Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid a visit to Washington DC, holding a press conference with President Biden and giving an address to Congress. Mr. Zelensky made an appeal for more financial aid, averring that no country is safe if Ukraine fails. Meanwhile, The Washington Post published an investigative report saying that the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline does not appear to have been committed by Russia.
In other news, the Canadian government will require that all passenger vehicles sold in Canada be electric-powered by the year 2035.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, Dora, DV, JW, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
Kevin McCarthy Breaks With McConnell to Oppose Massive $1.7 Trillion Omnibus Bill
Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (D-CA) is breaking with Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to oppose the massive $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill.
McCarthy is reportedly planning to campaign against the spending bill that Senate Republicans negotiated with Democrats.
According to Punchbowl News, McCarthy’s break with McConnell will reportedly come at a GOP lunch meeting Wednesday.
The move comes just a day after Senate leadership agreed to the omnibus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Majority of Poles Are Pessimistic About Their Household Budgets in 2023
Over 70 percent of Poles believe that the next year will be worse for household budgets than the current year, a survey by Institute of Economic and Social Research for commercial Radio Zet shows.
Only 9.7 percent of respondents said the next year will be better when asked about their opinion on the effect the year 2023 will have on their household budgets.
Some 17.8 percent answered that it will not change, while 70.5 percent of respondents said the next year will be worse for their household budgets, and just 2 percent of polled people answered they were not certain.
A total of 82 percent of respondents who are pessimistic about their household budgets in 2023 live in large cities with over 250,000 inhabitants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
4 Florida Cities Listed Among the Fastest-Growing ‘Boomtowns’ In America
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Four Florida cities were listed among the fastest-growing municipalities in the United States in a report by SmartAsset.
The financial information website conducted a study that examined 494 of the largest cities in the U.S. for their population growth, income, housing, and other categories.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Babylon Bee Chief Criticizes Social Media’s Censorship of Satire
Addressing the crowd at Turning Point USA’s AmFest event, Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon described social media censorship of satire as “absurdity” and an attack on truth. The Babylon Bee’s Twitter account was restored by Elon Musk after spending eight months in Twitter jail for awarding Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine “Man of the year.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Admin is Funding Foreign Reporters to Write Climate Stories, Emails Show
FIRST ON FOX: The Biden administration funded a foreign “reporting tour” last year, sponsoring several overseas journalists who cover climate change, internal State Department emails showed.
In March 2021, high-ranking State Department officials discussed a proposal to sponsor foreign journalists to “have experiences that educate them on reporting on climate change,” according to the emails obtained by Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT) and shared with Fox News Digital. In the email exchange, officials from Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (SPEC) John Kerry’s office and the Office of Global Change (EGC) praised the program as a “fantastic” and “great” idea.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden’s DOJ to Prosecute ABC News Investigative Journalist Following FBI Raid
The former-ABC investigative journalist who abruptly left his job and went into hiding following an FBI raid on his home in April is now facing charges from Biden’s Department of Justice. James Gordon Meek was working on a book about Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021.
While the exact details of the indictment against Meek are unknown, it is reportedly connected to the FBI raid on his penthouse apartment in Arlington, Virginia, where agents seized nearly a dozen electronic devices belonging to the Emmy award-winning journalist, according to Rolling Stone.
The Federal agency was allegedly trailing Meek before the raid on his home, stating that the charges against him are unrelated to his trailblazing journalistic career that has exposed military cover-ups and friendly fire deaths, among other things.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ballots reviewed in Wednesday’s examination of ballots cast in Maricopa county for November’s gubernatorial elections were not valid, according to Republican Candidate Kari Lake’s legal team. A tweet from the Lake War Room said that 48 of 113 ballots reviewed during the examination were “19-inch ballots produced on 20-inch paper,”
“This one-inch discrepancy cause chaos on Election day. Causing the mass rejection of these votes as they were attempted to be read through the tabulators,” the Kari Lake War Room wrote on Wednesday, as the former broadcaster’s legal team seeks to prove that election tampering took place, leading to the victory of her opponent Katie Hobbs.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Court Says No, Biden Cannot Enforce Vaccine Mandates for Federal Contractors
A 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that The Biden Administration cannot enforce a COVID vaccine mandate on federal contractors.
“The President’s use of procurement regulations to reach through an employing contractor to force obligations on individual employees is truly unprecedented,” the ruling noted, adding “As such, Executive Order 14042 is unlawful, and the Plaintiff States have consequently demonstrated a strong likelihood of success on the merits.”
Referring to Biden’s Executive Order, the ruling also stated that “Congress has not spoken clearly to authorize such a dramatic shift in the exercise of the President’s power under the Procurement Act.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cybersecurity Expert in Lake Trial: Ballot Printers Must Have Been Intentionally Tampered With
A cybersecurity expert in the civil trial of Kari Lake’s lawsuit testified Wednesday that the issues experienced with ballot printers at Maricopa County vote centers on Election Day had to have been intentionally caused by changing the printer settings.
The trial began Wednesday with the testimonies of Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, Maricopa County Director of Elections Scott Jarrett, cybersecurity expert Clay Parikh, and Heather Honey, who does open source research with regard to elections.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrat Senator Demands FBI Explain How Often it Hacks Americans
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is demanding for the FBI to answer questions about its policy about hacking Americans and its use of a controversial surveillance system.
“The American people have a right to know the scale of the FBI’s hacking activities and the rules that govern the use of this controversial surveillance technique,” Wyden said in a letter Tuesday to FBI Director Chris Wray.
