Reader’s links June 21, 2017

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Thank you all for those that take the effort to assist this site in keeping the public informed. Below, typically people can find the latest enemy propaganda, news items of related materials from multiple countries and languages, op-eds from many excellent sites who write on our topics, geopolitics and immigration issues and so on.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

117 Replies to “Reader’s links June 21, 2017”

  1. Philippines military says hostage drama resolved (reuters, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKBN19C065

    “A hostage drama that unfolded at a primary school in the southern Philippines on Wednesday has been resolved, a military spokesman said, and the Islamist militants who had held people captive had withdrawn with no reports of casualties.

    “It’s already resolved,” Brigadier General Restituto Padilla told reporters. “They’ve withdrawn, they are no longer there. The school area is again safe.”

    However, Padilla also said the military was investigating whether five civilians were still being held by the militants. He said no children had been taken hostage.

    Earlier, a spokesman for the militant group said they had taken civilians to a safe place after a gunfight erupted with troops and did not intend to hold them.”

  2. Man tasered by police following incident outside Regents Park mosque (express, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/819462/regents-park-mosque-taser-police-arrest-london-ramadan-response

    “Police have arrested a man on suspicion of affray following an incident outside Regents Park Mosque in north London on Wednesday morning.

    A police spokesman confirmed to Express.co.uk that officers responded to reports of a man waving an item around shortly after 1:30am.

    The suspect was tasered and is currently being detained at a central London police station.

    The item is believed to be a shoe horn taken from inside a Regents Park mosque.

    The incident is not believed to be terror-related.

    Police reported they are not aware of any injuries.

    Witnesses have commended the quick police response and they are adamant it stopped the situation from escalating.

    The incident sparked alarm as it comes just two days after the Finsbury Park tragedy where a suspect drove a van into pedestrians.

    On Tuesday evening, the Met’s counter-terrorism unit was given an extension until the early hours of Saturday to question the suspect.”

  3. Jonathan Spyer, June 9. Explains Qatar – Gulf rift.

    Lines in the Sand
    An alliance of pro-US Sunni Arab states is emerging

    The decision by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen to cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar is the latest step in the re-emergence of a clearly defined US-led Sunni Arab bloc of states. The task of this alliance is to roll back Iranian influence and advancement in the region, and to battle against the forces of Sunni political Islam.

    Little noticed by western media, this conservative Sunni alliance against Iran and Sunni Islamism has been under construction for some time.
    https://jonathanspyer.com/2017/06/09/lines-in-the-sand/

    [Better news than what we’ve been led to believe. Our news has been filtered through an ayatollah’s prism. This isn’t in the article, but Iran was instrumental in the election of 0. There’s some background interspersed with conspiracy junk, most in English here: http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sociopol_obama.htm#contents%5D

  4. Homosexuality, Socialism, Feminism and Islam; The Sexsquirrel Set who terrorize and kill to replace your Body, Heart, Mind and Soul to be willing slaves of pride.

    “If you have got this message then its is too late and I’m sorry.

    ‘I’m sorry I broke my promise and I’m sorry I’m not strong enough. I’m sorry I let you down when you were scared but I was broken. Don’t call anyone, don’t call an ambulance – don’t think, just let the drugs kick in and let me go peacefully.

    ‘I’m sorry to whoever finds my body, I’m sorry to the people I’m going to leave behind and I’m sorry to the people this is going to hurt. Don’t let Kaitlin go off the rails as she is my best friend. Let Poppy, Summer and Archie know I adored them. Nobody wants to remember the family f**k up and that’s all I am.

    ‘I was strong once and internally beautiful but that girl died when I was was 12 years old, when he destroyed my body, my mind and my soul.

    ‘Tell him he is the reason I am gone. I am sorry to my mum, she was like me. Tell my girls I’m sorry, my siblings that they will always be amazing even through the sh***y fights. Go to Becky’s wedding for me please.

    ‘I fell in love with you Christopher Cozens on the 9 December when you first kissed me in front of my house. You showed me how to love somebody that wasn’t me forever. I loved you more than life itself. You had your demons and so did I but there was happiness once.’ ”
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4624414/Teen-14-killed-sex-attack.html

  5. US spy satellites detect activity at North Korean nuclear test site

    By Barbara Starr, Elise Labott and Zachary Cohen, CNN

    Washington (CNN)US spy satellites have detected new activity at North Korea’s underground nuclear test site for the first time in several weeks, two US officials told CNN.
    The activity appears to involve some modifications around one of the tunnel entrances to an underground test area.
    The officials said it is not yet clear if the activity indicates a sixth nuclear test is imminent, but noted there is concern that North Korea could set off a test during Wednesday’s visit to Washington by top Chinese diplomats and military officials.

    US officials have known that the site is ready to conduct an underground test for some time.
    Two senior US officials with direct knowledge also told CNN that military options for North Korea have recently been updated, and will be presented to President Donald Trump for a decision to act if there is a nuclear test.

    http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/20/politics/us-spy-satellites-north-korea-nuclear-test/index.html

  6. South Korea confirms drone discovered in June was from North Korea

    SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s military said on Wednesday a drone found earlier this month on a mountain near the Demilitarised Zone border was confirmed to have been from North Korea and described it as a “grave provocation” that violated the Korean War truce.

    The drone crashed while returning to the North and was found equipped with a camera and aerial photographs of a U.S. anti-missile defence system site in a southern region of South Korea, South Korean officials told a briefing.

    The origin and flight path of the drone were confirmed in an analysis of the onboard computer and camera, South Korea’s defense ministry and military officials told the briefing.

    http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKBN19C072

  7. Illinois careens into financial meltdown – and not even the lottery is safe

    Illinois is grappling with a full-fledged financial crisis and not even the lottery is safe – with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner warning the state is entering “banana republic” territory.

    Facing billions in unpaid bills and pension obligations, the state is hitting a cash crunch that is rare even by Illinois standards.

    A top financial official just warned 100 percent of the state’s monthly revenue will be eaten up by court-ordered payments. Rauner is calling a special session of the Democrat-led General Assembly in a bid to pass what he hopes will be the first full budget package in almost three years.

    And Illinois will – literally – lose the lottery if the budget fails.

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/06/20/illinois-careens-into-financial-meltdown-and-not-even-lottery-is-safe.html

  8. Illinois Comptroller: “The State Can No Longer Function”

    With just 10 days to go until Illinois enters its third year without a budget, resulting in the state’s imminent downgrade to junk status and potentially culminating in a default for the state whose unpaid bills now surpass $15 billion, Democratic Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza issued a warning to Illinois Gov. Rauner and other elected officials on Tuesday, saying in a letter that her office has “very serious concerns” it may no longer be able to guarantee “timely and predictable payments” for some core services.

    In the letter posted on her website, Mendoza who over the weekend warned that Illinois is “in massive crisis mode” and that “this is not a false alarm” said the state is “effectively hemorrhaging money” due to various court orders and laws that have left government spending roughly $600 million more a month than it’s taking in. Mendoza said her office will continue to make debt payments as required, but indicated that services most likely to be affected include long-term care, hospice and supportive living centers for seniors. She added that managed care organizations that serve Medicaid recipients are owed more than $2.8 billion in overdue bills as of June 15.

