[ZeroHedge] The Daily Wire has learned that the Small Business Administration has ordered all 4,300 firms in its 8(a) "socially disadvantaged" program, which receive no-bid federal contracts, to turn over their financial records, including general ledgers, bank statements, payroll files, subcontracting agreements, and other internal documents, by January 5 or face removal from the program.
SBA's crackdown on one of Washington's oldest DEI initiatives follows mounting evidence that some 8(a) firms have become a major pipeline for fraud, pass-through schemes, and artificially inflated contract costs.
Late last month, Peter Schweizer, president of the Government Accountability Institute and the investigative journalist who broke the Clinton Cash corruption story, published a report exposing the cronyism and corruption inside the 8(a) program, where pass-through firms handed bidless contracts on silver platters while quietly outsourcing the real work to major consulting companies.
"For years, DC insiders have exploited a federal DEI contracting program that provides windfalls to Beltway elites. This open secret isn't about helping the downtrodden; it's about bagging no-bid paydays. The SBA's 8(a) program is long overdue for reform," Schweizer wrote on X.
Oh dear. It’s a good thing the DOGE team is still working quietly in the background, setting up systems for each team in turn to extract the important bits from vast masses of information. The reports that come out from this are going to be as fascinating as USAID was, and the Minnesota Somalis. President Trump continues to deliver on his promises, and he still has three years to make it all irreversible.
There was also a recent U.S. Treasury Department investigation into $9 billion in small-business contracting, amid alarming concerns from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and others about rampant fraud and abuse in preference-based programs. In other words, meritocracy will return under the Trump administration.
Everyone in the DC consulting world understands how the game works: set up a compliant 8(a) "small business," win the no-bid award, and let the big consulting firms do all the work.
8(a) was DC's best-kept secret - until journalist James O'Keefe blew the lid off the DEI program. O'Keefe went undercover and captured video of an individual linked to ATI Government Solutions bragging about keeping $65 million of a $100 million contract while subcontracting out the work.
Several firms, including ATI, have since been suspended. Native American tribes whose names were used in pass-through schemes are also under increasing scrutiny.
SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said there is mounting evidence that minority contracts had become "a pass-through vehicle for rampant abuse and fraud," especially after the Biden administration raised the target for contracts "set aside" for minorities from 5% to 15% of all contracting dollars.
"We're committed to thoroughly reviewing every federal contract, contracting officer, and contractor — while working alongside federal law enforcement," Loeffler said.
📸 Example? One executive bragged on hidden camera about winning a $100 million contract while doing only 20% of the work. The rest went to an unqualified partner. They called it a “pass-through.” I call it what it is: legalized fraud. Well done, @JamesOKeefeIII! pic.twitter.com/rI8SkAYqzw
Last straw consequences, a reminder that the police protect criminals from their angry neighbours.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A lynch mob has beaten a man to death, hacked off his genitals and dragged his body through the streets as punishment after accusing him of raping a disabled woman.
Ali, 47, was hunted by furious locals for allegedly raping and assaulting the woman in Gowa, Indonesia, on November 30.
The victim, identified only as T, was found battered and in a state of shock, sparking anger within the community.
Ali fled to a relative's house before slipping into a nearby forest to escape the villagers' wrath, according to local media.
But he was caught on December 3, when he emerged from the woods to look for food.
Passersby immediately recognised the suspect, allegedly notorious for terrorising the area with frequent thefts, and lynched him, wielding sticks, stones, and machetes.
Shocking footage shows them thrashing Ali with his hands and feet bound with rope. Locals were holding smartphones aloft as hundreds marched through villages.
The vigilantes were said to have 'chopped up' his genitals before parading his limp body, hogtied to wooden poles, past homes in a sickening celebration of mob justice.
The barbaric display continued into the evening, when a fleet of motorcycles was seen brutally dragging his corpse along a road while residents cheered.
Senior Adjunct Commissioner Muhammad Aldy Sulaeman, Gowa Police Chief, said police rushed to Rappolemba Village to control the mob.
He said: 'We can confirm that several videos have circulated regarding an alleged assault against an individual.
