London Mayor Sadiq Khan placed the city on high alert today as anti-immigration protesters arrived in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods. Meanwhile, polls show the majority of Britons believe that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is handling the riots badly.
In other news, an explosion rocked the Usinsk oil processing plant in Arctic Russia yesterday, causing major fires. The cause of the blast is not yet known.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, Dora, DV, JW, McN, Reader from Chicago, Roger, Upananda Brahmachari, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
The White House attempted to distance itself from Congresswoman Cori Bush on Wednesday following her “inflammatory” comments after her primary defeat on Tuesday. Bush lost to St. Louis prosecutor Wesley Bell and will not be returning to the US House after her term expires this session.
Bush has complained that Wesley Bell was backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). In her concession speech, Bush warned that the group should “be afraid” and that it had “radicalized her.” New York Squad member Jamaal Bowman, who also speaks out for Palestinians over Israel, also lost his seat. Both races were insanely expensive.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Big Lots Could Potentially Close 315 Stores
Up to 315 of discount retailer Big Lots’ locations could be on the chopping block and facing potential closure, a Securities & Exchange Commission filing from Friday indicated.
The company disclosed in the filing that it had upped the number of permitted store closings to a maximum of 315 as part of late July amendments to a credit agreement and term loan facility. That marked a 165-store increase from the 150 closings previously permitted.
Other changes made “certain additional reports” to its lenders required for Big Lots, trimmed the credit agreement’s aggregate commitments by $100 million to $800 million and made the borrowing interest rate 50 basis points higher, according to the filing.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The federal government would be barred from entering into any future death penalty-free plea deals with terror mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and others accused in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks under legislation introduced by New York Republican lawmakers.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-Rockland) introduced the “Justice for 9/11 Act” following the outcry over the plea deal military lawyers offered to the accused terror killers that would have spared them the death penalty.
The shocking deal was rescinded by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin two days later after backlash from the families of victims killed on 9/11.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bloomberg made a stealth edit made to an article about Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who was selected as Kamala Harris’ running mate. The edit changed a reference to Walz’s military service location from Iraq to Italy, with no explanation provided in the editor’s note as to why the change was made.
The article, which describes Walz’s services as a 24-year veteran of the Army National Guard, stated that Walz served in Iraq as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. However, after more attention was drawn to Walz’s embellished military record, the article was changed to say Italy instead of Iraq.
However, this is not the first time that Joshua Green, the author behind the Bloomberg article, has attempted to portray Walz as a combat veteran.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Brandtjen: Fake Military Voters Remain on Wisconsin Voter Rolls
The Wisconsin state representative who got three fake military ballots in the mail two years ago is now getting mail for at least one of those same fake people.
Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, on Tuesday said she recently got a letter for Holly Adams.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CNN’s Van Jones: Kamala Harris is ‘Caving to Darker Parts’ of the Far-Left by Picking Tim Walz
CNN’s Van Jones, a former Barack Obama advisor, has warned that Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris is “caving in” to the “darker parts” of the Democratic Party’s far-left by choosing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
Jones argues that Harris picked Walz over Pennsylvania’s Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro due to pressure from anti-Semitic leftists within the party.
The CNN host made the remarks after being asked on the network about Harris’ decision not to go with Shapiro, who is Jewish.
Shapiro was viewed by many strategists as the strongest pick she could have made.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
COVID Shots Cause ‘Debilitating Neurological Disorders,’ Study Warns
A bombshell new study has confirmed that surging cases of several once-rare forms of “debilitating neurological disorders” are being caused by Covid mRNA shots.
The discovery was made by an international group of neurology-focused researchers.
The team, made up of leading researchers in the United States and Kenya, sought to investigate the links between Covid mRNA injections and recent spikes in reports of autoimmune encephalitis (AE), neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD).
All three are described as “complex and debilitating neurological disorders.”
For the study, the researchers used data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democratic Socialists of America Takes Credit for Getting Tim Walz Picked as Harris’ Running Mate
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is taking credit for apparently helping Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris choose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
The DSA is taking a victory lap on social media after radical Walz was confirmed as the Democrats’ vice presidential nominee for the 2024 election.
In a post on X, the DSA, the largest socialist group in the U.S., said:
“Harris choosing Walz as a running mate has shown the world that DSA and our allies on the left are a force that cannot be ignored.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrat Jamie Raskin Floats Plan to Block Trump’s Election Victory to ‘Save Democracy’
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) has suggested that Democrats are planning to block the certification of the 2024 election results if President Donald Trump wins.
Raskin, who sat on the anti-Trump January 6 Committee, discussed overturning the election results in order to supposedly “save democracy” if Democrats don’t get the outcome they want.
Raskin raised the alarming scenario in resurfaced comments from February.
He argued that Congress would disqualify Trump after the November election, even if the 45th president wins the presidential race.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown to Avoid DNC, Refuses to Join Harris on Campaign Trail
Cracks are continuing to emerge in the Democratic Party after Vice President Kamala Harris was undemocratically selected as the Democrats’ nominee for the 2024 election.
In a strategic divergence from the Democrats’ national agenda, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has opted out of attending the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
Brown is also refusing to join Harris on the campaign trail, Breitbart reported.
The senator is reportedly focusing on his challenging re-election in Ohio and distancing himself from national Democrat figures.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Embattled “Dolton Dictator” Mayor Tiffany Henyard and other officials lost their power to swipe freely on the Illinois village’s credit cards when the board voted Monday to freeze the municipal plastic after a spending frenzy.
Dolton’s director of administrative services will only be allowed to use the village credit card after the board approves of the purchases, trustees said, according to reports — in a blow to Henyard’s control.
“This village has so many people with so many credit cards, they’re swiping like crazy and that’s why it had to come to a complete halt,” said lawyer Michael McGrath, who is representing Dolton’s trustees, according to WGNTV.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Every ‘Rabbi’ From ‘Jewish Americans for Kamala Harris’ Belongs to Anti-Israel Groups.
Democrats have tried to reassure Jewish voters that they have nothing to worry about despite Kamala’s harsh criticism of Israel’s war on Hamas.
To counter those concerns, the Jewish Democratic Council of America, headed by Haile Sofer, Kamala’s old policy adviser, rolled out a ‘Jewish Americans for Kamala Harris’ online rally. But while the Zoom rally flier may feature a photo of Kamala and her husband, Doug Emhoff, awkwardly lighting a menorah, the leading figures in the rally only raise more questions.
The two most prominent non-elected officials taking part in the rally are Randi Weingarten, the head of the American Federation of Teachers union, and her girlfriend, Sharon Kleinbaum.
While Weingarten is best known for her work in keeping school closed leading to as much as a grade point of loss in education, she is militantly anti-Israel and has used antisemitic rhetoric.
In response to a question from the JTA, a liberal Jewish media outlet, about the power of teachers’ unions, Weingarten launched into an antisemitic tirade in which she claimed that “American Jews are now part of the ownership class” who “want to take that ladder of opportunity away from those who do not have it.” The American Jewish Committee had responded with an op-ed urging her to “Counter, Not Inflame, Antisemitism”.
I have tried to reach out to ‘Jewish Americans for Kamala Harris’ to inquire if they agree with Randi Weingarten that Jews are “the ownership class” who “want to take that ladder of opportunity away from those who do not have it”, but have not received an answer.
