A Syrian migrant was arrested today in Germany for stabbing a 4-year-old girl in a supermarket. Meanwhile, an illegal immigrant in Illinois is accused of brutally stabbing his wife to death and nearly decapitating her in front of their two children.
In other news, the governor of Russia’s Murmansk region, Andrei Chibis, was stabbed in the stomach after a meeting today in the town of Apatity.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, Insubria, JW, McN, MM, Reader from Chicago, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
Nationwide Gas Prices Top $3.50, Spiking More Than 45% Under Joe Biden
The nationwide average price for regular gas topped $3.54 a gallon, a spike of more than 45 percent under President Joe Biden, AAA reported Wednesday.
In the past month, gas prices rose 20 cents ($3.34), about one dollar more expensive ($2.38) than when Trump left office.
Gas prices remain high and could go higher due to industry and political factors. Biden’s economic war on American energy independence during instability in the Middle East and in Ukraine are significant factors.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) suggested that House Speaker Mike Johnson is being “blackmailed” because of his “complete departure” from Republican concerns, saying the Louisiana Republican “has completely changed his character.”
“Mike Johnson has completely changed his character in a matter of about five months after he has become speaker of the House,” Greene told Tucker Carlson in a recent episode of Tucker Carlson Uncensored.
Carlson pointed to Johnson’s meeting with Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky — after which Johnson said that the second congressional recess ends, “his number one priority at a moment when the U.S. is being invaded” is to “ send that $60 billion to Ukraine, possibly as a loan.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Fifth of Adults Say Violence Needed to Get Nation on Track
(The Center Square) — About 20% of U.S. adults said Americans may have to resort to violence to get the country back on track, according to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll released Wednesday.
While the vast majority of Americans surveyed disagree with that premise, some see violence as a path to secure political priorities in 2024, according to the poll.
Some 6% strongly agreed that Americans may have to resort to violence to get the country back on track. Another 13% agreed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
ABC News ‘Climate’ Reporter Robbed in Oakland During Daytime ‘Smash & Grab’
Ginger Zee, ABC News’s chief “climate correspondent,” has been robbed in the crime-infested California city of Oakland, according to reports.
Zee, who describes herself on social media as a meteorologist, posted a photo of the aftermath of the incident.
In the post, Zee says she was targeted by a “smash & grab” robbery in broad daylight.
While Zee didn’t indicate where the incident occurred, the theft appears to have happened in Oakland according to geo-tagging.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Thursday, America First Legal announced that it had filed a lawsuit against the Department of Defense, alleging that the federal agency had illegally concealed records regarding the Presidential Information Technology Committee, which was set up by the Obama administration to “improve the information resources and information systems provided to the President.”
AFL argued that the documents, which it requested via a Freedom of Information Act request in January, “could exonerate” Donald Trump in his classified documents case.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of President Biden’s voting access executive order will soon make its way to the Supreme Court in what some experts are calling “the most important legal issue” heading into the November elections.
A group of Pennsylvania lawmakers sued Biden and several federal agencies over Executive Order 14019 on “promoting access to voting,” which the president issued in March 2021.
The 27 GOP lawmakers, members of the state Freedom Caucus, argued that the order is essentially an executive get-out-the-vote effort targeting key demographics to benefit the president’s political party and own re-election, which they argue is unconstitutional with Congress having never enacted a law that grants such an action from the Oval Office.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Department of Justice has recommended prison time for 40-year-old Aimee Harris, the woman who allegedly stole a diary belonging to Ashley Biden ahead of the 2020 election.
In a letter to Chief United States District Judge for the Southern District of the New York Laura Taylor Swain, the DOJ argued that a sentence of four to 10 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release would be an adequate punishment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tyree Conyers-Page, actor and self-proclaimed “world’s sexiest albino” who gained prominence as a Black Lives Matter activist, now finds himself embroiled in controversy as he faces accusations of fraud and misappropriation of funds totaling $500,000.
Page, known for a role in the TV show “American Horror Story,” has been charged with wire fraud and two counts of money laundering, according to a report from the Daily Mail.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NEW YORK CITY — A “culture of lawlessness” has allowed squatters to take control of properties and haul homeowners through costly, lengthy legal battles, a real estate broker facing alleged squatters of her own told Fox News.
“Squatters are a major problem not only in the area, but all over New York,” Top Nest Properties broker Ejona Bardhi Shyti told Fox News while standing in Queens.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California Governor Gavin Newsom Announces AI-Powered Surveillance Rollout
California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that 480 new cameras are being installed “along freeways and in Oakland to make the area safer.”
Describing the cameras as “high tech,” the Democrat said in a video posted on X that this will “help law enforcement identify vehicles linked to crimes using real-time information and alerts.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
BOSTON — A deadly, late-season nor’easter pounded the Northeast as the system meandered off the New England coast Thursday, bringing damaging wind gusts, rain and heavy snow that have toppled trees and knocked out power to more than 600,000 customers from Pennsylvania to Maine.
Police in Pennsylvania say two people were killed when trees fell onto their cars during the storm. One victim was identified as an 82-year-old woman who was killed when a tree fell and crushed her car while waiting at a stoplight in Collegeville on Wednesday.
And a 70-year-old man was killed when a tree fell onto his car in Aston Township late Wednesday afternoon.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Thursday, Elon Musk announced that a system-wide purge of bots and trolls had kicked off on X.
He vowed to track down those overseeing the spam accounts and dealing with them appropriately.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ex-Google Employee Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison for Threatening to Kill Supreme Court Justice
A former Google employee from Florida has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for threatening to kill U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
43-year-old Neal Brij Sidhwaney, a former software programmer at Google, was sentenced Tuesday after being convicted of making death threats, CBS News reported.
After his arrest, Sidhwaney later identified Chief Justice Roberts as his intended victim.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Federal Judge Rules Millions of NRA Members Exempt From ATF Pistol Brace Rule
Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (Emphasis ours)
A federal judge has blocked the ATF from enforcing its pistol brace rule for millions of members of the National Rifle Association (NRA) as the appeals process plays out.
It came after the NRA filed a lawsuit against the ATF, or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, arguing that the agency’s rule to reclassify the brace-equipped pistols as short-barreled rifles is unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay sided with the gun rights group, arguing that the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals already concluded that the ATF pistol-brace rule “fails the logical outgrowth test and violates” the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and is “unlawful” under the act.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A woman who formerly worked for Dolton, Illinois Mayor Tiffany Henyard spoke to Fox News Channel this week about her lawsuit against her former employer, claiming she is suing the mayor after she was forced to work out of her car and ultimately fired.
