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Jack Dorsey thanks Elon Musk for 'Taking Twitter back from Wall Street'
After confirmation that Elon Musk had bought Twitter in a $44 billion deal, founder Jack Dorsey praised the entrepreneur for "taking it back from Wall Street". Following Musk's purchase of the social media network, which prompted a deluge of hysteria from censorship-happy leftists, Dorsey outlined his response in a lengthy tweet thread. "Elon's goal of creating a platform that is 'maximally trusted and broadly inclusive' is the right one," wrote Dorsey. "This is also [Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal's] goal, and why I chose him. Thank you both for getting the company out of an impossible situation. This is the right path... I believe it with all my heart."
https://www.sott.net/article/467154-Jack-Dorsey-thanks-Elon-Musk-for-Taking-Twitter-back-from-Wall-Street

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Confirmed: Elite anti-mafia unit shut down in Mexico after being infiltrated by mafia
Mexico's Sensitive Investigative Unit (SIU), a special law enforcement unit designed to combat organized crime and narcotrafficking, was disbanded last year because it was compromised after being infiltrated by organized crime. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) of Mexico confirmed the news on Thursday at an official press conference, validating a Reuters original report on the subject at the time. According to Mexico News Daily, AMLO confirmed the Reuters report that "Mexico's organized crime-fighting Sensitive Investigative Unit (SIU) - whose officers collaborated with and were trained by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration" was ended "more than a year ago."
https://www.sott.net/article/467155-Confirmed-Elite-anti-mafia-unit-shut-down-in-Mexico-after-being-infiltrated-by-mafia

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Deadly fires continue out west, early in wildfire season
Multiple wildfires continue to tear through several states across the west in an early start to fire season. The flames turned deadly with Nebraska authorities announcing a retired fire chief was killed and at least 15 others injured while battling the blaze.
https://www.sott.net/article/467156-Deadly-fires-continue-out-west-early-in-wildfire-season

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Biden admin temporarily BLOCKED from lifting Title 42
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office obtained a temporary restraining order Monday that blocks the Biden administration from lifting Title 42, a public health order that has expedited the expulsion of immigrants since March 2020. In a lawsuit first filed by the states of Missouri, Louisiana, and Arizona, the court order will keep Title 42 in place. "This is a huge victory for border security, but the fight continues on," Schmitt said in Monday's social media annoucement.
https://www.sott.net/article/467157-Biden-admin-temporarily-BLOCKED-from-lifting-Title-42

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Satanic Temple SUES school after it refused after hours 'Satan Club' for kids
The Satanic Temple is suing an elementary school in Pennsylvania after officials refused to allow the organisation to run a 'Satan Club' for children as young as six. KTUL reports that The Satanic Temple has filed suit against Northern Elementary School in York, alleging that the school is violating the First Amendment and discriminating against the Satanists because it sanctions some after school clubs but not the Temple. The report also notes that the general counsel for The Satanic Temple said "the Northern York County superintendent claimed to be concerned with public backlash due to the lack of interested parties," adding that "this is proof their club's communicative activities popularity was improperly considered when determining their future with equal access to government property, the school."
https://www.sott.net/article/467158-Satanic-Temple-SUES-school-after-it-refused-after-hours-Satan-Club-for-kids

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Poland rejects ruble gas payments - Russia reportedly turns off supply
Warsaw will not agree to Moscow's demand to pay for gas in rubles, Piotr Naimski, representative of the Polish government on strategic energy infrastructure, said on Tuesday, according to media reports. "We will not pay," he said, answering a question from journalists about whether Poland would agree to Russia's new payment terms. "All the opportunities and risks are being considered. We are ready for them," he said, adding, "If necessary, and if an appropriate decision is made, we are in a position to refuse gas supplies at any time. We are ready for the actions of the Russian side, which provide for the possibility of stopping supplies." Poland has been calling for "crushing sanctions" against Moscow, "much stronger than those that have been imposed." Washington and Brussels are reportedly discussing sanctions designed to hit Russia's energy sector. So far, Western nations have mostly targeted Russian finances and banking. While the EU has banned Russian coal imports, it failed...
https://www.sott.net/article/467159-Poland-rejects-ruble-gas-payments-Russia-reportedly-turns-off-supply