Weingarten had befriended and defended antisemites including former Women’s March leaders Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour, calling them “friends” and “warriors for justice.” Mallory was an enthusiastic fan of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who had praised Hitler. She had described the creation of Israel as a “human rights crime” and attacked Jewish groups.
Sarsour had a long track record of antisemitism and support for Islamic terrorism. After the Oct 7 Hamas attacks, the Islamic activist claimed that Jewish hostage posters were entrapment and that Jews everywhere were watching them. “So when you go home, they have their little people all over the place, trust me I know them, I got a radar for them… you think they’re ordinary people, trust me when I tell you they are everywhere. They’re on your college campus, they’re outside the supermarket, they’re outside Grand Central Station.”
Not only did Weingarten not stand with Jewish activists against the Women’s March antisemitic leaders, but she is a board member of the Americans for Peace Now BDS group whose CEO Hadar Susskind praised Ben & Jerry’s decision to boycott Israel as a “principled moral stance which we fully support”. APN has platformed antisemitic figures like UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese who claimed that America is “subjugated by the Jewish lobby”.
Weingarten’s AFT union has demanded that Israel stop attacking Hamas in a resolution presented with personal support from Randi at a convention where Kamala spoke. The AFT defended the pro-terrorist mobs harassing Jewish students and faculty on campuses.
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
FBI Raids NY Home of Ex-UN Weapons Inspector & Anti-War Pundit Scott Ritter
On Wednesday the upstate New York home of Scott Ritter was raided by the FBI and state police. The FBI has since confirmed in a statement that this is part of an ongoing federal investigation into Ritter.
Agents were seen entering his house in Delmar, NY in widely shared photographs and local media footage in the afternoon. It was unclear if Ritter was at home at the time and the allegations at the center of the investigation remain unknown.
“I can confirm FBI personnel are at a home on Dover [Drive] conducting law enforcement activity in connection with an ongoing federal investigation,” a statement from the FBI’s Albany office confirmed. “As the investigation is ongoing, [Department of Justice] policy prevents me from commenting further.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Feds Must Return Spear, Horned Helmet to Jan. 6 Rioter ‘QAnon Shaman, ‘ Judge Rules
A judge has ordered the feds to return the spear and horned helmet worn by the man who touted himself as the “QAnon Shaman” when he stormed the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots.
Federal Judge Royce Lambert ruled Monday that the Department of Justice needed to give back Jacob Chansley’s “unmistakable outfit” after the convict served his 41-month sentence for his part in the deadly 2021 mayhem.
“Mr. Chansley has completed his prison sentence and much of his term of supervised release. Now, he has moved for the return of his property seized and still held by the government, including his spear and helmet,” Lamberth wrote in his decision.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Fully Vaxxed’ Doctor Dies ‘Suddenly’ of Stroke at 32
A California doctor has tragically died “suddenly” after suffering a stroke at just 32 years old.
Dr. Maddie Giegold’s tragic sudden death came just five days before completing her residency.
According to reports, the young doctor was “fully vaccinated” for Covid and received an mRNA “booster” shot shortly before she died.
“I’ve never really met anyone else like her, she’s incredibly goofy,” said friend Hannah Trautner.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vice President Kamala Harris’ newly minted running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, “failed to act” during May 2020 riots in Minneapolis that burned over 1,000 businesses and a police station to the ground, a scathing state Senate report showed.
The 60-year-old Democratic governor was accused by the Republican-controlled Minnesota Senate’s Joint Transportation and Judiciary and Public Safety Committee of delaying the deployment of the National Guard, failing to coordinate with local police, downplaying the possibility of riots and allowing his adult daughter to access confidential information about law enforcement movements that put first responders at risk during the four days of rioting that swept through the Twin Cities in the wake of George Floyd’s May 25, 2020, death in police custody.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Here’s Why Students Are Taking a Less Traditional Route After Graduation
Contrary to popular belief, only half of recent high school graduates are planning to attend a four-year college or university, according to new research.
A survey of 1,000 recent public high school graduates (ages 18 and 19) and 1,000 parents of public high school students found that just 22% felt “very prepared” for life after graduation.
And parents agree: Less than half of parents surveyed (43%) believe their child is ready for the “real world” after graduating high school.
Results found one in two students are taking a perhaps less traditional route. About a quarter (24%) plan to immediately enter the workforce after high school, while a fifth (21%) are planning for a two-year college or university, like a community college.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
How Kamala Harris and Tim Walz Fiddled as Minneapolis Burned During Destructive 2020 BLM Riots
Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s fingerprints are all over the deadly riots that consumed Minneapolis and St. Paul in the summer of 2020 — their cheerleading and inaction giving cover to criminals as neighborhoods burned and hundreds of businesses were ransacked and destroyed.
In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, lawlessness reigned as city streets erupted in a nightmarish hellscape of violence and flames.
“The civil unrest that happened in Minnesota was unprecedented, it was a once-in-100-years thing. Nobody expected it, nobody planned for it,” Dr. Ali Barbarawi, a Minneapolis dentist who grew up in the West Bank, told The Post.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
How Legal Weed Unified Ohio and Proved Voters Are More Green Than Red
WESTERVILLE, Ohio — Legal recreational marijuana went on sale in Ohio for the first time Tuesday — in large part because voters who are both red and blue saw just one color: green.
Weed sales have for decades been a sharply political and partisan issue in Ohio — with Republicans generally against it and Democrats generally in favor.
But at legal pot shops, buyers and sellers agreed that marijuana is one of the few issues that cuts straight across party lines.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Illinois 15-Year-Old Girl Shot Dead by Stray Bullet While Dining at Home
A 15-year-old girl was killed by a stray bullet while she was eating dinner with her family in her Illinois home, authorities said.
Valeria Rodriguez was shot in the torso when the gunfire erupted outside her house in Round Lake Beach, just outside Chicago, back on July 24, ABC7 reported.
The teen — who police say was not the target of the shooting — had just sat down to dinner when the bullet tore through the dwelling at about 9 p.m.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance stunned reporters Wednesday by attempting to confront Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz on the tarmac here when their planes arrived at about the same time.
“I figured I’d come by and one just get a good look at the plane because hopefully it’s going to be my plane in a few months,” the Ohio senator told campaign reporters after approaching Air Force Two.
“I also thought you guys might get lonely because the vice president doesn’t answer questions from reporters and hasn’t for 17 days.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In a recent interview with CNN, Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) claimed that while Kamala Harris’ recently announced running mate Tim Walz has served in the Army National Guard, she was “not aware of any military service” that Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, served.
“Well, here is Tim Walz, who enlisted when he was 17 years old. He served in the National Guard for 24 years, and I’m not aware of any military service that JD Vance has ever served. so let’s just make the comparison there,” Smith said.
The lawmaker was cut off by host Jim Acosta, who chimed in, “He was in the Marines.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kamala Harris: We Must ‘Reduce Population’ to Advance Green Agenda
Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris has declared that America must “reduce population” numbers in order to advance the globalist green agenda.
Harris asserted that, alongside investments in “clean energy and electric vehicles,” a reduction in “population” is essential in tackling so-called “climate change.”
The comments from Harris recently resurfaced after she was undemocratically installed this week as the Democrats’ nominee for the presidential election.
