A 33-year-old man stabbed a 12-year-old boy in a shopping center in Oulu, Finland. He was restrained by a security guard with the help of bystanders. Police say the alleged assailant has a history of involvement in far-right activities. Media outlets are reporting that the victim is a Finnish national of foreign background.
In other news, Sir Rod Stewart was booed by the audience before a performance at a concert in Germany after he showed his support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Caroline Glick, Dean, DV, LP, MM, Reader from Chicago, Roger, 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.
In an exchange that endured throughout Question Period Wednesday, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was unrelenting in his attacks on the Trudeau government’s capital gains tax increase, demanding that Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland make exemptions in the law for all Canadians of modest incomes whom she says won’t be affected by the tax hike.
“I just gave that minister more than 20 opportunities to prove that what she was saying was true. I asked her and she refused if she’d give an exemption to her tax hike to carpenters, farmers, fishermen, plumbers, union workers, restaurant owners, electricians — she said no,” Poilievre declared after asking every single question allowed to Conservative Members of Parliament.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Freaking Brilliant New Trend”: Write “Vote Trump, End Taxes on Tips!” on Server Checks
About a week ago, former President Trump floated the idea of canceling taxes on tips at a campaign rally in Las Vegas. By Thursday of last week, Republican lawmakers were delighted by the idea and how it could generate new Trump voters ahead of the November elections.
“This tips thing was genius,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said, who was quoted by The Hill, adding, “[Trump] was like, I’d love to tell you it was based on a bunch of research, but it was based on a discussion with a waitress who said, ‘They’re coming after my tips.’“
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
2 Dead, Multiple Injured in Shooting at Texas Juneteenth Celebration: Police
ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Two people are dead and 14 others were injured after a shooting at a Juneteenth celebration in Texas, according to authorities.
Police in Round Rock, a city located less than 20 miles north of Austin, said the shooting began just before 11 p.m. at Old Settlers Park after a fight broke out between two groups of people who were at the Juneteenth event.
“We’re very disappointed and angry with these events. This is the 16th year of this Juneteenth event, and for someone to destroy the peace and celebration within an instance, it angers me,” Police Chief Allen Banks said during a media briefing.
Police believe the shooting suspect is “armed and dangerous” and warned the public not to approach him if spotted. Banks described him as a thin-built man with short dreads who’s 5 feet 7 inches tall and around 19 to 20 years old. He was last seen wearing a white hoodie.
“Turn yourself in,” the police chief said in a message to the suspect. “If you’re man enough to carry a gun and pull the trigger, be man enough to step up. Turn yourself in. Let’s figure out why you chose to take lives and injure people.”
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
77-Year-Old Oakland Homeowner Arrested After Fatally Shooting Burglary Suspect
An elderly California homeowner was arrested on Tuesday after fatally shooting a suspected robber who tried to break into his Oakland home with two other thieves on Monday night.
The 77-year-old homeowner was taken into custody on suspicion of murder charges, police said. Official charges have not yet been filed despite the homeowner’s arrest. Officials are trying to determine if the shooting was justified self-defense or not.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A “random” shooting in Michigan has left nine people, including two children, injured, authorities said.
A gunman opened fire at a splash pad in the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills on Saturday, June 15, at around 5 p.m. local time, the Oakland County Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard announced in a press conference recorded by Click on Detroit.
Bouchard said authorities were “on the scene in two minutes” and deputies provided “emergency first aid” to the victims.
[…]
According to CBS News, authorities identified the shooter as 42-year-old Michael William Nash, who was found dead by suicide in a home after the shooting.
Per the outlet, Bouchard said the shooting appeared to be “very random” and the suspect had “no connectivity to the victims.”
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Team Calls for Social Media “Disinformation” Censorship Action After G7 Mishap Goes Viral
The Biden administration is grappling with backlash as a video depicting President Joe Biden appearing vacant and wandering off, separating from his G7 peers circulated widely online. The footage, in which Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni directs President Biden back in the right direction for the planned photo opportunity, quickly gained traction and has spurred accusations from the media that conservative outlets are disseminating the clip without adequate context, suggesting a deliberate skewing of Biden’s actions.
In response to the spreading video, Adrienne Elrod, a spokesperson for Biden’s campaign, labeled the footage “disinformation” and has called on social media platforms to remove or limit its distribution.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Appears to Freeze Up, Has to be Led Off Stage by Obama at Mega-Bucks LA Fundraiser
President Biden appeared to freeze up on stage and had to be led off by Barack Obama at the conclusion of a star-studded campaign fundraiser in Los Angeles Saturday night.
The awkward moment took place after Biden and his predecessor sat for a 45-minute interview with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel at the Peacock Theater.
As the men stood for applause, Biden’s gaze seemed to become fixed on the crowd for a full 10 seconds until former President Barack Obama took his wrist and led him offstage.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Loses Temper, Threatens Reporter at White House Party
Democrat President Joe Biden lost his temper and threatened a reporter during an event at the White House, video shows.
Biden was hosting an event with social media influencers when he appeared angered by questioning, even threatening to throw his phone across the room.
