More details have been revealed about the foiled plot to carry out a terror attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna. Two suspects were found to have links to the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda, per a new AP report. Austrian investigators noted that the teens intended to carry out the attack using explosive materials and knives recovered from one of their homes. All three of Swift’s sold-out shows scheduled for Vienna have been canceled. The attack was planned for Thursday or Friday. The main suspect is a 19-year-old Austrian citizen who has been planning the attack since July, the outlet noted. The unidentified individual shared an oath of allegiance to the current leader of the Islamic State group weeks ago and recently broke up with his girlfriend. “He wanted to carry out an attack in the area outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using the knives or even using the explosive devices he had made,” Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, the head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, said. He said the teen’s confession showed he had been “clearly radicalized in the direction of the Islamic State and thinks it is right to kill infidels.” AP noted that the second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian, was employed by a company providing services for the concert venue and was detained near the stadium where Swift was slated to perform. WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI A 15-year-old who was in contact with both suspects was also questioned by law enforcement. The two main suspects were arrested, but their names are being withheld due to the country’s privacy laws. Swift has not publicly commented on the situation yet. Austrian Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler shared a reaction on X: “For many, a dream has been shattered today. On three evenings in Vienna, tens of thousands of #Swifties should have celebrated life together,” the translation said. “I am very sorry that you were denied this. Swifties stick together, hate and terror can’t destroy that,” Kogler added. Austrian concert organizer Barracuda Music said all ticket-holders would be refunded. Multiple outlets reported on crowds of disappointed fans taking to the streets and staging impromptu sing-a-longs at local venues. Swift is still scheduled to perform five shows in London starting August 15. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the city would “carry on” with the shows, per Sky News. “I’m sure Vienna has got its own reasons to cancel the Taylor Swift concerts, we’re going to carry on, working closely with police (and) ensuring that the Taylor Swift concerts can take place in London safely.” In 2017, suicide bomber Salman Abedi killed 22 people and injured more than 100 at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, with a bomb stashed in his backpack.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz served in the U.S. National Guard for 24 years. He even re-enlisted after 9/11 to serve once again. Yet the circumstances around his retirement – and the way he has presented his military service since retiring – have caused an uproar over whether he has misled about his service. Here are examples of Walz making a claim about his service that is not supported by the facts. His Official Government Biography As of this writing, Walz’s biography on the Minnesota government’s website says, “After 24 years in the Army National Guard, Command Sergeant Major Walz retired from the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion in 2005.” Walz briefly held the position of command sergeant major as a conditional promotion, provided he adhered to several stipulations, including one that he serve a specific amount of time after that promotion, which Walz failed to do. Thus, his rank reverted back to what he was before that conditional promotion: Master sergeant, which is still rank E8 out E10 and a major accomplishment. The Minnesota National Guard, for which Walz served, confirmed that at the time of his retirement in 2005, Walz was a master sergeant “for benefit purposes because he did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy.” His Official Vice Presidential Campaign Biography Walz’s biography on Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign website originally said he was a “retired command sergeant major,” Politico reported. That bio now says he “served as a command sergeant major.” Saying He’s A “Retired Sergeant Major” In An Interview During an interview in 2018 while running for governor of Minnesota, Walz said he was “a retired sergeant major,” even though he is a retired master sergeant. WATCH: More stolen valor from Kamala’s VP pick Tim Walz: Tim Walz on August 10, 2018: “I’m a retired sergeant major.” Fact check: Walz NEVER completed the coursework for the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy. pic.twitter.com/fFUzQRyQ6e — Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) August 8, 2024 Calling Himself A “Retired Command Sergeant Major” In An Address To Troops In 2009, then-Rep. Walz sent a farewell message to soldiers deploying to Iraq, and called himself a “retired command sergeant major.” 2009. Congressman Tim Walz sends a farewell message to some soldiers actually deploying to Iraq. In the message, Walz claims that he is a “retired Command Sergeant Major.” Lying about one’s rank in a farewell message to soldiers deploying is about as dishonorable as it gets. pic.twitter.com/f7AIqPK8ky — MAZE (@mazemoore) August 8, 2024 Telling People He Carried Weapons “In War” Walz said in a video shared by Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign that he supports limits to the Second Amendment. In the clip shared online, he says, “We can make sure that those weapons of war – that I carried in war – are the only place where those weapons are at.” WATCH BEN SHAPIRO’S ‘SCAMALA: KAMALA HARRIS UNMASKED’ ON DAILYWIRE+ Gov. @Tim_Walz: I spent 25 years in the Army and I hunt. I’ve been voting for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks. We can research the impacts of gun violence. We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war,… pic.twitter.com/3IVaXi2RP2 — Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 6, 2024 Walz, as a member of the military who specialized in artillery, would have experience with the weapons he is talking about, but he never carried them “in war” as he never saw combat. Even CNN correspondent Tom Foreman called out Walz’s misleading statement, which would seem to indicate he had been in combat. “Walz did make a comment, speaking to a group — he’s done it a couple of times, where he has used language that suggested that he carried weapons in a fighting situation,” Foreman said on Wednesday, according to Fox News. “There is a difference between being in a combat area, being involved in a time of war, and actually being in a position where people are shooting at you,” Foreman said, adding that there “is no evidence that at any time Governor Walz was in the position of being shot at, and some of his language could easily be seen to suggest that he was. So that is absolutely false when he said that about gun rights out there.” Calling Himself An “Enduring Freedom Veteran” At A George. W. Bush Protest In 2004, Walz organized a protest against then-President George W. Bush, The Washington Free Beacon reported. In a photo from that event, Walz can be seen holding a photo that says “Enduring Freedom Veterans for Kerry.” Operation Enduring Freedom is a reference to the War in Afghanistan that began after the September, 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S. But Walz never went to Afghanistan – he was sent to Norway and Italy in roles supporting the Afghanistan War, yet the mention of OEF leads people to assume he was in Afghanistan, which he was not. In 2009, an Iraq war veteran mentioned this photo to Walz staffers and used it to suggest Walz may have violated Stolen Valor laws. Implying He Served In Afghanistan In His First Campaign Announcement During his first campaign in 2006, in which he ran for congress, Walz’s announcement indicated he was a “veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom,” in another example of Walz implying he had been to Afghanistan. Tim Walz’s VERY FIRST CAMPAIGN was built on a lie https://t.co/8Q5udHoZMs pic.twitter.com/CmDkwUtUJE — Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) August 8, 2024 Saying He “Deployed In Support Of Operation Enduring Freedom” On C-SPAN During an appearance on C-SPAN in 2007, Walz claimed he “deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom,” again implying he went to Afghanistan when he was actually in Italy. STOLEN VALOR gets worse for Kamala Harris’ VP pick… Here is @Tim_Walz on CSPAN back in 2007 on his military service: “? ????? ?? ????? ?? ??? ???????? ?????, ???? ?? ???? ????-????. ? ??? ?? ????????????. ?… pic.twitter.com/j4JlWT5B1O — Kylie Jane Kremer (@KylieJaneKremer) August 7, 2024 In Josh Green’s Articles Featuring Profiles Of Walz In this example, it is unclear whether Walz is to blame for the misleading phrases, or the veteran Bloomberg reporter Josh Green. In a 2006 profile for the Atlantic, Green wrote that Walz left Minnesota “to serve overseas in Operation Enduring Freedom,” a clear implication that Walz went to Afghanistan. Green also wrote that Walz was confronted by Bush staffers during his protest against the war, and said he had asked the Bush staffers if “they really wanted to arrest a command sergeant major who’d just returned from fighting the war on terrorism.” And on Tuesday, Green wrote for Bloomberg that Walz served “in Iraq as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.” Bloomberg has since stealth edited the line to say that Walz had served in Italy instead of Iraq. Green posted the correction on his X account. My Walz newsletter yesterday wrongly stated he’d served in Iraq — he didn’t. He served in Italy. My error. Story has been corrected online and on the terminal: https://t.co/H7ct8Rj7Yp https://t.co/r581UO90oc pic.twitter.com/yD3b8udiiR — Joshua Green (JoshuaGreen.bsky.social on ?) (@JoshuaGreen) August 7, 2024

