Pope Francis said today that an encounter with a migrant is also an encounter with Christ. Meanwhile, a teenage Venezuelan migrant has been arrested for shooting two NYPD cops when they tried to pull him over while he was riding an illegal scooter. There’s no word yet on whether the shooter is named “Jesus”.
In other news, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, who had to undergo a number of operations in the hospital, has been transferred to his home in Bratislava, where he will receive home nursing care. His recovery is expected to take months.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Caroline Glick, Daniel Greenfield, Dean, JW, LP, 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.
Baltimore Nursing Homes See Rash of Fentanyl Overdoses
Fentanyl overdoses are becoming more common in Baltimore area, with some in the older generation getting hit the hardest in senior living facilities. The drug crisis in Baltimore, Maryland has gotten progressively worse over the years, to the point where it has now been crowned the overdose capital of the United States.
A growing number of those overdose deaths have occurred in nursing homes, where many lifelong addicts have found it easy to obtain drugs, including fentanyl.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Fani Willis to Face Hearing on Removal From Georgia Trump Case in October
A Georgia appeals court has set an October hearing to determine whether Fulton County DA Fani Willis may stay on the RICO case she brought against President Donald Trump and 18 other co-defendants. A challenge was brought to her remaining on the case due to revelations that she had an affair with one of the attorneys she brought onto the case. There were additional allegations of financial impropriety. The case she brought alleges that Trump and his team entered into a conspiracy over the 2020 election.
The tentative date for the hearing is scheduled for Oct. 4, per ABC News. “A calendar will be sent to counsel of record confirming the exact date of oral argument,” a notice says of the hearing. Last month, the appeals court agreed to take up the case. Trump and his codefendants are appealing the ruling from Judge Scott McAfee to keep either Willis or her lover Nathan Wade on the case. The ruling allowed for one of them to stay while the other had to recuse themselves from the case.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
COVID Shots Are SOLE Cause of Soaring Child Heart Failure, Top Study Confirms
A major new study has just confirmed that Covid mRNA shots are the sole cause of the soaring cases of heart failure among children.
As Slay News has been reporting, cases of cardiac-related deaths and heart failure such as myocarditis and pericarditis have been soaring around the world since the Covid injections were rolled out to the public in early 2021.
Myocarditis and pericarditis are inflammatory conditions of the heart and are generally considered to be rare, especially among children.
Severe cases can lead to serious complications and even death.
Both conditions are known side effects of the Covid mRNA shots.
In response, health officials and the corporate media have been pushing the claim that the COVID-19 virus, and not the shots, is behind the phenomenon.
However, a new large-scale study from renowned scientists at the prestigious University of Oxford has just confirmed that myocarditis and pericarditis only appear in children and adolescents after Covid vaccination and not after infection from the virus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fauci Squirms During GOP Grilling Over COVID, Pandemic Response
Update (1530ET): Former NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci was grilled by Republicans during Monday testimony in front of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, where he repeatedly denied Republican allegations that he sought to cover up the COVID-19 lab-leak theory — calling the accusation “absolutely false and simply preposterous.”
In his opening statement, Fauci denied trying to silence officials and scientists who thought the virus was created in, or at least escaped from, the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fauci Admits COVID Vaccines Were ‘Not 100%’ Effective Against Virus Transmission
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who previously led the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases prior to his retirement, testified before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic on Monday, telling Congress that he does not believe any vaccine is “100 percent effective” and that the Covid vaccine had “limited” protections.
“The vaccines saved millions of lives and I want to thank you for your support and engagement on that. However, despite statements to the contrary, it did not stop transmission of the virus. Did the COVID vaccine stop transmission of the virus?” subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup asked.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases head Dr. Anthony Fauciwas grilled by Congress on Monday, telling the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic that the unvaccinated attributed to additional thousands of deaths in the country and warning that Americans should not listen to “conspiracy theorists.”
“Do you think the American public should listen to America’s brightest and best doctors and scientists, or instead listen to podcasters conspiracy theorists and unhinged Facebook memes,” Rep Robert Garcia (D-CA) asked.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fetterman Slams Biden’s Ceasefire Plan, Calls for Defeating Hamas
Democrat Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has slammed President Joe Biden’s proposed “ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas.
During a televised interview, Fetterman expressed skepticism toward Biden’s plan, instead advocating instead for total defeat of Hamas, Breitbart reported.
In an in-depth conversation on Fox News Channel’s “Special Report” on Friday, Fetterman publicly disagreed with Biden’s recent endorsement of a “ceasefire” initiative aimed at Hamas.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Firefighters Find Charred Body While Extinguishing Florida Wildfire
Firefighters found a charred body after dousing a brush fire in south Florida, while fire crews elsewhere in the drought-stricken state battled wildfires that temporarily closed a highway and forced some residents to be evacuated from their homes.
Pompano Beach Fire Rescue crews were extinguishing a blaze when they discovered the body, and officials said they couldn’t determine whether the person was male or female, WTVJ-TV reported. Firefighters said some people had been living in camps in the wooded area but weren’t sure if the victim had been living there.
Pompano Beach fire investigators, the state fire marshal and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, were investigating the cause of the fire and the death.
To the north, more than 360 hectares had burned near Osteen in Volusia County as of Sunday. The Florida Forest Service said the fire was 90% contained. The fire broke out Saturday and may have been sparked by the remains of an earlier wildfire, Volusia County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Scott Smoak told WESH-TV.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Forget the First 220 Failures to Split California. This Developer Has a New Plan to Secede
The man who would finally break up California is a real estate developer from Rancho Cucamonga.
Jeff Burum knows this may sound crazy. He heard that response two years ago, before he persuaded politicians and voters in San Bernardino County to study the possibility of seceding.
But leaders, Burum points out, are often considered crazy when they try to do something that no one has ever done. And he is trying to do something that others have failed at many, many, many times before.
Burum has a plan to win independence for San Bernardino County — yes, a new state of “Empire” in the diverse, working-class community of 2.2 million. Driven by civic pride in a growing region that has been looked down upon by many Californians and by frustration that the state has held it back from reaching its full potential, he envisions secession as a declaration of the county’s dignity and an opportunity to reimagine a broken political system.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Huge Lithium Discovery in PA Could Supply More Than a Third of American Needs
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have discovered a substantial lithium deposit in Pennsylvania, with some suggesting that it could eventually supply the United States with as much as 40 percent of its needs. The valuable mineral was detected in wastewater from Marcellus Shale gas wells located across the state.
The news comes following a report from cross-commodity price-reporting agency Fastmarkets that showed demand for lithium in the US is predicted to soar by nearly 500 percent by 2030. Lithium is essential for many modern technologies, including batteries for phones, laptops, and electric cars. As of now, most of the supply comes from China and Chile.
UPitt National Energy Technology Laboratory research scientist Justin Mackey, who has been studying the subject for years alongside his mentor, associate professor Daniel Bain, published their findings in the Scientific Reports journal earlier this year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Independents Favor Trump by 12 Points Despite Guilty Verdict: I&I/Tipp Poll
Donald Trump is leading incumbent President Joe Biden among independent voters in a new poll released after his guilty verdict on Thursday. The results come after millions in donations came pouring in after he was convicted, in what many saw as a political court decision.
