More than four million customers were left without power as after Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida. At least 42 people were reported killed as a result of the storm. Helene was downgraded to a tropical storm, and then a tropical depression, after it stalled over Kentucky.
In other news, the interior minister of the German state of Thuringia has called for banning the AfD (Alternative für Deutschland, Alternative for Germany), after a tumultuous opening session of the state parliament.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, JW, LP, McN, Reader from Chicago, Roger, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
“This Was a Mistake”: Wisconsin City Clerk Office Confirms it Sent Out 2,200 Duplicate Ballots
Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
The City of Madison has confirmed that more than 2,000 voters in Wisconsin’s capital city were sent duplicate absentee ballots, weeks before the November election.
“This was a mistake,” Madison city spokesperson Dylan Brogan said. “The clerk’s office moved to rectify it as quickly as possible.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Pakistani Government Official Was One of Biden’s Largest Donors
Right before Election Day, Biden finally released the names of his ‘bundlers’: the big money fundraisers who backed his 2020 campaign. One of them was ‘Muhammad’ Tahir Javed: a Biden surrogate, Democratic National Committee deputy finance chair, and future Pakistani cabinet member.
Javed bragged that he had “raised over $2M for the Biden Harris transition team” and “recruited 30+ donors to the transition team and general campaign, four of whom were recognized along with myself… to have raised over $100,000 personally.” These donors would have likely come through Javed’s roles in various Islamic and Pakistani groups operating inside America.
The Congressional Pakistan Caucus Foundation, founded by Javed, was announced at an event with Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Rep. Eric Swalwell (who was later caught having relations with a Chinese Communist spy) and Rep. Henry Cuellar (currently indicted for bribery) with the expectation that another 37 members of Congress would also join.a Pakistani ‘caucus’. Javed had donated around $15,000 to Rep. Jackson Lee, and around $9,000 to Swalwell and Cuellar.
“Overseas Pakistanis are more loyal to their homeland,” Javed had stated as a caucus official.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who called Osama bin Laden a “martyr”, declared, “Tahir Javed has been instrumental in setting up a Pakistan Congress Foundation that has played a key role in revival and activation of Congressional Pakistan Caucus at the 116th Congress”.
When Tahir Javed unsuccessfully ran for Congress, he was endorsed by APPAC, the American-Pakistani Political Action Committee, whose leader, Ijaz Ahmad, was another Biden bundler, and which claimed to have raised a third of a million dollars for Biden.
Javed also boasted of having founded ‘Muslims for Biden’ which “organized volunteers to make 15,000 calls to voters in three key Florida counties with high Muslim populations” and “sermons in mosques across the country”.
A former Hillary Clinton bundler, he’s listed as having made nearly a quarter of a million in personal contributions. That may explain why congressional Democrats were willing to show up to his events or even travel with him to enemy territory in Pakistan.
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
Apple Bans Trump-Themed Game, Blocks Release
Apple has refused to list a Trump-themed satirical video game on its App Store, banning it from going live. The decision has ignited criticism from its publisher John Matze, a notable social media executive and entrepreneur who accuses the tech giant of interfering in the electoral process.
The game, titled “Grand Theft Trump” (GTT), allows players to navigate a cartoon version of President Donald Trump in a quest to collect money and votes, using his well-known quotes and tweets to combat adversaries like the news media and political figures such as Kamala Harris and the FBI. Despite its playful and retro 8-bit design, Apple has labeled the game “defamatory” and likely to “harm a targeted individual or group.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Aurora, Colorado Seeks $10 Million in New Police Funding Amid Tren De Aragua Activity
The City of Aurora’s proposed budget for 2025 includes roughly $10 million in increases for the police budget, coming after the Venezuelan gang Tren de Araguatook over an apartment complex in the city.
The proposed 2025 budget includes $125 million in funding increases overall. The police budget, if approved, would increase from its current $155.7 million budget to $164.9 million in 2025. The plan also adds new positions within the department, CBS News reported.
Aurora Police Department Chief Todd Chamberlin told the outlet, “Right now, we are not at our full complement of officers. Our patrol is impacted by understaffing issues, and so that’s what I’m looking at right now.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Big Lots Shutters More Than 350 Stores After Filing for Bankruptcy, Plans to Close Hundreds More
Big Lots, the discount retail giant, has shuttered hundreds of locations since filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this month. The company intends to close a third of its 1,392 stores around the country, 392 of which have already been permanently closed. The store closures are part of a larger trend of prominent American businesses permanently closing their doors due to financial hardships.
Big Lots had already indicated that 344 stores were set to close but announced the closures of 48 more in its latest filing on Sept. 20. This includes 11 stores in Texas, six in California, four in Pennsylvania, and three in Florida. Other locations are closing in Washington state, New York, and Indiana. The goal is to shut down 550 locations in order to demonstrate financial viability to secure funding, as reported by the Daily Mail. The mass store closures would eliminate debt, which would entice potential financial investors.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Conspiracy’ Confirmed? Fluoride in Drinking Water May Lower Kids’ IQs, Judge Rules
Authored by Ben Sellers via Headline USA
A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water because high levels could pose a risk to the intellectual development of children.
The ruling, which came with little fanfare, appeared to validate one of the longest-running so-called conspiracy theories in America’s alt-right subculture—that the government’s use of fluoridation, especially in specific communities, might be part of a deliberate attempt to lower intelligence in order to create a more compliant and subservient population for the New World Order.
It follows a series of recent vindications for skeptics after propagandist media have been proven wrong in falsely declaring things like COVID vaccine hesitancy, the Russia-collusion hoax, the Hunter Biden laptop coverup and the Joe Biden mental acuity coverup/coup to be baseless “conspiracy theories” right up until the point that they were proven true.
If former President Donald Trump were to be reelected and allow Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to declassify files related to his family, several other such theories surrounding significant 20th-century milestones might also be exposed, including the decision to force out then-President Richard Nixon for threatening to reveal who killed his one-time campaign rival, former President John F. Kennedy.
U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be.He ordered the EPA to take steps to lower that risk, but didn’t say what those measures should be.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dozens Arrested, More NYC Protests Expected Amid Netanyahu UN Address Drama
More than 50 people were taken into custody at a pro-Palestinian protest in midtown Manhattan Thursday, and authorities are bracing for more potential uproar following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the United Nations General Assembly the following day.
A breakdown of Thursday’s arrests wasn’t immediately available. Netanyahu arrived in New York City earlier in the day. Nearly three dozen people were arrested at a related protest earlier in the week. Check the latest gridlock alert news.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Four Million Without Power, Thousands of Flights Disrupted as Helene Terrorizes US East Coast
Update (1025ET):
According to Poweroutage.us, over four million customers were without power as of 1000 ET due to Tropical Storm Helene. Most outages are in South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.
As for travel this morning, the flight tracking website FlightAware shows 1,625 delayed flights and 1,137 canceled flights, primarily at airports across the southeast part of the US.
Weather models forecast that Helene will reverse direction over Kentucky and then traverse across the Appalachia region to the Mid-Atlantic area.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Free Speech Absolutist’ X Suspended Over 5 Million Accounts in First Half of 2024
The first transparency report X published since its takeover by Elon Musk shows the platform still moderates its users heavily.
