A total of 13 people were arrested during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Meanwhile, the perimeter fence has been fortified after yesterday’s breach.
In other news, King Charles III visited Southport in northern England to pay tribute to the victims and families of those who witnessed a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class last month.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, Dora, DV, JW, LP, McN, MM, Reader from Chicago, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
Government Data Shows Canadians Left Poorer After Explosive Inflation
Despite median household incomes rising slightly in 2022, new data shows Canadians got significantly poorer when accounting for inflation.
New data from Statistics Canada shows that in 2022, income for the median Canadian household after taxes rose by a modest 2.5% to $60,800. However, when adjusting for 6.8% inflation in 2022, median family after-tax income dropped 4% from 2021.
The drop in prosperity is disproportionately hurting young Canadians and single parents, as single parents under the age of 25 saw the largest decrease in median family after-tax income, dropping 15.1% from 2021.
The Canadians who suffered the next-largest decrease are those below the age of 25 who are not part of a family, experiencing a 12.9% decrease, and couples under the age of 25, suffering a 9% drop.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Real Salaries of Young Workers Falling in Spain, Increasing in Poland
In Poland, young workers are earning more than ever in real wages, but on the other side of Europe, in Spain, workers under 30 have seen wages stagnate for the last decade—even as the cost of living has exploded in the last three years.
This is according to the Global Youth Employment Trends Report 2024 from the UN’s International Labor Organization (OIT). Spanish workers “have not experienced any increase in their real monthly salary in the last decade,” the report states, and the most affected workers were those between the ages of 25 and 29.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Anti-Fossil Fuel Crusaders Plop Down $55 Million in Support of Harris Campaign
Climate activist groups are putting up $55 million dollars in support of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.
The League of Conservation Voters Victory Fund and Climate Power Action are teaming up with the Future Forward PAC to fund the ad campaign, The Hill newspaper reports.
The campaign targets the swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. It will also target Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses Omaha and has separate electoral votes from the rest of the state.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden-Harris’ 2024 Job Estimates Could be Lowered by 1 Million as Kamala Brags About Growth: Report
Economists are estimating that the 2024 US job growth through March is far less than previously stated by the Biden-Harris administration. A revision of numbers could see as many as 1 million jobs slashed from the total. Kamala Harris bragged in February about the growth of the economy under the Biden-Harris administration.
Economists with the Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Wells Fargo & Co are predicting that the government’s preliminary benchmark revisions set to be released on Wednesday will show that payroll growth through March is at least 600,000 weaker than estimated, Bloomberg reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Says He Dropped Out of 2024 Race So Dems Could Focus on House, Senate Seats
President Joe Biden briefly spoke to reporters on Monday night, saying that he decided to step out of the campaign, ceding the top of the ticket to Kamala Harris, so Democrats could focus on winning House and Senate seats. He made the candid comments before boarding Air Force One and leaving Chicago after delivering the opening night keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.
“Are you angry with Nancy Pelosi?” a reporter asked. Pelosi reportedly issued an ultimatum the night before Biden dropped out of the presidential race, threatening to go public with her concerns over whether Biden could win a second term against Trump.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bomb Threats Called Into 4 Chicago Hotels Used for DNC: Report
CHICAGO — At least four Chicago hotels were the subject of a bomb threat Tuesday on the second day of the Democratic National Convention, according to a report.
Police responded with K9 dogs to at least one of the hotels following an email claiming there would be pipe bombs at the buildings, Fox 32 Chicago reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Gaza Activists Disrupt DNC Women’s Caucus, Scream ‘Stop Killing Women in Gaza’
Events at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday were disrupted when pro-Palestinian agitators entered the floor and began shouting about the Israel-Hamas war.
“Stop killing women in Gaza,” the group shouted. One woman waved a keffiyeh while others held up a pink sign that read “Free, free Palestine.”
The group of protestors was separated from a stage and DNC attendees at the Women’s Caucus meeting by fencing. Security guards were seen escorting the protestors away from the event that Kamala Harris’ running mate Tim Walz attended.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pro-Palestinian agitators and police clashed outside Chicago’s Israeli consulate on Tuesday as the Democratic National Convention was underway in nearby United Center. The agitators set an American flag outside the consulate and attacked journalist Ben Bergquam when he attempted to remove the flag from the flames.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Byron Donalds Pushes House to Hold Impeachment Vote Against Biden
Florida GOP Rep. Byron Donalds on Tuesday pushed for the House of Representatives to hold a vote on whether to impeach President Joe Biden, after a congressional report detailed allegations of corruption.
The House Judiciary, Oversight, and Ways and Means committees released a damning joint report on Monday that claimed the president engaged in impeachable conduct when he was vice president, helping to enrich his family with millions of dollars by trading on his name, and then allegedly lying to voters to cover it up.
Donalds claimed that if former President Donald Trump could get impeached by Democrats that ran the House over a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, then Biden can be impeached for his alleged offenses.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California’s Digital Plates Plan Raises Privacy Fears
California is one of the US states that have introduced digital license plates, amid opposition from a number of rights advocates.
Now, there is a legislative effort to have GPS location tracking embedded in these, to all intents and purposes, devices attached to the car.
Sponsored by Democrat Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, Bill 3138is currently making its way through the state’s legislature. It refers to “License plates and registration cards: alternative devices,” and the bill has another sponsor — Reviver.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Police Arrested 13 People During First Day of DNC; Perimeter Fence Fortified After Breach
CHICAGO (CBS) — A total of 13 people were arrested during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, police said, including about 10 people from a small group of agitators who breached the outer security perimeter fence outside the DNC during a much larger protest march.
Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling estimated that 3,500 protesters marched from Union Park, a few blocks away from the United Center, to Park 578, just north of the arena, on Monday afternoon before returning to Union Park, and the vast majority of them remained peaceful.
The protest was a show of solidarity with Palestine, with activists calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. funding to Israel.
Snelling said a small group of agitators within the larger protest crowd removed locks from some of the outer fencing around the United Center and knocked down part of the outer security fence around 4:30 p.m. Some people passed through a gap in the fence and began trying to knock down a second layer of fencing, but police were able to stop them.
“It was a brief breach,” Snelling said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago DNC Event Features Bizarre List of Guests and Speakers
It might sound trite these days to suggest that the political left has become an ideological cult, but when a group like this becomes increasingly more bizarre in their behavior with each passing month it’s hard to ignore the greater implications. As the Democrats try to make a clean getaway from Joe Biden’s disastrous presidency they have adopted an odd marketing strategy that one can only describe as “tortured optimism.”
It’s a painfully forced theater of “joy” designed to appeal to the TikTok generation.
Seeing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz dance around on stage and almost cannibalize each other with fake enthusiasm is uncomfortable enough. Then add a glaze of Orwellian gaslighting, communistic economic policies and the promotion of trans child grooming and most people would feel as if they were dropped into the middle of a horror movie. For progressives, though, this is a normal Tuesday.
Perhaps the best way to make people who don’t closely follow politics understand how bizarre the DNC in Chicago has been is to showcase some of their guests and invitational speakers. Take, for example, TikTok “influencer” Jeffrey Marsh, a man pretending to be a woman with a habit of engaging with minors, asking them to entertain private discussions with him on Patreon and convincing them to break contact with their parents.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Unsettling new footage appears to show attempted Donald Trump assassin Thomas Crooks casually strolling through the Butler, Pa., rally crowd less than two hours before he unloaded a rifle at the former president.
In the clip, filmed by employees of the clothing company Iron Clad USA, Crooks is seen walking through a row of vendors and looking at the crowd around him.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Congressional Democrats in Tight Reelection Bids Skip Harris, Party’s Nominating Convention
Several congressional Democrats facing tight reelection bids, particularly those in tossup or GOP-leaning states or House districts, are skipping the party’s nominating convention in Chicago this week.
Montana Sen. Jon Tester has not yet endorsed Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, and he was the red state’s only delegate to withhold a vote backing Harris, according to Montana Public Radio.
Instead of attending the Democratic National Convention, Tester will hold a fundraiser, farm and campaign for his reelection, according to the Montana Free Press.
Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen told The New York Times that she would be campaigning for her reelection this week and needed to be close to her home state.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Convention Democrats Rally Around Harris But Worry About Her Lack of Substance
Mainstream media outlets are filled with adulation over Kamala Harris’ appearance at the Democratic National Convention yesterday, on August 19th—itching to note how the crowd went “ballistic” for the party’s nominee and describing her run as “stunning.”
However, some senior insiders still have their reservations, and attempts to distance Harris from Joe Biden’s administration—of which she is the vice president—were muddied by none other than Joe Biden.
The current president’s big speech was held back until 11:30 p.m. in a fairly clear indication that leading Democrats want to push the chaos of the past few years into the background. For the avoidance of any doubt, Harris herself said that the message to bear in mind ahead of the November election is: “We are moving forward.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cook County State’s Attorney Preemptively Announces That DNC Protesters Will Not be Prosecuted
Soros-backed Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx preemptively announced that she will not prosecute protesters who are “peaceful” at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
This sudden turn toward leniency runs against what she claimed in April, Wirepoints reported.
Despite the attention to “peaceful” protesters, Foxx also announced ahead of time that she will not prosecute anyone arrested for misdemeanors — such as disorderly conduct, public demonstration, unlawful gathering, criminal trespass to state-supported land, and even curfew charges.
The policy is not new, though. The prosecutor, who was given a $408,000 donation from a George Soros super PAC in 2016, has maintained this policy at least since the riots in 2020 and has released hundreds of protesters over the years — even those who perpetrated property damage.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Crews Add New Fencing Around United Center After Breach During DNC; 13 Arrested in Protests
CHICAGO (WLS) — Security remains a top priority at the Democratic National Convention, after a fence outside the United Center was breached Monday.
Just as delegates were arriving at the United Center, some protesters breached the outer security fence.
Early Tuesday morning, once delegates and dignitaries had left for the night, crews went to work outside the arena to reinforce the DNC security perimeter.
A group of protesters breached the security fencing, even before the gavel fell on the first day proceedings.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Democratic Convention Confirms Harris as Presidential Nominee in ‘Celebratory’ Roll Call
Delegates at the Democratic convention on Tuesday ceremonially confirmed Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as the party’s presidential and vice presidential nominees.
Harris was formally confirmed as the party’s official nominee earlier this month, during a virtual roll call, but the process did not have much fanfare because it was done remotely. Harris received 4,563 votes in the official roll call, and 52 delegates voted “present.”
Tuesday’s confirmation has been designated a “celebratory roll call,” according to the Associated Press, because it gives delegates a chance to “celebrate” Harris as the first woman of color to become a major party’s presidential nominee.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
MINNEAPOLIS — Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd, was transferred to a federal prison in Texas almost nine months after he was stabbed in a different facility, the federal Bureau of Prisons told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Chauvin, 47, is now housed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Big Spring, a low-security prison. He was previously held in Arizona at FCI Tucson in August 2022 to simultaneously serve a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights and a 22 1/2-year state sentence for second-degree murder.
The transfer comes nearly nine months after Chauvin was stabbed 22 times in prison by a former gang leader and one-time FBI informant.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
DNC Delegates Can’t Name Single Kamala Accomplishment: Report
What does Kamala Harris stand for? Even the delegates who have pledged to vote for her do not know. Speaking to Breitbart, five of those delegates at the DNCadmitted that while they like Kamala’s style, they have no idea what she’s planning to do if she makes it to the Oval Office (she’s already in the White House).
One woman, Bonnie Daniels from El Paso, said that President Joe Biden, who essentially gave his exit speech near midnight in Chicago Monday, has “fabulous” economic policies. “Well, you know, she’s not president; it’s Joe Biden who’s had some awesome achievements,” Breitbart quotes her as saying. “His economic policy is fabulous, and, you know, waiting for her to step it up, and let’s see if she continues his policies, and we’ll take it from there.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DNC’s Unrevised Platform Allows Kamala Harris to ‘Stay Vague,’ Hide Policy From American People: CNN
On CNN, hosts discussed how with the Democratic platform still having many mentions of President Joe Biden along with policy positions, Kamala Harris can “stay vague” about the specifics of her policy agenda going into the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
The comments came from Jake Tapper, who said that having Biden mentioned would leave policies for Harris “vague” and “unspecific,” and allowed the campaign to place blame on Biden.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Doug Emhoff & Tim Walz Help Kamala Harris Buy Doritos in Bizarre Video: ‘Congrats on Humaning’
In an apparent effort to appear normal, the Democrat presidential campaign shared a video on social media of Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz looking for snacks in a store.
The video, shared on X by Walz’s account, shows Harris’s husband Doug Emhoff helping the potential future leaders of the free world try to find a bag of Doritos.
Walz posted the video in which he, Harris, and Emhoff were apparently searching a convenience store for Doritos to satisfy the Democrat presidential nominee’s snack cravings.
“Every road trip needs a snack break,” Walz posted with an accompanying video of the escapade.
“Doritos acquired. I got you, @KamalaHarris.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ex-Agents Expose Secret Service’s Critical Failures on Jan 6
Former Secret Service agents have spoken out to expose significant failures in the federal agency’s handling of the protests at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
A recent report highlights critical failures in the Secret Service’s handling of Jan. 6, revealing deeper issues within the agency, The Daily Caller reported.
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Inspector General has detailed the Secret Service’s severe lapses during Jan. 6.
The failures include a near-miss incident involving then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and an undetected pipe bomb.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former Trump Spokesperson Says Biden’s DNC Speech Was Intentionally Late So People Wouldn’t Listen
Former spokesperson for GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, Liz Harrington, said the reason President Joe Biden’s speech at the Democratic National Convention was so late was because they didn’t want people to hear it.
“I missed it because I was falling asleep,” Harrington said on the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show. “That was the point. I mean, they didn’t want anybody to see it. They want to pretend like Biden doesn’t exist.”
The DNC started this week and Biden spoke on Monday night, not starting his speech until after 10:30 p.m. ET.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CHICAGO — A massive replica of an Israeli hostage’s bloody sweatpants was erected near the Democratic National Convention venue in Chicago Tuesday — while more than 100 hostages remain in the custody of Hamas terrorists.
A 30-foot replica of the bloodied pants worn by Naama Levy — a 20-year-old Israeli whose horrific kidnapping by Hamas was captured on video and became a worldwide symbol of the horrific Oct. 7 attack — was installed at an intersection about a mile away from the DNC.
Alongside the pants, several giant milk cartons with photos of every US citizen still held captive by Hamas lined the sidewalk at the “Hostage Square” pop-up installation meant to keep the hostages in the forefront of Americans’ minds.
Americans Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Omer Neutra and Keith Siegel were kidnapped by Hamas and remain in captivity, though their current status is unknown.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jill Biden Privately Angry Over ‘Betrayal’ From Democrats Who Forced Husband Out, Insiders Reveal
First Lady Jill Biden is reportedly reeling from the “betrayal” of top Democrats who forced her husband to drop his re-election bid, insiders have revealed.
The first lady is privately angry with Democrats who personally offered support for President Joe Biden before publicly calling for him to exit the presidential race.
She was at the president’s side in Wilmington, Delaware, when Joe Biden was forced to exit the presidential race after a relentless pressure campaign from party elites.
On Sunday, July 21, when Biden called Vice President Kamala Harris to inform her of his decision, he put the first lady on the phone.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Judge Strikes Down Biden Admin Ban on Noncompete Agreements: ‘Arbitrary and Capricious’
A federal judge in Texas on Tuesday barred a Federal Trade Commission rule from taking effect that would ban agreements commonly signed by workers not to join their employers’ rivals or launch competing businesses.
US District Judge Ada Brown in Dallas said the FTC, which enforces federal antitrust laws, does not have the authority to ban practices it deems unfair methods of competition by adopting broad rules.
Brown had temporarily blocked the rule in July while she considered a bid by the US Chamber of Commerce, the country’s largest business lobby, and tax service firm Ryan to strike it down entirely. The rule was set to take effect Sept. 4.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kamala Harris Supports 28% Corporate Tax Rate After Pushing for Even More in Failed 2020 Campaign
Vice President Kamala Harris is reversing course on another item from her failed 2020 campaign by backing a 28% corporate tax rate, The Post has learned.
