A British vigilante group known as the “Blade Runners” is receiving widespread support from British taxpayers as it continues to destroy climate surveillance cameras across London.<h2>The ULEZ mandate</h2>By order of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the city is peppered with ultra-low emission zones (ULEZs), areas accessible only to low-emission vehicles. Cars that do not meet the city’s environmental standards are charged £12.50 ($16) for entering the ULEZ. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras positioned around the zones read license plates and check them against the vehicles’ make and model in real time. If a vehicle does not meet the environmental threshold, a fine is levied against the car owner.&nbsp;The ULEZ climate mandate has drawn heavy&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/london-hundreds-protest-against-climate-mandates">protests</a> from residents, including&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/british-veteran-launches-hunger-strike-as-unrest-grows-over-climate-mandates">hunger strikes</a> and refusals to pay fines. Taxpayers have also taken to disabling the ANPR surveillance cameras which Transport for London (TfL), the city’s transportation department, said will be used both for climate and law enforcement.<h2>Taxpayers cheer the ‘Blade Runners’</h2>Since the climate restrictions were expanded last year, the Blade Runners have taken to disabling and destroying hundreds of cameras. Between April and September 2023, Metropolitan Police recorded 200 reports of cameras being stolen and 595 reports of cameras being vandalized.TfL began placing black boxes around ULEZ camera wirings to protect them from being cut, but taxpayers found other ways to disable the cameras — like removing them completely.<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"> MUST SEE: Blade Runners topple THREE ULEZ cameras in a coordinated strike… The people are fighting back! <a href="https://t.co/Yvr2Xr7Lun">pic.twitter.com/Yvr2Xr7Lun</a>— David Morgan #StayFree (@david_r_morgan) <a href="https://twitter.com/david_r_morgan/status/1802726912050995623?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In response, the city&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/london-taxpayers-attack-surveillance-vans-in-continued-revolt">deployed</a> mobile surveillance vans mounted with ANPR cameras across London in the hopes of evading attacks, but Blade Runners soon began targeting those as well. Some surveillance vans have been spotted covered in graffiti with their tires slashed, while others have been completely covered in tarp.Last month, 21 cameras were destroyed in the hours after Sadiq Khan was re-elected mayor of London, the&nbsp;Daily Mail&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13538797/Moment-Blade-Runner-uses-power-tool-cut-ULEZ-camera-traffic-light-latest-attack-Sadiq-Khans-hated-scheme.html">reported</a>. Last weekend, Blade Runners used power tools to topple a ULEZ camera and traffic lights to the delight of some fellow taxpayers. In a video that was posted to social media, passing cars can be heard honking in support.The video received over 37,000 likes. Comments on the post were largely supportive, with users writing that, “When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty,” and “Fair play to them, it's a complete scam that does nothing.”Blade Runner Matt Hardy told the&nbsp;Daily Mail&nbsp;that the Blade Runners are “people pissed off about the tyranny reigning over us and getting out and doing things about it – real votes, real boys here.”<h2>‘These cameras are not about the climate. They are about control’</h2>British actor and influencer Laurence Fox said this week he was just given back his electronic devices by police after being arrested earlier this year for cheering on the Blade Runners:<blockquote>These cameras are not about the climate. They are about control. They are the primary infrastructure for all sorts of things that ideologues like the midget dictator [Sadiq Khan] would like to impose upon us.I can now finally say the word ‘Bladerunners’ again. One of the ridiculous restrictions on free speech imposed by the police.It’s a dreadful shame to see so many of these cameras dying suddenly. I’m not at all thrilled about it. Just because I am smiling like a Cheshire Cat, it doesn’t mean that I am over the moon that these scameras continue to topple in high winds.&nbsp;Vive la résistance!</blockquote><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">POLICE UPDATE Following 6 coppers bursting into my house earlier this year to arrest me for saying how pleased I was that the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ULEZ?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ULEZ</a> scam was meeting such robust resistance, this morning the <a href="https://twitter.com/metpoliceuk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@metpoliceuk</a> were ordered by the magistrate to hand back all my devices, including my…— Laurence Fox (@LozzaFox) <a href="https://twitter.com/LozzaFox/status/1803030521095622912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> &nbsp;

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Pushback_Resistance

Climate Change

‘Pissed off about the tyranny reigning over us’

