Biden’s DoD Informs US Congressman They Won’t Destroy Potential Spy Balloon Flying Over Montana Airspace

In a recent development, the Biden regime’s Department of Defense (DoD) has stated it will not interfere with a potential spy balloon reported over American airspace.

The DoD’s response has sparked a backlash from Representative Matt Rosendale (R-MT), who criticized the regime’s lax approach towards foreign surveillance activities over the United States.

Rep. Rosendale communicated his concerns after constituents in Dawson County, Montana, reported tracking a balloon cruising at 57,000 feet over Eastern Montana on Sunday evening.

The congressman contacted the DoD and was informed that, while they were aware of the balloon, they would not investigate due to its size and the low probability of it conducting surveillance activities.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/06/just-bidens-dod-informs-us-congressman-they-wont/

STUNNING: Commie Pope Francis Sent Two Bishops to Confront-Harass Bishop Strickland After He Led March Against the Satanic Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

Earlier this month THOUSANDS of Catholics and Protestants gathered outside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles to protest the team honoring the demonic group the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

The Dodgers and Major League Baseball allowed the radical demonic gay group who mock Catholics and Christianity to be celebrated before the start of the baseball game.

Bishop J. Strickland from Texas spoke at the rally and prayed before the game.

On Monday John Yep from Catholics for Catholics joined Steve Bannon on The War Room. Yep told Steve that The Vatican sent two bishops to Texas to confront and harass Bishop Strickland after the rally.

John Yep: Pat yourself on the back, everybody. America, we are over the target. What we did with God’s help in la Dodger Stadium with a team of united people from all different faiths that’s having an effect. And they don’t realize. Vatican doesn’t realize. This may seem like as a punishment to us and a slap in the face. This will just send our poll numbers up similar to the way that it’s done for Donald Trump when they’ve gone after him for unjust reasons. People won’t understand why this is happening in the Catholic Church.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/06/stunning-commie-pope-francis-sent-two-bishops-confront/

Trump Vows To "Sign A Law Prohibiting Child Sexual Mutilation In All 50 States"

Addressing the Faith & Freedom Coalition convention in Georgia on Saturday, President Trump promised to sign a law if he is re-elected that would ban transgender surgeries on children.

“Something else I find hard to believe that I have to even say,” Trump told the crowd, adding “It’s so ridiculous. It’s so horrible and so ridiculous. I will keep men out of women’s sports. And I will sign a law prohibiting child sexual mutilation in all 50 states. Prohibited.”

Trump continued, “and on day one I will reinstate the Trump ban on transgenders in the military. Because a warrior should be focused on crushing American enemies, on being strong, on having the image of being strong.”

“They have to be powerful. They have to be strong, especially when you see what’s happening in the world today, not catering to radical gender ideology,” he continued.

https://summit.news/2023/06/26/video-trump-vows-to-sign-a-law-prohibiting-child-sexual-mutilation-in-all-50-states/

US envoy says Iraq invasion was based on lie

The 2003 war was not a crime because President George W. Bush was never charged, John Kerry has insisted

The US-led invasion of Iraq was completely different to the current Ukraine conflict, Washington’s special envoy for climate change John Kerry has told French TV channel LCI.

He appeared on LCI’s Sunday evening show hosted by Darius Rochebin, who had previously interviewed him for a Swiss outlet in 2017. Rochebin tweeted a video segment of the interview, in which he confronted Kerry about the West accusing Russia of aggression regarding Ukraine. The French journalist noted that the 2003 invasion of Iraq was an actual war of aggression, based on the lie that Baghdad secretly possessed weapons of mass destruction.

“No,” Kerry replied. “Because there’s never even been, you know, a process of direct accusation of President [George W.] Bush himself.”

He added that there had been “abuses” in the course of that conflict, and that he “spoke out against them.” When Rochebin asked him directly whether the Iraq War had been a crime of aggression, Kerry repeatedly denied it.