According to a recent poll from Issue and Insights/TIPP, Trump has made gains against Biden in the court of public opinion despite being found guilty in the NYC falsified documents case. Among independent voters, Trump leads Biden with 38 to 26 polls going into June. The national poll was conducted between May 29 and 31 of 1,675 registered voters with a margin of error of 2.5 percent and the verdict, issued on May 30, did not seem to weaken his support.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
J.D. Vance: Biden ‘Sleepwalking’ America Into World War 3
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) on Sunday wrote that President Joe Biden is “sleepwalking” America “into World War 3” by allowing Ukraine to strike Russia with American-provided weapons.
“I just spoke to a friend I trust on what’s going on in Russia. I think the risk of nuclear war is higher now than at any point in my lifetime. Biden is sleepwalking into World War 3,” Vance wrote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jury Selection Begins in Hunter Biden Gun Trial
Of all the things Hunter Biden has been accused of, and recorded himself doing, he’ll be in a Delaware courthouse this week on three federal felony gun charges.
Jury selection begins in the case brought against him by special counsel David Weiss, who has charged the First Son with making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a licensed firearm dealer, and one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Louisiana Bill Authorizing Physical Castration for Sex Offenders Heads to Governor’s Desk
Authored by Matt McGregor via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
A proposed bill that would enforce surgical castration as opposed to chemical castration for those convicted of rape has advanced in the Louisiana legislature.
The bill is now headed to Republican Gov. Jeff Landry’s desk to be signed or vetoed.
Senate Bill 371, sponsored by state Sen. Regina Barrow, a Democrat, would sentence those 17 and older who have been convicted of the rape of a victim under the age of 13 to be physically castrated.
It passed in the state House 74-24 and in the Senate 29-9.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Massive Shanty Town of Homeless People Pops Up in Crime-Ridden Oakland
California vagrants have created a massive shanty town in Oakland as the homeless crisis worsens throughout the Bay Area.
Shocking video footage shows makeshift temporary houses lined up on roads in the city. The houses are made of wooden pallets, plywood, tarps, and other discarded materials and objects. Some of these homes even have windows. There are also rundown RVs in the massive shanty town, which leads to abandoned buildings that seem to be occupied.
Michael Oxford, the host of CaliBased, uploaded video footage of the shanty town to X and wrote: “Parts of Oakland are worse than a third world country. They just allow people to live in absolute squalor, wherever they choose.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Meta Begins Training AI on Users’ Data, Makes it Difficult to Opt Out
Anyone with even some cursory knowledge of how user interface/experience (UX) but also user behavior works will tell you that “default (settings) is king.”
That is why the ability to “opt-out” (that is, remove yourself from a feature baked in as default) although it seems fair enough at first glance, is actually often a deliberate choice to harm users’ interests, by banking on their inertia.
But then when even that option is degraded to what some refer as “nearly impossible to opt out” — things start looking really bad.
They get even worse when you learn that this concerns your personal data being used to train AI models. And by none other than that paragon of habitual disrespect for user privacy and security, Meta.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police Arrest Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Inside San Francisco Building Housing Israeli Consulate
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Police on Monday arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators for trespassing after they occupied the lobby of a San Francisco building that houses the Israeli Consulate.
Police zip-tied the hands of protesters, put them in police vans, and drove them away.
Officers arrested 69 people who refused to vacate the building, cited them, and released them from San Francisco County Jail, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement. Another demonstrator was cited and released at the scene for the same charge, it said.
The demonstrators entered the building and occupied the lobby for several hours. The protesters posted signs on the front doors calling for an end to the Israel-Hamas war.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Post-Conviction Polls Show Increase in Support for Trump
Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Modernity.news
Polls taken immediately after Donald Trump’s conviction show there has been no negative impact on his support and even a slight increase in favorability, especially amongst independent voters.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Powerful House Chairman Says He’ll Refer Hunter Biden for Criminal Prosecution for Lying to Congress
The chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee delivered some bad news to Hunter Biden on the first day of his trial on federal gun charges, vowing Monday to send a referral asking the Justice Department to further prosecute the first son for allegedly lying to Congress during his father’s impeachment inquiry earlier this year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Radical Mutiny Continues in Biden’s Administration as Two More Officials Protest-Quit
Democrat President Joe Biden is continuing to face a mutiny from the radical Hamas-supporting wing of his administration.
Two more officials have just announced they are jumping ship from the Biden admin over the president’s handling of the war between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas.
The two officials protest-quit and cited alleged Israeli obstruction of humanitarian assistance to civilians who reside in the Gaza Strip.
One official, Alexander Smith, a contractor for USAID, said he was given the choice to resign or be dismissed after he prepared a presentation on maternal and child mortality in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
Another official, Stacy Gilbert, a State Department official from the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, also submitted her resignation in protest.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rand Paul Warns of “War in the Streets” Coming From Trump Verdict
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity,news
GOP Senator Rand Paul has warned that the fallout of the weaponisation of the justice system against Donald Trump could lead to “war in the streets.”
Appearing on Fox Business, Paul was asked “What is your reaction to the conviction?”
The Senator responded that it is “a sad day in America,” adding “what I worry about is something even bigger than Donald Trump.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rep Jordan Urges Congress to ‘Defund Lawfare Activities’ of Trump Prosecutors
EXCLUSIVE: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital he is proposing an appropriations package that would “defund the lawfare activities” of state and federal prosecutors leading “politically sensitive investigations,” pointing specifically to Special Counsel Jack Smith, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Revealed: Suspect Who Fatally Shot Minneapolis Cop Has Criminal Record, Wanted on Gun Charge
On Thursday a Minneapolis shooting left an officer as well as the shooter and a civilian dead. Authorities have identified the deceased shooting suspect and were able to determine that he had a criminal history and was wanted for arrest on gun charges.
Mustafa Ahmed Mohamed was identified by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office in Minneapolis, per WCCO, with police sources telling the outlet that he was the one who fatally shot the officer. Police officer Jamal Mitchell was identified as the deceased officer on Friday. Mitchell responded to a shots fired call and came to the aid of Mohamed, who then turned on the officer and shot him. Authorities said that Mohamed continued to shoot Mitchell as he collapsed onto the ground.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rumble Surges as Trump’s Guilty Verdict Shakes Up Media Landscape
Public attention has turned to the controversial conviction of President Donald Trump after he was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in an alleged scheme to “influence the 2016 presidential election” through payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. But where people go to check in with major news gives a revealing insight into the state of the current mainstream media and its growing independent alternatives.
In the online space, about President Trump’s response to the verdict, Rumble has surged ahead of its censored competitor YouTube over the weekend, as streamers on the platform easily secured all top five spots for live streams in the US during a press conference held by President Trump about his guilty verdict. YouTube was nowhere to be seen in the top 5 streams.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Supreme Court Rejects J6 Journalist Owen Shroyer’s Petition to Hear First Amendment Case
The Supreme Court has rejected a petition from InfoWars journalist Owen Shroyer, who sought to overturn a misdemeanor plea on the grounds of First Amendment protections. He had accompanied Alex Jones on the Capitol grounds during the protest on J6. He never entered the Capitol Building, but reported from outside on the grounds.