'Regarding this matter, we have coordinated with the Tompobulu Police. Based on the reports we received, the situation at the location is now under control.
'We don't want to underestimate the situation, and we are making checks and increasing security measures to keep the situation under control.
'The initial information we received indicates that the person concerned was suspected of rape. However, we will continue to investigate this matter to determine the exact chronology of events.
'The personnel involved include the Gowa Police's medical team for the post-mortem examination, the Samapta Unit, the Criminal Investigation Unit, the Intelligence Unit, and the Community Policing Unit, accompanied by the local police chief. We have also coordinated with the South Sulawesi Regional Police Department.'
Locals claimed Ali had long been a menace, accusing him of being a repeat thief who had previously served prison time and was just recently released.
Villager Enal said: 'Residents had been looking for Ali after committing this heinous act against a disabled woman. He hid in one of his relatives' homes, then moved to a forest area in Rappolemba village.
'When he was caught on the border of Rappoala and Rappolemba villages, his penis was cut off and chopped up.
'Ali is indeed a disturbing person. He had also been in prison and is a frequent thief. He even recently stole a laptop from his neighbour's house. He will not be missed by anyone.'
Authorities said they were working to identify those involved in the savage mob attack.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] A magnitude 7.0 earthquake was recorded in the state of Alaska. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)reported this on December 6
The earthquake's magnitude was initially estimated at 6.8, but the USGS later updated its parameters. According to updated data, the epicenter was located 90 km north of Yakutat, and the depth was 10 km.
There were no reports of casualties or damage.
On October 13, scientists warned that the United States could face a major earthquake triggered by a tectonic fault running along the coast of three states: California, Oregon, and Washington. Experts noted that, despite the well-known, terrifying threat of a megaquake along the San Andreas Fault in California, the Cascadia Subduction Zone is causing geologists even greater concern.
[ZeroHedge] Folks across the Mid-Atlantic, especially in the Washington, DC-Baltimore metro area, woke up to a rare December winter scene: a few inches of fresh snow on the ground. With a solid cold pattern locked in through the middle of the month, this early-season snow is something the region hasn't seen this early in the cold season in many years.
With below-normal temperatures forecast across the Mid-Atlantic through at least mid-month - and potentially extending into the third week according to models, meteorologist Mark Margavage wrote on X that alarm bells are going off that signal a potential winter storm threat for the region could be a few weeks away.
Margavage pointed to a sudden plunge in the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), which measures the sea-level pressure difference between Tahiti and Darwin, Australia. Such a drop signals a shift from La Niña–like conditions (positive SOI values) toward neutral or even El Niño conditions (negative SOI values).
This transition weakens trade winds across the equatorial Pacific, warms sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific, and disrupts the Walker circulation, leading to widespread global weather anomalies.
One such anomaly that may occur at a 2 to 3 week lag is the increased risk of major winter storms or polar vortex disruptions in the Eastern U.S.
Margavage explained more:
The Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) is a key indicator of the strength and phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Sustained strongly positive SOI values (typically 30-day average > +7 or +8) are associated with La Niña conditions, and sustained strongly negative values with El Niño.
This graph shows a very sharp collapse of the SOI from strongly positive (La Niña-like) values around +18 in mid-to-late November 2025 down to slightly positive or near-neutral values by early December 2025.
According to @grok "This is one of the fastest SOI drops on record."
After a sudden SOI plunge of this magnitude and speed, the most common lag time to the first big Eastern U.S. winter storm or polar vortex disruption-driven cold wave is about 2–3 weeks, with a broader 10–35-day window of elevated risk.
So for the drop shown in this image (finalized ~5 Dec 2025), the highest winter storm threat in the Eastern U.S. is roughly December 18 – January 10, peaking late December to very early January 2026. So Christmas could be extremely Wintery this year!
Posted by: Skidmark ||
12/07/2025 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1768 views]
Top|| File under: Nut Jobs
#1
no threat of Atlantic Coast storm in the next 7 days per computer models
Tehran, Iran does expect some rain 8 Dec and 10 December - not a big storm though
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/07/2025 9:16 Comments ||
Top||
[JustTheNews] Hung Cao, the Undersecretary of the Navy, told Just the News “yes” this week when asked about there being a shipbuilding crisis in the U.S.