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Expert panel refines guidelines for daily aspirin use to prevent heart attacks
An advisory panel of leading physicians no longer recommends daily low-dose aspirin for the prevention of heart attacks in adults age 60 and older, the group announced Tuesday. The decision is based on new research suggesting that the net benefits of daily aspirin use in this age group are small, the panel, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, said in an article published Tuesday by JAMA. However, for younger adults ages 40 to 59 years who have a greater than 10% risk for developing heart disease over the next decade of their lives -- and are at low risk for bleeding-related side effects associated with aspirin use -- the decision should be made on an individual bases, the group said. In addition, the task force has concluded that existing evidence is unclear as to whether aspirin use reduces a person's risk for colon and rectal cancers, or for dying from tumors in these organs, it said. "Based on current evidence, the task force recommends against people 60 and older starting...
https://www.sott.net/article/467160-Expert-panel-refines-guidelines-for-daily-aspirin-use-to-prevent-heart-attacks

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Poland rejects ruble gas payments - Russia reportedly turns off supply (Gazprom denies)
Warsaw will not agree to Moscow's demand to pay for gas in rubles, Piotr Naimski, representative of the Polish government on strategic energy infrastructure, said on Tuesday, according to media reports. "We will not pay," he said, answering a question from journalists about whether Poland would agree to Russia's new payment terms. "All the opportunities and risks are being considered. We are ready for them," he said, adding, "If necessary, and if an appropriate decision is made, we are in a position to refuse gas supplies at any time. We are ready for the actions of the Russian side, which provide for the possibility of stopping supplies." Poland has been calling for "crushing sanctions" against Moscow, "much stronger than those that have been imposed." Washington and Brussels are reportedly discussing sanctions designed to hit Russia's energy sector. So far, Western nations have mostly targeted Russian finances and banking. While the EU has banned Russian coal imports, it failed...
https://www.sott.net/article/467159-Poland-rejects-ruble-gas-payments-Russia-reportedly-turns-off-supply-Gazprom-denies

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Downsizing: Saudi royals are selling homes, yachts and art as Crown Prince cuts income
The transactions represent a sea change in fortune for the top princes who funneled windfall profits from oil booms in the 1970s and 1980s into some of the world's most exclusive markets. The large sums of money were largely spent on hard-to-sell assets or depleted with expenses reaching $30 million a month for some royals with large staffs and lavish lifestyles, leaving them vulnerable. to recent changes in government policy. Now some members of the royal family are selling assets abroad to generate cash after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 36-year-old de facto ruler of the kingdom, dried up many of the sources of money they had used to support their extraordinary spending habits, said people close to the princes who make the sales. The princes need cash to pay routine bills including property maintenance, taxes, staff salaries and parking fees for their planes and ships, the people said. In some cases, they said, they are also motivated by a desire to own less ostentatious...
https://www.sott.net/article/467161-Downsizing-Saudi-royals-are-selling-homes-yachts-and-art-as-Crown-Prince-cuts-income

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Advice to Elon Musk on what he needs to do with Twitter
Let's hope the self-proclaimed 'free speech absolutist' lives up to the title Elon Musk was successful in his bid to take over Twitter. The world's richest man struck a deal with the company's board of directors to acquire the platform in its entirety for a cool $44 billion. Musk first expressed his intent to bring about change to the social media platform after asking his audience what they felt about Twitter's adherence to free speech principles. With the ongoing censorship of conservative viewpoints, and amid calls from the Biden administration to crack down on so-called 'Russian disinformation', the consensus was that Twitter had strayed from its original mission. Once dubbing itself the "free speech wing of the free speech party," Twitter had become no better than Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, and any number of other platforms when it came to protecting political speech.
https://www.sott.net/article/467162-Advice-to-Elon-Musk-on-what-he-needs-to-do-with-Twitter

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Girl, 10, found dead near Wisconsin walking trail in suspected homicide
Police believe the girl left her aunt's house to bike home,Girl, 10, found dead near Wisconsin walking trail in suspected homicide A 10-year-old girl was found dead near a walking trail in Wisconsin one day after she went missing while visiting family nearby, cops said. Lily Peters was discovered Monday morning in a wooded area near a brewery parking lot not far from her aunt's home in Chippewa Falls, according to police.
https://www.sott.net/article/467163-Girl-10-found-dead-near-Wisconsin-walking-trail-in-suspected-homicide