“No, No, No. Well, you didn’t know it was a lie at the time. The evidence that was produced, people didn’t know that it was a lie,” the former diplomat said, before telling Rochebin that he doesn’t intend to “re-debate the Iraq War” at this point.

Kerry also claimed he was opposed to the war at the time and thought it was the wrong thing to do. He actually voted in the Senate to authorize the invasion, however. When Rochebin pushed him on the apparent double standard, Kerry began speaking about “climate justice.”

The Bush administration accused Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of having chemical and biological weapons, as well as being somehow involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. The ‘evidence’ for WMDs offered to the media and the UN Security Council turned out to be entirely fabricated, and no such weapons were ever found. Likewise, no connection between Baghdad and Al-Qaeda was ever established.

The 2003 invasion and the subsequent occupation of Iraq was carried out without UN approval, by what Bush called a ‘coalition of the willing’. The US, the UK, Australia and Poland provided troops for the attack, though Washington later claimed 44 more countries had offered some kind of support.

Kerry ran against Bush in 2004 but lost. He later served as secretary of state in the Barack Obama administration, and was appointed climate change ambassador by the current president, Joe Biden, in 2021.

https://www.rt.com/news/578750-john-kerry-iraq-aggression-lie/

IMF Proposes Global Central Bank Digital Currency in Move Toward Cashless Society – So They Can Control the People

In a development that seems more dystopian than dynamic, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced its plans to develop a global Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) platform. This decision raises significant questions about monetary sovereignty, financial privacy, and global equity.

While IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva argued for the need for global CBDCs at a conference attended by African central banks in Rabat, Morocco, critics are skeptical.

“CBDCs should not be fragmented national propositions… To have more efficient and fairer transactions we need systems that connect countries: we need interoperability,” Georgieva told a conference.

“For this reason at the IMF, we are working on the concept of a global CBDC platform,” she said.

• Here Is One Way To Do It

Reuters reported:

The IMF wants central banks to agree on a common regulatory framework for digital currencies that will allow global interoperability. Failure to agree on a common platform would create a vacuum that would likely be filled by cryptocurrencies, she said.

A CBDC is a digital currency controlled by the central bank, while cryptocurrencies are nearly always decentralised.

Already 114 central banks are at some stage of CBDC exploration, “with about 10 already crossing the finish line”, she said.

“If countries develop CDBCs only for domestic deployment we are underutilizing their capacity,” she added.

CBDCs could also help promote financial inclusion and make remittances cheaper, she said, noting that the average cost of money transfers stands at 6.3% amounting to $44 billion annually.

Georgieva stressed that CBDCs should be backed by assets and added that cryptocurrencies are an investment opportunity when backed by assets, but when they are not they are a “speculative investment.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/06/imf-proposes-global-central-bank-digital-currency-move/

>>19077862

REPORTER: "Did you lie about never speaking to Hunter about his business deals?"

BIDEN: "No!"

walks away

https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1673368538931666944

Trump Calls For Election Of School Principals, Says ‘Parents Should Be Able To Fire Them’ and ‘Expel the Communists’

Former president and current 2024 frontrunner for the Republican presidential election, Donald Trump, has once again called for principals to be elected so parents can fire them.

Trump discussed his position on the issue during a Saturday speech at the Faith & Freedom Coalition convention in Georgia.

“Another top priority will be to expel the communists and these terrible people that have taken over our education system,” Trump said. “I will immediately signed a new executive order to cut federal funding for any school pushing Critical Race Theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content on our children.”

Trump continued, “I always say this. Can you believe this? Can you imagine saying this 10 or 15 years ago? I will fight for parents’ rights. Of course you fight. Today I have to say, I have to make it — I will fight for parents’ rights. of course you fight for parents’ rights. Who would ever think you have to say that as a politician or as a person at a microphone?”

The candidate said that he will fight for school choice and give parents more control by making the principal an elected position.