The company suspended five million users, removed or labelled ten million posts, and banned 2,361 profiles, in the first six months of 2024 alone.
Yet only 0.0123 per cent of posts violated one of the platforms rules, it said.
X said it currently used “a combination of machine learning and human review” to enforce these rules.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gavin Newsom Signs Bills to Apologize for California’s ‘Role in the Perpetuation of Slavery’
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed several bills on Thursday intended to address the state’s history of racial discrimination. He also issued a formal apology for the state’s “role in the perpetuation of slavery.”
“The State of California accepts responsibility for the role we played in promoting, facilitating, and permitting the institution of slavery, as well as its enduring legacy of persistent racial disparities. Building on decades of work, California is now taking another important step forward in recognizing the grave injustices of the past — and making amends for the harms caused,” Newsom said in a statement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A newlywed gay couple claimed they were bounced from a gay bar in Seattlebecause they are Israeli.
On Saturday night at approximately 9:45 pm, the couple, spending their honeymoon in the US, went to Diesel, a bar on 14th Ave in Seattle, and approached the bouncer to present their IDs to gain entry. According to the couple, who wished to remain anonymous, “Our IDs are Israeli passports. Upon seeing that our identification was from Israel and accordingly that we were Israeli, the employee’s demeanor immediately changed and he appeared to have a look of disgust on his face.”
The couple continued, “He let us into the establishment initially, but then, only several moments later, approached us within the establishment and told us that we needed to leave. His exact words were “This is going to be a no, and you must leave right now.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Grandview Man Allegedly Kills Family Dog on Hot Grill in Response to Restraining Order
A Grandview man has been charged with felony animal abuse by torture or mutilation after allegedly using a hot grill to kill a dog belonging to someone who had previously filed a restraining order against him.
Cleven R. Nevels, 52, was also charged Friday with first-degree harassment and violating the order of protection against him. Nevels was served with the restraining order while at his ex-partner’s home on Sept. 20, the day before the incident, according to court documents.
Grandview police detectives reported that Nevels appeared to be under the influence of narcotics when he burned the dog, a dachshund mix named Dude, alive on his ex-partner’s backyard grill. Police responded to the ex-partner’s home on Sept. 21, according to court documents, where they found Nevels naked inside the residence and a trail of blood leading from the house and to the grill on the back deck.
Officers led Nevels over to the grill, according to court documents. There, they found the remains of the dog. A necropsy showed that the dog had been stabbed before dying of smoke inhalation.
When asked why he had killed the pet, Nevels said he was “trying to prove a point,” according to court records. Nevels also told officers that he had “blacked out” during the incident, according to court documents, and claimed several times that he had not meant to hurt the dog.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
‘Hundreds’ of Fugitives Arrested in Phoenix Area During Nationwide Sting
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Officials say a nationwide crime sting, dubbed “Operation North Star,” ended with the arrest of thousands of fugitives, including hundreds in Arizona alone.
On Friday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis announced that between May 10 to September 13, deputy U.S. marshals and local law enforcement arrested 3,421 fugitives across the nation.
The suspects were arrested on charges including homicide, sexual offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, and firearms crimes. U.S. Marshals officials say of those arrests, 216 were homicide suspects, 803 for assault, and 482 for weapons offenses.
During the operation, authorities also seized 534 firearms, over $508,000 and 1,005 pounds in illegal drugs. Authorities say the drugs included 138 pounds and over 550,000 pills of deadly fentanyl.
Phoenix was among 10 cities selected for the operation. Investigators focused on targeting violent fugitives wanted for high-level felony crimes in Phoenix and throughout the Valley.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Investigation Leads to Almost 200 Arrests in Baton Rouge Area by US Marshals, Sheriff Offices
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The U.S. Marshals Service said they have arrested almost 200 violent fugitives in Baton Rouge who are accused of using firearms for crimes or violence.
According to a news release, suspects were arrested during a high-impact fugitive apprehension initiative called Operation North Star FY 2024, which began in May and ended in September. It targeted violent offenders and fugitives in 10 cities.
“In the Baton Rouge area, ONS FY24 investigators arrested 197 fugitives, including 34 for homicide, 25 for forcible sexual assault, 9 for robbery, 58 for aggravated assault and 14 for firearms violations,” a news release said. “Local investigators seized 30 firearms and more than 5.99 kilograms of illegal narcotics.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kamala Campaign Targets Dearborn, Michigan With Pro-Gaza Facebook Ads
The Harris campaign has made a play for the Arab-American community in Dearborn, Michigan, by airing pro-Gaza advertisements in an attempt to attract support from a demographic who has been critical of the vice president over the United States’ support for Israel in its war against Hamas. The ads released exclusively to Dearborn voters on several social media platforms broadcast a message that Harris is sympathetic to the Palestinian people.
Dearborn, a city in the key battleground state of Michigan, has become recognized as the Arab capital of North America and in 2023 became the first Arab-majority city in the country. The pro-Gaza advertisements are being released in zip codes for Dearborn on Facebook.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Arrested in Santa Maria Courthouse Explosion Planned to Kill Deputies and Judge, Officials Say
A man who officials say threw a bag into the Santa Maria Courthouse lobby that exploded, injuring five people this week, told law enforcement he had planned to kill deputies working security at the building and also a judge, according to court documents.
Nathaniel McGuire, 20, has been charged with maliciously damaging a building with an explosive, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles said in a statement. He is expected to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Friday.
McGuire was arrested Wednesday outside the courthouse in the city of Santa Maria after throwing the bag as he yelled “Liberty or Death,” according to court documents. McGuire had been arrested last July on suspicion of illegal gun possession and was to be arraigned at the courthouse.
The explosion injured five people, including three who suffered burns. All were treated and released.
Santa Barbara County authorities evacuated a five-block radius of businesses, homes and a school after the explosion in Santa Maria, which is home to about 110,000 people in the central coast region.
It was not immediately known whether McGuire had an attorney, and his family could not be reached for comment.
McGuire told law enforcement after his arrest that he had gone to the courthouse planning to kill deputies working at the security desk and then go back to his car to get weapons and reenter the courthouse to kill a judge, federal officials said.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
More Than 600 Violent Fugitives Arrested in East St. Louis During U.S. Marshals Sweep
Over a 74 day period, the United States Marshal Service arrested more than 3,400 violent fugitives nationwide through a special operation.
In the East St. Louis area alone, Operation North Star led to the capture of 602 fugitives, including 34 for homicide, 34 for forcible sexual assault, 29 for robbery, 119 for aggravated assault and 177 for firearm violations, according to Jeremy Wyatt, chief deputy U. S. Marshal.
In addition, local investigators seized 172 firearms, more than $258,000 in U.S. currency, seven vehicles and 53 kilograms of illegal narcotics, he said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Jersey’s “Misinformation” Crackdown Targets Doctors Who Don’t Toe the Line
The US state of New Jersey has moved ahead with plans to crack down on what its legislature wants to brand as “misinformation” spread by healthcare professionals.
Early this week, the New Jersey Assembly’s Health Committee approved a bill (sponsored by three Democrats) that provides for penalizing doctors and other sector workers who are deemed to be promoting false health-related claims to patients.