“People are having issues from the leadership of this administration,” former Thornton Township Human Resources manager Sandra Tracy told “America’s Newsroom” on Thursday, after stating the stress resulted in her having a major heart attack.
Co-host Bill Hemmer spoke to Tracy about the situation, stating, “I understand you showed up for work, you were locked out, you worked out of your car in the parking lot for months, and then you were fired.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Google Accused of Censoring Magazine’s Coverage of Islamic Terrorism
In an account from Front Page Magazine, Google has been accused of platform shunning due to the site’s coverage of Islamic terrorism.
Daniel Greenfield, a journalist with the David Horowitz Freedom Center, shared in the center’s leading publication about Google AdSense’s exceptionally pointed rejection of the Center’s bid for its ad services. Allegedly, Google referred to a Front Page report that delved into a terror attack and the extremist Islamic ideologies of the attackers as grounds for rejecting the application. Greenfield wrote that Google “told us what we could do to make our way into the good graces of the company that dominates online search and advertising, controlling what much of the country and the world sees.”
According to Greenfield, Google initially charged Front Page with consistently posting “dangerous or derogatory content.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Judge Denies Trump First Amendment Challenge to Dismiss Georgia Election Charges
Authored by Catherine Yang via The Epoch Times
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has denied former President Donald Trump’s motion to dismiss charges under the First Amendment, noting that the way the challenge was brought limited the arguments that could be made.
“Without foreclosing the ability to raise similar as-applied challenges at the appropriate time after the establishment of a factual record, the Defendants’ motions based on First Amendment grounds are denied,” the judge wrote in an April 4 order.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A federal judge in New Mexico has ruled that the state must hand over voter registration data to a group of election integrity investigators.
The state’s Democrat leaders must provide voter registration data to the Voter Reference Foundation (VRF).
The VRF is an election integrity group that publishes voter rolls online for public inspection.
The conservative group maintains an online database of voter rolls in over 30 states.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The owner of a Kansas newspaper that was raided by law enforcement in August 2023 has filed a lawsuit against the officials involved, accusing them of violating First Amendment rights and of retaliating against the local paper.
Eric Meyers, owner of the Marion County Record, filed a lawsuit on Monday in the US District Court for Kansas against the city, Marion County Sheriff Jeff Soyez, Marion County Detective Aaron Christner, acting police chief Gideon Cody, former mayor David Mayfield, and the Board of County Commissioners, according to the Washington Post.
Meyer alleged in the lawsuit that the August raids on both the paper’s newsroom as well as Meyer’s home, where his mother and co-owner of the paper, Joan Meyer, lived, led to the sudden death of his mother.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Leftist Explodes in TDS-Fueled Rage After Police Join Trump on Rally Stage
A shocking new video is going viral on social media as it reminds Americans of the outbursts fueled by Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) after the 2016 election.
In the video, a rabid leftist explodes with rage over police officers joining President Donald Trump on stage during his rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The sweating man screams and shouts into the camera about law enforcement supporting Trump’s anti-crime agenda.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Majority of Voters Say U.S. Heading in the Wrong Direction
(The Center Square) — Sixty-two percent of voters say the U.S. is moving in the wrong direction in advance of the 2024 election, according to a new poll, but the responses show it depends on who is answering the question.
The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll, conducted in conjunction with Noble Predictive Insights, shows stark differences between how Democrats and Republicans see things across the nation as Donald Trump and Joe Biden prepare for a re-match this November.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Charged With Setting Fire to a Philly Pharmacy During 2020 Protests
A Philadelphia man has been charged with arson in connection to a fire that was started during the 2020 protests, according to officials.
34-year-old Tyrone Wise was indicted for starting a fire inside the Sunray Drugs Pharmacy on South 60th Street on May 31, 2020, officials said.
The fire caused severe damage to the store as well as the apartments located inside the building, officials explained.
Wise faces five to 20 years in prison if he is convicted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Who Used Megaphone to Lead Attack on Police During Capitol Riot Gets Over 7 Years in Prison
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Washington state man who used a megaphone to orchestrate a mob’s attack on police officers guarding the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Wednesday to more than seven years in prison.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth said videos captured Taylor James Johnatakis playing a leadership role during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Johnatakis led other rioters on a charge against a police line, “barked commands” over his megaphone and shouted step-by-step directions for overpowering officers, the judge said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ministry of Truth: Hawaii Lawmakers Call for Set Standards for Ethical News Sources
Lawmakers in the US state of Hawaii are trying to get a journalist association there to come up with and adhere to a new “process” that would make sure their sources are “ethical and objective.”
This comes in the shape of a state Senate resolution asking the Society of Professional Journalists chapter in Hawaii to find a way to carry out such evaluation.
This week, the resolution was passed by the Judiciary Committee with no votes against or abstainees, and is now headed for adoption by the Senate.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A New England hospital system has stopped automatically filing state welfare reports when a baby is born with drugs in its system, because it “disproportionately affects black individuals.”
Put another way, the Mass General Brigham Hospital system is disproportionately failing to protect black babies from their addict parents, in what they claim is a move to address “racial and ethnic inequities” present in healthcare.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New York Judge ‘Mistakenly’ Describes Trump Jan. 6 Case as “Federal Insurrection Matter”
Authored by Catherine Yang via The Epoch Times
On April 3, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan denied a defense motion to adjourn the upcoming trial scheduled for April 15, and in his order, referred to former President Donald Trump’s case before the Supreme Court as the “Federal Insurrection Matter.”
“Defendant fully briefed the issue of presidential immunity in his motion to dismiss the matter of United States v. Trump, US Dist Ct, DDC 23 CR 25, (TSC) (hereinafter “Federal Insurrection Matter”) on October 5, 2023,” Justice Merchan wrote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
No Labels Declines to Field Candidate in 2024 Presidential Sweeps: ‘A Hero Never Emerged’
The bipartisan centrist political group No Labels announced Thursday it would decline to field a presidential candidate in the 2024 election.
No Labels National Political Director Joe Cunningham, a former Democratic congressman from South Carolina, told Fox News the decision was not made lightly.
“Let me say, it’s not for lack of trying,” Cunningham said on “Your World.” “The short answer is that to field this ticket, No Labels was looking for a hero, and a hero never emerged.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poll: Voters Want Schools to Focus on Basics Instead of Critical Race Theory
(The Center Square) — The vast majority of people think schools should focus on traditional subjects like math, reading and science, and a majority also say critical race theory should not be taught, a new poll shows.
According to The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll conducted by Noble Predictive, most surveyed said they want schools to focus on core subjects instead of hot-button topics like critical race theory.