British taxpayers cheer vigilante group destroying climate cams

Fisker is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the electric vehicle (EV) company announced Tuesday.<h2>‘Like other companies in the electric vehicle industry’</h2>“Fisker has made incredible progress since our founding, bringing the Ocean SUV to market twice as fast as expected in the auto industry and making good on our promises to deliver the most sustainable vehicle in the world,” a spokesperson <a href="https://assets.ctfassets.net/cghen8gr8e1n/6W19OiEBJDVIFVEmo4feHA/df902c5cb2b067251a300efb0b35f611/Fisker-Filing-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a>.The California-based company added it is not the only EV maker that has been struggling to stay in business.“We are proud of our achievements, and we have put thousands of Fisker Ocean SUVs in customers’ hands in both North American [sic] and Europe. But like other companies in the electric vehicle industry, we have faced various market and macroeconomic headwinds that have impacted our ability to operate efficiently. After evaluating all options for our business, we determined that proceeding with a sale of our assets under Chapter 11 is the most viable path forward for the company.”Fisker’s collapse is the latest indication that the EV industry is folding due to sinking demand. Other EV industry players are also cutting their losses as they jump ship.<h2>Hertz</h2>In March, Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr&nbsp;<a href="https://www.motorfinanceonline.com/news/hertz-ceo-resigns-amid-ev-investment-setback/#:~:text=Scherr's%20departure%20coincides%20with%20Hertz's,electric%20vehicle%20(EV)%20rentals">resigned</a> after his bet on EVs cost the car rental giant its biggest quarterly loss since 2020. Hertz had been praised by the Biden administration for its ambition to convert 25% of its fleet to EVs by the end of this year. In January, however, the company announced it would instead be selling its 20,000 EVs — including Teslas — at heavily discounted prices and replacing them with gas-powered cars.<h2>Mercedes-Benz</h2>Mercedes-Benz also recently had to give up its ambition to only sell electric cars by 2030. Instead, EVs are expected to make up only 50% of the German carmaker’s sales over the next decade.<h2>Apple</h2>In February, Apple abandoned its multi-billion dollar effort to create an electric car. Despite being a decade in the works and employing 2,000 people, Project Titan was axed due to falling consumer demand.<h2>Aston Martin</h2>A lack of consumer demand is also partly to blame for Aston Martin&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13138123/Aston-Martin-puts-brakes-new-electric-supercar-2026-bosses-say-drivers-want-engines-throaty-roar.html">placing</a> its battery-operated “supercar” on hold until 2026.“Demand, certainly at an Aston Martin price point, is not what we thought it was going to be two years ago,” said Aston Martin Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll.&nbsp;<h2>Ford</h2>In December, Ford slashed production of its flagship EV at its assembly plant in Dearborn, Michigan by half. The automaker cut the monthly production quote for the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck from 3,200 units to 1,600 units per month.<h2>Biden administration continues to force EV production</h2>Nevertheless, the Biden administration in March issued new climate mandates aimed at forcing more EV production. The new rules from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contain tight emissions standards that will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epa-electric-vehicles-emissions-limits-climate-biden-e6d581324af51294048df24269b5d20a">require</a> 56% of new vehicle sales to be fully electric by 2032, with an additional 13% required to be hybrids.