Independent journalist and social media darling Jonathan M. Katz was filing Biden while pressing him about his support for Israel during the war in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biometric ID for IRS FOIA Requests Trigger Privacy and Access Concerns
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has come under fire for its decision to route Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests through a biometric identification system provided by ID.me. This arrangement requires users who wish to file requests online to undergo a digital identity verification process, which includes facial recognition technology.
Concerns have been raised about this method of identity verification, notably the privacy implications of handling sensitive biometric data. Although the IRS states that biometric data is deleted promptly—within 24 hours in cases of self-service and 30 days following video chat verifications—skeptics, including privacy advocates and some lawmakers, remain wary, particularly as they don’t believe people should have to subject themselves to such measures in the first place.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Black Lives Matter Leaders Funneled Donation Money to Friends and Family, Docs Show
Leaders of the Black Lives Matter organization funneled huge sums of donation money to friends and family members, new documents have revealed.
The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation reaped $80 million during the George Floyd riots and looting of 2020.
However, the figure plummeted to under $29 million by the end of the 2023 fiscal year, the Marxist group’s tax form shows.
Much of the cash, which was donated by people assuming they were somehow fighting racism, was doled out lucrative contracts to family members and friends.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Blinken Under Fire Over Efforts to Dispute Hunter Biden Laptop Claims
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has come under fire over his efforts to cover up facts related to Democrat President Joe Biden and his family.
Amidst emerging controversies, Blinken is scrutinized for his alleged role in discrediting Hunter Biden’s laptop.
The infamous “Laptop from Hell” recently became significant in a federal gun crime trial.
Blinken allegedly coordinated efforts to undermine the credibility of Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop during the 2020 election.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Attendees at Turning Point Action’s The People’s Convention this weekend have made their preferences clear that Ohio senator JD Vance is their top choice for Vice President, and that immigration is the leading issue they want to be addressed if former President Donald Trump wins the November election. 1986 respondents at The People’s Convention responded to the poll.
A straw poll conducted at the Detroit conference found that among a list of several finalists for Trump’s VP pick, JD Vance emerged as the preferred candidate with 43.0% of votes. Tim Scott followed with 15.4%, while Marco Rubio and Doug Burgum garnered 7.7% and 7.0% respectively. A notable 26.9% of participants remained undecided on their preferred candidate for the role.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chinese May be ‘Probing’ American Military Readiness Through Base Breaches, Lawmaker Says
Authored by Darlene McCormick Sanchez via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
Fears of attacks on the homeland and foreign espionage stemming from the border crisis are growing in light of illegal immigrants breaching military bases as well as those with suspected terrorist ties.
On June 11, news broke that eight Tajikistan nationals with possible connections to the terrorist group ISIS had been arrested in New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles in recent days.
Tajikistan nationals were responsible for the March 22 attack on the Crocus City Hall concert near Moscow that left more than 140 people dead and hundreds injured.
The individuals in the United States were being tracked by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. They were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on immigration violation charges, according to wire agency reports.
The suspects crossed the U.S. southern border illegally in 2023 and were released after being vetted. The federal government’s screening process did not turn up any information that would have identified them as potential terrorists with ties to ISIS.
Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas), who sits on the National Security, the Border and Foreign Affairs subcommittee, said that wiretap information revealed that one of the Tajikistan suspects was discussing “bombs.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz remains unbowed in his support for Israel despite nearly two dozen anti-Israel protests staged outside the Houston-area home he shares with his wife and their two children, Fox News Digital has learned.
Protesters have gathered to shout slogans outside Cruz’s home since February as outcry surrounding Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel mounted. The demonstrations came in response to Cruz’s staunch support of Israel during the war and as the Texas senator railed against “cultural Marxism” promoted in the classrooms of the nation’s elite universities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DeSantis Blasts NYT for Inaccurate Fact Check on Potential Threat of Terrorism
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) took the New York Times to task for their handling of his comments about the potential threat of terrorists entering the United States through the southern border. His remarks came after the arrest of eight ISIS terrorist suspects in New York City, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia over the weekend. The individuals in question had allegedly entered the country illegally.
During a Republican presidential primary debate last fall, Governor DeSantis expressed concern about the national security risks posed by the Biden administration’s border policies, stating, “If you look at the threats that we face, terrorists have come in through our southern border.” However, Eileen Sullivan, a blogger for The New York Times, claimed in a fact-check that DeSantis’ statement was false, despite the governor not specifically mentioning terrorist attacks resulting from illegal border crossings.
In response to the recent arrests and the Times’ fact-check, DeSantis spoke out during a Fox News segment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A former chief investment officer for George Soros revealed that a new generation of venture capitalists are warming up to Donald Trump, even as some Republican Wall Street bankers are begrudgingly signaling their support for the former president.
Scott Bessent, the CEO and chief investment officer for investment firm Key Square Group and one-time chief investment officer for the Democrat-run Soros Fund is intentionally stepping up his criticism of Bidenomics and backing Trump ahead the 2024 election.
‘The Wall Street group was always going to come back [to Trump],’ he told DailyMail.com during the Manhattan Institute Conference.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
House Oversight Committee Targets NewsGuard’s Media Influence
The House Oversight Committee, chaired by Representative James Comer (R-KY), has initiated a thorough investigation into NewsGuard, a company perceived by some as being overly aggressive towards independent media. This inquiry highlights concerns over NewsGuard’s influence on free speech and examines the company’s financial arrangements with the US government.
