President Joe Biden drew criticism today after marking tomorrow, Easter Sunday, as “Transgender Day of Visibility”. Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul also declared March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility, and announced that state landmarks, including the World Trade Center, would be lit up with pink, white, and light blue lights.
In other news, California Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer has proposed a “reparations” tax on cotton, tobacco, other goods linked to the slave trade.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dora, Insubria, JW, LP, McN, MM, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
UK Economy Went Into Recession Last Year, Data Confirms
LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) — Britain’s economy entered a shallow recession last year, official figures confirmed on Thursday, leaving Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with a challenge to reassure voters that the economy is safe with him before an election expected later this year.
Gross domestic product shrank by 0.1% in the third quarter and by 0.3% in the fourth, unchanged from preliminary estimates, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Your Life is in Danger”: Suge Knight Warns Diddy Over ‘That Secret Little Room’
Imprisoned rap mogul Suge Knight opined on recent happenings involving hip-hop rival Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, whose houses in Miami and Los Angeles were raided last Monday by Homeland Security in connection with a federal investigation into sex trafficking, sexual assault, and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms.
“We believe that there is a disturbing history of sex trafficking,” a DHS officer told The NY Post on Thursday, following the raid which resulted in the seizure of hard drives, phones and other evidence.
“We are responding to concrete, detailed, explicit allegations. This is not random. We didn’t choose his name out of a hat. We had allegations that we’re following up on,” the officer continued.
Knight Speaks
In response to the raid, Death Row Records co-founder Marion Hugh Knight Jr., aka “Suge Knight,” said during a Friday episode of his “Collect Call” prison podcast (!) that Combs needs to watch his back since he has “secrets” involving a “secret room.”
“It’s a bad day for hip-hop…for the culture…Black people, because if one looks bad, we all look bad. That’s definitely not nothing to cheer about,” said Knight.
“But I’ll tell you what, Puffy: your life is in danger. Your life is in danger ‘cause you know the secrets, who’s involved in that little secret room you guys are participating in. They gonna get you if they can.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
All Three of John Fetterman’s Top Communications Staffers Have Resigned in the Last Month
Clout learns there’s been some serious turnover in Sen. John Fetterman’s office. In the last month, all three of Fetterman’s top communications staffers have left Capitol Hill.
Nick Gavio, who was deputy communications director, will leave the office at the end of March to take a new role with the Working Families Party. Fetterman’s former communications director, Joe Calvello, left earlier this month to work for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
AT&T reset account passcodes for millions of customers this week after acknowledging a massive data leak that affected more than 73 million users.
The telecom giant said the leaked dataset appears to be from 2019 or earlier, impacting around 7.6 million current AT&T account holders and 65.4 million former account holders.
The leaked dataset includes names, home addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth, as reported by TechCrunch.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Container Ship “Potentially Atop High-Pressure Underwater Gas Line”
The federal government authorized $60 million for salvage efforts for the 1.6-mile-long Francis Scott Key Bridge at the Port of Baltimore, which collapsed on Tuesday after being struck by a large container ship. A massive CIA-linked floating crane has arrived in Baltimore, Maryland, along with other cranes, and it will soon begin clearing the mangled bridge from the shipping channel, which has paralyzed the entire port.
The salvage operation may not begin as seamlessly as government officials hoped. As Captain John Konrad, CEO of gCaptain, a website specializing in tracking the shipping industry, states, the 984-foot Singapore-flagged container ship Dali is apparently “sitting atop a high-pressure underwater gas line.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden White House BANS Religious Imagery From Easter Egg Art Contest
Children of National Guard families are invited to submit Easter egg designs to the White House for the annual “egg roll” party—so long as those designs are not at all religious. Easter, of course, is the key holiday in the Christian liturgical calendar. The entire purpose of the holiday is to celebrate the resurrection of the Christian lord and savior Jesus Christ who, according to liturgy, died to take away the sins of the world.
For the Biden White House, however, Christianity is irrelevant to Easter. This year, on behalf of First Lady Jill Biden, the White House has declared that any religious symbolism on the eggs, the symbol of rebirth representing Jesus’ resurrection, would not be permitted.
Restrictions include that “The Submission must not include any questionable content, religious symbols, overtly religious themes, or partisan political statements.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California Governor to Deploy 500 Surveillance Cameras to Oakland to Fight Crime
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Hundreds of high-tech surveillance cameras are being installed in the city of Oakland and surrounding freeways to battle crime, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday.
Newsom, a Democrat, said in a news release that the California Highway Patrol has contracted with Flock Safety to install 480 cameras that can identify and track vehicles by license plate, type, color and even decals and bumper stickers. The cameras will provide authorities with real-time alerts of suspect vehicles.
Opponents say the technology infringes on privacy and will lead to further police abuse of already marginalized communities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Climate activists were arrested at the New York Auto Show on Saturday after splashing oil on a Ford truck to protest electric vehicles not doing enough to solve climate change.