“Shipbuilding is very important to the president of the United States,” Cao said, adding that Navy Secretary John Phelan is “very hyper-focused on shipbuilding.”
#1
You won't end the ship building shortage till you hang a few Admirals from the yardarm for constantly making changes to the designs and contracts in the building process. For the encouragement of others.
So is it feral yoots, an Antifa action, or all the way to Clockwork Orange territory?
[BBC] Tom Bate told the BBC that he thought he was in a middle of an attack.
"I was at Terminal 3 waiting for a lift to get to the parking garage with around 50 other people when I saw young men dressed in black darting through the crowd," says Tom who flew in from the US.
"They went through a side door and up a set of stairs.
"As soon as they left people started coughing, and then I started to cough. I felt a burning at the back of my throat."
After Tom got to his car and started driving out of the car park he saw police arriving.
"About 10 to 20 heavily armed police officers came looking around.
"It was an amazing thing to see the police running to danger.
"I’m so glad to hear now that it’s not terrorism because it felt like I was in a middle of an attack - it was pretty intense.”
The city’s Metropolitan Police says the incident was sparked by an argument between a group of people known to each other and was not being treated as terrorism.
Heathrow says on social media its teams were “responding to an incident involving the emergency services” and advised passengers to allow extra time when traveling to Europe’s busiest airport.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] ] US officials have revealed key details of the Trump administration's peace talks with Ukraine, including an update on the $300 billion plan to boost America's economy.
The Department of State on Friday outlined the progress made during meetings between US and Ukrainian officials aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Special Envoy for Peace Steven Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, sat down with Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, and Chief of the General Staff, General Andriy Hnatov.
US and Ukrainian officials have met six times within the past two weeks and are scheduled to reconvene on Saturday.
During the most recent discussion, which took place in Miami, they spoke about the results of a separate meeting Kushner and Witkoff had with Russian leaders.
At that meeting, Kirill Dmitriev - Putin's 'handpicked' negotiator - reportedly pushed for the $300 billion of Russian central bank assets frozen in Europe to be used for joint US-Russian investment projects, and a 'US-led reconstruction' of Ukraine.
On Friday, a Department of State spokesperson said: 'Parties separately reviewed the future prosperity agenda which aims to support Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, joint US-Ukraine economic initiatives, and long-term recovery projects.'
'The Americans and Ukrainians also agreed on the framework of security arrangements and talked about necessary deterrence capabilities to sustain a lasting peace,' they added.
'Both parties agreed that real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and cessation of killings.'
Ultimately, US officials said that 'credible steps' toward a ceasefire and preventative measures for renewed aggression have been underscored.
These plans are 'designed to make the nation stronger and more prosperous than before the war,' as per the statement.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported how Trump's team has been negotiating with Russia on how to 'bring their $2 trillion economy in from the cold.'
Along with the plan to use Russia's frozen assets for a joint investment project with the US, there were also reportedly talks of pursuing a joint mission between Elon Musk's SpaceX and Russia to reach Mars - a far cry from the 'space race' of the 20th century.
Russia's strategy, according to the report, is to convince the Trump administration that it is a 'land of opportunity' - not a threat.
The Kremlin reportedly hopes to 'reshape the economic map of Europe', while also creating friction between the US and its allies on the continent and beyond, potentially giving Putin the last laugh in negotiations.
'Russia has so many vast resources, vast expanses of land,' Witkoff told The Wall Street Journal.
'If we do all that, and everybody’s prospering and they’re all a part of it, and there’s upside for everybody, that’s going to naturally be a bulwark against future conflicts there. Because everybody’s thriving.'
Presidential advisors see post-war Russia as an opportunity for American investors, according to the WSJ.
'It's Trump's "Art of the Deal" to say, "Look, I'm settling this thing and there's huge economic benefits for doing that for America, right?"' one of them reportedly said.
This comes after Trump's 28-point peace plan to end the war in Ukraine was leaked to the media last week. It was widely panned in Europe for being too friendly toward Russia.