The FBI obtained Pegasus spyware from the Israeli company NSO Group, The New York Times reported earlier this year. The agency said without giving a reason that it declined to deploy NSO’s hacking tool that can be used to completely control a person’s phone without their knowledge.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter CEO Elon Musk has warned congressional leaders against “railroading through a giant spending bill” that’s “unlikely to be in the best interests of the people.”
Musk sent the warning to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as Congress pushes through the massive $1.7 trillion package.
As Slay News reported earlier, the spending bill is packed with enormous handouts for “woke” causes and will add a staggering amount to the national debt.
Musk said: “I’m in favor of a small spending bill to keep things running, but common sense suggests that it be the least amount required through the holidays.
“Railroading through a giant spending bill that almost no one has read is unlikely to be in the best interests of the people.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Eric Adams Parties Maskless After Urging New Yorkers to ‘Mask Up’
Mayor Eric Adams urged New Yorkers on Tuesday to dust off their masks for the holiday season and “spread love without spreading the virus” as officials warn of a winter “tripledemic” of Covid, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus.
Just hours later, he was photographed socializing maskless at the New York Post’s Christmas party.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fauci: ‘Some People Idolize Me, Put Me on a Pedestal’
Dr. Anthony Fauci has claimed that “some people idolize” him and put the top federal health official “on a pedestal.”
The comments from Fauci come as he prepares to step down from his post after 54 years as a scientist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FBI Says Twitter Infiltration Business as Usual , Slams ‘Conspiracy Theorists’
The FBI has issued a statement in response to the Elon Musk’s release of THE TWITTER FILES, which boils down to ‘Of course we’ve embedded ourselves in social media companies, and anyone who has a problem with it is a conspiracy theorist trying to tarnish our stellar reputation.’
“The correspondence between the FBI and Twitter show nothing more than examples of our tradition, longstanding and ongoing federal government and private sector engagements, which involve numerous companies over multiple sectors and industries.
As evidenced in the correspondence, the FBI provides critical information to the private sector in an effort to allow them to protect themselves and their customers.
The men and women of the FBI work every day to protect the American public.
It is unfortunate that conspiracy theorists and others are feeding the American public misinformation with the sole purpose of attempting to discredit the agency.”
Aside from the obvious absurdity of the organization which participated in the Russia hoax and told Martin Luther King Jr. to kill himself suggesting they’ve got a modicum of credibility — did the FBI just assume there are only two genders when there are in fact 58, according to Facebook? Terribly bigoted of them.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fight Between Women Outside Gas Station Leads to Dorchester Stabbing
BOSTON — Shoppers who saw what happened say the fight started at the gas station and ended outside a supermarket across the street.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
The Florida GOP dealt a massive blow to Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and will hold a no-confidence vote on her next month. McDaniel is being challenged by Harmeet Dhillon, an RNC committeewoman, for the chair.
“Florida’s the most-talked-about Republican state and we’re going to vote Ronna down,” said Anthony Sabatini, the GOP chair in Lake County who is behind the move. “It’s going to cause a cascading effect. She’s just steadily losing support. She knows people are just really mad. They all want her gone.”
He continued: “Today I sent a letter with 30 signees to the Chairman of the @FloridaGOP calling for a special meeting of the RPOF in order to vote on whether Ronna McDaniel should be terminated as RNC Chair.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former Acting Attorney General Sours on Christopher Wray, Says FBI Needs New Leadership
Once a fan of Christopher Wray, former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker says the FBI now needs new leadership because the current director hasn’t held his institution accountable for its failings and is losing public trust.
“I think ultimately we need new leadership at the FBI,” Whitaker said Tuesday on the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show. “I’ve known Chris Wray for a long time. I had great hopes for him turning that institution around. Obviously, I just don’t think he’s been able to accomplish it.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Leaves Bahamas for US After Agreeing to be Extradited
Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder of the now-collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, departed The Bahamas for the United States early Wednesday evening after agreeing to be extradited.
The Bahamas’ Office of the Attorney General announced Bankman-Fried’s imminent departure earlier Wednesday. The announcement came after Bankman-Fried told a Bahamian court he has agreed to be extradited to the U.S. to face criminal charges related to last month’s collapse of FTX.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gallup: Americans Report Mental Health at New Lows With Young Adults Ranking Worst
Americans are rating their mental health at an all-time low, including nearly one-in-five young adults who describe their mental health as “poor,” according to a new poll released Wednesday.
Overall, three-fourths of Americans say their mental health is “good” or “excellent,” which is the lowest number on record for Gallup. The polling outlet has conducted an annual mental health survey since 2001. In 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, 85% of Americans described their mental health as good or excellent.
Adults ages 18-34 had the worst mental health out of any age group, with 27% saying their mental health is “only fair” and 19% saying it is poor.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gamma-Ray Burst From Kilonova Explosion Detected
A long gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected using the twin Gemini Telescopes originated from a kilonova explosion triggered by a neutron star merger.
| — Hat tip: Dora | [Return to headlines] |
FIRST ON FOX: Nonprofits in liberal billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundations network dropped at least $35 million into anti-police groups and initiatives in 2021, tax forms reviewed by Fox News Digital show.
Soros views overhauling the criminal justice system as a high priority and has bankrolled numerous groups and initiatives working on such efforts in recent years. He has also financially backed dozens of far-left prosecutor candidates as part of the efforts.