During a speech at Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland, in July last year, Harris stated that in order to meet “climate change” goals, governments must “reduce population.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kansas Police Chief Who Led Raid of Newspaper Violated Law: Prosecutors
Marion, Kansas — A recent investigation into a contentious raid on the Marion County Record newspaper has taken a surprising turn, as district attorneys from Sedgwick and Riley Counties have exonerated the newspaper’s staff from any criminal activity — and say the police chief who led the operation broke the law by obstructing their investigation.
In August, Marion County officers, led by former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody, executed search warrants at the Marion County Record’s office, the home of editor Eric Meyer, and reporter Phyllis Zorn’s residence. The warrants werebased on suspicions that the newspaper staff had illegally obtained the driving record of a local restaurant owner.
The investigation revealed that the newspaper staff had not broken any laws. The district attorneys’ report highlighted that the driving record, initially provided by a source, was accessed legally through the Kansas Department of Revenue’s website with assistance from a department employee.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Key Homeland Agency Warns Agents That Iran, Proxies May Try to Cross Border to Attack United States
In a stark warning, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency is altering all field offices that Iran or its proxies may try to transport “operatives, money or materials” across the southern or northern U.S. borders to conduct a terrorism attack against Americans, according to an agency memo obtained Wednesday by Just the News.
The memo from the CBP’s Office of Field Operations urged agency personnel to take a “heightened posture due to ongoing security threats” and suggested that recent, coordinated attack from Iran-backed Hezbollah on Israeli children playing in Golan Heights soccer fields raised the distinct threat of similar attacks against the West.
Israel’s assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran was also cited in the alert.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An AI-driven analysis of US news coverage over the past three months has revealed that in the wake of Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race and Kamala Harris taking his place, Harris has seen a surge in positive headlines.
The study of 130,231 headlines from 550 news outlets over the past three months, conducted by Permutable AI, showed that there was a small spike in Trump’s “sentiment” rating following the assassination attempt at the Butler, Pennsylvania rally, but by the following week, that spike had been replaced by a surge in Harris’ sentiment rating.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Majority of Americans Believe the First Amendment Goes Too Far: Poll
(The Center Square) — Free speech suppression on college campuses and social media censorship often spur debates over how far the First Amendment should go to protect Americans’ rights to express their opinions — and who should be entrusted with those decisions.
About 53% of Americans believe the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it protects, according to a new poll by the nonprofit Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE.
The poll, conducted July 5-10, is the latest installment in the National Speech Index, a quarterly survey designed by FIRE and the Polarization Research Lab at Dartmouth College to gauge public opinion on freedom of speech.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Pennsylvania man repeatedly and fatally stabbed his mother in broad daylight as a group of terrified onlookers watched the horror unfold in the middle of a street last weekend, according to authorities.
Brian Rebold, 38, stands accused of criminal homicide and murder in the first degree for the Sunday slaying of Diana Rebold, 73.
The defendant himself is said to have made the 911 call. Several witnesses would allegedly corroborate details of the argument that ended in an attack and a shockingly brutal case of alleged matricide.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Minorities Can’t Combine Efforts to Claim Voting Rights Violated, Appeals Court Rules
Voters in different minority groups cannot combine efforts to claim a Texas political map stripped their voting power, a federal appeals court has ruled.
The federal appeals court decision could win congressional seats for Republicans in the South.
Conservatives had claimed that Democrats were misusing the Voting Rights Act to create voting districts favoring their party in Galveston, Texas.
The three-judge panel on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More Americans Own Guns for Self-Defense
There are plenty of excellent ways to exercise Second Amendment rights, such as hunting, enjoying or competing in the shooting sports or developing a firearm collection. However, the most important aspect of the Second Amendment is that it preserves the individual right to keep and bear arms to defend oneself, family and community.
A new study published in the journal Injury Prevention on July 25 shows that protection is the overwhelming reason Americans exercise their Second Amendment rights. Titled, “Firearm ownership for protection in the USA, 2023: results from a nationally representative survey,” the authors from the University of Michigan found, “Of all firearm owners, 78.8%… owned a firearm for protection.”
Moreover, the results suggest that more than half of gun owners at least sometimes exercise their Right-to-Carry. The researchers determined, “58.1%… carried a firearm outside their home in the last 12 months.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NASA Head Considers Elon Musk’s SpaceX to Save Stranded Boeing Starliner Crew at ISS
On Wednesday, Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, informed reporters that mission control still needs to confirm a return date for the crew of the stranded Boeing Starliner spacecraft at the International Space Station. He mentioned that officials are carefully considering their options, including using SpaceX’s Crew-9 Dragon to rescue the two astronauts.
“Our primary option is to return Butch and Sunny on Starliner. However, we have done the requisite planning to ensure we have other options open. We have been working with SpaceX to ensure they are ready to respond with Crew-9 as a contingency,” Stich told reporters.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A California father is on life support after being struck in the head by a stray bullet while sleeping at his home in crime-ridden East Oakland. The bullet passed through his headboard, striking through his head before exiting out of his left eye.
Run Hua Kuang, 33, a Chinese immigrant and father of two young children, has been fighting for his life in the ICU since Aug. 1 after undergoing a seven-hour surgery after the shooting. Kuang was taking a nap after returning home from work when he was shot in his East Oakland housing project home, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Oakland Police have not yet confirmed circumstances related to the shooting, including potential suspect(s) or arrests. “This shocking incident has left the entire family traumatized and in deep distress. This tragedy has created a severe financial burden for our family,” said Kuang’s sister Jasmine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An Oklahoma community is enraged, a 6-year-old boy is traumatized and two police officers are under investigation after the cops slammed the child’s father to the ground and arrested him for simply going on a morning walk with his son.
But despite the outrage, the two cops involved have not been placed on leave while the investigation is underway.
The distressing incident occurred just before 6 a.m. July 4 in the city of Watonga when John Sexton went on his regular morning walk with his son and was stopped by a pair of Watonga police officers, KOCO News 5 reported.
“I found it a little bit suspicious, you know? Just walking around,” one officer tells Saxton after approaching father and son, according to bodycam footage obtained by the local ABC affiliate station.
“Walking around is suspicious?” Saxton replies, incredulously.
“I mean, technically not really but, I mean, it’s pretty early in the morning,” the cop shoots back. “You’ve been walking around down here at 5:30 in the morning.”
“Yeah, we do that,” the dad tells the officer.
“No, you’re not. Give me your ID,” the officer sharply demands.
Saxton says he didn’t have his ID on him as he left it back at his house, and the situation quickly escalates.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Oprah Winfrey Network Star Arrested for Murder
A rising star on the Oprah Winfrey Network has been arrested and charged with a shocking murder.
21-year-old TV actor Akili McDowell, of Channelview, Texas, was arrested for shooting another man dead at a Houston apartment block.
McDowell was charged with theft and murder after the July 20 incident.
The actor, who starred in the Oprah Winfrey Network series “David Makes Man” and also appeared on the hit TV show “Billions,” was allegedly pushing drugs at the Thorntree Apartments near Uvalde.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RFK Jr. Allowed Onto NJ Ballot After Legal Challenge, Judge Rules
A New Jersey judge cleared the way for Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to get onto the state’s ballot — rejecting an attorney’s challenge against his name appearing next to the Democratic and Republican challengers.