In a dramatic display captured on video and posted on X by Oliya Scootercaster, protestors were seen splashing oil on a Ford truck before being swiftly removed by security. One protestor attempted to convey their message through a microphone, proclaiming, “Lots of people are going to die. We need to hit the emergency brakes,” before being silenced and apprehended by security personnel.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Colorado Republicans Name Ken Buck’s Replacement
Former Rep. Ken Buck’s (R-CO) replacement has been chosen, Colorado Republicans have revealed.
Business Insider reports that Colorado Republicans have chosen Greg Lopez to serve out the remainder of Buck’s congressional term.
This all comes after Buck, a couple of weeks ago, announced that he had decided to prematurely retire from the U.S. House of Representatives.
The shock move saw him abruptly leave Congress some 8 months before his term would have ended.
In the process, Buck broke the vow that he made last year to remain in the House until the end of his term.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A California Democrat lawmaker has proposed a sales tax on items linked to slavery in the latest bid for taxpayer-funded reparations for black people.
This includes cotton, gold, tobacco, wine, olives, rice, coffee beans, cane sugar, and any other products connected to the transatlantic slave trade.
The bill introduced by Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer stems from a 2023 report published by the state’s reparations task force, which is the first such in the nation that was established by Gov. Newsom in 2020. The proposal is among one of 12 bills backed by the California Legislative Black Caucus, per the Washington Examiner.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A 12-year-old girl was shot by a masked assailant in Washington, D.C., after she and two teen girls beat an elderly disabled man to death last fall.
Reggie Brown of Northwest D.C. was 64-years-old when he was brutally beaten to death by the three girls, age 12 and 13, on Georgia Avenue in October.
Horrific video seen by detectives showed the physically handicapped man being kicked and stomped on by the pre-teens.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Downtown Los Angeles has been described as ‘third world’ after shocking footage revealed a homeless encampment with open fires in the street and trash-covered sidewalks.
The startling video, posted to X by Fox News reporter Bill Melugin, shows dozens of homeless people sitting and standing on filthy sidewalks on the corner of San Pedro Street and 6th Street in the Skid Row neighborhood of LA.
Some are seen standing around an open fire in the street, just moments away from the Midnight Mission, a $17 million center for the homeless.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Woman Tells Police Walmart Shoplifting Spree Was a ‘Game’: ‘It’s Really, Really Fun’
A Florida woman bragged to police officers after she played a game to steal a cartful of merchandise from Walmart.
The Flager County Sheriff’s Office released body camera footage of their interaction with 30-year-old Amber McCann at a Walmart store in Palm Coast, Florida on Monday, March 25.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former Justice Eileen O’Neill Burke Wins Democratic Primary in Chicago-Area Prosecutor’s Race
CHICAGO (AP) — Eileen O’Neill Burke, a former appellate judge, has won the Democratic primary for Cook County state’s attorney over Clayton Harris III, an attorney with party backing.
The race is open because State’s Attorney Kim Foxx decided not to seek a third term. It was among the most spirited and competitive contests in the March 19 Illinois primary. The Associated Press called that race Friday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fox 11 Anchor Susan Hirasuna Has Car Stolen, Advises Police During Chase
It is an axiom of journalism that the reporter should not be the story. But Fox 11 anchor and reporter Susan Hirasuna ended up inadvertently violating that rule when she became the victim of a crime.
Hirasuna parked her car near the United Theater on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. She was attening a concert in the area.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jewish Freshman’s Face Plastered on Anti-Israel Flyers at Rutgers in Act of ‘Unabated Antisemitism’
Someone at Rutgers University cruelly plastered a Jewish freshman’s face on flyers for an anti-Israel referendum — the latest act of “unabated antisemitism” at the New Jersey school, the student told The Post.
“Free Palestine” and “Free Gaza,” said the flyers with Rivka Schafer’s mug on them, urging a “yes” vote for the university to divest from Israel.
They were plastered throughout the Demarest Hall dorm on Thursday morning.
“I don’t feel safe in my own dorm,” said Schafer, 19.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Legal scholar Jonathan Turley has slammed White House spokesman Ian Sams for “attacking” and “taunting” House Republicans over Democrat President Joe Biden’s impeachment inquiry.
Turley, a professor at George Washington University Law School, blasted Sams’ response to House committee lawmakers after they extended an invitation to Biden for him to testify in his own impeachment probe.
During an appearance on Fox News’s “The Faulkner Focus” on Friday, the constitutional scholar addressed the Biden team’s “really shocking” response.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Judge Rebukes DOJ Arguments Against Release of Jan. 6 Defendant
Authored by Chase Smith via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
A Jan. 6 defendant seeking to be released from prison was granted in part by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia this week.
The order, signed by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden on March 26, will grant (pdf) the release of Kevin Seefried, a defendant convicted for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, pending the appeal of his conviction.
This decision comes despite stark warnings from the Justice Department regarding the implications of such a move.