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Late April blizzard could leave North Dakotans without power for days
A combination of ugly weather has left at least 19,000 people in western North Dakota facing days without power and thousands of residents along the Red River that separates that state from Minnesota dealing with flash flooding. A blizzard over the weekend that included a mixture of snow, rain, ice and strong winds snapped hundreds or thousands of power poles in the western part of the state, leaving damage that a spokesman for a 100-year-old utility company called the worst ever in its system. At the same time, Minnesota sent National Guard members to help sandbag in Crookston, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the North Dakota border, due to heavy rains. The National Weather Service originally warned of a record crest on the Red Lake River but the river peaked Monday at about 27 feet. The record high water mark was 28.4 feet in 1997.
https://www.sott.net/article/467164-Late-April-blizzard-could-leave-North-Dakotans-without-power-for-days

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China calls out US 'war crimes'
Beijing won't listen to US accusations while Washington commits war crimes and coerces the world, foreign ministry spokesman says. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has lashed out at the EU and US for criticizing its domestic and foreign policies. Wang singled out the US, accusing Washington of war crimes in the Middle East, economic coercion, betraying its allies and spreading disinformation. "The US purports to maintain the centrality of the UN Charter, but it is clear to anyone that the US is doing quite the opposite," Wang told reporters at a press conference on Monday. Citing the US' military interventions in the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, Wang stated that Washington "brushed the UN aside and waged wars on sovereign states in wanton interference." "The US claims to respect human rights, but the wars of aggression launched by the US and its allies ... killed over 300,000 civilians and made over 26 million people refugees," he continued. "Yet,...
https://www.sott.net/article/467165-China-calls-out-US-war-crimes

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Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba hit by 2nd heavy snowstorm in 2 weeks
It only took a matter of hours before power was knocked out and highways were closed, as a snowstorm rolled in to the Riding Mountain National Park area Saturday night. The parkland area was hit hard with a second Colorado low in just two weeks. It brought strong wind gusts and thick heavy snow. Electricity at the Elkhorn Resort was out when guests woke up Sunday morning, a disappointment for Toni Hayes. "A lot of us came and thought, okay we're going to have a storm and it's going to melt or whatever," Hayes told Global News. The weather had other plans for her, as she planned to head home to Minitonas on Sunday.
https://www.sott.net/article/467166-Riding-Mountain-National-Park-in-Manitoba-hit-by-2nd-heavy-snowstorm-in-2-weeks

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16 inches of April snow fell on Casper Mountain, Wyoming, 80 mph gusts drove blizzard over I-90
Locations in Casper received 9.5 inches of snowfall from this weekend's spring storm, according to the final report from the National Weather Service in Riverton. Lander got nearly 11 inches of snowfall, while Meeteetse got 11.5 inches. The NWS said many areas were too warm for the snow to stick. Casper Mountain received 16 inches of snowfall between Friday and Saturday night, placing the area at or above median snowpack, according to the state climate office.
https://www.sott.net/article/467167-16-inches-of-April-snow-fell-on-Casper-Mountain-Wyoming-80-mph-gusts-drove-blizzard-over-I-90

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Dissecting the stage-managed French elections
Macron's second presidency was as calculatingly managed by France's liberal elite as his first. As the country's economic and geographic schisms widen further, yesterday's Yellow Vest protests will seem like a tea party by comparison. In the end, it happened exactly like the French establishment designed it. I called it last December in a column here at The Cradle. These are the essentials: Certified Arabophobe Eric Zemmour, who is of Algerian origin, was manufactured by key establishment players of the Institut Montaigne variety to cut off the populist right-wing candidacy of Marine Le Pen. In the end, Zemmour's electoral performance was dismal, as expected. Yet another candidate pulled off a miracle intervention and was even more useful: ambitious egomaniac opportunist and so-called progressive Jean-Luc Melenchon. 'Le Petit Roi' Emmanuel Macron generates less than zero empathy across France. That explains the huge voter abstention of 28 percent in the second round of votes. The...
https://www.sott.net/article/467168-Dissecting-the-stage-managed-French-elections