Administrative Law Judge Ernest Bongiovanni determined that the Kennedy scion did not violate the state’s Sore Loser Law, which was the argument of the legal challenge. The law restricts candidates from general election ballot access by running as an Independent after losing a party’s primary.
Bongiovanni ruled that Kennedy did not put forth a nomination petition during the Democratic presidential battle and therefore did not flout the law.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tim Walz’s Wife, Gwen, Said She Kept Windows Open During George Floyd Riots to Smell ‘Burning Tires’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s wife once admitted she kept the windows of the governor’s residence “open as long as [she] could” to smell the burning tires from the violent 2020 riots in the wake of George Floyd’s death — as her husband’s handling of the protests is back in the spotlight.
Gwen Walz described her husband’s struggle to grapple with the outcry following the May 25, 2020, murder of Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in a sit-down with KTSP in June of that year.
Gov. Walz’s response to the fiery Black Lives Matter riots in the Twin Cities is facing scrutiny again after the former National Guardsman was picked to be Kamala Harris’ running mate on the Democratic ticket.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tim Walz: What Establishment Media Won’t Tell You About This ‘Midwestern Dad’
While European media like to present Tim Walz as a run-of-the-mill everyday American moderate—albeit with a ‘hip’ progressive bent—there is a decidedly darker side to the U.S. Democratic Party vice presidential candidate.
Nick Solheim, native Minnesotan and founder of American Moment, called Gov. Walz “a disaster for Minnesotans” and said in an op-ed that the reality is that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are the most radical Democratic presidential ticket in modern American history.
On the European side of the Atlantic, The Guardian talks of Walz as a down-to-earth former geography teacher and 24-year Army National Guardsman, possessing a “midwesterner [sic] dad charm.” The paper also quotes presidential candidate Kamala Harris as saying she is impressed by his “convictions on fighting for middle-class families.” And the BBC described Walz’s two terms in the Minnesota governor’s mansion as “one of the most productive legislative periods in state history.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump ‘Thrilled’ That Harris Chose ‘Very Liberal’ Tim Walz as Running Mate: ‘Shocking Pick’
President Donald Trump has revealed that he is “thrilled” with Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s choice of radical Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.
On Wednesday morning, Trump responded to “very liberal” Walz being tapped as Harris’s running mate.
Trump said he “could not be more thrilled” that the vice president made the “shocking pick.”
“He’s a very, very liberal man, and he’s a shocking pick,” Trump told the “Fox & Friends” co-hosts during an interview.
“I could not be more thrilled.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
President Donald Trump has suggested that his defamation lawsuit against ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos won’t prevent his debate with Kamala Harris from moving forward on the network.
On Wednesday, Trump told “Fox & Friends” that the media is trying to turn Harris into a liberal version of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
He pointed out that the Democrat nominee hasn’t given an interview since President Joe Biden was pushed off the ticket.
“I don’t know how she debates,” Trump said.
“I heard she’s sort of a nasty person but not a good debater, but we’ll see because we’ll be debating her, I guess, in the pretty near future.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Truth Plus Goes Live: Trump Media’s TV Service is Now on iOS
Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), known for supporting free speech by providing an open platform for public discourse, has declared the inception of its linear TV streaming service on iOS devices. Utilizing TMTG’s custom-built content delivery network (CDN), the innovative streaming technology showcases the broadcaster’s commitment to staying ahead of the curve.
In order to enjoy this latest offering, iOS enthusiasts will have to ensure they have the most current version of the Truth Social application, which can be updated via the Apple App Store. The streaming service has been conveniently integrated into the Truth Social app, facilitated by a uniquely crafted Truth+ icon, resembling a television.
The streaming service promises a seamless user experience, allowing viewers to either enjoy the content through dedicated channels or as a separate, resizable window within the Truth Social platform — a feature designed for multi-taskers preferring to scroll and stream concurrently.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two Somali Citizens, Living in Tucson, Plead Guilty to Attempting to Aid ISIS
UCSON, Ariz. (KGUN — Two citizens of Somalia, living in Tucson, pleaded guilty last week to conspiracy to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Ahmed Mahad Mohamed, 26, and Abdi Yemeni Hussein, 25, conspired with each other to travel to Egypt to fight for ISIS in the Sinai Penninsula, from late 2018 until their arrests on July 26, 2019.
Mohamed went looking for other ISIS supporters online in August of 2018, saying he wanted to travel to ISIS-controlled territory to become “the beheading guy” and martyr himself, the news release said. He also stated that his dream was to join ISIS in Syria and “fight jihad,” the news release said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vast Majority of Americans Have Never Heard of Kamala Harris’ VP Pick Tim Walz: Poll
The vast majority of Americans say they’d never heard of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz before Vice President Kamala Harris picked him as her 2024 running mate, a new poll shows.
A staggering 71% of those surveyed said they didn’t know enough about Walz to have either a favorable or unfavorable impression of him, according to the NPR/PBS News/Marist National survey published Tuesday.
In comparison, 17% of those polled had a favorable opinion of the Midwestern governor, while 12% viewed him in a negative light, the survey found.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video Shows Dog Chewing on a Lithium-Ion Battery and Sparking House Fire in Oklahoma
TULSA, Okla. — (AP) — A dog chomping on a lithium-ion battery sparked a serious house fire in Oklahoma, and video of the moment the sparks began to fly has been enlisted by a fire department to show the potential dangers of those batteries.
The footage taken from the home and posted last week on the Tulsa Fire Department’s Facebook page shows the dog gnawing on its choice of a chew toy atop one of two cushions set on the floor of a living room. Another dog can be seen on a couch and a cat on the floor as the dog bites down and sparks begin to shoot from the battery.
The dog pulls back and soon the cushions are ablaze. Both dogs watch the growing fire at one point.
The fire department said the Tulsa-area home was significantly damaged by the fire in May but the two dogs and the cat escaped through a pet door.
Fire department spokesman Andy Little said in the post that the battery the dog was chewing was intended for charging cell phones. He said lithium-ion batteries can store “a significant amount of energy in a compact space” but when that energy “is released uncontrollably, it can generate heat, produce flammable and toxic gasses and even lead to explosions.” He said the batteries can possibly become dangerous when they are damaged, overcharged or exposed to extreme heat.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
If there was any doubt that the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz ticket was going to carry ahead with Joe Biden’s initiatives while dragging them further left, Walz has assuaged those concerns. In an interview with MSNBC’s The ReidOut in 2022, Walz said that “there’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, especially around our democracy.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Youngkin Issues Executive Order Codifying Election Security Measures
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R, signed an executive order Wednesday, codifying election security measures and listing procedures to prevent non-citizens from voting in elections.
The executive order directs the Commissioner of the Department of Elections to annually certify that election security measures are in place regarding ballot security, testing and certification of ballot counting machines, triple-checking the accuracy of election results, and daily updating of voter rolls.
The order also explains the procedures regarding non-citizens who attempt to register to vote, including referring them to the local Commonwealth’s attorney.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Conservatives want to hold emergency committee meetings in response to two men charged with multiple terrorism offences. The meetings are to determine how one of the men charged was able to enter the country given his previous alleged ties with ISIS.