Shroyer was charged with a misdemeanor for trespassing on the Capitol grounds as well as using a blowhorn at the front of the Capitol building and is alleged to have inflamed the crowd by doing so.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A new report revealed that the psychologist who was reportedly part of the care team for trans Covenant School shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale allegedly failed in her professional and legal duty to warn law enforcement that Hale expressed fantasies about murdering family members and carrying out a school shooting.
According to 99.7 WTN’s Brian Wilson, “The ongoing [MNPD] investigation apparently focuses on the shooter’s therapist.” He added, “Metro Nashville Police Department is remaining silent on this, but sources familiar with the investigation confirm that the search warrants were run on the home and office of the therapist in an effort to obtain notes of the therapy sessions with the Covenant School Shooter. One source says detectives have evidence that the shooter told the therapist about fantasies that involved, among other things, killing her parents and carrying out a school shooting of some kind.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Vows to Release All Files on Jeffrey Epstein, Including ‘Client List’
President Donald Trump has vowed to release to the public all sealed files related to deceased child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Additionally, Trump pledged that once he’s reelected, he will also declassify all documents on 9/11 and President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
By releasing the Epstein files, Trump would also finally unseal the illusive “client list.”
The document is believed to contain the names of several of Esptein’s powerful high-profile child trafficking clients and accomplices.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
University of Michigan Regent’s Law Office Vandalized With Pro-Palestinian Graffiti
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (AP) — Pro-Palestinian graffiti spray-painted on the exterior of a Michigan law firm is being investigated as a hate crime, police in suburban Detroit said Monday.
University of Michigan regent and attorney Jordan Acker called the vandalism “antisemitic” and said staff at the Goodman Acker law firm’s Southfield headquarters discovered it Monday morning.
Splotches of red paint were left on the “Goodman Acker” sign above the building’s doors. “FREE PALESTINE” was spray-painted in black upon the building’s walls, while “DIVEST NOW” and “U-M KILLS” — a reference to the University of Michigan — were spray-painted in red upon at least one window and a sidewalk.
Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren said investigators believe the graffiti was left between 1:39 and 1:46 a.m. Monday. The FBI and other agencies are assisting in the investigation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Washington Post publisher and CEO William Lewis ha a blunt message for his staff during a tense meeting following the sudden ouster of executive editor Sally Buzbee, according to the paper’s own repporting.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A wealthy Austin neighborhood has ‘given the finger’ to the state’s capital and voted en masse to leave the city amid a spiraling crime crisis.
Lost Creek, a rich enclave in the west side of Austin, saw an overwhelming majority of 91 percent of residents vote to break away from the city during a May 4 election.
Many never wanted to be part of City of Austin to begin with when it was annexed nine years ago in 2015.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CHICAGO — In a North Side ward where four people have been shot in the past week, and robberies and sex crimes are at their highest level in over a decade, the local alderman announced on Wednesday that she would no longer post crime alerts on social media or send crime alerts to her constituent email list.
Why?
Something about racism and her belief that “over-reporting of crime leads to an inaccurate public perception about crime rates.”
Do you know what else leads to a perception of high crime rates? High crime.
Which alderman with a skyrocketing crime problem is going to start playing “hide the football” with the people who elected her? Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th), whose ward includes much of Edgewater and parts of Uptown.
Constituents who want to receive crime alerts via email will have to “opt-in,” said the alderman, who suggested people call the local police districts if they want information about crime in the neighborhood.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Woman Believed to be Dead Turns Out to be Alive at Nebraska Funeral Home, Officials Say
The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a woman who was believed to be dead began showing signs of life at a Lincoln funeral home Monday.
Emergency crews were called to Butherus Maser & Love Funeral Home, 4040 A St., at about 11:45 a.m. Monday after people there began performing CPR, according to Lincoln Fire and Rescue.
Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said the woman was transported from Waverly to the funeral home and was thought to be dead.
The sheriff’s office did not work the initial call regarding the woman’s death, Houchin said.
Houchin said deputies have been sent to Waverly to investigate where the woman was initially thought to be dead.
The woman was transported to Bryan East Campus and was believed to be alive as of early afternoon Monday.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Geoffrey Van Orden is a former British army brigadier-general who subsequently spent 20 years as a Member of the European Parliament. He was the last leader of the British Conservatives in the parliament, was instrumental in the creation of the European Conservatives & Reformists political group. He was also defence and foreign affairs spokesman. He is currently a vice president of New Direction — the Foundation for European Reform, and a distinguished fellow of the Washington-based Gold Institute for International Strategy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Arabic Billboards Spotted in Poland as Tourist Hotspots Target Wealthy Clients From Middle East
Arabic billboards have been spotted at a tourist hotspot in the Polish highlands as local businesses seek to capitalize on a significant increase in tourism from the Middle East.
In the resort town of Zakopane, located in southern Poland at the base of the Tatra Mountains, billboard advertisements have been created by Polish restaurant owners promoting their establishments as halal.
“The first halal restaurant in Zakopane,” one inscription reads alongside a QR code that provides directions to the eatery.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Belgium Wants EU to Strip Hungary of Voting Rights
Belgium, the member state currently holding the EU presidency, does not even pretend that the Article 7 procedure against Hungary was about the rule of law anymore, and has begun lobbying for suspending the country’s voting rights in the European Council because it won’t fall in line behind the EU mainstream.
Article 7 of the EU Treaty allows for suspension of certain membership rights if a country “seriously and persistently breaches the principles on which the EU is founded”—while holding the country to all its membership obligations.
According to Brussels, Hungary’s predictable tendency to veto key EU policies cannot be allowed to continue. “We need to have the courage to make decisions,” Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib said in an interview with Politico, published on Monday, June 3rd.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Last week, Polish President Andrzej Duda vetoed the legislation recognizing Silesian as a language for three reasons.
First of all, linguists argue that Silesian is a dialect and not a language, which is an expert opinion he took into consideration. Second, he noted that recognizing the language would encourage separatism. Third, he sees real dangers in recognizing Silesia as a nation.
Duda’s doubts were immediately confirmed by writer Szczepan Twardoch, who commented after the veto that he hoped that after next year’s presidential election legislation would emerge that not only recognized Silesian as a language but also Silesians as an ethnic minority.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
You’d think a person earning their bread and butter by holding a title as ridiculously worded as, “the European Commission’s Vice President for Values and Transparency” — would show a little humility, if not common sense, to balance out the PR act.
After all, this is not a role held at a non-profit or an NGO — this is a highly paid job financed by EU taxpayers. And really — really? — does the European Commission need nothing short of a full commissioner, not to mention a VP, to supposedly work every day, on something so nebulous and ever-changing as, “EU’s values and transparency”?
Either way, as taxpayers who earn their money through real work are compelled to finance this sort of thing, they might expect that the unelected Brussels-based elites would at least pretend to show some respect toward them.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Targets Chinese Website Temu Using DSA
The European Commission has targetted Chinese online platform Temu under its Digital Services Act (DSA), officially designating it as a “very large online platform” (VLOP) under the legislation on May 31.
By September 2024, the company must comply with “the most stringent rules under the DSA” as a result of the change.
According to a Commission press release, Temu will be required to “assess and mitigate any systemic risks” associated with its platform by enhancing consumer-protection measures, fostering more transparency and accountability and increasing surveillance for illegal products.
