The ex-president has grown more critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since leaving office

National and international media news & headlines compiled by CLG

Trump to address ‘Libertarian Party concerns’ at group’s national convention | 1 May 2024 | Former President Donald Trump will address “Libertarian Party concerns” later this month at the group’s national convention in Washington, D.C., the party announced Wednesday. “Libertarians are some of the most independent and thoughtful thinkers in our Country, and I am honored to join them,” Trump, 77, said in a statement. The Libertarian Party’s unprecedented decision to give the presumptive Republican nominee for president a platform at the third-party group’s 2024 nominating convention will allow Trump to court voters beyond his GOP base… Michael Rectenwald, who has won two primary contests, called Trump’s upcoming appearance an “opportunity” to share the stage with a major party candidate and “educate Trump on the principles of the freedom philosophy.”  “[Trump derangement syndrome] is for the faint of heart,” he added. The former president said he is looking forward to speaking at the convention, which will be “attended by many of my great friends.”

Gab’s Response to the German Government’s Data Request | 30 April 2024 | (Gab) We have just received a data request from the German government concerning a user who, back in 2022, made a comment that was deemed “offensive” by a German politician. This comment, which referred to the politician’s weight, has prompted the German government to demand that we hand over the user’s data so they can identify and potentially imprison them for up to five years. Yes, you read that correctly: the German government is demanding Gab user data over a two-year-old post that called a German politician fat. At Gab AI Inc., we stand resolute in our belief that free speech is a fundamental human right and that our users should be able to express themselves without fear of censorship or retaliation. We also take the privacy of our users very seriously and will not compromise their civil liberties for the sake of appeasing foreign governments that seek to stifle free speech. In light of this, we have responded to the German government’s request with a firm rejection. We will not be providing any user data related to the alleged offense, as the speech in question is protected by U.S. law.

House votes to expand definition of antisemitism amid anti-Israeli war demonstrations rage across U.S. –Critics have attacked the bill as government overreach and said it would negatively impact free speech on campus | 1 May 2024 | The House voted to expand the legal definition of antisemitism used to enforce anti-discrimination laws at a time when anti-Israeli war protests are raging at college campuses across the country. The bill overwhelmingly passed the House by a 320-91 vote, netting a majority of Republicans and Democrats. If passed by the Senate and signed by Joe Biden, the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act would mandate that the Department of Education legally adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism when enforcing anti-discrimination rules. Critics of the bill have attacked it as government overreach and said it would negatively impact free speech on campus… Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., voiced his objections to the bill on the morning of the vote. “This is a poorly conceived unconstitutional bill and I will vote no,” Massie wrote on X, along with screenshots of examples on IHRA’s website of what it defines as antisemitism.

Trump doesn’t rule out cutting aid to Israel –The ex-president has grown more critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since leaving office | 30 April 2024 | Former U.S. President Donald Trump has refused to rule out withholding military aid to Israel to force an end to the war in Gaza. Once a stalwart defender of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump now argues that the Israeli leader and his military have bungled the war with Hamas. In an interview with Time magazine published on Tuesday, Trump stood by his insistence last month that Israel should “finish up [its] war” before it loses any more international support. “I think that Israel has done one thing very badly: public relations,” Trump told the outlet, adding that he thinks the Israeli military shouldn’t “be sending out pictures every night of buildings falling down and being bombed.”

Israel will invade Rafah ‘with or without’ cease-fire, hostage deal, Netanyahu vows | 30 April 2024 | Israel Defense Forces will roll into the refugee-dense southern Gazan city of Rafah regardless of a cease-fire agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Tuesday. Recent advancements in truce talks with Hamas fueled uncertainty over whether Israel would conduct military operations in Rafah as Netanyahu previously pledged – but the prime minister made clear nothing is changing on that front. “We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there — with or without a deal, in order to achieve the total victory,” Netanyahu declared in a statement Tuesday. Rafah, fixated near the border of Egypt, is where thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge from the intense fighting that’s mostly taken place in the northern regions of the Gazan Strip.

UN rights chief ‘horrified’ by reports of mass graves at two Gaza hospitals | 23 April 2024 | The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, has said he was “horrified” by reports of mass graves containing hundreds of bodies at two of Gaza’s largest hospitals. Palestinian civil defence teams began exhuming bodies from a mass grave outside the Nasser hospital complex in Khan Younis last week after Israeli troops withdrew. A total of 310 bodies have been found in the last week, including 35 in the past day, Palestinian officials have said. “We feel the need to raise the alarm because clearly there have been multiple bodies discovered,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN high commissioner for human rights. She described bodies “buried deep in the ground and covered with waste,” adding that “among the deceased were allegedly older people, women and wounded,” including some bound and stripped of their clothes. “Some of them had their hands tied, which of course indicates serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and these need to be subjected to further investigations,” she said.