Mr. Seefried received a three-year prison sentence for obstructing an official proceeding among other charges, facing a potential maximum sentence of 23 years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A left-wing columnist at the Salt Lake Tribune agreed with the claim that the term “America First,” even as it is used by the Utah-based “America First Credit Union,” (AFCU) is racist. This comes after a North Carolina Courage soccer fan group took issue with the Utah Royals for wearing the logo of the credit union, which sponsors the team, on their jerseys.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Louisiana Republicans Pass Bill to Block WEF, UN, WHO From Exerting Power in the State
Republican lawmakers in Louisiana have just dropped the hammer on the globalist agenda of the World Economic Forum (WEF), United Nations (UN), and World Health Organization (WHO).
The Louisiana Senate just passed a bill that will block the unelected globalist organizations from exerting power in and over the state.
Senate Bill 133 was passed unanimously in the upper chamber.
The legislation asserts that it would ensure that the globalist organizations would “have no jurisdiction or power within the state of Louisiana.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nearly 6,000 Pages of Email Communications Turned Over to House GOP in Biden Impeachment Inquiry
This week, the National Archives sent over almost 6,000 pages of emails to the House Oversight Committee as part of its investigation into President Biden.
In a pair of letters to Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) obtained by Axios, General Counsel for the National Archives Gary Stern revealed that a total of 5,860 pages containing 211 emails had been sent over to the committee in response to a Sep. 6, and Aug 17 request to do so.
The first letter was in response to any Aug. 17 request by the committee for “access to certain Presidential and Vice Presidential records from Obama Administration.” In the letter, Stern said that the 5,780 pates with 195 emails were about communication where a pseudonym was used for then-Vice President Biden, the communication involved Hunter Biden, Eric Schwerin, or Devon Archer.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New: Lizzo ‘Quits’ One Day After Appearing at Biden Fundraiser in NYC, Celebs Rush to Support
Multiple celebrities have expressed their support for Lizzo after the music artist announced on Friday she decided to “quit” on her social media.
In a post made on Instagram, Lizzo expressed that she is “getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone” in her life and on the internet.”
“All I want is to make music and make people happy and help the world be a little better than how I found it. But I’m starting to feel like the world doesn’t want me in it,” Lizzo’s post read.
“I’m constantly up against lies being told about me for clout & views… being the butt of the joke every single time because of how I look,” Lizzo stated on her Instagram account with the username “Lizzo be eating.”
“I didn’t sign up for this sh*t. I QUIT,” she concluded.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NYC Lawyers Insist Bodega Clerk Who Fatally Stabbed Customer in Self-Defense Went Overboard
City lawyers insist the Harlem bodega clerk who fatally stabbed a violent customer went overboard during the life-and-death struggle — contradicting Mayor Adams’ declaration that he was simply defending himself.
Jose Alba, 61, made international headlines in July 2022 when he was attacked by Austin Simon in a dispute over chips.
During the struggle, Alba grabbed a knife and fatally stabbed Simon, 35.
He was arrested and locked up on Rikers on a second-degree murder charge, which was dropped following an outpouring of support across the city.
In September, Alba filed a wrongful arrest suit against the city seeking unspecified damages.
[…]
Alba’s lawyer, Richard Cardinale, ripped the city’s argument for tossing the suit as a clear example that “the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing.”
“After my client Jose Alba was arrested, Mayor Adams reported to the news media that this was someone acting in self defense and should not be charged with murder,” he told The Post.
“Now that the city and District Attorney [Alvin] Bragg are being sued … his own corporation counsel is arguing to a federal court that Alba’s case should be dismissed because he was the aggressor.”
Nicholas Paolucci, a Law Department spokesman, said it was reasonable for NYPD officers to arrest Alba based on the 911 calls about a stabbing and what they observed at the scene.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Poll: Democrat Approval of Biden’s Handing of Hamas-Israel War Plunges 13 Points
Only 47 percent of Democrats approve of President Joe Biden’s handing of the Hamas-Israel war, a recent Gallup poll found, down 13 points since October, underscoring a major problem for Biden’s reelection chances.
“F*ck Joe Biden!” pro-Hamas protestors shouted Thursday outside Biden’s high-dollar fundraising event. “Genocide Joe has got to go!”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) has revealed that she was responsible for having former Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) removed from the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
Buck announced late last year that he would not seek re-election, with the natural presumption being that he would retire at the end of the current term.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Roger Stone: Devin Nunes Would be ‘Excellent Choice’ as Trump’s VP
Former Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) is a new name that has just been added to the list of potential vice presidential candidates that President Donald Trump may be considering to be his running mate in November’s election.
According to longtime Trump ally Roger Stone, Nunes would be an “excellent choice” for the 45th president’s VP pick, the Washington Examiner reported.
Nunes is currently the CEO of the hugely successful Trump Media after retiring from Congress to take the position.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
People are not satisfied with the San Francisco city government’s progress in providing reparations to descendants of African Americans who have suffered historical discrimination, according to a new report.
