An election prediction firm gives Donald Trump a 94% chance of gaining the Republican nomination, and a 55% chance of beating Joe Biden in the general election. Meanwhile, according to recent polls, Democrats prefer former First Lady Michelle Obama as a replacement for President Biden as the party’s 2024 candidate.
In other news, the security crisis in the Red Sea caused by Houthi attacks on shipping has caused €8.8 billion in damage to Italian foreign trade since last November.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, Fjordman, Insubria, McN, 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.
— ‘The dollar is finished as the world’s reserve currency’
The recently-retired banking oracle made the dramatic forecast despite the collapse of Chinese property giant Evergrande and recent growth in the US economy.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
89% of ‘American Elites’ Back WEF’s Plan to Ration Meat, Gas, Electricity for General Public
A disturbing new report has emerged revealing that an overwhelming number of so-called “American elites” support the tyrannical “climate” policies of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
According to a report from the Committee to Unleash Prosperity (CUP), America’s wealthiest citizens fully support the WEF’s plan to ration gas, electricity, and meat and dairy products for the general public in order to allegedly “fight climate change.”
The report includes polling data regarding support for policies designed to force compliance with the WEF’s “Net Zero” agenda.
Astonishingly, the polling shows that almost 90 percent of “American elites” believe strict rationing of gas, meat, and electricity is necessary to combat the so-called “climate crisis.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bill Pushing Digital IDs Advances in Florida
A bill that paves the way for mandatory digital IDs is advancing in Florida’s state legislature.
The legislation seeks to ban children under 16 years old from using social media.
On the surface, the bill states that it is aimed at protecting the privacy and well-being of minors by restricting social media to those aged 16 and over.
The bill mandates rigorous age verification and calls for existing accounts of underage users to be deleted while purging any stored personal information.
However, while the bill appears to be in the interest of protecting children, it also mandates that anyone who is 16 or older must prove their age to be able to use social media.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bill Ackman Blasts President Biden Over Attack That Killed 3 US Soldiers
Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman continued his campaign against President Biden over the weekend, arguing the drone attack that killed three U.S. soldiers and injured dozens more on Sunday was further evidence that the president should not have a second term in the White House.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com
Nearly 30 bipartisan members of the House have sent a letter to President Biden urging him to get authorization from Congress before launching more strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
The letter, led by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Warren Davidson (R-OH), said President Biden was violating the Constitution by launching a new war against the Houthis.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has privately been making the case for an election bid if President Joe Biden has a “health scare” or if former President Donald Trump is convicted of a crime.
According to Fox News, Manchin has said that he can “absolutely” see himself running for office in 2024 if either incident were to happen.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Connecticut school district is facing backlash after deciding to strip Veterans and Columbus Days from its official holiday calendar in a controversial vote by the school board last week.
Students at Stamford public schools will no longer get the day off on both holidays for the next two school years after the board voted 5-3 to remove them on Tuesday night, the Stamford Advocate reported.
Board member Joshua Esses made a motion to wipe the holidays from the school calendar at Tuesday’s meeting, arguing that the school year cut too far into the summer — ending in mid-June.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ex-Homeland Security IG, Two Others Sentenced for Plot to Steal Data of 200,000 Colleagues
Three former employees of the Department of Homeland Security — including its onetime acting watchdog — have been sentenced for conspiring to steal personal data of hundreds of thousands of government workers from law enforcement databases.
Former acting Inspector General Charles Edwards was sentenced to a year and a half in prison Friday after pleading guilty in January 2022 to conspiracy to steal government property and defraud the US and theft of government property.
Two DHS IT workers, Murali Venkata and Sonal Patel, received four months in prison and two years of probation, respectively.
Patel had pleaded guilty to a single conspiracy count in April 2019, while Venkata was convicted by a federal jury in April 2022 of theft, wire fraud, destruction of property and conspiracy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gavin Newsom: Biden Has ‘Best Three-Year Record of Any Modern American Presidency’
A corporate media interviewer was forced to step in when California Gov. Gavin Newsom started making deluded comments about Democrat President Joe Biden’s record in the White House.
During a Sunday interview with ABC News host Jonathan Karl, Newsom alleged that Biden has “the best three-year record of any modern American presidency.”
Newsom said he was working to “lift up the issues, the successes — the extraordinary successes of the last three years, the Biden-Harris administration, and then we drive contrast.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Georgia House Votes to Revive Prosecutor Oversight Panel as Democrats Warn of Targeting Fani Willis
ATLANTA — Georgia House members passed a bill Monday to revive a commission with powers to discipline and remove prosecutors, a move Democrats warn is aimed at disrupting Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ prosecution of former President Donald Trump.
The House voted 95-75 along party lines for House Bill 881, sending it to the Senate for further debate.
A similar bill advanced out of a Senate committee last week.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hate Crime, Riot Charges Brought to 3 Black Adults Involved in Brawl at Minnesota High School
Hate crime charges have been filed in connection to the shocking racial brawl that sprung out at a Minnesota high school earlier this month, which resulted in multiple arrests and parents joining in on the clash.
The fight between black and Somali students resulted in St. Louis Park High School canceling classes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
High School Freshman Collapses, Dies on the Court During Girls’ JV Basketball Game
An Illinois community is mourning the loss of a 14-year-old high school freshman who collapsed and died during a girls’ basketball game.
Amari Crite, a student at Momence High School, was participating in a junior varsity game against Tri-Point on Thursday when she collapsed on the court, the Daily Journal reported.
The Kankakee County Coroner’s Office said the cause of death remains under investigation.
Shannon Anderson, superintendent of the school district in Momence south of Chicago, released a statement Friday morning about the tragedy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Iran Allegedly Hired Canadians to Conduct Assassinations on U.S. Soil, According to Indictment
Two Canadians planned to conduct assassinations in the U.S. on behalf of Iran’s intelligence services, according to allegations in a newly unsealed indictment.
The suspects are accused of plotting to shoot a man and woman living in Maryland, one of them a defector from Iran.
The charges unsealed Monday by the U.S. Department of Justice include details of the alleged plot, including the sum the would-be killers had charged for the job: $350,000 US.
News of the charges emerges at a time of acutely high tension with Iran, as the U.S. threatens retaliation after three U.S. military members were killed in an attack by an Iran-backed militia.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
James Webb Space Telescope Captures ‘Stunning’ Images of 19 Spiral Galaxies
These images are out of this world.
New snaps of outer space released on Monday show the “mind-blowing” detail of 19 spiral galaxies near our Milky Way that were captured by the James Webb Space Telescope thanks to the work of more than 150 astronomers across the globe.
The images of the spiral galaxies, similar to giant, bright pinwheels, offered a deeper guide into star formations, as well as galactic structure and evolution.
“Webb’s new images are extraordinary,” Janice Lee, a project scientist for strategic initiatives at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, said in a statement. “They’re mind-blowing even for researchers who have studied these same galaxies for decades.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Joe Rogan Says He’s Glad He Left California Because State Went ‘Full Communist’
Podcast giant Joe Rogan spoke last week about how he left California because of left-wing politics running amok in the state.
Rogan recalled how he once was part of the “blue bubble” in that he was a “left-leaning person who lived in Los Angeles” who “never voted Republican.” However, while he said he remains “way more left than I am right,” he argued, “California went nuts, man. It’s gone like full communist. It’s out of its f — — —g mind.”
He continued to slam his former state, saying, “Their approach to law enforcement is so insane. It’s so insane. The no cash bail, the letting people out for committing violent crimes, the f — — —g not stopping people for stealing up to whatever money is, was it $900 now? I think they raised it. I think they made it a little higher.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kaiser Tells Oakland Workers to Stay Inside, Avoid Eating Out of Office Due to Crime: Report
Kaiser Permanente, headquartered in Oakland, California, is reportedly warning its employees to eat inside as crime continues to hurt business across the city.
The warning, based on a memo shared first by FOX KTVU, reportedly told Kaiser employees to stay in their buildings for lunch after a string of robberies affected employees who ate at local businesses.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre triggered outrage Monday after saying three US troops killed by a weekend drone strike in Jordan had died “fighting on behalf of the administration” rather than America.
“Our deepest, obviously our deepest condolences go out, and our heartfelt condolences go out to the families who lost, uh, three, three brave, uh, three brave, uh, three brave, three folks who are military folks, who are brave, who are always fighting, who are fighting on behalf of, uh, this administration, of the American people, obviously more so, more importantly,” Jean-Pierre told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” struggling to form a coherent sentence.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Massachusetts Man Arrested for Allegedly Threatening Jewish Community Members and to Bomb Synagogues
BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man was arrested Monday for allegedly threatening to kill members of the state’s Jewish community and a bomb local synagogues, the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston said.