The financier’s nonprofits continued the push in 2021 by passing large sums to groups that back defunding police, hubs used by progressive activists aiming to dismantle law enforcement, and even funding databases to track donations to police department foundations and unions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
HHS: Whites Are Giving Non-Whites Alzheimer’s Through ‘Racism’
White people’s “racism” is giving non-whites Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, according to the latest blood libel from Xavier Becerra and “Rachel” Levine’s Department of Health and Human Services.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
House GOP Locates Emails, Texts Showing Pelosi Office Directly Involved in Failed Jan. 6 Security
House Republicans gathered a trove of text and email messages showing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office was directly involved in the creation and editing of the Capitol security plan that failed during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot and that security officials later declared they had been “denied again and again” the resources needed to protect one of the nation’s most important homes of democracy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kamala Harris: Big Tech Must ‘Cooperate’ With Biden Admin to Censor Social Media
Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris has declared that Big Tech companies must “cooperate” with the Biden administration to censor information on social media.
Harris gave up the game during an interview on NPR’s “All Things Considered.”
The vice president insists that social media companies must work with the federal government to stop “misinformation” and “disinformation” on their platforms.
Harris argued that Twitter and Facebook must “work with us” to block “misinformation” because of concerns “about national security.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Wednesday, Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake’s election lawsuit went to trial. Among the experts called forth by Lake’s legal team was professional investigator Heather Honey.
Honey went over statements given to her by a number of individuals in the Maricopa County election process, and claims that legal requirements for chain of custody were not followed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Convicted in Waupaca Protest Violence
WAUPACA COUNTY, Wis. (WBAY) — A man who pointed a gun at police and kicked and bit an officer during a protest in Waupaca has been found guilty.
Matthew L. Banta, 25, appeared in Waupaca County Court on Dec. 15 for a plea and sentencing hearing.
Banta pleaded no contest to a charge of Battery or Threat to Judge, Prosecutor, or Law Enforcement Officer. Four other counts were dismissed but read into the record.
A judge found him guilty of the felony and sentenced him to three years probation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mask Mandate Reinstated in New Jersey School District
Passaic Public Schools, one of New Jersey’s largest public school districts, will be once again requiring masks beginning on Wednesday due to rising COVID-19 cases.
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy lifted the statewide mask mandate in March.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
MTG Slams Mitch McConnell for ‘Betrayal’ Of American Values in Pushing Biden’s Massive Spending Bill
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Wednesday slammed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for aiding the Democrats in pushing the nearly $2 trillion omnibus spending bill, which includes another $47 billion in aid for Ukraine. Between all the taxpayer-funded bloated spending and foreign aid, Greene says it’s “like the American people are raped everyday.”
“But in my district, many families & seniors can’t afford food & many businesses are struggling bc of Biden policies,” the Republican congresswoman said of McConnell’s expensive plan.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Radio City Music Hall Uses Facial Recognition to Keep Out Blacklisted Guests
A lawyer from New Jersey was not allowed to watch a Christmas show with her daughter at a venue operated by Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSG) because her employer is involved in litigation with the entertainment giant. The most interesting part of the story is that MSG used facial recognition software to detect her and ban her from the event.
Kelly Conlon had accompanied her daughter’s Girls Scout troop to see the Rockettes perform Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall in New York. However, she was not allowed to enter the venue because MSG has a policy against allowing any visitor affiliated with a law firm involved in litigation against it. Facial recognition monitors were able to detect her presence.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republicans Warn FedEx, UPS Against Overregulating Gun Store Owners
A group of Republicans have warned FedEx and UPS against imposing burdensome regulations on gun store owners that would allow the companies to track firearms sales.
Led by Montana Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen, the group of 18 GOP AGs sent a letter to each company demanding they provide a copy of their updated terms of service and answer questions as to the intent behind their changes. Kentucky GOP Attorney General Daniel Cameron signed the letter to FedEx, but not the one addressed to UPS.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
SEC is Accused of Trying to “Kill” Crypto Over LBRY Ruling and Latest Filing
Following the New Hampshire district court summary judgement against blockchain publishing network LBRY and the pending case against Ripple, the crypto community is concerned that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) wants to kill crypto and is acting with malice.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Thousands of Businesses Have Left Downtown San Antonio, According to U.S. Postal Service
San Antonio’s downtown area has made some gains as more people are flocking to the center city to live, but the area has seen an exodus of businesses over the last few years.
Of the six ZIP codes that make up most of the downtown area, 78205 saw the biggest departure of businesses within the last four years. It code covers a significant portion of the area between Interstates 10 and 37, including landmarks like the Alamo, San Fernando Cathedral and La Villita. But the rich history of the area has not been enough to keep some businesses around.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Rand Paul Wheels in Massive 4,100-Page Spending Bill on a Trolley, Asks Who Will Read it
After the grossly bloated $1.7 trillion Omnibus spending bill advanced in the Senate by a vote of 70-25, GOP Senator Rand Paul held a press briefing during which he wheeled in the “abomination” on a trolley and demanded to know how anyone would be able to read it before the end of the week.
Paul, along with the only other dissenting Senate Republicans Mike Braun, Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, and Rick Scott highlighted how ludicrous the fast tracking of the bill has been.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Washington DC Police Impersonator on the Loose After Shooting 2 People, Cops Say
The suspected gunman wore a tactical-style vest with ‘Police’ written on the front and back and displayed a badge, authorities said
Authorities in Washington D.C are looking for a gunman they say impersonated a police officer and shot a man and boy.
The shooting occurred just before 3 p.m. Tuesday on Clay Street near 61st St., the Metropolitan Police Department said.
Images released by the police show the suspect wearing a tactical-style vest with “Police” written on the front and back. He also appears to be displaying a badge.
Investigators said the gunman pretended to be a cop and went inside a home. Once inside, after a brief conversation, he allegedly pulled out a handgun and opened fire.
He then fled in a vehicle.