Although a city government panel proposed monetary reparations for eligible Black residents last year — with some potentially receiving $5 million, “So far, all they’ve received is an apology,” The Washington Post reported.
The Post detailed how the city has had to cut funding for the project, and that people are growing frustrated over the lack of progress on reparations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Outperforms Michelle Obama in Hypothetical 2024 Matchup: Jl Partners Poll
A recent poll found that former President Donald Trump would win in a hypothetical matchup against Michelle Obama, beating the former First Lady by a narrow margin of 46% to 43%.
The poll, conducted by J.L. Partners also found that Trump is currently leading against President Biden 46% to 43%. The former first lady has been a popular hypothetical some Democrats have proposed instead of Biden to be the nominee due to concerns about his mental capacities.
James Johnson, co-founder of J.L. Partners, shed light on the persistent speculation surrounding a potential Michelle Obama candidacy. While some on the left have championed the idea as an “emergency parachute” for Biden, the poll shows that she is just as unfavorable against Trump than Biden currently is.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tucker Carlson: Doctors Must Apologize for Vax Deaths
Independent news anchor Tucker Carlson has declared that doctors owe the public an apology for their role in the surge in mass deaths among those vaccinated with Covid mRNA shots.
Carlson accused doctors and other medical professionals of “lying” about Covid and the injections that were supposedly intended to protect people from the virus.
Speaking during an appearance on “The Jimmy Dore Show,” Carlson blasted doctors who wrongly recommended the mRNA shots to their patients as “immoral” and “dangerous.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UMinn Law School Will No Longer Give Preference to Minorities for Fellowship: ‘Win for Civil Rights’
A University of Minnesota Law School diversity fellowship will now give equal consideration to White and male applicants following a civil rights complaint.
According to The College Fix, the application for a full-ride diversity fellowship sponsored by the Jones Day law firm has been changed after education watchdog Adam Kissel filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
Kissel filed the complaint in September 2023 and alleged the fellowship discriminated based on sex and race because the application gave preference to women and students of color.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Victoria White Files $2 Million Suit for Police Using ‘Excessive’ Force in Jan. 6 Beating
Authored by Joseph M. Hanneman via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
A Minnesota woman beaten by police in the Lower West Terrace tunnel at the U.S. Capitol has filed a $2 million civil suit for being repeatedly struck in the head and slammed into a concrete wall on Jan. 6, 2021.
Victoria Charity White, 42, of Rochester, Minnesota, alleges at least two Metropolitan Police Department officers unlawfully used “deadly force” by repeatedly striking her head and face with steel riot batons and fists at about 4 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021.
The complaint—filed on March 27 by Washington attorney Paul Kamenar—names MPD Commander Jason Bagshaw and MPD Officer Neil McAllister, and alleges other unnamed officers took part in the beatings.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The widow of fallen NYPD officer Jonathan Diller had harsh words for elected officials when giving the eulogy at her husband’s funeral. Stephanie Diller, who survives her husband along with their one-year-old son, said that her husband died as a he lived, a hero.
“How many more police officers and how many more families have to make the ultimate sacrifice before we start protecting them?” Diller said during the funeral, which took place on Holy Saturday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Woman Arrested for Hitting Man With Ax, Stabbing Uber Driver in Tacoma
TACOMA, Wash. — A 21-year-old woman is in jail after reportedly hitting a man in the head with an ax and stealing his car, then stabbing an Uber driver multiple times and also stealing his car, according to the Tacoma Police Department (TPD).
A man reported to police that a person was stealing his car in the 1100 block of South Highland Street on Friday afternoon, March 29. In the call, the man is heard warning the suspect not to hit him with an object, according to Detective William “Mac” Muse, a public information officer for TPD.
A witness later told police the suspect hit the man with an ax and then fled in his car. He was taken to the hospital with serious injuries and is expected to survive, Muse said.
His car was found in the 1800 block of Market Street, about 4 miles away in downtown Tacoma. As officers were recovering the car around 5 p.m., a second report came in about an assault and robbery with the same suspect in the 3400 block of Ruston Way near Duke’s Seafood restaurant.
At the scene, police found an Uber driver had been stabbed multiple times in the chest and arms. A person had applied a tourniquet to the man; he was transported to the hospital with serious injuries and is also expected to survive, Muse said.
The suspect fled in the Uber driver’s car. Police said they believe the suspect called the Uber after ditching the first stolen car and that he drove the suspect to the waterfront location.
The Uber driver’s stolen car was found in the 7400 block of East F Street. Officers found the suspect, a 21-year-old woman, hiding in a nearby yard on East E Street.
Police said she was arrested and booked into Pierce County Jail for two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of first-degree theft.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Niagara Falls Declares State of Emergency Ahead of April 8 Total Eclipse as 1m Expected
Niagara Falls, Canada, has declared a state of emergency ahead of the April 8 total eclipse as 1 million people are expected to flood the area.
