Posted on

YouTube Censors Project Veritas Video Exposing Anti-Christian Bias at Pinterest

YouTube censored a video from undercover journalism outlet Project Veritas featuring an interview with a Silicon Valley insider who revealed anti-Christian censorship at the social media platform Pinterest.

YouTube users who navigate to the Project Veritas interview are now met with a message informing them that the video is “no longer available due to a privacy claim by a third party.”

The video can still be accessed at Project Veritas’ website. It reveals that Pinterest added Bible verses to a “sensitive terms” list and censored a major pro-life website as “pornography.”

This follows a similar act of censorship by Twitter, which restricted a tweet from Project Veritas revealing internal communications from Pinterest smearing conservative pundit Ben Shapiro as a “white supremacist.”

In a statement to Breitbart News, a YouTube spokesman said “The privacy of our users is important to us, that’s why we created robust privacy guidelines. If someone feels their privacy has been violated on YouTube, they can file a privacy complaint and we will promptly remove the content if it violates our guidelines.”

In a comment on Twitter, Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe denounced YouTube’s censorship.

O’Keefe posted, “The established media and technology are so afraid of investigative journalism they need to censor it. YouTube calls REPORTING on someone by showing their face and name, and how they added a pro-life group to a porn blacklist, a ‘privacy complaint.’ Would they do this to NYT?”

YouTube’s takedown of the Project Veritas video has been denounced by prominent conservatives including educational organization PragerU and Paul Joseph Watson. Independent journalists Luke Rudkowski and Tim Pool, who rely on YouTube as an outlet for their news reporting and commentary, also denounced the takedown.

Are you a source at YouTube or any other corporation who wants to confidentially blow the whistle on wrongdoing or political bias at your company? Reach out to Allum Bokhari securely at allumbokhari@protonmail.com.

Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. 

via Breitbart News

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.breitbart.com

Posted on

Alabama’s Stand for Free Speech Sets an Example for the Nation

State mottos should be built to last, and Alabama’s lawmakers just applied theirs—Audemus jura nostra defendere or “We dare defend our rights”—to one of the most contentious and visible issues of debate today: free speech on college campuses.

Last week, Gov. Kay Ivey approved a proposal to protect the expressive rights of everyone who is part of a university community.

The proposal forbids so-called free speech zones, instructs university officials to be prepared to issue consequences to students who violate others’ right to listen and be heard, and assigns public university governing boards the task of writing an annual report on free speech-related incidents.

Alabama’s proposal is the latest in a string of actions by state lawmakers around the U.S. to resist the efforts by on- and off-campus protesters to intimidate and bully students, faculty, and administrators by disrupting campus activities. In the last three years, policymakers in Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, and Wisconsin have enacted similar proposals.

These responses to campus censorship have key provisions in common that distinguish them from other attempts to restore the pursuit of truth in the academy.

The measures call for public colleges to adopt principles similar to what is known as the “Chicago Statement,”  which says schools must not act to protect students from ideas with which they may disagree. More than 60 colleges around the country have adopted this statement.

Second, all public areas of campus must be considered “free
speech zones.” Universities around the country have been criticized for
limiting expressive activity to small, isolated areas of campus.

Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., cited these zones in a resolution condemning campus speech codes that he introduced earlier this year.

The American Civil Liberties Union also opposes these zones and said, “While it may sound like these zones are designed to promote speech, they actually do the opposite by confining political expression to designated areas, often in out-of-the-way locations on campus.”

Third, public college officials must be prepared to issue
consequences to individuals—including students—that block someone else’s
attempt to be heard.

A group that staged a protest in opposition to a guest lecturer’s remarks at a University of Wisconsin event told reporters this portion of the Wisconsin Board of Regents’ operating policy prevented them from disrupting the event.

In Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina, and Georgia, students accused of violating someone else’s speech rights must be made aware of any hearings on their case and have the right to find representation.

Anyone lawfully present on a public college campus should be
allowed to demonstrate there, as long as those activities do not interfere with
others’ attempts to listen or be heard.

Students at Evergreen State College in Washington state occupied administrative buildings in the spring of 2017 and disrupted campus events for weeks without sanctions.

Student discipline came months later, after the school year ended, but by then, the damage was done. School officials had to temporarily close campus and delay graduation.

Mike Paros, professor at Evergreen, wrote in Quillette,
“Marginalized students seeking justice for themselves and others will realize
that they deserve a school where ideas can be exchanged freely.”

The new Alabama proposal is designed to protect learning environments and allow the free exchange of opinions. Evergreen’s example may be extreme, but not by much.

Two public colleges in Alabama made the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s list of worst colleges for free speech. Last November, the College Media Association censured the University of North Alabama after the school blocked the student newspaper’s access to information about a public employee.