“Canadians are learning a man who allegedly dismembered someone on video on behalf of ISIS immigrated to Canada on Trudeau’s watch,” wrote Conservative Leader Pierre Poilevere in a post to X on Tuesday. “Last month, police arrested him and his son while they were allegedly planning a terrorist attack in Toronto.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RCMP Arrest Ontario Man for Alleged Threats Against Trudeau
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police charged an Ontario man for allegedly uttering threats against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in an online video.
According to RCMP, the 33-year-old man allegedly “posted an on-line video making violent threats towards the Prime Minister, the Police and any security personnel who might attempt to interfere with his plans.”
RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team in the Greater Toronto Area opened an investigation after becoming aware of the alleged threats.
Once identified, Dawid Zalewski, 33, of no fixed address was taken into custody and charged with two counts of uttering threats.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Anti-Semitism Soared Across Czechia in Last Quarter of 2023, Annual Report Reveals
Last year saw a huge increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the Czech Republic, culminating in the last quarter of 2023, when the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas carried out a terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7.
In its annual report, the Federation of Jewish Communities revealed that 4,328 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded in the Czech Republic last year, a 90 percent increase from 2,277 the previous year. According to the report, 1,802 incidents — or almost 42 percent of all incidents — occurred in the last three months of the year.
“Oct. 7 was immediately followed by a global explosion of anti-Semitism, which hit the Czech Republic hard,” the report said, pointing to a flare-up of religious conflict across Europe since the October terrorist attack on Israel.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Austria’s Last Generation to Dissolve Over ‘Fossil Ignorance’
The Austrian climate activists organisation Last Generation has announced it will disband over a lack of success.
The organisation has been responsible for many disruptive protests — including blocking roadways and paint attacks on objects of interest —with its activities resulting in it being put under investigation by the Austrian judiciary.
On August 6, Last Generation issued a statement announcing its members would end their protests and dissolve as an organisation, saying they “no longer see a perspective for success” as Austria’s population had opted for “fossil ignorance”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Belgium: Now Youth Frisbee Gets Political: Israeli Team Forced Out Over ‘Security Threat’
Israeli teens in Belgium to take part in an international frisbee tournament have been forced out after pro-Palestine activists campaigned against their presence at the main venue in the city of Ghent.
The city in Northwest Belgium is hosting an international youth frisbee tournament with competitors from 11 countries.
The Israel team had already been forced to play in the nearby town of De Pinte “because security could not be guaranteed”, according to the tournament’s organisers.
Activists have accused Israel of war crimes in Gaza and said it was unacceptable for the country to be represented in such a tournament, despite the team being made up of 15 to 17-year-old players with no known political affiliations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bomb Attack Prompts Denmark to Consider Reinstating Border Checks With Sweden
Denmark should not rule out the possibility of reinstating border checks on the Øresund Bridge that connects Copenhagen with Malmö, Sweden’s third-largest city, Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said on Wednesday, August 7th. His statement followed the arrest of two “Swedish” nationals in relation to an explosion in the capital a day prior.
The fact that there’s a renewed discussion about reintroducing border checks between two EU members belonging to the Schengen area proves the point of the conservative parties in Brussels, who have long been saying that unchecked immigration crossing the EU’s external borders will eventually be the death of the bloc’s precious free movement zone.
The 24-year-old perpetrators of Tuesday’s Copenhagen attack, a man and a woman, are believed to have entered the country by crossing the Øresund Bridge before throwing some kind of explosive device into a kiosk in Østerbro, downtown Copenhagen. Luckily, no one was wounded in the incident and the perpetrators were quickly arrested. The police refused to give any further information about them, including whether they had Swedish citizenship or not.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
British PM Facing Widespread Criticism for Mishandling of Riots
New polling by YouGov suggests that more Britons believe Sir Keir Starmer is handling the riots badly than believe he is doing a good job.
Reflecting this, Starmer’s recent critics can be found across the political spectrum and from within the law enforcement community. A former Metropolitan Police Commissioner has said he is “not hugely impressed” with the Labour government’s use of strong phrases to try to “show that they’re in charge,” amid riots sweeping the country following the killing of three young girls in Southport last week.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Catalonia: Separatist Leader’s Return Threatens Spanish Government
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s political chickens are coming home to roost. The PM is supporting Salvador Illa, a member of his Socialist Party, to be invested as Catalan president on Thursday. However, this has angered exiled Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, who has vowed to return to Spain to participate in Thursday’s investiture debate despite facing arrest upon arrival.
Former Catalan President Puigdemont led an illegal independence referendum in 2017 and subsequently fled to Belgium to avoid arrest by Spanish police. In exile, he remained the head of his party, Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia), and was the party’s presidential candidate in the recent regional elections. Spain’s Supreme Court recently denied him amnesty, and an arrest order for him remains in place.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Approves Sending First Regular Tranche of €50 Billion Aid Package to Ukraine
The representatives of member states in the European Council have authorized the first regular payment under the €50 billion Ukraine Peace Facility adopted earlier this year. On Tuesday, August 6th, they instructed the European Commission to disburse the now-allocated €4.2 billion “as soon as possible.”
The decision was adopted following an official Council assessment. It found that Ukraine had satisfied the necessary conditions and reforms envisaged under the ‘Ukraine Plan’—Kyiv’s roadmap for a gradual “recovery, reconstruction, and modernization” of the country that it submitted to Brussels half a year ago.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Pharmacy Chain Rossmann Axes Tesla Purchases Citing Musk’s ‘Support for Trump’
Rossmann, one of Europe’s largest chains of chemists, has announced it will no longer buy Tesla electric vehicles (EVs) for its company fleet because of the support shown by the US electric vehicle maker’s chief Elon Musk for presidential hopeful Donald Trump.
The German drugstore company said its decision would be implemented with immediate effect and was caused by what it called an “incompatibility” between statements by Musk and the values it said Tesla was supposed to represent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ireland to Ban Balaclavas and Masks at Protests Amid Anti-Mass Migration Strife
The left-wing government of Ireland is set to introduce a ban on balaclavas and other masks at protests amid the rise of anti-mass migration action in the country.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee is drawing up plans to initiate a ban on masks at protests as local communities have risen up against plans to house migrants within their midst at taxpayer expense.
A spokeswoman for Ms McEntee said per the Irish Times that the government “intends to introduce a ban on wearing masks at protests in circumstances where the wearing of a mask is intended to intimidate”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In a stark recount of one of World War II’s darkest episodes, German historian Prof. Stephan Lehnstaedt speaks out about the scandalous lack of justice for SS General Heinz Reinefarth, the orchestrator of the 1944 massacre in Warsaw’s Wola district.
This event, which occurred between Aug. 5 and 7, 1944, saw the organized slaughter of civilians on an unprecedented scale in the history of the conflict, as a retaliatory act against the Warsaw Uprising.
The news of the uprising in Warsaw had reached Berlin on the evening of Aug. 1, 1944, leading to a chilling directive from Hitler, as informed by Heinrich Himmler: “Every resident must be killed; no prisoners are to be taken, and Warsaw should be razed to the ground as a terrifying example for all of Europe.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
London Mayor Places City on High Alert After Far-Right Protests Break Out Across UK
London Mayor Sadiq Khan placed the city on high alert on Wednesday, as far-right protests against asylum seekers arrived in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods in England’s capital.
