🇺🇸 **How Buzzfeed’s ‘Data-Monster’ Leveraged User Data To Fuel Super PACs, Target Voters**
<https://archive.fo/JB3DP>

BuzzFeed partnered closely with multiple Democratic and anti-Trump super PACs in 2016 to target its own users with dozens of political advertisements that were not in accordance with its own policies, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation.

Former BuzzFeed Vice President Rena (((Shapiro))), who led the website’s native political advertising team during the 2016 election, described candidly in a pair of unearthed interviews how she partnered closely with political groups to create ads that harnessed the data BuzzFeed collects on its audience of over 650 million people to solve their “ultimate need, which is to get elected, to get their message out there, or to canvas people together to create impact around a cause.”

“This is a data monster that we’re working with here at BuzzFeed, and it’s awesome to harness that power to everyone’s advantage in the political space,” (((Shapiro))) said in December 2016 on “Digital Politics with Karen Jagoda.” Shortly after being hired to lead BuzzFeed’s politics and advocacy division, (((Shapiro))) stated publicly that her job at the viral news and entertainment site was to help political candidates win.

But as it turns out, only some in the political space were given the opportunity to partner with BuzzFeed’s viral marketing team to create custom political ads that, according to (((Shapiro))), are “based off of mounds and piles and troves of data and information that we have as far as how people are interacting and engaging with content.”

BuzzFeed raised eyebrows in June 2016 when it announced it had canceled a $1.3 million advertising agreement with the Republican National Committee due to disagreements with then-candidate Donald Trump’s “offensive statements.” Doing business with any group that supports Trump, BuzzFeed founder (((Jonah Peretti))) said after canceling the RNC ad buy, would be “hazardous to our health.”

“We don’t run cigarette ads because they are hazardous to our health, and we won’t accept Trump ads for the exact same reason,” Peretti said. And (((Shapiro))) made clear that BuzzFeed’s work with the super PACs meant the website had skin in the game trying to defeat Trump at the ballot box.

As the business side of BuzzFeed worked with anti-Trump super PACs in a bid to help elect Democrats, BuzzFeed News covered Trump in an aggressive manner. In late 2015, BuzzFeed editor-in-chief (((Ben Smith))) gave the go-ahead to his political reporters to call Trump a racist in news reports. “It is, for instance, entirely fair to call him a mendacious racist, as the politics team and others have reported clearly and aggressively: he’s out there saying things that are false, and running an overtly anti-Muslim campaign,” Smith told BuzzFeed News reporters.

“BuzzFeed News’s reporting is rooted in facts, not opinion; these are facts,” Smith said.
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🇷🇺 **Vladimir Putin sworn in for a fourth term as Russian president**
<https://archive.fo/iwkKG>

Vladimir Putin took the oath of office for his fourth term as Russian president on Monday, promising to pursue an economic agenda that would boost living standards across the country. In a ceremony in an ornate Kremlin hall in Moscow, Putin said improving Russia’s economy following a recession partly linked to international sanctions would be a primary goal of his next six-year term.

“Now, we must use all existing possibilities, first of all for resolving internal urgent tasks of development, for economic and technological breakthroughs, for raising competitiveness in those spheres that determine the future,” he told thousands of guests standing in the elaborate Andreevsky Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace and two adjacent halls. “A new quality of life, well-being, security and people’s health – that’s what’s primary today,” he said.

Although Putin has restored Russia’s prominence on the world stage through military actions, he has been criticized for inadequate efforts to diversify Russia’s economy away from its dependence on oil and gas exports and to develop the country’s manufacturing sector. “Russia should be modern and dynamic, it should be ready to accept the call of the times,” he said.
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🇦🇺 **Doctors raise alarm about ancient virus: 'Prevalence is off the charts' in Australia**
<https://archive.fo/gbs3h>

An ancient virus infecting residents across Australia's Northern Territory is leaving death and despair in its path, and doctors are now calling for greater efforts to stop the spread of infections. The rates of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1, or HTLV-1, infection are exceeding 40% among adults in remote regions of central Australia, with indigenous communities being the hardest hit, especially in the town of Alice Springs.

