New California Law Violates 1st And 14th Amendments, Business Groups Argue In Lawsuit

Business groups in California filed a federal lawsuit on New Year’s Eve to challenge a new law that prohibits companies from firing or in any way disciplining workers who refuse to attend “captive audience” meetings, effectively undoing nearly 80 years of precedent protecting employer speech.

Senate Bill 399, which took effect on Jan. 1, adds section 1137 to the California Labor Code, prohibiting employers from taking any action against an employee who refuses to attend a meeting that addresses a company’s opinions on political or religious matters.

The California Chamber of Commerce and California Restaurant Association, which filed the suit, claim that the law violates employers’ First and 14th amendments rights by restricting employer speech and regulating their conversations with employees.

“Because of SB 399, employers in California are now subject to liability, penalties, and other administrative action when they exercise their federal constitutional and statutory rights to talk to employees about political issues,” the lawsuit said.

The bill discriminates against employers’ speech by regulating the content of employers’ communications with their employees and puts a chill on employer speech, the business organizations argued in the suit. The California Restaurant Association said it has the right to express its views on issues.

“Throughout legislative deliberations, we repeatedly underscored the fact that SB 399 was a huge overreach,” CalChamber President and CEO Jennifer Barrera said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times.

“SB 399 is clearly viewpoint-based discrimination, which runs afoul of the First Amendment. In addition, SB 399 is preempted by the NLRA.”

“Employers have the right to express their views and opinions on many issues,” Jot Condie, CRA president and CEO, said in a statement to The Epoch Times.

“SB 399 creates restrictions that are unworkable and the unintended consequences of this new law outweigh any perceived benefit.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/new-california-law-violates-1st-and-14th-amendments-business-groups-argue-lawsuit

Joe Biden Announces Another $500 Million in Military Aid to Ukraine

The U.S. is set to provide Ukraine an additional $500 million in weapons quickly pulled from its existing stockpiles as the Biden administration works to get Kyiv in a stronger negotiating position before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, two U.S. officials said.

The announcement is expected during Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s final trip to meet with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a consortium of about 50 partner nations that Austin brought together months after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 to coordinate weapons support.

The meeting on Thursday is the 25th and potentially last gathering of the U.S.-led group, as the participating countries wait to see whether it will be continued under Trump.

https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-weapons-military-aid-686f9420eb8ef7d4baa7a3858e20ff69

Labour ‘cowards’ vote down national grooming inquiry

Sir Keir Starmer was on Wednesday night accused of an “act of cowardice” after Labour MPs lined up to block a national inquiry into grooming gangs…

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/01/08/politics-latest-news-keir-starmer-elon-musk-grooming-vote/

‘Heavy gunfire’ in African capital after Chinese FM visit

The presidency of Chad reportedly came under attack by militants

Tanks have been deployed to the streets of N’Djamena and heavy gunfire could be heard at the heart of the capital of Chad, as the presidential palace reportedly came under attack by unidentified militants, sources have told RT.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had visited N’Djamena on Wednesday to discuss “advancing bilateral cooperation” with Chadian President Mahamat Deby.

The French news agency AFP first reported “heavy gunfire” in the Chadian capital on Wednesday evening. AFP cited a Chadian security source, who said that “armed men had attacked the presidential palace.”

All roads to the presidency have been closed to traffic and the streets were blocked by armored vehicles.

“Nothing serious, don’t panic, the situation is under control,” Chadian government spokesman Aziz Mahamat Saleh said in a Facebook post on Wednesday evening, without giving further details.

The former French colony terminated its security pact with Paris in November, following the lead of nearby Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. France had around 1,000 troops in the Sahel nation. The first 30 or so departed in late December, with the rest expected to follow “in the coming weeks.”

On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron told a meeting of ambassadors that the former colonies in Africa forgot to thank Paris for its help against terrorists and separatists over the past decade.