Critical race theory is a theoretical framework that explores systematic oppression and racism within institutions. A number of states have passed laws limiting discussions about it or some of its key tenets in classrooms, arguing it’s racist.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poll: Majority of Likely Voters Do Not Trust News Media
(The Center Square) — Americans do not trust several major U.S. institutions, particularly the national news media.
The Center Square Voters’ Voice poll found that 43% of Americans say the media is trustworthy, compared with 54% who said it is not trustworthy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Protesters Block Sunnyvale Lockheed Martin Facility
Protesters blocked entrances to a Lockheed Martin research facility in Sunnyvale on Thursday morning over what they say is the defense contractor’s role in Israel’s ongoing bombing of Gaza.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Nasa mission that purposefully launched a spacecraft into an asteroid could result in meteorites that will punch craters in Mars.
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (Dart), travelling at 14,000 miles per hour, knocked the asteroid Dimorphos off course in 2022 in order to test Earth’s defences.
The mission was a triumph as it showed that it is possible to redirect objects in space, with Nasa tweeting “IMPACT SUCCESS!” after the collision.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Statewide Emergency Declared in Indiana Ahead of Solar Eclipse
Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb issued a statewide emergency due to a large influx of visitors to his state to view the total solar eclipse on April 8.
The Republican official said that the number of visitors to Indiana may strain the state’s communications, transportation, and emergency response systems, warranting the need for the declaration. Indiana includes some of the best locations in the United States to see the eclipse, according to a map of the path of totality.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Supreme Court Considers Hawaiian Climate Change Lawsuit That Could Destroy Energy Industry
We’re all familiar with progressive gun control groups and their lawsuits against the firearms industry — The basic premise being that gun manufacturers should be held liable when their products are used in the commission of a crime. Such litigation is designed to destroy entire industries financially rather than politically. In other words, if Democrats can’t change the law and they can’t change the minds of the public about 2nd Amendment rights, then they will try to force change by crippling the companies that make the guns they don’t like.
The legal argument is absurd because it requires courts to assume business liability based on the misuse of their products. If someone uses a Toyota truck as a getaway vehicle during a robbery, does Toyota share in the liability of that robbery? What if the plaintiffs couldn’t even prove they were robbed, or that a Toyota truck was involved? What if the entire robbery is based on a theory backed by zero concrete evidence? Should Toyota be made to pay billions or shut down operations to appease victims that cannot show they were victimized?
The answer is no, of course not, but that’s not how the Supreme Court of Hawaii sees the issue when it comes to climate change.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Texas couple is demanding lawmakers take action to mitigate squatting after the homeowners say they were abused by a contractor who refuses to leave their fixer-upper property.
Yudith Matthews and Abram Mendez hired the contractor to complete tile work in their San Antonio home, but claim after they fired him, he refused to leave. He is now reportedly living in the house, but they said the police won’t help.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Top Pathologist: Cancers Spread ‘Like Wildfire’ After COVID Shots
One of the world’s most highly respected pathologists is raising the alarm after seeing cancers spreading rapidly in his patients after they’ve received Covid mRNA shots.
Dr. Ryan Cole says he observed cancer diagnoses soaring since the rollout of the injections for public use in 2021.
Before the mass vaccination campaign, Cole says his practice saw one endometrial cancer case every one to two months.
However, after the public started receiving mRNA injections, he said he was overwhelmed with endometrial cancer patients.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Calls for Sanctions, Censure of Special Counsel Jack Smith
(The Center Square) — Former President Donald Trump called for special counsel Jack Smith to be sanctioned or censured for “attacking” the judge in Trump’s classified documents case.
Trump’s comments on Thursday come after Smith and his team of prosecutors made it clear they think Judge Aileen Cannon’s latest ruling was based on “an unstated and fundamentally flawed legal premise.” Prosecutors objected to Cannon’s order to produce proposed jury instructions under two different legal scenarios. Smith said both legal scenarios were flawed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Voters in Illinois County May be Asked to Separate From Chicago, Form New State
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (WTVO) — A referendum asking downstate voters if they want to form a new Illinois, separated from Chicago, could appear on the November 5th ballot this year.
The Madison County Board’s Government Relations Committee approved the referendum with a 6-1 vote. It will now go to the full county board for consideration.
If passed, the proposal would have to receive 8,000 supporter’s signatures to appear on the Illinois General Election ballot in November.
The resolution would ask residents if the county “should correspond with the boards of other counties … about the possibility of separating from Cook County to form a new state and to seek admission to the Union.”
Leef and Douglas townships have already passed similar referendums.
According to The Telegraph, Madsion County committee members say Chicago-area policies “do not represent our values” in downstate Illinois.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Washington and Oregon Lead North America in Infrastructure Vandalism
A quarter of copper wire thefts in North America occur in Washington and Oregon, two states with massive homeless populations. The thefts take down telecommunication networks and put lives at risk.
According to KIRO 7, thieves are cutting cables from phone, cable, and internet providers to sell to local scrap yards for pennies on the dollar.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
What Lies Below: Pipeline Beneath Bridge Wreckage Complicates an Already Complex Cleanup
As a massive cargo ship plowed into the Key Bridge, killing six men and folding steel into mangled, unrecognizable chunks that fell to the bottom of the Patapsco River, a hidden threat lay below.
Beneath the 248-million pound ship, which has thousands of tons of bridge wreckage on top of the it, runs a high-pressure natural gas pipeline that’s 24 inches in diameter and spans the shipping channel. Damage to that line could have presented an entirely separate catastrophe; in other recent instances, mariners have died after striking an underwater line.
Efforts to isolate the Baltimore Gas and Electric pipeline and reduce its pressure began the morning of the March 26 bridge collapse, a Coast Guard spokesperson said. It took six days for the pipeline to be “inerted” — purged of its gas — and the danger mitigated.
Damage to the pipeline from an anchor or the ship itself could have caused an explosion at the time of the initial incident and made a “bad situation worse,” said Ed Landgraf, Director of Marine Safety at Texas811 and the chair of Coastal and Marine Operators (CAMO), a national nonprofit focused on preventing pipeline damage.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Wuhan-Linked Coronavirus Researcher to Testify Before Congress
(The Center Square) — Lawmakers plan to interrogate the head of Eco Health Alliance, the group accused of conducting dangerous coronavirus research in Wuhan, China, just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic will hold a public hearing May 1 where Dr. Peter Daszak is expected to testify. Daszak is the president of Eco Health Alliance, a U.S. nonprofit health research company that used taxpayer-funded grants to conduct coronavirus research.
The lawmakers on the committee allege that newly obtained documents show Daszak’s previous testimony misled the committee or misrepresented the facts.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Auto Theft Has Reached Crisis Levels, “ Police Say After Recovery of 598 Stolen Cars
Investigators who are part of a multi-jurisdictional investigation into Canada’s auto theft crisis announced the recovery of 598 stolen vehicles since the investigation began last December.
