The FBI Groomed a 16-Year-Old With “Brain Development Issues” to Become a Terrorist

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Last week, the Department of Justice announced the arrest of a teenager in Massachusetts on allegations of providing financial support to the Islamic State group.

A flurry of reports picked up on the arrest of Mateo Ventura, an 18-year-old resident of the sleepy town of Wakefield, echoing government claims that an international terrorist financier and ISIS supporter had just been busted in the United States. The Department of Justice’s own press release on the case likewise trumpeted Ventura’s arrest for “knowingly concealing the source of material support or resources that he intended to go to a foreign terrorist organization.”

The only problem with the case and how it has been described, however, is that according to the government’s own criminal complaint, Ventura had never actually funded any terrorist group. The only “terrorist” he is accused of ever being in contact with was an undercover FBI agent who befriended him online as a 16-year-old, solicited small cash donations in the form of gift cards, and directed him not to tell anyone else about their intimate online relationship, including his family.

The arrest has shaken his family, who denied allegations that their son was a terrorist and said that he had been manipulated by the FBI. Ventura’s father, Paul Ventura, told The Intercept that Mateo suffered from childhood developmental issues and had been forced to leave his school due to bullying from other students.

“He was born prematurely, he had brain development issues. I had the school do a neurosurgery evaluation on him and they said his brain was underdeveloped,” Ventura said. “He was suffering endless bullying at school with other kids taking food off his plate, tripping him in the hallway, humiliating him, laughing at him.” (Read more from “The FBI Groomed a 16-Year-Old With “Brain Development Issues” to Become a Terrorist” HERE)

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Biden Mocked Over ‘Plans’ to Build Railroad ‘Across the Indian Ocean’

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President Biden raised eyebrows on social media this week after appearing to reveal plans to build a railroad from the Pacific Ocean “across” the Indian Ocean.

“We have plans to build a railroad from the Pacific all the way across the Indian Ocean,” Biden told the League of Conservation Voters at their annual dinner in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night. “We have plans to build in Angola, one of the largest solar plants in the world. I could go on, but I’m not. I’m going off script. I’m going to get in trouble.”

Biden’s comment was quickly met with skepticism on social media on the idea that one Twitter commenter called an “ocean train.”

“Bold initiative, Mr. President,” Fox News contributor and former GOP Congressman Jason Chaffetz tweeted.

(Read more from “Biden Mocked Over ‘Plans’ to Build Railroad ‘Across the Indian Ocean’” HERE)

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Ukraine’s Forces Are Advancing but Appear to Be Miles From Russia’s Main Defensive Line. A Much Tougher Fight Lies Ahead.

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Ukrainian counteroffensive operations are underway, and it’s been hard fighting for Kyiv’s forces. But Ukraine is still miles from Russia’s main line of defense, and a tougher fight is probably still to come, experts say.

Ukrainian forces appear to be about 10 to 15 kilometers from the main defensive line, depending on the location of the fighting, George Barros, a Russia analyst who is the geospatial-intelligence team lead at the Institute for the Study of War, told Insider.

Jack Watling, a land-warfare expert at the Royal United Services Institute, suggested it could be as much as 20 kilometers.

Ukraine has been fighting its way through Russian defensive positions consisting of foxholes and hand-dug trenches backed by minefields and protected by drones and artillery, Watling wrote in an article published Wednesday. But that is not the main line of defense.

“The main defence line, still 15-20 km from Ukrainian positions, has properly dug trenches and concrete-reinforced firing posts, tank obstacles, ground-laid cable to coordinate artillery strikes, and even more mines,” he wrote. (Read more from “Ukraine’s Forces Are Advancing but Appear to Be Miles From Russia’s Main Defensive Line. A Much Tougher Fight Lies Ahead.” HERE)

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Johns Hopkins Pulls ‘Lesbian’ Definition After Uproar Over Use of ‘Non-Men’ Instead of ‘Women’

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Johns Hopkins University removed an online glossary of LGBTQ terms and identities this week after its definition of the word “lesbian” used the term “non-men” to refer to women and some nonbinary people and fueled an online uproar.