A Temu spokesperson told Brussels Signal the firm “acknowledges the European Commission’s designation under the Digital Services Act”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Targets Telegram: Could the Messaging App Face New Censorship Orders?
The European Union is eager to pull Telegram into the realm of its online censorship law, the Digital Services Act (DSA), by declaring that it has enough users to be considered a very large online platform (VLOP) — which DSA can then regulate.
The messaging app’s numbers from February said that it had 41 million monthly active users in the EU’s 27 member countries. But if the EU could find a way to officially push that statistic up to 45 million, then it could subject Telegram to a host of strict DSA rules. And to this end, an “investigation” has reportedly been launched.
The bloc is “in discussion” with those behind the app, unnamed sources have told Bloomberg. What exactly they might be discussing isn’t clear at this time, but Telegram no longer mentions the DSA on its ToS pages, while the one that provided the 41 million figure has been removed from the site.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook Briefly Deletes State Television’s Post on Orban’s Peace Rally Speech
Social media giant Facebook deleted a video on Sunday of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s speech at the June 1 Peace March, published on its site by state television channel M1, the TV station said in a news release.
Facebook justified the decision by saying that it believed the broadcaster had “shared symbols associated with individuals and organizations classified as dangerous, and glorified and supported dangerous individuals and organizations.”
On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of Hungarians from across the country and Hungarian-inhabited regions of neighboring countries marched through downtown Budapest to Margaret Island on the Danube River.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Farage Returns as Reform UK Leader: “I’ve Done it Before. I’ll Do it Again.”
Richard Tice is stepping aside as leader of Reform UK to allow Nigel Farage to take the reins.
The former UKIP and Brexit Party leader, who is largely credited with pushing ‘Leave’ over the finish line in the 2016 Brexit referendum, said “there is a rejection of the political class going on in this country in a way that has not been seen in modern times,” and that he is coming back to lead a political “revolt.”
Farage will now stand to be elected as MP for Clacton, the Essex seaside town where his former party, UKIP, won its first Parliamentary seat in 2014—despite saying just 11 days ago that now “is not the right time” to throw his hat in the ring.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Farmers Block Spanish-French Border in Major Pre-EU Elections Protest
Dozens of tractors have been blocking all major crossing points between Spain and France from Irun in the Basque Country to La Jonquera in Catalonia since Monday morning. The rally is expected to last until Tuesday.
Farmers’ protests have yet again caused traffic chaos in the continent in a message to lawmakers in Brussels and their potential voters just days before the European elections.
The protest, organised by Spanish Revolta Pagesa, a Catalan farmers’ platform, together with a number of agricultural organisations from all over Spain and several French farmers’ unions, saw dozens of tractors and other vehicles block the border between Spain and France since Monday morning.
They obstructed all main crossing points stretching from Irun in the Basque Country to La Jonquera in Catalonia.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Firebomb Thrown at Israeli Embassy in Romania, No Injuries or Damage
A foreign citizen was detained in Romania’s capital on Monday after allegedly attacking the entrance of the Israeli Embassy with a Molotov cocktail, causing a small fire but no casualties, local media and police reported.
The 34-year-old man was apprehended by antiterrorism officers from the Romanian Intelligence Service before police arrived on the scene, Bucharest police said, adding that the suspect also tried to set himself on fire.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the suspect had pulled out the Molotov cocktail while going through a security inspection, and proceeded to throw it at a door leading into the lobby.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French Opposition Accuses Macron of Foul Play Ahead of EP Elections
Senior French opposition politicians have accused Emmanuel Macron of foul play ahead of the EU elections.
It comes after the French President said he would give an interview on national television days before the European Parliament vote, the timing of which has raised eyebrows amongst his political rivals.
Officially, on June 2, Macron said he would use the June 6 interview to discuss the “international events in Ukraine and Gaza and speak on the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings during World War II”.
The opposition has instead argued that he will use the interview to talk about the upcoming European Parliament with the ultimate aim of dominating the news cycle on the last day before France’s election media embargo kicks in.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Minister Baerbock Rumoured as Possible Von Der Leyen Replacement
Germany’s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock is being eyed as a possible replacement for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, news sources in the country are claiming.
The Greens politician is reportedly seen by many as a more viable replacement for the current Commission head than ex-Italian prime minister Mario Draghi, who has so far been the main alternative candidate for the position.
He may now be pushed into taking the role of European Council President, with news outlet Bild reporting that Baerbock is now being considered for the top EC job.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Tensions Rise Between Activists in Mannheim After Deadly Stabbing of Policeman
Left-wing supporters accused AfD youth protesters of exploiting the policeman’s death at the hands of a migrant for political gain.
The death of a police officer by an Afghanistan-born migrant is stirring political tensions in Germany ahead of a crucial European election, with four other men injured in the incident.
Far-right activists from the Alternative for Germany’s (AfD) youth movement took to the streets of Mannheim on Sunday, where the attack occurred, demanding stricter asylum and migration policies.
AfD MP Nicole Höchst said “People who come here and don’t appreciate our hospitality have to leave. And we need to finally have a conversation about that too.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hospital Insider Testifies: COVID-19 Numbers Were Faked
A hospital worker has provided testimony to allege that official numbers for COVID-19 cases during the pandemic were faked.
During the pandemic, the corporate media spread fear among the general public by promoting reports that hospitals were overwhelmed due to soaring cases of COVID-19.
This fearmongering was used to pressure people to accept lockdowns, masking, vaccines, and other restrictions on freedom.
However, growing reports have since emerged to suggest that the number of cases of COVID-19 had been fabricated to support this fear-pushing agenda.
In Scotland, an official inquiry is underway that has been exposing major corruption in the official narrative regarding the pandemic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Make Me PM and I Might be Willing to Spare Beligum, Independence Leader Says
The leader of Belgium’s premier separatist party, Vlaams Belang, has confirmed that he might be willing to become PM and spare Belgium from destruction so long as his party gets to implement every single one of its other election promises.
Tom Van Grieken, the head of the right-wing independence group, said in a June 3 interview that — while the decision would be “particularly” difficult — he might even reluctantly agree to become prime minister of the country, so long as he is allowed to fully implement the rest of Vlaams Belang’s manifesto without compromises.
“It’s a tough decision,” the president of Vlaams Belang admitted when asked, eventually responding to the query with a reluctant-sounding “yes”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands Has Second-Highest Prosperity in Europe
The Netherlands has the second-highest broad prosperity in the European Union, with only Sweden residents being more satisfied with their lives in the “here and now.” Croatia has the lowest broad prosperity of the 27 EU member states, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported ahead of the European Parliament elections this week.
The study by statistics offices in the EU Member States looked at prosperity in the “here and now” and did not consider consequences for other generations or other countries. They looked at 23 indicators for nine different categories. The Netherlands scored well on 14 indicators, especially trust in others. Our country scored poorly in two. The Netherlands has one of the highest housing ratios in the EU, and it ranked 20th when it came to the healthy life expectancy of women.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: Over €700,000 in Damages From Riots at Eritrean Gathering in the Hague
Over 700,000 euros in damages were caused during riots at the Opera venue in The Hague on February 17. Riot police vehicles represent the largest cost item. On Monday, the court heard 86 claims for damages against a group of Eritrean suspects. Last week, they were sentenced to 12 months in prison. The victims want to hold each of the ten suspects responsible for the total damage.
