File: 1601480541810.jpg (18 KB, 460x276)

18 KB JPG

https://www.dw.com/en/sweden-warns-citizens-to-avoid-protests-in-turkey/a-64546277
https://www.reuters.com/world/sweden-tells-citizens-avoid-crowds-turkey-after-koran-burning-2023-01-28/
STOCKHOLM, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Sweden's foreign ministry on Saturday warned Swedes in Turkey to avoid crowds and demonstrations following protests there over the burning of the Koran by a far-right politician in Stockholm last week.

Last week Turkey suspended talks with Sweden and Finland on their applications to join NATO after the protest at which Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right political party Hard Line, burned a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

Paludan's actions have led to demonstrations in a number of Muslim countries as well as in Turkey.
https://theprint.in/world/protests-sweep-across-afghanistan-over-burning-of-quran-in-sweden-netherlands/1340769/
Kabul [Afghanistan], January 29 (ANI): Widespread protests swept Afghanistan after the Holy Quran was desecrated in parts of Europe like Sweden and the Netherlands. Numerous people condemned the action as they gathered in Kabul and called it against human and Islamic laws, TOLOnews reported on Saturday.

Notably, a protest in Stockholm erupted last week against Turkey and Sweden’s bid to join NATO, including the burning of a copy of the Quran, sharply heightened tensions with Turkey at a time when the Nordic country needs Ankara’s backing to gain entry to the military alliance.

Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the Danish far-right political party Hard Line, had previously burned a copy of the Holy Quran in front of Turkey’s embassy in Stockholm, Sweden.

Homeland Security Investigations agents and NYPD detectives arrested 13 suspects and searched multiple locations believed connected to the narcotics gang, according to the officials. About 10 pre-dawn search warrants were executed as part of the takedown of the alleged methamphetamines ring.

Among the items seized were a gun, over $100,000 in cash and thousands of dollars worth of narcotics.

Some searches and arrests also took place in New Jersey, the officials added.

Cont'd:

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/feds-nypd-take-down-monster-drug-trafficking-ring-in-manhattan-officials/4066988/

https://vimeo.com/CityofMemphis

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/01/29/tyre-nichols-police-reform-congress/11145354002/

Nichols' death renews conversations on federal police accountability efforts

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/01/29/memphis-officers-nichols/

MEMPHIS — For the mother of Tyre Nichols, the fact that five Memphis police officers charged with beating her son are also Black has compounded her sorrow as she tries to cope with his violent death at age 29.

“It makes it even harder to swallow,” RowVaughn Wells said in an interview last week, “because they are Black and they know what we have to go through.”

The race of the five officers charged in the Nichols killing has prompted a complex grappling among Black activists and advocates for police reform about the pervasiveness of institutional racism in policing. Nichols died three days after he was pulled out of his car Jan. 7, kicked, punched and struck with a baton on a quiet neighborhood street by Black officers, whose aggressive assault was captured on body-camera videos released Friday.

File: troonvtroon.gif (2.08 MB, 960x779)

2.08 MB GIF

https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-baker-masterpiece-bakery-jack-phillips-loses-appeal-over-transgender-birthday-cake/

The Colorado baker who won a partial U.S. Supreme Court victory after refusing to make a gay couple's wedding cake because of his Christian faith lost an appeal Thursday in his latest legal fight, involving his rejection of a request for a birthday cake celebrating a gender transition.

The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that that the cake Autumn Scardina requested from Jack Phillips and Masterpiece Cakeshop, which was to be pink with blue frosting, is not a form of speech.

It also found that the state law that makes it illegal to refuse to provide services to people based on protected characteristics like race, religion or sexual orientation does not violate business owners' right to practice or express their religion.

Relying on the findings of a Denver judge in a 2021 trial in the dispute, the appeals court said Phillips' shop initially agreed to make the cake but then refused after Scardina explained that she was going to use it to celebrate her transition from male to female.

"We conclude that creating a pink cake with blue frosting is not inherently expressive and any message or symbolism it provides to an observer would not be attributed to the baker," said the court, which also rejected procedural arguments from Phillips.

Phillips, who is represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, maintains that the cakes he creates are a form of speech and plans to appeal.

"One need not agree with Jack's views to agree that all Americans should be free to say what they believe, even if the government disagrees with those beliefs," ADF senior counsel Jake Warner said in a statement.

File: LowEffort1121.png (1.52 MB, 1514x2048)

1.52 MB PNG

Classmates stripped off in front of transgender rapist they didn't know was awaiting trial
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/27/classmates-stripped-front-transgender-rapist-didnt-know-awaiting/

Young college students enrolled in a beauty course stripped off in front of Isla Bryson, unaware the transgender rapist had been charged with two sex attacks, it has emerged.