Columbia University suspends press access on campus amid pro-Palestine protests | 30 April 2024 | Columbia University banned media access on its campus Tuesday as pro-Palestine protests continue. “Media access to campus is suspended. Campus is accessible only to CUID-holders and essential personnel as a safety measure and that includes media,” read an announcement on the university website. The university also revealed that early Tuesday morning, “a group of protestors occupied Hamilton Hall on the Morningside campus of Columbia University.” To protect the safety of the community during the “protest activity,” the university said it has asked students and faculty to “avoid coming to the Morningside campus to do so; essential personnel should report to work according to university policy.”

Dozens arrested when NYPD cops storm Columbia campus to clear out anti-Israeli war mob | 30 April 2024 | Several hundred NYPD cops stormed onto Columbia University’s campus on Tuesday night to oust a pro-terror mob that illegally took over an academic building amid ongoing anti-Israel protests on campus. The cops cleared out the group that barged into Hamilton Hall early Tuesday morning in a drastic escalation of the protest at the Ivy League school, according to police sources. Dozens of Emergency Service Unit officers entered the Morningside Heights campus at 9:13 p.m., but were blocked from entering the barricaded building through the front door… The NYPD ordered its Mobile Adjustable Ramp System (MARS) to the second-floor window, sending in a flood of riot-gear clad cops carrying zip-tie handcuffs.

Columbia University locks down campus buildings following overnight protests: ‘Effective immediately’ –The lockdown came as an unruly mob of anti-Israel protesters broke into Hamilton Hall shortly before 1 a.m. | 30 April 2024 | Columbia University has been forced to close its campus indefinitely after an anti-Israeli war mob broke into an academic building early Tuesday morning. In a statement hours after anti-Israel agitators stormed the iconic Hamilton Hall on the Manhattan campus and barricaded its doors, the university said it would remain closed “until circumstances allow otherwise.” “Effective immediately, access to the Morningside campus has been limited to students residing in residential buildings on campus (Carman, Furnald, John Jay, Hartley, Wallach, East Campus and Wien) and employees who provide essential services to campus buildings, labs and residential student life (for example, Dining, Public Safety, and building maintenance staff). There is no additional access to the Morningside campus,” a statement from the university said. It added: “This access restriction will remain in place until circumstances allow otherwise.”

Cops arrest 200 anti-Israeli war protesters at college campuses across U.S. – Columbia passes | 28 April 2024 | Hundreds of anti-Israeli war protesters were arrested at college campuses across the U.S. on Saturday after fed-up administrators said “enough is enough.” Officials at Columbia University, meanwhile, are continuing to allow a Gaza Solidarity Encampment to remain and dropping a deadline to remove it while they negotiate with student leaders who are holding the campus hostage. Over 200 protesters at colleges including Northeastern University in Boston, Arizona State University in Tempe, Indiana University in Bloomington and Washington University in St. Louis were arrested Saturday. Videos shared online Saturday showed varying stages of chaos unfolding at the protests, including clashes between anti-Israeli war demonstrators and law enforcement to students being dragged away by their feet.

U.S. Marshal among 4 law enforcement officers killed in shooting near Charlotte – one suspect dead, 2 others detained | 29 April 2-24 | An agent with the U.S. Marshals and three police officers were killed Monday and four other officers wounded when they were met with a hail of bullets while trying to serve a warrant in Charlotte, North Carolina. Some of the officers were gunned down in a second, surprise round of gunfire after the first officers shot and killed the wanted suspect in the initial barrage of bullets on a front yard in the quiet suburban neighborhood, officials said. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Johnny Jennings said Tuesday called it the bloodiest day for law enforcement he’s seen in his 32 years on the job… SWAT teams and patrol units from CMPD arrived in armored vehicles to assist and were eventually able to clear the home following the three-hour standoff.

White House Is Considering a National Climate Emergency Declaration to Unlock Federal Powers –“Youth activists” [aka WEF elites behind Agenda 2030] push Biden for move ahead of November election –Emergency proclamation could be used to halt exports, drilling | 17 April 2024 | White House officials have renewed discussions about potentially declaring a national climate emergency, an unprecedented step that could unlock federal powers to stifle oil development. Top advisers to Joe Biden have recently resumed talks about the merits of such a move, which could be used to curtail crude exports, suspend offshore drilling and curb greenhouse gas emissions, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because a final decision has not been made. White House advisers are divided over the idea of declaring a climate emergency, with some saying it wouldn’t provide Biden with enough newfound authority to make substantial changes, the people said. Others, however, argue such an announcement would galvanize climate-minded voters.