John Reardon, 59, of Millis, Massachusetts, allegedly called Congregation Agudas Achim in Attleboro, Massachusetts, on Jan. 25 and left a voicemail making several threats to kill congregants and bomb the synagogue, including that “if you can kill the Palestinians, we can kill you,” federal authorities said. Ten minutes later, he allegedly made a call to another local synagogue and a Jewish organization.
Reardon, who had been in the custody of the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office, has been charged with one count of using a facility of interstate commerce to threaten a person or place with harm via an explosive.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Michelle Obama Named as Top Biden Alternative Among Democrats, Polls Show
Democrats have named former First Lady Michelle Obama as their top choice to replace President Joe Biden as the party’s 2024 candidate, new polls have revealed.
The polling comes as rumors continue to swirl that the Democrats are plotting to replace Biden on the 2024 ticket.
Biden faces a widening deficit in opinion polls against his potential Republican opponent President Donald Trump in the upcoming U.S. presidential elections.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Neuralink Implants Brain Chip in First Human, Musk Says
(Reuters) —The first human patient has received an implant from brain-chip startup Neuralink on Sunday and is recovering well, the company’s billionaire founder Elon Musk said.
“Initial results show promising neuron spike detection,” Musk said in a post on social media platform X on Monday.
Spikes are activity by neurons, which the National Institute of Health describes as cells that use electrical and chemical signals to send information around the brain and to the body.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had given the company clearance last year to conduct its first trial to test its implant on humans. In September, Neuralink said it received approval for recruitment for the human trial for paralysis patients.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nikki Haley Was the Victim of a Second Swatting Attempt at Home, Records Show
Nikki Haley was dealt an unpleasant start to the new year.
On Jan. 1, authorities responded to a false 911 call directing them to Haley’s Kiawah Island home after a woman alleged the 2024 GOP hopeful had killed her daughter and was threatening to kill herself, an incident report revealed.
The episode took place two days after another bogus emergency call dispatched law enforcement to her South Carolina residence on Dec. 30, 2023, in an instance of a malicious criminal prank known as swatting.
The caller further dubiously claimed that her daughter was lying in a pool of blood on the floor.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Owncasts is an New App That Makes it Easier to Watch Decentralized Owncast Livestreams
The developer of Owncasts — an iOS and tvOS application that has just been announced, issued a lengthy blog post to explain the decision to come up with the app, the functionality of Owncast server software that powers it, and the motivation to create it as an alternative to YouTube or Twitch-powered streams.
The app is designed to allow users to watch live video streams, and do so independently. Gabe Kangas explains the history of the project, including an early Owncast directory as a way to demonstrate how the app can be used in different scenarios.
The problem with that, Kangas notes, is the centralized nature of the directory — whose purpose is to allow for video stream discovery — and this point is something he intends to work on making “less centralized” — regardless of it being based on ActivityPub.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pelosi Scores Big Profits on Controversial Stock Purchase
Democrat Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has already enjoyed big profits on a controversial stock move that she made toward the end of last year.
According to a new report from Benzinga, Pelosi has made nearly $500,000 off of her investment in tech firm Nvidia Corp.
“As of early 2024, Pelosi has reportedly made nearly $500,000 from this investment, surpassing her annual government salary of approximately $223,500,” the outlet reports.
“This gain is attributed to Nvidia’s stock performance, which has seen an increase of over 21% in value since Pelosi’s acquisition, according to Finbold.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police Give Update in Chiefs Fans Case Who Were Found Frozen to Death
Police have given another update regarding the mysterious deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans who were found frozen in a backyard earlier this month.
As we reported, Ricky Johnson, David Harrington, and Clayton McGeeney were found dead in the backyard of a home that their friend, Jordan Willis, rented out earlier this month. The friends were gathered together for a watch party for the Chiefs game on January 7, however, it wasn’t until January 9 that the bodies were discovered.
Willis claims he went to bed late on January 7 and did not wake up for two days, so he did not know his friends remained at the home.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polymarket, which describes itself as “the world’s largest prediction market,” is giving former President Donald Trump a 94 percent chance of becoming the Republican nominee for president as of Monday afternoon.
A snapshot of the 2024 election, forecast Monday afternoon, showed a 94 percent chance of Trump becoming the Republican nominee. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley only garnered four percent, while another three percent said “other.” One percent each went to entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, both of whom have dropped out of the GOP primary race and backed Trump.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rep. Ilhan Omar Faces Calls to ‘Resign in Disgrace’ Over Speech in Support of Somalia
A top House Republican called on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) to resign Monday for delivering a speech in which her critics say she placed Somali interests ahead of American ones.
“Ilhan Omar’s appalling, Somalia-first comments are a slap in the face to the Minnesotans she was elected to serve and a direct violation of her oath of office,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) wrote on X. “She should resign in disgrace.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Segre Tells NYT Afraid Lived in Vain
Shoah survivor warns of upsurge in antisemitism
Life Senator and Holocaust survivor Liliana Segre told the New York Times Monday she was afraid she had lived in vain after the recent and ongoing resurgence of antisemitism.
“I’m afraid I lived in vain: why would I have suffered for 30 years sharing the intimate details of my family, my pain, my desperation.
For who? For what?,” said the 90-year-old in an interview with Italy correspondent Jason Horowitz.
“This is not new,” she said, asking herself if she had lived so long only to see history repeating itself.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is being accused of ‘treason’ and calls to be removed from Congress she faces fierce opposition for a speech where she unapologetically declared she is ‘Somalia first.’
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Tesla 12-Volt Battery Explodes in Cary Home After Being Removed and Charged Inside, Officers Say
CARY, N.C. — Police say a Tesla car battery caught fire in a Cary home Saturday afternoon.
According to police, an individual removed one of the low-voltage batteries from the Tesla and brought it indoors to charge.
Tesla vehicles have two batteries installed: a lithium-ion battery and a standard 12-volt car battery for its low-voltage systems.
While charging, the 12-volt battery experienced a short circuit.
Broadcastify radio traffic reveals what exactly happened inside the house.
“It looks like it’s the smaller of the two batteries from the car, in the kitchen charging it up, and then it exploded,” the dispatcher said.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Lawyer Says Judge’s Possible Conflict May Taint $83 Million Carroll Verdict
NEW YORK (Reuters) — A lawyer for Donald Trump said on Monday a possible conflict of interest involving the judge who oversaw E. Jean Carroll’s recent defamation trial may justify overturning the writer’s $83.3 million award.
In a letter filed in federal court in Manhattan, the lawyer Alina Habba cited a Jan. 27 New York Post article discussing U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan’s alleged prior working relationship with Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan, who is not related.
Both worked about two years at the same time at the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in the early 1990s, before Judge Kaplan was appointed to the federal bench in 1994.
The article quoted an unnamed former Paul Weiss partner who said Roberta Kaplan sought to distinguish herself, like all associates, and Judge Kaplan had been “like her mentor.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Tax Return Leaker Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison
A former IRS consultant was sentenced to five years in prison for leaking former President Donald Trump’s tax returns as well as the filings of thousands of other wealthy people to the news media.
A district court judge on Monday agreed with the Justice Department that Charles Littlejohn, 38, deserved the maximum statutory sentence for what she called “egregious” crimes.
Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden nominee to the bench, focused on Littlejohn’s decision to release Trump’s filings, which Reyes called “an attack on our constitutional democracy.”
“When you target the sitting president of the United States, you’re targeting the office and when you’re targeting the office of the president of the United States, you’re targeting democracy — you’re targeting our constitutional system of government.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Washington State Dems Demand US Fund UNRWA After Allegations Staff Participated in Oct 7 Atrocities
At the Washington Democrats’ state assembly on Sunday, the body’s central committee passed an anti-Israel resolution, condemning the Jewish state for its “disproportionate response” to the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre and called for funding to be reinstated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) that lost funding from multiple governments after it was revealed that their employees participated in the attack on Israel.
The Washington State Democrats central committee passed the resolution, 75-54, which called for a ceasefire in Gaza, days after Hamas leadership rejected an Israeli 2-month cease-fire offer that would have seen the withdrawal of Israeli Defense Forces from parts of the south of Gaza, the IDF allowing Palestinians back into areas in the north and Israel releasing terrorists from prison in exchange for hostages still held by the terror group.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
White Minnesota Farmer Sues State Over Discriminatory Program
Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
A Minnesota farmer is suing the state over an agricultural grant program that discriminates on the basis of race and sex.