Responding officers found a man and an underage boy with gunshot wounds in a home. The gunman faces a charge of assault with intent to kill, police said.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Winter Storm Threatens to Hamper Christmas Plans as it Grows Into Bomb Cyclone
A massive winter storm is expected to hamper holiday travel plans and bring a torrent of snow across the Midwest, Northeast and South through the week, likely becoming a “bomb cyclone.”
The storm, dubbed by meteorologists as Elliott, will bring blizzard conditions in some areas during its downpour, which is expected to last from Wednesday through Friday, according to The Weather Channel.
Elliott may become a bomb cyclone, which is a storm that rapidly intensifies through a drop in pressure.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alberta Sees Largest Population Increase Ever: StatsCan Data
Alberta’s population grew by nearly 60,000 people between July and September of this year — more than in any other year since Statistics Canada began estimating populations in 1951.
StatsCan estimates the population of Alberta as of the start of October to be 4,601,314 people.
That’s 58,203 more than three months before.
The 1.28 per cent increase is a proportional growth that rivals some of the biggest growth periods in Alberta history and shows the return of a stronger economy, according to analysts.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Firearms Group Says Trudeau’s Admission Proves C-21 is a Hunting Ban
After denying his government’s latest firearms ban would affect hunters, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has conceded it does exactly that, a firearms group has pointed out.
In a preview of a year-end interview with CTV, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said some firearms will be taken “away from people who were using them to hunt.”
Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR) spokesperson Tracey Wilson said the admission comes after the Liberals “denied” that C-21 targeted hunters throughout the legislative process.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ottawa Announces All Vehicles Sold by 2035 Are Required to be Electric
The Liberal government has announced that by 2035, every major passenger vehicle sold in Canada will need to be electric.
On Wednesday, Liberal Minister of Environment Steven Guilbeault unveiled the zero-emission vehicle sales target.
The legislation will work by adding requirements to car manufacturers and importers to meet annual sale targets beginning with the 2026 model year — meaning 20% of vehicle sales must be electric.
By 2030, that target will grow to 60% of all sales until 2035 when all vehicles sold will be required to be electric.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
After more than two years of work by a special committee on Belgium’s colonial past, the federal parliament has not reached any agreement on whether to apologize to former colonies — the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda — for a system based on exploitation, The Brussels Times reported on Tuesday.
Liberal Belgian parties, the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats (Open VLD) and the Reform Movement (MR), have explicitly opposed a formal apology, instead considering King Philip’s visit to Congo in June, where he expressed his deep regret, as a sufficient gesture to the former colonial countries.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
COVID Forever: French PM Calls for Return of Masks in Closed Spaces
During the holiday season, people should once again cover their mouths with masks to prevent another outbreak of the coronavirus, French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne said on Tuesday.
Élisabeth Borne, who was appointed as prime minister earlier this year after President Emmanuel Macron’s re-election, said that France is facing a “triple epidemic” of the seasonal flu, bronchiolitis, and the Chinese coronavirus, threatening to put heavy strains on the public healthcare system.
Therefore, she urged the public to once again wear masks in confined spaces as well as redoubling the call to take a Covid-19 vaccine, noting that they are still freely available in France.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In an exclusive interview with Remix News, Polish MEP Dominik Tarczynski notes that if you can buy positive opinions about Qatar or another country in the European Parliament, you can probably also buy negative opinions about Poland. For the Law and Justice (PiS) MEP, “this question has to be asked and the motivations of those who attack Poland in the European Parliament ought to be questioned.”
Were you surprised by this corruption scandal affecting the European Parliament? I’m asking because I was not. I remember watching a French documentary in the 1990s about the numerous financial cases of abuse in the European Parliament and how MEPs stubbornly refuse to put themselves under greater scrutiny…
I was surprised by the extent of the corruption. The amount of money involved, the circumstances, the number of people, and obviously the fact that it was a vice-president of the European Parliament: That is the real problem. I was shocked that corruption is present at such a high level in the European Parliament, and that’s number one.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Green Extreme: Radicals Decapitate Iconic Berlin Christmas Tree in Environment Protest
BERLIN (AP) — Climate activists said Wednesday that they have sawn off the tip of the Christmas tree erected in front of Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate.
The group Last Generation said two of its members used a hydraulic lift and a hand saw to cut two meters (six feet) off the top of the 15-meter (50-foot) tree and hang up a banner stating: “This is only the tip of the Christmas tree.”
German police confirmed the incident.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Rejects EU Gas Price Cap
Instead of dealing with pressing energy issues such as the search for new energy resources and the development of infrastructure, the EU has wasted time in the last few months on moves to cap the price of gas, the foreign minister has said, according to MTI.
After a meeting of EU energy ministers, Peter Szijjarto said Hungary completely rejects introducing a “harmful, dangerous and totally needless” price cap, a ministry statement said. The bloc is acting on facts that were relevant in August, but Europe has managed well without the price cap in the meantime, the minister said, adding that the cap risked bumping up prices if less gas is available as a result or if the cap’s threshold is above current market prices.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Has Second-Lowest Wages in the EU
Bulgaria is the only country in the European Union with lower wages than Hungary, according to the latest Eurostat survey.
The EU’s statistical office has published a new calculation method for average EU earnings in 2021. The calculation takes into account not only the salaries of people in full-time employment but also those working part-time.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Over 100 Convicted Rapists in Spain Benefit From Socialist Government’s ‘Only Yes Means Yes’ Law
A new Spanish rape law designed to strengthen the threshold of consent in order to better protect vulnerable women is having the opposite effect as it emerges that more than 100 convicted rapists in the country have had their sentences reduced or been granted early release due to penal reforms included in the legislation.