car market decline.jpg

US News

Biden administration continues to force EV production

Electric car company files bankruptcy as EV market folds

For the last two years, British authorities have been testing AI-powered emotion recognition cameras on travelers in train stations, according to recently disclosed documents.<h2>What can the cameras see?</h2>In each of eight train stations around the UK, five to seven cameras or sensors scan the passing crowds. Using AI software from Amazon, the cameras use object recognition algorithms to spot criminal activity, trespassing, weapons, wet floors, overcrowding, and overstuffed trash cans.&nbsp;They can also alert authorities when passengers engage in “unusual behavior,” such as shouting, running, smoking, or skateboarding.&nbsp;A combination of existing cameras and newly installed smart cameras are being used for the surveillance project. All are equipped with Amazon’s Rekognition surveillance system.<h2>Emotional recognition</h2>Through a combination of facial and behavioral analyses, the Rekognition software allows officials to also <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-ai-cameras-emotions-uk-train-passengers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">analyze visitors’ emotions</a>. Internal documents note that the cameras can detect whether a passenger is “happy, sad [or] angry.” They can also recognize passenger satisfaction, which “could be utilized to maximum advertising and retail revenue.”<h2>Anti-social behavior</h2>Authorities can also detect passengers who exhibit “anti-social behaviour,” which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/asb/asb/antisocial-behaviour/what-is-antisocial-behaviour/">according</a> to London’s Metropolitan Police Service means “behaviour by a person which causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to persons not of the same household as the person.”<h2>Social distancing, face masks, and demographics</h2>Other&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24757655-usecases_dpas_review_managed_stations?responsive=1&amp;title=1">use cases</a> for the surveillance cameras include detecting whether passengers are keeping to social distancing rules and wearing face masks. The cameras can also scan for demographics by identifying people’s age profiles and “socio-economic classification,” which the documents note can create “revenue opportunities for better targeted advertising and product placement.”<h2>‘Quite a concerning step’</h2>The documents were obtained by Big Brother Watch, a civil rights and government watchdog group, in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. Network Rail, a body within the Department of Transportation which manages most of the country’s train network, has been overseeing the surveillance project.&nbsp;“The rollout and normalization of AI surveillance in these public spaces, without much consultation and conversation, is quite a concerning step,” Jake Hurfurt, head of research and investigations at Big Brother Watch,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-ai-cameras-emotions-uk-train-passengers/">told</a> Wired.As of now, the surveillance systems do not use facial recognition technology, which analyzes faces and matches them against facial images stored in certain databases.

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surveillance

World News

Cameras can also detect 'anti-social behavior,' social distancing

UK tests emotion recognition cameras in train stations

The European Union (EU) is considering subjecting foreign travelers to lie detector tests administered by AI technology.&nbsp;<h2>How would it work?</h2>Authorities at airports and ferry ports would use cameras equipped with machine-learning software to detect whether a person is being untruthful. As travelers fill out their entry applications, their eye, facial, and behavioral movements would be analyzed. If the camera indicates the traveler is lying, the software will send an alert to an immigration officer who will investigate.The technology has already been successfully tested in trials conducted by EU countries in the last few years. iBorderCtrl and TRESPASS, two such trials, explored how to create an automated border control system. Several features were tested, including the lie detector tests described above. They also piloted a feature in which AI software scans the social media accounts of travelers before granting them entry.Critics of the lie-detection scheme include Patrick Breyer, a German MEP. Breyer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13534215/Outrage-British-tourists-going-away-EU-countries-face-lie-detector-test-carried-artificial-intelligence-granted-entry.html">told</a> The Mail on Sunday that the technology is “pseudoscience” that threatens to profile the wrong people.&nbsp;“It will discriminate against anyone who is disabled or who has an anxious personality. It will not work,” said Breyer.<h2>Part of the Entry-Exit System</h2>If the EU decides to implement AI-powered lie detection, it will likely be introduced as part of the new Entry-Exit System (EES) due to take effect on October 6th. EES will replace the passport-stamping process by having foreign travelers apply for entry through self-service kiosks. These kiosks will collect the travelers’ biometric data, including their fingerprints and facial images.These data will eventually be stored in the Common Identity Repository (CIR), a massive database being built by the EU. The CIR will be capable of storing biometric files on 300 million individuals.&nbsp;<h2>EES for outsiders, digital ID for insiders</h2>While the EU prepares to roll out the EES for foreigners, including British citizens, it is also rolling out a digital ID program for EU citizens .Regulations that took effect last month&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/europe-launches-digital-id-scheme/">require</a> EU&nbsp;Member States in the European Union to provide a digital ID wallet to their citizens by 2026 which must conform to the European Union Digital Identity (EUDI) wallet specifications. These specifications include the ability to store a taxpayer’s identity papers, such as driver’s licenses, health insurance cards, diplomas and other official documents.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>How will the wallet be used?</h2>The digital wallet will allow access to both public and private services. Uses include making payments, opening a bank account, getting prescriptions, signing contracts, traveling, accessing government services, receiving social security benefits, logging into social media accounts, and more.&nbsp;“It can also be used to facilitate the freedom of movement by storing documents such as the European Health Insurance Card,” explains the European Commission (EC) on its&nbsp;<a href="https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/eudi-wallet-implementation">website</a>.Under the current rules, the EUDI wallet will be optional for taxpayers.&nbsp;<h2>Critics raise concerns about the wallet</h2>The EUDI wallet’s main selling point is that users will be able to share only the details necessary to authenticate themselves for a given service. All other personal information will remain hidden. The EC expects this feature to satisfy widespread privacy concerns.But concerns about the wallet remain. The main worry is that while users only share those details that are necessary, the government can decide at any point which information is “necessary” to share. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, the European Commission made proof of vaccination necessary to access services and establishments. Prior to that, each taxpayer’s health information was considered confidential.