The Ontario side of the falls has started to prepare for the expected influx in visitors coming to see the total social eclipse in early April.
The famous falls have been listed by National Geographic as one of the best places to see the eclipse — a phenomena not seen in the area since 1979. The city is within the path where the moon will entirely block the sun for a few minutes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
1,700 Arrests Made in Ongoing Drug Raids in France
French police have detained 1,738 people in numerous raids on the drug scene across the country in recent days.
“We will continue the anti-drug operations,” France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Saturday afternoon in Saint-Denis near Paris. Drug trafficking is to be eradicated, he added.
During the operations over the past 10 days or so, €2.4 million ($2.6 million) have been confiscated. The forces also seized 150 kilograms of drugs, mainly cocaine and heroin.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: ISIS-Linked Egyptian Arrested Over Terror Plot on Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
An allegedly ISIS-tied Egyptian man was arrested in France in connection to a suspected terrorist plot against the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.
French officers of the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) arrested a 62-year-old Egyptian with reported links to the so-called Islamic State in Paris earlier this month on suspicion of planning an attack on the Notre Dame Cathedral.
While his arrest was initially reported at the time, the suspected terrorist’s ties to ISIS, his nationality, and his alleged planned attack on the medieval Catholic cathedral, which is still being repaired after being badly damaged in a 2019 fire, were first reported on Sunday by Le Journal du Dimanche.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary: Central Statistical Office Reports Growth in Average Wages
In January, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) reported that the average gross wage of full-time employees was HUF 605,100 (EUR 1,530), with net wages, after discounts, averaging HUF 416,600 (EUR 1,053).
Compared to the previous year, average gross earnings rose by 14.6 percent, net earnings by 14.5 percent, and real wages by 10.4 percent, while consumer prices increased by 3.8 percent. The median gross wages reached HUF 493,700 (EUR 1,248), and the median net wages amounted to HUF 341,700 (EUR 864), showing increases of 16.9 and 16.0 percent respectively compared to January of the previous year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Friends of Normale ‘Dismayed’ by Decision on Scientific Call
‘Universities to always enhance science as element of dialogue’
The Association of Friends of the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa said Saturday it is “dismayed” at the academic senate’s request for the call for proposals issued by the foreign ministry for scientific cooperation with Israel in 2024 to be reconsidered.
“The Association of Friends of the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa has discussed internally the motion approved by a majority vote of the School’s Academic Senate on March 26, 2024, in particular the point asking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to reconsider the 2024 Scientific Announcement issued on November 21, 2023 in implementation of the Italy-Israel Industrial, Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement,” the association said in a statement.
“The numerous members of the Association who took part in the meeting all expressed their dismay and many their opposition to the request for reconsideration of the Call for Proposals, believing that university institutions such as the Normale should rather, while respecting the opinions of individuals, concern themselves with always enhancing science, culture and art as elements of dialogue and universal connection,” it added.
“The Association asked the Director of the School to make these considerations known to the Academic Senate,” the statement concluded.
The academic senate at the prestigious Pisa university reportedly approved the motion on the request of students on Tuesday amid mounting protests in Italian universities over the impact on the civilian population of Gaza of Israel’s war against Hamas sparked by the terrorist attacks of October 7.
In the motion the university also renewed calls, “also in the light of the UN resolution of March 25, 2024, for the release of the hostages and an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in order to prevent the further deterioration of a now desperate humanitarian situation that is increasingly taking the form of an unacceptable form of collective punishment of the Palestinian population”.
Last week Turin university’s academic senate announced the decision not to take part in the same call for proposals after pro-Palestinian left-wing collectives occupied its premises.
However, university dean Stefano Geuna said it “was an action on a very specific call” and that “all the agreements currently in force with Israeli universities, and there are many, remain valid”.
Following the decision and the de-platforming of La Repubblica editor Maurizio Molinari at a Naples university a few days earlier, Noemi Di Segni, the president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, said “every red line has now been crossed and concern about the university situation is overflowing”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Siena Uni for Foreigners Suspends Teaching for Eid Al-Fitr
‘In solidarity with the Palestinian population of Gaza’
The University for Foreigners of Siena announced Saturday that it will suspend lessons on April 10 for the Eid-al-Fitr holiday marking the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting.
Dean Tommaso Montanari explained in the formal decree that the suspension is intended to be a “visible sign of solidarity with the Palestinian population of Gaza, a large part of which is Muslim, subjected to an incessant, unprecedented massacre”.
The university also intends to suspend teaching on October 11 for Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Repentance, which falls almost “one year after the 7 October massacre” by Hamas against Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
“Our statutory mission is to build multiculturalism and to contribute to peaceful coexistence between peoples,” said Montanari in the decree.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Man Arrested After Several Taken Hostage in Dutch Bar
150 homes have been evacuated in the town of Ede, the Netherlands where an attacker unknown has taken several people hostage at a popular drinking spot overnight.