Trump said that this includes “the right to send your child to the public, private charter, or religious school of your choice. At the same time, I refuse to abandon our public school system to these lunatics because what’s happening there is terrible. That’s why I will fight for the direct election of school principals by the parents, the parents of the school. If any principal is not getting the job done, the parents should be able to fire them immediately and select someone who will.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/06/trump-calls-election-school-principals-says-parents-should/

Blinken Hints At More Russia Unrest To Come: "We Haven't Seen The Last Act"

France's Macron made similar comments and said the crisis 'justifies' Western support for Ukraine

Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested on Sunday that the US was expecting more unrest in Russia following Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s two-day uprising.

“I think we’re in the midst of a moving picture. We haven’t seen the last act. We’re watching it very closely and carefully,” Blinken told CBS News on Sunday.

When asked if the US was in touch with Russia about the crisis, Blinken said he instructed his team to engage with Russia to ensure “they understood their responsibilities in terms of protecting our own personnel.” There’s no sign Blinken has attempted to speak with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the incident.

Blinken said Prigozhin’s dissent showed “real cracks” in Russia. “It was a direct challenge to Putin’s authority. So this raises profound questions. It shows real cracks. We can’t speculate or know exactly where that’s gonna go. We do know that Putin has a lot more to answer for in the weeks and months ahead,” he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron made similar comments on Sunday, saying the mutiny shows “the divisions that exist within the Russian camp, and the fragility of both its military and its auxillary forces.”

Macron said the crisis justifies Western support for Kyiv. “All this should make us very vigilant, and fully justifies the support that we are giving to the Ukrainians in their resistance,” he said.

Also on Sunday, President Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the situation in Russia. “Yesterday’s events exposed the weakness of Putin’s regime,” Zelensky said, according to a press release from his office.

https://news.antiwar.com/2023/06/25/blinken-on-russia-crisis-we-havent-seen-the-last-act/

Biden, Zelenskyy Discuss Wagner Mercenary Uprising in Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told President Joe Biden about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s weakness, in a phone call on Sunday following the Wagner mercenary group’s military rebellion.

“Yesterday’s events exposed the weakness of Putin’s regime,” Zelenskyy said he told Biden, according to a June 25 statement from Ukraine’s presidential office.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his forces seized Rostov-on-Don, a crucial logistical hub for Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine, after accusing Russian military forces of killing a large number of Wagner soldiers at their field camps in Ukraine. The mercenaries then advanced hundreds of miles toward Moscow, but their march was halted after a deal to withdraw was reached.

Under the deal, Prigozhin agreed to leave Russia for Belarus and criminal charges against him would be dropped. However, prior to the deal, Putin vowed the rebels would face “inevitable punishment.”

Zelenskyy described his conversation with Biden as “positive and inspiring” on Twitter, and thanked the president for the “unflagging support” of Ukraine.

“We discussed the course of hostilities and the processes taking place in Russia. The world must put pressure on Russia until international order is restored,” Zelenskyy wrote. “We discussed further expansion of defense cooperation, with an emphasis on long-range weapons.”

Zelenskyy said he thanked Biden for providing Ukraine with Patriot defense systems, as well as the president’s support of the “fighter jet coalition.”

“It is important to further increase [Ukraine’s] capabilities to protect our skies. In this context, I also thanked him for the support of the fighter jet coalition,” Zelenskyy added.

According to a White House readout, Biden and Zelenskyy talked about “recent events” in Russia.

“They discussed Ukraine’s ongoing counter-offensive, and President Biden reaffirmed unwavering U.S. support, including through continued security, economic, and humanitarian aid,” the White House said.

‘Weakness’

Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s defense minister, also talked with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Sunday.

Reznikov wrote on Twitter that he and his U.S. counterpart “talked about recent events in russia.”

“We agree that the russian authorities are weak and that withdrawing russian troops from Ukraine is the best choice for the kremlin,” Reznikov wrote. “We also discussed the #UAarmy’s counteroffensive and the next steps in strengthening our Defense Forces.