It would allow Russia to keep occupied territory in Ukraine - Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk - while also getting Ukrainian land that its soldiers don't occupy.
The agreement freezes the front lines of the conflict in the Ukrainian oblasts of Kherson and Zaporizhia, allowing Russia to effectively hold onto the nearby city of Mariupol and maintain a direct line to the Crimean Peninsula.
Another key point is that Ukraine will forever be barred from NATO, the military alliance Russia has long sought to keep as a buffer.
Sanctions on Russia would also be lifted and the country would be 'reintegrated into the global economy.'
In exchange, Ukraine would receive looser security guarantees from the US and NATO.
Another draft agreement says NATO would treat any attack on Ukraine as an attack on the entire 'transatlantic community', according to Axios.
Ukraine has repeatedly ruled out ceding land to Russia, but President Volodymyr Zelensky has signaled to his citizens that he likely won't be able to secure everything he wants.
'Currently, the pressure on Ukraine is one of the hardest,' he said in a recorded speech.
'Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice, either losing its dignity or the risk of losing a key partner.'
He said he would 'work calmly' with the US and all other partners in the peace process.
The war in Ukraine has become a multi-year conflict, beginning when Russia invaded in February 2022.
Many experts say the war actually began in 2014, when Russia formally annexed Crimea, which had been part of an independent Ukraine since 1991.
As Trump campaigned for president last year, he repeatedly claimed he would end the war that had been raging for much of President Joe Biden's term on 'day one'.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The European Union is punishing companies for refusing to restrict freedom of speech by imposing impossible rules on them. Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced this on December 6.
"The EU is imposing impossible rules to punish tech companies that refuse to silently censor free speech. We saw the same thing in France: a baseless 'criminal investigation,' and then the intelligence services offered their assistance if Telegram quietly censors free speech in Romania and Moldova," Durov wrote in a post on social media.
He clarified that EU leaders only prosecute companies that host inconvenient statements by dissenting voices. Meanwhile, companies that algorithmically suppress users are largely untouched by Brussels, even if they commit other types of violations, the Telegram founder noted.
In August 2024, Durov was arrested at Le Bourget Airport in Paris. He was charged with 10 criminal offenses. Durov stated that French authorities accused him of poor content moderation and that some of the platform's users were using it for illegal purposes. Four days later, the Telegram founder was released under supervision and ordered to post €5 million bail. Durov noted that the charges against him were absurd and damaged France's image.
In October, Telegram's founder wrote that France had initiated legislation requiring online service providers in the EU to monitor messages on users' devices. Durov noted that if such a law were passed, EU citizens would be the first in the world to be deprived of their right to privacy.
[TWZ] The drone incursion over the base in France is the latest in a string of incidents around sensitive facilities in Europe.
French authorities reportedly took defensive measures against five drones flying over an extremely sensitive base that is home to the nuclear submarines that make up the nation’s second-strike deterrent force. The incident is the latest in a string of incursions seen over military installations and other sensitive areas in Europe that some have linked to Russia.
The drones were reported over the Île Longue submarine base at about 7:30 PM local time Thursday, according to AFP. The base is located on the Crozon Peninsula in the westernmost part of France. The facility is the homeport for the French Navy’s four nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs): Le Triomphant, Le Téméraire, Le Vigilant, and Le Terrible.
After the drones were spotted, a “counter-drone and search operation was launched,” AFP reported, citing the gendarmerie. “The marine rifle battalion, which is responsible for protecting the base, carried out several anti-drone strikes.”
The marines “used a jammer, not a firearm,” against the drones, Public Prosecutor Frédéric Teillet said. So, that was successful?
The reported incursion over the French submarine base comes amid a rash of such sightings across Europe that have sparked military responses and closed civilian airports.
A French official confirmed to TWZ that there was an overflight on the Crozon Peninsula and that military personnel at the base “reacted promptly and appropriately in full accordance with protocol.”
That protocol, according to the official, holds that when there is a case of doubt about what is flying over a military base, “personnel are mobilized to detect and jam it.”