Bryson signed up for a beauty skills course at Ayrshire College’s Kilwinning Campus in 2021, while awaiting trial, and used the name Annie with fellow students, who were mostly young women.

Bryson's former classmates disclosed how they took off their clothes in front of the 31-year-old for spray tan sessions, unaware of the rapist's real identity or the rape charges.

The students described Bryson as "overpowering" and "disruptive", saying the rapist accused classmates of being homophobic before being asked to leave the course.

They have demanded answers from college chiefs, who denied any knowledge of the charges Bryson was facing.

Bryson was charged under the rapist's original name of Adam Graham and first appeared in court more than three years ago for sex crimes committed in Clydesdale and Glasgow in 2016 and 2019.


Comment too long. Click here to view the full text.

File: wa40OdjX_400x400.jpg (42 KB, 400x400)

42 KB JPG

Black Police Chief was Fired for Incompetence
>tasered motorist Tyre Nichols was fired from a previous law enforcement job after a botched probe.
>Cerelyn “CJ” Davis became the first female police chief in Memphis’ history in 2021 and is currently in the international spotlight after five cops brutally beat Tyre Nichols.
>She was fired from the Atlanta police department in 2008 for her alleged involvement in a sex crimes investigation into the husband of an Atlanta police sergeant, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Black privilege, female privilege on display. Now and innocent man is dead because of this stupid bitch.

https://nypost.com/2023/01/28/memphis-police-chief-cerelyn-davis-fired-from-a-previous-job/amp/

File: 1674032337237311.jpg (112 KB, 762x762)

112 KB JPG

https://www.rawstory.com/raw-investigates/judge-slaps-down-mans-claim-that-first-amendment-protects-his-right-teach-methods-of-federal-agents/

A North Carolina man indicted for allegedly teaching a government informant how to make explosive devices for the purpose of killing law enforcement officers is scheduled to face trial next month after he attempted — and failed — to get charges against him tossed.

U.S. District Court Judge James C. Dever III rejected Christopher "Kit" Arthur’s motion for dismissal last week that argues he has a First Amendment right to teach people how to make explosive devices.
Dever's order clears the way for Arthur's case to go to trial, with jury selection set to begin on Feb. 28. If convicted, Arthur could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

A retired Army scout and former sheriff’s deputy in Mount Olive, N.C., Arthur published manuals and YouTube videos that he promoted as teaching “wartime tactics to civilians for civil defense purposes,” while also providing consulting services to specific clients.

Dever wrote in his order that Arthur "provided the CHS with a strategy to engage and kill ATF agents, by trapping them in a 'fatal funnel.'"
The order quoted Arthur as instructing the confidential government informant: "What these dumbasses are going to do, they're going to hunker down right behind that damn armored vehicle and the other guys are going to run. And that's when you start lobbing your grenades on them with your freaking shotty."

Arthur's prosecution highlights a growing concern, particularly in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, about violent threats to law enforcement coming from former or actively employed members of the profession.

File: __yorigami_shion_touhou_d(...).jpg (272 KB, 850x1202)

272 KB JPG

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/iowa-republicans-want-ban-snap-173613505.html

Republicans in the Iowa House introduced legislation this month that would impose a slew of fresh restrictions on the kinds of food people can purchase using SNAP benefits, sparking outrage among local groups who say the measure would exacerbate hunger in the GOP-dominated state.

The Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC), an interfaith group that operates the largest food pantry network in Iowa, noted in a statement earlier this week that if the bill passes, "Iowans could no longer use their SNAP benefits to purchase meat, nuts, and seeds; flour, butter, cooking oil, soup, canned fruits, and vegetables; frozen prepared foods, snack foods, herbs, spices—not even salt or pepper."

"This is a punitive policy that will do nothing to improve the health and nutrition of Iowans, but rather be a detriment," the group said.

The Iowa Hunger Coalition (IHC) also condemned the bill, voicing opposition to its proposed food restrictions as well as new asset limits that would make it more difficult for families to qualify for SNAP, a program funded by the federal government and administered by states.

"This bill would restrict SNAP participants' ability to make their own food choices, take food away from Iowans, and increase hunger and food insecurity in our state," IHC warned.

According to Feeding America, the largest hunger-relief organization in the U.S., roughly 229,500 people—including 80,160 children—are facing food insecurity in Iowa.

The details of the new legislation—which is sponsored by 39 Iowa House Republicans, including Speaker Pat Grassley—were met with national anger.

Comment too long. Click here to view the full text.