"The prevalence is off the charts" in Australia, said Dr. Robert Gallo, co-founder and director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, whose laboratory was the first to detect HTLV-1 in 1979 and publish the finding in 1980. Yet "nobody that I know of in the world has done anything about trying to treat this disease before," said Gallo, who is also co-founder and scientific director of the Global Virus Network and chairs the network's HTLV-1 Task Force. "There's little to almost no vaccine efforts, outside of some Japanese research," he said. "So prevention by vaccine is wide open for research."

HTLV-1 -- an ancient virus whose DNA can be found in 1,500-year-old Andean mummies -- can spread from mother to child, particularly through breastfeeding; between sexual partners, through unprotected sex; and by blood contact, such as through transfusions. Because it can be transmitted through sex, it's considered a sexually transmitted infection, or STI. The virus is associated with myriad serious health problems, such as diseases of the nervous system and a lung-damaging condition called bronchiectasis, and it weakens the immune system. HTLV-1 is sometimes called the cousin of the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV.
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🇺🇸 **Spotify Removes R. Kelly Music From Its Playlists As Part of New Hate Content & Hateful Conduct Policy**
<https://archive.fo/69gmE>

Beginning today (May 10), Spotify users will no longer be able to find R. Kelly's music on any of the streaming service's editorial or algorithmic playlists. Under the terms of a new public hate content and hateful conduct policy Spotify is putting into effect, the company will no longer promote the R&B singer's music in any way, removing his songs from flagship playlists like RapCaviar, Discover Weekly or New Music Friday, for example, as well as its other genre- or mood-based playlists.

"We are removing R. Kelly’s music from all Spotify owned and operated playlists and algorithmic recommendations such as Discover Weekly," Spotify told Billboard in a statement. "His music will still be available on the service, but Spotify will not actively promote it. We don’t censor content because of an artist’s or creator’s behavior, but we want our editorial decisions -- what we choose to program -- to reflect our values. When an artist or creator does something that is especially harmful or hateful, it may affect the ways we work with or support that artist or creator."

Kelly is the only artist that Spotify specifically acknowledged would fall under this new public policy, though others may also be affected. Later on Thursday, Billboard was able to confirm that controversial rapper XXXTentacion had also been removed from playlists, namely the highly influential RapCaviar.
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🇸🇾 **28 Israeli jets fired about 60 rockets in overnight strikes on Syria – Russian MoD **
<https://archive.fo/g62PC>

Some 28 Israeli aircraft fired around 60 air-to-surface rockets in a massive overnight strike in Syria, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Syrian air-defense systems managed to intercept more than half of the missiles. A total of 70 projectiles, including 60 air-to-surface rockets and more than 10 surface-to-surface missiles, hit Iranian military targets and Syrian air-defense systems near Damascus and in the south of the country on Thursday morning, the Russian military said in a statement.

“28 Israeli F-15 and F-16 planes were involved in the attack,” the ministry said. “Syrian air-defense systems shot down more than half of the rockets as they repelled the Israeli attack.” Israeli forces bombed the Syrian territory for two hours between 1:45am and 3:45am local time on Thursday. The attack was carried out under the pretext of allegations that Iranian forces had earlier hit Israeli targets in the Golan Heights. The damage inflicted on Iranian military and Syrian civilian infrastructure by the airstrikes is being evaluated.

Earlier, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said that all its aircraft had safely returned after one of its most extensive attacks in years. Tel-Aviv claims that it was carried out in retaliation to 20 rockets launched at Israeli targets in the Golan Heights by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp’s Quds Force.