If it becomes law, New Jersey Bill A1884 will provide a legal basis for filing professional misconduct allegations against doctors. The whole legislative effort is framed as yet another battle in the “war on disinformation.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Newsmax Settles SmartMatic Defamation Case Over 2020 Election
Smartmatic reached a settlement in its defamation lawsuit against Newsmax on Thursday, which had been filed over comments made by the right-leaning broadcast company pertaining to the 2020 US Presidential election. Details of the settlement have not yet been disclosed, the New York Times reported.
Newsmax had been accused by Smartmatic, a controversial voting technology company, of broadcasting claims that Smartmatic helped rig the results of the 2020 presidential election in favor of President Joe Biden. Smartmatic claimed the alleged false accusations made by Newsmax damaged their reputation, costing them billions of dollars in revenue, as per the complaint. The lawsuit was filed in Delaware Superior Court in November 2021.
The agreement was reached just hours after jury selection commenced in a Wilmington, Delaware, courtroom, prior to the opening statements that had been scheduled for Monday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NYC’s Democrat Mayor Eric Adams Surrenders to Authorities to Face Federal Corruption Charges
New York City’s Democrat Mayor Eric Adams surrendered himself to authorities at federal court in Manhattan on Friday.
Adams was forced to surrender after federal prosecutors announced a five-count indictment against the mayor on fraud, bribery, and corruption charges.
Shortly after 12 pm, Adams appeared before the judge and pleaded not guilty.
On Thursday, the FBI seized Adams’ phone before the charges were made public, according to his attorney.
However, he was not immediately taken into custody at that time.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Radical Climate Group Endorses Kamala Harris, Says She’s a Leader They ‘Can Pressure and Move’
Radical climate action group Climate Defiance has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States. They didn’t endorse her based on her record, or because she aligns with their goals, but because they believe she is someone they can control. “Harris is not the visionary we need,” they said on X, “but she is the leader we can pressure and move.”
Harris, who spends plenty on private jets, has been a proponent of supporting action to fight climate change. During the 2020 presidential campaign, she spoke at length about how climate change, along with racism, the economy, and the Covid pandemic at the time, were the greatest existential crises facing the United States. As VP under Joe Biden, she cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which was actually a sweeping climate bill. Inside Climate News has said that since she hopped to the top of the presidential ticket in 2024, she “has invigorated the climate movement—with some groups that have never before endorsed presidential candidates declaring support for Harris soon after Biden passed her the torch.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Secret Service Scrambled to Troubleshoot Drone Amid Assassination Attempt on Trump
A Secret Service agent called a toll-free number to get technical support with a drone system in the minutes leading up to the first assassination attempt against President Donald Trump.
Agents were scrambling to troubleshoot the device prior to the July 13 attempt on Trump’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania, according to a damning Senate report.
There were numerous opportunities to stop shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks before he opened fire on Trump and the rally crowd.
However, the Secret Service somehow fumbled every opportunity, according to an interim report from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
The Secret Service agent in charge of operating the Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) had little experience with the drone.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Those Published “17,000 Hydroxychloroquine Deaths” Never Happened
Authored by David Gortler, Pharm.D via the Brownstone Institute
Early January of 2024, Americans learned about the publication of an article from Elsevier’s Journal of Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy overseen by Dr. Danyelle Townsend, a professor at the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy’s Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences.
As Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Townsend reviewed, approved, and published the article titled: “Deaths induced by compassionate use of hydroxychloroquine during the first COVID-19 wave: An estimate.”
The article was always a hypothesized estimate of people that might have died, but now even that estimate has been retracted. The reason for the retraction was that the Belgian dataset that was one of the bases for the piece was found to be “unreliable” (but in reality was fraudulent). The article also repeatedly referenced the New England Journal of Medicine’s 2020 RECOVERY trial. The RECOVERY trial is well known to be a deeply flawed study which, in addition to implementing late treatment in severely ill Covid patients, used extremely high doses of HCQ.
The now retracted publication authors were all French or Canadian, with the primary author a pharmacist by the name of Alexiane Pradelle. According to a rudimentary internet search, Dr. Pradelle had never published before. Subsequently, listed authors were degreed as physicians, pharmacists, and/or professors of their respective disciplines. The main, corresponding author, Jean-Christophe Lega, runs the Evaluation and Modeling of Therapeutic Effects team at the University of Lyon.
In addition to being a hypothesized estimate, the article also attacked the legendary safety of HCQ, contradicting centuries of the safety of quinolines as a class.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Vows to End Ukraine War as He Meets With Zelenskiy
NEW YORK (Reuters) — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Friday he would work with both Ukraine and Russia to end their war, as he stood next to Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy before their meeting in New York.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Urges US to Blow Iran to ‘Smithereens’ if They Try to Assassinate Him
Donald Trump has threatened to blow Iran’s major cities “to smithereens” if any harm comes to a presidential candidate in the wake of his second thwarted assassination attempt.
The 45th President made the remarks during a campaign speech in North Carolina, responding to reports of a “real and specific” threat to his life from the Islamic Republic.
Trump stated: “If I were the President, I would inform the threatening country — in this case Iran — that if you do anything to harm this person, we’re going to blow your largest cities and the country itself to smithereens.”
Donald Trump has threatened to blow Iran’s major cities “to smithereens” if any harm comes to a presidential candidate in the wake of his second thwarted assassination attempt.
The 45th President made the remarks during a campaign speech in North Carolina, responding to reports of a “real and specific” threat to his life from the Islamic Republic.
In a rare bipartisan rallying cry, the Republican hopeful emphasised that such a retaliation would occur regardless of the targeted candidate’s political affiliation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday morning in New York to discuss steps in the Ukraine-Russia war. Zelensky said that he wanted to meet with “both candidates” after he met with Kamala Harris earlier this week. The GOP nominee told reporters that the meeting would be productive and that if he wins in November, the war will be over quickly.
Reporters asked both Trump and Zelensky about the meeting and Trump said that if he wins the presidency the war will be over “very quickly.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US Marshals Service National Operation Includes 163 Arkansas Arrests, Devalls Bluff Shootout
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A national operation by the U.S. Marshalls Service targeting violent crime included Little Rock as one of its 10 metropolitan areas where arrests occurred.
Officials said at a Friday news conference the multi-state Operation North Star FY 2024 resulted in 163 fugitive arrests in the Little Rock area. Of that group, 17 are facing homicide charges, 16 for forcible sexual assault, 19 for robbery, 35 for aggravated assault and 50 for firearms violations. The nationwide operation took place between May 10 and Sept. 13.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Zelensky Visibly Agitated as Trump Dominates Meeting, Citing ‘Very Good Relationship’ With Putin
Update(1145ET): Tensions were certainly on display before and during the Trump-Zelensky meeting at Trump Tower in New York. Going into the meeting, both men looked stern-faced, with Trump making a series of casual remarks which appeared aimed at gently belittling the Ukrainian leader and putting him in his place. This comes days after Zelensky went after J.D. Vance, and came close to directly criticizing Trump himself for calling for ceasefire and talks with Moscow.
“We have a very good relationship, and I also have a very good relationship, as you know, with President Putin. And I think if we win I think we’re going to get it resolved very quickly,” Trump said in comments made before the press going into the meeting. But that caused an agitated Zelensky to poke back:
“I hope we have more good relations,” Zelensky cut in.
“Oh, I see,” Trump responded. “But it takes two to tango, you know, and I we’re going to have a good meeting today. And I think the fact that we’re even together today is a very good sign.”