The program, called the Down Payment Assistance Grant Program, provides up to $15,000 in funding to help “emerging” farmers purchase farmland. It is administered by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Rural Finance Authority.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Drug Shortages Driving Canadians Across Border
Shortages of over 1,800 medications are driving Canadians into the United States to seek over 1800 medications are on the drug shortage list in Canada, causing some Canadians to have to travel across the US border to access their essential drugs.
Angelle Ritchie, 50, is a musician living in Oshawa, Ont. She’s been living with Crohn’s Ileitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease, since she was 18 and has had several bowel resections resulting in short bowel syndrome.
Ritchie’s condition makes her dependent on drugs like Cholestyramine, or Questran, a drug that reduces bile acid and is used to treat high cholesterol, and Lomotil, which is often used as an antidiarrheal, to function in day-to-day life.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Disgraceful”: Dutch University Postpones Holocaust Education Lectures
Utrecht’s University of Applied Sciences is postponing a lecture series on the Holocaust, causing uproar in the Netherlands.
The timing of the announcement only made matters worse: Holocaust Memorial Day, the annual observance to commemorate the victims of the genocide that claimed the lives of an estimated six million Jews.
The eight-part lecture series, in collaboration with the Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI), was supposed to start on February 7th, and is designed to combat a “growing antisemitism in Dutch society.”
A spokesman explained to De Telegraaf that the university wanted to “facilitate a diverse and balanced dialogue around this issue,” and that for this, it would “need more time to put the events of October 7th [when Hamas militants massacred over 1,200 civilians and soldiers in Israel] and beyond into broader perspective, with room for diverse opinions and beliefs.”
Did the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences arrive at its decision independently? It is accused of being influenced—even guided—by the pro-Palestinian activist group New Neighbors Utrecht, according to De Telegraaf.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A former colonel in the British Army says the country may have to opt for conscription in the event of a conflict with Russia and claimed the military’s recruiting system has “failed miserably”.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Climate Activists in Germany to Abandon Gluing Themselves to Streets, Employ New Tactics
BERLIN (AP) — A group of climate activists who infuriated many in Germany by gluing themselves to streets to block traffic said Monday that it will abandon the tactic and move on to holding what it calls “disobedient assemblies.”
The Last Generation group frequently blocked roads in Berlin and other cities over the past two years, its best-known but far from its only tactic in a campaign of protests that also included spraying the capital’s Brandenburg Gate with orange paint, among other things.
The group’s tactics were widely criticized, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz described them as “completely nutty.”
Last Generation asserted that the number of demonstrators has increased enormously in the past two years and said that “from now on we will protest in a different form — but it will remain unignorable.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czechia Signs to Buy U.S. F-35 Jets
PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic’s government signed an agreement with the United States on Monday to acquire 24 U.S. F-35 fighter jets as part of a deal worth about 150 billion Czech koruna ($6.6 billion), the biggest single purchase for the Czech military.
Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova and U.S. Ambassador Bijan Sabet signed a memorandum of understanding for the deal. The Czechs also signed a letter of offer and acceptance, the final step in completing a contract between the governments, the Czech Defense Ministry said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czech Startups Face 75.5% Decrease in Funding in 2023
Startups led by Czech entrepreneurs experienced a significant setback last year as they garnered 75.5% less funding compared to the previous year, according to data from the CzechCrunche CC25 Startup Czechia report. In 2022, these startups received 46.5 billion Czech korunas, while in 2023, the figure plummeted to 11.4 billion.
The report highlights a drop in both the average investment amount and the absence of major funding deals. A total of 98 investment rounds were announced in 2023, down from 110 the previous year with the median investment amount decreasing from 30 million to 24 million Czech korunas.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Still Undecided on Defunding UN Agency Over Hamas Links
The European Commission is taking its time deciding how to respond to Israeli intelligence showing that at least a dozen staff members of UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) were active participants in the October 7th attacks where Hamas terrorists killed over 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostage.
Fourteen countries (including major EU member states) have already announced suspending their funds to the agency over the weekend, yet Brussels is still waiting for the UNRWA—the UN agency specifically created to aid Palestinians—to try to explain itself before making any decision.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
According to media reports, the woman was then taken to a house where the alleged assault took place.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
France: ‘Siege of Paris’ Predicted as Tractors Block Roads in Rural Uprising
A breakdown in talks between the French government and farmers’ groups has raised the prospect of prolonged rural resistance on an extraordinary scale as tractors rolled into the capital region on Monday in a campaign uniting farmers from across the country. Farmers have said their goal is to block food deliveries from reaching supermarkets inside the capital city.
On Sunday, the president of the FNSEA farmers union, Arnaud Rousseau, declared his intention to escalate demonstrations in an attempt to force the government to quickly respond to their demands. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal over the weekend acquiesced to some aspects of the demands—holding off on phasing out a planned tax break on diesel fuel for agricultural equipment and implementing financial support for farmers whose animals fall ill— measures deemed insufficient by the farmers.
By Monday morning, French authorities had started putting up barriers around airports and other strategic spots around the capital. 15,000 police and paramilitary gendarmes were deployed in response to the anticipated protests, with one senior farmer representative describing the situation as a “pressure cooker ready to explode.” An attempt to block motorways and other transport junctions to prevent demonstrators from entering the city followed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Green Party Politician Resigns After Giving Hitler Salute During Her Drunk Driving Arrest
A Green party politician in the capital city of Berlin has resigned after being arrested for driving while drunk, well over the legal limit, and then giving the Hitler salute to police.
The politician, Jutta Boden, was arrested on Saturday night with a 1.34 per mille alcohol blood content while driving on the A115. A police car initially pulled her over and she was administered a test, at which point she was taken into custody.
However, she then began making the Hitler salute in the police car and yelled “Heil Hitler” twice inside the vehicle, according to German newspaper Bild.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
How Europe is Following Sadiq Khan’s War on Motorists
With the expansion of London’s Ulez scheme and the rolling out of 20mph speed limits across Wales, British drivers could be forgiven for feeling discriminated against. But the war on motorists isn’t limited to UK roads. From Spain to Switzerland, new anti-car measures are being adopted by European governments too, limiting the freedom with which drivers — including holidaymakers — can explore the continent.
Bologna, in northern Italy, is one such destination cracking down on motorists. Earlier this month, a default 30km/h (19mph) speed limit was instituted across the city — a reduction of 20km/h — much to the chagrin of residents. Such was the outcry that within a week Italy’s deputy premier said it was “working on directives” to reverse the restrictions and “find a reasonable balance” for motorists in other cities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Far-Right Would Lay Claim to Neighbouring Region, if Ukraine Loses War
BUDAPEST (Reuters) — Hungary’s far-right Our Homeland party would lay claim to a western region of Ukraine that is home to about 150,000 ethnic Hungarians if Ukraine loses its statehood due to Russia’s invasion, the party’s leader said late on Saturday.
Our Homeland leader Laszlo Toroczkai made the remarks at a conference where the party, which has six lawmakers in the 199-strong Hungarian parliament, hosted far-right leaders from Germany’s AfD and the Dutch Forum for Democracy, among others.
“Regarding the war in Ukraine, our message is very simple: immediate ceasefire, peace and a resolution through talks,” Toroczkai said in a video posted on his party’s website, calling for autonomy for ethnic Hungarians in western Ukraine.
“If this war ends up with Ukraine losing its statehood, because this is also on the cards, then as the only Hungarian party taking this position, let me signal that we lay claim to Transcarpathia,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary and Ukraine Edge Toward Solution to Minority Dispute
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjartó traveled to Uzhhorod (Transcarpathia, Ukraine) on Monday, January 29th, to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba ahead of Thursday’s extraordinary EU Council summit, paving the way for an upcoming Orban-Zelensky meeting as well. The two sides came to a preliminary agreement about restoring the Hungarian community’s language rights, which could be the first real step toward the normalization of relations.
Although Kyiv was eager to talk about the EU’s €50 billion aid package currently held up in the Council by Hungary, the foreign minister arrived with a different priority on the agenda.