    “The state can no longer function without a responsible and complete budget without severely impacting our core obligations and decimating services to the state’s most in-need citizens,” Mendoza wrote. “We must put our fiscal house in order. It is already too late. Action is needed now.”

    Unveiling the most dire langage yet, in her letter Mendoza said “we are now reaching a new phase of crisis” perhaps in an attempt to prompt the Democrats and Republicans to sit down and come up with a comrpomise:

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-06-20/illinois-comptroller-state-can-no-longer-function-we-have-reached-new-phase-crisis

  9. Russian defence minister’s plane buzzed by NATO jet – agencies

    MOSCOW (Reuters) – A plane carrying Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was buzzed by a NATO F-16 fighter jet as it flew over the Baltic Sea, but was seen off by a Russian Sukhoi-27 military jet, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday.

    The F-16 had tried to approach the aircraft carrying the defence minister even though it was flying over neutral waters, agencies said. Shoigu was reported to be en route to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad for a meeting to discuss how well Russia’s western flank was defended.

    One of the Russian fighter jets escorting Shoigu’s plane had inserted itself between the defence minister’s plane and the NATO fighter and tilted its wings from side to side to show the weapons it was carrying, Russian agencies said.

    After that, agencies said the F-16 left the area.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/russian-defence-ministers-plane-buzzed-over-baltic-nato-092104825–business.html

  10. Next up: a special counsel to probe Team Obama’s obstruction of justice

    By using fired FBI Director James Comey to attack the new Republican administration, Democrats have opened up a legal can of worms for the Obama administration.

    Under sworn questioning, Comey has veered off the topic of President Trump and Russia and revealed several damning incidents in which his predecessor’s administration politically interfered in the Hillary Clinton email investigation. And now the Senate will investigate Team Obama for obstruction of justice.

    Specifically, the Senate Judiciary Committee announced last week it will hold hearings to “examine then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s involvement in the Clinton email server investigation.”

    http://nypost.com/2017/06/20/next-up-a-special-counsel-to-probe-team-obamas-obstruction-of-justice/

  11. READ: Independent group releases new report on Seth Rich murder investigation

    WASHINGTON (ABC7) — DNC worker Seth Rich was murdered in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of D.C. 11 months ago and his killer is still on the loose.

    Now, a group of George Washington University graduate students calling themselves the Profiling Project are releasing a report on their own investigation into Rich’s murder.

    D.C. Police tell the 7 ON YOUR SIDE I-Team that Seth Rich’s murder is still being investigated as a botched robbery.

    The Profiling Project doesn’t buy it. A report just issued by the Profiling Project says the murder was more likely committed by a hired killer.

    Kevin Doherty, the Chief Investigator of Profiling Project says, “It’s a possibility. A proficient killer is what we think, the fact that the killer has gotten away with it for this period of time and that it appears to be a very sanitized crime scene certainly shows some level of proficiency in killing.”

    http://wjla.com/news/local/read-new-report-released-on-seth-richs-murder-investigation

  12. A daily conundrum in convulsed Venezuela: will my kids make it to school?

    CARACAS (Reuters) – With anti-government protesters blocking avenues and highways across Venezuela several times a week, many parents spend their evenings asking the same question – will my kids make it to school tomorrow?

    While parents worry they will be unable to pick up their children after classes because of the tumult, teachers are often forced to skip work due to the clashes between protesters and troops.

    Yet the Education Ministry has refused to cancel classes at state schools even when spillover from demonstrations poses a risk to children – primarily from the tear gas fired to disperse protesters.

    It also has forbidden private schools, which serve about a quarter of the country’s primary and secondary school students, from suspending lessons.

    The result is that one of the most routine parenting responsibilities – getting children to school – now requires constantly juggling of contingency plans and calculating the odds of getting through protests that have left 75 people dead.

    http://www.oann.com/a-daily-conundrum-in-convulsed-venezuela-will-my-kids-make-it-to-school/

  13. Trump says China tried but failed to help on North Korea

    WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese efforts to persuade North Korea to rein in its nuclear program have failed, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, ratcheting up the rhetoric over the death of an American student who had been detained by Pyongyang.

    Trump has held high hopes for greater cooperation from China to exert influence over North Korea, leaning heavily on Chinese President Xi Jinping for his assistance. The two leaders had a high-profile summit in Florida in April and Trump has frequently praised Xi while resisting criticizing Chinese trade practices.

    “While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

    It was unclear whether his remark represented a significant shift in his thinking in the U.S. struggle to stop North Korea’s nuclear program and its test launching of missiles or a change in U.S. policy toward China.

    “I think the president is signaling some frustration,” Christopher Hill, a former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, told MSNBC. “He’s signaling to others that he understands this isn’t working, and he’s trying to defend himself, or justify himself, by saying that at least they tried as opposed to others who didn’t even try.”

    http://www.oann.com/chances-of-trump-meeting-with-north-koreas-kim-narrowing-white-house/

  14. Referendum on Trump, AKA Georgia-6 special election, delivers a thumbs up for the president
    By J.E. Dyer June 21, 2017

    Oh, and Karen Handel, the Republican contender in the final round, won too, with a final vote breakdown of about 52-48 over Democrat Jon Ossoff.

    The polls were tight right up to the end, although in the very last pre-election poll, Handel had pulled slightly ahead. Her 4-point margin in the vote total is greater than the margin of 1.5 percentage points by which Trump edged past Hillary Clinton in the district last fall. Notably, Jon Ossoff’s final night’s total of about 124,900 votes is only a few thousand higher than the 119,000-some received by former Rep. Tom Price’s opponent in the 2016 election. In other words, the Democrats didn’t achieve very much, for all the money they put into it.

    The national Democratic Party and its biggest donors threw millions into the election, making it the most expensive ever run for a seat in the House of Representatives. Total spending came in at over $50 million, but Ossoff far outraised Handel. As reported on Monday, since 29 March, Ossoff got over 7,200 out of state donations (about half from California), while Handel got only 800 and change.

    The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Ossoff’s campaign spent over $22 million, dwarfing the less than $4 million spent by Handel. Those totals don’t count the money spent by PACs, in which the partisan spending was more even.

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2017/06/21/referendum-trump-aka-georgia-6-special-election-delivers-thumbs-president/

  15. The real, no-kidding reason Bret Stephens’ op-ed on deporting Americans is bunk
    By J.E. Dyer June 20, 2017

    Focus, people. Focus. For the soul of your nation, please remain focused on the actual reasons for policy, and stop falling for strawman diversions.

    On Friday, Bret Stephens came out in his column at the New York Times as “strongly pro-deportation.” Ha-ha, of course he didn’t mean he was really pro-deportation. He was making a point with sarcasm. He went on to propose, tongue-in-cheek, the deportation of native-born Americans who are dragging America down with their social pathologies.