face scanning.jpg

Technology could be introduced with new biometric entry system

Europe may subject travelers to lie detector tests

A report published Tuesday revealed that the FBI sent agents to intimidate a nurse after she blew the whistle on child mutilation practices at Texas Children’s Hospital.<h2>‘Manipulating’ children into mutilation</h2>Vanessa Sivadge started working as a registered nurse in the cardiac unit at Texas Children’s Hospital in 2021. Soon she began to notice that children who came to the hospital to be treated for various psychological issues were being recommended for “gender-affirming care.” When kids showed up who were struggling with anxiety, depression, abuse, puberty discomfort, addiction, and suicide ideation, doctors diagnosed them with “gender dysphoria.”&nbsp;These children were then placed on sex-change regimens that included puberty blockers, breast-removal surgery, and implanted hormone devices.&nbsp;The next year, under pressure from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Texas Children’s Hospital CEO Mark Wallace announced the closure of the gender clinic. But the clinic quietly reopened days later, managed by Drs. Richard Roberts, David Paul, and Kristy Rialon.Sivadge told journalist Christopher Rufo that doctors in the clinic were “manipulating” children into child mutilation and that those doctors ignored parental objections. Sivadge felt that the hospital would call Child Protective Services on parents who objected to these treatments.“I work very closely with this provider, Dr. Richard Roberts. I’ve been in the room with him when he speaks with these patients,” Sivadge told Rufo. “Dr. Roberts is extremely encouraging of their transition and will essentially do whatever he can to make sure that they are happy, at least externally happy. Because I am absolutely certain that they are not internally happy. He is very accommodating. He does whatever they want. Essentially, there is no critical analysis of the process.”<h2>The FBI pays a visit</h2>Two months after she spoke to Rufo, two FBI agents appeared at Sivadge’s door unannounced. Agents Paul Nixon and David McBride told Sivadge they wanted to discuss “some of the things that have been going on at [her] work lately” and asked to enter her home.They notified her that she was a “person of interest” in an investigation against a whistleblower who had exposed the child mutilation practices at Texas Children’s Hospital. The agents said that someone at work gave the FBI Sivadge’s name.“They threatened me,” she said. “They promised they would make life difficult for me if I was trying to protect the leaker. They said I was ‘not safe’ at work and claimed that someone at my workplace had given my name to the FBI.”<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">This is where we are now: The Biden Administration sent two FBI agents to intimidate a nurse who told the truth about the child sex-change program at Texas Children's Hospital. The regime is mobilizing to threaten and imprison anyone who opposes "transgender medicine." <a href="https://t.co/XbtZVnp5Kw">pic.twitter.com/XbtZVnp5Kw</a>— Christopher F. Rufo (@realchrisrufo) <a href="https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo/status/1803144650984714361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><h2>Medicaid fraud</h2>Texas law does not allow “gender-affirming care” to be covered by Medicaid. But after looking closely at the paperwork of some of the patients, Sivadge came to believe that the doctors were billing Medicaid for the sex-change treatments.“The largest children’s hospital in the country is illegally billing Medicaid for transgender procedures,” she told Rufo. “It is evident that the hospital continues to believe it is above the law not just by concealing the existence of their transgender medicine program from the public, but by stealing from the federal government.”<h2>Whistleblower surgeon indicted</h2>Sivadge is not the first whistleblower to expose Texas Children’s Hospital’s activities. Rufo broke the first story about the hospital’s practices last year based on information from Dr. Eithan Haim, a surgeon who worked at Texas Children’s Hospital.This week, Dr. Haim was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/doctor-charged-unauthorized-access-personal-information-pediatric-patients-texas">indicted</a> by the Department of Justice with four felony counts of obtaining personal medical information.