“Things are moving in the right direction. Ukraine will win.”

https://www.ntd.com/biden-zelenskyy-discuss-wagner-mercenary-uprising-in-russia_927456.html

From Merck To Microsoft: These Are The Companies That BlackRock 'Controls' The Most Of

“They [BlackRock] don’t want to be in the news. They don’t want people to talk about them. They don’t want to be anywhere on the radar…”

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/the-state/from-merck-to-microsoft-these-are-the-companies-that-blackrock-controls-the-most-of

Rep. James Comer slams ‘ridiculous’ appointment of Hunter Biden special counsel

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has come out in vehement opposition to the Justice Department appointing a special counsel tasked with scrutinizing Hunter Biden.

“I strongly oppose the appointment of a special counsel,” Comer (R-Ky.) told Fox News Monday. “I think that’s the most ridiculous idea that any Republican could think right now.

“If you support a special counsel, you support and trust [Attorney General] Merrick Garland to have the sole authority to pick one person who can then take over the investigation and never have to be transparent with the media or Congress until the conclusion of the investigation.”

Rather than defer to a special counsel, Comer insisted his panel was best suited to probe the scandal-plagued first son.

https://nypost.com/2023/06/26/rep-james-comer-hunter-biden-special-counsel-ridiculous/

Admiral Rachel Levine Declares ‘Summer of Pride’

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/06/26/the-party-never-stops-admiral-rachel-levine-declares-summer-of-pride/

Lavrov: Biden's Allegations of Russian Nuclear Threat Are 'Baseless Verbal Escapades'

While speaking to a group of donors in California earlier this week, Biden said he worries about Russian President Vladimir Putin “using tactical nuclear weapons,” gauging such a possibility as “real.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has dismissed US President Joe Biden's claims about the prospects of Moscow using tactical nuclear weapons.

When a Russian reporter asked him about this development, Lavrov remarked that he finds it hard to “comment on things the US president is saying lately.”

“I would not pay too much attention to completely baseless verbal escapades,” he added.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230625/lavrov-bidens-allegations-of-russian-nuclear-threat-are-baseless-verbal-escapades–1111454518.html

Why are NATO intelligence assets and heavy weapons in South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant?

Amid numerous disturbing reports about possible false flag operations involving nuclear devices and weapons, the Kiev regime seems to be escalating its actions in this regard. According to various local sources, the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), located in the city of Yuzhnoukrainsk in the Nikolayev region (oblast), has been effectively taken over by the Neo-Nazi junta forces. Although troops have been stationed in and around the NPP since the start of the special military operation (SMO), in recent weeks this has escalated. Apparently, mysterious “guards” have appeared at the NPP and have even restricted access to the reactor facilities, including to the staff responsible for the critically important maintenance of the reactor and the NPP’s key systems and subsystems.

Worse yet, the “guards” are offering no explanation for their behavior, nor does anyone else, be it the military or civilian authorities. In essence, nobody really knows for sure, but many people are skeptical (to say the least). The “guards” have even placed what can only be described as ammunition crates inside the NPP. And it doesn’t seem to be small arms ammunition, but something much bigger, such as shells or even rockets, all of which have foreign markings. For over a year, there have been numerous reports about the Kiev regime hiding NATO-sourced weapons there, obviously in an attempt to prevent their destruction. Needless to say, having any sort of weapons at a nuclear facility of any kind is suicidal in and of itself, but having shells and rockets stored there is simply criminal.

This is particularly dangerous as the political West and the Neo-Nazi junta have been insisting that Russia is supposedly planning to use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine, supposedly due to mythical “battlefield losses”. On the other hand, Moscow has repeatedly issued warnings about the Kiev regime’s plans to build a so-called “dirty bomb”, for which it has more than enough enriched uranium stored in several Soviet-era NPPs across Ukraine. The previous scenario is extremely unlikely, as it’s not in Russia’s interest to use nuclear weapons. However, Moscow’s “dirty bomb” warnings are certainly not to be dismissed, as the Neo-Nazi junta has been threatening to acquire nuclear weapons for years. This includes threats by the Kiev regime frontman Volodymyr Zelensky himself.

https://alethonews.com/2023/06/26/why-are-nato-intelligence-assets-and-heavy-weapons-in-south-ukraine-nuclear-power-plant/

Why Did the Brutal Murder of Two Lesbians and Their Child by a Transwoman Attract So Little Publicity in the U.S. Media?