    I speak of Americans whose families have been in this country for a few generations. Complacent, entitled and often shockingly ignorant on basic points of American law and history, they are the stagnant pool in which our national prospects risk drowning.

    On point after point, America’s nonimmigrants are failing our country. Crime? A study by the Cato Institute notes that nonimmigrants are incarcerated at nearly twice the rate of illegal immigrants, and at more than three times the rate of legal ones.

    Educational achievement? …

    Religious piety — especially of the Christian variety? …

    Business creation? …

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2017/06/20/real-no-kidding-reason-bret-stephens-op-ed-deporting-americans-bunk/

    • Pity, his article isn’t worth the time J.E. took to refute it.

      I simply can’t comprehend how the Bret Stephens I knew turned into the person using that name today. He was editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, champion of all things good and true. Inspiring, the most generous of mentors for younger people. Friends like Caroline Glick, just to mention a name you’d recognize.

      The only explanation I can come up with is acute NYC- miasma poisoning.

      He had to be sick already when he married a spoiled, pretentious, artsy-society- NY-Slimes “journalist”. Divorced, then married another just like the first, also Slimes.

      Such a waste, such a shame.

  16. Brussels attacker identified as Moroccan unknown to authorities as terror suspect (abcnews, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/brussels-attacker-identified-moroccan-unknown-authorities-terror-suspect/story?id=48176519

    “The man who was shot dead at a Brussels train station Tuesday after attempting to explode a suitcase of nails and gas canisters was unknown to authorities as a terror suspect, a Belgian prosecutor said today.

    The would-be attacker — identified by the initials “O.Z.” — was a 36-year-old of Moroccan origin, Brussels federal prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt said at a news conference this morning. He said the man was not known to authorities to be involved in any terror activities, but the prosecutor did not comment on whether he had a criminal record.

    Van der Sypt said the man’s home in the Molenbeek district of Brussels had been searched after the attack.

    The man entered Brussels Central Station at 8:39 p.m. local time holding a suitcase and headed toward a group of people, Van der Sypt said. Five minutes later, his suitcase caught fire after a small explosion ignited in which no one was injured.

    The attacker then ran down a flight of stairs toward a station employee and a soldier, Van der Sypt said. His suitcase exploded again.

    As the attacker screamed “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is great,” in Arabic, a soldier shot the suspect several times, killing him.

    The federal prosecutor said the man was not wearing an explosive belt, contrary to initial reports, and that he was carrying only the case that was full of nails and small gas canisters.

    “It was clear he wanted to cause much more damage than what happened,” Van der Sypt said. “The bag exploded twice but it could have been a lot worse.”

    The train station has reopened after closing Tuesday night in the aftermath of the incident.

    The country’s terror level remains at three, signifying a serious and likely threat.”

    • Belgium: Brussels attacker ‘wanted to cause more damage’ than he did – prosecutor

      The suspect in a foiled attack that took place at the Brussels Central Station has been identified, Belgium Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Eric Van Der Sypt said at a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday.

      The suspect, a 36-year-old Moroccan national whose name has not been disclosed, attempted to detonate a suitcase at the station before being shot and killed by police, Tuesday night.

      Van Der Sypt said the suitcase “contained nails and other materials to hurt people,” noting that “it is clear that he [the suspect] wanted to cause more damage than he was able to in the end.”

      According to investigations, the suspect was acting alone.

    • This is the man behind the failed Central Station terror attack

      +pic

      The judicial authorities have revealed that the attacker had the Moroccan nationality, also confirming he was living in Molenbeek. The man who caused a major scare in Brussels Central Station last night, was not on a list of potential terrorists. However, the VRT learned that he was not a stranger to police, possibly in connection with sexual crimes.

      The perpetrator, who was shot dead by police forces patrolling the Central Station, was a 36-year-old from Molenbeek with a Moroccan passport, named Oussama Zariouh, the spokesman of the federal judicial authorities Eric Van der Sypt (picture below) told a press conference.

      The man lived in a residential area in Molenbeek, and was not on a list of possibly dangerous terrorists or people who could adopt radicalist ideas.

      Van der Sypt also supplied more details on the attack itself. In order to make as many victims as possible, the man first went down the stairs from the main hall, to take place among a group of passengers consulting the timetables. “At the bottom of the stairs he started shouting, after which his bomb was partly detonated. Nobody sustained injuries.”

      “His suitcase caught fire and he abandoned it,” Van der Sypt continued. The man went down the stairs leading to the platforms when there was a second blast – this time a bigger explosion. The trolley was apparently filled with nails and small gas canisters. “After the second explosion, the man went back up straight towards a soldier shouting ‘Allahu Akbar'”.

      The soldier opened fire and hit the attacker several times. The man died on the spot. Van der Sypt added that “I want to underline that he was not carrying a belt with explosives.”

      Last night, the police raided the man’s house in Molenbeek to carry out a house search. No further details have been released on this matter.

      http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/News/1.3006724#

  17. Australia: US vetting of Pacific island refugees nearly done (abcnews, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/australia-us-vetting-pacific-island-refugees-48175759

    “U.S. officials are “in the final stages” of vetting up to 1,250 refugees rejected by Australia for resettlement in the United States, an Australian official said Wednesday.

    The refugees are among hundreds of asylum seekers — mostly from Iran, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka — who have been languishing for up to four years in immigration camps on the impoverished Pacific island nations of Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

    Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton said U.S. State and Homeland Security Department officials should be commended for their effective work with the Australian, Papua New Guinea and Nauru governments to fulfill a promise by President Barak Obama’s administration to take up to 1,250 refugees off Australia’s hands.

    “There’s no delay in the process,” Dutton told reporters. “It’s in the final stages and I’m very pleased that hopefully as soon as possible we can get people … off the islands.”

    Dutton declined to outline any details of that process or say when the first refugees were likely to leave the islands. Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

    President Donald Trump berated Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during their first telephone conversation as national leaders in January over the deal which Trump described in a tweet as “dumb.”

    Trump said the refugees would be subjected to “extreme vetting” before they were accepted. There are few details on what that would entail…”

  18. Police arrest Islamic State suspect, 2 others in Madrid (abcnews, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/police-arrest-islamic-state-suspect-madrid-48176156

    “Police on Wednesday arrested three Moroccans, including a suspected member of the Islamic State group considered to be a clear threat to national security, Spain’s Interior Ministry said.

    A ministry statement said the suspect had instruction manuals on jihadi suicide and electronic terrorism and was believed to have had internet contact with IS members in Syria and Iraq.

    The ministry said he had an extremely dangerous profile similar to those involved in recent attacks in Britain and France and was considered a threat to Spain.

    “We have nothing to indicate he was going to attack immediately but it’s certain his radicalization was extreme and he had all the training and information to carry out an attack,” Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido told Spanish National Television.

    The minister said the suspect was indoctrinating and training the other two arrested.

    The detainees, aged between 32 and 38 years, lived together in a residential area of Madrid, police said.