“In Canada, a vehicle is stolen every five minutes,” said Bryan Gast, vice president of investigative services for Équité Association. “Auto theft has reached crisis levels in Canada.”
Auto theft claims have skyrocketed since 2020, up 319% nationally, which prompted the Ontario Provincial Police’s Auto Theft and Towing team to partner up with the Canada Border Service Agency to recover vehicles and intercept them before they’re illegally exported out of the country.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Doug Ford Says it’s the Carbon Tax or Trudeau That Will Have to Go
If Justin Trudeau doesn’t get rid of the carbon tax, Canadians will get rid of him. That was the message from Ontario Premier Doug Ford on the heels of a hike to the beleaguered tax.
Ford had harsh words for Trudeau at a press conference Tuesday, one day after the Liberals raised the carbon tax by 23%, “against the urging of premiers of every political stripe,” costing Canadians 17.06 cents more per litre of gas.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Erin O’Toole Claims Conservative Opposition to Vaccine Mandates Was Reason He Lost
The Conservatives lost the last federal election by being on the “wrong side of public opinion on the vaccine mandate issue,” former leader Erin O’Toole says.
In an appearance before the Public Inquiry Into Foreign Interference, O’Toole, who led the Conservatives in the 2021 election, attributed his loss to the mandate debate.
O’Toole told the commission that Justin Trudeau called the election because the Conservatives’ position on mandates was unpopular.
The Conservative position in August 2021, when the last election was called, was that the COVID-19 vaccines should not be mandated for public transportation.
Instead, unvaccinated people should’ve been required to show a “recent negative test result” or pass a rapid test to be able to board a bus, train, plane or ship.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Queen’s University Introduces Med School Lottery to Increase Doctor Diversity
Queen’s University has unveiled a lottery system for its medical school admissions process, claiming that the new process will help address equity issues on a broad scale.
The new admissions process builds on an existing pathway that supported recruiting black and Indigenous high school students on an accelerated track.
In a press release issued Tuesday, the university claimed that inflated thresholds intended to manage applicant volume and emphasize extracurricular or volunteer activities “disadvantage certain groups, either due to inherent biases with the required tests, or by favouring the privilege required to build one’s application package.”
[Comment: Then going to the doctor will be more like a crap shoot.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
1 in 10 Poles Would Fight in Any Future War, New Survey Reveals
A recent survey shows that just over 11 percent of Poles are prepared to take up arms and engage in combat should war break out, amidst rising concerns over global conflicts.
In polling conducted for the weekly magazine Wprost, Poles were asked how they would react should the country become involved in a future war.
When asked what they would do if war broke out in Poland, 59 percent said they would definitely remain in the country.
In terms of involvement in any conflict, 11.3 percent would be willing to fight on the frontline, 30 percent expressed a willingness to assist in national defense by other means, and 17.7 percent preferred to avoid any form of involvement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Blinken Bombshell: “Ukraine Will Become a Member of NATO”
Update(1600ET): Secretary of State Antony Blinken just dropped an ultra-provocative bombshell statement which is sure to rile Moscow further. He told reporters Thursday in Brussels, where foreign ministers are meeting to prepare for the alliance’s annual meeting in July: “Ukraine will become a member of NATO. Our purpose at the summit is to help build a bridge to that membership.”
The meeting will mark the 75th anniversary that the alliance was established. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is meanwhile trying to get all 32 members to commit to long-term military funding for Ukraine, to the tune of $100 billion over a five-year period. He’s hoping for final agreement to be reached at the July meeting, current holdouts like Hungary notwithstanding.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU’s Plan to Mass Surveil Private Chats Has Leaked
The latest version of the proposed European Parliament (EP) and EU Council regulation to adopt new rules related to combating child sexual abuse has been made available online.
Despite its declared goal, the proposal, which first saw the light of day in May 2022 and is referred to by opponents as “chat control” is in fact a highly divisive draft of legislation that aims to accomplish the stated objective through mass surveillance of citizens’ private communications.
Now, the French site contexte.com has the full text of the newest version of the proposal — yet another controversial undertaking of the current, 6-month Belgian EU presidency. Judging by the leaked document, the key and most contentious components of “chat control” have not been changed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Industry Demands Federal Reforms to Boost Economic Growth
German business organizations are criticizing the coalition government’s economic policies and calling for reform measures to put the country on a growth path and maintain Germany’s competitiveness as a manufacturing base, business portal Vilaggazdasag reports.
According to Siegfried Russwurm, president of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is clearly underestimating the gravity of the situation.
Speaking to the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper about the time the traffic-light (red-yellow-green) coalition government has been in office so far, he said it was two wasted years, even if the wrong direction was largely set in the previous term.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Gives Indirect Support to Romanian President’s NATO Bid
Hungary appears to be supporting Romanian President Klaus Iohannis’ bid to become the next leader of NATO, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjartó hinted on Wednesday.
Speaking in Brussels following the first day of a meeting between the defense alliance’s foreign ministers, Szijjartó said, “Never before in NATO’s history has a Central or Eastern European member state given a Secretary General, so it is high time, especially given that the main security challenge is currently coming from this direction.”
The Hungarian minister did not name Iohannis, but others were quick to draw conclusions given Iohannis is the frontrunner from the region after announcing his candidacy two months ago.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Mayor Arrested Near Bari for Mafia Vote Buying
Regional transport chief quits in Puglia probe
A mayor of a town near Bari in Puglia was arrested on charges of mafia vote buying on Thursday.
Triggiano Mayor Antonio Donatelli of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) was placed under house arrest along with Sandro Cataldo, husband of Puglia PD regional transport councillor Anita Maurodinoia, who has resigned after being placed under investigation in the probe.
Police said votes were bought for as little as 50 euros a head in the 2021 local elections.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
NATO Head Denies Alliance is Party to Ukraine War Despite Military Aid
NATO member states have not yet decided on the structure of future assistance to Ukraine, but they have started planning for it, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday at the end of the first day of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
At the meeting, ministers discussed how to put assistance to Ukraine on a firmer and more permanent footing in the future.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Online Threats Against French Schools Prompt Shutdown of Digital Network
Since March 21st, an estimated 400 schools across France have been hit by threats of attacks transmitted through its internal servers used for communications between teachers, pupils, and parents.