The presumptive Democratic presidential candidate is instead backing the same corporate tax rate proposed by President Biden in his 2025 budget released this year, NBC News first reported.
Earlier, Harris supported a 35% corporate tax rate, which was the taxation level until former President Donald Trump signed the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law, bringing it down to a rate of 21%.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kamala Refuses to Debate Trump on Fox News — Trump Will Hold a Town Hall Instead
Kamala Harris has officially refused to debate President Donald Trump on Fox News after the network offered a date of September 4. Harris, who has taken Joe Biden’s place at the top of the Democrat ticket, also feels entitled to any and all prior arrangments the Biden campaign made with Trump. As such, she has only agreed to one scheduled debate, which will air on ABC on September 10. Trump has proposed two others, but Harris’ media-shy campaign has refused to commit to anything. She hasn’t held a press conference, she hasn’t sat for an interview, and increasingly this appears to be all by design.
“Comrade Kamala Harris has just informed us that she will NOT do the FoxNews Debate on September 4th,” Trump said on Truth Social. “I am not surprised by this development because I feel that she knows it is very difficult, at best, for her to defend her record setting Flip-Flopping on absolutely everything she once believed in, including her statements that THERE WILL BE NO FRACKING IN PENNSYLVANIA and her HORRIBLE Performance on the Border, our ‘Border Czar,’ where millions of criminals and people from mental institutions and terrorists, have been allowed to pour into our Country, totally unchecked and unvetted. It’s called, and she LOVES IT, an OPEN BORDER!!! Rather than the debate on September 4th, I have agreed to do a Tele-Town Hall, anchored by Sean Hannity, for Fox. It will take place in the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania — Details to follow!”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kennedy VP Shanahan: Campaign Mulling Withdrawal, Trump Endorsement
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, has stated that the campaign is exploring a potential withdrawal from the race in favor of endorsing former President Donald Trump.
“There’s two options that we’re looking at and one is staying in, forming that new party, but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Waltz presidency because we draw more votes from Trump,” she said. “Or we walk away right now and join forces with with Donald Trump and explain to our base why we’re making this decision.”
Shanahan made the remarks during an appearance on Impact Theory.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Dead After Shooting Inside Gold’s Gym in Reston; Police Searching for Suspect
A man was shot dead while working out inside Gold’s Gym in Reston, Virginia, on Tuesday afternoon, prompting a search involving a helicopter and K-9 units.
The shooting happened at the Gold’s Gym in the 11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive near the intersection of Reston Parkway and the Dulles Access Road, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
“Both the victim and suspect in this case were both working out inside the local gym when our suspect approached our victim in a targeted stance and shot him,” Capt. Kent Bailey, with FCPD’s Public Affairs Bureau, said.
The man was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Bailey described the shooting as an “isolated, targeted incident.” Police are still looking into the nature of the relationship between the suspect and the man who was shot, and what motivated the shooting.
Police said they’re looking for a suspect described as a heavyset man between the ages of 25 and 30, wearing glasses, a black shirt, black pants and a large “swing bag.” He was last seen running toward Reston Parkway, police said.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
South Dakota Supreme Court Includes 100+ Ballots in June Election Initially Excluded in Results
The South Dakota Supreme Court denied a bid to exclude 132 absentee ballots from the state’s June election after the votes were initially rejected.
Last month, the court was asked by a conservative election group’s leader and an unsuccessful Republican legislative candidate to require Minnehaha County’s top elections official to “revert to the unofficial vote count totals” that excluded the 132 ballots and “conduct a thorough review” of two precincts’ registered voters, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.
On Friday, the court denied the request, allowing the ballots to be included, which a recount board later did.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
HOWELL, Mich. — Former President Donald Trump blasted Vice President Kamala Harris’ “anti-police” policies in a law enforcement-centered speech on Tuesday, as his campaign rolled out plans to get tougher on crime — including pursuing the death penalty for child rapists and a return to “stop-and-frisk” strategies nationwide.
Trump accused Harris of waging an “anti-police crusade” and supporting “extremist, pro-crime, anti-police” policies such as “defund the police.”
“We will never even think about defunding the police,” said Trump, flanked by local Michigan sheriffs. “The concept is so chilling and so horrible.”
“We’ll re-fund the police,” he vowed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Blasts DNC Programming in Interview With the Post: ‘It Was About Lies’
HOWELL, Mich. — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted the Democratic National Convention’s programming as “lies”
Trump, 78, met with The Post on Tuesday before giving remarks to a crowd in Michigan about local law enforcement. He said that while his event focused on tackling crime, the theme he saw at the DNC on Monday night was “lies” — predicting that former President Barack Obama would repeat that again when he takes the stage Tuesday night as the keynote speaker.
“I think it was about lies. It was lies about me, all night long they were saying things that weren’t true,” Trump said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
U. Illinois Has 42 “Illegal” Race- Sex-Based Scholarships: Federal Complaint
Authored by Matt Lamb via The College Fix
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has 42 “illegal” scholarships that discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, sex, or both, a federal complaint alleges.
The Equal Protection Project of the Legal Insurrection Foundation filed the complaint today with the Office for Civil Rights within the Department of Education.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
University of California Bans Encampments, Face Masks
Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
The president of the University of California (UC) said on Monday that the 10-campus university system would enforce policies banning encampments and the wearing of masks to conceal identity in response to pro-Palestinian protests across the country.
In a letter to the university community, UC President Michael V Drake said that his office and campus leaders have reflected on “the events of the past year” and sought ways to strengthen policies and procedures.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Utah Sues Federal Government Over Land Control
The state of Utah sued the federal government on Tuesday for control of just over one third of its public land, which is operated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
The federal government currently controls roughly 70% of Utah’s total land area, due to the “Utah Enabling Act” that made Utah an official state. The federal government also owns approximately 47% of all public land in the west, per The Hill.
Utah’s Republican Gov. Spencer Cox said the state is seeking control of 18.5 million acres of public land. The lawsuit, which went directly to the Supreme Court, will not impact lands already designated as national parks, monuments, wilderness areas, national forests, tribal land, or military properties.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Vaccines’ Are ‘Far More’ Dangerous Than COVID, Study Warns
A major new study has finally confirmed that the Covid mRNA vaccines are “far more” dangerous than the virus they are supposed to protect people from.
The explosive study concludes that the “overall risks greatly outweigh theoretical benefits”
The bombshell findings of the study were published in the International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Research.
The team of leading American scientists was led by world-renowned cardiologist Dr. Peter A. McCullough.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Virginia’s in Play as Independent Voters Break for Trump, Keeping Race Within Margin of Error
Fresh polling of the Old Dominion State’s still-new presidential race shows it’s too close to call between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, suggesting a change atop the ticket isn’t juicing Democratic performance in Virginia just yet.
The vice president narrowly leads the former president in both scenarios the Roanoke College survey contemplates.
In a two-way matchup, Harris leads 47% to 44%. It’s 45% to 42% when other candidates are added, with Robert Kennedy Jr. getting 6%, Cornel West and Libertarian Chase Oliver grabbing 2% each, 3% preferring some other candidate and just 2% undecided.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
As a Canadian Imam Calls for Jihad in Muhammad’s Name, a Tough Question Must be Asked
Adnan Abyat is an imam in Canada who recently preached a rousing sermon designed to get his congregation all fired up for jihad. As Muslim leaders all over the world speak of Hamas’ conflict with Israel as a jihad, it’s understandable that this kind of sermon would be common in the Islamic world these days. Abyat, like many others, attributed the jihad impulse to Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. Yet there is abundant reason to believe that Muhammad was not exactly what Adnan Abyat and so many others think he was.