In a truly awful case, Dana Rivers, a male killer, was sentenced to life without parole for brutally murdering a lesbian couple and their son. Despite the depravity of the crime, Rivers, who now identifies as a woman, was sent to a women’s prison. Jo Bartosch in Spiked points out that the silence from LGBTQ+ organisations and the media’s refusal to address this case is as dangerous as it is disturbing.

In 2016, Dana Rivers, a once-feted campaigner for ‘trans rights’, brutally murdered a middle-aged lesbian couple and their teenage son in Oakland, California. Last week, after years in custody and countless legal delays, Rivers (formerly known as David Chester Warfield) was finally sentenced to life without parole. And then came a particularly grim twist. This male killer of two women was sent to a women-only prison to live out his days.

If anything captures the dangerous grip gender ideology now has over American public life it is surely this: a man who murdered a lesbian couple being sent to a women-only jail. And what makes it worse is that the Rivers trial has almost been completely ignored by the wider media, activists and politicians.

This was a particularly gruesome case. Prosecutors say Rivers used a handgun, equipped with a silencer, to shoot Charlotte Reed, Patricia Wright and their son, Benny Diambu-Wright. He then stabbed Reed 47 times before setting the family’s garage on fire in an attempt to cover his tracks. The killings were said to be motivated by Reed’s departure from an ‘all-female’ biker gang. Rivers was reportedly the gang’s enforcer.

Reflecting on the evidence, the judge said: “This is the most depraved crime I ever handled in the criminal-justice system in 33 years.” And yet despite the sensational nature of the case, it has only been patchily covered by the media and largely ignored by politicians and activists.

In any other circumstances the brutal murder of a lesbian couple and their son would have provoked widespread outrage – and Reed, Wright and Diambu-Wright would have been tragic household names. But not here. The perpetrator’s trans identity has not only allowed him access to a women-only prison – it also seems to have insulated him from public scrutiny.

The silence from organisations that you’d normally expect to rally to the cause of gay and lesbian rights has been striking. Indeed, just two days after Rivers began his 150-year stretch inside, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) chose to tweet instead about the supposedly unfair treatment of Duane Owen – another trans murderer who had been denied ‘gender-affirming care’ by the state of Florida before his execution. And even the handful of American outlets willing to cover the Rivers trial have politely referred to the murderous man as ‘she’ and ‘her’.

https://dailysceptic.org/2023/06/25/the-shameful-silence-over-dana-rivers/

>>19078032

Graham, Blumenthal Call For War With Russia If Nuclear Plant Is Attacked After Zelensky ‘Warns’ Of Just That

A bipartisan resolution proposed by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) would consider the Russian use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, or an attack on a Ukrainian nuclear plant, an act of war against NATO. The resolution calls for such actions to be considered grounds for triggering Article V, which requires all NATO countries to defend against an attack on another. The proposal comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has “warned” that the Kremlin plans on attacking the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

“Senator Blumenthal and I want to put everyone on notice that the threat of the use of a nuclear device by Russia is real. The best way to deter this threat is to give Putin’s Russia clarity as to what happens if they use nuclear weapons,” Graham said during a press conference Friday. “Our message is to those around Putin. If you do this and follow his order, should he give it, you can expect a massive response from NATO. You will be at war with NATO.”

“This resolution is meant to send a message to Vladimir Putin and to his military: they will be destroyed if they use tactical nuclear weapons or if they destroy a nuclear plant in a way that threatens surrounding NATO nations,” said Blumenthal. “This message ought to be taken seriously by Putin’s generals – his military risks total obliteration by NATO forces if they are so reckless and irrational as to resort to tactical nuclear weapons.”