Hailed as a victory for women by Spain’s far-left Podemos party and Equality Minister Irene Montero who authored the bill, the law included a new legal definition based on explicit consent which stipulates that “consent shall only be understood to exist when it has been freely manifested, through acts that, in view of the circumstances of the case, clearly express the will of the person.”
Included in the legislation, however, was a provision to lower the minimum sentence that can be applied to those convicted of rape or sexual assault in the country, a reform that many convicted rapists have taken advantage of to appeal the length of their sentences.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland to Legalize Participation of Poles in Ukrainian Army
A legislative draft submitted to parliament by both the ruling conservatives and the liberal and left opposition will make it legal for Polish citizens to serve in the Ukrainian armed forces without having to seek a dispensation to do so.
According to the draft, it will not longer be a criminal offense to serve in the Ukrainian army without official permission, and that will apply to all those who have served in the Ukrainian army since February 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea. In addition, it will no longer be illegal to seek to recruit Polish or foreign subjects to the Ukrainian army.
At present, any Polish citizen wishing to serve in the armed forces of another state must seek permission from the Ministry of Defense. Any violation of this may be sanctioned by imprisonment for a period of three months to five years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Swedish Conservative MP ‘Assaulted and Beaten’ By 3 Men in Politically Motivated Attack
A Swedish conservative MP has filed a police report after claiming to have been attacked and beaten by three men as he visited a pub with friends in the central Swedish town of Borlänge.
Rasmus Giertz of the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats (SD) party was enjoying dinner with a couple of political colleagues at a pub in the town on Friday evening when the incident took place, according to comments made to Sweden’s Aftonbladet newspaper.
Giertz, who is the chairman of his party in the country’s Dalarna County, was involved in an altercation that resulted in a serious assault at the pub.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Syrian Man Given 16-Year Prison Sentence in Denmark for Daesh/ISIS Ties
A Syrian man, 35, was given a 16-year prison sentence Tuesday after being found guilty of attempting, financing and promoting terrorism in Denmark and abroad on behalf of the Daesh/ISIS terror group.
Ali Al Masry was convicted by a court in Holbæk alongside his wife, 31, and his brother, 37 — each given sentences of nine and six months on terror financing charges.
The sentence is the longest punishment given by a Danish court in recent history in Denmark in a terror-related case.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK ISP Three is Blocking Private Email Service Tutanota
End-to-end encrypted email provider Tutanota is being blocked by Three UK, a United Kingdom (UK) internet service provider (ISP).
According to Tutanota, the block has been in place since November and it has had “constant complaints from ThreeUK mobile users who were unable to access their encrypted Tutanota mailbox.”
Tutanota said that other email services have not been blocked by Three UK, despite the ISP’s claim that “any email account that you generate needs a 18+ confirmation.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The village of Halstead has been hit with a dispersal order to come into force this weekend after a wave of anti-social behaviour over the past few weeks. On the night of Saturday, November 26, several residents had their car tyres slashed in what police believe were connected incidents.
Essex Police said they had received 14 reports of criminal damage in various locations in Halstead, including Kings Road, Tidings Hill, Ronald Road and Lock Road. However, residents believe even more vehicles than this were damaged.
Damian Boreham, of John Boreham MOT Repair Specialists, said on Monday, November 28: “Today alone, we’ve probably had about 15 customers come in. I probably had about six or seven yesterday — all slashed tyres.”
[Comment: Article dated December 8, 2022.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netanyahu Announces Coalition Deal to Return to Power
Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday announced that he had negotiated a coalition framework with supportive parties to allow him to return to power.
Israel’s longest serving prime minister will soon lead a coalition of six parties on a right-wing platform, the New York Times reported. Many establishment media outlets, including the Times, have bemoaned his return to power and warned that his victory could signal a drift away from democracy for the Jewish nation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Evidence in Nord Stream Sabotage Doesn’t Point to Russia: Washington Post
A surprising admission has come in a Washington Post report Wednesday morning following a months-long investigation into the Sept. 26 Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipeline sabotage attacks. While there remains consensus that the explosions were indeed the result of a deliberate act of sabotage, numerous officials in the West now say the evidence is not pointing to Russia.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Invoking World War Two, Zelenskiy Tells Congress Aid is Not Charity
WASHINGTON/KYIV, Dec 21 (Reuters) — President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the U.S. Congress on Wednesday that aid to Ukraine is an investment in democracy, not charity, and invoked American victory over the Nazis in a key World War Two battle to press for continued assistance.
Zelenskiy, on his first foreign wartime visit, wore his trademark olive green pants and sweater, and earlier met President Joe Biden, who urged support to keep flowing in 2023, when congressional approval for Ukrainian aid will be harder.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Zelenskyy Makes Direct Appeal to GOP Critics, Arguing No Country is Safe if Ukraine Falters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a direct appeal to Republican critics during his Wednesday address to a joint meeting of Congress, telling lawmakers that no country was safe in the face of Russian aggression.
In a speech that won several standing ovations from both sides of the aisle, Zelenskyy predicted the war would hit a turning point next year just as Republicans were set to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
“The struggle will define in what world our children and grandchildren will live,” said Zelenskyy. “This battle cannot be frozen or postponed, it cannot be ignored hoping that [an] ocean or something else will provide protection.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Taliban Bans All Education for Girls, Fires Female Teachers, Bans Women From Mosques
The Taliban on Wednesday banned girls of all ages from attending school in one of the largest blows to women’s rights since taking over Afghanistan last year with the U.S. withdrawal.