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Medical

Government harrassment

'They promised they would make life difficult for me'

FBI intimidated nurse who exposed hospital’s child mutilation practices, report reveals

Two couples are suing the State of Vermont for withholding foster care licenses from parents unless they agree to enforce gender ideology.<h2>Brian and Katy Wuoti</h2>Brian and Katy Wuoti received a foster care license from Vermont’s Department for Children and Families (DCF) issued in 2015. One DCF supervisor remarked that she “probably could not hand pick a more wonderful foster family.” Brian, a high school math teacher and Baptist pastor, helps his wife Katy homeschool their five children, including two adopted kids.In 2021, the Wuotis applied to renew their foster care license. They were notified, however, that the DCF has a new policy that requires foster parents to “support children’s identities even if it feels uncomfortable.” This would require parents to use incorrect pronouns for children who demand them and to take them to “Pride” events if&nbsp;requested.The Wuotis tried appealing to the Department. They explained to a DCF official that every child, regardless of sexual orientation or “gender identity,” will have the Wuotis’ full love and support. Embracing gender ideology, however, would force the parents to violate their beliefs.In response, the DCF official told the Wuotis that their beliefs make them “essentially . . .&nbsp; ineligible for renewal of [their] foster parent license.” In April 2022, the couple received a letter from the DCF informing them that the agency would be recommending that their license not be renewed.<h2>Bryan and Rebecca Gantt&nbsp;</h2>Bryan and Rebecca Gantt are the proud parents of four biological children. In 2016, they applied to the DCF for a foster care license. The Gantts noted that they would be happy to adopt children affected by maternal drug and alcohol use. The DCF signaled it was impressed by the Gantts when it placed a four-month-old baby who was addicted to drugs in their care before they even received their license.The Gantts received their license two months later, and have since adopted three children.When they applied to renew their license in 2022, however, the Gantts were asked to rate on a scale of one to five how “accepting and supportive” they would be of a child who claimed to be homosexual or of a different gender. Like the Wuotis, the Gantts provide their children with unconditional love and support. Rebecca answered five and Bryan answered four.The next year, the Gantts accepted an offer from the DCF to take in a baby who was soon to be born to a drug-addicted homeless woman. Before the deal was closed, however, the DCF caseworker wanted to make sure the Gantts pledged to approve any “gender identity” the child might claim years down the line.Again, like the Wuotis, the Gantts tried explaining to the DCF that embracing gender ideology runs contrary to their beliefs. DCF employees, however, were unsympathetic and wanted to know if the Gantts were prepared to indulge the child with incorrect pronouns and Pride events. The Gantts refused, and the DCF revoked their license.<h2>Lawsuit filed</h2>Earlier this month, the legal advocacy group&nbsp;<a href="https://adflegal.org/article/vermont-imposes-gender-ideology-litmus-test-foster-parents">Alliance Defending Freedom</a> filed a federal&nbsp;<a href="https://dm1l19z832j5m.cloudfront.net/2024-06/Wuoti-v-Winters-2024-06-04-Complaint.pdf">lawsuit</a> against the DCF on behalf of the Wuotis and the Gantts for its policy on gender ideology.“Vermont applies this policy categorically—whether applicants want to adopt their grandchild, provide respite care for an infant for just a few hours, or foster a child who shares all of their religious views,” says the complaint. “Vermont would prefer children have no home than to place them with families of faith with these views.”

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'Vermont would prefer children have no home than to place them with families of faith'