As a result of this awkward exchange the mainstream media and possibly the White House itself is going to pounce. Trump will once again be painted as a GOP leader doing the bidding of Putin.
But it is refreshing to hear a political leader who could be the next president so unashamedly call for robust diplomacy, and who understands the urgency of getting ceasefire negotiations going to bring an end to the countless deaths and suffering in Ukraine.
Throughout the meeting, Trump looked to be his usual casual, in-control, and freewheeling self, which clearly put Zelensky and the Ukrainian delegation on edge.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two Staffers OUT at CTV News After Doctoring Pierre Poilievre Video
CTV News has apparently fired the two employees “responsible for altering a video clip” of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, splicing the tape so it appeared he was pushing a non-confidence motion and vote against the Trudeau government only because of his opposition to the Liberal dental care plan.
The media outlet posted in a statement, “The CTV National News today issued the following statement regarding a report on the September 22, 2024, broadcast: A report on Sunday’s CTV National News broadcast did not meet our expected and required high editorial standards. We sincerely and unreservedly apologized for the manner this report went to air and the false impression it created.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A 7,000-Year-Old Tablet Found in Greece Over a Decade Ago Challenges Traditional Archaeology
This Dispilio Tablet was discovered in 1993 by George Hourmouziadis, the professor of prehistoric archaeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and his team in a Neolithic lakeshore settlement that occupied an artificial island near the modern village of Dispilio on Lake Kastoria in the Kastoria Prefecture, Western Macedonia.
People living in the settlement 7,000 to 8,000 years ago used to inhabit the area, and the Dispilio Tablet was one of the many artifacts found there. The tablet is significant because it bears an ancient, cryptic inscription that dates back to before 5,000 BC.
The existence of the Dispilio Tablet (also known as the Dispilio Scripture) conflicts with conventional archaeology’s belief that writing was not developed until 3,000 to 4,000 BC in Sumeria.
The Carbon-14 (radiocarbon dating) method dated this wooden tablet to 5,260 BC, making it significantly older than the writing system used by the Sumerians.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Austria’s Far-Right on Path to Top National Vote, Unlikely to Win Chancellorship
Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) is projected to tie for first place with the ÖVP at a historic 28% in Sunday’s national elections, though hopes for a far-right chancellorship seem unlikely.
The FPÖ (Patriots of Europe) has previously been part of governing coalitions at regional and at the national level, but it has yet to secure a victory in a national election or have a member serve as chancellor — something that may change with the outcome of Sunday’s elections.
Asked about the rise in support for the party, FPÖ MEP Elisabeth Dieringer told Euractiv, “We listen carefully to people. We don’t change our mind every day.”
“That’s why we reach the hearts of people, their mind and their daily issues,” she added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Greek government has reaffirmed its commitment to extending the border fence with Turkey, designed to curb illegal migration, despite objections from the European Commission.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had previously made it clear that the fence would be built regardless of whether EU funding is secured, stating, “The new fence will be built with or without the European Union.”
The construction of the fence began in 2012 and has since been expanded using national funds. It has drawn renewed attention following Germany’s tougher stance on migration and Hungary’s vocal opposition to the controversial EU migration pact, as well as Budapest’s call to be reimbursed by Brussels for its own border fence.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Blasts Britain for ‘Releasing Paedophiles’ — But Starmer Still Wants His Money in the UK
Social media tycoon Elon Musk has blasted Britain for “releasing convicted paedophiles” online — but Sir Keir Starmer has admitted he would “encourage” his investment in the UK.
Musk had failed to secure an invitation to an investment summit in the UK — with a BBC report blaming his online comments during the summer’s unrest for his snub.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook Parent Company Fined €91M for Failing to Secure Millions of Passwords
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined Meta €91 million for a data breach that could have exposed millions of passwords.
The DPC inquiry began in April 2019 after Meta—the owners and operators of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—notified the regulator that some social media users’ passwords had been stored in plaintext, meaning they were not encrypted or otherwise protected.
This oversight made millions of Facebook and Instagram users’ passwords vulnerable to unauthorised access by thousands of Meta employees. However, Meta stated at the time that no evidence suggested these passwords were misused.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Court Rules Teacher’s Dismissal Legal Over ‘Loyalty’ to Constitution
A German court has upheld the dismissal of a trainee teacher for failing to prove her “loyalty” to the country’s constitution.
The educator was dismissed after authorities found out she had previously worked as a presenter for Compact TV, a right-leaning media outlet that has repeatedly come under fire from the German government.
An attempt by the teacher to challenge the legality of her dismissal in the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court failed, with the court ruling she had not properly informed her employer of her work with Compact.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Thuringia’s Interior Minister Wants to Ban AfD After Parliamentary Chaos
The interior minister of Germany’s state of Thuringia has called for banning the Alternative for Germany (AfD), after a tumultuous opening session of the state parliament.
“Events in the Thuringian state parliament have shown that the AfD is aggressively combating parliamentarians,” Georg Maier, the acting interior minister, wrote on X.
The September 26 opening session was riddled with conflict, interrupted on several occasions, and ended prematurely, amid clashes between the AfD and other parties.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Thuringia Parliament: Opening Session Descends Into Chaos
The opening session of the Thuringian parliament on Thursday, September 26th, descended into chaos, resulting in no significant decisions and the inability to elect a speaker. Having won the regional elections on September 1st, and holding the largest number of seats in the parliament, the anti-immigration, right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party rightly wanted to take charge of the proceedings and nominate its own candidate for the position of parliamentary speaker.
However, all the other parties—who have vowed never to cooperate with AfD either nationally or regionally, thereby ignoring the will of millions of voters—ironically called out the AfD for “disregarding democracy.”
AfD won the regional elections in the eastern state of Thuringia comfortably, receiving 32.8% of the votes and 32 seats in the 88-seat parliament. The party does not have a majority to form a government, and will remain in opposition due to the cordon sanitaire imposed by the other parties. However, it does have the right to nominate a candidate for the position of speaker, which it attempted on Thursday, the first session of parliament following the elections.
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Germany: Merkel Honored, Legacy Questioned in Berlin
Germany’s Christian Democrats (CDU) hosted a large reception in honor of former Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences. Numerous prominent guests attended the event on Wednesday, including CSU leader Markus Söder, who had presented Merkel with the Bavarian Order of Merit last fall. The evening celebrated Merkel’s 70th birthday, which technically was this past July, reports Junge Freiheit.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz, who took over the CDU/CSU parliamentary group chairmanship in 2002, gave the keynote speech and even personally picked up Merkel and her husband Wolfgang Sauer at the entrance to lead them into the ballroom.
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Hungary’s Chief Prosecutor Seeks to Suspend Legal Immunity of Orban’s Chief Rival
Hungary’s chief prosecutor has asked the president of the European Parliament to suspend the parliamentary immunity of Prime Minister Orban’s main political rival, MEP Péter Magyar, the prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.
Chief prosecutor Peter Polt, a supporter of Orban and former member of the ruling Fidesz party, said in a statement that Magyar had allegedly seized the cellphone of a man who had recorded him in a bar on June 21.
“Then the MEP walked down right to the riverbank and dropped it into the Danube. This behaviour can correspond to the offence of theft,” the statement said.