Despite efforts to stop the drones, none were brought down, and no operators were identified, the Rennes prosecutor’s office told AFP. I figured as much
“Therefore, no link to foreign interference has been established,” added Teillet, the Public Prosecutor. His office has “jurisdiction over military matters,” and opened up an investigation into the incident, AFP noted.
“It is too early to characterize” the origin of the drones, Commander Guillaume Le Rasle, spokesperson for the maritime prefecture, told AFP. He did, however, believe that these flights over the Île Longue submarine base were “intended to alarm the population.”
Still, “[s]ensitive infrastructure was not threatened by the overflight,” Le Rasle explained.
European leaders have suggested Moscow might be behind at least some of these drone overflights.
Thursday was not the first time drones have flown over the restricted area on the Crozon Peninsula. There was an overflight reported “during the night of Nov. 17-18,” AFP stated.
The first reported incursion near the facility took place a decade ago, according to the French Le Telegramme news outlet. "We're working on it. We have the same experts that designed the security systems at the Louvre"
“The detection of a drone flying near the highly secretive base for nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) triggered an impressive deployment of forces on Tuesday morning on the Crozon peninsula, south of Brest,” the publication reported in January 2015. “The overflight occurred at a critical moment: just as an SSBN was about to move.”
The reported incursion over the French submarine base comes amid a rash of such sightings across Europe that have sparked military responses and closed civilian airports.
Earlier this week, there was a reported incursion in Ireland as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was arriving.
“Four unidentified military style drones breached a no-fly zone and flew towards the flight path of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plane at sea near Dublin Airport late on Monday night,” The Journal, an Irish publication, reported. “The plane landed, slightly ahead of schedule, just moments before the incident happened at about 11 p.m. The drones reached the location where Zelensky’s plane was expected to be at the exact moment it had been due to pass.”
On Friday, CBS News confirmed that “[u]nidentified drones breached Ireland’s airspace this week” during Zelensky’s visit.
As we have frequently reported, Europe has experienced dozens of drone sightings that have temporarily closed airports and buzzed military facilities. In many instances, the armed forces of those countries have had to intervene. In one such example, the Dutch military last month “opened fire at drones over Volkel Air Base in the east of the country, but no wreckage was recovered,” the Ministry of Defense said.
“Security staff at the base reported the drones between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m…prompting the air force to fire ground-based weapons to take them down,” the ministry said in a statement, according to ABC News.
Volkel is one of several bases in Europe where the U.S. military keeps B61-12 nuclear gravity bombs, which could be released to select NATO members for use on their aircraft as part of the alliance’s nuclear weapon sharing agreements.
European leaders have suggested Moscow might be behind at least some of these drone overflights.
Denmark has called drones of unknown origin flying over its airspace part of a “hybrid attack.” While some officials there have stopped short of saying definitively who is responsible, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen suggested it could be Moscow, calling Russia the primary “country that poses a threat to European security.”
“It’s possible,” that there is a Russian connection to the drone incursions, “but there are currently no concrete indications,” Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said earlier this year. “That needs to be investigated. Personally, I think these drones are very often an example of a hybrid threat. This is a way to sow unrest. That has been Russia’s pattern for many years.”
Still, little proof has emerged of such a connection, which the Kremlin denies.
In an earlier story about incursions over Germany, we noted that: “it is quite possible that many, if not most of these sightings are mistaken identity. It is a pattern that emerged last year when thousands of people claimed to see drones in the New Jersey region of the U.S. The overwhelming majority of those sightings were airplanes, planets and other benign objects in the sky.”
#3
Heard about a contractor test to use a MASER (microwave laser) to down a drone. Didn't get the drone, but managed to damage a communication satellite in the sky past it.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
12/07/2025 11:25 Comments ||
Top||
[ZeroHedge] For years, many in the free speech community (most vehemently, Jonathan Turley) have warned about the threat of the European Union to free speech, particularly in the enactment of the infamous Digital Services Act (DSA).
The EU has virtually declared war on free speech and is targeting American companies.
That war just began with the first DSA fine.