NewsGuard, which has been accused of leading a sustained attack on media freedom, is under scrutiny for its role in potentially acting as an opaque agent of censorship, according to a detailed request by Comer for documents from NewsGuard CEOs Steven Brill and Gordon Crovitz.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kentucky Man Dies After Speeding Away From Safety Checkpoint, Wrecking in a Field, Officials Say
OAK GROVE, Ky. (WSMV) — A man died after he drove away from a safety check point and crashed his car in a field, according to the Kentucky State Police (KSP).
On Saturday, at about 11:20 p.m., troopers were conducting a traffic safety checkpoint on KY 115 in Oak Grove.
Roderick Crossley, 29, of Hopkinsville approached the checkpoint. Crossley failed to provide his driver’s license and drove away from the checkpoint at a high rate of speed, officials said.
Troopers later found Crossley and his vehicle wrecked in a field just north of Interstate 24.
Officials said the preliminary investigation revealed that Crossley lost control of the car on KY 115 after traveling across the Interstate 24 overpass.
Crossley’s car left the west side of the roadway and overturned several times.
Crossley was ejected from the car during the crash, the KSP said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
NAACP Sues After School Goes Back to Confederate Name
The Virginia NAACP has sued a school board in Shenandoah Country after the district restored Confederate military names for two buildings — reversing what became a watershed moment in virtue signaling after dozens of schools changed their names following the 2020 death of George Floyd.
According NAACP Virginia State Conference President Cozy Bailey, the move by Shenandoah County to ditch ‘Mountain View High School’ and ‘Honey Run Elementary’ — to go back to ‘Stonewall Jackson High School’ and ‘Ashby Lee Elementary’ is “embracing the cold wind of intolerance and division and insensitivity,” and has “resurrected the ghosts of the Jim Crow era,” The Hill reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Nashville journalist has been threatened with prison time if he doesn’t reveal his source who leaked Audrey Hale’s manifesto, the transgender Covenant school shooter who massacred three young children and three adults in a premeditated, anti-white racial attack on Christians.
Michael Patrick Leahy, editor and owner of The Tennessee Star, has been ordered to appear in court for a “show cause hearing” on Monday, June 17, to address why he should not be held in contempt for publishing the leaked documents, ZeroHedge reported. Chancellor I’Ashea Myles of Davidson County ordered his court appearance.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Protestors in LA Demand Safer City Following Murder of ‘General Hospital’ Actor Johnny Wactor
A large crowd of protestors marched in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday to demand a safer city following the murder of General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor, who was shot and killed on May 25. They also expressed anger and frustration over the lack of progress in the case.
No arrests have been made since Wactor was gunned down by assailants who were trying to steal the catalytic converter from his car. Authorities have also failed to announce any suspects.
The 37-year-old actor was coming off a late-night bartending shift when he spotted the thieves near the intersection of Pico Boulevard and Hope Street, near downtown. When he tried to stop them, one of the thieves pulled a gun and fatally shot the actor.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A suspected jihadist busted with an arsenal of weapons near LaGuardia Airport was a “quiet kid” who often spoke about staying positive — until something “snapped in his head,” his friend claimed.
The friend, who asked to be identified as “Jay,” told The Post he was stunned by allegations that cops found the weaponry in 29-year-old Judd Sanson’s black Ford Explorer when they pulled him over just blocks from La Guardia International Airport last week.
“He’s a quiet kid, he speaks about positivity,” said Jay, who has known Sanson since the two went to middle school. “I would never expect this from him. I’m so shocked. I honestly don’t know what to think.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An ex-Biden White House appointee and current Democratic candidate for a county commissioner seat in Texas allegedly created a dummy social media account to post bogus racist comments about himself.
Taral Patel, 30, the challenger running for county commissioner in Fort Bend County Precinct 3 just outside of Houston, was arrested for online impersonation last week after an investigation initiated by his opponent, incumbent Andy Meyers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A network of Democratic officials and watchdog groups are gearing up to counter potential policies from a potential second Trump administration. These leftist groups are already preparing lawsuits and resistance strategies, citing fear that Trump will rule as an “autocrat,” according to a report by the New York Times.
Interviews with over 30 officials and organization leaders revealed that these groups are corroborating plans to file litigation against policies in a potential second Trump term. These leaders have claimed that they learned how to run an “effective resistance campaign” during Trump’s first term in office, but fear that a second Trump term could see the former president be more radical and more effective.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Challenges Biden to Take the Same Cognitive Test That the Former President Took in 2018
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump on Saturday night suggested President Joe Biden “should have to take a cognitive test,” only to confuse who administered the test to him in the next sentence.
The former president and presumptive Republican nominee referred to Texas Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson, who was the White House physician for part of his presidency, as “Ronny Johnson.” The moment came as Trump was questioning Biden’s mental acuity, something he often does on the campaign trail and social media.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The House of Commons voted overwhelmingly in favour of a Bloc Quebecois motion to call on Justice Marie-Josee Hogue to investigate allegations of treason.
The allegations come from a report last week that said several parliamentarians acted “wittingly” in a foreign meddling plot.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced on Monday that the Liberals will vote to expand the Hogue Commission’s terms of reference “to allow it to investigate Canada’s federal democratic institutions.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Another Church Goes Up in Flames — Are Canadians Noticing a Pattern?