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in 2017 advocated for 10-year old children to choose their gender in 2017, a video unearthed by The Daily Wire reveals. Walz, whom Vice President Kamala Harris tapped as her running mate this week, articulated his extreme position on child transgenderism in a 2017 town hall while he was the representative from Minnesota’s 1st Congressional district, telling the crowd that he believed that children as young as 10 could identify as the opposite sex. WATCH: Democrat VP candidate Tim Walz explains during a 2017 townhall why he thinks 10 year olds should be able to choose their own gender. pic.twitter.com/RQxjDNgiD9 — Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) August 8, 2024 “These are children my son’s age, a fourth grader, a 10-year-old who, just wants to go to the bathroom … and their identity is male or female and they just go in that bathroom and use it,” Walz said while discussing policies addressing the use of bathrooms by those believe themselves to be the opposite sex. Walz maintained his extreme positions on child transgenderism after being elected governor in 2018. He signed legislation allowing the state to seize custody of children whose parents refuse to provide so-called “gender-affirming care,” a treatment regimen that includes puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, which can render children permanently infertile. Walz recently signed an executive order reaffirming the legality of child sex changes. Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flangan wore a shirt to the signing that read “Protect Trans Kids” with a knife across it, while a six-year-old boy wearing a dress stood by the Democratic governor. Do No Harm Action Chairman Dr. Stanley Goldfarb told The Daily Wire that Walz’s extreme positions have no basis in science, and are more radical than those found across the developed world. “Tim Walz’s record of promoting transgender medication and surgeries on vulnerable children is out of step with science and best medical practices to protect children,” Goldfarb said. “Promotion of these activities at the federal level would put the United States completely at odds with the regulations in multiple European nations that have come to see the harm children have suffered from so called ‘gender affirmation.”