The disturbances on and around Fruitweg happened around a meeting of the Eritrean community. Opponents of the Eritrean regime attacked the Hague event center, where supporters of the regime were gathered for a belated New Year’s Eve party. Responding police officers were pelted with stones. Dozens of cops were injured. A riot police commander was hit in the face with a stone, causing her to lose a front tooth. Cars and a coach went up in flames. The facade of the conference center also caught fire.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Identity and Flemishness: An Interview With John Wubbe
Flemish identity is going through a marked resurgence.
As the pro-independence Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) is expected to secure a historic 26.8% of the Flemish vote in Belgium’s federal and regional parliamentary elections on June 9th, making it the largest party, the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), also skeptical of Belgium’s continued viability as a political project, is no slouch either, ranking second with 20,6%.
The emancipation of the Flemish, who speak Dutch, from the cultural stranglehold a French-speaking elite exerted was hard-won, and a cause in which The Flemish Club for Liberal Arts, Science and Literature was instrumental.
The association, which is headquartered in Brussels and has existed since July 5th, 1923, aims to promote and defend the Dutch language. That need is still felt in the Belgian capital, where Dutch speakers remain a minority and regularly experience difficulties in being able to communicate in their own language.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland’s Foreign Ministry Recalls Its Ambassador to NATO Against President Duda’s Wishes
Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has decided to effectively fire Poland’s ambassador to NATO, Tomasz Szatkowski, and some other ambassadors without the consent of President Andrzej Duda.
The foreign ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski confirmed that Szatkowski had been asked to return to Poland as the ministry considers his mission to have expired on May 31.
Presidential aide, Mieszko Pawlak, told reporters that Szatkowski remains in post and that President Duda had no intention of recalling him. He called the ministry’s behavior “absurd.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Has Arrested 18 People on Allegations of Planning Hostile Acts on Behalf of Russia, Belarus
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland has arrested 18 people over the past six months on various allegations of pursuing hostile activities or planning sabotage on behalf of Russia and neighboring Belarus, and at least one was involved in an alleged plot to assassinate Ukraine’s president, the interior minister said Monday.
Ten of those arrested since December were directly involved in planning various forms of sabotage, such as arson, across Poland, Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak told a news conference.
Polish, Belarusian and Ukrainian nationals are among those arrested in recent months, according to Internal Security Agency communiques.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Populist Slovak PM Transferred to Home; Recovery Expected to Take Months
It will take months for Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico to recover from his injuries, and get back to work, according to Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar on Friday, May 31st. The populist prime minister was shot multiple times at point-blank range by 71-year-old Juraj Cintula in the central Slovakian town of Handlova, after a government meeting on May 15th. The 59-year-old Fico was left fighting for his life and had to undergo a number of operations.
Fico had been treated in a hospital in Banska Bystrica but was transferred last week to his home in the capital Bratislava where he will be receiving home nursing care. According to Miriam Lapunikova, the hospital’s director, the prime minister’s health is progressing well, but his rehabilitation will be tough and lengthy.
Media reports say Fico is able to eat and move around independently, with the aid of crutches. He has to adhere to a strict diet. He does not need round-the-clock medical assistance or special medical treatment, although a doctor will visit him regularly. The assassination attempt resulted in Fico’s hip being injured, and a part of his small intestine having to be removed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pressure Mounts on Spain’s PM as Wife Faces Influence-Peddling Probe
As more details emerge about the business dealings of Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish premier Pedro Sanchez, most Spanish citizens want Sanchez to either step down or be forthcoming about his wife’s activities.
Gómez is under investigation for peddling her influence as the prime minister’s spouse and for possible additional crimes in her business dealings. The investigation stems from her work as an extraordinary chair at the Complutense University. In 2020, not long after Sanchez had begun his first full legislative term as prime minister, Gomez was appointed chair of the newly-created Master in Competitive Social Transformation program at the Complutense University of Madrid, despite not holding a university degree herself. The position seemed to have been created just for Gómez. Besides the master’s degree program the department runs, the essential purpose of the position is to connect private companies with public funds, which are ultimately managed by her husband.
Spanish media have been uncovering details of her work for more than a year, leading to several complaints filed against Gómez by citizens’ groups and the opening of a formal investigation that is still underway.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Siemens ‘May Cut Thousands of Jobs in Wind Division’ as Losses Stack Up
Siemens Energy could cut up more than 4,000 jobs across Europe as falling demand and other economic problems take their toll on the wind industry.
The biggest headache for the German multinational comes from its subsidiary wind turbine manufacturer, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.
Tough economic circumstances are forcing the company to undertake the restructuring which may result in it reducing its workforce by up to 15 per cent, according to Reuters.
A Siemens Energy company spokesperson stated that the exact number of jobs affected would be confirmed after consultations with stakeholders are completed, but said the firm had started negotiations on restructuring measures.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Switzerland’s Upper House Rejects 5 Billion Swiss Franc Aid Plan for Ukraine
ZURICH (Reuters) — Switzerland’s upper house of parliament on Monday rejected a 5 billion Swiss franc ($5.58 billion) aid contribution for Ukraine contained in a broader financial package on the grounds that the plan breached borrowing restrictions in the neutral country.
With 28 against and 15 in favor, lawmakers voted down the 15 billion franc package, which also included 10.1 billion francs in additional funding for the country’s armed forces.
The plan’s defeat had been widely anticipated in recent weeks, with legislators from the right particularly opposed to it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Taking Back Control! Nigel Farage Back in as Leader of Reform UK Party
Nigel Farage will be taking over Reform UK, the party formerly known as the Brexit Party which he founded, a move outgoing leader Richard Tice said should “turbo boost” the party in the forthcoming July general election.
Reform UK leader Richard Tice has handed the reigns of the party to Brexiteer Nigel Farage, who announced he has changed his mind on not standing for election in July’s nationwide vote. In the shakeup, Farage will become Reform UK’s party leader and businessman Richard Tice will move to a chairman role.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The EU Agenda is a Leftist Agenda: An Interview With Professor Ryszard Legutko
You’re a veteran politician here in Brussels. Has EU has changed a lot since you first became an MEP in 2009?
Well, I’m not sure. I think it has changed, but maybe it wasn’t very different from what we see now. Except that I didn’t see through the screen, so to speak. I still had some illusions about the EU. But one of the changes is, I think, the growth of power of the European Parliament. Initially, we thought that the European Parliament was a sort of harmless institution with no real political weight. Margaret Thatcher once called it the “Mouse Parliament.” It wasn’t quite that, but it was the weakest of all the institutions. Now, that’s not true anymore.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The left-liberal Civic Platform (PO), led by Donald Tusk, is viewed as the most “pro-Russian” political party in Poland, according to a poll published on Monday by United Surveys for commercial radio RMF FM and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily.
The poll asked participants which political party they believed had the closest ties to Russia.
Civic Platform topped the list with 30.1 percent of respondents viewing it as the most “pro-Russian,” followed by the Law and Justice party (PiS) at 23 percent and the Confederation party at 16.2 percent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tommy Robinson Rally in London a Success, Though Hated by Media
The Woke-Left media is doing its part to rain on a rally of patriots in central London, UK.
