Cher: Parental Rights Laws in Florida, Other States will Lead to ‘Gov Sanctioned Violence’

Left-wing Hollywood star and gay icon Cher has made the outlandish claim that Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law — along with similar bills being considered in other states — will inevitably lead to government sanctioned violence against gay and transgender people.

Cher tweeted her despair that more than 12 states are proposing laws like Florida’s that would forbid the teaching of sexuality and gender ideology to the youngest elementary school children. She said the legislation has pushed gay and transgender families into the “dark ages” and will cause untold amounts of “suffering.”

It remains unclear why Cher believes the legislation would lead to government-approved violence. The Florida law makes no reference to “gay” or homosexuality, and only applies to classroom settings for kindergarten through third grade.

Her words appear to be part of an escalation of the left’s rhetorical war against the law. During his recent appearance on ABC’s The View, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg echoed his husband Chasten’s belief that the law “will kill kids.”

Cher is the latest Hollywood celebrity to inveigh against the legislation even as the majority of Americans on both sides of the political divide support it.

A recent poll publicized by The Wall Street Journal‘s editorial board showed Democratic voters backing the law 55 percent to 29 percent. The law is popular among Biden voters, who support it 53 percent to 30 percent, and crucial suburban voters, who back it 60 percent to 30 percent.

https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2022/04/11/cher-parental-rights-laws-in-florida-other-states-will-lead-to-gov-sanctioned-violence/

Putin intends to ‘resolve’ Donbass conflict – Austria

Austrian chancellor says Russian president is determined to defend national security interests

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer walked away from his meeting on Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin convinced that sanctions aren’t weakening the Kremlin’s determination to resolve the Donbass crisis before ending the military offensive in Ukraine.

“He clearly confirmed that the sanctions are tough for Russia but the situation in Donbass, as he said, must be, so to say, resolved, despite the sanctions – even if they are quite tangible,” Nehammer told reporters following the meeting at Putin’s residence outside Moscow, as cited by Tass.

The talks marked Putin’s first in-person meeting with an EU leader since the Russian attack on Ukraine began in February. While Nehammer had said he hoped to “build bridges” by traveling to Moscow, he told reporters afterward that “I generally have no optimistic impression that I can report to you from this conversation with President Putin.”

After pulling back its forces from around Kiev, Russia is preparing an offensive in eastern Ukraine “on a massive scale,” Nehammer claimed. Putin sees the war as necessary to defend Russian national security and mistrusts an international community that he considers “one-sided,” the chancellor said.

Nehammer said the meeting wasn’t “a visit of friendship,” adding that the conversation was “direct, open and hard.” He said he told Putin that alleged war crimes in Ukraine must be investigated to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.

Another topic discussed was the fact that anti-Russia sanctions will remain in place and intensify “as long as people keep dying in Ukraine,” Nehammer said. He also called for humanitarian corridors to be set up to bring food and water to besieged towns and evacuate women, children and injured people.

“I will now inform our European partners about the conversation and discuss further steps,” the chancellor said.

Russia has denied committing war crimes, saying Ukrainian officials had made false allegations to manipulate international public opinion.

The Donbass conflict goes back to the Western-backed overthrow of Ukraine’s elected leadership in 2014. Largely Russian-speaking populations in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Lugansk areas opposed the coup and declared their independence from Kiev, leading to seven years of fighting.

Russia officially recognized the Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk (LPR) People’s Republics as sovereign nations in February, two days before launching its military offensive against Ukraine. Putin accused Ukraine of failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements – the German- and French-brokered protocols designed to regularize the status of those regions within the Ukrainian state.

Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two rebel regions by force. Russia has now demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military alliance.

https://www.rt.com/russia/553714-nehammer-putin-donbass-ukraine/

Republican senators join Zelensky to question if Biden wants Russia fully defeated in Ukraine

"Stop fearing the Russian Federation," Zelensky said. "We've shown we are not afraid.”

As the Donbas region of Ukraine is poised to become the site of an armored showdown, Republican U.S. lawmakers have joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in questioning whether the Biden administration truly wants victory for Kyiv over Moscow.

Senators last week pressed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to explain during testimony why the Biden administration uses seemingly soft language when talking about war in Ukraine.

"You never once used the word 'win' or 'victory' in reference to Ukraine," said Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, while describing Austin's testimony. "Have the words 'win' and 'victory' been purged from the administration's vocabulary when it comes to Ukraine?"

"Doesn't it make sense to have, as our number one objective, imposing a strategic defeat on Putin?" said Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan. "I think that's the source of frustration for a lot of senators. We're not hearing that language."

The issue is heating up amid reports that Russia will refocus its efforts on the eastern Donbas region, after its troops stalled this month in Kyiv. Russia aims to fully seize Mariupol, which has been pummeled for nearly seven weeks. Russia is amassing troops for a renewed attack on the region, Zelensky said.

While Biden generally supports Ukraine in the fight against Russia, critics note, the American president may be hedging his bets in hopes that Kyiv would agree to concede pre-invasion postures to Moscow. In that scenario, Russian President Vladimir Putin would retain control of Crimea, which his forces seized from Ukraine in 2014, and would occupy if not fully capture the Donbas region.

Zelensky in recent days has stepped up his pleas for more help from NATO — and has increased his criticism, saying that the alliance is frozen in fear.

"I'm no longer interested in their diplomacy that leads to the destruction of my country," Zelensky said Sunday on "60 Minutes," the CBS News program.

"This is not a movie, this is real life," Zelensky said. "Stop fearing the Russian Federation. We've shown we are not afraid."

The wartime president urged NATO to step up more than it already has done. "They have to supply weapons to Ukraine as if they were defending themselves and their own people," he said. "They need to understand this: If they don't speed up, it will be very hard for us to hold on against this pressure."

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan earlier on Sunday took the position that the White House is doing much to support Ukraine.

https://justthenews.com/world/europe/republican-senators-join-zelenskyy-question-if-biden-wants-russia-fully-defeated

Russia launches probe over Ukrainian ISIS-style ‘social ad’

The disturbing video features a mock execution of a Russian soldier

Russia’s Investigative Committee launched a criminal probe on Monday over a Ukrainian social media advertisement, which called for violence against Russian soldiers. The advertisement, shot in a distinctive style resembling propaganda videos by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorists, features the mock execution of a Russian soldier.

The controversial video emerged on social media over the weekend, sparking outrage in Russia. The advertisement features a woman, apparently portraying Ukraine, delivering a hateful speech against Russians with a ‘prisoner’ in clothes resembling the Russian military uniform kneeling by her side. The actress accuses Russian “pigs” of mocking, oppressing and killing Ukrainians for a long time and states that the situation has now changed.

“Something terrible woke up the peace-loving and grain-growing nation. Something that has been dormant for centuries in the bowels of the Dnieper banks. Primordial and antique Ukrainian god. And now we’re reaping a bloody harvest. Death awaits you all,” the actress states, ‘slitting’ the throat of the ‘prisoner’ with a sickle.

https://www.rt.com/russia/553710-ukraine-isis-social-ad/

https://twitter.com/AsaadHannaa/status/1513681354348716035