In his sermon, which should have, but almost certainly didn’t, raise eyebrows among Canadian law enforcement and intelligence officials, Abyat said: “I attest that Muhammad is Allah’s servant and His prophet who awakened the desire for Jihad and incited the believers, who made Jihad for the sake of Allah the pinnacle of Islam, and the one who said that Paradise is underneath the shades of the swords.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Toronto Police Union Demands Answers From Gov After Repeat Offender on the Run Injures Officers
The Toronto Police Association are demanding answers from all levels of government after a repeat violent offender with a warrant for his arrest and a deportation order injured three police officers.
According to a news release from the Toronto Police Services, police responded to a call for a break-in in progress around 12 p.m on Friday in the Caledonia Road and Rogers Road area. Three officers sustained minor injuries. The officers are recovering.
Joao Pedro Da Silva Cordeiro, 30, was charged with two counts of assaulting a peace officer, two counts of assaulting a public officer causing bodily harm, two counts of assault with intent to resist arrest and one count of failing to attend court.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
After the Olympics: Will France Finally Get a New Government?
Now that the Olympic Games are over, Emmanuel Macron is beginning to feel the urgency of appointing a prime minister. A meeting has been scheduled in the presence of the head of state for Friday, August 23rd, bringing together the leaders of the parties represented in the National Assembly. The La France Insoumise party (LFI) is calling for the president’s impeachment in protest of the appointment deadline, which is constantly being pushed back.
Macron has announced that he intends to meet the presidents of the parties and parliamentary groups at the Elysée Palace on Friday, August 23rd to discuss the formation of the next government—a process that has been on hold since July 16th, when the previous prime minister, Gabriel Attal, resigned in the wake of the legislative elections on July 7th. The president’s stated aim is to work towards building a majority that is “as broad as possible.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Libraries in Wales have reportedly been told that they should refrain from meeting in “racist” buildings amid “critical whiteness studies” training subsidised by the taxpayer.
A government-funded project dubbed the “Anti-racist Library Collections” from the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (Cilip) in Wales is said to have instructed libraries across Wales on how to embark on so-called decolonisation, including strategies to confront the “dominant paradigm of whiteness” in the British country.
According to The Telegraph, the £130,000 “critical whiteness studies” project has told libraries to avoid holding staff training sessions in buildings with a “racist” history.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Brothers of Italy MEP Blasts the European Liberal Desire to Censor Musk and X
Carlo Fidanza, MEP for the Brothers of Italy Party, has strongly criticised European Union chiefs over their censorship demands regarding X and its owner Elon Musk.
Threats issued by the EU’s self-styled “digital enforcer” Thierry Breton did not sit well with Fidanza, who took to social media to blast the increasing calls for online censorship originating from EU Liberal politicians.
“A week after EU Commissioner Breton’s letter, disowned by the European Commission itself, which pre-emptively threatened to shut down X in Europe for ‘being guilty’ of hosting a dialogue between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, today the so-called ‘European liberals’ are back on the attack,” he wrote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Lawmaker Threatens to Ban X Unless Musk Complies With Censorship Demands
A Member of the European Parliament has threatened that if Elon Musk fails to align X with European censorship regulations, the platform could be blocked within the EU.
This was asserted by Sandro Gozi, an Italian serving as an MEP for France, during an interview with La Repubblica. His precise words were: “If Elon Musk does not comply with the European rules on digital services, the EU Commission will ask the continental operators to block X or, in the most extreme case, force them to completely dismantle the platform in the territory of the Union.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Plots 36% Tariff on Chinese Electric Cars
The European Commission plans to impose five-year import duties of up to 36% percent on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) unless there are concessions from Beijing in the current trade dispute over state subsidies, it announced on Tuesday August 20.
Last month, Brussels slapped Chinese EVs with hefty provisional tariffs, in addition to the 10% current duties. In contrast, Tesla cars that are made in China would face a lower duty of nine percent. An anti-subsidy probe accused Beijing of unfair competition against its European Union rivals.
The latest Commission draft plan proposes to fix the higher tariffs, with a deadline for alternative suggestions set for the end of the month. EU member states would then need to approve the plan by the end of October.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Far-Right German Candidate Threatened Ahead of Eastern State’s Poll
Germany’s state security said on Tuesday it is investigating threats made against a far-right candidate in the eastern state of Brandenburg, which goes to the polls next month.
Jan Schenk, a member of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) who is standing for election to the Brandenburg state parliament, suffered property damage and had multiple threats made against him, police said.
In one instance, his garage was graffitied with the words “Hunt Jan S.” Unknown persons had also unscrewed the wheel bolts on his car several times, he said.
After a recent campaign appearance in the town of Eichwalde, the phrase “Box Jan Schenk bloody” had been written on the market square.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Wants to Cut Billions in Subsidies for Heat Pumps
Due to the tight budgetary situation in Germany, the progressive government must significantly cut back on subsidies for installing heat pumps, which are a controversial and costly cornerstone of the country’s transition to an emission-free future.
In its hard-fought over budget, the German government will spend €2.4bn less on heat pumps in 2025 than in 2024, the newspaper Bild reported on August 18.
This represents a cut of more than 16 per cent. Some €14.35bn will remain available via the Climate and Transformation Fund
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Left-Wing Extremists Call for Vandalism, Doxxing to Fight AfD
A far-left center in Hamburg has been newly decorated with a poster entitled “13 things you can do against the AfD,” listing, among other things, attacking event venues, “neutralizing” Alternative für Deutschland campaign materials, and creating disturbances at their election booths.
The poster—which the Rote Flora collective says on X is “recommended by the Antifa counter”—also suggests disabling vehicles and ‘doxxing’ (publicly disclosing personal information about) “Nazis and AfD supporters.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany’s Crime Rate Makes Double-Digit Climb to Record High
Germany’s crime rate soared to record levels in 2023, an annual report by the country’s Federal Police has disclosed.
The document, released on August 19, revealed that 790,245 crimes were recorded last year, a 12.5 per cent increase on 2022.
Among the shifts highlighted by the report are a rise in drug trafficking, trespassing, sexual offences and violent crime.
It also revealed that federal law enforcement, responsible for safeguarding Germany’s borders, train stations and airports, have been increasingly targeted by criminals.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Anti Far-Right AfD Demonstrators Block State Leader Höcke From Event
Police in the eastern German city of Jena used pepper spray and batons to break up a demonstration of some 2,000 people protesting the appearance of far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) state leader Björn Höcke, preventing him from attending an event.
The police said on Tuesday evening that it initially knew of no injuries.
Höcke was to appear at a public discussion at a central location.
After consultation with his personal security, Höcke’s appearance was cancelled, a police spokesman said. The leader of the AfD in Thuringia, where voters go to the polls on September 1, did not show up at the event, which was then cancelled.
The police said the anti-AfD demonstrators had registered their protest, but more people showed up than expected.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘He’s Treating Poles Like Fools’ — Tusk’s Olympic Bid Draws Criticism From Confederation Party
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s announcement that Poland will pursue a bid to host the Olympic Games has stirred controversy on the political scene.
The proposal has prompted widespread discussions about whether such a project is appropriate given the country’s economic situation and the financial hardships facing many citizens.
Over the weekend, the topic was debated on various platforms and television news channels, while political figures and social media users weighed in across the internet.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Footage Shows Superyacht Chartered by British Tech Titan “Disappeared in 60 Seconds”
Update (1242ET):
The Wall Street Journal cited Italian Coast Guard officials who said British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer, and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo are presumed dead after a superyacht they were chartering was hit by a waterspout before capsizing off the coast of Sicily early Monday.
Here’s more from WSJ:
One of Lynch’s daughters, Bloomer’s wife, Judy, and Morvillo’s wife, Neda, also were among the missing.
Authorities confirmed the body of the yacht’s cook had been recovered.
The coast guard said the bodies of the missing are likely trapped in the yacht. Rescuers were reassessing how to access the wreckage, after the first inspection by cave divers was blocked by debris, the coast guard said.
“The space is very tight, because everything fell when she capsized,” Luca Cari, the head of Italy’s national firefighters’ corps told reporters. “Divers are trying to remove furnishings, wires and other debris to clear the passageways.”