“Four of them were intercepted by the Iron Dome and the rest landed on Syrian territory,” the IDF said, according to Ynet, adding that the incident had resulted in no damage or casualties. The allegations were denied by a member of the Iranian parliament's commission, Abolfazl Hassan Beigi, who accused Israel of “lying,” as Iran has “no military presence” or bases in Syria, Sputnik reports.
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🇻🇦 **The devil is a big loser, but he still manages to trick people, pope says**
<https://archive.fo/Zg627>

The devil is “a loser,” but he still tricks people into giving him power, Pope Francis said. The devil “seduces us; he knows how to appeal to our vanity and curiosity and we buy it all,” the pope said May 8 during his homily at Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae where he lives.

The day’s Gospel passage from St. John ends with Jesus telling His disciples “the ruler of this world has been condemned.” The phrase refers to the devil, Pope Francis said. With the resurrection of Jesus, the devil has been defeated, but he still pretends to have power and still tries to influence people.

“He has this ability to seduce,” the pope said. “That makes it hard to understand that he is a loser because he presents himself with great power, promises you many things, brings you gifts — beautiful, all wrapped up,” he said. “He knows how to seduce us with the package without letting us see what’s inside. He knows how to present his proposals to appeal to our vanity, our curiosity.”

Unfortunately, he said, too often “we like being seduced.” “We must be aware of the devil,” he said, and Jesus taught His disciples that the only way to do that was to watch, pray and fast.

And, Pope Francis said, it’s especially important that Christians don’t think they can approach the devil, see what he’s like and then just walk away unscathed. As one of the fathers of the Church wrote, the devil is like an angry, rabid dog that is chained up, he said.

People know when they are playing with fire, the pope said. They know when they are approaching that angry dog. “Please, don’t,” he said, before imagining a dialogue in which someone cries about having been bitten, but it turns out the dog was chained up and he had approached it, basically provoking the injury.
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🇸🇪 **Woman Who Campaigned for Keeping Moslems in the Country Raped by Moslems**
<https://archive.fo/MqGnl>

Is the diverse experience of being raped by a Moslem while another Moslem jerks it in your face multicultural enough for you? A Swedish woman was raped by an Afghan teenager while another masturbated and groped her breasts, a court heard.

The victim reportedly campaigns against the deportation of migrants from Sweden and met the 18-year-olds outside a hotel bar on Boxing Day last year. Anwar Hassani and Fardi Hesari asked the woman, aged in her 40s, if she wanted to go back to their room, which is provided for unaccompanied minor refugees, in Ljungby, southern Sweden, just before 3.30am.

The victim told police that she was only interested in them as they were migrants from Afghanistan, saying Hassani asked her why she did not want to have sex after following them home.

It was also revealed in a police interrogation that Hassani asked Hesari in Farsi: ‘Aren’t you going to rape?’ The victim told police that Hesari began groping her breasts while masturbating, and Hassani suddenly penetrated her anally.
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🇺🇸 **US Air Force jets intercept 2 Russian bombers off Alaska coast**
<http://archive.fo/fWttJ>

A pair of U.S. Air Force stealth fighter jets intercepted two Russian nuclear-capable bombers Friday morning off the coast of Alaska, a spokesman for NORAD (North American Aeorospace Defense Command) told Fox News.

The approach by the two Tupolev Tu-95 Russian "Bear" aircraft marked the first time in just over a year that Russian bombers had flown that close to U.S. territory.

The F-22s monitored the Russian aircraft until the bombers left the ADIZ along the Aleutian Islands, heading west. At no time did the bombers enter North American sovereign airspace, said the NORAD spokesman, Canadian Army Maj. Andrew Hennessey.
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🇸🇪 **Muslims in Sweden Want “Allahu Akbar” Call to Prayer Broadcast Throughout the Country**
<https://archive.fo/zSUCi>

Prominent Muslims in Sweden are now demanding that the Islamic call to prayer be broadcast throughout the country after it was allowed in the city of Växjö. On Tuesday, Swedish police granted a mosque in the southern city of Vaxjo permission to broadcast the call to prayer, which commonly includes the refrain “Allahu Akbar,” over loudspeakers once a week. Some politicians criticized the decision, with Anna Tenje of the conservative Moderates asserting it risked “pulling the city further apart.”