Besides aiming to improve bilateral relations and kickstart a series of discussions on the highest levels, the primary objective of the Hungarian delegation was to secure the restoration of fundamental language rights for its diaspora living in the region after the Zelensky government had taken them away with the educational and language laws, finalized in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary’s Newborn Numbers Plunge to Record Low in 2023 as Europe Faces Demographic Winter
According to a flash release published yesterday by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), a total of 85,200 children were born in the country in 2023. This figure is the lowest ever recorded and is below the previous low point of 2011. Despite Hungary’s pro-family policies, the country is facing the same demographic winter crisis seen throughout Europe.
In 2022, the number of births was 88,491, and in 2021 it was 93,039, with the number of births hovering around 90,000 throughout the 2010s. The new figures mean that the total number of births has fallen by more than 8 percent in the last two years — and the number of marriages by an even greater 30 percent.
If the total fertility rate is examined — the average number of children a woman gives birth to in her lifetime — the picture is slightly more positive, although the trend is still negative: 1.50 last year, 1.52 in 2022 and 1.59 in 2021.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Interview With Estonian MEP Jaak Madison: It May Take 20 to 30 Years But the EU Will Collapse
In a recent interview with Voice of Europe at the European Parliament, Estonian MEP Jaak Madison provided a comprehensive overview of his perspectives on various political developments, offering insights into critical issues that are shaping the European political landscape.
Madison predicted a potential collapse of the European Union within the next 20 to 30 years. With upcoming elections in the EU, US, and other nations, he acknowledged the rising influence of right-wing populist parties, especially in the ECR and ID groups in the European Parliament. Madison expressed concerns about irregularities in the upcoming US election and dissatisfaction with the Biden administration. He highlighted flaws in Estonia’s e-voting system, emphasizing transparency and constitutional compatibility concerns. Criticizing further federalization of the EU, Madison emphasized the risk of voters being deceived by last-minute changes in rhetoric.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In a recent interview with Voice of Europe at the European Parliament, Miroslav Radacovsky addressed his concerns about the Russo-Ukrainian war, expressing a strong desire for its resolution through peace talks and negotiations. Radacovsky emphasized the futility of prolonged violence, citing his anti-fascist background and Christian beliefs against killing. He clarified that his metaphorical expression about Western Europe being turned into a fairway or lawn was misconstrued, asserting his commitment to peace. Radacovsky discussed the outdated nature of the political spectrum, advocating for a focus on professional expertise. He highlighted the evolution of global dynamics, where traditional ideologies like communism and socialism have diminished. Radacovsky urged the younger generation to lead, emphasizing the need to end the era of cold wars and vendettas, challenging the outdated mindsets of older politicians.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Antifascist Dragged in Chains Into Budapest Court
Milanese elementary school teacher and antifascist militant Ilaria Salis was dragged in chains into a court in Budapest Monday where she faces up to 11 years in jail for attacking two neoNazi demonstrators in the Hungarian capital in February last year.
Monza-born Salis, 39, whose trial was immediately adjourned until May 24, appeared in court in handcuffs and with her feet shackled by leather stocks with locks on.
She smiled shyly at the public benches as she was pulled in, an ANSA reporter saw.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Navy Officer Sentenced to 20 Years for Spying for Russia
Second sentence for Walter Biot
A court in Rome on Friday sentenced a former Italian navy officer to 20 years in jail for allegedly spying for Russia.
Frigate captain Walter Biot was found guilty by the court of assizes in the capital of espionage and bribery after being caught handing over secret documents to Russian embassy officials in a Rome shopping centre in March 2021.
The prosecution had asked for him to be given 18 years.
This was the second sentence handed down to the father of four from Pomezia outside Rome after he was found guilty by a military court and sentenced to 30 years in jail in March 2023.
Italy expelled two Russian embassy officials in 2021 in relation to the case.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Cop Who Denied Mattarella Over Palestine Taken Off Duty
‘He’s not my president’ Carabiniere responded to marcher
A Carabiniere who told a pro-Palestinian marcher in Milan Saturday that Sergio Mattarella “is not my president” after she challenged him on the Italian head of State’s call for Israel not to deny Palestinian statehood was “immediately” moved to a “non-operational post” Monday and will face disciplinary proceedings, the paramilitary corps said.
The cop’s statements that “I didn’t vote for him” was captured on video by 93-year-old historic antifascist militant Franca Caffa who had asked the officer, when police blocked the marchers, “what did Mattarella say?”.
Mattarella had said that Israel’s right to security and self-defence should not be used as an alibi to deny Palestinians their own state, in the longstanding internationally backed two-state solution to the Middle East crisis that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said will never happen on his watch.
On Saturday, many Italians marched for the Palestinian cause and to denounce alleged genocide in Gaza defying a ban on the marches amid fears of antisemitic incidents on Holocaust Remembrace Day.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Pro-Palestinians Demonstrate in Rome, Milan Despite Ban
‘Here to say no to genocide in Gaza’
Pro-Palestinian supporters took to the streets in Rome, Milan and other Italian cities on Saturday in defiance of a ban by police authorities to avoid possible anti-Israeli or antisemitic incidents on Holocaust Remembrance Day to show their support for the civilian population of Gaza.
In the capital over 500 people gathered in Piazza Vittorio under the banner ‘Genocides are all the same.
Free Palestine’.
“We are not here to say we are against the Jews.
We are here to say no to genocide in Gaza,” said one activist at the demonstration.
“Even The Hague recognised that there are grounds for South Africa’s claims,” said others, referring to Friday’s preliminary ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on a case brought by the African nation that Israel must take all measures to prevent genocide in Gaza.
The activists also denounced “infamous accusations of anti-Semitism” against their protest.
The Rome demonstration saw the participation of union representatives, students, private individuals and Gabriele Rubini, known as Chef Rubio, who is known for his support of the Palestinian cause.
On Friday he was stopped by police while making his way to a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside the foreign ministry in Rome at which protesters were later prevented from dyeing in red an Israeli flag.
Sources said he was found to be in possession of a plastic canister allegedly containing five litres of a substance said to be compatible with animal blood.
In Milan hundreds of people gathered in Piazzale Loreto northeast of the city centre, the location chosen by the association Palestinians in Italy for a press conference to explain why they had decided to respect the ban and postpone the march organised for Saturday until the following day in respect of the order.
The gathering also included members of the group Young Palestinians, who said Friday they would demonstrate on Saturday anyway in defiance of the ban.
“Today’s ban has added a further reason to be in the square; we are not only protesting against the genocide taking place, but also against the repression of struggles. That is why it is crucial to be in the square today,” said Layla of Young Palestinians.
“The Day of Remembrance has no meaning if you don’t look at the present and at the future,” she added.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Red Sea Crisis Costing 95 Million a Day Says Confartigianato
President warns of heavy consequences for economic growth
The security crisis in the Red Sea has caused 8.8 billion euro in damage to Italian foreign trade since November 2023, self-employed craftsmen and artisans group Confartigianato said on Thursday.
This is the equivalent of 95 million euro a day, of which 35 million euro in lost exports and 60 million euro in lost supplies.
The impact of disruptions in the Red Sea due to attacks against civilian ships by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen will be felt particularly in the northern regions of Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, Veneto, Tuscany, Piedmont and Friuli Venezia Giulia, which transport goods respectively worth 12.9 billion euro, 9.4 billion euro, 5.7 billion euro, 4.7 billion euro, 4.2 billion euro and 2 billion euro through one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
There is a risk of “heavy consequences on Italy’s economic growth” warned Confartigianato President Marco Granelli.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
A pair of eco-protesters who chucked soup over the Mona Lisa in Paris on Sunday are part of a protest group that boasts of its links to notorious climate activists in Britain, it has emerged.
Riposte Alimentaire (‘Food counterattack’) claimed responsibility for the stunt, which saw two women — Sasha (24) and Marie-Juliette (63) — hurl pumpkin soup at the bullet-proof glass protecting Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece in the French capital’s Louvre museum.
‘What is more important? Art or the right to healthy and sustainable food,’ the activists asked, standing in front of the painting, addressing the shocked crowd.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Meloni Slams Agnellis Over ‘Italy for Sale’ Story
Sold Fiat to the French, moved fiscal HQ abroad says, hypocrisy
Premier Giorgia Meloni on Monday slammed the Agnellis over a story in their Left-leaning daily la Repubblica two days ago saying “Italy Is For Sale”, with the premier accusing the family that “sold Fiat to the French” of hypocrisy in raising an unwarranted alarm over an alleged 20 billion euros of privatisations to fix public accounts including rail company Ferrovie dello Stato, Poste Italiane, Monte dei Paschi bank and energy giant Eni.
“The front page of Repubblica made me smile: Italy is for sale,” said the premier on a Berlusconi channel.