    Police video showed two of the three being arrested as they came out of a building before dawn wearing motorbike helmets and moments later heavily armed agents entering the building…”

  19. BBC gives platform to activists seek to portray pedophila as a ‘sexual orientation’
    By LU Staff June 20, 2017

    Nearly two years after the far-left publication Salon ended its crusade to normalize pedophilia, the BBC picked up the slack, posting a piece suggesting pedophiles just need “help” not “condemnation.”

    The anonymous author, in his very first sentence, anxiously declares that pedophilia is just a “disorder” and likens it to an actual “sexual orientation.” The tenor and tone of the article is one of a victimhood — fear that if he were “outed” as pedophile, it may lead to “violence” and “physical attacks.”

    It should be noted that the author never hints that acting on the impulse to sexually abuse children is acceptable and acknowledges that his “former orientation” later led him to seek help, discovering that it is entirely curable. He does not, it appears, understand his own tacit admission: that the condemnation of nefarious and evil sex acts perpetrated on children, rather than social acceptance or acknowledgement of it as a sexual orientation, was the impetus for him to seek help.

    Not only does he appear not to understand it, the author bizarrely concludes that the “demonization” of “this sexual orientation” makes it difficult for young people to seek help. There is no consideration of the reality that lowering the severe social costs of the depraved impulses of a pedophiliac could lead to an uptick in pedophiles acting on them.

    http://libertyunyielding.com/2017/06/20/bbc-gives-platform-activists-seek-portray-pedophila-sexual-orientation/

  20. Pope backs proposed Italian law to better integrate migrants (abcnews, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pope-backs-proposed-italian-law-integrate-migrants-48176664

    “Pope Francis threw his support behind proposed legislation aimed at better integrating migrants into Italian society and the workforce, intervening Wednesday in a broader debate over immigration and citizenship that has consumed national politics in recent weeks.

    Francis noted during his general audience that he had met with refugees this week as the U.N. marked world refugee day. The pope, who has prioritized the plight of refugees in his four-year papacy, said he wanted to voice his appreciation for a campaign backed by Italy’s Radical Party to overhaul the country’s restrictive migration policy and regularize those who are here illegally.

    Francis stopped short, however, of backing a separate and divisive government-backed proposal to grant citizenship to children of migrants born or educated here. Currently, these children can apply for citizenship only in their 18th year — a restriction that critics say hampers their full integration into Italian society.

    The anti-immigrant Northern League and a smaller, right-wing party have opposed the proposed legislation, which cleared the lower Chamber of Deputies in 2015 but remains stuck in the Senate, where the League has proposed thousands of amendments.

    Earlier this week, a top Vatican official, Monsignor Angelo Becciu, voiced support for the proposed law, saying that while the decision rested with the Italian parliament “it’s clear that we want the dignity of people who arrive in our country to be respected, and that those who are born her to be recognized as citizens.”

    Italy’s bishops have also come out in favor.

    Former Premier Matteo Renzi, the Democratic Party’s candidate for premier in upcoming national elections, said in a blog post Wednesday that the debate at this point is purely ideological, and that the question isn’t about giving away citizenship but merely “anticipating it by recognizing a reality that already exists.””

    • Pope backs proposed Italian law to better integrate migrants

      Anyone want to bet against how this new “program” will likely cost more billions of Euros?

      [crickets]

      Currently, these children can apply for citizenship only in their 18th year — a restriction that critics say hampers their full integration into Italian society.

      Quite the smart move by Italy. Gives the little buggers plenty of time to exhibit any criminal tendencies.

      Italy’s bishops have also come out in favor.

      The Catholic Church has clearly whored itself in the hope of converting some small fraction of these new arrivals. Italy’s proximity to the Mediterranean places it in approximately the same sort of peril as Britain. Another nudge or two will see both nations topple into Muslim hands.

      • Cattle: incapable of informed conversion, salvation solely a function of miraculous divine grace.

        Brood-mares and feral males that pose an unacceptable risk unless closely confined or neutered.

        If an ox with a 'bad reputation' gores a person, and that person subsequently dies from injuries sustained, the owner of the ox is guilty of negligent homicide. Or involuntary manslaughter.
        - - mangled Biblical quote.

        That means the sin is on the heads of the clergy here. They are responsible and can’t expect a sweet ride in the hereafter.

  21. Philippine military: Rebels still holding hostages in school (abcnews, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/philippine-troops-evict-muslim-rebel-raiders-village-48176231

    “Muslim rebels are still holding several hostages in a school that has been surrounded by army troops in the southern Philippines, military officials said Wednesday after reporting that the gunmen have withdrawn from the area as government forces converged to crush the attack.

    Gunmen from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters maneuvered to attack separate outposts of army troops and government militiamen but were repelled by government forces at dawn Wednesday, prompting them to seize villagers to dodge military gunfire in Malagakit village in North Cotabato province, military officials said.

    The retreating gunmen, variously estimated by the military and police to number from 200 to 300, later occupied a Malagakit grade school building, where they sporadically traded shots with troops up to nightfall, said local army spokesman Capt. Arvin Encinas.

    The rebels may have taken advantage of the massive military offensive against militants aligned with the Islamic State group who laid siege in the southern city of Marawi and plotted to attack military targets elsewhere, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said at a news conference.

    “They were taking advantage of the situation that we have a very lightly defended outpost and that they think our forces are elsewhere in the province,” Padilla said. “But that is not the case, our forces are spread all over. We may be facing many fronts … but we’ve properly assigned our forces.”

    Padilla earlier reported that the rebels have withdrawn from the school after reinforcement troops arrived in Malagakit, but later said troops reported that rebels were still holed up in the low-slung building and that other withdrawing insurgents returned after being blocked by troops nearby.

    Rebel spokesman Abu Misry Mamah acknowledged in a radio interview that his group staged the attack, but said they only took hold of some villagers to protect them amid the gunbattle.

    The rebels, mostly encamped in the marshy heartland of the country’s southern region, broke off from the largest Muslim rebel group several years ago partly to protest peace talks with the government. The breakaway rebels, however, have been weakened by battle setbacks and some of its commanders have tried to align themselves with the Islamic State group in the hope of securing funding from the Middle East-based group, according to the military.

    Padilla said it was possible the attack was intended to disrupt an ongoing military offensive against a separate group of IS-aligned militants who laid siege May 23 in Marawi in Lanao del Sur province, also in the country’s south.

    “If this is a diversionary move, it’s not the first by these BIFF gunmen,” Padilla said. “They have tried to attack more than once and all have been thwarted.”

    Last month, about 500 militants seized Marawi, a mosque-dotted center of the Islamic faith in the south of the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. The attack followed an army and police raid on a hideout that failed to capture a top militant suspect. Philippine troops, backed by airstrikes and artillery, have been fighting street battles to wrest back control of the city’s business district.

    At least 258 militants, 65 soldiers and police and 26 civilians have been killed and more than 300,000 villagers have fled from Marawi and outlying towns.

    The U.S. military in recent weeks deployed a P3 Orion aircraft to provide surveillance and intelligence to troops battling more than 100 gunmen holding an unspecified number of hostages in Marawi. President Rodrigo Duterte, despite having an antagonistic stance toward Washington, has acknowledged the U.S. assistance is helping save lives.