Anti-immigrant protests began in the United Kingdom last week, after three children were killed in a stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed event, and several others were critically injured. Initial reports indicated that the suspect was a Muslim migrant, prompting outrage from far-right conservatives, but police have since said the 17-year-old was born in Wales.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Majority of Poles Think Tusk Failing to Deliver on Campaign Promises
Most Poles believe the country’s centrist prime minister, Donald Tusk, is struggling to deliver on his campaign promises from last year, a survey has found.
The findings by the Polish daily Wirtualna Polska underline the deepening conflict between the members of the government coalition (Civic Coalition, Third Way, The Left) who joined forces only to defeat the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party but now find themselves increasingly unable to agree on certain policy issues just 200 days into their mandate.
The specific question posed by the United Surveys researchers, the company that conducted the poll for WP, was “Do you think that Donald Tusk’s government is fulfilling the promises made during the election campaign?”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Makes Border Opening With Belarus Conditional on Andrzej Poczobut’s Release
Poland has made the release of Andrzej Poczobut a condition for reopening its border crossings with Belarus, according to Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in an interview with the independent Belarusian portal Zerkalo.
Currently, only one border crossing is operational in Terespol; the previous Polish government decided to close the point in Bobrowniki in response to the political trial and sentencing of Andrzej Poczobut, a Polish-Belarusian journalist sentenced to eight years in prison under stringent conditions.
Sikorski, when asked about the possibility of opening other crossings, said that “the opening date depends on the duration of Andrzej Poczobut’s imprisonment.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland’s First F-35 Nears Completion in the United States
Work is progressing on Poland’s first F-35 fighter jet, with Lockheed Martin actively sharing construction updates on social media.
The aircraft, named “Husarz,” (Hussar) has recently been moved to the finishing facility, indicating its departure from the main production line and its nearing readiness for deployment.
This significant development brings the Polish F-35 closer to completion, with the next phase involving the application of a special stealth coating. This coating will render “Husarz” virtually undetectable to enemy radars, a crucial feature for evading detection and enhancing effectiveness on the modern battlefield.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pro-Palestine Activists Storm Israeli Arms Company’s UK HQ and Attack Police
A group of violent pro-Palestine protesters yesterday broke into the UK headquarters of an Israeli-owned arms company—likely taking advantage of current UK-wide chaos following the killing of three young girls in Southport last week.
Members of the Palestine Action protest network, which describes its aim as “dismantling British complicity with Israeli apartheid,” ram-raided Elbit Systems UK’s highly secure Horizon research, development, and manufacturing facility near Bristol.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Far-Left Climate Activists Vandalize Soccer Superstar Lionel Messi’s Ibiza Mansion
Members of the Spanish far-left environmentalist organization Futuro Vegetal (Vegetable Future) vandalized a home in Ibiza on Tuesday that belongs to Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi.
The far-left group, which defines itself on its website as “a civil disobedience and direct action collective that fights against the climate crisis by adopting a plant-based food system,” sprayed red and black paint on Messi’s “illegal” Ibiza residence reportedly to denounce the “responsibility of the rich” in the climate crisis.
“We are taught that the powerful are untouchable. It is true that policies are written and interpreted to serve those who have the most, directly infringing on the rights of the rest of the population. But they are only 1 percent,” the group said in a statement on its Instagram account.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Taylor Swift Concerts Canceled After Austrian Police Arrest Two Men for Alleged Terror Attack Plot
Austria police arrested two men for allegedly plotting to carry out terrorist attacks at Taylor Swift concerts that are scheduled in Vienna starting Thursday.
According to reports, authorities said at least one of the suspects was a 19-year-old who was radicalized online and pledged allegiance to ISIS.
The shows, scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, have since been cancelled by the venue over fears of an attack, according to the Associated Press. The shows were part of her sold-out Eras tour, and were scheduled to be held at the Ernst Happel Stadium in the country’s capital.
Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria’s interior ministry, said the 19-year-old possessed chemical substances, which are being analyzed, but did not reveal any additional information on the attack so far.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Spy Who Loved Me? German State Bans Agents From Having Sex With Targets
A German State has banned its intelligence agents from having sex with their targets.
According to an August 6 report by German news outlet Bild, authorities in Saxony-Anhalt have published a new version of its Constitutional Protection Act that limits the activities of its undercover law enforcement authorities.
The revised version implements several changes mandated by Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court, which found last year that “entering into a relationship initiated by the State for the purpose of obtaining information” was illegal.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Turn in Illegal Knives for a Free Year of Netflix, German Police Suggest
People who voluntarily hand in banned and dangerous knives should be rewarded with a year-long Netflix subscription, the head of one of the largest German police unions has said.
The most popular pocket knife costs €17 while an annual Netflix subscription amounts to €170, making the exchange worthwhile for anyone willing to dispose of their knives. “For this measure to be effective, the federal government must create serious incentives for sellers,” Jochen Kopelke, head of the Gewerkschaft der Polizei (GdP), added.
Knife crime has been soaring in Germany: according to police statistics, close to 13,844 knife-related attacks were committed last year, a significant increase compared to the 10,131 cases recorded a year earlier. The Charité hospital in Berlin said this week that the number of patients treated for stab wounds this year has already reached 50 to 55—a number they usually tend to in a whole year. “This is a threatening development for society,” Ulrich Stöckle, managing director of the hospital’s Centre for Musculoskeletal Surgery, said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Police Blame Social Media for Unrest
While some observers explain the chaos that has erupted in the UK in the wake of an attack that resulted in the murder of three children as an outburst based on societal issues that have been bubbling beneath the surface for a long time — the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) sees”disinformation” as the main culprit.
Inaccurate or misleading posts on social media could serve as the trigger for protests and riots, and the NPCC, which is coordinating law enforcement in the UK, is focusing on “silenc(ing) those intent on spreading false news” — suggestingthat this institution’s stance is that the unrest has no other meaningful deep underlying causes.
This is clear from the tone NPCC has taken, referring to “so-called protests” and, “criminals pretending to be protesters.” In other words, the crisis is simply down to “criminals” reading “fake news” on social media.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Businessman Tackled Southport Knifeman After Hearing Screams
A businessman has told of how he confronted a knifeman during the Southport attack after hearing children’s screams coming from the dance class nearby.
John Hayes, 63, was one of the first people on the scene of the stabbings in the Merseyside town on 29 July, in which three young girls were killed.
Grandfather Mr Hayes, who was stabbed in the leg as he grappled with the attacker, said he was “hugely upset” he could not have done more to protect the children.
“I don’t know to what extent I’ve interfered or helped or delayed,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
| — Hat tip: Dora | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Farage: Left Coming After Me Because They’re ‘Terrified’ of Losing Working Class as Riots Rage
Nigel Farage accused the Labour Party of trying to blame the anti-mass migration riots on him out of fear of losing votes to his Reform UK party in left-behind areas of the country.
Mr Farage said that it was “despicable” for legacy media and political establishment in Westminster to cast blame on him for the riots that swept the nation in the wake of a mass stabbing at a children’s dance party allegedly by a Rwandan-heritage teen in Southport last week.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Police Appear to Admit ‘Two Tier Policing’ for Muslims in Birmingham
A top police officer in Birmingham has seemingly admitted that there is a “two-tier” approach from law enforcement towards different ethnicities in Britain, undercutting denials from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Following the emergence of “Muslim people” mobs in England as apparent counter to what’s called “far right” riots, with reports stating some carrying weapons in the Bordesley Green area of Birmingham on Monday, the police appeared to admit they have different standards for different races while trying to explain their failure to prevent the anarchic scenes.