Couples sue Vermont for requiring gender ideology in foster care

The United States Supreme Court delivered a blow to government censorship and a major victory for free speech with its recent ruling in&nbsp;NRA v. Vullo.<h2>Background</h2>In 2018, 19-year-old Nikola Cruz opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Cruz murdered 17 people and injured 17 others before fleeing on foot to nearby Coral Springs, where he was arrested by police.The shooting provided an opportunity for gun rights critics to renew their calls for gun control. It also offered a springboard to anti-gun officials who were looking to crack down on firearms.&nbsp;<h2>New York tells financial institutions: Cut off the NRA</h2>One of those officials was New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) Superintendent Maria Vullo. With the help of then-Governor Andrew Cuomo, Vullo began to pressure bankers and insurers into refusing to do business with the National Rifle Association (NRA). She met with executives from such financial giants as Lloyd’s of London, an international insurance provider.Vullo made it clear to Lloyd’s executives that she would look the other way on the company’s legal infractions if it ended its relationship with the NRA. Lloyd’s agreed to scale back its business with the NRA and stop underwriting gun-related policies. In return, Vullo agreed to concentrate the state’s scrutiny only on companies which do business with pro-gun groups.Lloyd’s and other financial institutions also understood from Vullo that they could expect enforcement actions from the DFS if they did not discontinue their arrangements with the NRA.In addition, Vullo sent letters to banks and insurers warning them of the “reputational risk” of doing business with the NRA and other gun rights groups, with whom she strongly urged them to sever ties. Major corporations like Lockton and Chubb complied.<h2>Supreme Court: Vullo violated First Amendment</h2>The NRA sued Vullo, accusing the official of violating the First Amendment by using her office to crack down on “disfavored” views. In a unanimous decision issued on May 30th, all US Supreme Court justices agreed.“Six decades ago, this Court held that a government entity’s ‘threat of invoking legal sanctions and other means of coercion’ against a third party ‘to achieve the suppression’ of disfavored speech violates the First Amendment. Today, the Court reaffirms what it said then: Government officials cannot attempt to coerce private parties in order to punish or suppress views that the government disfavors,” reads the Supreme Court’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-842_6kg7.pdf">ruling</a>.The court affirmed that public officials are allowed to disagree with whatever political viewpoints they wish. Using the power of their offices to suppress those viewpoints, however, violates free speech.“Ultimately, the critical takeaway is that the First Amendment prohibits government officials from wielding their power selectively to punish or suppress speech, directly or (as alleged here) through private intermediaries,” said the court’s decision.&nbsp;The NRA was represented in this case by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a far-Left legal advocacy group.“Today’s decision confirms that government officials have no business using their regulatory authority to blacklist disfavored political groups,” ACLU National Legal Director David Cole commented on the ruling.

supreme court first amendment.jpg

Legal News

Censorship

Justices unanimously rule against government suppression of 'disfavored views'

Supreme Court deals blow to government censorship

A journalist who was&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/journalist-faces-jail-after-report-on-transgender-terror">threatened</a> with jail time after reporting on transgender terrorism may have narrowly escaped being locked behind bars.<h2>Threatened with contempt</h2>Michael Patrick Leahy is the editor-in-chief of&nbsp;The Tennessee Star, which last week published the manifesto of transgender terrorist Audrey Hale. The FBI has reportedly been trying to conceal the manifesto from the public.Shortly after&nbsp;The Tennessee Star&nbsp;published Hale’s manifesto, Leahy was ordered to appear in Davidson County court on Monday for a contempt hearing. Judge I’Ashea Myles had ordered Leahy to explain why the “publication of certain purported documents” does not “violate the Orders of this Court subjecting them to contempt proceedings and sanctions.” Judge Myles did not specify which orders.Leahy filed an emergency appeal, demonstrating how the order violates constitutional and Tennessee laws. The appeal was denied.&nbsp;<h2>Judge pulls back</h2>But when Leahy&nbsp;appeared in court yesterday, Judge Myles suddenly appeared to pull back from her threat, at least for the time being. She told Leahy and his attorney, Daniel Horwitz, that she was just trying to “understand the landscape” of the case and that there would not be contempt proceedings. At the end, Myles said she “understood” what it was she needed to know about the case and will issue a ruling. It is unclear if she was considering ordering another contempt hearing for Leahy.Horwitz expressed confusion as to the purpose of the hearing, but registered his relief.“I don’t know how this evolved or why, but I’m glad the press isn’t being threatened with jail time today. That’s a welcome development,” he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nashville-judge-appears-to-back-off-on-threats-to-punish-journalist-over-articles-on-covenant-shooter">told</a>&nbsp;The Daily Wire&nbsp;afterward. “I don’t want reporters going to jail for lawful reporting. That’s why we were here today.”&nbsp;“For now, I am a free man and can continue to exercise my First Amendment rights,” Leahy <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelpleahy/status/1802758726589239780?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1802758726589239780%7Ctwgr%5Ee9ed8ce618733fc97cf83c7cc893f8279ac404b6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2024%2F06%2Ftennessee-stars-michael-patrick-leahy-provides-update-after%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a> on X.<h2>What did the manifesto say?</h2>The Tennessee Star&nbsp;<a href="https://tennesseestar.com/covenant-school-shooting/covenant-school-killer-audrey-hale-declared-herself-boy-that-has-no-penis-in-one-of-17-writings-about-transgenderism-in-recovered-journal/tpappert/2024/06/14/">obtained</a> 80 pages of writings by Hale, who massacred three children and three adults at The Covenant School in March 2023. The writings reveal that Hale, a woman who claimed to be a male, was driven by an obsession with gender ideology. She repeatedly wrote about “LGBTQ rights,” complained about being “misgendered” in public, and wrote of her “pure hatred of my female gender.” Hale also railed against her parents for not supporting her gender obsession and expressed a strong disdain for Christianity.“If God won’t give me a boy body in heaven then Jesus is a f*****,” she wrote in one instance.Other portions of Hale’s writings&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/tech-giants-censor-anti-white-manifesto-by-gender-confused-killer">reveal</a> that she was also driven by a hatred for White people.Since the shooting on March 27, 2023, the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) has refused to release Hale’s manifesto to the public.&nbsp;<a href="https://tennesseestar.com/justice/fbi-memo-on-protection-of-legacy-tokens-sent-to-nashville-police-in-may-2023-opposed-release-of-covenant-killer-documents-cited-destruction-precedent/tpappert/2024/06/05/">Reports</a> strongly suggest the FBI pressured the MNPD not to release the shooter’s writings.<h2>FBI: Releasing manifesto may lead to ‘false narratives,’ ‘conspiracy theories’</h2>Earlier this month,&nbsp;The Tennessee Star&nbsp;published a memo sent by the FBI’s Behavioral Threat Assessment Center (BTAC) to Metro Police Chief John Drake. The FBI did not specifically mention Hale or The Covenant School but said it “strongly discourages public dissemination of any legacy tokens.” Legacy tokens refer to items left behind by mass shooters “to claim credit for the attack and / or articulate the motivation behind it.”&nbsp;The FBI warned the MNPD that releasing the manifesto to the public would lead to “false narratives” and conspiracy theories,” without explaining how releasing the actual manifesto&nbsp;would lead to falsehoods.The memo was sent two days after Leahy&nbsp;<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VxayGlhOnkEfeSHYF_c3cocq-R5Av7l0/edit">sued</a> the FBI to compel the bureau to release the manifesto. Leahy filed a similar&nbsp;<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dIrAvvCE817XHAEg5O2dyVfCHW3Dua-J/view">lawsuit</a> against the MNPD.