Italian daily newspaper La Stampa posted on X:
Bayesian Sinks, Cameras in Homes and Shops Under Review. Video Shows Sinking Vessel: “Disappeared in 60 Seconds”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Norwegians Satisfied After Purchasing Hundreds of Polish Piorun Anti-Aircraft Systems
The Polish-made Piorun man-portable air-defense systems (commonly referred to as “Polish Stingers”) have been identified by the Norwegian Armed Forces as a key component in countering threats from the Russian Federation. Following successful tests, Norway’s military confirmed that they conducted their first live-fire exercises using these systems in the northern Finnmark region, close to the Russian border.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish President Duda and PM Tusk Strike Deal Over European Commissioner Choice
Poland’s feuding president and prime minister have struck a deal on the appointment of the country’s European Commissioner.
Polish President Andrzej Duda has approved the choice of Piotr Serafin to be Poland’s candidate for the post of European Commissioner after Prime Minister Donald Tusk adhered to the law on the countersignature by the president for that appointment.
Duda’s decision on August 16 was taken after Tusk had presented Serafin as the government’s choice on August 13, following consultations with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK to Classify Online Misogyny as a National Security Threat
In the UK, in the digital era, it will no longer be enough to treat violence against women as “simply” a criminal offense — this is likely to be elevated to the level of terrorism, and a threat to national security.
The terms extreme misogyny and violence against women are used interchangeably in reports about the initiative brought forward by the Labor government’s Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.
Cooper has ordered the country’s counter-extremism strategy to be reviewed in a way that would include violence against women, or “extreme misogyny,” into a list now mentioning things like Islamist, far-right, Northern Ireland-related extremism, animal rights, and environment, writes the UK press.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ernestas Juska, of Dartford, Kent, is charged with the murder of Nina Denisova, 39, and also charged with committing a sexual offence against the deceased woman.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
UK: King Charles Visits Victims of Stabbing at Southport Taylor Swift-Themed Dance Class
London — King Charles III is visiting Southport in northern England to pay tribute to the victims and families of those who witnessed a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class last month.
Charles met some of the surviving children who were present when the class was attacked and their families on Tuesday. He met with and thanked representatives from local emergency services and community groups.
| — Hat tip: Dora | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Rocket Engine Explodes During Test at Shetland Spaceport
A rocket engine has exploded during a launch test at the UK’s new spaceport in Shetland.
The test was being carried out by German company Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) who hope to eventually launch the UK’s first vertical rocket into orbit.
The scheduled nine-engine test was part of a number of trials due to be carried out before progressing to launch.
RFA said no-one was injured in the explosion and the launch pad had been “saved and is secured”.
Large flames and plumes of smoke could initially be seen shooting horizontally from the bottom of the rocket.
The entire structure was then engulfed by fire.
It comes three months after the first rocket test at the site on the tiny island of Unst was carried out and declared a success.
On that occasion, RFA fired their engines for eight seconds before shutting down.
A statement from SaxaVord Spaceport said all safety protocols were fully observed and the site was evacuated prior to the test, leaving no staff at risk.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Thousands of Criminals Being Released From Prison — Many Will be Replaced by Rioters
Around 2,000 prisoners will be freed early on just one day next month. A further 1,700 will then be released in October.
This is after the new Labour government changed the law to allow prisoners to be released after serving just 40% rather than the current 50% of their sentences.
On paper, the move is designed to free up prison space after the Conservatives mismanaged the service so badly. However, senior figures in the government have also made it clear that too many people are going to prison in the first place.
Criminals convicted of violence—although not sexual offenders or terrorists—who have been jailed for less than four years will be among those released on September 10th.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: This Genteel Country is Now the Rape Capital of Europe
An explosion of violent crime in the United Kingdom has made England and Wales into what one economist calls “the rape capital of Europe by a sizeable margin.”
The figures are “pretty grim,” according to UK economist and podcast host Philip Pilkington. “Looks like Britain is becoming a pretty unsafe place.”
(The UK publishes separate crime statistics for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.)
The rate of increase is staggering, too. Reported rapes are up 63% in just five years.
In the city of Bournemouth, where anti-immigration protestors were rounded up by authorities two days ago, rapes increased from 98 in 2010 to 342 last year — three and a half times as many as before.
Meanwhile, His Majesty’s Labour government responded by preparing to empty the jails of 5,000 criminals, some of them violent, to make room for the people protesting against Britain’s immigration-fueled crime wave.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Who Are Sweden’s Child Soldiers?
We have reported before on how Denmark and Norway are tightening up borders to combat the influence—and influx—of gangs from Sweden. But criminal networks recruiting young ‘child soldiers’ obviously also poses a major challenge for Swedish authorities, challenging long-established thinking about children, crime, and punishment.
In a development new to Swedish police, children from well-functioning backgrounds, previously unknown to law enforcement, are being drawn into gang violence in increasing numbers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Has Hamas Really Rejected a Gaza Ceasefire Deal, and Has Israel Really Accepted it? Not Exactly
If you believe the United States, then Israel and Hamas are close to reaching a ceasefire deal to end the fighting in Gaza.
But that’s not what both parties are saying.
Hamas has said the most recent offer, a so-called “bridging proposal” that offers steps to end the war, is “essentially an Israeli proposal” that it can’t accept.
The details haven’t been released, but both Hamas and Israel have separately revealed elements of it.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Kyiv: Our Kursk Attack Shows Kremlin Red Lines Are Bluff
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday his country’s assault on Russia’s Kursk region showed that Kremlin threats of retaliation were a bluff, and he urged Kyiv’s allies to loosen curbs on using foreign-supplied weapons.
Zelensky said Ukrainian forces now controlled more than 1,250 square kilometres and 92 settlements in the Kursk region, while Russia said Ukraine had struck a third bridge in the region, complicating Russian efforts to repel the Ukrainian attack.
Ukraine launched its surprise strike on the Russian region on August 6, the biggest invasion of Russia since World War Two, in an operation that Kyiv says is aimed at carving out a buffer zone and wearing down Russia’s war machine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Summons US Envoy Over Presence of American Mercenaries, CNN Crew in Kursk Region
Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned a senior US Embassy official in Moscow in order to protest several issues related to US interference in the Kursk region, which has been scene of heavy fighting since Ukraine’s cross-border incursion kicked off on Aug.6.
Russia condemned “provocative actions” of both American journalists and US mercenaries spotted on Russian territory in the context of the Kursk invasion.
The foreign ministry in the meeting with US Embassy Chief of Mission Stephanie Holmes issued “strong protest” in “connection to the provocative actions of American reporters who illegally entered the Kursk region to produce propaganda for covering up the crimes of the Kyiv regime.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russian Forces Claim Another Town Captured in East Ukraine
Russia’s military says it has captured a small town in eastern Ukraine called Niu-York, as part of its push towards big population centres in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine’s military has not confirmed the loss of Niu-York, saying only that Russian forces are attacking close to the town and other areas. The army was giving the attacks “a worthy rebuff… and the fighting continues”, it said.
Although only a small settlement, controlling Niu-York would represent another step towards the two Donetsk hubs of Toretsk and Pokrovsk.
One of the aims of Ukraine’s seizure of territory in Russia’s Kursk region is thought to be to force Russia to move some of its forces away from the eastern campaign.
There is no indication so far of that happening, despite Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi now claiming control of 93 Russian villages and towns.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Takes ‘Strategically Important’ Town — as it Creeps Towards Major Population Centres
Russia claims to have taken control of the Donetsk town of Niu-York, calling it a strategically important logistics hub. It comes as civilians are fleeing the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk amid heightened attacks.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Requests Emergency Assistance Via NATO
Ukraine requested emergency assistance via NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre.
Ukraine requested the assistance Monday from NATO allies and partner countries to “cope with the impact of Russia’s war on the civilian population of Ukraine,” according to a NATO press release.
The request from the Ukrainian State Emergency Services seeks fire trucks, fire ladders, excavators, trucks with trailers, and armored vehicles for civilian evacuations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukrainian MPs Pave Way for Banning Largest Christian Church
by RT
The Ukrainian parliament has approved a law that would allow authorities to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which Kiev has repeatedly accused of having ties to Russia, according to an MP. The legislation also outright bans the Russian Orthodox Church and all affiliated religious institutions.