UPDATE 1330: At a press conference following the hostage situation, Chief Officer of the East Netherlands Public Prosecution Service Marthyne Kunst said that the suspect was armed with several knives and had shown them to the hostages. It has also been revealed that the suspect was known to law enforcement, however, no motive for the incident has been revealed.
UPDATE 1200: Local law enforcement and city government officials in Ede have confirmed to Dutch broadcaster NOS that a hostage situation in a cafe has come to an end, with a fourth hostage being released and a man wearing a balaclava being taken into police custody. The motive behind the incident remains unclear at the time of this reporting.
The original story continues as follows…
Large numbers of police, special units including snipers, police robots, and other emergency services personnel descended on the central Dutch town of Ede in the early hours of Saturday morning after patrons at the Petticoat Cafe, a late-night bar that was due to remain open and serving drinks until 0400 Central European Time (2300 EST) this morning, were taken hostage.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: XR Blocks A10 Highway Near Amsterdam, 25 Climate Activists Arrested
The climate action group Extinction Rebellion (XR) will block the A10 highway near Amsterdam for the third time on Saturday. Hundreds of activists were arrested during the two previous actions. According to the municipality of Amsterdam and the public prosecutor’s office (OM), XR’s actions endanger traffic safety. The climate action group, however, described the actions as “safe and responsible.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pope Francis Pulls Out of Stations of the Cross, Citing ‘Health’ Reasons
ROME — Pope Francis stayed home on Good Friday instead of presiding over the Stations of the Cross (Viacrucis) at Rome’s Colosseum as previously announced.
“To preserve his health for tomorrow’s Vigil and the Holy Mass on Easter Sunday,” the Vatican Press Office said in a statement, “Pope Francis will follow the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum this evening from the Casa Santa Marta.”
The statement was issued at the last possible moment after the Vatican confirmed the pontiff’s presence just hours earlier. Vatican News seemed to downplay the importance of Francis’s absence by noting that he skipped the Viacrucis ceremony in 2023 as well, being substituted at the Colosseum with Cardinal Angelo de Donatis, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome.
The 87-year-old pope has missed a number of activities of late and at times has called on aides to read prepared speeches for him.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden Quran Burner Says He Will Go to Norway
An Iraqi who burned the Quran in Sweden said on Wednesday that he was leaving the country for Norway after the Swedish government revoked his residency permit.
‘Sweden doesn’t respect me’
Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Christian Iraqi, told AFP news agency that he had left Sweden and arrived in Norway, where he planned to seek asylum.
“I left Sweden because of the persecution I was subjected to by government institutions,” Momika said in a text message.
In an interview published Wednesday by Swedish tabloid Expressen, Momika said, “I am on my way to Norway. Sweden only accepts terrorists who are granted asylum and given protection, while philosophers and thinkers are expelled.”
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Revellers were seen in fancy dress while others wore skimpy outfits to go on the Leeds Otley Run pub crawl with their friends.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Counter-Terror Investigation Launched After Iranian Journalist Stabbed Outside London Home
An Iranian journalist was hospitalised after being stabbed multiple times outside of his home in London on Friday afternoon.
British counterterrorism police have launched an investigation after the stabbing of UK-based Iranian journalist Pouria Zeraati, who hosts a programme on the Iran International television network, which has been heavily critical of the Islamist government in Tehran.
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UK: Iranian Journalist Who Was Stabbed Outside Home Shares Pic of Him in Hospital
An Iranian journalist who was stabbed outside his London home has shared a picture of himself smiling in his hospital bed.
Pouria Zeraati, a presenter for London-based independent Iranian TV channel Iran International, was attacked outside his home in Wimbledon, south London, on Friday night.
The journalist, who according to police is in a stable condition, posted the picture on X shows him making a ‘peace’ sign gesture while dressed in a hospital gown and surrounded by wires and medical equipment.
A spokesperson for Iran International also confirmed that Mr Zeraati was “doing very well” while recovering in hospital, adding that the attack was “hugely frightening”.
Mr Zeraat being attacked comes after it was revealed earlier this year that UK counter-terrorism police foiled 15 plots linked to Iran, with journalists who have criticised Tehran’s regime among those reportedly targeted, The Telegraph reports.
The Met said the motivation for the attack was not yet clear but the investigation is being investigated by specialist officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command (CTC) because of his occupation and recent threats towards UK-based Iranian journalists.
| — Hat tip: Dora | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Labour Party Leader Faces Backlash Over Use of Union Jack Flag
Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly facing backlash for using the Union Jack flag over concerns that it could alienate ethnic minority voters.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Houghton Hall, family seat of David Cholmondeley, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, is under scrutiny from internet sleuths who claim the pile contains valuables looted from the Qing Dynasty.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Watch: Mob of 300 Children Rampage Through Shopping Centre
Hundreds of schoolchildren charged through a shopping centre with some tussling with security guards, before police issued a dispersal order.