Leader of the Christian Democrats Ebba Busch Thor, who campaigned against the decision, said “people shouldn’t have to hear it in their homes.” However, with three mosques in the country now being allowed to broadcast the call to prayer, Avdi Islami, spokesman of Växjö’s Muslim Foundation, said the call should be heard nationwide. “We want to call out at more places. There are many Muslims who are Swedish citizens, who have the same rights as everyone else,” he said.

As we reported in February, Sweden appointed a Pakistani Muslim migrant as the head of its national heritage board, with the individual admitting that he hasn’t “read anything about cultural heritage.” 44-year-old Qaisar Mahmood told a radio show that Sweden’s cultural traditions “hide hideous motives,” while expressing his intent to oppose Swedes who “want to protect the culture” and are resistant to change.
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🇮🇱 **Eurovision song contest won by Israel's Netta in Lisbon final **
<https://archive.fo/qrqzR>

Israel has won the Eurovision song contest with pop star Netta Barzilai’s quirky entry Toy. The Israeli performer was awarded 529 points, beating favourites Cyprus into second place. The 25-year-old was singing with the Israeli Navy Band when she entered and won the country’s Eurovision selection show HaKokhav HaBa. The catchy electronic dance song entry had emerged as an early favourite to win the contest before bookies shortened the odds on her rival Cyprus’s Eleni Foureira.

It is *Israel’s fourth Eurovision win* after coming first in Paris in 1978, winning in Israel the next year and most recently groundbreaking performer (((Dana International))) who was the first ever trans winner of the contest took home the trophy in 1998. Accepting her prize in the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Netta told the Eurovision hosts: “I’m so happy, thanks for choosing difference, ***thank you for celebrating diversity”***

Fans were charmed by the ‘chicken dance’ moves of the choreography while some commentators have noted the song’s lyrics - “I’m not your toy / You stupid boy”- are apt for the first post #MeToo Eurovision. Shortly after her win the pop star Tweeted: “Thank you Europe”. Eurovision fan JK Rowling, who had been tweeting throughout the show, called Netta “a worthy winner”.
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🇸🇾 **Israeli-made weapons among arms handed over by militants in Damascus **
<https://archive.fo/rPZ3f>

Israeli-made landmines were found in a large trove of medium and heavy weapons handed over by rebels in southern Damascus, Syria's state media reported. Damascus has repeatedly accused Tel Aviv of aiding militants.

This is far from the first report of Israeli-made weapons being stockpiled by militants. In February, it was reported that the Syrian army stumbled onto warehouses that were stacked with weapons, some of which were Israeli-made, as they were inspecting the Al Boukamal and Al Mayadin areas in Deir ez-Zor, which was liberated by the Syrian forces from Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in the fall of last year.

Since the onset of hostilities in Syria, the Syrian military has repeatedly seized armaments and munitions with inscriptions in Hebrew. In April 2016, Syrian forces pulled over a vehicle packed with Israeli-made mines, mortars, rockets and hand grenades that were bound for an area controlled by ISIS in eastern Syria.

Israel says it provides humanitarian assistance to Syrian anti-government forces, but it remains largely silent on the apparent weapon supplies. Meanwhile, Haaretz reported in February that at least seven Sunni rebel groups in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are being provided weapons and ammunition from Israel. Moreover, the amount of direct military assistance they receive is said to have been on the rise in the recent months.

This comes at the time of ramped up tensions between the two countries and just a few days after Israel launched a barrage of rockets at what it claimed were Iranian targets in Syria in retaliation for an alleged attack by Iran's Quds Forces against Israeli positions in the Golan Heights. Three people were killed and two were injured in the bombardment, which was condemned by Iran as a flagrant violation of Syria's sovereignty.
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🇦🇺 **7 Dead In Southwestern Australia Mass Shooting**
<https://archive.fo/JA5VB>

In Osmington, a town of just 135 people in southwest Australia, seven people were killed in what could be the largest shooting the nation has seen in more than two decades. According to the Associated Press, when police were called to the home at approximately 5:15 a.m. local time Friday, they found the bodies of three adults and four children.