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Is Pieter Omtzigt’s Dutch Centrist Party Over?
Pieter Omtzigt’s meteoric rise to the top of Dutch national politics appears to have been followed by an equally impressive collapse.
Omtzigt’s centrist New Social Contract (NSC) party won 20 seats in November 2023’s elections. However, in the latest poll, published September 24, the party had lost nearly all its support would now secure only three seats.
Part of its woes may trace back to the party leader himself.
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Moldova Prepares to Vote in High Stakes EU Referendum and Presidential Election
Moldova is heading to the polls in October for presidential elections and an EU referendum, with pro-European incumbent President Maia Sandu seeking a second term but facing Kremlin-backed candidates and disinformation.
The country’s election on 20 October 2024 will be only the third direct presidential election since Moldova’s independence from the Soviet Union and the abolition of the previous system of parliament electing the president.
Sandu is campaigning as a pro-European candidate against many pro-Russian or only nominally pro-European candidates who previously supported closer ties with Russia.
Her main challenger and likeliest opponent in a potential second round of voting is former Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo.
Stoianoglo is nominally running as a pro-European candidate but is backed by the Socialists, the largest pro-Russian party in parliament, and has been speaking publicly about the need to maintain Moldova’s neutrality and to have a more balanced relationship between Russia and the EU.
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‘Norwegian Indian’ Man Missing in Boston Sought by Police Over Hezbollah’s Exploding Pagers
Norwegian police have issued an international warrant for a man believed to be involved in the supply chain of a batch of explosive-stuffed pagers which exploded in the hands of Hezbollah militants last week.
The National Criminal Investigation Service of Norway (Kripos) say they issued international an warrant on Thursday for a Norwegian connected to the sale of exploding pagers. The 39-year-old wasn’t named in reported in the national press, other than to say — as in the report of Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen, for instance — that he was “born in another country, but is a Norwegian citizen and has lived in Norway for twelve years.”
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Over 3,000 Chemicals Enter the Human Body From Food Packaging: Study
A new study released on Monday shows that over 3,000 chemicals enter the human body from food packaging materials.
The study revealed that thousands of these chemicals have shown up in the human body, such as in samples of blood, breast milk, and hair. Out of the roughly 14,000 chemicals that are known to be found in these packaging materials, approximately 25 percent infiltrate the body, and researchers from Switzerland said it’s taking a toll.
Metals, volatile organic compounds, per— and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), phthalates, and numerous other chemicals are known to disrupt the endocrine system and induce cancer or other diseases. The link to these illnesses was not explicitly investigated in the study, which was published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. However, the researchers assert that their chemical inventory can facilitate future research on health risks.
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According to a new IBRiS poll, 55 percent of Polish respondents want Rafal Trzaskowski to be the CIvic Platform (KO) presidential candidate, reports Do Rzezcy.
The survey asked, “If the current ruling coalition (KO, Third Way and The Left) decided to put forward one candidate in the presidential election, who would be the best candidate?”
Warsaw Mayor of Warsaw Rafal Trzaskowski came out on top with 55 percent; the chairman of the Polish People’s Party, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, received 12.9 percent; and third place went to Prime Minister Donald Tusk with 8.3 percent.
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Romania Deploys Fighter Jets as Russian Drones Near Its Air Space
The Romanian defense ministry announced on Friday that a Russian drone may have breached its national airspace for “a very brief period of under three minutes” overnight during an attack on neighboring Ukraine.
On Friday, September 27th, Russian forces carried out a new series of drone attacks on civilian targets and port infrastructure in Ukraine, in the vicinity of the Danube river border with NATO member Romania.
The drone attack on the southern Ukrainian town of Izmail, just across the Danube river from NATO member Romania, killed three people and injured 14, Odesa regional prosecutors said on Friday. The Ukrainian air force said it had shot down 24 of 32 drones.
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Scotland: Pregnant Cop Dies Suddenly at 30: ‘Like Someone Turned a Switch Off’
A young pregnant police officer has tragically died suddenly, leaving her devastated family desperate for answers.
After his pregnant partner died suddenly, a distraught father-to-be has told of his heartache at losing his “fiancée, best pal, and baby.”
Scottish police officer Erin McDermott, 30, was found dead by her devoted mom Lorraine.
Her devastated fiancée Chrissy Gaw says his “life will never be the same” after the mystery sudden death of his partner and their unborn child.
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Slovakia Eyes South Korea as Potential Partner for New Nuclear Power Plant
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has expressed optimism that South Korea could become a key partner in Slovakia’s ambitious plans to build a new nuclear power plant.
Fico is set to visit Seoul on a working trip with Economy Minister Denisa Sakova, describing the trip as one of the most significant he will take during his leadership.
“I consider it one of the most important trips I have ever taken as prime minister,” he stated on Friday.
The PM will depart for Seoul on Saturday and is expected to return on Tuesday. The visit comes amid ongoing discussions about the construction of a new 1,200 MW nuclear power plant at the site of the existing Jaslovské Bohunice facility, a project announced by the Slovak government back in May. The proposed plant would have a capacity three times larger than Slovakia’s current nuclear reactors.
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Sweden Aims to Start Building New Nuclear Power Plants by 2026
Getting the shovel in the ground for new nuclear power plants before the next election would be great, Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson said in an interview Wednesday. At the very least, he said, the decisions required for the project must be in place before 2026. “We are fully dedicated.”
Speaking with daily Dagens Nyheter at the halfway point of his government’s term, Kristersson emphasized the crucial need for a stable energy supply and the key role of nuclear power in achieving that goal.
“Much of the technological development we have will require a lot of electricity, especially in the transition to a climate-friendly economy,” he said.
Electricity production has to double “if we are to manage electrification,” Kristersson said, adding that pinning the nation’s hopes on emerging technologies that may or may not pan out would be “simply reckless.”
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Swedish Renew, S&D MEPs Lobbying to Make Critic of Greek Border Control New EU Ombudsman
Swedish MEPs from the Renew and Socialists and Democrats (S&D) groups are lobbying to make a prominent critic of enforcement activities at the Greek border the EU’s next ombudsman.
Members of both parliamentary blocs want to see Sweden’s Jonas Grimheden succeed Ireland’s Emily O’Reilly in the senior role, internal communications seen by Brussels Signal show.
Grimheden is currently chief of Frontex’s Fundamental Rights Office.
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Thousands of Illegal Streaming Services Broadcasting French Football Games Blocked
France’s digital regulator has said it was blocking thousands of illegal streaming services broadcasting French professional football league games.
“Between January and August, 1,922 illegal services were blocked at Arcom’s [the Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication] request, exceeding the figures for 2023,” the regulator said in a September 25 statement.
The fight against online piracy in French sporting events has been at the centre of attention since the English broadcasting streaming platform DAZN brought broadcasting rights for the French professional football league for €400 million.
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Top EU Court Denies Catalan Separatist Leader’s Claim to MEP Status
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has backed former European Parliament (EP) president Antonio Tajani’s decision not to recognise Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont as an MEP.
Puigdemont, along with fellow independence leader Antonio Comin, was denied a seat after refusing to take an oath to the Spanish constitution.
Despite winning their seats in the 2019 EP elections, Puigdemont and Comin were disqualified from assuming their positions because they did not complete the required process of pledging allegiance to Spain’s constitution.
