Source: ABC News
“A man who works for a German far-right lawmaker in the European Parliament has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, authorities said Tuesday. The detention came less than 24 hours after three people were arrested for spying for China in a separate German case. The suspect was arrested Monday in the eastern German city of Dresden, federal prosecutors said in a statement. They said that he has worked for a German lawmaker in the European Union’s legislature since 2019. The German national is accused of working for a Chinese intelligence service and of repeatedly passing on information on negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament in January. Prosecutors allege that he also snooped on Chinese dissidents in Germany.” (04/23/24)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/german-eu-lawmakers-aide-arrested-suspicion-spying-china-109523643
Source: Show-Me Institute
“SB 727 Reaction with Susan Pendergrass and James Shuls.” (04/22/24)
https://showmeinstitute.org/blog/education/sb-727-reaction-with-susan-pendergrass-and-james-shuls/
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton
“The term in the headline was first applied, I think, to the strongly Pentecostal roving brush arbor preachers of the Great Awakening in the States back in the early 1800s – whom Westerners referred to as ‘sky pilots.’ It was picked up by ‘knights of the road’ (hobos) and the dispossessed and displaced of the Dirty Thirties. It poked fun at these iterant preachers – mostly scam artists – who made a living by preaching about ‘giving to God’ (meaning, in the preacher’s contribution basket) would reap wonderful benefits in heaven after death. Politicians, of course, have been preaching a version of this for millennia – especially here in the States.” (04/22/24)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2024/04/22/pie-in-the-sky-by-and-by-prophets-of-science/
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“A new course offered for students in many of China’s vocational schools is a drama workshop. The goal, however, is not a job in theater. Rather, students are encouraged to speak out in a theater setting about the public stigma – and self-stigma – of being in vocational school. They are taught to write a play and perform it before an audience based on their feelings about a deep social prejudice in China against those who do not follow the academic track for a university degree. They verbalize the internal shame, helping them reshape a negative identity, according to Wang Zijin, former program director at Hope School, a platform designed for mainly rural schools. ” (04/23/24)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2024/0423/Lifting-a-stigma-in-China
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“The US justice department will pay $138.7m (£110m) to survivors of disgraced national gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar. In a 2022 lawsuit, some of Nassar’s victims alleged that the FBI mishandled credible complaints of sexual assaults and failed to take them seriously. The 139 claimants included US Olympic gymnastics gold medallists Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney. Nassar is currently serving up to 175 years in prison for sexual assault. In 2021, the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General, which serves as a watchdog for the FBI, concluded that the agency disregarded allegations about Nassar and made a raft of errors. … including a failure to formally document meeting with USA Gymnastics officials after they concluded their own five-week internal probe into Nassar’s behaviour. It also cited a failure to contact state and local authorities about the potential risk he continued to pose to athletes.” (04/23/24)
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68841682
Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard
“The Biden administration believes it should be a federal crime to refuse to hire ex-convicts. There is no such federal statute, but that hasn’t stopped President Biden’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from seizing dictatorial power to impose its own decrees. The EEOC sued Sheetz Inc. Thursday for using criminal background checks to staff its 600+ convenience stores in six states. The agency does not allege Sheetz is biased against minorities per se — only against minorities who failed the background check.” (04/22/24)
https://jimbovard.com/blog/2024/04/22/n-y-post-biden-and-the-great-sheetz-shakedown/
Source: Politico
“Lawmakers in California want to double the penalty for protesters who block highways, a sign of increased frustration among both Republicans and Democrats with demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war such as the one that recently snarled traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. Legislation authored by a Republican cleared a key committee vote Monday at the Capitol with crucial support from four Democrats, who defied the committee chair to advance the bill. The measure still has to pass the full Assembly and Senate and win the support of Gov. Gavin Newsom, but the vote signals a split among Democrats, who dominate the state Legislature and have been divided by the protests over the war that have roiled major cities and universities.” (04/22/24)
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/22/double-fines-protesters-california-00153778
Source: Bloggingheads.tv
“Putin, AI, Ukraine, Crypto, the Noosphere, Futurism & Other Stuff | Robert Wright & Anatoly Karlin.” (04/22/24)
https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/67556
Source: Property and Environment Research Center
by Madison Yablonski
“This Earth Day, it’s time to reflect on the gains of conservation. Doom-and-gloom Earth Day messaging often paints a depressing future, but there is plenty of progress to celebrate. Here are three examples of innovative conservation happening all across the American West to celebrate our planet and our progress.” (04/22/24)
https://www.perc.org/2024/04/22/creative-conservation-inspires-hope-this-earth-day/
Source: SFGate
“A state senator from Orange County wants to reform how passenger security screening is conducted at California airports. His complaint lies not with full body scanners, but with programs that allow some passengers to jump to the front of security lines. Authored by Democratic state Sen. Josh Newman, Senate Bill 1372 would prohibit public airports in California from entering into new agreements with third-party vendors that allow certain passengers to skip ahead of other travelers after passing a biometric scanner. It also would require vendors like Clear Secure Inc. to create their own dedicated queues separate from a general security lane, rather than sharing the lines used by other passengers. Newman, whose district encompasses parts of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties, said the bill will make airports safer and more equitable.” (04/23/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/calif-bill-would-ban-cutting-airport-security-line-19416953.php