In a series of Telegram posts on Tuesday, lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said the parliament had passed a law banning certain religious organizations on the territory of Ukraine, particularly those linked to Russia.
“Among the people, it [is called] the law banning the Moscow Church,” he said. The law was approved by 265 deputies, with 29 voting against, and four abstaining.
The law, which will take effect in 30 days, bans the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and all affiliated religious organizations. However, it contains a caveat that gives the UOC nine months to sever all ties with the ROC.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Coles supermarket in Epping, Melbourne’s north, has been accused of a ‘dystopian’ act after eagle-eyed shoppers noticed a very disturbing detail at the check-out.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
VPNs Vanish From Brazil’s App Store as Internet Freedom Faces Unprecedented Clampdown
In Brazil, a significant upheaval in digital privacy and access to information is unfolding, as a notable number of reputable VPN services—including NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, and VyprVPN—have vanished from the local iOS App Store. This move is widely believed to comply with Brazilian authorities’ directives, reflecting a concerning trend towards online censorship.
This development is particularly alarming in light of the recent decision X made to shutdown its operations in the country. X terminated its operations after a protracted legal confrontation with Brazilian officials, who had accused the platform of insufficient efforts to combat disinformation, specifically its failure to block accounts spreading false information and hate speech. Despite the shutdown, X’s app is still accessible in Brazil.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Belarusian Leader Lukashenko Warns He Won’t Stop Migrants Reaching EU
Belarus has no plans to prevent migrants from crisis-hit regions from passing through the country en route to European Union countries, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview with Russian television on Monday.
“You place a noose around my neck in the form of sanctions and then demand that I protect the EU from the flow of these migrants? That won’t happen,” Lukashenko said.
EU authorities, and Poland in particular, have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lukashenko, his ally, of deliberately funnelling irregular migrants to the EU since 2021, providing them with visas and transport.
The main route runs via Belarus to the Polish border.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Chancellor Caught Lying About Cutting Illegal Migration
The numbers show that the ‘traffic light’ government has not reduced illegal migration to Germany, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz has claimed in public that “irregular migration [was] significantly reduced” on his watch.
In contrast to the true figures (see below), the German Chancellor declared:
In recent years we have already significantly reduced irregular migration—together with states and municipalities, by the way. That is a great success and shows that it is possible.
Unfortunately for Scholz, his coalition has not reduced illegal migration to Germany. Since he took office in December 2021, the totals of both asylum applications to and known (i.e. recorded) illegal entries into Germany have skyrocketed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany to Extend Border Controls to Combat Illegal Migration
External border controls will continue around Germany until the number of illegal migrants drops significantly, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated on Monday during a meeting with Federal Police Chief Dieter Romann in Rostock.
Although numbers have started to decline, they remain higher than in previous years.
“I am not willing to accept these figures,” Faeser emphasized. The German interior ministry is reportedly frustrated by the uneven distribution of refugees across Europe, according to Sueddeutsche Zeitung. Faeser pointed out that only a few countries are shouldering the bulk of the migration burden.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Greece: Illegal Migrants Detained on Island of Crete as Smugglers Seek New Routes
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Authorities on the southern Greek island of Crete detained 76 migrants early Tuesday after they arrived on three boats as smugglers seek new routes in the region to evade coast guard patrols.
The migrants, from Syria, Egypt, Sudan, and Bangladesh, included six children and arrived before dawn on the tiny island of Gavdos, near Crete’s southern coast, local officials said. Usually, they are detained for identification and processing, after which they can apply for asylum while waiting in refugee camps, with cases accessed on an individual basis.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Harris’ DNC Platform Calls for ‘Radical’ Mass Amnesty for Millions of Illegals
The official Democratic party platform calls for the passage of the US Citizenship Act — which the Trump campaign on Monday called ‘a radical amnesty bill that would give automatic citizenship and social security numbers to the millions of illegal aliens that invaded our country, including criminals, human traffickers, and gang members.’
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lost track of tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors after they were smuggled over the border by illegal aliens, a bombshell new report has revealed.
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) sent a report to Congress on Tuesday that outlines the findings.
The report from the DHS watchdog is titled: “Management Alert — ICE Cannot Monitor All Unaccompanied Migrant Children Released from DHS and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Custody.”
The interim report warns that over the past five years, more than 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children [UCs] are no longer accounted for by ICE.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Illegal Immigrant Charged With Rape of 10-Year-Old Boy in Mississippi: Sheriff’s Report
An illegal immigrant from Mexico has been charged with the rape of a 10-year-old boy in Mississippi, law enforcement revealed on Tuesday. The crime comes amid the ongoing border crisis under the Biden-Harris administration and soft-border security policies.
In a press release, the Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Department stated, “The Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Department, Mississippi reports Filiberto Gonzalez a 34-year-old Hispanic male, an illegal alien, from Mexico, was arrested on Monday afternoon August 12, 2024.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Massive Immigration in Europe is Dangerous, Says French Ex-Border Boss
Fernand Gontier, the former director of the French Border Police, has warned that mass migration into Europe is becoming “unmanageable” and “destabilising.”
Speaking to Le Figaro on August 18, Gontier warned that France’s Border Police were increasingly finding it difficult to manage the influx, especially since they are struggling to recruit new members.
“Illegal immigration, forced and massive, is becoming unmanageable, dangerous and destabilising for democracies and our ways of life,” he told the outlet.
“Borders thus make it possible to protect the general interest in the face of individual foreign interests.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Muslim Migrant With Journals Vowing ‘Jihad’ Admits to Stealing New Jersey School Bus
What can one do with a stolen school bus? The mind reels, but in one recent case in New Jersey, we’re lucky we never found out.
The Justice Department announced Thursday that a young man named Bader Alzahrani, who came all the way from Saudi Arabia to pursue the American Dream, has pled guilty to “one count of an indictment charging him with interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle.” It seems that back on Jan. 17, 2023, “the Livingston, New Jersey Board of Education reported that a school bus was stolen from a parking lot.” As it happened, the bus theft took place across the street from an unoccupied house that had been broken into two days earlier.
The crimes were connected: as it turned out, Alzahrani broke into the house and then stole the bus two days later. According to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, a backpack was found in the broken-into house, containing Alzahrani’s Saudi passport and a number of “other items that appeared to belong to Alzahrani.” Among these items were journals that contained entries in both English and Arabic.
The entries were nothing short of hair-raising.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Outrage as California Opens Up $300M Home Loan Scheme to Migrants
Californians are reacting angrily to revelations that migrants who entered the US illegally could soon benefit from a taxpayer-funded state scheme to help hard-up residents buy homes.
Democrats on the California Senate Appropriations Committee have approved a bill to move forward that would open up the California Dream For All Shared Appreciation Loan program to non-legal migrants.
The scheme was launched last year and has already provided thousands of first-time homebuyers with loans of up to 20 percent of a house’s purchase price for down payment or closing cost.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Border Soldiers May Now Repel a Migrant Attack With Firearms
Polish President Andrzej Duda has signed into law legislation ensuring that soldiers will no longer face criminal liability for using their firearms in cases of migrant aggression at the country’s borders.
Firearms may now be used in “repelling a direct and unlawful attack” that threatens the “life, health or freedom” of officers during an “attack on the inviolability of the state border,” or when “counteracting actions directly aimed” at such an attack, states the new law, brought in on August 15.
Using firearms is also permitted when a person refuses to obey calls to abandon weapons, or when they try to seize a weapon from an officer, and the “circumstances require immediate action.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden Achieves Lowest Number of Asylum Seekers Since 1997
For the first time in 50 years, Sweden has recorded net emigration as migration to the country has fallen.
According to the Swedish Migration Agency’s predictions, the Scandinavian nation is on track to have the lowest number of asylum seekers since 1997. More people are now leaving the country than entering.
“While the number of asylum seekers in the EU has stabilised at a high level, it continues to decline in Sweden,” Minister for Migration Maria Malmer Stenergard of the centre-right Moderate Party said in a press release.