This procedure, which is normally conducted in person in Madrid, is a key requirement under Spanish law for elected officials before taking office in the European Parliament. Both leaders have lived in self-imposed exile since 2017 to avoid prosecution in Spain, following their failed bid to declare Catalonia independent.
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UK: Activists Throw Soup on Van Gogh Painting Again
Just Stop Oil supporters have thrown soup over two Vincent van Gogh paintings, hours after two activists were given jail sentences for targeting one of the same works of art.
Three protesters threw an orange-coloured soup at Sunflowers 1888 and Sunflowers 1889 in the Poets and Lovers exhibition at the National Gallery in central London. They have been arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage.
Earlier, Phoebe Plummer, 23, was given a two-year jail term, while Anna Holland, 22, got 20 months, for throwing soup over Sunflowers 1888 in October 2022.
The National Gallery said the two paintings targeted on Friday had been removed for examination and were found to be undamaged.
‘Right side of history’
As the latest activists — two women and a man — threw soup over the two paintings, onlookers could be heard shouting “no” and “don’t do it”.
In a video posted on X by JSO, the activists can be heard telling an angry crowd: “There are people in prison for demanding an end to new oil and gas, something which is now government policy after sustained, disruptive actions, countless headlines and the resulting political pressure.
“Future generations will regard these prisoners of conscience to be on the right side of history.”
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UK: Labour’s Early Release Scheme Frees 30+ Prisoners by Mistake
Labour’s early release scheme, launched to reduce overcrowding in British prisons, has now in error freed more than 30 prisoners who were never eligible for inclusion in the programme. Further denting the reputation of an already catastrophic government initiative, the latest revelation came on Thursday, September 26th.
Tucked away among the 1,750 prisoners who became eligible for release after serving just 40% of their sentences (down from the original 50% minimum) were approximately three dozen offenders who are not eligible for the new programme at all.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror newspaper, the Ministry of Justice said:
The convictions remain valid with offenders monitored since their release and they will soon be back behind bars …. Public safety is our first priority.
Most of the 37 people incorrectly released, who had been jailed for the offence of breaching restraining orders, are now back inside, while five remain at large.
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UK’s Starmer to Meet Von Der Leyen Next Week to ‘Reset Ties’
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will visit Brussels next week for what is described as a significant meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and an important part of his efforts to “reset” the UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU.
This meeting, confirmed on September 25 after initial discussions at the UN General Assembly in New York, marks Starmer’s first formal engagement with Von der Leyen since becoming prime minister in July.
The two are expected to discuss a range of issues, including trade, security, and migration, as part of Starmer’s vision to improve the UK’s ties with the EU.
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After Serbia Brings Back the Military Draft, is Hungary Next?
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, as the commander-in-chief of the army, signed a document calling on the government to urgently take steps to introduce 75 days of military service. Now questions are being raised about how this will affect ethnic Hungarians living in Serbia, and whether such a draft could at some point reach Hungary itself.
The mandatory military service in Serbia applies to men between the ages of 19 and 27, but women can also join on a voluntary basis. Members of the youngest generation, who will be required to enlist, will be those born in 2006. According to the plan, in justified cases, citing university studies or family reasons, it will be possible to postpone enlistment until the age of 30. It is also possible for those who refuse to bear arms for reasons of conscience to serve the mandatory 75 days as civilians.
Balint Pasztor, the president of the Vojvodina Hungarian Association (VMSZ), stated that his party opposes the re-introduction of conscription in Serbia because the decision could lead to further emigration of Vojvodina Hungarians, which is the ethnic Hungarian population living in Serbia.
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Canada to Deploy Troops to Lebanon Amid Increasing Tensions to Aid in Possible Evacuations: Report
The Canadian Armed Forces is reportedly sending more troops to the Middle East in case an evacuation of Canadian citizens from Lebanon is ordered.
According to Global News, for months Canada has been pre-positioning assets in the region, but on Wednesday night, troops received an order to be ready to leave Canada in 48 hours.
The outlet also reported that Canada and Australia have jointly rented a cruise ship for evacuating Canadians.
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Carvings at 12,000-Year-Old Göbekli Tepe in Turkey May be World’s Oldest Calendar
Göbekli Tepe, a massive archaeological site nestled in the rolling plains of southeastern Turkey, is considered the world’s oldest known temple complex, predating Stonehenge by approximately 6,000 years. The site was erected around 9600 BCE by mysterious hunter-gatherers in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic.
Among the most striking features of the site are its massive stone pillars arranged in circular formations. Some reach up to 16 feet in height and weigh up to 20 tons. Richly decorated with carvings of animals, abstract symbols, and humanoid figures, the pillars may have complex symbolic or religious significance. The artistry and engineering skills required to construct Göbekli Tepe imply a level of social organization and technological ability previously not thought to have been possible for hunter-gatherer societies.
Now, a new study shows these communities were even more sophisticated than meets the eye. According to a team led by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, the markings on the 12,000-year-old stone pillars likely represent the world’s oldest solar calendar. They suspect it was a memorial to a devastating comet strike that triggered a key shift in human civilization.
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Huge Air Strikes Hit Beirut as Israel Says it Targeted Hezbollah Headquarters
Israel has launched a series of huge air strikes in Lebanon’s capital Beirut, targeting what it says is Hezbollah’s central headquarters.
At least two people have been killed and 76 injured, according to Lebanese officials, after several buildings were hit in Dahieh, Hezbollah’s stronghold in the south of the city.
BBC reporters in Beirut said explosions were followed by chaotic scenes with nearby roads packed with people fleeing. The Israeli military said the headquarters it targeted was located “under residential buildings”.
Israeli and US media said the strike targeted Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah. It was too early to say if Nasrallah was hit, an Israeli official told Reuters.
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Netanyahu Defies Calls for a Cease-Fire at the U.N., as Israel Strikes Lebanon
In a fiery speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country is “winning” on multiple fronts and would attack Iran and its proxies anywhere in the Middle East, even as Israeli air force jets were preparing to pound a complex of buildings in central Beirut that Israel says serve as a headquarters for the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Many of the delegates in the U.N. hall stood up and swiftly left in a public snub at the start of his address — in which he called the U.N. a “swamp of antisemitic bile.”
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After Ukraine Blocked Russian Oil Over the Summer, Russia Vows to Reliably Deliver Oil to Hungary
Russia will remain a reliable supplier of oil and gas to Hungary, and the countries will continue to develop their relations in the energy sector, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak told Russian news outlet RIA.
“Despite the sanctions restrictions and all other difficulties and problems, Russia is a reliable supplier of raw materials to Hungary. We are talking about oil through the Friendship oil pipeline, gas transportation through the Turkish Stream,” the politician stated.
Over the summer, fears grew after Ukraine blocked the flow of oil from Russia via the Friendship pipeline, which supplies Hungary, Czechia and Slovakia. All three countries are highly reliant on Russian energy. As a result, Hungary and Slovakia lodged a complaint with the European Commission. Since then, the Hungarian company MOL signed an agreement with Russia which stipulates the company takes over ownership of the supply of crude oil at the border of Belarus and Russia. In effect, only Hungarian crude oil would then pass through Ukrainian territory.