File: flavio_bolsonaro_cnn.jpg (28 KB, 640x480)

28 KB JPG

"It could be tomorrow, six months from now, never", says Flávio Bolsonaro about his father's return to Brazil

https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/politica/pode-ser-amanha-daqui-seis-meses-nunca-diz-flavio-bolsonaro-sobre-retorno-do-pai-ao-brasil/

File: AASdaNL[1].jpg (21 KB, 738x415)

21 KB JPG

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/jeremy-renner-discharged-from-the-hospital-but-with-very-bad-news/ss-AA16vXoy?li=BBnbfcL
>Discharged and at home
>Jeremy Renner has been discharged from the hospital after his serious snow plow accident. Now, after 16 days in hospital care, he can finally sleep in his own bed.
>A very serious accident with a snowplow
>The well-known actor had a complicated accident on January 1st and was in critical condition for a few days. He had been trying to remove snow around his house in Lake Tahoe when the accident happened.
>14,330 pounds on top of his chest
>A Kässbohrer PistenBully snowplow fell on top of Jeremy Renner. The machine weighs approximately 14,330 pounds, which gives an idea of the seriousness of the accident.

>Photo: @jeremyrenner / Instagram
>Bad news about his recovery
>The good news of his discharge from the hospital is accompanied by a somber conclusion: he has lost his penis and testicles in the accident

File: 1659598567579.jpg (29 KB, 280x234)

29 KB JPG

https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-supreme-court-declines-block-new-york-gun-restrictions-2023-01-18/

Jan 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday turned away a challenge by a group of firearms dealers in New York to numerous Democratic-backed measures adopted by the state last year regulating gun purchases that the businesses said hurt their businesses.

The justices, with no public dissents, denied a request by the dealers to block the laws, some of which imposed gun safety requirements on retailers, while their appeal of a lower court's decision in favor of New York proceeds.

The state's Democratic-led legislature passed some of the laws last June. Others were adopted in July after the Supreme Court the prior month struck down New York's limits on carrying concealed handguns outside the home in a landmark ruling expanding gun rights.

New York officials have said the new gun restrictions, which face numerous legal challenges in lower courts, are needed to protect public safety. The Supreme Court has broadened gun rights in three key rulings since 2008.

The justices on Jan. 11 rejected a separate bid by members of a gun rights advocacy group to block much of New York's Concealed Carry Improvement Act, signed into law by Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul on July 1.

In a statement issued with that decision, Justice Samuel Alito, joined by fellow conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, said he understood the court's action in that instance to be procedural rather than expressing any view on the merits of the case. Alito wrote that the New York law at issue "presents novel and serious questions" under the U.S. Constitution's provisions on gun rights and free speech.

File: 1674344331878.png (140 KB, 500x566)

140 KB PNG

McCarthy does something good - begins cleaning up congressional committees. Americans rejoice as some of the worst people in Congress lose their opportunities to cause trouble
Swalwell - gone from the intelligence committee
Adam "shitty" Schiff - fired.
Ilhan Omar - not gonna be on the foreign affairs committee

Oh, it turns out swalwell was hiring Chinese spies to work for him
Oops!
https://www.pleasantonweekly.com/news/2023/01/28/swalwell-fires-back-after-removal-from-house-intelligence-committee
U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Livermore) responded this week to newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's decision to reject him from reappointment to the House Intelligence Committee, defending himself against allegations from the Republican leader
Swalwell was joined by fellow U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D- Minn.), who also responded to allegations from

"I appreciate the loyalty you have to your Democrat colleagues, and I acknowledge your efforts to have two Members of Congress reinstated to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence," McCarthy said in a Jan. 24 letter to Jeffries that he posted on Twitter. "But I cannot put partisan loyalty ahead of national security, and I cannot simply recognize years of service as the sole criteria for membership on this essential committee."

For Swalwell in particular, McCarthy cited an FBI briefing from 2015 that found a woman who served for Swalwell's campaign had been discovered to be a spy for China's Ministry of State Security, leading to House Republicans -- then in the minority -- to call for Swalwell's removal from the committee in 2020 when the news was leaked to Axios.

>https://nationalpost.com/feature/pronatalism-reborn
This is like a high school bully encouraging you to learn how to box while casually breaking your arm. Billionaires and the "winning" class of capitalism accumulate so much of the wealth, to the point that having children seems like an unconscionable risk to everyone else, then tell us that we need to be having more children. It's completely nonsensical.

File: Screenshot_20230117-18481(...).jpg (609 KB, 1080x2220)

609 KB JPG

https://www.tmz.com/2023/01/28/top-air-force-general-sends-memo-warning-war-china-2025/