When pressed as to why there was such little police presence during the incident, West Midlands Police Superintendent Emlyn Richards said: “We have really strong business and community relations and because we were aware through intelligence that there was a potential protest because of misinformation we had the opportunity to meet with community leaders, business leaders, prior to that event to understand the style of policing we needed to deliver.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Court Hears Bid to Close Prison Where Soldiers Are Accused of Sexually Assaulting Palestinian
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli Supreme Court considered a petition Wednesday to shutter a desert military prison where soldiers have been accused of abusing Palestinians, as a new video emerged purporting to show the sexual assault of a Palestinian detainee.
Rights groups have been engaged in a legal battle since June to shut down the detention facility, known as Sde Teiman, where Israel has held many Palestinians detained in Gaza during the 10-month war with Hamas. The groups claim that conditions at the facility are grave and that abuse by Israeli soldiers is common, basing their claims on testimony from released detainees and Israeli whistleblowers.
Calls for the prison’s closure ramped up in late July, when Israeli military police arrested 10 soldiers from Sde Teiman on suspicion of their involvement in the alleged sexual assault of a Palestinian detainee at the facility. Five of the soldiers are no longer under investigation. A physician who identified himself as the person who reported the attack said last week that the detainee appeared to have been seriously sexually abused.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Iran Gets Vaunted Missile Systems From Russia
Russia will provide Iran with Iskander missile systems and Murmansk-BN electronic warfare systems, the Kyiv Post reported recently, citing Israeli sources.
The first shipments have already arrived in Iran, along with the Russian specialists needed to operate them.
The Iskander is a missile system with a range of about 500 kilometers, while the Murmansk-BN can cripple electronic communication systems from a distance of up to 5,000 kilometers.
The Iskander is not particularly dangerous for Israel, which is more than 1,000 kilometers from Iran. However, it is possible to equip the system with R-500 cruise missiles, which have a range of up to 1,500 kilometers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Explosion at the Usinsk Oil Processing Plant in Arctic Russia
The reason for the explosion at the Usinsk oil processing plant is “not yet clear,” representatives of local Russian authorities say.
The refinery that is owned and operated by Lukoil caught fire on the 6th of August. Flames soon embraced one of the plant’s sections.
Usinsk is located in the northern part of the Komi Republic, an oil-rich region that stretches north of the Arctic Circle.
“Swiftly extinguished”
According to several sources, the fire started after an explosion. Eye witnesses told newspaper Komi Novosti that the flames covered “major parts of the production facility.” A video from Telegram channel Syktyvkar01 made from several kilometres afar shows a major column of black smoke over the area.
Lukoil has not issued any official information about the blaze, but representatives of the company told KomiInform that there was an “insignificant outbreak of fire” and that it was “swiftly extinguished.”
[…]
Locals are now increasingly concerned about the situation, local media reports. The oil processing industry is of major importance for the north Russian region and the local population is at odds over the possible reasons behind the emergencies.
The fires in Komi come as Ukrainian forces successfully have managed to target military objects and industrial families across major parts of central Russia. In July, a Ukrainian drone reportedly managed to damage two strategic bombers based in Olenya, the air field in the Kola Peninsula.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
Update(1658ET): The governor of the Russian border region of Kursk on Wednesday declared a “state of emergency” — and also tightened security around a nearby nuclear plant — amid a major ground and cross-border incursion by Ukrainian forces, led by fast moving armored vehicles, all of which kicked off early the day prior.
“To eliminate the consequences of enemy forces coming into the region, I took the decision to introduce a state of emergency in the Kursk region from 7 August,” Kursk’s acting Governor Alexei Smirnov said Wednesday evening.
The Russian Defense Ministry has described that “the enemy’s movement further into Russian territory has been prevented” but that “the operation for the destruction of Ukrainian army units is continuing.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
State of Emergency Declared as Ukraine Launches Raid Into Russia
A state of emergency has been declared in the Kursk region of Russia, as a rare cross-border attack by Ukrainian troops continued for a second day.
The acting regional governor, Alexei Smirnov, said the move was necessary “to eliminate the consequences of enemy forces coming into the region”.
Thousands of people have also been evacuated from border areas, Smirnov said earlier, adding that doctors were being drafted in from other cities.
Earlier, President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of launching a “major provocation” after Moscow said hundreds of troops crossed the border near the town of Sudzha, 10km from the border, on Tuesday morning.
They were supported by 11 tanks and more than 20 armoured combat vehicles, the Kremlin added.
Ukrainian incursions into Russian territory have been extremely rare since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
India: Hindus in Kolkata Protested the Ruthless Attacks on Bangladeshi Minority Hindus and Others
Minority Hindus attacked by Islamic fundamentalists in Bangladesh. Human chain in Kolkata demands safety and security of minorities in Bangladesh.
Prakash Ranjan Das | HENB | Kolkata | Aug 7, 2024:: While Bangladesh is still in tension under Army rule and some agents of ‘Deep State’ are going to form an interim Government, the Hindus in Kolkata came out in streets to protest against the ruthless attacks on Bangladeshi minority Hindus and others.
Today, (Wednesday, August 7, at 6:30pm) in the evening, a human chain, candle lighting and demonstration was held in Jadavpur 8 B bus stand area to demand the safety of minority Hindus attacked by Islamic fundamentalists. The event got importance being spontaneous in the presence of many BJP workers and members of Hindu society in this event without the flag of any organisation. Expert on Bangladesh affairs Prof. Mohit Roy and writer Sandeep Bagchi took part in the programme with others.
The programme was held in a close proximity of Jadavpur University (JU), which is known as the ‘Abode of left liberals’ and the ‘Urban Naxals’ from where no protest on the present Bangladesh situation was held by any student organisations or by any forums of the professors there. But, JU campus saw many movements in support of Palestine terrorists or the Kashmir separatist.
Not even CPIM, Congress or TMC spent any words to take measures to save lives of vulnerable Hindus in Bangladesh…
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Internet Blackouts Backfire as Protests Escalate in Bangladesh
The tried-and-tested method of controlling protests — various forms of internet blackouts imposed by governments — seems to have failed in Bangladesh, as reports on Monday say that PM Sheikh Hasina has resigned and left the country.
But before that happened, Bangladesh was thrown into waves of turmoil when initially peaceful student protests against the High Court reintroducing a government job quota system turned deadly, claiming more than 100 lives.
The latest outbreak of violence follows that of last month which resulted in about 200 deaths, while mobile internet was shut down for 11 days at that time.
On Sunday, before her reported resignation after 15 years in power, PM Hasina’s government ordered mobile internet to be shut down again as part of the measures meant to stop the protests and clashes. Other measures included a nationwide curfew and the closing of banks and other private and government offices.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kamala Harris Donated to ‘Defund Police’ Group Pushing for ‘Permanent’ DC Sanctuary City
Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff donated to a progressive legal group last year that pushed to defund the police, and wants to make Washington DC a permanent “sanctuary city” for illegals, the Washington Examiner reports, citing a copy of their joint tax return.