According to government data, a total of 5,600 asylum applications have been registered between January 1 and July 28 2024, a decrease of 27 per cent compared to the same period last year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Swedish ‘Net Emigration’ Success? Not So Fast, Critics Say
Swedens ‘net emigration’ is the result of a lag in the tax authority’s de-registering of citizens leaving the country, and should not be taken to mean migrants are now leaving the country in higher numbers than they’re arriving, according to migration-critical media outlet Samnytt.
The numbers presented by the Moderate-led government that we reported last week come from Statistics Sweden, the national statistics agency. While those numbers show a net emigration for the first five months of the year, that does not mean more people emigrated than immigrated. Statistic Sweden’s press spokesman Johannes Cleris told Samnytt that the Swedish Tax Agency since last summer has been working on a cleanup of its population register to deregister individuals who are incorrectly registered in the country.
According to Statistic Sweden, 36,000 people emigrated from Sweden during the first five months of this year, leaving the country—on paper—with a net emigration of 5,672 people. But that’s not the whole story, Samnytt says.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biological women who say they are being forced to compete against transgender women in community AFL competitions fear their safety is being ignored in the name of inclusion.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Disney Cancels ‘Star Wars’ TV Series ‘The Acolyte’ After Showrunner Promised Woke Themes
Disney Plus has reportedly canceled season two of the “Star Wars” TV series “The Acolyte” after the show’s showrunner promised to fill it will woke themes and leftist propaganda.
The show, created by showrunner Leslye Headland, was canceled after just one season amid low ratings.
Sources told Deadline that Lucasfilm has opted out of a second season for the female-centric, Sith-focused series.
The eight-part series launched on June 4.
After scoring numerous glowing headlines from corporate media outlets, the show’s first two episodes enjoyed a strong opening with 4.8 million views on its first day on the streamer
However, it struggled with lukewarm reviews and poor ratings when audiences actually watched the show.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nurse Vanessa Sivadge, who in June revealed the alleged Medicaid fraud at Texas Children’s Hospital that is currently being investigated by Attorney General Ken Paxton, has been fired from her job.
In a message to Christopher Rufo of the City Journal, Sivadge said that she had submitted a religious accommodation on May 31 to be transferred out of the endocrinology clinic and into the cardiac clinic. She said the request came as she had “regretted my indirect participation in the care of children on cross sex hormones in the past, and reaffirmed my religious beliefs upholding men and women as image bearers of God with intrinsic, biological differences that cannot be erased or reassigned medically.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pro-life advocates are counterprogramming the mobile truck offering free abortions and vasectomies outside the DNC by providing mothers with free diapers.
Planned Parenthood had the mobile truck planted Monday and Tuesday near the convention site in Chicago and was providing free vasectomies and medicated abortions for about 35 patients, The Post previously reported.
On Tuesday, EveryLife, a pro-life diaper company, announced it would be providing free diapers instead to those attending the DNC who want another option other than an abortion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
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James Delingpole and Michael Yeadon
20/8 2024 – by snaphanen.dk
(from Danish by LN)
video
https://rumble.com/v5bcrng-mike-yeadon-james-dellingpole.html
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💉 Michael Yeadon, Former CEO at Pfizer, Talks About His Experience With Pharma and the COVID Kill-Shots.
In London, you can fill a large church like St. George’s in Tuffnell Park with people for a conversation between “conspiracy theorists.”
Mike Yeadon doesn’t much believe in such things as viruses, he doesn’t believe in any vaccinations either, and a few weeks ago he came up with this: “Ivermectin Is One Of The Most Violent Fertility Toxins I’ve Ever Come Across.”
When it’s Yeadon, you listen.
Bret Weinstein: Why Humanity Will Be Extinquished
I am an admirer of Weinstein’s analysis – unfortunately.
This one too, because when you look at how the West/NATO has let us dance on the edge of nuclear war over Ukraine, and how warmongering our elites and media are again, it is evident that the world is in great danger for that reason alone.
In the pitiful Parliament, no one dares to talk about peace, to such an extent we have become an American sound state.
The lying propaganda media hides the danger so that carefree humanity lives on as if they will live forever, but Weinstein lists more dangers.
This conversation is long and painful, but it is necessary:
* * *
00:00 Intro
02:27 Why Humanity Will Be Extinguished
04:39 Bret’s Top Existential Concern for Our Planet
08:04 Solar Flares and Their Potential Impact
11:36 Understanding EMP Effects & The Catastrophic Effects
13:48 The Earth’s Magnetic Poles Are Switching!
17:01 The Inversion of Earth’s Poles: Is Humanity Prepared?
18:57 What Does Anthropogenic Mean?
21:16 The Two Major Disaster Scenarios
28:11 How to Prepare for Global Catastrophes
35:57 Should You Become a ‘Prepper’?
42:31 Is Society on the Brink of Collapse?
51:33 Are Institutions Woke or Not?
52:36 The Evergreen College Incident: What Really Happened
01:04:47 The Decline of Mainstream Media
01:12:46 We SHOULD Be Worried About AI
01:16:50 Are Governments Ignoring AI’s True Impact on the Planet?
01:20:31 The Critical Role of Language in Human Survival and Evolution
01:28:22 How AI Will Transform Human Communication Forever
01:30:19 Why Regulating AI Might Be the Worst Idea Ever
01:32:14 Brain Chips: Are We Turning Into Cyborgs?
01:36:23 AI Is Coming for Your Job: What You Need to Know
01:39:11 The Safest Careers in an AI-Dominated Future
01:45:02 Universal Basic Income: Hidden Consequences You Should Know
01:52:48 The Failures of COVID-19
01:56:50 What Is Gain-of-Function Research
01:58:59 What Really Happened in Wuhan: The Untold Story
02:00:54 Anthony Fauci’s Involvement in COVID Origins
02:05:58 How We Should Have Handled COVID-19 Differently
02:12:53 Why Lockdowns Might Not Work in the Next Pandemic
02:16:23 Life-Changing Advice for a Happier, Healthier You
02:23:35 The Hidden Dangers of Pornography
02:32:38 What Parents Are Getting Wrong
02:38:52 The Guest’s Final Question
“UK: Dartford Man, 20”
I met a guy like that in Jail. Cut his girlfriend’s throat than had his way with her corpse. I gave him a wide berth because I didn’t want to be associated.
I hear when he went to the pen he had all his fingers and toes broken. I’m not being lascivious. My violent tendencies put me in contact with a lot of scumbags.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/19/europe/chechnya-kadyrov-musk-tesla-cybertruck-intl/index.html
…and that’s when it hit me: For all those who are wondering if Elon Musk is the face of the deep state technology research – here is the answer: Yes 🙂
People comment on the design of the Cybertruck – how it’s “crazy”, and “unconventional” – when in fact – they don’t understand the secret behind the Cybertruck design: It is a War Machine!
That’s why from the very beginning – Cybertruck is made bulletproof. That’s why from the very start the driver is behind a sloped armor bulletproof glass… That’s why there is a nice room behind the driver’s seat to house a machine gun, artillery piece, or rocketlauncher. That’s why it goes 0-60 in 2.6 seconds, can pull more load than a tractor (though for a considerably shorter distance – just – let’s say – from the hiding place to the frontline and back.
Long story short: The Cybertruck is a Weapons Platform designed for very fast attack role, based off of the Toyota Anti Aircraft Gun pickup trucks in Middle East and elsewhere.
Here is your “Deep State” answer to the Tototas: The CyberTruck.
Kadyrov says he got it straight from Musk.
Musk – as far as I can say at this moment (and I might be totally wrong on this one) – Musk did not deny Kadyrov’s claims. He just said “I am not crazy”.
So – this is the deal.
Drone Wars require Cyber Solutions. Very fast moving armored weapon’s platforms are the name of the game!
Wow, what a sad little rant, Chicken Little all over again. It’s an electric vehicle, dopey, it’s in danger of easily just self- igniting for one thing and for another, it will have to queue up with the other “weapons of war” in order to charge its battery. How long for? Maybe 4 or 5 hours. Apart from the fact it’s a danger to its personnel – its great! 😆😂
( I refer you to Mguy YouTube channel for the full ..er…breakdown…)
I don’t think you understand how war machines work.