The media roundly condemned the patriots for asking, “Who the f*** is Allah?” That chant is deemed hate speech, according to journalists who turn a blind eye to the thousands murdered each year—mostly non-whites—by Islamic hate groups.
Even the Fox News-ish Sky News noted a few hooligans in the crowd, again ignoring the established fact that Islam is the religion of hooligans paralleled by none [Heavy police presence in London for protests and Champions League final, June 1, 2024].
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Farage Calls for ‘Political Revolt’, Says Chance of Getting More Votes Than Tories Nationally
The governing Conservative Party in the United Kingdom is on “the verge of collapse” and it’s conceivable Nigel Farage’s Reform Party could outperform them in votes, he said while calling for a “political revolt” against the “boring idiots” in charge.
Nigel Farage is returning to the leadership of the Reform UK Party, formerly the Brexit Party which he founded, and will stand for election in Clacton, a seat where his former party UKIP previously enjoyed electoral success.
However, the Brexit leader made clear his ambitions were more national and long-term than merely looking to one seat at next month’s general election, as he laid out a plan for the next elections in five years and beyond. Even so, this election could see a major upset, Farage said, clearly buoyed by a major new poll today that shows the Conservative Party of Rishi Sunak — essentially the default governing party of the United Kingdom for two centuries — heading for a wipeout defeat.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vlaams Belang Wants Belgian Politicians to Take Drug Tests
The hard-right party Vlaams Belang said it wanted Belgian politicians to take an annual drug test because they serve as role models in society.
Belgium is increasingly struggling with its war on the narcotics trade. The port city of Antwerp and the capital Brussels have seen rising cases of extreme violence connected to drug-related gang activities, according to a recent report by French news outlet Le Monde.
Vlaams Belang positions itself as the party willing to go to the greatest lengths to combat drug dealing, with party President Tom Van Grieken advocating the policy during a French-language TV debate on May 30.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Von Der Leyen Must Kill Green Deal to Remain EC Chief, Farmers’ Party Warns
Ursula von der Leyen can only remain European Commission President if she kills the Green Deal, the Dutch Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) has said.
Despite the group’s intention to partner the European People’s Party (EPP), Sander Smit, who leads the European faction of BBB, said he wanted to see “a fundamental change of direction” in the European Union.
Asked on May 31 whether the BBB would be willing to support the reappointment of von der Leyen, Smit said the party would only do so if she dropped the Green Deal.
Otherwise, it would vote to replace her.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
During a pro-peace demonstration in Hungary that saw hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called for voters to turn out in support of pro-peace parties in the upcoming European Parliament and local elections.
“Hungarians have a simple choice: Vote for the pro-peace candidates of the ruling Fidesz party at the upcoming EU election or the warmongering candidates of the left,” Orban said on Saturday at the peace march in Budapest, which also saw people gather from neighboring countries as well.
“We are the only pro-peace government in the EU. The Vatican is also on the side of peace, but it represents a kingdom that is not of this world — and in an apostate Europe, that alone will not be enough to put the brakes on the speeding pro-war train,” Orban said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden’s Deal for Israel “Nearly Identical to Hamas’s Own Proposals”
After families across Israel had lit their Sabbath candles, returned home from synagogue services and begun their festive meals, President Biden looked at his watch in D.C.
“Just checking it’s afternoon,” he said. And then got started on his speech to save Hamas.
There was nothing accidental about the timing of the speech on Friday afternoon at a time when much of America’s political establishment was heading out for the weekend while Israeli Jews were celebrating the Sabbath and many of them were not even using electronic devices.
After celebrating former President Trump’s conviction, Biden announced a new deal under which Hamas would rule Gaza, get billions in U.S. aid and dozens of its terrorists would be released from prison in exchange for every hostage. Or every hostage’s dead body.
Under the terms of Biden’s proposal, Hamas wins and Israel gets back survivors and corpses.
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
Caroline Glick: Does Biden Reject Israel’s Right to Self-Defense?
The most basic function of all governments is to provide for the collective defense of the governed. The most basic foundation of sovereignty is a state’s right to defend its country from aggression. Take away a state’s right to self-defense, and you’ve effectively transformed it into a non-sovereign state.
Six Biden administration actions and policies subvert Israel’s right to self-defense. Whether analysed separately or all together, they make it difficult to avoid the conclusion that the administration’s ultimate end is to undermine to the point of ending Israel’s right to self-defense, and so end Israel’s sovereignty, for all intents and purposes.
The six policies the administration is undertaking relate to the battle in Rafah, Gaza’s border town with Egypt; its posture vis-à-vis the International Criminal Court amidst the ICC’s stated intention of issuing arrest warrants against Israel’s leaders on false war crimes charges; the administration’s effort to coerce Israel into accepting Palestinian Authority control over post-war Gaza as a stepping stone towards the swift establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and parts of Jerusalem; the administration’s policies in relation to Saudi-Israeli normalization; and finally, the administration’s determination to block Israel from taking any effective action to prevent Iran from building a nuclear arsenal…
| — Hat tip: Caroline Glick | [Return to headlines] |
Four More Israeli Hostages Died in Gaza Captivity, Israel’s Military Says
JERUSALEM, June 3 (Reuters) — The Israeli military said another four Israeli hostages abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7 had died in captivity and that their bodies are being held by the Palestinian Islamist group.
The four men were identified as Chaim Peri, 80, Yoram Metzger, 80, Amiram Cooper, 84, and Nadav Popplewell, 51.
All four were filmed alive in hostage videos posted by Hamas. Hamas said that Popplewell had died of wounds sustained during an Israeli air strike when posting his video last month.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Announces the Deaths of Four Hostages in Hamas Captivity
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Monday that it had confirmed the deaths of four Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity, following the gathering of new intelligence findings.
IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a press briefing that the military could not immediately confirm the circumstances of the deaths of Chaim Peri, 79, Amiram Cooper, 84, Yoram Metzger, 80, and Nadav Popplewell, 51, but that it would investigate their deaths fully.
“We estimate that the four were killed together, in the Khan Younis area, several months ago, while being held by Hamas terrorists and while IDF forces were operating in Khan Younis,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Loses 1,200 Troops in 24 Hours, According to Ukraine
The Russian military has suffered 1,270 casualties in the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian general staff said on Monday.
Kyiv also claimed it had destroyed 14 Russian tanks, 22 armoured personnel carriers and 47 artillery pieces.
If accurate, the figure would mark one of the highest daily Russian casualty totals of the war.
While The Telegraph cannot independently verify Ukraine’s claims, the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has assessed that Russian losses amounted to an average of 1,200 per day throughout May.
The MoD also said that the total number of Russian casualties since the start of the war has now likely passed 500,000.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Hits Ukraine’s Largest Hydroelectric Power Plant
Ukraine’s largest hydroelectric power plant, the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Station in the Zaporizhzhia region, is in “critical condition” after Russian attacks on Saturday night, June 1, according to Ukrainian media.
The region’s governor, Ivan Fedorov, said electricity production had been halted and traffic has been blocked on the Dnieper dam. The official gave no further details on the damage caused by the attacks.