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Despite deteriorating situation, Ukrainian parliament still insisting on NATO accession
The Rada's chair says accession to the military alliance is Ukraine's "prospective vision of its future" The Ukrainian parliament will not vote to remove the passage about the country's ambition to join NATO from the constitution, the Rada's chairman, Ruslan Stefanchuk, has revealed. In an interview with Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda published on Monday, Stefanchuk was asked whether Ukrainian lawmakers were going to amend the country's constitution with respect to Kiev's ambition to become a NATO member state. The official replied in the negative, adding that "changing the constitution is not an end in itself." He went on to say that just because some changes are made does not necessarily mean that they have an effect in real life. Stefanchuk warned against "declaratory norms." The official emphasized that at this point the Ukrainian authorities' main focus is on ensuring the security of each and every Ukrainian citizen. "Real guarantees are important to us," Stefanchuk...
https://www.sott.net/article/467169-Despite-deteriorating-situation-Ukrainian-parliament-still-insisting-on-NATO-accession

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A Brief Introduction to Gypsies
First, let me tell you of my personal experiences with Gypsies. These cover a period of approximately ten years mostly in Italy, Romania, Germany and France. One stark memory is of a Gypsy man perhaps 45 years old with what appeared to be a badly-twisted and lame leg supported by a crutch, begging for money in my piazza in Rome. It was painful to watch the man navigate the curbs and flagstones, making his way around the piazza, hoping for a few coins. He was there all morning on most days, but around noon he would pause his circular pilgrimage, stop to empty his pockets and count his bills and change, and apparently decide he had enough for a good meal. So, he would stand up, put his crutch over his shoulder and waltz over to the nice restaurant across the street for lunch. Another fond memory is of a young Gypsy girl, perhaps only 15 or 16 years old, sitting on the steps of the basilica in the piazza with an infant wrapped in a swaddling blanket and again begging for money. Many...
https://www.sott.net/article/467170-A-Brief-Introduction-to-Gypsies

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Meteor fireball over the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil on April 25
A fireball-like meteor was seen over the state of Santa Catarina on Monday night near midnight. The alert was given by Luciano Miguel Diniz who has a BRAMON monitoring station (LUM1/SP) in Canitar/SP. Later Alexandre Moro from the BRAMON station (AFM1/SC) in Florianópolis also realized that he had recorded the same meteor. Early in the morning, it was the turn of Jocimar Justino, from the monitoring station in Monte Castelo-SC, to find the fireball in the records of the Planalto Norte station. According to the preliminary analysis, the phenomenon lasted about 5 seconds and possibly occurred near the Caçador region. Weather cameras in the state of RS and SC also recorded the event. "Fireball" meteors are so named because of their intense brightness, greater than -4 magnitude, and their shape that actually looks like a ball. (Translated by Google)
https://www.sott.net/article/467171-Meteor-fireball-over-the-state-of-Santa-Catarina-Brazil-on-April-25

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Moscow says Ukraine-backed radicals considered assassinating RT editor-in-chief
A neo-Nazi group in Russia targeted Margarita Simonyan and her husband, the FSB claims A neo-Nazi group that was allegedly instructed by Kiev to kill TV anchor Vladimir Solovyov had several other targets, including RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan, according to video footage released by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). Amid the ongoing Russian military offensive in Ukraine aimed at the "denazification" of the country, the FSB claimed that it had detained a group of neo-Nazis. According to the service, the group had been instructed by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to kill popular Russian TV host and journalist Vladimir Solovyov. The FSB later released a video of what they said was the detention, search, and questioning of the suspects.
https://www.sott.net/article/467172-Moscow-says-Ukraine-backed-radicals-considered-assassinating-RT-editor-in-chief

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Musk's Twitter takeover is 'bad news', journalists claim
The International Federation of Journalists on Tuesday condemned SpaceX tycoon Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter, arguing that his support of free speech is somehow "bad news for media freedom." Musk finalized the purchase of the social media giant on Monday, paying $44 billion to take sole ownership. He promised to root out spam and bots by authenticating human users, and to make the platform a bastion of free speech. Musk's buyout was condemned by both the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). In a joint statement, titled 'Twitter: Elon Musk's deal is bad news for media freedom,' the federations raised concerns that placing Twitter in "the hands of a single individual would have serious consequences over the social and political use of the platform." They warned that Musk's plan to "authenticate all humans" would have repercussions for journalists and their sources who depend on anonymity, and that his plans to allow...
https://www.sott.net/article/467173-Musks-Twitter-takeover-is-bad-news-journalists-claim