“That’s all well and good, but that this accusation comes from the newspaper owned by those who took Fiat and sold it to the French, who transferred their fiscal and legal headquarters abroad, and put the sites of our historic Italian companies up for sale on real estate sites…
I don’t know if the title was an autobiography, but the lessons of safeguarding Italianism from these pulpits is a bit rich”.
During the interview with Quarta repubblica, to be broadcast Monday evening on Rete4, she never named the Agnellis.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Poland’s Conservative Opposition Leader Compares PM Tusk to Adolf Hitler
The leader of the opposition Conservatives (PiS), Jaroslaw Kaczynski, has likened Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s behavior to that of Adolf Hitler.
Speaking to supporters in Lublin on the weekend, Kaczynski accused the left-liberal government, which took office last month, of “brazenly violating democracy and the law from the very start.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polska Army Calls Up 250,000 Specialists for Draft Commissions
The Polish Army has summoned nearly 250,000 men and women to draft commissions in accordance with the law for the protection of the country, as reported by Novinky.cz. This group includes professionals such as doctors, healthcare workers, pharmacists, psychologists, programmers, aviation and maritime navigators, IT specialists, interpreters, drivers with C and D licenses, and others.
From February 1 to April 30, the commissions will assess the health and qualifications of these individuals. In the event of a military conflict or natural disaster, specialists from this group will be selected as most needed for the army.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Privacy Companies Push Back Against EU Plot to End Online Privacy
An urgent appeal has been relayed to ministers across the European Union by a consortium of tech companies, exacting a grave warning against backing a proposed regulation focusing on child sexual abuse as a pretense to jeopardize the security integrity of internet services relying on end-to-end encryption and end privacy for all citizens.
A total of 18 organizations — predominantly comprising providers of encrypted email and messaging services — have voiced concerns about the potential experimental regulation by the European Commission (EC), singling out the “detrimental” effects on children’s privacy and security and the possible dire repercussions for cyber security.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A world-renowned medical journal is calling for governments to make “interventions” to stop so-called “misinformation” about Covid mRNA injections.
The British Medical Journal (BMJ) argues that “misinformation on social media” is driving “vaccine hesitancy” among members of the general public.
According to the BMJ, governments around the world should deploy “behavioral interventions” to stop “vaccine hesitancy.”
The calls were made in a BMJ article by the journal’s owners, the British Medical Association.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Romanian Far-Right Leader Lays Claim on Ukrainian Regions, Moldova
Claudiu Tarziu, one of the leaders of Romania’s far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party, said his country should “reunite” with Moldova and the Ukrainian border regions of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, and Zakarpattia, the G4Media online outlet reported on Jan. 27.
Similar comments were recently made by Hungarian far-right leader Laszlo Toroczkai, who said Hungary should claim Zakarpattia Oblast if Ukraine loses the war with Russia.
“We will not be truly sovereign until after we restore the Romanian state within its natural borders,” Tarziu said during a speech in Iasi last week.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Secret EU Plans to ‘Trigger’ Financial Chaos in Hungary Exposed
Stark new EU documents reveal immediate plans drawn up by a European Council official to engineer a financial crisis in Hungary, specifically targeting the country’s currency and debt servicing in a ploy to punish and destabilise the ruling Fidesz government over its position on Ukraine.
The revelations come ahead of a special EU Council meeting Thursday to discuss EU funding for Ukraine. Hungary has come under fire from Eurocrats for blocking EU attempts at sending another €50 billion in financial support to Ukraine, a decision that requires the approval of all member states. PM Viktor Orban has said EU funding to Ukraine must not come out of the EU’s budget, and that Hungary does not want to engage in collective borrowing and go into debt along with other countries.
The explicit document seen by the Financial Times outlines EU plans to permanently cancel all EU funding going to Hungary. This, the document says, would lead to a situation where “financial markets and European and international companies might be less interested to invest in Hungary.” Withdrawing EU funding could also “quickly trigger a further increase of the cost of funding of the public deficit and a drop in the currency,” the report says.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Siege of Paris’ — Farmers Shut Down Entrances to French Capital in Protest Against Green Agenda
Kicking off the “Siege of Paris” on Monday, thousands of farmers took to their tractors in a coordinated attempt to block off entrances to the French capital in protest against globalist green policies they say are destroying their ability to stay in business.
In an escalation of the latest example of popular uprisings that have come to define President Macron’s tenure in office, farmers descended in their tractors to shut down major highways leading into Paris on Monday following a week of similar protests throughout the country.
According to the Le Figaro newspaper, farmers successfully enacted blockades on eight major highways, with tractors lined up for tens of kilometres around the ring road surrounding Paris. In total 16 highways and 30 administrative departments around the city were impacted by the demonstrations on Monday, while separate farmer uprisings continued in at least 40 other locations throughout the country.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak Declares No Military Solution to Ukraine Crisis
Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Robert Kalinak declared that the conflict in Ukraine has no military solution and emphasized the need to initiate peace negotiations.
Speaking on the RTVS discussion show “O 5 minút 12” on Sunday, Kalinak highlighted the importance of involving leaders from the European Union and the United States in the peace efforts.
Kalinak acknowledged that the situation on the front is currently frozen, necessitating a shift from military strategies to peace negotiations. He defended the location of recent negotiations between Prime Minister Robert Fico and his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal in Uzhhorod, emphasizing the proximity of the two countries.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Climate Change Committee Misled Parliament on Net Zero Measures
As UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledges to go full steam ahead on Net Zero policy, the UK’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) has admitted privately that its Net Zero recommendations to parliament were based on bad calculations about the potential of wind energy.
In comments to The Telegraph, Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith of Oxford University said that the CCC has “conceded privately” that it was a “mistake” to rely on data from one single year in assessing the potential of wind energy to supply UK electricity.
Smith authored a paper, published by the Royal Society in October 2023, assessing the UK’s energy storage needs under a plan to reach net zero carbon emission by 2050. The main difference between the Royal Society study and the CCC’s is that Smith incorporated years of data while the CCC used data from one single year in calculating energy production variability and storage needs.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Will Price Rises Continue? Czech Agriculture Minister Talks About the Impact of the Energy Crisis
Marek Vyborny tells how the war and the rejection of Russian energy supplies affects the Czech Republic
The war in Ukraine, the subsequent sanctions against Russia and the rejection of Russian energy resources have provoked a crisis in European countries. One of the most affected countries is the Czech Republic, where, according to media reports, enterprises and factories are forced to stop working.
For example, in December 2023, the management of the glass factory Kvetna from Strany Kvetna (Uherske Hradiste region) announced the closure of the company due to high electricity prices. Opened in 1794, Kvetna was known for making glasses. About 90% of the production was exported from more than 50 countries.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Around 1,200 staffers with the UN’s Palestinian refugee aid agency have links to Hamas — and thousands more of the workers are closely related to members of Gaza terror groups, according to an Israeli dossier.
The damning report — built through interrogations of Hamas terrorists and recovered documents in Gaza — alleges that about 10% of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency’s 12,000 workers in Gaza have ties to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Wall Street Journal said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
— sparking fears that clashes with Hezbollah could spark regional war
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told troops near the border with the besieged Gaza Strip that others were being deployed to Israel ‘s north ‘so the forces [there] are reinforced’.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Israel’s War on Hamas is the Least Deadly War in the Region
The Associated Press recently made headlines by falsely claiming that the Israeli campaign against Hamas “sits among the deadliest and most destructive in recent history” and was even worse than “the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II”.
The Washington Post argued that “Israel has waged one of this century’s most destructive wars in Gaza” while The Wall Street Journal contended that it was “generating destruction comparable in scale to the most devastating urban warfare in the modern record.”
That’s all the more impressive since even accepting the Hamas casualty figures (tainted and inflated numbers in which there are no terrorists, only civilians, and fighting age men are really children) as the media does, this is still probably one of the least violent conflicts in the region.
In 2016, the Washington Post described the Syrian Civil War, with a possible 250,000 deaths, as “the most destructive conflict in the region”. In 2020, the UN had called the Yemeni Civil War, with 150,000 deaths, “the most destructive conflict since the end of the Cold War”.
And then there’s the current phase of the war in Sudan (which the media is currently uninterested in) in which 15,000 people have been killed over the course of last year, as part of a larger conflict that may have claimed as many as 2 million lives.
The Tigray War in Ethiopia over the last three years (which you may have missed because the media chose not to hysterically cover every single bomb dropped and protesters stayed home knitting instead of blocking traffic) may have cost the lives of between 80,000 to 600,000 people.