On Sunday, June 9, in the morning before 8 a.m., just a few hours before weekly church service was set to take place, St. Anne’s Anglican Church in Toronto’s Little Portugal neighbourhood was engulfed in flames. The church held historical significance as it’s the only church in Canada to feature artwork from members of the Group of Seven, with its architectural design modelled in the Byzantine style after the Hagia Sophia.
Sadly, the artwork-filled dome has been destroyed forever.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, with Reverend Don Beyers saying the doors to the church were locked the night before: “It’s a real mystery to us how this even happened, we’re not even sure.”
An investigation is underway by the Toronto Police Service, Toronto Fire Services and the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management. An online portal has been created for submitting evidence.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Broken Promises: Canada’s Censorship Law Targets User-Generated Content Despite Assurances
The Canadian government has submitted a court filing, based on one of the country’s online censorship laws of recent years, the Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11). And that filing critics say proves the opposite of what the authorities have been promising the law’s goal would be.
Namely, as C-11 was being pushed and eventually adopted, the promise was that it was not aimed at regulating user content on social media. But now a court filing reveals a very different story, observers of Canada’s, at this point burgeoning, online censorship legislation say.
C-11 was controversial — when it was proposed and debated, and eventually passed — but it’s just one of many over in Canada.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Canadian Information Ecosystem’ Report Says Rebel News Among Media Outlets With Highest Engagement
On last night’s episode of The Ezra Levant Show, Ezra discussed a recent report by the Canadian Digital Media Research Network that shows Rebel News to be among the leading media outlets for attracting engagement.
According to the government-funded report, “The top-5 Canadian outlets that attract the most engagement are CTV, Global News, CBC, The PostMillennial, and Rebel News. Collectively they received 64.9% of all engagement with news content.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Justin Trudeau recently said that his job is “not to be popular” and he’s lucky that’s so. The prime minister’s approval ratings reached an all-time low this April with only 28% approval according to the Angus Reid Institute’s “Trudeau Tracker”. Although he originally campaigned by pandering to college students by promising to legalize marijuana, now, Trudeau is lowest in popularity among 18-34-year-olds at 25%.
A CBC article titled “Are Canadians willing to give Trudeau a second look?” practically begged Canadians to give Justin Trudeau a second chance in the next election. The article implies that Canadians don’t like Trudeau because of “attacks from conservatives” and they just “don’t like his hair anymore”. However, it seems unlikely that Canadians’ distaste for Trudeau is for trivial reasons. Liberal policies have affected every area of Canadians’ lives, from their freedoms to their finances, and they’ve just about had enough.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
McGill University Extends New Amnesty Proposal to Anti-Israel Protesters
McGill University in Montreal extended a new offer to anti-Israel protesters, who have been occupying its downtown campus since April.
The offer said it would include a review of direct equity investments in entities that earn most of their revenues from producing military weapons.
“Yesterday, the university extended an updated offer to members of its community in the encampment, going beyond previous proposals,” the school said Tuesday in a news release.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nearly 20% of Canadians Now Know Someone Relying on Food Banks
One in five Canadians have an acquaintance who had to resort to using food banks to meet their needs, according to a new national survey.
Nanos Research conducted the survey between May 31 and June 2 and found that while only 2% of respondents said that they had used food banks themselves, nearly twice as many knew of a family member who had.
Polling over 1,000 Canadians, the survey found that more than 10% of respondents knew of a friend or acquaintance who had received assistance from a food bank.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Revolutionary Youth Summer Program’ to Turn Students Into Gaza Activists at McGill University
At McGill University, the Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) group has announced that it will be making a “revolutionary youth summer program” at its Gaza encampment. It used men holding machine guns to advertise for the program.
In a post on social media, the group stated, “We pledge to educate the youth of Montreal and redefine McGill’s ‘elite’ [institutional] legacy by [transforming] its space into one of revolutionary education.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trespassing Activists at U of T’s ‘Little Gaza’ Refuse to Follow the Rules
On last night’s episode of The Ezra Levant Show, guest host David Menzies discussed the ongoing illegal anti-Israel encampment at the University of Toronto.
For over a month now, dozens of anti-Israel and pro-Hamas protesters have been camping out in tents on the university’s campus in opposition to Israel’s operations in Gaza.
The protest started despite the terrorist group Hamas initiating the current conflict by murdering approximately 1200 people on October 7 during an attack on southern Israel.
Speaking about the encampment, Menzies said, “It is populated by gruesome squatters who are breaking several sections of the Trespass Act.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
30 Million Drivers in England Face Eye-Watering Fines After DVLA Hands Over Their Details
Companies are contacting the DVLA in droves as they slap billions of pounds worth of fines on drivers. Transport for London (TfL) has requested details of more than 4.4 million drivers alone as the war on motorists worsens.
Motorist experts have warned that the introduction of ULEZ in London, and Clean Air Zones across the country, will continue to hit drivers in the pocket. One expert said that motoring fines could reach “record-breaking heights” in the coming years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Plans to Produce 2.5 Million Shells Annually by 2025
EU countries are accelerating the production of ammunition and aim to match Russia’s production levels within the next year. This was announced by European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton, as reported by La Tribune.