T34 tank also wasn’t the pinnacle of quality, but it worked very well.
What matters in a battle is speed and agility and strength – and that’s what the Cybertruck delivers.
+ suspicious “stealth” shape – like F-117
+ easily upgraded armored plates (the latest tank fashion)
etc…
so – that’s what I am saying. The whole cybertruck concept is a war machine concept. It is not primarily a personal vehicle.
The T-34 was based on the prewar theories of an American tank designer (which were ignored by the Americans and British; the communists were stealing Western ideas even then): low profile; curved/sloped surfaces so shells would glance off; wide tracks to avoid getting bogged down; big gun (so longer range) so one could hit enemy armour while still out of range of their guns.
The Germans tried to copy it with the Panther, but like much of their stuff, it was over-engineered, so prone to breakdown if mishandled, or given a replacement part that wasn’t made to the exact tolerances, or given the wrong grade of fuel, and not ideal for mass production; German tanks were excellent in some respects, but they never had enough. An excellent model for making cars postwar (often by the same companies which made the tanks!), but not what you need in wartime.
Yes, it was an interesting experiment – the most advanced German engineering against Russian quantity which had a quality of its own.
In a way, the Mustang against Me-262 was the same story. Mustangs would fly over the enemy airports for hours – what good is the best – close to invincible fighter if it can fight for only an hour and then has to land…?
Saying that – I think that the Cybertruck really could be a game changer – given its superior speeds and acceleration and overall handling of the vehicle + also it is a drone – made for “drone wars” of today.
But if the CyberTruck fails in this, could be anything from hacking to microwaves that can ignite lithium batteries – who knows what the future holds? Anyhow – if it is going to be working as advertised, it could be a game changer – or at least the setter of the next industry standard – for armored, fast moving vehicles.
As I started to think about it this way just recently – I actually kind of like the Cybertruck, and I would like to have a go in it. I only have a sword and a bow, but – the future may very well be here now – until it gets blown to pieces.
How is the thing going to speed anywhere when the battery weighs as much as the chassis etc?
have you not noticed the accelleration times for Teslas? They are in supersport motorcycle territory.
Yes they are heavy – but then again – thanks to the miracles of modern electricity, they can easily blow a lot of power at once on unbelievable accelleration.
Thats the most interresting thing about the Teslas, how fast they are
…and – it is also a “drone” – with the most advenced self driving ability there is, in the world, today 😉
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Former Member of the Swedish Parliament Hanif Bali (M) raises the IQ issue
Published August 20, 2024 in FriaTider
Hanif Bali (M) states in an editorial in Expressen that it is high time to stop pretending that innate differences in intelligence do not exist.
Modern research shows that we are largely controlled by our genes and that upbringing and environment play a very limited role.
However, the new scientific understanding of how people are limited by their innate intelligence and other genetically determined characteristics is not reflected in politics. Instead, the dominant ideology throughout the Western world is that everyone is born as “blank slate” and that it must therefore be due to “discrimination” or “socio-economic factors” or the like when things go badly for certain individuals and groups.
The former Member of Parliament and M-politician Hanif Bali now addresses the issue in an editorial in Expressen with the headline “Sweden must break the last big taboo”.
“The Swedish school is based on a myth. Not all children can become academics. Some simply have too low an IQ,” reads the preamble.
He states that the old idea that talented people are held back by the structures of society is no longer true.
“Children with strong cognitive abilities are nowadays overrepresented in groups with stronger socioeconomics. The simple explanation is probably that the working class got their revenge. The gifted got an equal chance.
They rose from poverty to the prosperity of the bourgeoisie, they married each other and their children today perform well in school.”
Discussing intelligence in particular when it comes to, for example, how school policy should be conducted is, however, taboo, notes Hanif Bali. This despite the fact that it is a “central explanation for today’s unequal school results”.
This affects not least students who would have been significantly more helped by a practical education, according to Bali.
“Today’s school fails the children who were not born with good analytical skills. And that completely unnecessarily. One can ask why there are such high theoretical requirements to get a pass in Swedish and thus be able to train as a carpenter, when almost every carpenter in the country only speaks Lithuanian”, he writes and continues:
“We have accepted a disgusting idea that everyone must have the same ability to be treated with the same dignity. Simply because the ruling class set the standard that those without a college qualification are a little less worthy.”
Border fence at DNC convention: “Absolute necessity and must be fortified.”
Border fence at actual border: “This is not our democracy.”
“To understand a puzzle is to solve it.” —Mao
“For years, John Lennon’s Patek Philippe 2499 has been the El Dorado of lost watches. Lennon was known for collecting expensive things: apartments in the Dakota (five); guitars (one apartment was mainly for musical equipment); country estates; jukeboxes (three); and Egyptian artifacts, including a gold-leafed sarcophagus containing a mummified princess, who Yoko Ono believed was a former self. But THE PATEK APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN HIS ONE AND ONLY WRISTWATCH [emphasis mine].”
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/06/24/the-strange-journey-of-john-lennons-stolen-patek-phillippe-watch
“Imagine there’s no countries.
It isn’t hard to do.
Nothing to kill or die for.
And no religion, too.
Imagine no possessions.
I wonder if you can.
No need for greed or hunger.
A brotherhood of man.
Imagine all the people.
Sharing all the world.” —John Lennon, “Imagine” (1971)
Today’s Rhetorical Question: Are commie-toddlers dim-witted enough to: 1) think Lennon’s tongue-in-cheek, fantasy lyric was serious; and 2) base a new political system on such an infantile world view? (hint: yes—they’re ‘TODDLERS!)
Lennon and his Patek Philippe Ref.2499, one of many uber-expensive possessions, which I doubt he was willing to share with “all the world”. Lennon WAS a dreamer, but he dreamed of CAPITALISM and was certainly NO FOOL.. Goo-goo-ga-joob, comrades.” —posted to fb (w/photo of Lennon wearing HIS Patek) (Sept 2021)
John Lennon was an evil godless man.
He mistreated his first son, Julian, and left him out of his will. He claimed that Julian was just the product of a back seat sexual encounter.
Julian, sued Yoko and Sean for his share of of the will and was given millions for his inheritance.
Julian is the only good guy in that family.
“John Lennon was an evil godless man.
He mistreated his first son, Julian, and left him out of his will. He claimed that Julian was just the product of a back seat sexual encounter.
Julian, sued Yoko and Sean for his share of of the will and was given millions for his inheritance.
Julian is the only good guy in that family.”
I’d hesitate to concur with your “evil godless” description, but, otherwise, sounds about right.
I’ve known a number of Beatle people for many years and my view is that Lennon was an incandescently brilliant guy whose sudden celebrity forced him into a very complicated world that, sadly, was cut short before he had the chance to gain the wisdom of age. Had he lived, I reckon his politics would’ve matured along with the years.
You might find this short interview clip (done by a friend of mine) with Lennon’s personal assistant insightful (~1.5 mins)..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QeP1OIjUe8
“We’ve created close to 800,000 manufacturing jobs since I’ve taken office.” —Prince Aricept
“The Bureau of Labor Statistics’…employment data suggests that there were 818,000 FEWER jobs…than were initially reported.” —CNN (21 Aug 2024)
https://www.cnn.com/…/eco…/bls-jobs-revisions/index.html
“As’s been said, ‘toddlers LIE and LIE and LIE and, then, they point their collectivist fingers at their opponents and call them liars, which is a[nother] LIE.
Remember: there’s no law that can’t be broken, no lie that can’t be told by anti-American, Muslim-leaning Bolshevik two year-old commie-toddlers in their blind pursuit of “social justice” (for personal gain).” —posted to fb (repeatedly, since ’07)
PS: Trump campaign trolling Harris camp with policy website – comedic gold https://www.kamala2024policies.com/
More comedic gold from a Kamala spoof:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZcIoq0qTWSg&si=FkfeKHDMnJIHlA1X
I think he’s better than Estee…
He sounds like Estee Palti. His voice sounds like her voice.
I love her. She is great at emulating Harris.
You should see her Jim Carrey short. It is hilarious.