    Duterte has said politicians, including some linked to the illegal drug trade, may have covertly backed the militants, who stockpiled arms and supplies before launching their audacious plot in Marawi. The attack has sparked fears that the Islamic State group, while losing territory in Syria and Iraq, may be gaining a foothold in Southeast Asia by supporting local militants with money, training and weapons.

    Duterte declared martial law in the entire Mindanao region to deal with the Marawi crisis.”

  22. Germany files espionage charges against alleged Turkish spy (abcnews, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/germany-files-espionage-charges-alleged-turkish-spy-48179173

    “German prosecutors have filed espionage charges against a man accused of spying for Turkish intelligence on a Kurdish politician and activists.

    Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that the indictment against 32-year-old Mehmet Fatih S., whose full name wasn’t given in line with privacy laws, was filed in a Hamburg court.

    The Turkish national was arrested in December. Prosecutors say that he had worked for a Turkish intelligence service since 2013 and was tasked in September 2015 or earlier with snooping on Kurds in Germany.

    They say he focused on a Germany-based politician who at the time headed a Kurdish group in Germany, NAV-DEM, and now is part of the leadership of a Brussels-based Kurdish umbrella group, KCDK-E. He also allegedly photographed a Kurdish group’s demonstration in Bremen in May 2016.”

  23. Serb nationalist dies in Syria as Russian volunteer fighter (abcnews, Jun21, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/serb-nationalist-dies-syria-russian-volunteer-fighter-48179291

    “A far-right soccer fan group from northern Serbia says one of its members has died in Syria as a Russian volunteer fighter.

    The “Firma” group supporting first division Vojvodina soccer club says on its Facebook page that 24-year-old Dimitrije Sasa Karan also had fought in Ukraine with pro-Russia rebels before going to Syria.

    Serbian police haven’t immediately responded to a request for comment Wednesday.

    Russia has supported Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government in the Syria conflict mostly with airstrikes, but also with ground troops.

    A number of Serbian nationalists have joined as volunteers, illustrating strong pro-Russia sentiments in the Balkan country seeking to join the European Union.

    The Vecernje Novosti daily said that Karan died in a mine blast.”

  24. Bag checks and sniffer dogs welcome revellers to Glastonbury as security is stepped up (express, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/819623/Glastonbury-Festival-security-stepped-up-bag-checks-sniffer-dogs-metal-detectors

    “SECURITY has been stepped up at Glastonbury with festival-goers facing increased bag-checks and organisers introducing airport-style metal detectors and sniffer dogs.

    Gates to the iconic music and arts festival have just opened and a steady stream of revellers has been arriving at the site since first light.

    Police and festival organisers have asked ticket-holders to pack light and warned extra measures were being introduced in response to recent terror attacks in London and Manchester…”

  25. Newspaper Editor: Muslims Who Went on Anti-Terrorism March Are ‘Uncle Toms’ (breitbart, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/06/21/german-editor-calls-anti-terror-muslim-protesters-uncle-toms/

    “German newspaper editor Jakob Augstein, who has been identified as an anti-Semite by some groups in the past, wrote that Muslims in Germany who attended an anti-terror protest in Cologne are “Uncle Toms”.

    Mr. Augstein wrote that the Muslims in Germany were being “told” by the German government to demonstrate against Islamic State terrorism. Those who showed up to the failed Cologne anti-terror march over the weekend were doing the bidding of their “German overseers”, he wrote in a column for Der Spiegel.

    10,000 demonstrators were hoped for over the weekend in the Cologne anti-terror march, but fewer than 2,000 turned up. To Augstein, the son of the founder of Der Spiegel Rudolf Augstein, those who attended were “Uncle Tom Turks”.

    Augstein described an “Uncle Tom Turk” as: “One who always does what is expected of him. It used to be: Ali, clean the toilet. Aische, wipe the ass of Grandpa. Today it is said: Ali and Aische, attend the anti-terrorist demo. And if not, then we are very, very disappointed.”

    Siding with the German Muslim organisation DITIB, who were suspected of spying on Turks in Germany on behalf of the Turkish government, Augstein said anti-terror demonstrations “stigmatise” Muslims.

    He claimed even if Muslims turned up for anti-terror demonstrations, ethnic Germans would not accept them. Augstein claims that terrorism is purely political and social, with no religious element at all…”

    • …Augstein said anti-terror demonstrations “stigmatise” Muslims.

      Not nearly as much as the constant jihadist atrocities. Most likely, to their great discomfort, Muslims in the West will necessarily have to pick one side and stick with it. From all outward appearances, they’ve already done this and the outlook is very grim. Especially for the Muslims.

  26. Turkish Islamist Push Blamed for Destruction of Gallipoli ANZAC Memorial (breitbart, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2017/06/21/turkish-islamist-push-blamed-destruction-australian-new-zealand-memorial-gallipoli/

    “A memorial hailing the sacrifices made by troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) at Gallipoli, Turkey during the First World War has been erased by the Turkish government.

    A photograph recently shared on social media by the Honest History project shows the destroyed monument with words attributed by Turkey’s founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk scratched out. His original inscription compared Australia and New Zealand’s deceased ‘Johnnies’ to the Ottoman’s ‘Mehmets,’ and gave them his blessing to be buried in Turkish soil. See below:

    “Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives … You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours … You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.”

    Now the words are gone. See below:

    Historians in Australia and Turkey believe the “refurbishment” could be part of Turkish President Erdo?an’s moves to cast Gallipoli as part of a greater religious clash between Islamic jihadi defenders and invading crusaders.

    Peter Stanley, a professor of history at the University of New South Wales Canberra, told the Guardian the erasure reflected a “new theocratic interpretation” of the 1915/16 conflict designed to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula, following Winston Churchill’s plan to force the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies.

    The ultimate objective was to seize Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, a German war ally. Gallipoli cost the Allies 141 000 casualties, of whom more than 44 000 died. Of the dead, 8709 were Australians and 2701 were New Zealanders…”

  27. Hungarians Declare: ‘Central Europe Stands United Against Mass Illegal Migration’ (breitbart, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/06/21/hungarians-declare-central-europe-stands-united-mass-illegal-migration/

    “An alliance of Central European countries led by Hungary has pledged to work together to stem the flow of illegal migrants into Europe at a meeting in Prague.

    Delegations to the Central European Defence Cooperation (CEDC) group from Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic were, according to a report on the Hungarian government’s official website, “united against mass illegal migration”.

    Defence ministers at the summit agreed to “facilitate the quick and joint mobilization of civilian, police and military capabilities” in defence of the European Union’s external borders.

    Elaborating on the reasons behind Hungary’s robust anti-mass immigration stance, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán explained: “What we want is a Hungarian Hungary and a European Europe.”

    The Fidesz leader said his government “won’t participate in experiments aimed at changing Hungary or Europe, in which Europe’s cultural traditions would be swept aside to be replaced by a mixture of other cultures, religions and worldviews, allowing masses to enter without control”.

    Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic are currently at the sharp end of a political and legal struggle with the EU’s unelected executive and leading pro-mass immigration member-states over the imposition of compulsory migrant quotas throughout the bloc.

    “We will not be forced to accommodate people whose identities or intentions we do not know,” Orbán said in a speech to new recruits in Hungary’s expanded border guard…”

  28. Transport Associations Urge Macron to Deploy Military After First Calais Driver Death (breitbart, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/06/21/transport-urge-deploy-military-calais/

    “Transport associations in Britain have called on the French government to take “urgent action” to protect drivers from migrants after a man was killed Tuesday morning on the A16 motorway near Calais.

    Three trucks were forced to suddenly brake so as to avoid tree trunks dragged into the road by a group of migrants in a bid to slow traffic and break into vehicles bound for Britain.

    Unable to stop in time, a van driver died when his vehicle crashed into one of the trucks halted by the makeshift barricade and burst into flames.

    Found in one of the trucks following the accident, nine Eritreans were arrested on suspicion of having placed tree trunks on the road.

    The Freight Transport Association (FTA) and Road Haulage Association (RHA) said the deadly collision fulfilled their predictions that migrants’ actions would result in driver fatalities.

    RHA chief Richard Burnett said security forces in Calais “cannot cope” with the behaviour of migrants, and called on French President Emmanuel Macron to send soldiers to protect drivers.

    “The lives of innocent people, who want no more than to be able to go about their daily business in safety, are being put at risk by those whose only aim in life is to reach the UK,” said the transport association boss, according to logistics industry news site The Loadstar.

    “They don’t care about anyone but themselves and as a result a life has been lost,” he said.

    “President Macron must get a grip of this situation and we urge him to deploy the French military to provide safe passage for the thousands of UK-bound hauliers that use this route every day.”

    A spokesman for the FTA said his organisation “warned two years ago that [migrants’] actions would lead to a death”, declaring it “now imperative” that the French government takes action.

    Describing the death as “wholly preventable”, FTA European Union (EU) affairs manager Chris Yarsley said authorities in Calais risk more fatalities unless they “do more to detain migrants and move them away from the area”….”

  29. Copenhagen: Lifejackets Once Again Turned Into Pro-Migrant ‘Artwork’ (breitbart, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/06/21/copenhagen-lifejackets-turned-pro-migrant-artwork/

    “In the sun-soaked setting of Copenhagen’s Nyhavn harbour, there is a striking reminder of the ongoing migrant crisis taking place on Europe’s shores.

    Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has barricaded the windows of the Kunsthal Charlottenborg museum with more than 3,500 salvaged lifejackets worn by migrants and collected on the Greek island of Lesbos.

    The artwork is named “Soleil Levant” — French for “Sunrise” and was inaugurated Tuesday, which is World Refugee Day.

    “Obviously Ai Weiwei wants to put attention to the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe, or as he calls it, the human crisis,” says Kunsthal Charlottenborg director Michael Thouber.

    “The beautiful thing about this piece is that every one of these lifejackets, 3,500 lifejackets represents a human story.”…”

    • Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has barricaded the windows of the Kunsthal Charlottenborg museum with more than 3,500 salvaged lifejackets worn by migrants and collected on the Greek island of Lesbos.

      Like some pretentious Chinese wanker has to worry about “immigrants” and “refugees” flooding into China. Of course, that will not stop him from purposefully inflicting maximum guilt on the Europeans who have everything to lose in this criminal tsunami.

      Does anyone care to guess what would happen to Ai Weiwei if he tried to practice his “dissident art” in Tienanmen Square?

  30. Iran slams ‘brazen interventionist plan’ after Tillerson’s call for regime change (RT, Jun 21, 2017)
    https://www.rt.com/news/393293-iran-tillerson-interventionist-plan/

    “Iran has accused the United States of interfering in its domestic affairs after calls by the US Secretary of State to support “elements” that would ensure a “peaceful transition” in the Islamic Republic. Tehran also officially delivered a note of protest to the UN…”

  31. LEGO condemns ISIS-inspired counterfeit toy sets (PHOTOS) (RT, Jun 21, 2017)
    https://www.rt.com/viral/393353-isis-lego-chinese-fake/

    “Danish toymaker LEGO has condemned the production of counterfeit toy sets featuring Islamic State-themed (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) fighters armed with chainsaws and bombs.

    The ‘Falcon Commandos’ set, which pitches “information intelligence officers” against the IS jihadists, is part of a whole series of Lego knock-offs being sold online via a Chinese retailer.

    Images on the front of the box show toy IS fighters tossing sticks of dynamite, complete with countdown timers, and launching a flaming barrel of oil from a catapult. Another image shows a militant fighter armed with a chainsaw looking at a man’s decapitated head. The miniature militants also carry black IS flags and reportedly hold a banner displaying the words “Allah” and “Muhammed.”

    Lego spokesperson Camilla Pedersen was keen to stress to RTcom that the toys have nothing to do with them.

    “The product is not a LEGO® product – nor are the bricks in the set LEGO bricks. As a company dedicated to inspiring and developing children, we would naturally never make a product like this,” Pedersen told RTcom in a statement…”

  32. Sweden: ‘We cannot continue in this direction’ – Swedish police spots surge in ‘vulnerable areas’

    National Police Commissioner of Sweden Dan Eliasson said in Gothenburg on Wednesday that there are more than 60 “vulnerable areas” in and around major Swedish cities, where poverty and criminality have grown.

    In a statement following a press conference by Swedish police at which an annual report into Sweden’s vulnerable zones was presented, Eliasson said that the hike in the number of such areas was due to decades “of socioeconomic developments going in the wrong direction.”

    • I hate to sound callous but they did it to themselves when the thinking people said their actions were leading to national suicide.

      • Unbeknownst to them at present, Sweden eventually will come to lead Europe by example. But only in the category of self-crucifixion.

  33. Viewers hit ‘dislike’ on #MoreThanARefugee YouTube campaign (RT, Jun 21, 2017)
    https://www.rt.com/viral/393343-youtube-refugee-video-backlash/

    “A YouTube video seeking to highlight the plight of refugees and promote tolerance has provoked the exact opposite response as an overwhelming number of viewers hit ‘dislike’.

    The video, which is titled #MoreThanARefugee, is part of a series created by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in partnership with YouTube. Seven well-known YouTube creators were invited to tell refugees’ stories to mark World Refugee Day Tuesday.

    The latest video, which has attracted most of the negative attention, features a young Iraqi girl called Maryam now in Serbia, Palestinian Hasan now in Greece, and Catherine from Sudan, now a refugee in Uganda.

    The refugees tell viewers about their interests and about being forced to leave their homelands because of war and violence. The video has been viewed nearly six million times since it was published Tuesday. At the time of writing, more than 230,000 people have disliked it, while approximately 90,000 have given it the thumbs up.

    The project certainly seems to have struck a bum note, as many took to the video’s comments section and to Twitter to criticize the content. Many comments are anti-Islamic and anti-Semitic in nature, containing numerous references to Nazism and Hitler, as well as opposition to refugees in general.