Screenshots of the glossary before it was taken down showed that the university defined the word “lesbian” as a “non-man attracted to non-men.” It added that while past definitions have referred to lesbians as women who are sexually attracted to other women, the “updated definition” is intended to include nonbinary people who may identify with the label.

“The LGBTQ Glossary serves as an introduction to the range of identities and terms that are used within LGBTQ communities, and is not intended to serve as the definitive answers as to how all people understand or use these terms,” Megan Christin, the university’s director of strategic communications, said in a statement Wednesday. “While the glossary is a resource posted on the website of the Johns Hopkins University Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), the definitions were not reviewed or approved by ODI leadership and the language in question has been removed pending review.”

Christin did not respond to questions regarding when the online glossary was first uploaded.

Screenshots of the glossary sparked an online firestorm in recent days, with many women, including some lesbians, calling the definition “misogynistic” and noting that the definition for “gay man” did not use similar language, such as “non-women.”

(Read more from “Johns Hopkins Pulls ‘Lesbian’ Definition After Uproar Over Use of ‘Non-Men’ Instead of ‘Women’” HERE)

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Biden’s Coming for Your Kids: President Claims ‘They’re All Our Kids’ in Tweet Pushing LGBTQI+ Agenda on Children

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The Biden White House released a “Pride” clip on social media Monday, referring to “LGBTQI+…children” as “not somebody else’s kids,” but “all our kids,” in what has become a pattern of Biden implying child rearing is communal.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have both repeatedly referred to American children as “our kids,” during their first term, with the Biden White House most recently tweeting out a pride-themed video about “LGBTQI+…children” and how “they are all our kids” on Monday.

“These are our kids. These are our neighbors. Not somebody else’s kids; they’re all our kids,” Biden can be heard saying, as images of a White House alight with rainbow colors plays in the background. “And our children are the kite strings that hold our national ambitions aloft. It matters a great deal how we treat everyone in this country. LGBTQI+ Americans, especially children, you are loved, you are heard, and this administration has your back.”

Previously, quoting a former teacher during a speech in the White House Rose Garden in April, Biden claimed that “there is no such thing as someone else’s child.”

(Read more from “Biden’s Coming for Your Kids: President Claims ‘They’re All Our Kids’ in Tweet Pushing LGBTQI+ Agenda on Children” HERE)

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Clay Travis Calls Out ‘Disrespectful’ Mike Pence During Tense Interview When Asked About Pardoning Trump

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Conservative radio host Clay Travis called former Vice President Mike Pence “pretty disrespectful” to his old boss in a tense interview Wednesday about whether the Republican presidential candidate would pardon Donald Trump if elected president.

Travis, who along with co-host Buck Sexton has said the federal prosecution of Trump for mishandling classified documents is politicized, challenged Pence to directly answer if he would pardon Trump as a matter of principle.

“These are serious charges,” Pence said. “I can’t defend what’s been alleged, but the president does deserve to make his defense.”

Pence said the pardoning authority is an “enormously important” power for someone in an executive position, calling the idea of a pardon premature, but the founder of “OutKick” wasn’t pleased.

“I think as a matter of principle, if you believe… Donald Trump is being prosecuted to a large extent for political-based reasons, something that has never happened in the 240-plus year history of the United States, that we are setting an awful precedent here,” Travis said.

(Read more from “Clay Travis Calls Out ‘Disrespectful’ Mike Pence During Tense Interview When Asked About Pardoning Trump” HERE)

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White Starbucks Manager Wins $25M Suit Claiming She Was Fired Over Her Race After Arrest of Black Men

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A white Starbucks manager who was fired after two black men were refused access to a Philadelphia store bathroom — triggering nationwide racial protests — has been awarded $25 million by a federal jury after she argued she was axed because of her race.

