahoma state senator has proposed a law that would make watching pornography a felony and ban sexting among people who are not married.
The bill, set to be introduced next month by state Sen. Dusty Deevers (R-Elgin), would prohibit consuming or producing sexual content that “lacks serious literary, artistic, educational, political, or scientific purposes or value” in any medium.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In a ruling keenly watched by proponents of free speech, an academic who was derisively compared to a “racist uncle” by her co-workers due to her gender-related opinions online, tasted victory in a claim against her employer.
Jo Phoenix, a highly esteemed professor of criminology, had sought administrative intervention following an unrelenting barrage of slander and life-threatening messages. This plea, however, fell on deaf ears, with the Open University (OU) opting to abandon support due to a dread of backlash if seen as endorsing the professor’s views.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
WHO ‘Declares War’ on Food Supply to ‘Fight Climate Change’
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for a global crackdown on the food supply in order to “fight climate change.”
In a video statement, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared war on the meat industry and traditional farming.
In his disturbing address, Dr. Tedros attempted to demonize the food systems that humanity relies on for survival.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Federal Border Patrol Agents vs. Texas Rangers…
Do I see civil war brewing?
And, of course the Moslem Pig Gebrayesous, head of the WHO wants to starve us to death.
So, WHO is the enemy of humanity!
“Do I see civil war brewing?”
Where’ve you been? It’s been brewing since President Affirmative Action took office (2008) and began to “Remake America” (into Obamerica).
“The important thing to keep in mind is that most of these “sanctuary” cities, city councils, and their state legislatures are being run by a pack of anti-American, Muslim-leaning Bolshevik two year-old commie-toddlers. The “paradigm shift” is in full mode: “Democracy in America” did not mention the tyranny of the minority. In this case, a minority viewpoint—fueled by ‘toddlers—is attempting to subvert Americans’ civil rights under the U.S. Constitution and begin a policy of redaction to support their revisionist history.
WE ARE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER FROM A CIVIL WAR.” —posted to fb (Aug 2017)
===
“By my reckoning, it’s now been about 10 years since Bolshevik two year-old-run cities and states have been flaunting federal law (and the Constitution) with “Sanctuary Cities” that aid and/or protect ILLEGAL aliens from federal law enforcement. In fact, many of these hyphenators are now calling for the complete dissolution of US borders and the law enforcement responsible for protecting them. AND LAW-ABIDING AMERICAN CITIZENS HAVE REMAINED MOSTLY SILENT, PUTTING UP WITH IT.
In contrast, there have been exactly 0 “Sanctuary Cities” that aid and/or protect law-abiding American citizens from the various and growing number of infringements on their Constitutionally-guaranteed civil right to keep and bear arms.
At some point, Americans, having had enough of turning the other cheek, will declare their own “Sanctuary Cities” for the Second Amendment. The Bolshevik two year-olds will then scream “They’re breaking the law!”
Poke…Poke…Poke……………..BAM!!” —posted to fb (Nov 2018)
===
“When disparate groups within a civilization no longer share a foundational understanding of what constitutes morality, chaos and decline become unavoidable. This, for the first time since the foundation of the United States of America, is where we are today.” —posted to fb (Nov 2018)
You mean “flouting”, not “flaunting”.
You’re right, Baron, but my original comment wasn’t clearly written either. I meant (and should’ve said) the ‘toddlers’re flaunting their refusal to obey federal laws (and the Constitution)…..which, because they’ve not been forced to stop, continues.
The left is poking the polar bear, so far the bear is just looking at them with interest, one day soon, the bear is going to get poked one too many times and sudden rises with great angry and fury and mauls them all, much to their collective horror.
“The left is poking the polar bear, so far the bear is just looking at them with interest, one day soon, the bear is going to get poked one too many times and sudden rises with great angry and fury and mauls them all, much to their collective horror.”
Trouble is that, eventually, if the bear doesn’t react relatively quickly, the poking becomes normalized and the bear no longer feels it…or, at least, no longer feels the need to interrupt his hibernation to do anything about it.
Boiling frogs and all that jazz..
Fred, a large segment of the population is getting angrier by the day and they are armed to the teeth. The bear only slumbers for only so long before it awakes and is hungry and has to feast.
P.S. The communist, closet moslem pig Trudeau has been ruled against in the Supreme Court of Kanada, for invoking the so- called ” Emergency Act” against the trucker protest.
Trudeau must be impeached!
Saw a report that a Russian military transport plane was shot down by an Ukrainian missile with over 90 dead. 87 of them were Ukrainian prisoners.
First reports and all that, so I will await confirmation.
Next report:
Russia’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday accused Ukrainian forces of shooting down a military transport plane, killing all 74 people aboard, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war being swapped. The plane was identified beforehand to the Ukrainian military.
A Patriot missile was used to down the plane.