Taliban officials made a range of sweeping announcements restricting women during a meeting in Kabul with school directors, community representatives and clerics, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Female staff, including teachers, are now prohibited from working in schools, authorities said, taking away one of the few professions women were able to have in Afghanistan.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
World Health Organization: ‘All Hypotheses’ About COVID Origin ‘Remain on the Table’
The director-general of the World Health Organization indicated this week that the controversial lab-leak origin theory of COVID-19 remains under consideration nearly three years after the WHO first declared the virus a pandemic.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the remarks at a media briefing on Wednesday of this week. Ghebreyesus noted that the pandemic “has declined significantly this year,” though he argued that “there are still too many uncertainties and gaps for us to say the pandemic is over.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dr Kerryn Phelps detailed the debilitating adverse reactions, and censorship by medical authorities, in her submission to a Senate inquiry into long Covid and anti-vaxxers had a field day.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Darwin’s Little Miss Korea Operators Charged by NT WorkSafe Over Explosion That Injured Five Diners
The operators of a popular Korean barbecue restaurant in Darwin could face fines of up to $18 million after being charged over an explosion that injured five diners earlier this year.
Emergency services were called to Little Miss Korea on Austin Lane in the CBD after the customers suffered burns when butane gas ignited under their table on the evening of September 7.
The Northern Territory’s work safety watchdog has now charged the family partnership operating the venue with six breaches of the Work Health and Safety Act.
NT WorkSafe said the group of men had been cooking food on a barbecue grill unit using coal.
The grill unit was also fitted with a butane gas canister, which was not being used at the time, but had a vent designed to release gas if it became over-pressured.
“NT WorkSafe will allege that the close proximity of the hot coals to the butane gas canister caused the canister to overpressure, activating the [vent] and releasing the butane gas under the table,” it said in a statement.
The build-up of butane gas subsequently ignited causing the injuries, it said.
“NT WorkSafe will further allege that despite clear warning signs on the butane gas canister, none of Little Miss Korea’s safety information, including staff safety induction, standard operating procedures, risk assessment or work health and safety policies, provided any safety advice or instruction to staff on the gas cartridge compartment of the barbecue grill unit or use of butane gas canisters.”
The safety watchdog also said the barbecue grill unit allegedly lacked evidence that it had been certified for use in Australia, as required by law.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Top Australian Health Official Blows Whistle: Doctors Are Censored
A top Australian health official has spoken out to blow the whistle by warning that doctors and other leading medical experts are being censored.
Former Australian Medical Association President Dr. Kerryn Phelps has finally broken her silence after experiencing “devastating” side effects from the Covid vaccine.
Professor Phelps detailed the debilitating adverse reactions she suffered in her submission to a Senate inquiry into long Covid.
Dr. Phelps also argued that far more Australians suffered serious side effects than was reported and doctors were too scared of losing their licenses to speak out.
She criticized regulators for their attempts to control the public by threatening doctors and censoring information.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“We Are Going to Kill You and Destroy Your Church”: The Persecution of Christians, November 2022
The following are among the murders and abuses Muslims inflicted on Christians throughout the month of November 2022:
The Muslim Slaughter of Christians
Nigeria: Muslim terrorists slaughtered “at least” 40 Christians in Plateau and Kaduna states alone, according to an end of month report published on Nov. 30. They also wounded at least 20 Christians, burned down a village church and many Christian homes. One of the Christians murdered was originally abducted and held for ransom. His brother shared the treacherous outcome:
“My brother, a father of two children, was kidnapped in early October … The bandits contacted us and demanded that we pay a ransom of the amount of 200 million naira (US$450,418), but after a long process of negotiations, they reduced the ransom to 10 million naira (US$22,520). We were able to raise 3 million naira, but unfortunately after collecting the money from us, they still killed my brother on Nov. 17.”
After breaking their part of the deal by slaughtering their ransomed victim, the Muslim terrorists demanded another ransom merely to return the man’s corpse to his family. The brother continued:
“The bandits said that if we pay them [an additional] 10 million naira [US$22,520], they’ll release my brother’s corpse to us. This is a very sad and depressing situation for us as my brother was tortured to death.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
South African farm attacks last month included murders, torture, shootings, stabbings, and people being bound with wire.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Border Patrol Union President Calls WH Press SEC ‘Chief of Propaganda’ for Calling Border Closed
President of the National Border Patrol Council Brandon Judd called White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre a propagandist for saying that the border wasn’t open.
“Her title should be ‘chief of propaganda,’“ Judd said on the Wednesday edition of the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show. “That’s what it should be. Apparently she does not want the American public to know the truth. She wants it to be withheld from them.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Europe has dramatically changed over the years, with Christmas markets now featuring security barriers and governments using terrorism threats to justify a massive expansion of surveillance powers. Now, Europeans can add emergency buttons in churches to the list of changes that the threat of Islamic terrorism and other increasing security concerns have introduced to the continent.
After the terrorist attack committed by a boat migrant hit Nice, which targeted the Notre-Dame basilica on Oct. 29, 2020, the municipality reinforced security in places of worship and, during a meeting in 2021, offered churches and other places of worship the emergency devices.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: African Migrants Stab Each Other During Knife Fight at Homeless Shelter
Two migrants from Africa were injured during a knife fight at a shelter in France this week, according to reports.
The harrowing incident unfolded at around noon on Tuesday in Bayonne, a city near the Spanish border in Basque Country.
A dispute broke out at the Point Accueil Jour reception center for poor and ‘vulnerable’ people.
Two combatants, both 24-year-old males from Algeria, were kicked out of the facility by staff.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany’s left-wing government is well-known for its open-borders policies, but even Junge Union (JU), the youth wing of the once conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is now openly promoting more immigration for Germany during a year when the country has taken in more than 1.2 million immigrants.