Shannon Phillips, a regional manager who oversaw several Starbucks locations across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, argued in a lawsuit she was cut loose by the coffee giant after viral footage of the two black men being arrested in 2018 sparked a firestorm of racial backlash.

Phillips argued she had nothing to do with the arrests but Starbucks management used her as a “scapegoat” in order to prove the company was taking action amid the controversy.

The jury’s verdict, handed down on Monday, found Phillips’ race was a factor in the company’s decision to sack her, which was a violation of her civil rights.

The saga unfolded when an employee at the Rittenhouse Square location had called 911 on April 12, 2018, after the two men, Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, were denied access to the bathroom because they weren’t paying customers — and then refused to leave. (Read more from “White Starbucks Manager Wins $25M Suit Claiming She Was Fired Over Her Race After Arrest of Black Men” HERE)

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Kevin Spacey on Sex Assault Accusations: ‘In 10 Years, It Won’t Mean Anything’

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Kevin Spacey is ready to get back to work — and claims employers are champing at the bit to work with him, too, amid lingering sexual assault charges brought against him in London.

“I know that there are people right now who are ready to hire me the moment I am cleared of these charges in London. The second that happens, they’re ready to move forward,” the “House of Cards” star, 63, told ZEITmagazin ahead of the June 28 start of his London trial, which is expected to last four weeks. . .

In October 2017, at the height of the #MeToo movement, “Star Trek: Discovery” star Anthony Rapp publicly claimed that Spacey made a sexual pass at him in 1986, when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26. . .

Not in the clear yet, Spacey still faces 12 sex offense charges in the UK relating to alleged events between 2001 and 2013.

He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. (Read more from “Kevin Spacey on Sex Assault Accusations: ‘In 10 Years, It Won’t Mean Anything’” HERE)

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Plus-Size Influencer Rips Plane Seat Policies After Demanding Other Flyers Pay for Extra Seat

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A plus-size travel influencer is demanding that airlines change their “discriminatory” policies that make larger flyers pay “twice for the same experience” — admitting that making such a change may make fares for everyone more expensive.

Jae-lynn Chaney, who made headlines in April after starting the Change.org petition “Demand for the FAA to Protect Plus-Sized Customers,” doubled down on being discriminated against while flying due to her size.

“People with smaller bodies get to pay one fare to get to their destination,” Chaney, who has to buy an extra seat while flying, told CNN Travel.

“We have to pay two fares, even though we’re getting the same experience. If anything, our experiences are a little bit more challenging.”

While Chaney has held firm in her demands, in April she admitted that if her petition’s demands were met, ticket prices for all customers would likely increase due to demand. (Read more from “Plus-Size Influencer Rips Plane Seat Policies After Demanding Other Flyers Pay for Extra Seat” HERE)

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Pentagon Created Pride Coloring Book for Children

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The Department of Defense (DOD) created a Pride-themed coloring book for military kids amid a cross-military service push to celebrate Pride month.

DOD announced the theme for Pride month in 2023 was “Equality Without Exception — Pride In All Who Serve,” and planned to host activities through various sub-agencies, including parades and family story hours, to observe Pride month. The activity booklet is geared toward younger audiences, according to DOD’s Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI), which is noted on the final page as having published the book, and was promoted to children by other DOD entities, the Daily Caller News Foundation found.

The coloring book, dated in June, appears to be among various training and awareness materials the Pentagon created to aid Pride observances, which are featured on the dedicated DEOMI webpage.

“The Activity Book is designed to share with your younger event attendees but can be enjoyed by all ages. It showcases coloring pages and encourages learning through games and activities,” DEOMI wrote. It did not provide a link to the book, so it couldn’t be determined with 100% certainty that DEOMI was referring to the coloring book.

However, the Ramstein and Vogelweh libraries serving a large American military community in Germany, encouraged kids to “Download and complete the DoD Children’s Pride Activity Booklet,” linking to the coloring book with the DEOMI press logo, and instructions to visit the website for more information. (Read more from “Pentagon Created Pride Coloring Book for Children” HERE)

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