The resolution would consider “the use of any tactical nuclear weapon by the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, or their proxies, or the destruction of a nuclear facility, dispersing radioactive contaminates into NATO territory causing significant harm to human life, as an attack on NATO requiring an immediate response, including the implementation of Article V of the North Atlantic Treaty.”

https://trendingpoliticsnews.com/proposed-resolution-would-consider-russian-attack-on-nuclear-power-plant-an-attack-on-nato-after-zelensky-warns-of-just-that-cmc/

With new evidence, Congress unmasks a multi-year government plot to protect Biden, sully Trump

From search warrants to charges, federal agencies put thumb on scale of justice and elections, new evidence suggests

When the Justice Department discovered from journalists a storage locker containing evidence against ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, a search was executed immediately.

But when IRS agents found a similar storage area containing evidence in the Hunter Biden criminal tax probe, they were denied the right to search despite meeting the probable cause standard, then Biden's lawyers were tipped off, according to new congressional testimony.

Likewise, when federal prosecutors believed there was evidence of crimes at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, they launched an unprecedented and full scale-raid on the former president. But when agents wanted to execute a search warrant at Joe Biden’s Delaware home because they had probable cause to believe evidence of Hunter Biden tax crimes, they were turned down for a warrant to raid the guest house in which the first son was living.

And when FBI agents believed former Trump adviser Michael Flynn had committed no crime in the Russia collusion case, they nonetheless conducted an interview with him in what a supervisor concluded smacked of an effort to lure him into a lying charge. But when IRS and FBI agents wanted to interview witnesses in the Biden case, they were told most were off limits, including the Biden grandchildren whom agents believed may have unwittingly been entangled in a tax scheme.

A federal prosecutor “told us it will get us into hot water if we interview the president's grandchildren,” IRS supervisory criminal investigative agent Gary Shapley told Congress in blockbuster testimony released last week that furthers an unmistakable portrait being painted by congressional investigators of a whole-of-government effort to preserve Joe Biden’s viability as a presidential candidate while attempting to destroy Trump’s re-election effort in 2020.

File

Whistleblower 1 Transcript_Redacted.pdf

The pattern and evidence about the behavior of federal bodies – ranging from the IRS, FBI and spy agencies to the Justice Department, U.S. attorney’s office and National Archives – is enough to even convince one unabashed Joe Biden supporter there has been a scheme to administer unequal justice.

“I don't agree that this is necessarily Republicans versus Democrats. A lot of FBI agents are Republicans. This is a separate system of justice for Donald Trump and anybody who defended him, or who was close to him and everybody else, Republicans and Democrats alike,” said Alan Dershowitz, the famed Harvard law professor emeritus who voted for Biden but also represented Trump at an impeachment trial.

https://justthenews.com/accountability/political-ethics/congress-has-begun-unmasking-whole-government-plot-protect-biden

Netanyahu set to visit China next month, in trip seen likely to annoy Biden

Visit shows prime minister has other diplomatic options, Israeli source says, as US President Biden has made clear he won’t invite Israel’s premier in the near future

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to visit China next month, signaling growing impatience with Washington, as Beijing increasingly throws its weight around in the region, Israeli sources said Monday.

While there, the premier is slated to meet with President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders. Advanced contacts have been held in recent days between the two leaders’ offices to arrange the visit, the sources said.

No dates for the trip were given and no plans for a visit have been announced by Jerusalem or Washington. The Prime Minister’s Office said it had “no comment at present” when contacted. The Chinese embassy in Tel Aviv did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.

The visit is intended, among other reasons, to signal to Washington that Netanyahu has other diplomatic opportunities to pursue, Israeli diplomatic sources told Zman Yisrael, The Times of Israel’s Hebrew sister site on Monday.

US President Joe Biden has publicly kept Netanyahu at arm’s length; in March, he said Netanyahu would not be invited in the near term, in the context of the swirling protests in Israel against the government’s plans to remake the judiciary.

“Netanyahu is not going to stand and wait for an invitation that is not forthcoming to visit the White House. He is also working in parallel channels,” one diplomatic source said.