"The bodies of two adults were located outside. Five bodies were located inside a building on the rural property," said Western Australia Police Commissioner Chris Dawson. "It appears that ... gunshot wounds are there, but I don’t want to go further than that, as two firearms have been located at the scene," Dawson added.

9 News Perth spoke with a family friend, Felicity Haynes, who claims to have heard multiple gunshots coming from the property in the early morning. The network quoted Dawson, who stated that a man made the emergency call that brought police to the property, however, the man’s identity has not been revealed.

The commissioner was circumspect about the incident, refusing to release the names and ages of the deceased, only revealing that officials were attempting to contact family members. Additionally, Dawson stated: "At this point in time, we don’t have any information to raise further public concern." The commissioner’s statement may indicate that the crime was a murder/suicide, according to multiple outlets, however, authorities have not released details to that effect.
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🇺🇸 **Hawaii volcano spurs new evacuations on Big Island after 18th lava fissure reported**
<http://archive.fo/hlZHe>

Three new fissures have opened on Hawaii's Big Island - bringing the total to 18 - spewing bits of bright red lava several hundred feet in the air and escalating fears of violent explosions to come, more than a week after Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanos, erupted.

Hawaii Civil Defense officials said they went door-to-door Sunday waking people up and telling them to evacuate. At least 36 structures, including 27 homes, have been destroyed since the eruptions began. The lava has covered more than 17 acres of land.

The Hawaii National Guard is prepared to use ground convoys and helicopters to help evacuate hundreds of residents stuck in the southeast corner of Hawaii’s Big Island should Kilauea make it impossible to get out, authorities said.
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https://www.nraila.org/articles/20180512/massachusetts-committees-to-vote-on-anti-second-amendment-bills

As early as next week, the Massachusetts House Ways and Means Committee will be hearing House Bill 3610 to allow firearms to be seized from individuals following baseless accusations without proper due process. The Senate Ways and Means Committee will also be hearing Senate Bill 2476 to restrict stun guns. Please contact committee members and urge them to OPPOSE H.3610 and S.2476. Click the “Take Action” button below to contact committee members and also call the House Ways and Means Committee at (617) 722-2990 and the Senate Ways and Means Committee at (617) 722-1481.

House Bill 3610, presented by Representative Marjorie Decker (D-25th Middlesex), would allow for the issuance of protective orders to infringe on Second Amendment rights based on third party allegations and little, if any, real evidence and limited due process for the respondent. The issuance of an order would result in the immediate suspension and surrender of any license to carry firearms and firearms identification card which the respondent may hold. The respondent would also be required to surrender all firearms and ammunition.

Constitutional rights should only be restricted with proper due process of law. The reasons for this are two-fold. It limits restrictions on constitutional rights to only serious convictions and adjudications that provide greater procedural protections to the accused, which results in more reliable proceedings. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms should not be treated as a second-class right and should only be restricted consistent with the constitutional requirements of due process. Further, for truly dangerous individuals, these bills do nothing to incapacitate the subjects of the orders, so their ability to harm others wouldn't be addressed by this bill.

Senate Bill 2476 would subject “electronic stun guns” and “electronic dart guns” to the same licensing requirements as handguns in order for citizens to “possess, purchase, carry, transfer, or otherwise utilize for defensive purposes.” In addition, it would require all electronic stun guns sold to have a mechanism that tracks the number of times the device has been fired. Such restrictions will only serve to increase the red tape and cost for law-abiding citizens to acquire these self-defense devices without affecting criminals. With the stun gun ban being struck down recently, it is time to allow law-abiding citizens to own and carry these devices for self-defense without any last-ditch efforts to deny or discourage the exercise of this right.

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-waco-biker-shooting-charges-20180509-story.html

One of three bikers indicted on murder charges Wednesday stemming from a chaotic 2015 shooting outside a Texas restaurant is accused of killing a man who was also shot twice by police, according to ballistics evidence reviewed by The Associated Press.
The indictments against Glenn Walker and two fellow members of the Bandidos motorcycle club mark the first murder charges filed in connection to the melee that left nine bikers dead, 20 wounded and nearly 200 arrested outside a Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco.