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Ukraine War Briefing: China and Brazil Push Peace Plan at UN Despite Zelenskyy Opposition
China and Brazil on Friday pressed ahead with an effort to gather developing countries behind a plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s dismissal of the initiative as serving Moscow’s interests. Seventeen countries attended a meeting on the sidelines of the UN general assembly chaired by China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, and Brazilian foreign policy adviser Celso Amorim. Wang told reporters they discussed the need to prevent escalation in the war, avoid the use of weapons of mass destruction and prevent attacks on nuclear power plants. Zelenskyy, in a speech to the assembly earlier this week, questioned why China and Brazil were proposing an alternative to his own peace formula. Proposing “alternatives, half-hearted settlement plans, so-called sets of principles” would only give Moscow the political space to continue the war, he said.
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Zelensky Leaves Washington Without U.S. Approval for Deep Strikes in Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has left Washington D.C. without securing U.S. President Joe Biden’s permission to use long-range Western missiles to strike deep into Russia.
Zelensky has been pushing the United States and its other Western allies to give the green light for Ukraine to fire deeper into Russian territory, to target weapons depots and other military locations. However, they have only allowed the use of the missiles they provided to Kyiv to be targeted against Russian territories near the border with Ukraine.
No mention was made about the issue during Biden and Zelensky’s press conference on Thursday, September 26th. The U.S. has been cautious, and doesn’t want to provoke Russia, whose president, Vladimir Putin recently announced a revision to Moscow’s nuclear doctrine.
According to the new doctrine, Kyiv firing Western cruise missiles or other conventional weapons en masse into Russia would be regarded as a joint attack by nuclear powers on the country, and authorise the Kremlin to use its nuclear arsenal at will.
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China’s Newest Nuclear-Powered Submarine Sank This Year, US Reveals
China’s newest nuclear-powered attack submarine sank earlier this year, a senior US defense official said on Thursday (26 September), a potential embarrassment for Beijing as it seeks to expand its military capabilities.
China already has the largest navy in the world, with over 370 ships, and it has embarked on production of a new generation of nuclear-armed submarines.
A senior US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said China’s new first-in-class nuclear-powered attack submarine sank alongside a pier sometime between May and June.
A Chinese embassy spokesperson in Washington said they had no information to provide.
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Ulrich Vosgerau is a German lawyer and academic, and has been a legal representative of the anti-immigration Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party. He was a participant at the now infamous ‘Potsdam meeting’ last November. On January 10th, the state-funded left-wing investigative website Correctiv published an article claiming that members of the AfD, the right-wing Identitarian Movement, and the centre-right CDU party conspired in Potsdam to deport millions of migrants, including those with German citizenship. The article resulted in hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets around Germany to protest against ‘far-right extremism.’ The claim, however, turned out to be false, and Ulrich Vosgerau has sued not only Correctiv but other mainstream media outlets, as well as public broadcasters, who have repeated the false allegations. Despite numerous court victories, public broadcasters continue to spread disinformation about the meeting. We asked Ulrich Vosgerau about the court rulings and whether the “reporting” by Correctiv has backfired.
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163 Migrants Rescued in 24 Hours Across Three Separate Incidents in Greece
In a span of 24 hours, the Hellenic Coast Guard rescued 163 irregular migrants in three separate incidents, while a woman was tragically found dead at sea near the island of Kos.
In the most severe incident, a boat carrying 16 migrants capsized southeast of Kos. The Coast Guard recovered the body of a woman from the water, while 15 others were successfully rescued and transported to the port of Kos.
In another incident, a wooden boat with 78 migrants on board was located 23 nautical miles south of Gavdos island. The migrants were picked up by a lifeboat and are being transferred to the port of Souda in Chania.
A third operation involved a sailing boat carrying 70 migrants found east of the Messinian Gulf. They were rescued by a Panamanian-flagged ship with the support of a Coast Guard vessel and are en route to the port of Kalamata.
All rescue efforts were coordinated by the Coast Guard’s Joint Search and Rescue Center.
According to recent data from the Hellenic Coast Guard, August 2024 saw the arrest of 2,840 migrants attempting to enter Greece illegally. Of those, 19 were intercepted while bound for another EU country. Authorities also arrested 88 traffickers, seizing 49 boats and three vehicles in connection with the smuggling operations.
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Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the U.S.-Mexico border near Douglas, Arizona, on Friday, and a local sheriff who will greet her at the airport revealed a message he will give her.
Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels, who has served in his role as a border town lawman since 2012, told DailyMail.com that his home has been ravaged by President Joe Biden and VP Harris’s border policies.
He described how the rural area has been swamped with deaths, tragedies and crime related to the border, and that the Biden-Harris agenda has caused irreparable damage.
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Austria: Outrage in Vienna as Luxury Apartments for Refugees Spark Protests
Tensions are rising in Vienna’s 10th district, Favoriten, as local residents express anger over a project to house refugees in 110 newly built, luxury apartments.
The apartments, equipped with air conditioning, balconies, and modern kitchens, have stirred controversy as local citizens and political figures question the decision to allocate such accommodations to refugees while many Viennese struggle with substandard housing.
The joint initiative between the city government and the Protestant charitable organization Diakonie is designed to house recognized refugees and their families and prepare them for the labor market. However, the decision to offer such modern accommodations to asylum seekers has triggered outrage, particularly after revelations of the case of a Syrian family receiving €4,600 in social assistance in Vienna. Many feel that the city’s resources are being unfairly allocated to non-citizens.
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CAPURGANA, Colombia — ‘Hey! Hey you! Alto! Stop!’ three Colombian cartel soldiers shouted at me and my translator as we ducked into a small shop and pretended not to hear their commands.
I’d come to Capurgana, a dusty seaside village on the northwest coast of Colombia to investigate international efforts to shut down one of the world’s most notorious human smuggling routes — the Darien Gap.
It’s a 70-mile stretch of dense jungle connecting South America and Panama through which 1.5 million migrants from 170 countries have passed from 2021 to August 2024.
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Over 13,000 illegal immigrants convicted of homicide along with over 15,000 who have been convicted of sexual assault are roaming the United States amid the border crisis under the Biden-Harris administration. They are currently roaming free in the US, according to a letter from Acting ICE Director Patrick Lechleitner that was sent to Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX). The letter included other details, including that there are 435,719 criminal illegal immigrants whose cases have been docketed who have not been detained by authorities.
According to Newsmax, which was able to obtain the letter from Lechleitner, of the 662,566 illegal immigrants with criminal histories that are roaming around in the US, “435,719 are convicted criminals, and 226,847 have pending criminal charges.”
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EU’s €5 Billion Fund to Stop Irregular African Migration Has Failed, Said Court of Auditors
The EU’s €5 billion fund to stop irregular migration from Africa has failed to achieve its goal, said the European Court of Auditors in a September 25 report.
It added the European Commission had failed to monitor whether EU funds had in fact contributed to severe human rights breaches.
The EU created the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) in 2015, to “address the root causes of instability, forced displacement and irregular migration” and “contribute to better migration management”.
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First Week of German Border Controls Had Little Effect on Immigration
A week after the implementation of new entry checks at all land borders, Germany’s police union (GdP) reports minimal progress in combating illegal migration. Migrants and smugglers are managing to avoid the checkpoints, and officers are lacking up-to-date equipment.