He stated that this year the EU will reach a production capacity of 1.7 million shells per year, and by next year plans to match Russia, producing 2.5 million shells annually.
“We have accelerated ammunition production. In March 2023, we were producing 500,000 shells per year in Europe, which was already better than the Americans, who were producing only 300,000. But since then, we have doubled this capacity,” said Breton.
The Commissioner also emphasized the need to increase defense procurement amid tense relations with Moscow. Additionally, Breton noted that Europe must continue rearming its armies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France Concludes Candidate Registration Ahead of Early Parliamentary Elections
In France, the final day for submitting candidacies for the first round of early parliamentary elections has begun, reports BFMTV. A document signed by President Emmanuel Macron stipulates that the registration of candidates for the early parliamentary elections will close at 6:00 PM on June 16.
Political parties have the final hours to finalize their plans before the first round, which is scheduled for June 30. The official election campaign will commence at midnight on June 17.
Registration for the second round will be open from the announcement of the first-round results until 6:00 PM on Tuesday, July 2.
Meanwhile, former French President François Hollande (2012-2017) has announced his candidacy in the upcoming parliamentary elections. According to Hollande’s account on X (formerly Twitter), he will run in the first electoral district of Corrèze under the New People’s Front.
As reported by France24, Hollande left the presidency with a record level of unpopularity, “despised by some left-wing radicals, and even the socialist leadership treats him with suspicion.” Amid rumors that Hollande may be planning a return to the Élysée Palace, he stated that he “does not aspire to anything” and “just wants to be useful,” the publication notes.
It should be noted that President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the parliament on June 9 due to his party’s defeat in the European Parliament elections. He announced that the early elections would take place on June 30 (first round) and July 7 (second round).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Police Shoot Man Allegedly Threatening Them With Ax in Euro 2024 Host City Hamburg
BERLIN — German police said Sunday they shot and wounded a man who was threatening them with an ax and a Molotov cocktail in the northern city of Hamburg, hours before it hosted a match in the European Championship soccer tournament.
Police officers opened fire after the man refused to put down the ax and a Molotov cocktail, hitting him in the leg, police spokesman Thilo Marxsen said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Head of Soros-Backed NGO Celebrates Massive €200 Million EU Court Fine Against Hungary
Barely a few hours after the European Court’s decision condemning and punishing Hungary, the head of an NGO backed with substantial funding from billionaire oligarch George Soros celebrated the judgment against Hungary from the EU’s top court. The European Court of Justice (ECJ), which slapped Hungary with a massive €200 million fine for protecting its borders from illegal immigration, is also threatening an additional penalty of €1 million a day if Hungary continues to restrict asylum access to migrants.
The head of the European Stability Initiative (ESI), Gerald Knaus, welcomed the decision with a post on X, calling it a “historic” decision.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jordan Bardella Could Soon be French PM at 28. But for Many He Remains an Enigma
The French would dearly love to know who is the real Jordan Bardella. The question was interesting when Mr Bardella was merely president of the country’s biggest party, the right National Rally (RN), BBC reorted.
Now that he is being openly spoken of as the country’s next prime minister, it has become a matter of urgency.
In two weeks the country goes to the polls in a snap election called by President Emmanuel Macron following his humiliation by the RN at the European elections last Sunday.
If the RN has pulled off another big win after the second round of voting on July 7, then Macron will have no choice but to offer it a chance to govern. And if that happens, Mr Bardella — who shares the party leadership with Marine Le Pen — is expected to be named as prime minister.
The French all know the basics about Mr Bardella, and his lightning rise from jobless school-leaver in the northern Paris suburbs to Le Pen protégé and president of the party.
They know that he is ridiculously young, just 28, but that this seems to matter less nowadays, when experience no longer counts for much. The current president is just 46, and the prime minister 35.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man With Far-Right Ties Suspected of Stabbing Child in Oulu, Finland
THE NATIONAL BUREAU of Investigation (KRP) is demanding that a 33-year-old man be remanded for two attempted murders in connection with a stabbing that occurred in a shopping centre at the heart of Oulu on Thursday, 13 June.
KRP on Friday reported that the man is suspected of stabbing a 12-year-old boy and trying to stab another 12-year-old boy in Valkea Shopping Centre.
The stabbing occurred completely out of the blue at about 6.35pm, with the suspect approaching one of the boys from behind and stabbing him several times with a knife. The suspect then took off to chase down the other boy, but he was stopped by a security guard outside the shopping centre with the help of bystanders.
“This came as a total surprise to the young people, and the victim didn’t know the assailant in any way. He had never had anything to do with [the assailant],” Pasi Sorjonen, the director of KRP in Oulu, commented to YLE on Friday. “The target was a defenceless child. It’s brutal and cruel when an adult man comes from behind and starts inflicting serious injuries on a victim with a knife.”
Guards at the shopping centre also administered first aid to the victim, who is in “stable condition” after sustaining serious injuries in the incident, according to KRP.
“I have to also say that the guard who was at the site acted excellently, possibly saving lives,” said Sorjonen.
KRP on Friday stated that with the pre-trial investigation still in its early stages, the motive of the assailant remains unknown. The investigators are aware, though, that the assailant has a history of involvement in far-right activities.