(El Pais, Spain’s newspaper, which did report on Ethiopia’s civil war, described it as “the deadliest of the 21st century” and then had to pivot to argue later that Israel was worse in, “25,000 deaths in Gaza: Why the destruction of this war exceeds that of other major conflicts”.)
In reality, every significant war and civil war in the region had a much higher death toll than the Hamas war: including the Iraq-Iran War with an estimated 500,000 to 2 million deaths. And in nearby Africa, the Congo War has been blamed for 6 million deaths since 1996.
How does the media justify arguing that 25,000 is more than 2 million?
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
Netanyahu Visits Family of Arab Muslim Soldier Who Died Fighting for Israel
Netanyahu visited Monday with the family of Ahmad Abu Latif, a Muslim Bedouin Arab IDF soldier who fell fighting for Israel.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The weekend drone attack that killed three US service members in Jordan occurred when American air defenses confused the enemy aircraft with a friendly one coming in at the same time, a report said Monday.
The drone launched by Iran-backed militants approached a small US-allied outpost near Jordan’s border with Syria on Saturday just as an American drone was returning to the base — causing confusion among staff there and a crucial delay in trying to shoot down the enemy device, unidentified military officials told the Wall Street Journal on Monday.
The terrorists’ drone struck soldiers’ living quarters, killing three American troops and leaving at least 34 others injured.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nikki Haley Claims Retaliatory Airstrikes in Middle East Would be ‘Actually Preventing War’
During an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, hosts Andrew Ross Sorkin and Rebecca Quick grilled Nikki Haley on issues ranging from the southern border to the gap between her and frontrunner Donald Trump.
When asked how she would respond to a recent Iranian-backed attack on American military members at a base on the Jordan/Syria border, the Republican presidential candidate suggested the best course of action would be to bomb them right back.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two People Arrested Over Istanbul Church Attack
Tajikistan and Russian nationals said to be affiliated with Isis
Turkish police have arrested two people in relation to Sunday morning’s gun attack on the Catholic church of St Mary in an Istanbul suburb in which one person was killed and several were injured.
The suspects are from Tajikistan and Russia and they are believed to be affiliated with Isis, according to Anadolu news agency citing the interior ministry.
The ministry said in total Turkish police have carried out 30 raids and apprehended 47 people suspected of involvement in the attack.
On Sunday morning two masked gunmen reportedly entered the church in the Istanbul suburb of Büyükdere during Mass and fired shots into the air before turning their guns on a Turkish national identified only as C.T. who had stood up to protest.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
White House Admits US Has Troops on the Ground in Yemen
Troops are on the ground in Yemen, according to a report from the White House. When asked if there was a presence there, the Pentagon refused to acknowledge the reality earlier in January.
“A small number of United States military personnel are deployed to Yemen to conduct operations against al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS,” the White House told Congress in a December 7 report.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Theory Links Mysterious Holes Spotted in Siberia to Gas Eruptions
In June 2017, a reindeer herder of the Yamal Peninsula in northwest Siberia, Russia, reported a loud blast and smoke rising from the ground. Later that day, a hole 7 meters wide and almost 20 meters deep, surrounded by blocks and chunks of ice and soil, was discovered at the supposed explosion site.
So far, over 17 similar “black holes,” so named by locals as they are often filled with peaty water, have been found. Proposed explanations for the mysterious holes included thermokarst—sinkholes in frozen ground—to secret weapons tests to the impact of a swarm of meteorites.
A new theory now proposes that the holes are actually craters caused by warming Arctic temperatures weakening the frozen soil so much that fossil pockets of gas explode through its surface.
Thawing ice has long been regarded as a possible culprit behind the holes in the ground. However, this alone does not explain why the holes are found only to form on the Western Siberian Yamal and Gydan peninsulas in Northern Russia. Lead author Helge Hellevang, a professor of environmental geosciences at the University of Oslo in Norway, and his team included the geological history of the affected areas to expand on this theory.
Both areas are located over the Russian and Siberian Cratons, remains of some of the oldest continental crust found on Earth, where hot natural gas seeps up through geological faults. This causes gas buildups in the underground and weakens the frozen surface, making it more likely to collapse. Additionally, until a few centuries ago, the sites of the holes were covered by small lakes. In the soft sediments on the bottom of the lakes, gases like methane and gas hydrates could accumulate over time. After the lakes dried up, the now frozen most superficial layers of the lake sediments formed a cap keeping the gas pockets under pressure. But as the climate warms, this layer is more likely to rupture, causing sudden gas eruptions and the resulting explosion forming the craters.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
The Risk of a Zelensky Wild Card
In early January, Ukrainian drones blew up a gas terminal near St. Petersburg. In December, Ukrainian operatives even managed to set off explosives on Russian railway lines deep in Siberia, hundreds of miles from the war. We’ll see more of these attacks inside Russia as fear rises in Kyiv that Ukraine is running out of ways to put Russian forces on the back foot on the battlefield.
The attacks are more a sign of Ukraine’s fears than of its strength. After hundreds of thousands of casualties and the displacement of millions of people, President Volodymyr Zelensky and his generals have new reasons to doubt the staying power of the Western support on which a Ukrainian victory, in any form, will depend. Aware that voters in America, its key military ally, and Europe, both a military and financial backer, are increasingly conflicted about whether Ukraine can ever evict Russian invaders from their trenches and recapture the 18% of territory they occupy, Kyiv is rightly worried.
Even if Congress approves more military aid for 2024, this will probably be the last package from Washington until after the November election. If Donald Trump wins, Ukrainians know he will drastically cut aid. The outlook in Europe is only slightly better. German budgetary problems, growing Hungarian opposition, and a lack of E.U. leadership will make it hard to fill the gap in military help from Washington over the medium term.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Publishes Income, as Part of Transparency Drive
(Reuters) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made public his income over a two-year period on Sunday as part of a drive to promote transparency and root out endemic corruption.
In a post on the presidential website, Zelenskiy noted that his income had declined in 2021 and further in 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February. It was the first time he publicly declared his income.
In 2021, the year before the invasion, Zelenskiy and his family reported income of 10.8 million hryvnias ($286,168), down 12 million hryvnias from the previous year. The 2021 figure included income from the sale of $142,000 of government bonds.
In 2022, the Zelenskiy family’s income fell further to 3.7 million hryvnias as he earned less rental income from real estate he owned because of the outbreak of the war.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chinese property giant Evergrande has plunged into liquidation, potentially jeopardising demand for Australian iron ore used to make steel.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Australia must consider bringing back conscription to prepare for a potential World War III in the coming decades, a senior defence analyst has warned.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Bankwest Set to Go ‘Solely Digital’ as it Closes Branches Across the Country
A major Australian bank has announced it’s closing more branches, just months after its boss revealed it was pursuing an ‘almost solely digital’ future.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Erin Bugg, a customer advisor at the Nab branch in Rosny east of Hobart, was approached by the husband and wife at the store and asked to have their account unblocked.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Langdon Building Collapses and Goes Into Voluntary Administration
Victorian residential construction group Langdon Building has gone into voluntary administration.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
One Life to Live star Amanda Davies has died at 42. Davies played the teenage version of her real-life mother Erika Slezak’s character, Victoria ‘Viki’ Lord, on the popular ABC soap opera.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The Guardian’s political editor Katharine Murphy has quit the publication and will now take on a new role in Anthony Albanese’s office.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
A council has been accused of encouraging criminal acts by considering removing a Captain Cook statue that was targeted by vandals in the lead-up to Australia Day.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Albania Court OKs Italy Migrant Deal
Albania’s Constitutional Court on Monday approved a controversial accord with Italy to set up Italian-run centres to process thousands of migrants rescued by Italy in the Med in the Adriatic country each year.
The agreement, signed by Premier Giorgia Meloni and her Albanian counterpart Edi Rama in Rome in November, provides for the reception and processing of up to 3,000 migrants and refugees rescued by Italian ships per month.
People with special needs such as the elderly, children or pregnant women, migrants and refugees who have been rescued by NGO-run ships and people who land directly on Italian soil are to be excluded from the deal.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada: Woman Deported Over Involvement in Chinese Espionage
A Chinese woman had been issued a deportation order by the Immigration and Refugee Board for her involvement with Beijing’s foreign interference.
The Board ruled that Jing Zhang had worked for the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, which is allegedly involved in espionage in Canada.
Zhang was found to have contributed to the OCAO’s efforts to influence Canada’s Chinese diaspora in her 11-year tenure with the organization.