Johannes Winkel, the new chairman of JU, is not only calling for more migrants, but says that Germans should “thank” them more often.
“If AfD (Alternative for Germany) were to take its own wishful thinking seriously and imagine Germany without people with an immigrant background, even (AfD co-leader) Alexander Gauland would realize that nothing works in this country anymore,” Winkel told Der Spiegel. “We are an immigration country, we need immigration.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Migrant Who Drugged Woman to Death and Filmed Himself Raping Her Sentenced
An Italian court has sentenced a migrant who filmed himself sexually abusing a woman he had given drugs to, and who later died of an overdose, to five years in prison.
The 43-year-old man said to be from South America, was sentenced by the Court of Appeal of Perugia to five years and four months in prison for the sexual abuse, rape, and killing of a 27-year-old mother, originally from Ecuador.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kyrsten Sinema Slams Biden for Refusing to Visit Border: ‘No-Brainer’
Former Democrat Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) has slammed President Joe Biden for refusing to visit the southern border, arguing that the move should be a “no-brainer” for “anyone who is responsible for setting or making policy.”
Sinema, who quit the Democratic Party earlier this month and registered as an independent, blasted Biden during a new interview with Fox News producer Rich Edson.
“I absolutely think the president should visit the border,” Sinema told Edson.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Most Americans Woefully Underestimate the True Scale of Illegal Immigration Into the US
Almost 9 in 10 Americans grossly underestimated the true extent of the U.S.’ illegal immigration crisis last year, according to the latest polling.
The December Harvard CAPS / Harris Poll, published on Friday, showed that 75 percent of Americans believe that less than 1 million immigrants enter the country illegally every year, far from the actual reported figure of 2.75 million for this year up until September.
A total of 37 percent of respondents put the illegal immigration figure at less than 250,000, underestimating the true figure by a factor of more than 10.
Just 13 percent put the figure at over 2 million each year, revealing that most Americans simply aren’t aware of the true extent of the immigration crisis predominantly on the country’s southern border.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Refugees Undertake ‘Values Courses’ In Austria as Police Brace for New Year Eve Riots
Refugees who were involved in Halloween riots that rocked the Austrian city of Linz have been enrolled in “values courses” designed to teach them about acceptable social behavior in the country, as police step up operations to prevent a repeat of the civil unrest during upcoming New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The Upper Austrian state government is making every effort to ensure safety in public spaces during the festive season, with refugees responsible for the Halloween riots being moved to new accommodations, and police ramping up measures to protect the public.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Housing asylum seekers is costing £3.5billion a year, Suella Braverman said yesterday.
The Home Secretary said the bill for the current financial year was expected to come in at £1.4billion higher than the £2.1billion of the previous 12 months.
The total being housed has risen to 117,000, she told the House of Lords justice and home affairs committee.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
— and refuses to rule out using CRUISE SHIPS to house migrants
Suella Braverman criticised Home Office staff for being too slow to process asylum claims today as she revealed they completed just one a week.
The Home Secretary told peers that caseworkers handling asylum cases had to speed up to help reduce a 100,000-strong backlog and reduce a multi-million-pound hotel bill.
Rishi Sunak last week pledged to clear that six-figure traffic jam by the end of 2023 under plans to get the immigration system functioning again.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
$1.7 Trillion Spending Bill Packed With Taxpayer-Funded ‘Woke’ Handouts
As the massive $1.7 trillion “omnibus” spending bill is rushed through Congress, much of the staggering amount of taxpayer-funded handouts to radical-Left “woke” causes are being overlooked.
Included in the package is millions of dollars in funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and LGBTQ initiatives.
The bill was released Tuesday, at 1.30 am, and members of Congress were given just a few hours to study it.
The latest text of the bill includes 4,155 pages of items with 7,510 earmarks totaling $1.7 trillion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Attacks Against US Churches Spiked Following Roe V. Wade Reversal: Report
Dozens of Christian churches have been targeted with “pro-abortion hostility” since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to a new reporting that documents increasing vandalism against houses of worship.
“Criminal acts of vandalism and destruction of church property are symptomatic of a collapse in societal reverence and respect for houses of worship and religion — in this case, churches and Christianity,” argued the report, published by the Family Research Council and titled “Hostility Against Churches Is on the Rise in the United States.”
“Americans appear increasingly, comfortable lashing out against church buildings, pointing to a larger societal problem of marginalizing core Christian beliefs, including those that touch on hot-button political issues related to human dignity and sexuality.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Berlin Police Officers Receive Woke ‘Discrimination-Sensitive’ Language Guide
Berlin police officers have been issued a 29-page guide by their head office to advise them on “discrimination-sensitive” language that must be used in all correspondence with the public, according to the local Berlin tabloid, BZ.
The Berlin State Criminal Police Office (LKA) called on the capital’s police officers to be more careful in how they describe and how they address individuals when engaging with members of the public to avoid offense.
Language should be chosen “that is not specified by the majority of the population, but by those affected themselves,” according to the tabloid, quoting an internal letter from the LKA to its staff.
Frequently used words including “refugee” and “asylum,” and phrases such as “headscarf wearer” or “mentally handicapped” should be avoided and replaced with more inclusive language.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Heidi Beedle, the transgender “furry” and left-wing journalist who created the bloodthirsty Colorado Springs Antifa Twitter account has doubled down on the calls for violence and doxxing.
After The Post Millennial’s Andy Ngo identified Beedle as the creator of the Antifa account, which was banned last week by Elon Musk’s Twitter, the activist locked their personal account. However, Beedle went back into public mode as of Wednesday in order to call for violence once again.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A non-binary queer artist was arrested last week in an FBI sting operation after the individual attempted to set up the rape of a drugged, 9-year-old boy. Warning: This article contains graphic details from the FBI complaint.