According to YLE, the stabbing victim is a Finnish national of foreign background.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
‘Native French’ Pose ‘Serious Problem’ for Social Cohesion, Says Far-Left Leader Mélenchon
Those who consider themselves “native French” represent a “serious problem” for social cohesion, far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon declared as he laid out the vision for the “New Popular Front” alliance in the snap legislative election called by President Emmanuel Macron.
Former French presidential candidate, leader of the far-left La France Insoumise (LFI) party and effective head of the New Popular Front leftist election alliance, Jean-Luc Mélenchon hailed the demographic changes in his country while attacking the native population of France in a speech to supporters on Friday.
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Netherlands: Ministerial Candidate Faber’s Promise to Respect the Rule of Law Reassures Omtzigt
NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt is reassured by the promise of ministerial candidate Marjolein Faber (PVV) to stay “within the lines of the framework agreement and the declaration on the rule of law.” “That’s a very good sentence, it reassures me,” said Omtzigt on Saturday in Nieuwsuur. Furthermore, he did not demand that the designated asylum and migration minister take back statements from the past, such as the controversial term “repopulation” that she used.
“We will not force anyone to retract statements,” said Omtzigt. He assumed that all ministers would adhere to the agreements in the framework agreement and in the declaration in which all four coalition parties agreed to respect the rule of law.
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Netherlands: Fleur Agema Replaces Markuszower as Deputy Prime Minister-Designate for the PVV
Fleur Agema is the new proposed deputy prime minister on behalf of the PVV in the upcoming Schoof Cabinet. PVV leader Geert Wilders informed formateur Richard van Zwol of this, he wrote on X. Agema was already the intended Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport.
Wilders originally had Gidi Markuszower in mind as deputy prime minister. The current MP would also become the Minister of Asylum and Migration. However, Markuszower did not pass the AIVD screening of prospective ministers. As a result, Marjolein Faber has been appointed as his replacement.
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Sir Rod Stewart ‘Booed’ by German Crowd While Making Show of Support for Ukraine
Sir Rod Stewart appeared to be booed as photos of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were shown at a concert in Germany.
The 79-year-old singer, who has spoken out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine , was playing at Leipzig’s Quarterback Immobilien Arena on Friday.
Before performing his 1991 hit Rhythm Of My Heart — which he calls a war song and has dedicated to Kyiv in recent shows — the Ukrainian flag was projected on screen behind Sir Rod .
Images of Mr Zelenskyy were then shown, prompting loud boos, shouts, and whistles from the crowd.
Videos from social media show the crowd appearing to jeer as Sir Rod salutes the Ukrainian president.
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Swiss Summit Says Ukraine’s ‘Territorial Integrity’ Must be Basis of Any Peace
Sunday’s major Ukraine peace conference in Switzerland, where some 100 countries were represented, has rejected the conditions named by Russia’s Vladimir Putin for immediately ending the war.
A final document produced by the summit, which 78 of the countries signed off on, asserted that the basis of any future Ukraine-Russia peace deal to end the war must preserve the “territory integrity” of Ukraine.
Referencing the UN charter, the document lays out that “respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty … can and will serve as a basis for achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
“We believe that reaching peace requires the involvement of and dialogue between all parties,” it additionally said.
While the vast majority of countries agreed to the document, the representatives of India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates did not sign it, according to The Associated Press.
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UK: Judges Named for Assange Appeal
The judges in Julian Assange’s two-day appeal hearing on July 9-10 are the same who granted Assange a rare victory last month: his right to appeal the Home Office’s extradition order to the United States.
Justices Jeremy Johnson and Victoria Sharp granted Assange the right to appeal on only two of nine requested grounds, but they are significant:
1). his extradition was incompatible with his free speech rights enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights; and 2.) that he might be prejudiced because of his nationality (not being given 1st Amendment protection as a non-American).
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The Conservative Party’s brand in Britain is “utterly broken” after abandoning core principles in favour of big tent neo-liberalism, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said as his party continues to surge in polls.
Mr Farage, who is seeking to have his Reform Party supersede the Tories as the main ‘small-c’ conservative party in the United Kingdom, said that only a “very, very small minority” of Tory MPs are “what I call conservative”.
Speaking with The Telegraph, the Brexit leader said that there has been a “steady erosion” of the party’s values, saying: “The Brexit debate has exposed the broad church argument — it might be a broad church, but it has no religion. It has no faith. So what’s the point of it?”
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Caroline Glick: Responding to Hezbollah’s Strategic Offensive
Hezbollah is burning a swathe through northern Israel. The nature reserves, grazing land, fields and orchards are burning to the ground. Military bases, including several strategic assets, are incurring major damage. More than 1,000 homes have been destroyed. Businesses are bankrupt. And some 80,000 Israelis are living in hotels with no sense of when they may be able to go home.
Hezbollah has significantly increased the pace and lethality of its attacks on the Upper and Western Galilee, and the Golan Heights in recent weeks, as well as extended its attacks to the Mount Carmel area and the Jezreel Valley.
Haifa, Acre and Tiberias have all been subjected to missile, drone and rocket assaults. During Shavuot on Wednesday, Hezbollah shot more than 200 projectiles at Israel. On Thursday, more than 100 more continued and expanded the fires, destruction and mayhem.