Russia launched a barrage of missiles and drone strikes overnight, hitting energy infrastructure in several regions of the country. At least 20 people, including children, were injured in the attacks, according to the source.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Zelensky Warns Trump About Becoming ‘Loser President’ if Reelected
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is warning former President Donald Trump that he could be a “loser president” if he tries to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia if he gets another term in the White House.
Zelensky told The Guardian in an interview published Monday that although he has “no strategy yet” for how he would handle a second Trump term, he thinks the presumptive Republican nominee could become a “loser president” if he follows through on the plans outlined by some of his aides.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Georgia’s Parliament Speaker Approves Controversial ‘Russian Law’ Amid Protests
Georgia’s “foreign agents” bill, sparking protests and a presidential veto over concerns for media freedom and EU membership aspirations, is defended by the ruling Georgian Dream party but still faces calls for abandonment from the EU and US.
Georgia’s Speaker of the Parliament Shalva Papuashvili signed the contentious “foreign agents” bill into law on Monday, sparking significant opposition and weeks of protests from critics who argue it threatens media freedom and jeopardises Georgia’s European Union aspirations.
Papuashvili’s endorsement followed the ruling Georgian Dream party’s repeal of President Salome Zourabichvili’s veto in a parliamentary vote last Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
South African Elections: After 30-Year Rule, a Humbled ANC Seeks Coalition
Last week’s South African elections results, announced on Sunday, show that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party lost its absolute majority in parliament, forcing it to form a new coalition for the government to survive.
Securing only 40% of the vote, the outcome is a severe blow to the party, Africa’s oldest liberation movement. Once viewed by the U.S. as a terrorist organization, it was removed from the American list of proscribed terrorist organizations in 1988.
The ANC has ruled the country since its then-leader Nelson Mandela became president in 1994, ending white minority rule.
The largest opposition party, Democratic Alliance (DA), received 21% of the vote, followed by Jacob Zuma’s recently formed left-populist party uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) that got over 14% of the vote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Zero Tolerance”: Sweden Democrats Propose EU ‘Deportation Pact’
Arguing that the EU’s recently adopted flagship migration management policy (the Asylum and Migration Pact) does next to nothing to address the challenge of illegal migration and to protect the bloc’s external borders, the national conservative Sweden Democrats (SD) have unveiled a complimentary package that they dubbed “European Deportation Pact.”
The proposed reform package is intended to create EU-wide instruments to externalize the asylum and deportation procedures to third countries (like the Italian-Albanian agreement); force countries of origin to accept back their citizens or face sanctions; and implement a version of the so-called ‘Australian model,’ denying EU residence permit for anyone who’s been caught attempting to enter illegally.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Encounter With a Migrant is Encounter With Christ Says Pope
Pope Francis says that an encounter with a migrant is also an encounter with Christ in his message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which takes place on September 24.
“The images of the biblical exodus and of migrants share several similarities,” reads the message, which the Vatican released on Monday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A 52-year-old Zambian migrant was sentenced to 18 months of probation after sexually assaulting the 13-year-old daughter of his friend, which means he will not serve any prison time unless he violates his probation.
The sentencing, handed out in a Caen judicial court on May 28, 2024, was for a case dating back to Feb. 19, 2023, in Calvados.
On that day, after spending an evening with his friend, the Zambian migrant’s friend offered to take him home along with two other guests. The 13-year-old daughter of the driver also came along.
The 52-year-old Zambian man, who is seeking asylum in France, ended up sitting in the backseat with the daughter, where he began sexually assaulting the girl, according to French news outlet Ouest France.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The 25-year-old Afghan who stabbed a police officer to death and also brutally stabbed Islamic critic and politician Michael Stürzenberger on Friday last week lived in the country illegally for years.
Video of the stabbing incident has shocked the country, with the Islamist stabbing officer Rouven L. in the neck multiple times, with the officer dying on Sunday after succumbing to his injuries. The officer was apparently already brain-dead on Friday evening.
The attacker, Sulaiman Ataee, also attacked Stürzenberger during the incident, who appeared to be his main target. The shocking incident cannot be embedded on websites, likely due to EU or German censorship efforts, but it can still be viewed on X here.
According to Ataee’s asylum file, which was obtained by German newspaper Welt, the murderer came to Germany in March 2013 and applied for asylum. His claim was rejected already in 2014, approximately eight years ago, and he has been living illegally in the country ever since then.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Police Murder Suspect is Failed Afghan Asylum Seeker
The 25-year-old Afghan man accused of killing a policeman in Germany was a failed asylum seeker who had been living in the country illegally for nine years, according to media reports.
Sulaiman Ataee injured six people at an anti-Islamism rally in the southern German city of Mannheim on Friday, May 31st, stabbing them with a knife. One of his victims was a 29-year-old policeman, Rouven L., who he stabbed several times in the head. The young officer underwent emergency surgery immediately after the attack and was placed in an induced coma but succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. The attacker was shot and wounded by police, who say his motives and the reason for his attack require further investigation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poll: Half of Britons Want a Freeze on Almost All Legal Migration
The time for empty talk about net migration being brought down to the “tens of thousands” is over. After it was revealed that more than 1.2 million people arrived legally into Britain last year, around half of Britons have said they want to see a freeze on all “non-essential” immigration.
That is according to new polling for the Centre for Migration Control think tank, whose research director, Robert Bates, told The European Conservative:
The British public has clearly had enough of the mass migration agenda that has been foisted upon them by successive Conservative and Labour governments.
We require a serious national debate to work out exactly how we can unravel a lot of the damage being caused by a level of net migration that is now running at well over half a million people each year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Venezuelan Migrant Shoots Two NYPD Cops After They Tried Pulling Him Over on Illegal Scooter
A teenage Venezuelan migrant has been arrested for allegedly shooting two young NYPD cops after they tried to pull him over while he was riding a scooter.
Police approached Bernardo Raul Castro-Mata, 19, as he drove the unregistered motorbike the wrong way down a one-way highway in Queens overnight.
He allegedly responded by opening fire on the officers using an unlicensed gun before fleeing on foot at around 1.40am, NYPD said. One officer was struck in the leg while the other sustained a shot to their bulletproof vest.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
3rd-Strike ‘Trans’ Rape Suspect Prompts Rebellion Against CA Law After Attack in Women’s Prison
A transgender-identified California convict with a lengthy record of criminal violence has been transferred out of a women’s correctional facility and back to a men’s prison after being indicted for rape.
Tremaine “Tremayne” Deon Carroll, 51, is an incarcerated biological male who identifies as a woman and faces two charges of forcible rape and one of “dissuading a witness from testifying” in Madera County, according to a criminal complaint first obtained by the website 4W, and later reported by Reduxx.
One of the alleged victims of the Jan. 30 incident is a biological female, identified as Jane Doe in court documents, who said Carroll attacked her in the shower at the Central California Women’s Facility and raped her. The complaint also mentions another unidentified victim. Carroll has since been transferred to Kern Valley State Prison, a male-only facility in Delano, online records show.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Grant Program for Black Women Business Owners is Discriminatory, Appeals Court Rules
NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. federal court of appeals panel suspended a venture capital firm’s grant program for Black women business owners, ruling that a conservative group is likely to prevail in its lawsuit claiming that the program is discriminatory.