The messages—one video, of a beheading, had been sent to several people—had “entered our students’ personal accounts,” Minister for Education and Youth Nicole Belloubet told RMC. The minister said that she had asked for the messaging system “to be suspended in order to reinitialize the accounts and issue new instructions.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In the wake of an attack on a humanitarian convoy in the Gaza Strip which resulted in the death of a Polish national, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk voiced his concerns over the comments made by his Israeli counterpart and the Israeli ambassador to Poland.
Tusk expressed “understandable anger” through a statement, prompting a sharp retort from his predecessor, Mateusz Morawiecki.
Using his X account, Donald Tusk directly addressed the events in the Gaza Strip and the attack on the humanitarian convoy, specifically calling out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli ambassador to Poland, Yacov Livne.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Slovakian Presidential Candidates Neck and Neck in Polls
Former Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini and ex-Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok are virtually tied in the race to become Slovakia’s next head of state. According to different opinion polls, the sovereigntist Pellegrini and the europhile Korcok are both polling between 48-52% before the second round of voting, set to take place on Saturday, April 6th. In the first round, Korcok received 42.5% of the votes, while Pellegrini received 37%.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Cold Weather and Easter Traffic Reveal Frailty of Electric Vehicle Dream
In Spain, long lines at electric car charging stations over the holiday travel weekend showed what can be expected from a future filled with electric cars.
Easter weekend is a peak travel time in Spain, with beach hotels fully booked and summer homes enjoyed by city-dwellers taking refuge in rural villages. El Debate reports that this year saw huge lines at the country’s main electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Waiting in line for as long as two hours just to plug in EVs was just the prelude to even more time spent charging them.
While the newspaper coverage is anecdotal, it reveals key weaknesses in the EV infrastructure and problems that could quickly become more common.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
— who spent 10 years in jail for attempted murder before becoming a international kingpin in the brutal world of dog fighting
Phillip Harris Ali — known as ‘Dr Death’ in the dog fighting world — abused dogs by filling them with steroids and pain killers to win thousands of pounds in battles held inside an Essex home.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
A driver has revealed how she was forced to scrap her car for just £250 after Sadiq Khan’s TfL repeatedly told her that her car did not meet emissions standards — only to change their minds two weeks later.
Tracy Doherty, 60, used her Renault Megane Sport Alize to drive from her home in Bexley, south east London to visit and care for her 80-year-old mother Elizabeth Henry in Woolwich.
Her petrol car, manufactured in 2000, meets emissions standards but despite Mrs Doherty submitting documents proving this ‘around 15 times’, TfL did not update their records.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Sadiq Khan Accused of ‘Secretly’ Plotting to Bring in ‘Pay-Per-Mile Charging’ on TOP of ULEZ
The Conservatives have claimed Sadiq Khan is plotting to bring in a “pay-per-mile” charging scheme.
Tory Mayoral candidate Susan Hall claimed the London Mayor has “only budgeted for the cash from Ulez to run until 2027”, after which time he will introduce the new pay-per-mile scheme.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: ULEZ: Drivers Plot Extreme Ways to Avoid Being Caught on Sadiq Khan’s Enforcement Cameras
London drivers are planning to skirt around Mayor Sadiq Khan’s controversial Ulez scheme by using a novel new technique to intentionally obscure their number plates from enforcement cameras.
Ulez penalises owners of vehicles which don’t meet certain environmental standards with a £12.50 daily charge — which has been criticised as unaffordable and unsustainable after being rolled out across the entirety of Greater London in August 2023.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“IDF at War”: Israel Scrambles GPS Signal as Iran Revenge Attack Imminent
With ever-present fears, Tehran could launch a missile or drone attack against Israel to avenge the deaths of three commanders and four officers of the Iranian Armed Forces, taken out by a precision Israeli airstrike at the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus earlier this week. New data suggests that GPS jamming across Israel is likely related to prudent defensive efforts to counter such an attack.
On Thursday, Reuters journalists and Tel Aviv residents said GPS service deteriorated and, in some cases, entirely disrupted as an attempt by the military to prevent guided missiles and drones from hitting critical high-value targets deep within the nation.
Many bombs, drones, and other weapons use GNSS (global navigation satellite systems) for increased accuracy. Signs of GNSS signals disrupted are more evidence Israel is on the defensive as it awaits missile attacks from Iran.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Andrew Neil: Time’s Up, Netanyahu! He Failed to Stop October 7 Slaughter. He STILL Can’t Beat Hamas…
— And now Gaza innocents and aid workers’ blood is on his hands. Any friend of Israel MUST force him out
Israel’s friends are in despair. What was becoming increasingly hard to defend, has now become all but impossible to justify…
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the airstrikes that killed seven aid workers were ‘unacceptable’ and demanded he push toward an immediate ceasefire.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Lord Cameron rejected claims the Government is downplaying the incident to avoid upsetting Israel. He described the drone strike on the charity convoy as ‘appalling’ and paid tribute to the victims.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Chris Lincoln-Jones, upon reviewing images of the damaged vehicles, characterised the strikes as highly targeted and said the missiles were ‘absolutely, perfectly accurate’.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Warns Iran of Massive Regional War if Directly Attacked
Update(1831ET): With Israel’s embassies around the world on a heightened state of alert, and extra IDF reservists called up, and home and weekend leave for all combat troops having been abruptly canceled Thursday, the Israeli population is anxiously awaiting a response — with some reports saying residents are already seeking the safety of bomb shelters.
Tehran has vowed that vengeance is coming soon for the Monday Israeli airstrike on its embassy in Damascus. Most pundits believe this will take the form of ballistic missiles raining down on Israeli cities. But Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly vowing that if the Islamic Republic launches missiles from its soil it will ensure “a strong response” from Israel.
Israeli officials have told Axios late in the day that such an act would “take the current conflict to another level” — which most certainly would involve a direct Israel-Iran war and thus the eruption of a broader regional conflict.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed during a call with his Israeli counterpart on Wednesday there is ‘outrage’ in U.S. government over a recent IDF strike that killed seven aid workers.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Says Israel Has to Get Gaza War Over ‘Fast,’ Warns it is ‘Losing the PR War’
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump offered a tough message to Israel in its war against Hamas on Thursday, urging the country to: “Get it over with.”
In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump said that Israel is “absolutely losing the PR war” and called for a swift resolution to the bloodshed.
“Get it over with and let’s get back to peace and stop killing people. And that’s a very simple statement,” Trump said. “They have to get it done. Get it over with and get it over with fast because we have to — you have to get back to normalcy and peace.”
The presumptive GOP nominee, who has criticized President Joe Biden for being insufficiently supportive of Israel, also appeared to question the tactics of the Israeli military as the civilian death toll in Gaza continues to mount. Since Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, Israel’s military has battered the territory, killing more than 30,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and creating a humanitarian catastrophe.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Eight Killed in Russian Attacks on Eastern Ukraine
Russian attacks killed at least eight people in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, authorities said, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of cynically targeting civilians.