Investigators say the shooting was sparked by rivalries between the Bandidos and Cossacks motorcycle clubs ahead of a biker meeting. Waco police monitoring the gathering said officers opened fire after fights and gunfire broke out in the parking lot.
Walker is accused of fatally shooting Richard Kirschner, a Cossacks member. An autopsy report shows Kirschner was shot three times: once in the buttocks with a pistol and twice with a rifle in the right thigh and left knee.

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanellis/2018/03/09/democrats-release-tax-hike-plan/#3f2c4be47b9e

an to improve the nation's infrastructure on March 07, 2018. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
This week, Congressional Democrats released a detailed tax hike plan that they promised to implement if given majority control of the House and Senate after the 2018 midterm elections. So much for the crocodile tears about the deficit--Democrats want to raise taxes not to reduce the debt, but rather to spend that tax hike money on boondoggle projects

As you might expect, hold onto your wallets. Here are the details:
Increase the top marginal income tax rate from 37 percent to 39.6 percent. This nearly 3 percentage point increase in the top personal rate is not only a hike in the top bracket levy, but it's also a direct tax increase on small and mid-sized businesses. The 30 million companies which are organized as sole proprietorships, partnerships, Subchapter-S corporations, and LLCs pay their business taxes on their owners' 1040 personal tax returns. Hiking the top tax rate is a small business tax increase.

Increasing personal income taxes would be particularly unfortunate since workers are now seeing the results of lower rates in their paychecks. Thanks to the new IRS withholding tables, in February of this year over 90 percent of workers saw higher take home pay in the form of fatter direct deposits (for a humorous spectacle of the New York Times desperately trying to get people to down-talk their bigger paychecks, click here). They will continue to see those bigger paydays for as long as the tax rates in law remain in effect. This higher tax home pay is a down payment on a lower tax liability. Typical families of four should see their federal income tax decline from $2000 to $4000, depending on their income level and number of children.

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🇮🇱 **(((Netanyahu))) praises Trump for 'real leadership'**
<https://archive.fo/mGtAn>

Five months after President Donald Trump made his blockbuster announcement in December, it's really happening. The new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, which will inhabit an existing U.S. consular building, will officially open its doors Monday at 4 p.m. in a 90-minute ceremony led by U.S. Ambassador to Israel (((David Friedman))).

Trump will address Monday's ceremony by video, and he'll be represented by his daughter and adviser (((Ivanka Trump))) and son-in-law and adviser (((Jared Kushner))). The U.S. expects some 800 people to attend the event, including a congressional delegation and a presidential delegation led by Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan. Earlier in the evening, in front of a very friendly and very enthusiastic crowd, Prime Minister (((Benjamin Netanyahu))) heaped praise on President Trump.

"Thank you, President Trump, for your bold decision," (((Netanyahu))) said. "Thank you for making the alliance between Israel and the United States stronger than ever. "Now, you know how you recognize real leadership? It’s when others follow, and others are following in President Trump’s footsteps," he said, telling the crowd that Guatemala and Paraguay would both move their embassies later this week. He hinted at others, quipping: "That’s a state secret, and we don’t reveal our state secrets. Sometimes we reveal other’s state secrets. We’ll let you know as time comes."
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🇩🇪 **German official wants to target outside online anti-Semitism**
<https://archive.fo/bt930>

A senior German official reportedly wants authorities to prosecute anti-Semitic hate speech posted online, even if the material is hosted abroad.

Bavaria's justice minister told weekly Welt am Sonntag that he plans to propose a change in the law when he meets with counterparts from Germany's other 15 states next month. Winfried Bausback said in an interview published Sunday that German law currently contains "dangerous gaps" when it comes to punishing those who spread anti-Semitism and other forms of hate speech online.