“China has stepped up its involvement in the Middle East of late, and the prime minister needs to be there in order to represent Israel’s interests,” the source added.

China brokered the resumption of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-set-to-visit-china-next-month-in-trip-seen-likely-to-annoy-biden/

Biden Admin Says Its COVID Spending for Schools Will Boost Test Scores. Districts Used the Funds for Staff Bonuses.

With reading and math scores at decade lows, Miguel Cardona touts 'positive results'

Decades-low eighth-grade reading and math scores are no reason to be discouraged, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Wednesday, because the Biden administration's "historic" COVID-era school spending is poised to turn the tide. In many districts, a large portion of those funds have already been spent on lucrative staff bonuses.

A National Assessment of Educational Progress report published Wednesday found that math and reading scores among U.S. 13-year-olds are at their lowest levels in decades. Cardona responded to those findings by praising "positive results" in student achievement, arguing that the "historic investments and resources" provided by President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan would "reverse the damage." In school districts across the country, however, a large portion of those funds did not go to more tutoring or new school materials. Instead, they funded bonuses for teachers and administrators.

In North Carolina, for example, the Wake County Public School System from March 2020 to April 2023 spent 78.5 percent of its total pandemic relief funding on salaries and employee benefits, according to the district. Chicago Public Schools—a district where union teachers repeatedly refused to return to the classroom during COVID—similarly spent 77 percent of its pandemic money on staff bonuses, salaries, and benefits. In Tennessee, meanwhile, the state's comptroller found that a district funneled nearly $28,000 to one administrator alone. And in Nebraska, Lincoln Public Schools attempted to use COVID relief dollars to issue across-the-board teacher bonuses, but the state's Department of Education said no.

The use of so-called emergency COVID funds to pay for five-figure staff bonuses reflects the stark divide between Republicans and Democrats on education policy. Democrats generally balk at school choice, shooting down taxpayer funding for charter schools in favor of additional public school spending. For Republicans, that spending is already at an all-time high with little to show for it and showcases the need to pursue alternative options rather than funneling more money to powerful teachers' unions working to pay out their members.

https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/biden-admin-says-its-covid-spending-for-schools-will-boost-test-scores-districts-used-the-funds-for-staff-bonuses/

Photojournalist brutally attacked with glass bottle at NYC Pride, suffers brain bleed

NJEG Media was transported to a local hospital where he is currently being treated for his injuries, which include a brain bleed as well as glass in his head.

While filming in New York City’s Washington Square Park on Sunday evening, following the city’s Pride celebrations, photojournalist and The Post Millennial contributor NJEG Media was attacked, with someone smashing a bottle on the back of his head.

"I was filming a fight that broke out while police were starting to clear the area. A person got thrown into me and knocked me down, as soon as I hit the ground someone came up behind me and smashed a large bottle over my head. Then my camera was stolen in the process," NJEG Media told The Post Millennial.

He believes that the attack was "random," but was also "intentional."

NJEG Media was transported to a local hospital where he is currently being treated for his injuries, which include a brain bleed as well as glass in his head.

https://thepostmillennial.com/photojournalist-brutally-attacked-with-glass-bottle-at-nyc-pride-suffers-brain-bleed

Catholic Church in California grapples with more than 3,000 lawsuits, alleging child sex abuse

Advocates have been left stunned by the number of cases that surfaced during this revival window.

At least a third of the 12 Roman Catholic dioceses in California have either filed for bankruptcy or are contemplating doing so to deal with an influx of lawsuits filed by survivors of childhood sexual abuse after a state law opened a three-year window in which cases were exempted from age limits.

More than 3,000 lawsuits have been filed against the Catholic Church in California under a 2019 state law that allowed alleged victims to sue up to the age of 40.

Advocates have been stunned by the number of cases that surfaced during the window, which closed at the end of December.

https://religionnews.com/2023/05/26/catholic-church-in-california-grapples-with-more-than-3000-lawsuits-alleging-child-sex-abuse/