“The arrests of illegal entrants and smugglers remain relatively low, while the number of individuals seeking protection and asylum continues to be high,” Andreas Roßkopf, chairman of the police union (GdP) for the federal police told RND. However, the federal police have not yet been able to say how many people were turned away at the new border controls in the first week.
Bus companies have begun routing around the checkpoints, Roßkopf said, and there is a significant shortage of modern mobile checkpoints, cameras, and lighting.
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Majority of Ukrainian Refugees in Czechia Plan to Stay Permanently, Survey Finds
Roughly two-thirds of Ukrainian refugees plan to remain in the Czech Republic even after the expiration of their temporary protection, a recent survey commissioned by the Czech interior ministry has revealed.
The findings mark a significant increase from a year ago, with 20 percent more refugees expressing an intention to stay permanently. Only about one-fifth of those surveyed expect to return to Ukraine once the war ends.
The survey, conducted by the Center for Public Opinion Research at the Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, offered a comprehensive view of the current situation facing the 320,304 Ukrainian refugees registered for temporary protection extension this year.
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New Border Control Unit to Crackdown on Illegal Immigration in Portugal
Portugal’s government will establish a new Public Security Police (PSP) unit responsible for returning migrants in the country who have no right to stay, it announced.
This new police section, which will be called the National Foreigners and Borders Unit, will be charged with strengthening existing checks against illegal immigration and would oversee Portugal’s air border controls.
Together with the National Republican Guard (GNR), the new unit will conduct immigration inspections across the country and deport migrants in the country without proper authorisation.
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Poland Faces Renewed Migration Pressure at Border With Belarus
The Polish-Belarusian border has come under increasing pressure in recent weeks, and the situation is becoming more serious, Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz (PSL, EPP) said on Thursday.
Since mid-2021, Poland has seen an annual increase in the number of people from Africa and the Middle East attempting to cross the border with Belarus to seek asylum, with numbers peaking this year.
“The situation is serious. The pressure on the border has increased in recent weeks. After July and August, which were relatively calm months, September increased the number of illegal border crossings,” said Kosiniak-Kamysz during a visit to the eastern Podlasie region on Thursday.
He added that more than 2,500 irregular border crossings have been recorded so far in September and more than 26,000 in the last nine months, as many as in the whole of 2023. He also pointed to people smugglers who show migrants the locations of border crossings and carriers who are detained.
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Portugal Approves New System to Expulse Irregular Migrants
Portugal will introduce a new system for the return and expulsion of migrants staying in the country without authorisation and create the National Foreigners and Borders Unit within the police, the government announced on Thursday.
“One of the tragic mistakes of the previous government in terms of migration was the way SEF [the Foreigners and Immigration Service] was abolished”, said Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro at the press conference following the cabinet meeting.
“There was a void in the return, in removing illegal citizens, in the lack of inspection and in many entry control tasks. We had promised, and today we are realising the creation of the National Aliens and Borders Unit in the PSP,” he added.
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The Biden-Harris administration’s effort to keep Prince Harry’s U.S. visa application from being made public prevailed this week as a judge ruled against a suit launched by the Heritage Foundation, which claimed the decision was “suspicious” and vowed to appeal the ruling.
Questions remain around the lawfulness of the wayward British Prince’s immigration status in the United States as Judge Carl Nichols sided with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to keep the Duke of Sussex’s visa application private.
The conservative Heritage Foundation launched a suit against the Biden-Harris administration to unseal the application after the woke Royal admitted in his memoir Spare to have taken illegal drugs, including cocaine, marijuana, and magic mushrooms.
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Swedish Foreign Minister Says Country Must Speak Openly of the Downsides of Mass Immigration
In Sweden, the consequences of the policy of opening up to mass migration from Africa and the Middle East cannot be hidden, with the current government taking moderate steps to improve the situation. This is part of an agreement with the Sweden Democrats, a party opposed to destructive migration policies, writes Do Rzeczy.
Over the past 20 years, the number of people born abroad has doubled from 1 million to 2 million, and the country’s population has grown to over 10 million. In 2015, Sweden accepted a record number of so-called asylum applications, 162,000, mainly from culturally foreign countries, such as Afghanistan and Syria. In time, the government decided to reinstate border controls, and is wondering how to “regulate migration.”
The scale of the influx of immigrants to Sweden was limited during the term of office of Malmer Stenergard from the Moderate Party coalition of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who served as migration minister from 2022 to 2024. Since 2024, she has headed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick has set out plans to slash foreign aid for countries that don’t take back failed asylum seekers from Britain.
The ex-immigration minister, one of four Conservative MPs vying to replace Rishi Sunak, demanded the Government go ‘much further’ in removing illegal migrants.
Mr Jenrick called on Labour to end aid handouts and severely restrict visas to countries who refuse to cooperate with the UK on returns.
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52 Top Scientists Sign Letter Warning of ‘Substantial’ Cancer Risk From COVID ‘Vaccines’
A group of leading scientists and academics has signed a letter that calls on lawmakers to ban Covid mRNA “vaccines” due to the “substantial risk” of cancer from the injections.
The call was made due to the unprecedentedly high levels of synthetic DNA contamination in the shots produced by vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna.
Eminent scientists and academics warn that this DNA contamination is causing genomic integration and triggering long-term health impacts, including cancers, among the Covid-vaccinated.
The letter was signed by leading experts from around the world.
The co-signees include Professor of Oncology Angus Dalgleish, Emeritus Professor Wendy Hoy, an expert in chronic disease, Emeritus Professor Robert Clancy, an immunologist who developed a bronchitis vaccine, geneticist Professor Alexandra Henrion Caude, and microbiologist Professor Sucharit Bhakdi MD.
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Boise State Women’s Volleyball Forfeits Match Against Team With Male Player
The Boise State women’s volleyball team has forfeited an upcoming match against San Jose State University (SJSU) amid controversy over a male member of that team.
Boise State released a statement to Outkick announcing their decision.
“Boise State volleyball will not play its scheduled match at San José State on Saturday, Sept. 28,” the statement said. “Per Mountain West Conference policy, the Conference will record the match as a forfeit and a loss for Boise State. The Broncos will next compete on Oct. 3 against Air Force.”
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Illinois School’s Equity Agenda is ‘Divisive Racial’ Ideology: Lawsuit
(The Center Square) — A lawsuit filed against the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 in Evanston alleges the school separated students and teachers by race and incited “racial hostility” through “divisive, race-obsessed teachings,” which the lawsuit says requires teachers to impose on students.
The complaint filed by the Southeastern Legal Foundation on behalf of part-time drama teacher Stacy Deemar alleges that District 65 injected critical race theory into what students were taught. It also says the Department of Education issued a letter finding the district violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
The complaint says Deemar is “one of many victims of District 65’s practice of promoting divisive racial ideologies that foster animus in the name of ‘equity.’“
District 65 did not respond to a request for comment.
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UN Demands ‘Global Governance’ for ‘Humanity’
Unelected globalist organization the United Nations (UN) is demanding that governments of sovereign nations submit to “global governance” in order to supposedly protect “humanity” from artificial intelligence (AI).
The demand was made in a report published by the UN’s “High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence.”
The report, titled “Governing AI for Humanity,” insists that a single global government is vital to keep the emerging technology under control.
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