The ruling against the Atlanta-based Fearless Fund is another victory for conservative groups waging a sprawling legal battle against corporate diversity programs that have targeted dozens of companies and government institutions.
The case against the Fearless Fund was brought last year by the American American Alliance for Equal Rights, a group led by Edward Blum, the conservative activist behind the Supreme Court case that ended affirmative action in college admissions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bill Gates & WEF Advance Plans for ‘Climate Vaccines’
Billionaire Bill Gates, the World Economic Forum (WEF), and their globalist allies are advancing plans that allegedly seek to “save the planet” from “climate change” through the use of vaccines.
In recent months, unelected elites have been targeting the global food supply over claims that farming contributes to the so-called “climate crisis.”
The WEF and the United Nations (UN) insist that emissions from agriculture are preventing governments from complying with “Net Zero” targets.
The meet the goals of the WEF’s “Net Zero” agenda, governments are increasingly under pressure to destroy the farming industry, despite the obvious threat to the food supply.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hands Off Our Kids Organizes Canada-Wide ‘Walk-Out’ to Protest Raising Pride Flag at Schools
June, which is widely described as “Pride month” or even the beginning of “Pride season” in Canada and internationally to celebrate LGBTQ+ ideology, is now a time for schools to hoist the “Pride flag” and insist that all students join in. The organizer of the Million Person March for parental rights has urged parents opposed to woke indoctrination in Canada’s school system to pull their children from school as many schools across the nation raise the Pride flag.
The month should be renamed as “My Child June,” Kamel El-Cheikh told The Post Millennial in an exclusive interview.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas Supreme Court Shoots Down Pro-Abortion Challenge to State’s Laws
The abortion issue will undoubtedly remain at the top of many American voters’ minds as the 2024 election nears.
However, while pro-abortion activists and lawyers have had successes in some states, Texas is not one of them.
According to the Associated Press, the Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected a challenge to the state’s restrictive abortion laws.
The decision has generated a firestorm of controversy, provoking outrage from the Left.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A local television station, TVP Poznan, recently broadcasted the inaugural episode of a new program focused on promoting LGBTQ+ and gender ideologies. A guest on the program discussed the increasing visibility and acceptance of drag queens in various spheres of society, signaling a shift in LGBT advocacy.
Following the election of a new left-liberal parliamentary majority in Poland, changes swept through public media, altering the landscape of news programming to increasingly reflect government biases and cater to liberal and left-leaning sensitivities. Yet, no one anticipated that a public station would broadcast a series of programs openly promoting the LGBT subculture and the revolutionary, anti-family, and anti-Catholic propositions of this community.
The series kicked off with discussions featuring LGBT activists, where the debut guest elaborated on his motivations for participating in the LGBT movement and his experiences as a drag queen. He expressed satisfaction with the opportunity to represent LGBT and gender ideologies on TVP Poznan.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Winnipeg Pride Parade Blockaded by Pro-Palestinian Queer Activists
Pride and Palestine demonstrators clashed on the streets of Winnipeg just one day into Pride month.
Winnipeg’s Pride parade was met with a blockade by self-identified queer pro-Palestinian activists who claimed there is “no pride in genocide.”
The activists, who said they disrupted the parade “in the traditions of Two-Spirit, queer and trans resistance,” made a series of demands to parade participants.
Demands include ending “complicity with genocide” by, among other things, having parade organizers “refuse to allow Zionist organizations that support the genocidal occupation of Palestine a platform or place in Pride events.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
I am sure that meeting Pope Frank is a lot like meeting a South American Marxist.
Thank you to everyone who has downloaded a free copy of “Living In A Salt Land.”
It is currently at no. 5 in one category and no. 9 in another of the Kindle free e-book charts.
It’s still free at the moment, so if anyone else is interested, or has subscribed to Kindle Unlimited, you can still get a free copy.
Here are a couple of extracts:
We have to acknowledge that the world we used to live in is no more. The society we grew up in had a certain moral equilibrium built into it, so even when people disagreed about how our society should be organised, stability and sanity prevailed. The social environment we live in now is very different. It is no longer possible for anyone from the working class to have any trust or confidence in any agents of the state, and if anyone questions the role of the state or expresses a dissenting view about what should (or should not) be seen as important in our society, then no matter how well argued their views may be, their views are ignored and the individual is personally attacked.
Sittason, Andrew. Living In A Salt Land (p. 117). Andrew Sittason. Kindle Edition.
The historical fact that hundreds of thousands of white Christians were abducted and enslaved by Muslims from the Barbary States; the actions of men like William Wilberforce, John Newton, Granville Sharp and Thomas Clarkson, all of whom strove to put an end to slavery; the signing of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act on 16th March 1807 and the subsequent formation of the Royal Navy’s West Africa Squadron, which was in action for almost sixty years, are being erased from history.
The enemies of free speech who have infiltrated our society are attempting to access the hard drive of human history and delete these folders. They would like nothing better than to overwrite those memory locations with ones and zeroes, so that the files can never be retrieved. Before they are able to do this, each of us needs to remember that as an individual human being (who has the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers), we have the ability to open up the recycle bin of history, click on the folders about white British men doing everything they could to end slavery, and the folder containing all of the information that has been recorded about the Barbary States, and restore them all.
Sittason, Andrew. Living In A Salt Land (pp. 106-107). Andrew Sittason. Kindle Edition.
In the book I argue against cancel culture, anti-white racism, the concept of “white guilt,” the concept that one can be guilty today of the historical sin of slavery, reparations, multiculturalism, etc etc. Also the use of SSRI medications, which are still being handed out to millions of people, despite everyone knowing perfectly well that they don’t really work. What else? Patient consent – that’s critical – we all have a right to be informed of all of the “material risks” involved in any medical “treatment” before it can happen. I go over that too.
Links to sources and a few photos are all provided.
Hope you all get something out of my modest effort – it just seemed more efficient to put together a short 12 chapter e-book than make a bunch of comments on different forums and websites. So the book’s out there & it’s free – download it & if you find any ideas or arguments that you can use elsewhere, feel free to do so.
Here’s the link again, if anyone wants a free copy:
Living In A Salt Land”
Can I make a suggestion? In light of the fact that there are quite a lot of people who can both think clearly and write pretty well on this site, that putting together an e-book (or even going the whole hog, springing for a decent cover and publishing a paperback) might be worth thinking about. (You can self-publish on KDP quite easily nowadays.)
It might be possible to develop a kind of resource database, which would be accessible in a more permanent way than the high turnover rate of articles & comments at GoV.
Also, a kind of backup, in case the website ever goes down.
Or – a collection of articles from years gone by, which, lets face it, are hardly ever accessed any more. Everything’s happening so quickly nowadays that we tend to read new articles here, and new articles there, and not go back and read older articles to help put recent events in context. (I’m guilty of this myself, anyway.)
I think the Baron said once that he wanted to record what was happening in the world, so that at least there would be a record of it. Keeping a backup copy of GoV articles in the form of a few e-books (or paperbacks), published through KDP, might be worth thinking about.
Just a thought.
Or life stories – I’m sure there are a few people who read GoV with interesting life stories.
If the Baron wrote an autobiography, I’m pretty sure that would sell a few copies. [imagine a thumbs up emoji]
Poope Frank knows nothing about JESUS the Christ.