Russian forces have stepped up their aerial bombardments in recent weeks, with Zelenskyy calling nearly daily for his Western backers to deliver air defense systems to save Ukrainian lives.
“A few air defense systems could fundamentally change the situation,” Zelenskyy said in an evening address posted on social media.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
France Denies Russian Claim of Discussion on Potential Ukraine Talks
Russia said that its defence minister Sergei Shoigu and French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu discussed the potential for talks on the Ukraine conflict during a rare telephone call on Wednesday, a claim that Paris immediately denied.
The unexpected call, which Moscow said was initiated by France, marks a rare instance of high-level contact between the two countries, whose ties have been severely strained by the two-year Ukraine war.
“Readiness for dialogue on Ukraine was noted. The starting points could be based on the Istanbul peace initiative,” the Russian defence ministry said in a statement on the call.
It did not elaborate on what it meant, and a source close to Lecornu was quick to deny such a conversation took place.
“France neither accepted nor proposed anything of the sort” on the conflict, the source told AFP.
The French defence ministry acknowledged the pair discussed Ukraine, but stressed Lecornu reaffirmed France’s support for Kyiv’s fight against Russia.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
Governor of Russia’s Murmansk Region Wounded in Stabbing Assault
MOSCOW, April 5 (Xinhua) — Governor of Russia’s Murmansk region Andrei Chibis was stabbed in the stomach after a meeting in the town of Apatity on Thursday, local media reported.
Chibis was hospitalized and the attacker was detained, the TASS news agency reported.
“This evening in the city of Apatity, there was an armed attack on the head of the region. After a meeting with citizens, at the exit from the building of the Stroitel cultural center, Andrei Chibis was stabbed in the stomach and was hospitalized in the Apatity-Kirov hospital,” the report said, quoting the press service of the head of the region.
Chibis, who was currently in the operating room, managed to get to the car on his own after the attack, according to the report.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
New details about Sam Mostyn’s close ties to the Yes campaign can be revealed after Daily Mail Australia exposed the contents of her deleted social media accounts.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
African Countries Accuse Germany of “Neo-Colonialism” Over Trophy Hunting Ban
Germany’s Green Party has been hit with accusations of “causing damage” in Africa and acting as though Namibian citizens “can’t think for themselves” over plans to ban the import of hunting trophies.
The row broke out when Green Environment Minister Steffi Lemke began campaigning for the ban, describing the import of trophies as “absurd.” Similar bans are also being considered in Britain and elsewhere in Europe.
Lemke has complained about the hunting of animals “facing extinction,” prompting Namibian officials to stress that hunting is, in fact, a key part of conservation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Venezuela Arrests Dissenting Travel Blogger, Held for 32 Hours
The Caracas-based YouTuber widely known and lauded, Oscar Alejandro Pérez, faced apparent terrorism charges under the regime of President Nicolas Maduro. This unprecedented arrest precedes the upcoming elections and seems to underscore a rigorously enforced government lockdown on freedom of expression. According to Pérez’s family, he was apprehended last week at the city’s primary airport before he could take off for Canaima National Park. Reports suggest that Pérez is now undergoing scrutiny from investigators specializing in counterterrorism activities.
The relatives furnished a statement that suggested that the detainment’s rationale stems from “terrorism-associated endeavors.” In a worrying trend, the Maduro government has been increasingly appropriating the umbrella term of “terrorism” to detain figures who articulate opposition views or engage in human rights research.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada is battling a 130 percent spike in the number of Mexicans, Haitians, and others seeking asylum there, overwhelming shelters and leaving officials scrambling with an $822 million crisis.
Shelter systems in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, and other Canadian cities are over capacity, prompting its liberal government to take steps to deter the flows of people north.
Canada’s migrant headache mirrors similar problems seen in the US, Britain, and the European Union, which are all struggling to cope with their own influxes of people from poorer countries.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
One county in Colorado is taking direct action to combat the migrant crisis, putting bus companies on notice not to stop or drop off illegal immigrants in their community.
Douglas County, Colorado Commissioner George Teal said his community, which is home to a large Republican population, is not a sanctuary city and that the new ordinance is reflective of that.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Exclusive data from a joint study into those occupying social housing in France has revealed that sub-Saharan African migrants are benefiting from taxpayer-subsidized living more than any other migrant background or French national to a hugely disproportionate degree.
The report conducted by the Immigration and Demography Observatory in collaboration with the Foundation for Political Innovation (Fondapol) think tank found that 57 percent of those originating from the African region are living in social housing across France.
Even more concerning is the fact that 63 percent of descendants of these immigrants also occupy social housing, suggesting a generational trend of sub-Saharan migrant communities continuing to live off the state.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Hundreds of Thousands of Asylum Seekers Could Soon Become Citizens
An MP for Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has blasted the left-liberal ‘traffic light’ coalition’s radical new naturalization law, suggesting that it not only encourages more migration but also violates international refugee law which aims to give temporary protection to refugees—not grant quick citizenship.
The law makes migrants and asylum seekers eligible for naturalization after just three to five years of residency instead of eight, was passed by the leftist majority in the Bundestag in January and is set to come into effect in June.
Also under the new law, children born to foreign parents will now qualify for German citizenship at birth so long as one parent has been legally residing in Germany for five years instead of eight.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Illegal Immigrant in Illinois Accused of Nearly Decapitating His Wife in Front of Their Two Children
An illegal immigrant that just crossed the border into the U.S. illegally around two weeks ago, is accused of brutally stabbing his wife to death and nearly decapitating her — in front of their two children.
On April 1, 2024, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Baltazar Perez-Estrada entered the Carol Stream Police Department in Illinois and informed authorities that he had stabbed his wife, Maricela Simon Franco, 26.
Officers said they took Perez-Estrada into custody and immediately opened an investigation. Through the course of their investigation, authorizes discovered Perez-Estrada had crossed into the U.S. from Mexico illegally. He was charged with alien inadmissibility, given a future court date and allowed to continue on his way into the U.S.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Four of the illegal immigrant squatters who were arrested in a Bronx home on charges related to firearms, drugs, and child endangerment reportedly skipped their processing appointments with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to the New York Post, Yoessy Pino Castillo, Yojairo Martinez, Javier Alborno, and Yerbin Lozado-Munoz, aged 25, were detained by the US Border Patrol in Texas over a year ago. However, they were subsequently released into the country due to overcrowding at processing centers. They failed to appear for their processing appointments.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Soumahoro’s Wife and in-Laws Indicted in Migrant Coop Case
Charges with bankruptcy, fraud, self-laundering
The wife and in-laws of former Green MP Aboubakar Soumahoro were indicted Thursday in a case of alleged exploitation of members of two migrant cooperatives they run at Latina south of Rome.