The Israel Defense Forces claim that Hezbollah’s actions haven’t broken the mold of tit-for-tat assaults that Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging for the past eight months. On Tuesday night, the Israeli Air Force carried out an airstrike on the Nasser Unit of Hezbollah’s southern command. The Nasser unit is a division-sized formation responsible for Hezbollah’s operations along the border with Israel.
The unit’s commander, Taleb Sami Abdullah, and three of his senior staff were killed in the raid. The IDF’s claim that Hezbollah’s massive missile, drone and rocket barrages on Wednesday and Thursday, and into Friday, are a tit-for-tat supports Hezbollah’s line that its massive aggression is a legitimate reaction to Abdullah’s assassination.
The IDF’s claim is, to be sure, self-defeating. But that’s not the main problem.
The main problem with the IDF’s assertion is that it ignores the strategic logic of Hezbollah’s operations. Hezbollah isn’t attacking in response to any specific Israeli operation. It is attacking to achieve its strategic goals. Hezbollah isn’t simply abusive; it is waging a strategic war with clear long-term and intermediate strategic objectives…
| — Hat tip: Caroline Glick | [Return to headlines] |
Scientists Raise Alarm Over Shocking ‘Death Signal’ Linked to COVID Shots
A multi-center team of celebrated medical scientists has raised the alarm after discovering that Covid mRNA shots are responsible for a shocking “excess death signal” behind the global surge in mortality rates.
The peer-reviewed study was published in the prestigious Vaccines Journal and conducted by renowned Taiwanese scientists specializing in clinical pathology, infectious diseases, and tropical medicine.
Their systematic investigation into severe adverse events post-Covid mRNA injection raises significant concerns about the current mass vaccination policy.
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Watch: Convoy Driver PERSECUTED While Real Criminal Walks Free
At the height of the anti-lockdown movement in February 2022, police escorted a truck to the Convoy to Canberra protest stage area in the nation’s capital.
However, police then suddenly turned on the vehicle, shattering its windows and arresting the driver, Paul Offe. Locked up for two days and released on bail, Offe still faces six charges, including two counts of driving at police and reckless driving, with potential imprisonment of up to 40 years. His trial is finally set to begin on 24 June in the ACT Supreme Court.
Paul and his brother Michael Offe discussed the ordeal with me recently, revealing how years on from the Covid madness, they are still dealing with the fallout,facing such serious charges in prison time for what sounds like traffic offences.
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Germany Notes Increase in Migrant Flow Via “Belarusian Route, “ But Numbers Lower Than Last Year
Germany is observing an increase in the number of migrants arriving at its borders after illegally crossing the EU’s borders from Belarus, though the numbers are significantly lower than the same period in 2023, reports dpa.
In the first five months of 2024, German police detected 2,215 illegal migrants who entered the EU via the “Belarusian route.” These individuals were apprehended during checks at the borders with Poland and the Czech Republic. The numbers have been steadily increasing from January to May: 25-26 people in the early winter months, 412 in March, 861 in April, and 891 in May.
This trend mirrors the previous year, 2023, but the figures were higher then, with more than 6,000 people detected in the first five months.
Recently, the situation at the Polish-Belarusian border has worsened, despite being reinforced with a more than 5-meter-high fence. Polish border guards report daily attempts by migrants in Belarus to cross the border, often resulting in clashes. In one incident, a border guard died from stab wounds, and Warsaw is demanding that Minsk extradite the migrant responsible.
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It’s the melting pot of all scams.
Russian gangsters, MS-13 members, and a cadre of corrupt surgeons, lawyers and lenders are pulling off the latest big con in the city: bogus personal-injury lawsuits where immigrants go under the knife to help their twisted ruse.
Migrants and other desperate New Yorkers are pressured into getting unneeded spinal fusion surgery and other operations to boost the value of their fake-accident claims, according to court records, insurance investigators and law-enforcement sources.
Doctors cash in on the sick swindle by performing back and neck fusions, allowing fraudsters to swipe billions through bogus insurance filings, according to court filings and sources.
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“Possible Chemical Agent” Released at Pride Event in Baltimore
The Baltimore City Police Department is investigating a “possible chemical agent” released at a Pride event Saturday evening in the downtown area that sparked a “mass exodus.”
Local media outlet Capital Gazette said a “possible chemical agent” and fireworks were released during the Baltimore Pride parade around 830 pm local time.
Baltimore Police has yet to confirm the type of chemical agent that was released. The combination of the chemical agent and fireworks caused the large crowd to panic, scattering in different directions and resulting in several injuries.
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Canadian Doctors Demand Ability to Offer Child Sex Change Services Via Video Call
Some Canadian doctors want children to be able to access medical gender transition via video calls—and they don’t even think those children should have to appear on camera to get it. A new book detailing the procedure for youth telemedicine reveals that doctors believe they should be able to offer sex change services to minors virtually, and that due to the potential for “distress” to those minors, they should not even have to show their faces on the video call.
While the scandal that is pediatric gender medicine falls out of favour across the Western world, physicians from the BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver are calling for easier access for kids to medically transition. Doctors argued that children should be able to obtain a medical transition without even appearing on camera to their healthcare team—claiming that could be “distressing” for the kids.