According to the 32-page decision, Beijing uses the OCAO to silence dissent abroad.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago to Extend Migrant Shelter Stay Limits Over Concerns About Long-Term Housing, Employment
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago will again extend its 60-day limit on shelter stays for asylum seekers, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced, just days ahead of a deadline that could have evicted nearly 2,000 migrants.
Johnson said Monday the idea is to give people more time to resettle and find work. The policy change adds 30 to 60 more days for roughly 14,000 migrants already living in the city’s 28 shelters, which include warehouses and park district buildings.
Chicago has twice delayed enforcement due to weather.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago’s migrant crisis is creeping into the city’s suburbs as Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s buses bypass the city center with 34,000 people arriving since 2004.
After Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announced strict guidelines for buses dropping people in the city center, Texas governor Greg Abbott started busing migrants from the border straight to the suburbs, bypassing the city entirely.
City officials said hundreds of people have been dropped in the surrounding area over the past month, with the local authorities given no prior warning of their arrival.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A convoy of conservative activists, who call themselves ‘God’s Army’, set off for this country’s southern border on Monday to protest the numbers of migrants breaking into the United States
Dozens of people joined the self-styled grassroots movement ‘Take Our Border Back’ in Norfolk, Virginia where organizers slammed the Biden administration for leaving the U.S. frontiers ‘wide open.’
Craig Hudgins, a former United Airlines pilot-turned-Christian activist, urged those eventually planning to travel to Eagle Pass in Texas to ignore calls made on social media to use violence to make their point.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A former top FBI official who was one of 10 signatories to a letter to Congress about the border crisis earlier this month warned that the open border between the U.S. and Mexico under President Biden presents the “greatest security risk in our lifetime.”
Former FBI Assistant Director for the Criminal Investigative Division Chris Swecker told Fox News on Monday the letter he signed was meant to be an apolitical but blunt assessment of the multiple security threats President Biden’s open border presents to the homeland.
Swecker warned that allowing millions of undocumented and unvetted foreign nationals to flow into the country renders useless the nation’s intensive inland security framework.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The winner of last year’s Dutch parliamentary elections, the right-wing Geert Wilders, voiced his strong opposition to mass immigration in a new speech, saying that the Dutch are becoming minorities in many of the Netherlands’ major cities.
“The Dutch population is being replaced by immigrants, often Muslims. In our three big cities, Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam, more than 50% of newborns are children of immigrants. The Dutch will soon be a minority. Holland will become a backward Islamic country, hell on Earth,” said Wilders in a new speech.
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Former FBI and Homeland Security officials are warning that a terror attack on the U.S. is ‘imminent’ after ‘military-aged’ foreigners have streamed across the porous southern border.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Migrants Dodge Deportation From the UK by Swapping Rooms in Taxpayer-Funded Hotels
MIGRANTS have dodged deportation from Britain simply by swapping rooms in taxpayer-funded hotels, it can be revealed.
Home Office officials have been unable to locate failed asylum seekers because they were not living in allocated rooms.
One MP last night described the ‘farcical’ situation as ‘Carry On Up The Home Office’. The charade emerged when officers from the Immigration Enforcement unit were sent to migrant hotels with authorisation to take specific migrants to the airport for deportation. The foreign nationals had either exhausted the appeals process after being refused refugee status, or had been ruled ineligible for reasons such as holding a criminal record.
But in a number of cases migrants had secretly moved to a different room after an informal ‘swap’ with another migrant at the same premises. Attempts to locate them had to be abandoned due to lack of manpower, sources said. Even though the Home Office gathers biometrics on all Channel migrants it would have proved impossible to fingerprint hundreds of occupants to trace the missing person.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Migrants Beat Young Polish Man to Death in Wroclaw
In the early hours of Saturday morning, a tragic incident unfolded in the center of Wroclaw, Poland, where a 21-year-old Polish man was beaten to death by two foreign nationals. The police apprehended the assailants shortly after the incident.
The confrontation reportedly occurred in the early hours in Wroclaw’s Old Town. It is believed that three individuals were involved in the fight.
“The course and details of this tragic event are currently under intense investigation by the police,” stated the Wroclaw police on Sunday.
Authorities revealed that both the attackers were aged 23 and that the fight involved the use of dangerous weapons, leading to the man’s death.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More than 1,000 migrants have made it across the Channel and arrived in the UK this month, despite the government bringing in extra measures to deter small boat crossings.
Home Office figures show more than 300 people made the journey at the weekend, with 112 recorded in two boats on Saturday and 276 on Sunday in five boats. This takes the provisional total for 2024 to date to 1,057.
The highest number to cross in a single day so far this year was 358 in eight boats on January 17.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nolte: 69% Side With Texas Over Biden in Southern Border Battle
In the ongoing battle between Texas and the Biden administration to defend our Southern border against invasion, more than two-thirds (69 percent) side with Texas.
“Sixty-nine percent (69%) of Likely U.S. Voters support Texas erecting barriers at the border to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing, including 53% who Strongly Support the action,” writes Rasmussen Reports. “Only 27% oppose Texas taking action to prevent illegal immigration[…]”
The internals are fascinating… On this question, a 51 percent majority of black voters side with Texas, while only 32 percent of black voters disagree. Two-thirds of Independents (66 percent) side with Texas, while only 29 percent disagree.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The NYPD is honing in on migrant pickpocketing crews that are now working the Big Apple — with nearly 100 asylum seekers already popping up on the NYPD radar, law enforcement sources tell The Post.
One particularly sticky-fingered trio was nabbed over the weekend after allegedly picking pockets at three separate Greenwich Village watering holes in under 30 minutes, according to the sources.
“It’s been happening all the time here,” one staffer at the Red Lion on Bleeker Street told The Post. “The last few months it’s been intense. Maybe they spread the word, I don’t know. It’s on Friday and Saturday when it’s busy.
“They work as a team,” she said. “It’s creepy.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republican Senator Launches Thread to Track Violent Crime by Illegal Aliens
Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) has launched a thread on X to track serious crimes committed by illegal aliens under President Joe Biden’s administration.
The thread, which comes amid concerns over a border that critics have described as “porous,” will feature stories of violent crimes perpetrated by illegal aliens.
“Under the Biden administration, every state has become a border state, ultimately jeopardizing our national security,” Mr. Marshall told The Epoch Times. “This is not just another talking point but the reality of Joe Biden’s unprecedented border crisis.”
So far, the thread catalogues a series of stomach-churning crimes, including child murder, sexual assault, and traffic collisions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Half of Americans support building a wall along the United States border with Mexico, while only one in three are opposed to a wall, according to a YouGov survey conducted Monday.
The poll of 40,513 U.S. adults throughout the United States found that 50 percent of respondents are in favor of building a wall, including pluralities of sub-demographics like black and Hispanic Americans, women, and independents. Conversely, 33 percent of all respondents are against a border wall, and 17 percent are unsure.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas Has Bused More Than 102K Migrants to Sanctuary Cities Since 2022
Texas has bused more than 102,000 migrants to so-called sanctuary cities — including over 37,500 to New York City — in response to the Biden administration’s failure to secure the southern border, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott revealed Monday.
The Texas governor launched the migrant busing program in April 2022 to force blue states to share the burden the Lone Star State has faced as a result of record numbers of illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers crossing the border since President Biden took office.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas Gov. Abbott Sends Stark Message to Sanctuary Cities as Migrant Crisis Continues
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent a stark message to sanctuary cities on Monday, vowing his state’s transportation of migrants to their areas would continue until the federal government takes action on the worsening border crisis.
“Texas has transported over 102,000 migrants to sanctuary cities. Overwhelmed Texas border towns should not bear the brunt of Biden’s open border policies. Our transportation mission will continue until Biden secures the border,” Abbott wrote in a post on X.
Abbott’s promise comes amid his feud with the Biden administration over enforcement of the border, and whether Texas has the authority to defend itself from the waves of migrants overwhelming law enforcement and immigration officials.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is preparing to vote through the EU’s controversial Migration Pact and pay whatever financial penalties are imposed by Brussels for refusing to adhere to the forced relocation of migrants, a conservative lawmaker has claimed.