    Many more described the video as propaganda while others were critical of it for featuring two young girls and an older man when they, inaccurately, claimed that refugees are predominantly young men. The comments section is also flooded with people accusing YouTube of removing comments.

    Statistics on Syrian refugees from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees show that almost as many women are refugees as men.

    The project asks that people donate funds to the IRC. The rescue fund’s partner Google is matching all donations up to $500,000.”

  34. The Left Vs The Right: Why It’s Only Going To Get Worse
    Brittany Pettibone
    Brittany Pettibone

  35. Monitoring group: Turkey bolsters its troops in north Syria (abcnews, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/monitoring-group-turkey-bolsters-troops-north-syria-48184137

    “Syrian activists say Turkey has sent reinforcements into northern Syria, possibly in preparation for battles Ankara is anticipating with local Kurdish forces.

    The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says a column of armored vehicles was deployed to the Syrian towns of Azaz and Marea on Wednesday. The towns, held by Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters, are on the front lines with rival, U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces.

    Turkey, which first deployed its ground forces in Syria last year, sees Syrian Kurdish fighters as an extension of its Kurdish insurgents who have waged a three decade-long insurgency against Ankara.

    A Syrian opposition official said an unusually substantial contingent of Turkish forces entered northern Syria on Tuesday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.”

  36. TURKEY – RAMADAN 2017 –

    A man attacks a woman for wearing shorts in Istanbul public transportation –

    • Outcry after Turkish woman assaulted for ‘wearing shorts in Ramadan’

      ISTANBUL // A Turkish man assaulted a young woman on an Istanbul bus for wearing shorts during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, sparking a furore among women’s rights activists.

      University student Asena Melisa Saglam was travelling on the bus when the man seated behind her struck her in the face, images published by Turkish media on Wednesday showed.

      She responded by chasing after him but he grabbed her and slung her to the back of the bus before fleeing the vehicle.

      Ms Saglam said that throughout the journey the man had been verbally harassing her by saying she should not be wearing shorts during Ramadan.

      The man was detained but following questioning – in which he reportedly said he had been “provoked” – he was set free, causing a new outcry.

      “The release of the attacker is a threat to all women,” the women’s rights organisation We Will Stop Femicide Platform wrote on Twitter.

      “We will wear whatever we want outside. We will not give up our freedoms.”

      Following the furore, an order was given to re-arrest the man but it was not immediately clear if he had been detained again.

      Ms Saglam, 21, was quoted by the Hurriyet daily as saying: “From the moment I sat down he was making these remarks ‘you dress like this during Ramadan? You should feel ashamed to be dressed like that’.”

      She said she put on her headphones and ignored him but then he got up and hit her so hard that the side of her jaw hit the bus window.

      According to the Platform, 173 women have been murdered in the first five months of 2017 and 328 in 2016.

      Opponents of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuse the government of presiding over a creeping Islamisation of Turkey which has undermined the secular principles of the state set up by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk that enshrined women’s rights.

      But the government insists that while it has given women the right to wear the Islamic headscarf at university, school and even in the army this has not impeded the freedom of Turkish women to dress as they please.

      A man named Abdullah Cakiroglu who kicked a Turkish woman who was wearing shorts last year in a similar case is currently on trial and faces nine years in jail if convicted.

      http://www.thenational.ae/world/europe/outcry-after-turkish-woman-assaulted-for-wearing-shorts-in-ramadan

      DAILY MAIL – Shocking moment a woman is attacked by a man on a Turkish bus ‘because she was wearing mini shorts during Ramadan’

      Asena Melisa Saglam alleged the man said: ‘You dress like this during Ramadan?’
      After being slapped, the student, 21, ran up to the man but he threw her back
      He allegedly told investigators he was ‘provoked’ before being released – causing outrage

      […]She said: ‘From the moment I sat down he was making these remarks: “You dress like this during Ramadan? You should feel ashamed to be dressed like that”.’

      […]After the incident, Saglam filed a legal complaint against Kizilates. He was detained on Saturday but released after giving testimony.

      He allegedly said he was ‘provoked’, adding: ‘Women dressing this way affects one’s sensuality’.

      […]A man named Abdullah Cakiroglu who kicked a Turkish woman who was wearing shorts last year in a similar case is currently on trial and faces nine years in jail if convicted.

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4625194/Shocking-moment-woman-attacked-man-Turkish-bus.html

  37. US Fighter Jet Shoots Down Iranian Drone

    A U.S. aircraft shot down an armed Iranian drone advancing on coalition forces in southern Syria on Tuesday, Fox News confirmed.

    The armed pro-regime Shaheed-129 UAV was shot down by a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle about 12:30 a.m. after it displayed hostile intent and advanced on Coalition forces. This is the second the U.S. shot down an Iranian drone in less than a month.

    The coalition forces were manning an established combat outpost to the northeast of At Tanf where they are training and advising partner ground forces in the fight against ISIS. This is the same location where another pro-regime UAV dropped munitions near Coalition forces before it was shot down on June 8.

    The F-15E intercepted the armed UAV after it was observed advancing on the coalition position. The armed UAV was shot down when it continued to advance on the coalition’s position without diverting its course.

    http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/06/20/breaking-us-shoots-down-iranian-drone-in-syria.html

  38. Exclusive: Attorney for Bernie Donor Class Action Calls DNC ‘The Ultimate Ponzi Scheme’

    Backers of Bernie Sanders are suing the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for fraud based on last summer’s hacks revealing systemic bias for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 primary campaign.

    The class-action lawsuit, Wilding v. DNC Services Corp., is underway in federal court in Florida, where it is awaiting a ruling on the DNC’s motion to dismiss heard in April. The plaintiff class, Bernie donors who also gave money to the DNC under the assumption of its impartiality in the 2016 primary contest between Clinton and Sanders. The suit alleges fraud, negligent misrepresentation, unjust enrichment, and a consumer protection violation.

    The claims are based on the celebrated leaked emails and memos from the “Guccifer 2.0” hacks last June. The leaks appear to show direct assistance of Secretary Clinton to the detriment of Senator Sanders. The novel legal theory is based on the donors having been duped by the DNC’s claims of impartiality.

    Attorney Jared Beck of Beck & Lee Trial Lawyers, the firm representing the class of Bernie supporters, spoke with Breitbart News about the developing case and the surrounding controversies.

    http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/06/20/exclusive-attorney-for-bernie-donor-class-action-against-dnc-talks-with-breitbart-news/

    Richard: Back in the 90s I said that Bill Clinton would destroy the Democrats, I just didn’t realize that it would be his wife that delivered teh final blow.

  39. EXCLUSIVE: Congressman on Hodgkinson’s Hit List Warns of Rise of ‘Militant Left’ in U.S. Politics

    During the June 18 airing of Breitbart News Sunday, Representative Trent Franks (R-AZ) warned of the rise of the “militant left” in U.S. politics.