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The phrase “one nation under God” is found in the American pledge of allegiance spoke by school children and is now a rallying cry for Canadian parents and children who are weary of LGBTQ+ indoctrination in their schools. The symbol of this indoctrination is most visibly present in the raising of the Pride flag at schools.
Parents came out Saturday to celebrate the success of the Canada-wide “walk-out” organized by the pro-family group Hands Off Our Kids. The movement’s leader, Kamel El-Cheikh, told The Post Millennial that 50 percent of students across Canada stayed out of school while the Pride flag was raised as they and their parents insisted that June should not be Pride month but “My Child June Month.”
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Detroit Community Leader Asks Trump to Put a Stop to Woke Trans Policies in Armed Forces
Former President Donald Trump engaged in a roundtable discussion on Saturday at a Detroit church, where local community leaders raised concerns about current military policies, particularly focusing on transgender issues. The event saw community leaders urging Trump, should he be reelected, to reverse these woke policies within the military.
During the discussion, one community leader criticized President Joe Biden’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, which led to the deaths of 13 American soldiers. “I look at how Joe Biden became the president and allowed Afghanistan to collapse and allowed our soldiers to die—it angers me,” he said.
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Parents of Westchester County Kids Against ‘Preferred Pronouns’ Sue School District
The parents of a group of Westchester County students who don’t want to call their classmates and teachers by their “preferred pronouns’’ is suing the school district on First Amendment grounds.
The federal lawsuit — brought on behalf of three unidentified parents by the right-wing advocacy group “Parents Defending Education” last week — claims the Croton-Harmon School District’s policies “punish students for their speech and compel them to mouth support for the District’s preferred views at all times of day, whether at school or not.
“Nearly a century of Supreme Court precedent makes two things clear: Minor students have the freedom to speak, and students do not abandon this freedom at the schoolhouse gate,” the lawsuit said.
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The CEO of a hot artificial intelligence startup won praise from other chief executives, including Elon Musk, after he announced a hiring policy that focuses on merit.
Alexandr Wang, who founded Scale AI in 2016, shared on social media that his company has formalized an MEI hiring policy. That is, “merit, excellence and intelligence,” in apparent contrast to DEI, or diversity, equity and inclusion policies popular at other companies.
“Scale is a meritocracy, and we must always remain one,” Wang wrote in an X post on Thursday. “Hiring on merit will be a permanent policy at Scale.”
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U.K. TV Host Apologizes for ‘Misgendering’ Emma D’Arcy of HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon’
British TV host Sue Perkins has apologized for calling actress Emma D’Arcy “she” during an interview to promote HBO’s second season of its Game of Thrones spin-off series, House of the Dragon.
D’Arcy insists on being called “they/them” and not “she,” but Sky Now’s Perkins used “she” for much of her interview with series star Matt Smith.
Indeed, Smith made a point of using “they” to refer to D’Arcy a number of times as he spoke to Perkins.
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WEF Demands Governments ‘Reinvent’ Food Supply With Insects
The unelected World Economic Forum (WEF) is demanding that the governments of “sovereign” nations begin “reinventing” the food supply by replacing meat and dairy with insect-based and lab-grown products.
According to the WEF, traditional meat must be replaced with “alternative proteins” to “save the planet” from “climate change.”
Klaus Schwab’s organization argues that globalists must wipe out the agriculture industry to meet the goals of the green agenda.
In recent years, the organization has been increasingly pushing for the general public to eat bugs to “reduce climate change.”
In a new article, titled “Feeding the future: why Renovation and Reinvention are key to saving our food system,” the WEF demonizes farmers and the food supply.
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On Thursday, a West Virginia judge ruled in favor of four middle school girls who refused to compete against a transgender athlete during the Harrison County District track and field championships. The teen girls protested by purposefully scratching during the shot put competition, which resulted in school officials allegedly banning them from competing in future competitions.
However, Harrison County Judge Thomas Bedell ruled that the girls could not be banned for protesting and granted them a temporary injunction, per WBOY-TV.
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Russia has become an uninteresting outcast. I monitor foreign media – Unsermittelevropa, Alan Medfort and even thereligionofpeace, there is nothing anywhere about the resonant event that happened in Russia yesterday.
In Rostov-on-Don, ISIS radicals convicted of a terrorist attack took hostages. Somewhere in prison they got phones, knives and even an ISIS flag.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imZ6ZztefYg
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/prisoners-take-two-employees-hostage-russias-detention-centre-2024-06-16/
Putin obsequiously congratulated Muslims on Eid al-Adha and thanked them for their contribution to the “development of the country.” They thanked him.
I read about it in the Daily Telegraph yesterday. It’s behind a paywall but this is the headline:
‘Islamic State prisoners ‘liquidated’ as Russian authorities end jail siege
Jihadists had taken guards hostage and demanded to be released with getaway car’
Everything is much more serious there. The chief and his deputy there are Muslims. One is Tajik, the second is Dagestan. The great question is why those imprisoned for terrorist offenses grew beards. How they ended up with knives and bats, bands and flags with ISIS symbols. Prisons in Russia have become Islamic jamaats.
The article writes that the flag was handed over “under the guise of a towel.” What???
https://bloknot-rostov.ru/news/flag-zapreshchennogo-ig-terroristam-v-sizo-rostova-1744469