German law, in response to the historic anti-Semitism of the country's Nazi regime, allows authorities to prosecute people for incitement to hatred. But some far-right groups host their websites in the United States, beyond the reach of German prosecutors. It is unclear how Bausback's proposal would work in practice.
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🇫🇷 **France destroys UNESCO Castle for Modern Art**
<https://tinyurl.com/ybse7qrz>

AN artist sparked outrage after he "desecrated" the ramparts of a French castle by covering its medieval walls and turrets with giant bright yellow circles. Felice Varini glued dizzying rings made of thin aluminium strips across the historic stones of Carcassonne Castle - France's second-most visited tourist site after the Eiffel Tower.

The massive hilltop citadel in the Languedoc-Roussillon region now resembles a giant target at a shooting range - and not everyone is pleased. Drawing more than four million visitors every year, the medieval fortified town was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Tourism Carcassonne, who have been promoting the site's new look, said the stripes are "eccentric concentric circles", *part of an event showcasing heritage* and contemporary art in the area.

The organisation said Varini's spiralling artwork "spread like a wave, fragmenting and recomposing the geometry of the circles on the towers and curtain walls of the fortifications". But many locals and tourists have slammed the design, calling it "ugly" and a "real horror", RT news reports. Scorning the artist's efforts, one unimpressed person commented online: "Desecrating historic art is not art", while another said: "As a medievalist I am deeply shocked that the French authorities can allow such defacement."

Some 2,000 people have reportedly signed a petition demanding the circles be removed. Locals told France Info radio that they had not been consulted about the exhibition, and that they're now forced to "look at it all day". Some visitors, however, have praised the artwork, with one saying it is "kinda cool if you look at it from the right angle".

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🇭🇺 **George Soros’ Open Society foundation ends operations in Hungary **
<https://archive.fo/3PnVT>

George Soros’ Open Society Foundations is ending its operations in Hungary, accusing Budapest of repressing civil society. PM Viktor Orban has repeatedly slammed the tycoon for meddling in the nation’s internal affairs.

“Faced with an increasingly repressive political and legal environment in Hungary, the Open Society Foundations are moving their Budapest-based international operations and staff to the German capital, Berlin,” the group confirmed on Tuesday. Patrick Gaspard, the president of the Open Society Foundations, lashed out at Budapest, saying it has “denigrated and misrepresented our work,” while repressing civil society “for the sake of political gain.”

The group based its decision on the fact that Budapest "prepares to impose further restrictions on nongovernmental organizations through what it has branded its "Stop Soros” package of legislation.” Prime Minister Viktor Orban has repeatedly spoken out against the detrimental agendas of Soros’ foundation and other NGOs, accusing the billionaire of meddling in Hungary’s internal political affairs by funding opposition groups.

In February, Fidesz submitted a bill to parliament called the ‘Stop Soros Act’ – in reference to the Hungarian-American tycoon – which would curb immigration and would also affect foreign-funded NGOs. The bill says that all NGOs which “support illegal immigration” need to be registered, while any NGO which gets money from abroad must pay a 25-percent tax.

Also, foreign citizens and Hungarian nationals who support illegal immigration could be subject to a restraining order which would keep them away from the border. “If Soros is found to have engaged in such activity, meaning he organizes illegal immigration, then the rules will apply to him,” government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said in February.
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🇺🇸 **Cheesecake Factory Employees Attack Black Man For Wearing MAGA Hat, Witnesses Say**
<http://archive.is/5PJl1>

On Mother's Day, employees at a Cheesecake Factory in Miami, Florida, verbally attacked and made threatening gestures toward a black man who dined with his girlfriend's family simply because he was wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat, according to multiple witnesses interviewed by The Daily Wire.

ccording to multiple witnesses and Joseph's own account, a woman who worked at the restaurant walked up to him and started pointing at his hat, signaling for the other employees to come over.

"Her finger was literally on top of his head, we were all looking at her like 'what is happening?'" one witness told The Daily Wire. "She was pointing at him, calling her other coworkers, telling them to look at this guy wearing a Make America Great Again hat."