    On June 16, Breitbart News quoted a Daily Caller report which indicated the Alexandria attacker had an “assassination” list in his pocket, a list which contained the name of Rep. Franks.

    While a guest on Breitbart News Sunday, Franks said news of the list has been widely reported, and he does not see a need to try to “characterize the list” because “[he] thinks it has already been fairly accurately characterized.” Moreover, he said he did on want to say anything that “impedes the investigation of the Capitol Police or the FBI.” He added, “I want to be sure they have the opportunity to express the character of the list as they choose because they may have important reasons for doing so.”

    Franks then shifted focus from the list in order to talk of causal matters. He said that the attack appears to be “premeditated,” which means “we have devolved to a great point in our society now. To the point where the militant left is out there to the extent that they are willing to shoot people.”

    http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/06/18/exclusive-congressman-hodgkinsons-hit-list-warns-rise-militant-left-us-politics/

  40. Officer Stabbing At Flint Airport By “Allahu Akbar”-Shouting Canadian Investigated As Act Of Terrorism

    Wednesday morning’s incident at Bishop airport in Flint, Michigan, in which an airport officer was stabbed in the neck is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism according to Federal investigators.

    Lieutenant Jeff Neville, who retired from the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, was stabbed in the neck and is listed in stable condition. Sources cited by ABC say Neville was at his post at the top of the escalators at Bishop when he was attacked from behind with a larger knife, similar to a Bowie knife.
    The knife-yielding suspect is Canadian-born and shouted “Allahu Akbar” before stabbing the officer multiple law enforcement sources say. He was then taken into custody.
    After the attack, Bishop International Airport was evacuated and is closed. The airport released the following statement:

    “All passengers are safe and are being evacuated at this time. Please check with your airline for potential cancellations or delays.”

    The FBI is leading the investigation. The Flint City Hall began operating under heightened security in an abundance of caution after the incident.

    “Right now we are still awaiting more information about the situation at Bishop Airport this morning,” Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said. “My thoughts and prayers are with all of our law enforcement officers who work to service and protect us each and every day. I want the public to know that several agencies are involved and working to ensure the situation is under control. However, at this time we are taking extra precautions just to be safe.”
    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-06-21/officer-stabbing-flint-airport-allahu-akbar-shouting-canadian-investigated-act-terro

  41. Sixty-eight flats in £2bn luxury Kensington block to be given to Grenfell Tower families (telegraph, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/21/sixty-eight-flats-2bn-luxury-kensington-block-given-grenfell/

    “A number of Grenfell Tower families are to be housed in a £2bn luxury development, which boasts a private cinema and swimming pool.

    Brand-new flats in a Kensington High Street development have been bought for those who lost their homes in the blaze, according to the Evening Standard.

    The private flats in the block start at £1.5m, however the apartments that will rehouse the families are part of the 120 affordable homes being built alongside them…”

    • The private flats in the block start at £1.5m, however the apartments that will rehouse the families are part of the 120 affordable homes being built alongside them…”

      Someone be sure to keep track of current and future property valuations for this piece of real estate. There will be an unimaginable bill for refurbishment if they ever manage to get these “refugees” to move out.

      Building “affordable homes” homes next door will only further depress this property’s value.

  42. ISIS female enforcer dubbed ‘crocodile jaws’ for biting women who break the terror group’s ‘modesty code’ has her teeth smashed by vigilantes in Iraq (dailymail, Jun 21, 2017)
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4624912/ISIS-female-enforcer-crocodile-jaws-teeth-smashed-in.html

    “A woman working for ISIS known as ‘crocodile jaws’ has had her teeth shattered in a revenge attack after she bit hundreds of women deemed to be violating modesty laws.

    The woman was reportedly ambushed outside her house in the northern Iraqi town of Hawija, Kirkuk as revenge for biting more than 200 women.

    She was a ‘biter’ for ISIS’s female vigilante division, tasked with savagely chomping on the hands of other women accused of disobeying the group’s moral code.

    ‘That woman had bitten more than 200 women. She is from Mosul and had worked with the group for three years,’ Iraqi News quoted a source as saying…”

    • Something tells me that ‘crocodile jaws’ will be eating her Eid al-Fitr through a straw.

  43. Trey Gowdy GRILLS Jeh Johnson at Intelligence Hearing on Trump Russia Investigation US Elections

    • Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson: DNC refused DHS help after hacking

      Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Wednesday the Democratic National Committee decided it didn’t need the department’s help when it was hacked by the Russians and instead opted to rely on a private cybersecurity firm.

      “This was a question I asked repeatedly when I learned of [the hacking]—what are we doing? Are we in there? Are we helping them discover the vulnerabilities, because this was fresh off the OPM experience and there was a point at which DHS cybersecurity experts did get in to OPM and help them discover the bad actors and patch some of the exfiltrations, or at least minimize some of the damage,” Johnson said referencing the hack at the Office of Personnel Management.

      “I was anxious to know whether our folks were in there, and the response I got was the FBI had spoken to them. They don’t want our help. They have CrowdStrike,” he said. “That was the answer I got after I asked the question a number of times over the progression of time.”

      Johnson said he was “not pleased” by the response from the DNC, but said the Department of Homeland Security was limited in its response to the party committee since the department doesn’t have the power to patch vulnerabilities over the DNC’s objections.

      “My interest in helping them was definitely of nonpartisan interest,” he said, “and I recall very clearly that I was not pleased that we were not in there helping them patch this vulnerability.”

      Johnson, who served as secretary of Homeland Security in the Obama administration, said in hindsight he “should’ve camped out” in front of the DNC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., after the committee refused the department’s assistance.

      The former secretary was testifying before the House Intelligence Committee as part of its investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.

      The intelligence community believes Russia hacked into the DNC and other entities as part of its attempts to influence the election.

      http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/former-dhs-secretary-jeh-johnson-dnc-refused-dhs-help-after-hacking/article/2626627

  44. ISIS Losing the Battle but Winning the War

    by Giulio Meotti
    June 21, 2017 at 5:00 am

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10535/isis-winning-war

    The Islamic State is crumbling — if too slowly. More than two years have passed since French President François Hollande promised, “We will bomb Raqqa”. Sooner or later, ISIS will probably be reduced to a small enclave with no territorial continuity, and its chief, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, will be eliminated. It would, nevertheless, be most dangerous to dismiss these three years as a short parenthesis: Nazism did not last as long: “just” 12 years in power and five at war with the rest of Europe. The physical and cultural consequences of the Nazi tyranny are, unfortunately, still visible in Europe. The same will be said of the Islamic State. Three years of terror and conquests are not bad in for a war between the Caliphate vs. everyone else.

    ISIS will leave behind an unprecedented terrorist infrastructure (277 Europeans killed on European soil in two years). If ISIS is retreating in Mosul, it is rapidly advancing in Manchester. The Caliphate is winning its war in Europe. Six months ago in the Britain, the rise of Jeremy Corbyn, the ultra-pacifist Labour party leader who blamed the “war on terror” for the recent attacks in Manchester and London, would have been unthinkable. His success is clearly linked to the recent bloodshed in British streets.