Alabama lawmakers took the opportunity to defend free speech
on campus and governed according to its state motto. Now, college governing
boards and school officials must do the same.

The post Alabama’s Stand for Free Speech Sets an Example for the Nation appeared first on The Daily Signal.

via The Daily Signal

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.dailysignal.com/

Posted on

Veto Looms for Democrats’ Bill to Block Border Wall Spending, Fund Abortions Abroad

The White House on Tuesday issued a veto threat over a House Democratic spending bill that would increase funding for abortions abroad and ban construction of a southern border wall.

Democrats announced they would bring to the House floor for debate on Wednesday an appropriations bill to fund the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, State, Education, Labor, Energy, and Health and Human Services.

“The bill provides investments needed to defend the nation against evolving threats, prepare for future challenges, and meet the needs of service members and military families. Additionally, the bill protects against misappropriation of Defense funds for a border wall,” a House Appropriations Committee bill summary says.

The Office of Management and Budget issued a formal statement of administration policy Tuesday objecting to several aspects of the bill, including increased spending levels and lack of conscience protections for professionals who could be forced by the government to violate their religious beliefs.

The latter includes being compelled to provide medical procedures, such as abortions, or forcing someone to provide birth control or abortion-inducing drugs.

“The administration strongly objects to language in section 8127 of the bill that would prohibit the use of FY 2020 or prior-year defense appropriations to construct barriers or security infrastructure along the southern border,” the OMB statement says.

On the spending side, the OMB statement says:

It would put the federal government on track to add nearly $2 trillion to deficits over 10 years, adding significantly to the national debt, which is already more than $22 trillion and rising.

Overall, according to the Congressional Budget Office, H.R. 2740 would spend $984.7 billion—$63.4 billion, or 6.9 percent, above the FY 2020 [b]udget request and $31.5 billion above the FY 2019 enacted level.

It concludes: “If H.R. 2740 were presented to the President in its current form, his advisors would recommend that he veto it.”

The spending-bill summary touts the measure’s “support for women’s reproductive rights” that would permanently repeal the so-called “Mexico City Policy” that prohibits U.S. tax dollars from funding abortions in foreign countries.

“[T]he bill that would effectively block the administration’s implementation of the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy, which prohibits the funding of foreign non-governmental organizations that promote or perform abortions,” the OMB statement says.

“The administration is also concerned that the bill restores unrequested funding for the United Nations Population Fund, an organization determined by the Secretary of State to support or participate in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization.”

Last month, Trump and the Department of Health and Human Services announced new protections for religious liberty and conscience rights, specifically for physicians, pharmacists, nurses, teachers, students, and faith-based charities to prevent them from being forced to violate their conscience. The Democrats’ bill would block funding for implementing these measures.

“The administration strongly objects to the inclusion of section 240 of the bill, which prohibits the [Health and Human Services] Office for Civil Rights from using appropriated funds to finalize, implement, or enforce the newly published conscience-protection final rule,” the OMB statement says. “This rule protects conscience rights for health care entities and professionals.”

The post Veto Looms for Democrats’ Bill to Block Border Wall Spending, Fund Abortions Abroad appeared first on The Daily Signal.

via The Daily Signal

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.dailysignal.com/

Posted on

Texas Governor Signs Bill Defending Chick-fil-A

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Monday state legislation to protect the fast-food chain Chick-fil-A from discrimination.

The legislation—Senate Bill 1978, dubbed the “Save Chick-fil-A” bill—specifically prohibits local governments in the state “from retaliating against anyone based on their affiliation or support of a religious organization,” according to KEYE-TV, the CBS affiliate in Austin, Texas.

The legislation came in response to the San Antonio City Council in March banning the San Antonio International Airport from leasing space to Chick-fil-A because of what critics said was the  fast-food chain’s “legacy of anti-LGBT behavior,” NBC News reported.

Roberto Trevino, a member of the City Council, said that the council was justified in banning the fast-food chain from the airport.

“San Antonio is a city full of compassion, and we do not have room in our public facilities for a business with a legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior,” Trevino said. “Everyone has a place here, and everyone should feel welcome when they walk through our airport.”

Equality Texas, an LGBTQ gtoup in Texas, criticized the new state law, tweeting that it was an “anti-LGBTQ dog whistle,” saying it would “advance the message that anti-LGBTQ views deserve special protections.”

Some Democratic state lawmakers said they were opposed to the bill because they thought it would promote discrimination.

“Religious freedom, at different times in our nation’s history, has been twisted to justify discrimination, to justify slavery,” said state Rep. Chris Turner, who leads the House Democratic Caucus. “Religious liberty is being used to justify discrimination.”