“None of them would have a sovereign state if the French army had not deployed in this region,” the French president claimed. “I think that they forgot to thank us, but that’s ok, it will come in time.”

France was one of the key backers of the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya to oust the government of Muammar Gaddafi. Libya has been torn by sectarian warfare among rival warlords ever since, with much of its arsenal finding its way to a variety of militant groups across the Sahel, including some that allied with Al-Qaeda. France has deployed expeditionary forces in its former colonies to fight the terrorists, but the local governments eventually accused Paris of failing at the job and sought security partnerships with Russia and China instead.

https://www.rt.com/news/610592-heavy-gunfire-in-african-capital/

PEDOPHILE NETWORKS CONTROL THE WORLD

Police and politicians ‘turned blind eye’ to Westminster child abuse claims

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/feb/25/police-and-politicians-turned-blindeye-to-westminster-child-abuse-claims-report

At least 40 UK politicians complicit in alleged Westminster 'pedophile ring'

https://www.rt.com/uk/170672-uk-politicians-pedophile-ring/

>>22317680

Up to 450 paedophiles arrested a month in UK as internet drives ‘explosion’ of child

sex abuse

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/paedophile-uk-arrest-child-sex-abuse-p

olice-internet-a9396661.html

>>22317685

>>22317720

>>22317797

Only pedophiles protect pedophiles

Israeli press - worried they are losing the narrative

Meta steps back from policing content—for all the wrong reasons

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s video announcement about the cancellation of Facebook's fact-checking mechanism is something that should have happened long ago. It should have happened for many reasons—except, perhaps, for the reason that now appears to be driving Zuckerberg's decision.

Zuckerberg said the new policy aligns with Elon Musk’s approach on X, aiming to reduce censorship on topics such as immigration and gender. He also announced the reintroduction of suggested political content, claiming it reflects public demand.

To replace content moderation, Meta will implement “Community Notes,” a system designed to provide context to posts. To address concerns about political bias, the company plans to move this operation from California to Texas, which Zuckerberg suggested would create a less partisan environment. “Meta has made too many mistakes, and there has been too much censorship,” Zuckerberg acknowledged.

Content moderation is a poor fit for commercial companies like Meta, whose primary goal is profit rather than fostering healthy online discourse. It has been fueling polarization, hate speech and election interference.

Governments and courts often relied on Facebook’s willingness to enforce censorship, with Meta’s policies—allegedly influenced by the Biden administration—highlighting the limitations of state institutions in regulating online platforms.

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjn6nm38jl

Suspect splashes figure with red paint, smashing its head and toppling it; act draws praise on social media, with some questioning why Israeli leader’s figure on display

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rj2xsm3uyg#autoplay

Horrifying moment knife-wielding paedophile chases schoolgirl down the street in attempted murder bid after grooming and stalking her online - as he is jailed for 43 years

A violent sexual predator who stalked a schoolgirl before trying to murder her has been jailed for 43 years.

Ellis Dismore, 24, hounded his victim online after using multiple fake media profiles to pose as a young teenager before threatening her with violence and rape.

The university graduate later ambushed the girl as she was walking home from school on a street in Middlesbrough and got her attention by pretending to need medical assistance.

Dismore was caught on CCTV and dashcam footage chasing the girl as she got off a school bus before stabbing her five times in the back and chest on June 22, 2023.

The girl miraculously survived the attack after a passing motorist bravely intervened and quickly drove her to a nearby school, where she was then taken to hospital.

In a statement read to the court, the girl said Dismore had 'ruined' her life, adding that she was a 'normal, happy' teenager before being made to feel like a 'prisoner'.

Police investigating the murder attempt later found Dismore had contacted eight other victims online over a period of seven years, grooming and enticing them into sending indecent images.

He was jailed for 38 years with a further five years on extended licence after being found guilty of 26 offences including attempted murder, making indecent photographs of a children and inciting a child into sexual activity.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14263093/moment-knife-wielding-paedophile-chases-schoolgirl-attempted-murder.html