The mob of youngsters, involved in what police called “an incident of anti-social behaviour” in Milton Keynes on Thursday afternoon, was caught in video footage shared online.
A security guard can be seen grabbing a boy’s backpack and pulling him to the ground in a clip shared widely on social media.
The crowds of children, many in school uniform, appear to be pushing and shoving both the guards and police officers. The clip shows a boy slouching on the floor against the wall and talking to one of the guards.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pictures taken on Saturday night show thousands of people taking to Kaplan Street in the city, the site of weekly anti-government protests.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Confirms Troops Killed 2 Palestinians on Gaza Beach
JERUSALEM — Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinians and wounded a third on Gaza’s beach, the military acknowledged Saturday, responding to a video that showed one man falling to the ground after walking in an open area and then a bulldozer pushing two bodies into the garbage-strewn sand.
The military said troops opened fire after the men allegedly ignored warning shots.
The video was broadcast earlier this week by the Al Jazeera television network. The origin of the footage remains unknown, as is the date of the incident. Al Jazeera said at least two of the three men seen in the blurry videos were waving white flags before being shot at.
The video follows several similar clips that have surfaced in recent months showing Palestinians in war-stricken Gaza being fired at or killed while seeming to pose little threat to Israeli forces nearby. In January, footage showed a man being shot dead while walking in a group of people waving a white flag. Another video broadcast by Al Jazeera last week appeared to show an Israeli strike killing at least four Palestinians walking on a sandy path in southern Gaza.
In response to the beach shootings, the Israeli army said Saturday that the video was edited and depicts two separate incidents across different locations in central Gaza. Al Jazeera said both shootings took place close to each other on a beachfront southwest of Gaza City.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
Leader of Islamic Jihad Vows Victory Over Israel in the War in Gaza
TEHRAN , Iran (AP) — The leader of the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad vowed victory over Israel in the war in Gaza as he met Iran’s foreign minister for talks in Tehran Saturday.
“I promise you that we will be the victors in the war,” Ziad al-Nakhalah told reporters, according to the official IRNA news agency. He called his meeting with Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian “important” and thanked Iran for its support for the Palestinians.
Iran hasn’t directly intervened in the Israel-Hamas war, despite long describing Israel as its archenemy. However, experts say Iran provides both financial and political support to Islamic Jihad and Hamas, the terrorist group that runs Gaza and that launched the Oct. 7 attack on Israel in which more than 1,200 people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Denies Involvement in Explosion at Lebanese Border That Injured Civilians
Three United Nations observers and a language assistant were injured in an explosion while patrolling the line that divides Lebanon and Israel , the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has said.
They were evacuated from the area for medical treatment.
The origin of the explosion is still under investigation, UNIFIL said, and Israel denied any involvement.
The military observers are part of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, which supports the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon .
Reuters earlier reported that an Israeli strike had hit a car carrying UN observers outside the border town of Rmeish, citing two security sources, but the Israeli Defence Forces denied the allegations on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Contrary to the reports, the IDF did not strike a UNIFIL vehicle in the area of Rmeish this morning,” the Israeli military wrote.
UNIFIL repeated its call for “all actors to cease the current heavy exchanges of fire before more people are unnecessarily hurt.”
“All actors have a responsibility under international humanitarian law to ensure protection to non-combatants, including peacekeepers, journalists, medical personnel , and civilians,” it said in a statement.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Zelensky Sacks Top Staffers in Ongoing Personnel Shakeup
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed a longtime aide and several advisers on Saturday in a continuing reshuffle while Russia unleashed fresh attacks overnight.
Zelenskyy dismissed top aide Serhiy Shefir from his post of first assistant, where he had served since 2019. The Ukrainian president also let go three advisers, and two presidential representatives overseeing volunteer activities and soldier’s rights.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police confirmed to Daily Mail Australia they will allege the three boys entered the woman’s Bourke home about 2am last Friday and stole the woman’s Mitsubishi Outlander.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Hollywood A-lister Mark Wahlberg has taken time out from a round of golf to issue an urgent plea to save the Aussie course he was playing on.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Sydney is now so expensive more than 38,400 people are moving out every year as 146,702 migrants arrive. Here are the young people looking to flee Sydney — or have made the move.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Cuba Bans Holy Week Processions, Fearing More Anti-Communist Protests
The Communist Party of Cuba reportedly banned Christians from celebrating traditional Catholic Holy Week processions across several regions of the country in anticipation of Easter, including processions observed on Good Friday.
Catholics mark Holy Week every year to commemorate the Passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As it is a moveable observance, 2024’s Holy Week began on Palm Sunday, March 24, and concludes on Easter Sunday, March 31.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police in Haiti Say 2 Men Were Hacked to Death by a Mob Who Thought They Were Buying Ammo for Gangs
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Two men in Haiti were hacked to death by a mob who thought they were buying ammunition or guns for gangs that have terrorized the country, police said Saturday.