Soumahoro, currently Italy’s only Black MP, was ejected from the Green party over the case in which his wife, mother-in-law and brothers-in-law are accused of failing to pay workers, fraudulent bankruptcy, fraud and self-laundering.
Soumahoro, formerly a champion of migrant farm labourers, has been severely embarrassed by the case, which has exposed his wife’s allegedly lavish lifestyle among other things.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
The alleged “ringleaders” behind the riot of illegal immigrants near El Paso on the southern border were identified by a “cooperating migrant” prior to their release into the US. They have now been detained.
According to information provided by an illegal immigrant in custody after the immigrant stampede at the border, Venezuelan national Gabriel Enrique Angarita Carrasquero and Juan Jose Colorado Gutierrez were the instigators of the riot that occurred in March.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Seattle is scrambling to raise the $5,000-a-day hotel costs for 240 asylum seekers who overtook a school play area with tents and foreign flags in a takeover locals called ‘threatening.’.
Seattle City Council members say they’re working with Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office to find an emergency solution to the cadre of migrants who camped at Garfield Tennis Courts, part of a community center used by local schools.
A $50,000 donation has paid for the migrants and their children to return to the Quality Inn Hotel in Kent, but it’s not clear what they will do when the cash for 61 $70-a-night rooms runs out next week.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Syrian Migrant Stabs 4-Year-Old Girl in German Supermarket
A Syrian migrant has been arrested in Germany for a knife attack on a 4-year-old girl in a supermarket on Wednesday afternoon.
The attack occurred shortly before 3 p.m. at the Norma store on Zeppelinstrasse in the southern city of Wangen im Allgäu.
Eyewitnesses told police they saw a man suddenly approach the girl who was with her mother and stab her with a knife. There was no prior relationship between the man and his victim, the police confirmed.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene and tended to the victim who was transported to hospital and underwent immediate surgery. She is now understood to be in a stable condition.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former President Donald Trump raised concerns Thursday that China could be building an army inside the United States, with all of the Chinese migrants coming across the border.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Tuberculosis cases have been detected at migrant facilities in Chicago following a recent measles outbreak in the city’s shelters, sparking health officials to urgently start contact tracing.
The Chicago Department of Public Health did not disclose the exact number of cases or which shelter it originated from but confirmed that ‘a small number of cases’ were reported ‘in a few different shelters’ around the city.
‘These outbreaks happen in close quarters, people who are living close to one another,’ associate professor of medicine, Infectious Diseases and Global Health at the University of Chicago Dr. Aniruddha Hazra told Fox 32 Chicago.
Hazra said the situation is concerning, but that the public does not need to panic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“They’re Moving to Control Every Aspect of Your Life”: An Interview With Mark Steyn — Part I
Mark Steyn is the bestselling author of many books, including America Alone, After America, and Lights Out: Islam, Free Speech and The Twilight of the West. His previous incarnations include broadcaster, film and theatre critic, and jazz musician. But for the purposes of this interview, it’s his role as a campaigner for free speech where I think Steyn deserves the most credit. He was the man warning us about demographic decline and the dangers of Islamic immigration two decades ago. He successfully campaigned for the repeal of Canada’s Section 13 hate speech law and, more recently, has been a voice of sanity against COVID restrictions, vaccine injuries, and climate change, all of which he’s paid quite a high price for.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bill Gates: Math = ‘White Supremacy’
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is pumping huge sums of money into a new “perverse” curriculum that teaches children that math is a form of “white supremacy.”
In recent years, Gates has plowed billions of dollars into education to shape the information that is fed into young minds.
As Slay News previously reported, Gates has invested millions into a group that lobbies for children to be declared “sexual beings.”
Yet, despite pushback against Gates’s meddling in education, the billionaire continues to funnel cash into bolstering far-left ideology in schools.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded a curriculum called “A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Four More Pro-Life Protesters Face Prison Time After Being Convicted for Violating FACE Act
Four anti-abortion protesters were found guilty of violating the FACE Act in federal court on Tuesday in the second round of pro-lifers charged with blocking the entrance to an abortion clinic three years ago.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffery S. Frensley convicted the defendants of a misdemeanor violation of the federal law for blocking the entrance of the Carafem abortion clinic outside Nashville during a demonstration in March 2021, according to The Tennessean.
The defendants, Eva Edl, Eva Zastrow, James Zastrow, and Paul Place, face up to six months in prison, five years of supervised release, and fines of up to $10,000, The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee announced. Sentencing will take place at the end of July.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The new hate crime law that came into effect in Scotland on April Fools’ Day is so vague, complex, and impossible to interpret that Police Scotland — who are already underfunded and cannot afford to catch criminals effectively — have to now pay to hire “hate crime advisors”, whatever those are, to tell them what is and isn’t illegal.
Hamza Yousef, Scotland’s First Minister, says the new law will punish and reduce hate crime (even though hate crime is already falling in Scotland and there is no need for a new law) at the same time as protecting free speech.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The multimillionaire Harry Potter author, 58, hit out at Humza Yousaf after he branded her remarks about transgender people ‘offensive and upsetting’ despite police ruling they were not a hate crime.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Ontario School Board Trustee Who Opposes Gender Ideology Resigns Rather Than be Censured
Ontario school trustee Linda Stone, who has publicly opposed gender ideology programs from her position in the Durham District School Board, has resigned for the second time.
Stone has been the target of censure from other trustees and has been barred from attending meetings, the National Post reports.
Stone told the media outlet Insauga: “I will carry on.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police Scotland Deluged With Nearly 4,000 Complaints as New Hate Crime Law is Weaponized
Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Modernity.news
As predicted, Police Scotland was deluged with nearly 4,000 complaints in the first day alone after the passage of an absurd new hate crime law, proving the legislation is being weaponized by activists.
Under the new legislation, anyone deemed to have been verbally ‘abusive’, in person or online, to a transgender person, including “insulting” them could be hit with a prison sentence of up to seven years.
Transgender activists have been busy making lists of people they are waiting on to make such comments, including Harry Potter author JK Rowling herself.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon Makes Strong Case Against Assisted Suicide
While British Conservatives are calling to kill the old and infirm to save the state some cash, the former leader of the hard-left Scottish National Party (SNP) has warned of the grave dangers of assisted suicide.
Nicola Sturgeon, who resigned as Scottish First Minister at the beginning of last year following a trans rapist scandal, may be an unlikely ally of those opposed to assisted suicide, but has made a more serious stand against the argument for a change to the law than leading figures in the UK Conservative Party appear capable of mustering.