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Reporter narrowly escapes jail time after reporting on transgender terrorist

Journalist threatened with jail: ‘For now, I am a free man’

A government watchdog group is suing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over its refusal to provide information about its employment of an pro-terror official.<h2>Who is Nejwa Ali?</h2>In 2016 and 2017, Nejwa Ali served as a spokeswoman for the <a href="https://frontline.news/post/state-department-pressing-foreign-nations-to-concede-to-marxist-revolutionaries" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Marxist Palestine Liberation Organization </a>(PLO), which created a “Palestinian Delegation to the US.” President Donald Trump banned the group, but she was able to find a position with the DHS in 2019 as an adjudication officer for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). It has been Ali’s job to determine whether asylum seekers should be granted entry to the United States.Following the October 7th attack in Israel, Ali expressed support on social media for the terrorists, writing, “I abso-f—ing-lutely celebrate [Palestinian hang-gliders], a–hole, f— you!” Her social media page, in which she describes herself as “American born” but “Palestinian @ heart”, contains several remarks about Jews such as: “F— Israel and any Jew that supports Israel.”<h2>Ali gloats about remaining on US government payroll</h2>After the&nbsp;Daily Wire&nbsp;reported Ali’s posts, DHS spokesman Matthew Bourke&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dhs-puts-pro-hamas-immigrant-screener-on-leave-as-she-reaffirms-that-she-celebrates-terrorism">confirmed</a> she was placed on paid administrative leave. But the DHS has since refused to terminate the former PLO operative despite several requests from lawmakers.&nbsp;In April, six months after October 7th, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas confirmed that Ali remains on the department’s payroll.In the meantime, Ali gloated about her paid leave on social media. When someone commented on her page,&nbsp; “When you do everything you can to get fired but the boss says NO,” Ali responded: “hilarious, seriously.”&nbsp;<h2>DHS refuses to comply with FOIA</h2>A month after the massacre in Israel, government watchdog group Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request with the DHS regarding Ali. CASA sought records “related to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Adjudication Officer Nejwa Ali and a potential conflict of interest in administering her duties.”The DHS acknowledged it received the FOIA request but sent no further responses and did not provide the request documents. CASA is now suing the department for violating the Freedom of Information Act.&nbsp;“DHS has not produced responsive documents to CASA, has not communicated to CASA the scope of the documents it intends to produce or withhold—along with the reasons for any such withholding—and has not informed CASA of its ability to appeal any adverse portion of its determination,” says the&nbsp;<a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/Nejwa-Ali_CASA-v-DHS-24-cv-01607.pdf">lawsuit</a>, obtained by the&nbsp;Daily Wire.<h2>DHS refuses to tell lawmakers why Ali has not been terminated</h2>But CASA is not the only party being rebuffed by the DHS. In October, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/homeland-security-refuses-to-discuss-continued-employment-of-islamic-supporter-of-genocide">refused</a> to answer questions by lawmakers concerning Ali. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) pressed Mayorkas in a congressional hearing about why Ali had not been terminated.Mayorkas tried to pass the blame to President Trump, during whose administration Ali was hired, and then said “he cannot speak to an ongoing personnel matter.”The exchange continued and Mayorkas tried to deflect the line of questioning by invoking his Holocaust survivor parent, suggesting this lent him the credentials to decide whether someone presents a threat to the Jewish people.<h2>Ali continues pro-terror activism on government payroll</h2>Ali has since been using her paid administrative leave to campaign for groups like Hamas. In December, she and others demonstrated outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC where military officials from several countries were meeting. Ali and her associates published a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0NjyczN1GR/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D">video</a>&nbsp;of the officials coming out of the embassy, which included representatives of the United States, Germany, Switzerland, and other countries.Ali posted the video to social media and called for the officials’ identities to be publicized so they could be targeted for harassment.“I was protesting at the Israeli embassy today when this happened,” she wrote. “THIS is exactly who is supporting Israel’s apartheid and genocide of PALESTINE let’s name these a--holes!”As of this report, the DHS has not denied that Ali remains on the federal government's payroll.