Efrem Zelony-Mindell, 35, had been communicating with an undercover FBI agent he met on Scruff, a dating app for gay men, for several months when the topic of conversation turned towards “taboo.” At this point, Zelony-Mindell shared having an interest in “yng incest dad son” and repeatedly and graphically stated the desire to sexually assault children. The accused also sent the undercover agent child sexual abuse materials, according to Reduxx.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Deutsche Bank Research document says that an “eco-dictatorship” will be necessary to achieve net zero.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas Federal Judge Rules Against HHS Program Allowing Teens Confidential Birth Control
A federal court ruling Tuesday could make it nearly impossible for Texas teens to access birth control without parental permission.
US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled that Title X, the federal program that provides free, confidential contraception to anyone regardless of age, income or immigration status, violates parental rights and violates state and federal laws.
The ruling from Kacsmaryk likely means that teenagers who receive care through the Title X family planning program will no longer be allowed to do so confidentially.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
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Zelensky: “An investment” to send billions to Ukraine
The US is about to send another $45 billion in additional economic and military aid to Ukraine. According to the country’s President Volodomyr Zelensky, this is not about “charity” but an “investment” in democracy, among other things, he told the US Congress on Wednesday, RT reports.
On Twitter, Donald Trump Jr. wrote that Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky is an “ungrateful international welfare queen”.
This in connection with the president’s visit to the US and the US Congress.
But Zelensky himself doesn’t seem to agree.
According to the President, sending money and weapons to Ukraine is an “investment”.
– Your money is not charity. It is an investment in global security and democracy that we are handling in the most responsible way,” he told Congress.
– We have artillery, yes please. Is that enough? Frankly, not quite. We need more guns and grenades.
Zelensky says Ukraine has already won a major victory against Russia. This is because, he says, it has succeeded in changing the world’s perception of Russia.
– It gives me great pleasure to share our first joint victory: We have defeated Russia in the minds of the world,” he claimed.
Zelensky received a standing ovation for several minutes from the American politicians.
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https://twitter.com/i/status/1605727492886499328
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Russia will now increase the size of its military and raise the age of conscription. This is in order to meet, among other things, Sweden’s and Finland’s possible NATO membership, Tass reports. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the West’s “hostilities” against Russia go back hundreds of years. The West believes Russia is too big and dangerous, and therefore must be split up. That is what the conflict in Ukraine is really about, he argues.
Russia is now planning to strengthen its military presence in the north-west of the country to meet Sweden and Finland’s expected membership of the US-led NATO military alliance.
– Given NATO’s ambition to strengthen its military potential near Russia’s borders, as well as expand the North Atlantic alliance through Finland and Sweden, it is necessary to take countermeasures to create an appropriate group of forces in northwestern Russia, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu said, according to Tass.
Shoigu wants to re-establish Russia’s strategically important military districts in Moscow and St. Petersburg. He also wants to increase the size of the army and call up Russian citizens between the ages of 21-30 for active service in the military.
The military manpower will be increased by 30 percent and 20 new divisions will be created.
– Twenty-seven countries have already spent $97 billion on arms supplies to Ukraine, which is much more than what the Americans sent to Afghanistan, Shoigu says.
Russian President Vladimir Putin supports the proposals.
But the Russian military should develop “calmly, rhythmically, without any hurry,” according to the president.
The country should not repeat past historical mistakes, he stresses.
– We will not engage in the militarisation of the country or the militarisation of the economy, Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
According to the Russian president, the West has been trying to destroy Russia for centuries.
– They think the country is too big and threatening, so it needs to be split up, divided.
Russia, Putin continued, according to Tass, has tried to be part of “the so-called civilised world”, but it turned out that “we were not welcome there”. For this reason, the conflict with the “hostile forces” in Ukraine was inevitable, the president further explained.
“The Washington Post published an investigative report saying that the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline does not appear to have been committed by Russia.”
I’m shocked, shocked I say!
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CLICK the ‘loudspeaker symbol!
https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1605727492886499328
Forty Democrats Labeled Ukraine’s Azov Battalion a Terrorist Organization in 2019
https://kanekoa.substack.com/p/forty-democrats-labeled-ukraines
Who gives a damn what any commiecrat has to say about anything! They are the enemy of us all!
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Orbán: “Drain the swamp” in the EU – wants to dissolve the European Parliament
22 December, 2022
The EU Parliament in its current form should be dissolved.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is now saying this in response to the corruption scandal in the parliament, Euronews/AP reports. Instead of being elected, MEPs should be delegated from national parliaments, which have a much better control mechanism.
Hungary’s national conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán thinks the European Parliament in its current form “should be dissolved”, he said at a lengthy press conference on Wednesday.
The statement comes after a recent corruption scandal in the parliament’s top leadership, which included the arrest of its vice-president during a raid.
Orbán wants to “drain the swamp” in Brussels, the same phrase used by former US President Donald Trump to refer to the fact that politics is actually run by a corrupt “deep state”.
According to the Hungarian leader, MEPs should be delegated by national parliaments instead of being elected.
National parliaments have stronger control systems, he argues.
So there should not be two different electoral systems.
– The extent to which the European Parliament’s reputation in Hungary has been damaged is easy to answer: not at all, because it could not have been lower, explains Viktor Orbán.
At the same time, he repeated his criticism of the EU elite’s anti-Russian sanctions.
– If it were up to us, there would be no sanctions policy. It is not in our interest to permanently divide the European and Russian economies in two. So we are trying to save what can be saved by our economic cooperation with the Russians,” Orbán said, according to RT.