Harris and Emhoff donated $1,000 to Legal Aid DC, a nonprofit that works on housing law and represents low-income clients in multiple areas. The pair also donated $1,000 to the nonprofit in 2021, according to the report.
News of the donations, which have not been reported on until now, comes as Harris faces scrutiny on the 2024 campaign trail over her support in 2020 for defunding the police and her handling of the border crisis. Harris has reversed course on a variety of her left-wing policy positions after becoming the Democratic presidential nominee. But the vice president’s willingness to fund Legal Aid DC as recently as 2023 could raise questions about her ties to controversial progressive activists — including after Harris selected Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), who has been widely criticized over his response to the 2020 riots in Minnesota, as her running mate. —Washington Examiner
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Outrage Over Huge Social Benefits for Syrian Family Sparks Debate in Austria
The debate surrounding immigration has flared up once again in Austria following revelations that a Syrian family with seven children, who reside in the capital, Vienna, are receiving €4,600 in social benefits per month. While the Social Democrats are calling for an increase in benefits, right-wing FPÖ described the revelations as a “mockery of all working people.”
The story was first reported by daily Heute. According to the newspaper, the parents in question receive €809 per month plus €51 each, as minors live in the household. In addition, six of the seven children each receive €312, and another €995 goes towards renting an apartment. In comparison: people who work full-time in Austria earn an average of €2,643, and the minimum pension rate is currently €1,155.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Labour is Urged to ‘Get a Grip’ of the Small Boat Crisis in the Channel…
— as 4,000 migrants land in Britain since Keir Starmer took power
More than 4,000 small-boat migrants have reached Britain since Labour came to power.
Home Office figures showed 355 people crossed the Channel illegally on Tuesday, bringing the total since the General Election to 4,065.
The third consecutive day of arrivals also brought this year’s running total to 17,639, it was confirmed yesterday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Southport Attack Hero Demands Starmer Address Anger Over Migration, Stop Scapegoating Protesters
Hero who tackled a knifeman during the Southport mass stabbing of children has spoken out to strongly criticise the Prime Minister’s handling of riots that followed, saying the underlying issues of mass migration are being ignored.
John Hayes is a businessman whose company offices are in the same building as the dance studio where 13 people were stabbed, most of them children including three who died, on Monday last week. He was hailed as a hero after early reports stated he had put himself in-between the knifeman and the intended victims, and having been recovering from the near-fatal wounds he sustained in the incident he has now spoken out for the first time.
Brushing aside any suggestion what he did was heroic, and stating he wished he could have done more to save lives, Hayes expressed distress at the heavy crackdown the British government of Sir Keir Starmer on the riots that followed the shocking attack, saying that fundamental, underlying concerns about mass migration were going unaddressed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Venezuelan migrant with suspected gang ties who illegally snuck across the border and went on a “terrorizing” crime spree still won’t be deported, a House committee report reveals.
Department of Homeland Security officials stonewalled congressional requests for months about Daniel Hernandez Martinez, 30, the migrant who The Post revealed last September had been arrested — and released — eight times on 14 charges in the Big Apple.
Now, the House Judiciary Committee has received Martinez’s full Homeland Security record, revealing the “suspected Tren de Aragua gang member” committed a total of “at least 22 criminal offenses” in New York City between June and November 2023, a 10-page report released Wednesday shows.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Paris Police Arrest Christians Protesting Olympic Opening Ceremony
Seven Spanish Christians were arrested in Paris on Monday after driving through the city in a bus protesting the blasphemous depiction of the Last Supper at the Olympics opening ceremony.
The bus, which was organised by the campaign group CitizenGo, was decorated with the Olympic rings and a picture of the controversial Last Supper parody, along with the words “Stop attacks on Christians.”
However, police stopped the bus on Avenue de Wagram and accused the organisers of failing to advise them they were holding a protest. They were taken to the 17th arrondissement police station before being transferred to another police station to be taken into custody. They were later released.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Democrats’ candidate for vice president forced public and charter schools to stock tampons in boys bathrooms. In 2023, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz signed into law an education finance bill which forced schools to provide free menstrual products for girls and girls who identify as boys and use the boys bathroom.
The legislation stated that “products must be available to all menstruating students” in 4 through 12 grades and that every district stock pads and tampons in bathrooms “regularly used” by male and female. The law went into effect in January 2024.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Vatican’s Statement on the Olympics Opening Ceremony ‘Allusions’ Was Too Little, Too Late
The Olympics 2024 opening ceremony took place on the evening of July 26. Somehow it took the Vatican over a week to respond to what should have been seen as a glaring affront to one of the most sacred and foundational moments of the faith it is purportedly entrusted to protect.
The Vatican was “saddened” and sought to “join” others “to deplore the offense caused to many Christians and believers of other religions.”
Saddened by what exactly? “Certain scenes.” Which scenes? No mention. “Join” others? Why would the Vatican not have been the first voice raised?
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tim Walz’s First Order as Minn Governor Was to Create DEI Council, Make Himself the Chair
Tim Walz’s first executive order as the Democratic governor of Minnesota governor was establishing a diversity, equity and inclusion council for all of the state government’s actions and designated himself as the chair. On Tuesday, Waltz was selected to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential election.
The Democratic Vice Presidential nominee told The Associated Press in 2019 that the “One Minnesota Council on Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity” would ensure the “lens of equity” for all state government businesses, including “recruiting; retaining and promoting state employees; state government contracting; and civic engagement.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Keir Starmer is for letting the Muslim terrorist in his country. The UK coppers protect the Muslim terrorist over the Indigenous British people. They hate Tommy Robinson who has exposed the Muslims as groomers, rapists and beheaders.
During the great parade that Tommy organized there were Jews and Muslims protesting the parade. Tommy exposed the groomers of a girl named Charlene Downey who was murdered and her fless was chopped up and put in kebabs. She just disappeared.
I have changed my mind about the Jewish people in America because the ADL (a hate group) supports bringing the Muslims and illegal aliens across our border.
Jewish people, like all people have a far left element. Most disagree with letting illegal immigrants in, especially Muslims. Zionist groups abhor JStreet and the ADL . Should we say that Christians are pro illegal immigration because Catholic charities fund immigrants and help them settle all over the US? Your comments are prejudiced.
Thank you for the compliment, Cynthia. YOu are right.
I am prejudiced by Jews and Muslim destroying our countries.
I am a proud Zionist who believes that the Indignenous people, the Hebrews, have the right to live in their country peacefully without any interference from left wing American jews and muslim terrorists.
Keir Starmer is for letting the Muslim terrorist in his country. The UK coppers protect the Muslim terrorist over the Indigenous British people. They hate Tommy Robinson who has exposed the Muslims as groomers, rapists and beheaders.
During the great parade that Tommy organized there were Jews and Muslims protesting the parade. Tommy exposed the groomers of a girl named Charlene Downey who was murdered and her flesh was chopped up and put in kebabs. She just disappeared.
I have changed my mind about the Jewish people in America because the ADL (a hate group) supports bringing the Muslims and illegal aliens across our border.
Hitchens’ 2009 prediction proves spot-on. Watch..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmPsHnxb9n4
I hate to see Big Lots closing more stores. Big Lots was a huge help to me in years past. I’m doing better these days, but if there was a Big Lots near me, you can bet I’d still shop there. I guess it’s just another part of our failing economy.