Police confirmed the crowd snatched the men from police custody after they were found with about $20,000 and the equivalent of about $43,000 in Haitian cash in their car, along with two pistols and a box of ammunition.
Carrying that amount of cash was considered suspicious, and residents assumed it was a weapons purchase for the gangs.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary: Prime Minister’s Chief Advisor Criticizes EU’s Response to Illegal Migration
Illegal migration is on the rise, and according to the Prime Minister’s Chief Advisor on Homeland Security, the European Union’s response has not effectively boosted security, but rather has only managed the migration wave.
György Bakondi highlighted that the aim of the “Soros-plan” is being realized, which means the annual reception and distribution of one million illegal immigrants among European countries. Last year alone, more than one million asylum applications were submitted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
There are rising concerns that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is infiltrating the United States’ sensitive military site in Guam where over 20,000 troops are stationed.
A growing number of Chinese nationals have been sneaking in from the Northern Mariana Islands into Guam, which makes the U.S. territory susceptible to CCP influence.
Guam is the location of the Navy’s only submarine base in the western Pacific. It also hosts a ‘strategically important’ air base with bombers and fighter jets.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Slammed on Social Media After Announcing Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter Sunday
President Joe Biden was slammed on social media Saturday after marking Easter Sunday, the most solemn Christian holiday, as ‘Transgender Day of Visibility.’
Prominent Christians, politicians, and commenters flooded social media platforms with criticism after the announcement from the White House. While March 31 has been designated to honor the transgender movement since Biden took office, this year it falls on Easter Sunday, one of the most important days for Christians, as they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Saturday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared March 31, 2024, Transgender Day of Visibility, and announced that state landmarks would be lit up with pink, white, and light blue lights.
In a statement, Hochul said, “Today we celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility by acknowledging the contributions that members of the transgender community have made in New York State and across the country.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NYC Kindergarten Students Learning About Penises, Vulvas Through City’s HIV/Aids Curriculum
New York City public school students as young as 4 are learning the ABCs of HIV in kindergarten, including through a book that identifies vulvas and penises, The Post has learned.
The city’s HIV/AIDS curriculum, which was revamped in September, centers lessons for 4— and 5-year-olds around a book called “These are My Eyes, This is My Nose, This is My Vulva, These are My Toes,” by Lexx “The Sex Doc” Brown-James, a St. Louis-based sex educator and therapist.
“Some girls wear dresses, some girls won’t, some girls have vulvas and some girls don’t,” the book says. “Some boys have a penis but not all boys do. To always use your manners, ask ‘What may I call you?,’“ it continues.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump slammed Biden for his ‘years-long assault on the Christian faith’ and said his Easter tradition-busting decisions are ‘appalling and insulting.’
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
After President Biden sparked fury by declaring March 31 “Transgender Day of Visibility,” which this year is also Easter Sunday, former President Trump called for an immediate apology to millions of Christians and Catholics.
Trump’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, called it “appalling and insulting” that Biden “formally proclaimed Easter Sunday as ‘Trans Day of Visibility.’“
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
What the [vulgar expletive]?
Easter is now some Trans circus freaks day.?
I will tell you what.
Trans-reconing day is coming soon…
Feedem to the muzzy’s, they’ll know what to do.
___________________________________________________________
Interview with Ray McGovern
Raymond McGovern (born August 25, 1939) is an American political activist and former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer.
McGovern was a CIA analyst from 1963 to 1990, and in the 1980s chaired National Intelligence Estimates and prepared the President’s Daily Brief. He received the Intelligence Commendation Medal at his retirement, returning it in 2006 to protest the CIA’s involvement in torture.
McGovern’s post-retirement work includes commenting for RT and Sputnik News, among other outlets, on intelligence and foreign policy issues. In 2003 he co-founded Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS).
https://youtu.be/_REaA5G8qeI?si=I27gnlKPjJAPMEPf
SOURCE:
WEB CHANNEL:
Håkan Bergmark TV
How to End the War in Ukraine:
Ray McGovern Debate U.S. Policy on Russia, NATO & More
https://youtu.be/O8Ya4QXB_7c?si=qDeyDtgzp4BVtqDx
Democracy Now!
As the U.S. pours billions in military aid into Ukraine, we host a debate on the Biden administration’s response to the war and U.S. policy toward Russia amid increasing calls among progressives for a diplomatic end to the conflict.
We speak to Ray McGovern, a former CIA analyst who specialized in the Soviet Union. “Everyone understands that at some point there will need to be a negotiation to bring this war to a close, but I think the tension within the progressive community comes to when and how that . McGovern stressest that U.S. policymakers must understand Russia’s motivations, saying Russia sees the eastward expansion of NATO as threatening its core interests akin to how the United States viewed the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s. “We need to go back and figure out how this all started in order to figure out how to end it,” says McGovern..
So, a Dindu Nuffins is calling for reparations.
Funniest thing I know. What a joke.
To heck with reparations, let’s talk about repatriations.