U.S. government sent m-ney to Wuhan Covid lab despite knowing the Chinese army was using the facility to make bioweapons, researcher Peter Daszak suggests | 1 May 2024 | U.S. officials may have sent taxpayer funds to fund risky research in a Chinese lab known to be carrying out bioweapon research. Disgraced researcher Dr. Peter Daszak suggested to a Congressional subcommittee that the intelligence community was aware of the coronavirus experiments carried out at the Wuhan Institute of Virology years before the pandemic – which many fear may have started the outbreak. The government sent m-ney to the Chinese facility despite concerns that the WIV was being by the Chinese government to manufacture bioweapons, according to Dr. Daszak’s testimony. Further, the researcher said the WIV is astonishingly still in possession of 15,000 samples of other coronaviruses that may belong to the U.S. government through past taxpayer-funded research. Dr. Daszak told the subcommittee: “To the last of my knowledge, [samples] were in the freezers in Wuhan – over 15,000 of them.” The revelation came Wednesday in his testimony given at the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Two possible bird flu vaccines could be available within weeks, if needed [Yes, and gas station sushi is likely 100 times safer.] –The H5N1 virus has infected at least 36 herds across nine states, raising the risk of potential human spread, federal health officials said Wednesday. | 1 May 2024 | The U.S. has two vaccines ready should the strain of bird flu circulating in dairy cows begin spreading easily to people, federal health officials said Wednesday. They could begin shipping doses widely within weeks, if needed. So far, there’s no evidence that H5N1 is spreading person-to-person, although one dairy worker in Texas who worked closely with infected cattle had a mild infection and developed conjunctivitis, or pinkeye, in April. At a briefing Wednesday, government health officials said they are preparing for a potential scenario of H5N1 jumping from animal to person – or person to person . The virus has taken off in dairy cows, infecting at least 36 herds across nine states, raising concerns that it could acquire mutations that would make it easier to spill over into humans.

Florida dolphin dies of ‘mutated’ bird flu that is 18 TIMES more resistant to drug treatment –The dolphin was infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus of HA clade 2.3.4.4b. | 29 April 2024 | A bottlenose dolphin in Florida has become one of the latest mammals to die from bird flu, according to a new report. Scientists from the University of Florida found this particular bird flu victim after they were notified of a dolphin that appeared to be in distress, but a necropsy following its death revealed it contracted a highly deadly strain. The team discovered the virus in the mammal’s brain and lungs, which had mutated to become 18 times more resistant to current drug treatments. Farmed poultry and wild birds in the U.S. have been falling victim to highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses since the end of 2021, but recently it has begun spilling over into cows and other mammals.

Whistleblower Josh Dean of Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems has died | 1 May 2024 | Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems and one of the first whistleblowers to allege Spirit leadership had ignored manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX, died Tuesday morning after a struggle with a sudden, fast-spreading infection. Known as Josh, Dean lived in Wichita, Kansas, where Spirit is based. He was 45, had been in good health and was noted for having a healthy lifestyle. He died after two weeks in critical condition, his aunt Carol Parsons said. Dean had given a deposition in a Spirit shareholder lawsuit and also filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration alleging “serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line” at Spirit.

Biden administration considering giving refugees from Gaza permanent safe haven in the U.S. with access to housing and a pathway to citizenship | 30 April 2024 | The Biden administration is considering allowing some Palestinians to come live in the United States as refugees. CBS News reported Tuesday that senior officials across several federal agencies have discussed how to resettle Palestinians from Gaza, potentially using the United States Refugee Admissions Program. The individuals chosen would have to have immediate family members who are American citizens or permanent residents. They would have to pass a series of eligibility, medical and security screenings, but would then be able to obtain resettlement benefits, including housing assistance and a pathway to American citizenship. If the administration goes ahead with this plan it would mark a major change in U.S. policy.

DHS docs reveal where paroled migrants under controversial Biden flight program are landing –The Biden-era parole migrant program was expanded in January 2023 | 30 April 2024 | Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data is revealing the more than 45 cities in the U.S. that hundreds of thousands of migrants have flown into via a controversial parole program for four nationalities — with the vast majority entering the U.S. via airports in Florida. During an eight-month period from January through August 2023, roughly 200,000 migrants flew into the U.S. via the program. Of those, 80% of them, (161,562) arrived in the state of Florida in four cities: Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa Bay, according to DHS data obtained via a subpoena by the House Homeland Security Committee and provided to Fox News. The policy was first announced for Venezuelans in October 2022… In January 2023, the administration announced that the program was expanding to include Haitians, Nicaraguans and Cubans and that the program would allow up to 30,000 people per month into the U.S.

Hotel in trendy NYC neighborhood quietly converted into shelter for migrant families | 28 April 2024 | A hotel in one of New York City’s trendiest neighborhoods has been quietly converted into emergency housing for migrants for the past several months. Mayor Eric Adams’s administration has recently awarded a 12.3 million emergency contract to a not-for-profit social service provider to run a “city sanctuary facility for families with children” at 235 Meeker Avenue in Williamsburg – the address of the Hotel Le Jolie. The Department of Homeless Services issued the contract to the Brooklyn-based St. P.A.U.L.S. Inc. to manage the facility. Hotel Le Jolie was converted into a shelter for migrant families sometime last year, on a[n allegedly] temporary basis. In January, the Adams administration inked a new emergency 76.69 million contract with the Hotel Association of New York City to provide “last resort” shelter to migrant families.