Sebastian Kaleta, a Sovereign Poland MP and former deputy justice minister, took to social media on Monday to inform his followers of the new left-wing government’s intention to waive through the migration reforms proposed by Brussels — a move that would see all member states obliged to accept migrant quotas or be fined by the European Commission for every migrant that is turned away.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US Caught Known Terrorist at the Border, Then Let Him Go Due to Clerical Error
An unnamed individual identified only as a member of the Somali terror group al-Shabaab, was caught crossing illegally into the United States at the San Ysidro, California border on March 13, 2023, then released into the United States, where he roamed freely for nearly a year before he was arrested days ago in Minnesota, the Daily Caller reports, citing an anonymous source.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bayer Leverkusen has been fined €18,000 by the German Football Association’s (DFB) sports court after its supporters unfurled a banner that stated there are only two genders — a move deemed to be discriminatory against the LGBT community.
The Bundesliga club was indicted by the DFB for “discriminatory, unsportsmanlike behavior on the part of its supporters” for the incident that occurred during the team’s away fixture at Werder Bremen on Nov. 25 last year.
A huge banner unrolled by fans displayed the slogan, “There are many styles of music but only two genders.”
The financial penalty was imposed in a ruling by a single judge who ruled that €6,000 of the fine could be used to fund “preventative measures against discrimination.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Anti-Gay General Vannacci Unveils Autobiography
‘Courage Wins out on March 12, League eyeing EP run
An Italian general who is under disciplinary proceedings for a self-published book slating gays, Jews, feminists and migrants which has become a best seller on Wednesday unveiled his autobiography, Courage Wins.
Former crack paratroop commander Roberto Vannacci, 55, who has become a hero to the anti-politically correct lobby and who the rightwing League party wants to put up for the European parliament in June, said his story will come out on March 12, published by Piemme.
The publisher’s blurb said: “Italy’s most famous general, author of the biggest selling and most hotly debate book of the moment, The World Back To Front, this time leads the reader in the discovery of a man who has chosen to be a leader in every moment of his life.
“Always in the front line, the protagonist of unpredictable and unconventional choices, able to achieve the impossible.
“A very personal volume which in the end says that courage wins”.
Vannacci was sacked as head of the army’s military geographical institute in Florence at the behest of Defence Minister Guido Crosetto but then apparently promoted to chief of staff of army ground operations in Rome.
However, his disciplinary proceedings are still pending.
League leader Matteo Salvini on Wednesday confirmed that “we are talking about putting the general on our slate for the European elections” on June 8-9.
In The World Back To Front, Vannacci says, among other things, that gays aren’t normal.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Oklahoma’s Anti-Pornography Bill is a Sweeping Ban on Erotic Expression, Sexting
An ambitious and over-reaching “anti-porn” bill is currently making its way through Oklahoma’s state legislative system, the severity of which threatens to criminalize the act of sexting or sharing intimate photos.
The proposed bill, known as Oklahoma Senate Bill 1976, targets not just explicit porn but even erotic expression, and in the process, takes an extreme stance against the First Amendment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Australians are calling for a national boycott of iconic surf brand Rip Curl for using a transgender woman in their social media accounts, as the brand backtracks in response.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
WHO: ‘Lies & Conspiracy Theories’ Are Derailing Globalist Agenda
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned globalists that “lies and conspiracy theories” are derailing the agenda of unelected bureaucratic power elites.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued the warning during a press conference where he called on world leaders to reign in the free speech on the general public.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
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What wonderful wars
29/1-24 AT 1421
(from Danish by LN)
By Lars Hedegaard / http://www.snaphanen.dk
There is not much interest in American politics. The US is far away, and here in Denmark we have our own problems that politicians try to dramatise to get us to go to the polls.
Moreover, Danes know everything they need to know about the political situation in the US. They only have to look at the newspapers or turn on the TV, which, at least since 2015, has provided an easy-to-remember analysis: Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and the Democrats are good. Donald Trump and the Republicans are – with some Biden-friendly exceptions – evil. This is the prism through which we are expected to view the American condition.
Trump is evil because his Democratic opponents have fabricated a large number of crimes that he must spend a lot of time defending himself against. And that is not easy when he faces a Democratic Justice Department, a Democratic-run FBI, Democratic prosecutors, Democratic juries and Democratic judges. And when he is accused of being a threat to democracy and a new Hitler who will impose a dictatorship if he wins the presidential election in November, real Danes must shudder.
We never hear about the terrible POLITICAL atrocities that Trump allegedly committed when he was president. And if he was a new Hitler, why didn’t he abolish democracy, free speech and the rule of law when he had the chance?
These issues do not concern the Danish media, and therefore not their gullible readers. But then there is something else that should interest us because it directly affects our own lives, our security and the future of the world.
Has anyone noticed that we have had one war after another since Joe Biden moved into the White House? And has anyone noticed that the wars are direct results of the Biden administration’s foreign and security policy?
One of Biden’s first actions was to sabotage US energy production, which of course caused oil and gas prices to skyrocket in favour of producers like Russia and Iran.
At the same time, he lifted Trump’s economic sanctions on Iran, which had left the ayatollahs’ coffers so empty that they could barely afford to fund the Middle East’s many terrorist groups – Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and a host of lesser-known groups. But now Biden made sure the money started flowing again.
So did the terror. Iran’s henchmen soon felt so emboldened by the money from Tehran and by US appeasement that they launched attacks on several fronts – in Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and yesterday in Jordan, where several US soldiers have been killed and many injured. Mr Biden insists that the attack will be answered in due course, but as Donald Trump’s national security adviser, Kathleen McFarland, notes, as usual, this is probably just talk. If Mr Biden was serious about defeating the terrorists, he would order massive attacks on terrorist groups’ bases and put the fear of God into Iran.
Now Europe is also on fire with the Ukraine war, which would never have happened if Trump had stayed in office. The next theatre of war will be in East Asia, where China is threatening to conquer and annex Taiwan.
They can safely do so, as Biden and his family syndicate have been bribed with millions of dollars from Beijing. The Chinese communists can behave as they wish and will never get anything but empty words from Washington.
An American president can accomplish so much in just three years, and the Danish media are impressed. On the other hand, they hate Donald Trump, who used US influence to prevent war and who successfully used a mix of diplomatic pressure and concrete threats to keep various bad actors in check.
But the Danish media don’t think this is worthy of a statesman.
I could just substitute Swiss media and Swiss citizens for all of the above about Denmark. Pity really and hard for me to acknowledge.
I could only replace Swedish media and Swedes with all of the above about Denmark. A pity really, but necessary to state.
Germany: Sweeping changes or a sugar pill? — No more cash handouts for refugees, instead payment cards which only work in local shops and cannot be used for cash withdrawals, to be introduced nationwide
https://www.merkur.de/wirtschaft/bezahlkarte-fuer-asylbewerber-kommt-wie-fluechtlinge-in-zukunft-ohne-bargeld-auskommen-sollen-zr-92777501.html
We would be doomed if we had Big Mike/Sasquatch/Bigfoot Obama selected as pResident.
She would continue the destruction of our country as BO tried to do.
History keeps repeating itself and only the names and dates change…BECAUSE only the names and dates change.
“This story from the 3rd century will sound quite familiar to you…When Publius Licinus Valerianus (known as Valerian) became Roman emperor in September of 253 AD, people across the empire must have breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally,” many Roman citizens probably thought, “There’s an adult in the room.”
Obviously, this historical tale probably rings familiar to many readers. Not that we wish for Joe Biden to end up in an Iranian prison like Valerian did [wanna bet?! —dm]. But clearly the guy has a lot to answer for. These developments aren’t accidents. They don’t just spontaneously occur. They are the deliberate result of the inspired IDIOTS in charge.” —The Daily Bell (30 Jan 2024)
https://www.thedailybell.com/all-articles/news-analysis/this-story-from-the-3rd-century-will-sound-quite-familiar-to-you/
“[Easy] Prediction: To no one’s surprise, if actually inaugurated on 20 January (and until declared incompetent and removed), Joe “running for US Senate” Biden will replace Andrew Johnson and Jimmy Carter as the worst and most incompetent president in US history. Presuming, of course, that he doesn’t simply put on his cap, open the White House front door and wander aimlessly off into the streets of DC never to be seen again..
Watch this space..” —posted to fb (Dec 2020)
There is no demonstrated incompetence in the events unfolding. No one that faces a TV camera, possesses an appointed or elected position, or is in any sense in the public eye actually has any say in policy, only execution. Don’t be distracted by the shenanigans of Bugsy Siegel: look for Meyers Lansky, in the shadows crunching numbers and guiding with the Unseen Hand.
Top White House Official Tells O’Keefe What “They Can’t Say Publicly” About Biden and Kamala Harris
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhK3qhVnJWo