At that point, approximately a dozen or so employees approached the table and began making comments about the hat, with some saying they wanted to punch Joseph in the face. Witnesses also allege that some of the employees also referred to him as a "n**ger" in their conversations among each other.

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🇰🇵 **North Korea cancels talks with South, threatens to call off US talks over military drills - reports **
<https://archive.fo/pqBzK>

North Korea has canceled a summit with South Korea and has threatened to call off a summit between US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un over American military drills with South Korea, according to South Korean media reports. Pyongyang has canceled talks with Seoul due to ongoing Max Thunder military exercises between the South and the US, Yonhap news agency cited North Korean media. The drills have been described by the North as a rehearsal for invasion of the DPRK and a provocation amid warming inter-Korean ties.

The news comes as a blow after the historic talks between the leaders of two Koreas in April and the meeting between Kim and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Pompeo said Sunday that any deal paving the way for a nuclear-free Korean peninsula will have to include certain US safeguards, and reassurance that Kim won’t become a target of yet another regime change attempt.

Wednesday’s now suspended talks were to include a 29-strong delegation from North Korea led by Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the 'Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the country' along with a five-member South Korean delegation, led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon.

The Max Thunder 18 drills are one of a number of joint military drills carried out by South Korea and the US in the Korean peninsula. North Korea has long viewed these drills as a show of aggression towards Pyongyang. The two-week Max Thunder 18 air drills kicked off on Friday, with over 100 planes taking part, including F-22 fighters and B-52 bombers, Yonhap reported last week. "Through this practical exercise, the air forces of South Korea and the US plan to improve aerial operations techniques," an anonymous South Korean official told Yonhap.
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🇮🇱 **‘No link between US embassy move & deaths of Palestinians’ – Nikki Haley at UNSC**
<https://archive.fo/igsiw>

A defiant US accused the UN Security Council of a “double standard” towards Israel, while other states united to condemn violence against Palestinians during the unrest that followed the American decision to relocate its embassy.

“The United States deplores the loss of life, but there is a lot of violence in region. And the double standard is all too common in this chamber, and is working overtime today,” said Washington’s envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, before launching a lengthy diatribe criticizing the UN Security Council for failing to call similar meetings to discuss the “destabilizing influence” of Iran.

Haley then said that December’s decision to relocate the US mission from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem “does not undermine the prospect of peace in any way” and that those who said it was in itself connected to violence were “sorely mistaken.” The representative blamed the deaths of a reported 60 Palestinians on Monday exclusively on Hamas “incitement” to attack the Gaza-Israel border, and said the group was “pleased” by the scale of confrontations, in which over 2,700 people were wounded, according to the Palestinian authorities.

“No country in this chamber would act with more restrain than Israel has,” summed up the former South Carolina governor. Having listened to a series of speeches by other envoys, Haley then walked out of the hall as soon as the Palestinian envoy began his address.
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🇺🇸 **'No focus on Russian activities' - Donald Jr. on Trump Tower meeting in interview transcripts **
*RT* - <https://archive.fo/whpUn>

The US Senate Judiciary Committee has released more than 1,800 pages of transcripts from interviews conducted with Donald Trump Jr. and other participants of a 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. The documents provide new insight into the controversial 20-minute meeting during which Trump Jr, along with Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner and then campaign chairman Paul Manafort, was expecting to receive “dirt” on Hillary Clinton from Veselnitskaya.

The committee released the thousands of pages of transcripts along with hundreds of additional pages of related material, including interviews with British music manager Rob Goldstone, Russian-American lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin and translator Ike Kaveladze who were also present at the meeting.

The meeting has been the subject of controversy, particularly the question of whether then-candidate Trump knew about it. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has looked closely at the meeting as part of his investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election, which has not yet turned up any evidence of collusion between Trump and Russia.

Following the publication of the documents, Trump Jr. said they showed that he "answered every question asked” by the committee. "I appreciate the opportunity to have assisted the Judiciary Committee in its inquiry," he said in a statement. "The public can now see that for over five hours I answered every question asked and was candid and forthright with the Committee.”
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