Not surprisingly, X was the chosen target - a company blamed by many in the EU and the U.S. for rolling back free-speech protections. that sentence makes no sense
In essence, it’s punishment for not bending the knee to the EU’s iron-fisted control over online content.
As Modernity.news' Steve Watson points out, the fine reeks of the same vindictive playbook the EU has used since Musk took over Twitter in 2022. It’s no coincidence; Brussels has been gunning for him precisely because he’s turned the platform into a haven for unfiltered discourse, refusing to censor at the whim of unelected technocrats.
This isn’t a one-off slap; it’s the culmination of years of threats and harassment. Back in January 2023, EU Commission Vice-President Vera Jourová openly warned Musk that his “freedom of speech absolutism” wouldn’t fly, declaring the “time of the Wild West is over” and threatening sanctions if Twitter didn’t comply with DSA rules. She conflated illegal content with anything the elites deem offensive, setting the stage for today’s fine.
In October 2023, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton fired off a letter demanding X address “illegal content and disinformation” related to the Gaza conflict. Musk fired back, demanding a specific list of violations so the public could judge for themselves.
Breton’s vague accusations—citing repurposed images and unverified claims—highlighted the EU’s preference for opacity over accountability. Musk called it out: “List the violations you allude to on X, so that the public can see them.” The EU’s response was not forthcoming, but the threats continued.
Further, Musk brings receipts showing the European Union sent him a formal letter demanding that he censor Donald Trump during the 2024 US presidential election.
Since Musk’s acquisition, X has become a battleground for free expression, reinstating accounts banned under the old regime and prioritizing user-driven content over algorithmic suppression. But for the EU, that’s the problem.
Their DSA empowers regulators to dictate what platforms promote or demote, under the guise of fighting “hate speech” and “misinformation.” In reality, it’s a tool to silence dissent against open borders, climate hysteria, or any narrative challenging the globalist agenda.
This fine doesn’t exist in a vacuum - it’s part of a chilling pattern of EU overreach that threatens privacy and free speech across the continent.
Take the proposed Chat Control law, which would mandate backdoors into encrypted messages on apps like WhatsApp and Signal.
Sold as a child protection measure, it would scan billions of private conversations, exposing users to hacking, fraud, and government spying. Signal’s CEO Meredith Whittaker slammed it as a “catastrophic about-face” that betrays Europe’s privacy commitments, while experts warn of mass false positives and geopolitical abuse.
Then there’s Brussels’ aggressive enforcement tactics. In May of this year, the European Commission sued Czechia, Spain, Cyprus, Poland, and Portugal for dragging their feet on DSA implementation—specifically for not appointing national coordinators or setting penalties. Critics see this as forcing member states into a surveillance straitjacket, where platforms must over-censor to avoid fines, stifling smaller voices and user privacy.
At the heart of it all is the EU’s obsession with controlling information flows. In a January 2024 speech at Davos, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared disinformation the “top concern” for the coming years, calling for a “new global framework” where governments and Big Tech collaborate to police AI and online content.
She praised the DSA for defining platform responsibilities, but the subtext was clear: crush platforms like X that don’t toe the line. Jourová echoed this, meeting with Meta and YouTube execs to ensure compliance while targeting Musk’s “absolutism.”
These moves expose the hypocrisy: the EU claims to champion democracy but builds an Orwellian apparatus that monitors, scans, and punishes speech. It’s not about safety—it’s about power.
This latest EU assault on X has infuriated US Vice President JD Vance, who yesterday, as rumors of the impending penalty circulated, took to X and posted:
“The EU should be supporting free speech not attacking American companies over garbage.”
Vance’s previously blistering critiques of European tyranny sent shockwaves through Brussels. In a February 2025 speech at the Munich Security Conference, Vance tore into EU leaders for preaching democracy while arresting citizens for silent prayer, canceling elections, and ignoring voters on mass migration.
“No voter on this continent went to the ballot box to open the floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants,” he declared, labeling Europeans as more than “interchangeable cogs in a global economy.”
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called Vance’s opinions “unacceptable,” proving Vance’s point about normalized authoritarianism.