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Islam

DHS keeps terror supporter on payroll

Watchdog group sues DHS over pro-terror official

A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ndic.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/Transmission-Authority/Publications/AlwaysOnEnergyResearchGreenhouseGasReport5172024.pdf">study</a> published by the North Dakota Transmission Authority (NDTA) last month has found that American taxpayers are likely to face rolling blackouts and heavy costs due to the Biden administration’s recent climate mandates.<h2>The EPA's new rule</h2>In April, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-04/cps-presentation-final-rule-4-24-2024.pdf">rule</a> referred to as the Power Plant Greenhouse Gas Rule. It consists of four regulations that target state power grids, which now must conform to new performance standards. These standards, according to the EPA, will reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. The ultimate goal is to shut down fossil-fueled electrical plants and replace them with ones powered by so-called clean energy such as wind and solar.<h2>Study: EPA’s mandate will cause rolling blackouts</h2>But a recent study from the NDTA says the EPA based its rule on flawed reasoning. The EPA looked at whether there are sufficient resources to convert the electrical grids into more environmentally friendly versions and concluded there are. It did not, however, conduct hourly reliability stress tests, which check whether a power grid can meet the demand for electricity during any given hour of the day.Had the EPA done these tests, says the NDTA’s study, it would have found that the electrical grids powered by clean energy will not be able to meet the electricity needs of residents. Power plants are likely to become overwhelmed, leading to rolling blackouts.Specifically, the NDTA studied the power grids in the Midwestern and Southern United States, which are managed by the Midcontinent Independent Systems Operator (MISO) and the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), respectively.“We determined that the closure of lignite-fired powered power plants in the MISO &amp; SPP footprints would increase the severity of projected future capacity shortfalls, i.e. rolling blackouts, in the MISO &amp; SPP systems even if these resources are replaced with wind, solar, battery storage, and natural gas plants,” said the study.<h2>Climate mandate will increase costs for taxpayers</h2>Blackouts come at a cost called Value of Lost Load (VoLL), which is the loss that consumers suffer from an interruption in electricity. The NDTA estimates that over the next 27 years, taxpayers in the Midwest will experience an additional 377,300 hours in blackouts, with a VoLL cost of $3.77 billion.In the area covered by the SPP, American taxpayers are likely to suffer 8.3 million hours of blackouts, resulting in a VoLL cost of $83 billion.All that is in addition to the $447.5 billion it will cost taxpayers to construct new clean energy electrical grids.

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EPA overlooked crucial detail when issuing mandate

Americans face mass blackouts, rising costs from climate mandates, says study

Yudi Sherman

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