“We can’t discriminate against one in order to protect the other,” said state Rep. Mary Gonzalez, the second openly LGBT member to be elected to the Texas Legislature, according to DallasNews.com. “The scariest part of this bill … is the individuals who will take this bill and use your vote for this bill to perpetuate hate.”

Weeks before signing the legislation, Abbott, a second-term Republican, telegraphed on Twitter that he supported it.

The post Texas Governor Signs Bill Defending Chick-fil-A appeared first on The Daily Signal.

via The Daily Signal

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.dailysignal.com/

Posted on

Mexico Finally Draws a Line, Slaps Caravan Organizers with Trafficking Charges

Let’s face it: Donald Trump isn’t exactly popular in Mexico. His rhetoric regarding the border and immigration crisis has made him a bit of a piñata to our southern neighbor, with figures including former Mexican President Vicente Fox lining up to take jabs against Trump since he took office. But something may be changing. First,…

The post Mexico Finally Draws a Line, Slaps Caravan Organizers with Trafficking Charges appeared first on Conservative Tribune.

via Conservative Tribune

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.westernjournal.com/ct

Posted on

Jim Acosta’s Warning to Us Proves How Out-of-Touch He Really Is

CNN’s Jim Acosta — in an attempt to push his new book — might’ve made the single-most absurd remark in the history of words that have exited his mouth. And that’s saying something. According to The Daily Caller, in a Monday evening interview with CNN colleague Anderson Cooper, Acosta was questioned about his new book,…

The post Jim Acosta’s Warning to Us Proves How Out-of-Touch He Really Is appeared first on Conservative Tribune.

via Conservative Tribune

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://www.westernjournal.com/ct

Posted on

Israeli researchers: Hezbollah launders millions by overseeing the European drug trade

A new study by Israeli researchers claims Hezbollah finances its terror operations and sidesteps US sanctions by overseeing the illicit drug trade from South America to Europe. From the Times of Israel:

“These Hezbollah operatives are actually overseeing all the illicit finance and the drug trafficking activities, not just in Europe, but in South America, the Tri-Border region, moving about $200 million a month,” said former US Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Derek Maltz.

The study said Hezbollah personnel act as middlemen in the global drug route from South America to West Africa and from there to Europe, helping get hundreds of tons of cocaine and other drugs through ports in Belgium and Germany — with only 5-10 percent of it being intercepted.

“Our study links Hezbollah’s political wing with its military wing, and we went down to the field level and are showing how all the drug trafficking system supports money laundering,” Cohen said. “At least 20%-25% of the [profit] goes back to Hezbollah and is used for arming, weapon purchases, salaries and more.”

As it happens, we know one of the things Hezbollah militants were apparently spending some of that drug money on: Ice packs. Sunday the Telegraph reported that Hezbollah was caught stockpiling bomb-making materials, in the form of ice packs, in north London. This was apparently part of a larger plot to carry out terror attacks around the globe:

Radicals linked to Hizbollah, the Lebanese militant group, stashed hoards of disposable ice packs containing ammonium nitrate, an ingredient commonly used to make home made bombs.

The plot was uncovered by MI5 and the Metropolitan Police in 2015 but the public and MPs were kept in the dark, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Three tonnes of the dangerous substance was found in its raw form and police eventually arrested one man on suspicion of plotting terrorism – but released him without charge…

Sources told the paper that the pattern of behavior from those linked to the group suggested a wider operation, after a similar find was made in Thailand and a New York-based member appeared to seek out a foreign ice pack manufacturer.

CNSNews reports a British MP has sent a letter asking why the discovery of such a large amount of bomb-making materials was kept from the public in 2015 and whether that had something to do with keeping the Iran Deal on track:

Joan Ryan, an independent member of the House of Commons, asked Home Secretary Sajid Javid in a letter Monday why details of the September 2015 raid had not been made public.

“Can you confirm that nobody in Government ordered this information to be withheld from the public because of its sensitivity due to Iran’s funding and support for Hezbollah and the recent conclusion of the Iran nuclear deal?” she asked.

Ryan, who for years campaigned for Britain to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist group – in its entirety, rather than just its purported “military wing” – also wanted to know why the government resisted that move until early this year, even though it was aware in 2015 of its apparent terrorist plotting in the U.K.

It definitely seems odd that such a major terror-connected discovery would be kept quiet just months after the Iran Deal was wrapped up and months before the prisoner (and cash) swap in January 2016.

Update: Here’s a Ted Talk on how those instant ice packs work. There are only two ingredients inside them: water and ammonium nitrate.

The post Israeli researchers: Hezbollah launders millions by overseeing the European drug trade appeared first on Hot Air.

via Hot Air

Enjoy this article? Read the full version at the authors website: https://hotair.com