Vance’s words were prescient—today’s fine on X exemplifies how the EU weaponizes laws to crush free speech platforms, treating them as threats to their controlled narrative. With Trump back in the White House and Vance as a key ally, expect pushback: America won’t stand idly by as allies erode the very freedoms that define the West.
The $140 million hit on X isn’t just a fine—it’s a declaration of war on uncensored dialogue.
Musk’s platform remains one of the last major outposts where ideas flow freely, unhampered by globalist filters. As the EU tightens its grip, the message is clear: comply or be crushed.
As Jonathan Turley concludes, this is the first fine under the DSA and the EU officials acknowledged that it will lay the foundation for additional penalties to come to force companies to comply with EU “values” on free speech.
Specifically, the European Commission has imposed a €120 million ($140 million) fine on X after finding that it misled users with its paid-for blue checkmark verification symbol, failed to provide researchers with access to data, and did not properly set up an advertising repository.
#4
"Not surprisingly, X was the chosen target - a company blamed by many in the EU and the U.S. for rolling back free-speech protections. that sentence makes no sense"
This is a typical AI mistake.
Per standing German constitutional case law freedom of speech is "the foundation of any freedom", a provision "simply constitutive for Western democracy", the "noblest of all human rights" because it recognizes the intellect of man.
This is simply irreconcilable with the present legal reality in the EU and its member states.
The increasing disrespect for free speech rights is an effect of a general orientalization of the West. China, Russia and the Islamic world are increasingly seen as role models by the Western elites.
The Trump administration is pretty much alone in pushing back.
This will end in a humiliating defeat, either a defeat of creeping tyranny or a defeat of Western freedom.
Women and girls, and those who love them, hardest and happiest hit.
[Breitbart] A new law went into effect in the Lone Star State that requires people using restrooms in publicly owned spaces to do so in one that matches their biological sex at birth. Senate Bill 8, also known as the Texas Women’s Privacy Act, went into effect on Thursday.
The legislation, also known as the “bathroom bill,” requires state correctional facilities, family violence shelters, state colleges and universities, state court houses, and government facilities to follow biological, sex-based guidance that governs who may use restrooms, locker rooms, and shower facilities starting Thursday. The new law does not impact private establishments within the state.
The new law provides that unless a restroom is designated for single-person use or a family-designated bathroom, the public entity is responsible for ensuring people who enter and use a multi-person facility match the person’s assigned sex at birth.
Included in the law are exceptions for people providing emergency medical care to someone inside a public bathroom or facility, law enforcement response, custodial cleaning activities, maintenance or inspections of the facilities, or adults who accompany children under 9 years old into the facility.
The bill imposes civil penalties on any state agency that violates the legislation, including $5,000 for a first violation and $25,000 for a second or subsequent violation. Each day of a continuing violation of the new law constitutes a separate violation. The law requires the Texas Attorney General to investigate any complaints to determine if legal action is warranted.
The bill has received sharp criticism from several LGBTQ organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization. In September, shortly after passage of the legislation during an emergency session to address Texas’s deadly Independence Day flooding, the group criticized the bill as “Anti-Trans,” saying the bill was a blatant attack on the transgender community.
The group’s president, Kelly Robinson, commented on HRC’s stance on the bill, saying, “Everyone deserves to be safe in the most private of spaces, but this latest attack from anti-equality lawmakers will put all Texans at risk. It represents a dangerous government overreach and is impossible to enforce without exposing people to humiliating inspections and questioning. For transgender Texans in particular, this will make it that much harder to go about their daily lives without fear of violence or harassment.”
One Texas State lawmaker, Representative Ana Maria Rodriguez-Ramos, described the bill as a “cruel law that aims to make the lives of transgender Texans even more difficult than they already are,” in a social media post just hours after the bill took effect.
Texas is now one of 19 states that restrict bathroom use by law or policy in some public facilities and/or public schools based on biological sex at birth.
The same nineteen as show up for all the other cultural changes we deplore, I’d bet.
Posted by: Skidmark ||
12/07/2025 08:09 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1764 views]
Top|| File under: Nut Jobs
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[BBC] Tom Bate told the BBC that he thought he was in a middle of an attack.