Dr. Gordon Macdonald, who is CEO of the Care Not Killing campaign group for improved palliative care, told The European Conservative that her contribution “speaks volumes.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Stellar Blade: Woke Activists Enraged by Video Games With Attractive Female Characters
Recently we covered the exposure of leftist activist run “consulting firms” that have been discreetly involved in the widespread wokification of the video games industry. These firms have been know to operate on a protection racket-like model: They threaten video game developers with the cancel-culture mob unless they hire said firm to “fix” their games for them. This fixing usually involves a host of DEI requirements, from forced diversity to the inclusion of LGBT related propaganda for the kiddies.
The reason these consulting outfits exist is singular — They do not care about games, gaming or gamers. In fact, they seem to hate game consumers with a passion. Their only purpose is to inject as much woke ideology as possible into an industry they know has immense influence on the next generation. Leftists see video games as a platform to manipulate the collective thinking of the future.
One agenda which has been incredibly important to them is their war on the “male gaze” and western beauty standards in general. The reasons for this are varied.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Studies Showing That Diversity Improves Corporate Performance Were Flawed
Studies purporting that racial diversity amongst corporate executives drove better financial performance were found to be unreliable and are not capable of being replicated.
Four studies the international consulting agency McKinsey & Company released between 2015-2023 pushed the idea that diversity and equity measures would lead to improved results.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Amandatory “structural racism” class at The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA led a prayer to Mother Earth, which disturbed some who attended the lecture.
The UCLA Jewish Faculty Resilience Group spoke to numerous witnesses from the lecture and penned a letter to the administration Friday, calling for an “urgent and thorough external review” of its curriculum to put an end to “political indoctrination.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cancer is caused by inflammation. Covid spike protein causes cytokine/inflammation storm and doesn’t switch off. Eat an anti inflammatory diet (no gluten etc) and take anti inflammatories like Vitamin D3, black seed oil, curcumin etc etc.
“Cancer is caused by inflammation.”
What’s your source for this?
Tweet from Voice of Europe:
Cyprus urges Lebanon to stem migrant influx as srisis escalates
Amidst a declared crisis on refugee flows, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides is set to engage in talks with Lebanese officials on Monday regarding migration concerns.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Christodoulides reassured the public of the government’s commitment to addressing the crisis, stating, “We are indeed in a crisis, but I want to assure you that we will do everything possible…so that we can deal with this situation.”
Government data indicates that over 2,000 individuals arrived in Cyprus by sea within the first three months of 2024, a significant surge compared to the mere 78 arrivals recorded during the same period last year. The situation has further intensified in recent days, with approximately 800 individuals arriving by boat across various parts of the island over the past five days alone.
Cyprus is pressing the European Union to take decisive measures, including designating certain areas of Syria as safe for migrant returns. Additionally, Cyprus is advocating for EU aid to Lebanon to be contingent upon the country’s ability to prevent migrants from departing its shores.
Tweet from Voice of Europe:
Rising cancer cases among young Czechs prompt calls for increased preventive measures
In the Czech Republic, a concerning trend is emerging as the number of cancer patients under 40 years old continues to rise steadily by 1% each year. This uptick in diagnoses among young individuals has prompted discussions about the importance of preventive check-ups regardless of age, echoing recent global attention drawn by the oncology diagnosis of the Princess of Wales in London.
Czech oncologists have observed not only a surge in cancer cases among the younger demographic but also a troubling increase in the incidence of aggressive tumors specifically affecting the youth. Statistics reveal that annually, there is a 1% escalation in the registration of new oncological cases in the Czech Republic compared to the preceding year, underscoring the urgent need for heightened awareness and proactive healthcare measures.
Tweet from Voice of Europe:
The court sentenced the main accomplice of the terrorist attack at the Christmas market in Strasbourg to 30 years in prison
In Paris, a verdict was issued to a group of individuals considered accomplices to the terrorist who carried out the attack on the Christmas market in Strasbourg in December 2018. According to “La Figaro,” the court’s decision was announced after five weeks of hearings on Thursday, April 4th.
The main accused was identified as Audrey Mondezhi, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison for aiding Sherif Shekatt in acquiring weapons used in the attack. The court established his connection to the terrorist group and convicted him for knowledge of the attacker’s radicalization.
On December 11, 2018, Sherif Shekatt opened fire several times with automatic weapons at the Christmas market in central Strasbourg. As a result of the attack, five people were killed, and 13 were wounded. The police shot the assailant during the operation to apprehend him two days later.
“Videos shared online have shown Israelis dashing to supermarkets to panic-buy essentials as they prepare for a possible attack…Banks in Israel have also been told to prepare for a surge in cash withdrawals from ATMs.” —Express (5 Apr 2024)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1885301/Israel-supermarkets-Iran-attack-idf
“With public on edge as Tehran vows retaliation for deadly Syria strike, stores note spike in purchases of transistor radios, generators, longer-than-usual supermarket queues.” —Times of Israel (5 Apr 2024)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/amid-fears-of-iranian-attack-idf-says-no-need-to-buy-generators-stock-food-get-cash/
“Israel has put its embassies worldwide on red alert amid fears of a pending Iranian attack.” —Express (5 Apr 2024)
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1885038/israel-embassies-red-alert-iran-strike
5 April 2024
“Ukraine will become a member of NATO.” —Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State (4 Apr 2024)
https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-and-ukrainian-foreign-minister-dmytro-kuleba-before-their-meeting-10/
“The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, today repeated his warning that Moscow would view any attempt to expand Nato to its borders as a “direct threat”.” —Guardian (Apr 2008)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/apr/04/nato.russia
“Today’s Rhetorical Question: Whaddya think the chances are for a foreign policy “misstep” sparking war when you mix an Obamerican (i.e., ‘toddler) president of diminished psychological capacity who, according to PAA’s Defense Secretary, has “been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades” with a history of corrupt entanglements in a corrupt country that a corrupt Russian leader views [correctly] as a potential knife to his throat? (hint: duck and cover)” —posted to fb (3 Feb 2022)
Ducking and covering..
“Sir Alex Younger [former head of MI6]…claimed the nation has been “INFANTILISED” since the end of the Cold War…It is about thinking about ways in which the broader country would participate and contribute to security in a time of an emergency, which…is no longer impossible to imagine.”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1885098/brits-conscription-ww3-warning
Just figured that out, huh?
“Q: Whaddya get when you eliminate all the smart, effective people in favour of more politically fashionable people?
A: More Bolshevik two year-olds.” —posted to fb (Nov 2018)