A retired Command Sergeant Major who served with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has come forward with scathing accusations about the governor’s military service, labeling it as "stolen valor" and alleging significant misrepresentations. These allegations come amidst Governor Walz’s political ascent, being recently selected as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate. Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Behrends, a former member of Walz’s battalion, aired his grievances during an interview on "The Ingraham Angle." Behrends accused Walz of embellishing his military service and abandoning his unit just before their deployment to Iraq in 2005. "He’s used the rank that he never achieved in order to advance his political career," Behrends asserted. He criticized Walz for misleading the public by claiming a rank he did not officially retire with​. Here’s Walz committing ACTUAL stolen valor and saying he went to war. Would be a shame if it went viral pic.twitter.com/wFN72y6Nas — ~ ?????? ~ (@RogueLou18) August 7, 2024 Walz's military record indicates he served in the National Guard for 24 years, initially enlisting at 17. He retired in 2005, around the time his unit was preparing for deployment to Iraq. This decision has been a point of contention, with critics arguing that Walz left his unit in a lurch for personal political ambitions. Walz retired as a Master Sergeant, not as a Command Sergeant Major, the latter being a rank he claimed in political campaigns and public statements​. Behrends was not alone in his criticism. Another veteran, Tom Schilling, echoed similar sentiments on "Jesse Watters Primetime," calling Walz’s actions "dishonorable." Schilling expressed disbelief and disappointment over Walz’s decision to leave just before deployment, underscoring the sense of betrayal felt by many in their unit​. Wow. The retired Command Sergeant Major who went to Iraq in place of Tim Walz (after Tim left the Army) just blasted him for stolen valor “If he thinks Italy was a combat zone and he was carrying that rifle in war, he’s delusional” pic.twitter.com/K0RreZ9FaZ — johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) August 8, 2024 JD Vance, Ohio Senator and Republican vice presidential nominee, has also seized upon these allegations, accusing Walz of lying about his military service and abandoning his comrades. Vance, a Marine veteran, compared his own service, emphasizing his commitment to deploy when called upon, contrasting it with Walz's departure from the National Guard under controversial circumstances​. Despite these allegations, Walz’s campaign has defended his record, highlighting his extensive service and advocacy for veterans. A campaign statement noted, "Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country." They further clarified that while Walz served as a Command Sergeant Major briefly, he retired at a lower rank due to not completing the required coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy​. This controversy highlights the ongoing scrutiny of political figures’ military records, especially as they seek higher office. The accusations of "stolen valor" against Walz continue to fuel debates about integrity, service, and the authenticity of military credentials in political life. These revelations are likely to play a significant role in the upcoming elections, with both supporters and critics of Walz making their voices heard as the story unfolds​. The post Veteran Slams Tim Walz Over Stolen Valor Allegations appeared first on The Conservative Brief.

'Five of those involved in this illegal act were arrested'

Kamala Harris' Team Rushes To Downplay Arms Embargo Discussion After Meeting Anti-Israel Group

A Middletown witness describes her encounter with a winged humanoid, possibly a Mothman, while taking photographs underneath the Arrigoni Bridge. The incident is etched in her mind.I received the following account:"Hello. Six years ago in July, I was out taking sunrise photos along the Connecticut River in Middletown, CT. I was underneath the infamous Arrigoni Bridge. The bridge that connects Middletown to Portland. This bridge is associated in Middletown with a great deal of sorrow because people have jumped to their deaths from it. I nevertheless love taking sunrise photos of it and the harbor.Just as the rising sun grew in intensity I suddenly saw a humanoid-shaped winged type creature that was dark brown flash ever so quickly above the forest treetops! Maybe the rising sun made its appearance to be darker brown than black. Not sure. But It flew so fast that I did not even have the time to get a good photo. I was stunned. Sure, I have my UAP photos and videos. Plus my shadow people images too. And other odd things too. All were collected from areas near the Connecticut River, but seeing what looked like Mothman really shook me up. I always associated Mothman as a harbinger of doom.I thought about trying to locate it in the woods I saw it rapidly flying away over. But I decided that this was one mystery I had better leave alone. I investigated alone and I had a strong gut feeling not to give chase after this creature. Often I see ‘it’ gracefully arcing just above the rising sun in my mind. It’s burned into my memory now. I always tell myself not to even think about it. Not to attract it. But I can’t unsee it. I never saw the creature again, and honestly, I think it frightened me much more than other creatures I have seen over the past 10 years. It just feels malicious, even though it’s swift and graceful. I felt like a warning of some sort was being sent to me. It’s like it’s a combination of two things. I know I sound crazy., but it’s like its outer appearance gives it that majestic look when it is in flight, but once it comes closer and you really ‘see’ it, you realize you are dealing with a dual type of effect on your psyche. It’s like it’s evil. But also capable of appearing quite stunning, almost angelic in flight. Anyway. Thank you for your time today. Take care of yourself." Iris**********POLL: WHAT DO YOU THINK? Vote & comment on paranormal, cryptid & unexplained mysteries!WEIRDEST OF THE WEIRD 2 - EXPERIENCERS COME FORWARD! | LIVE CHAT | Q & A (REAL EYEWITNESS REPORTS!)LISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS & MONSTERS REPORTS & CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE & SHAREPHANTOMS & MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on SpotifyPHANTOMS & MONSTERS READING LISTCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistHave you had a sighting or encounter?Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonJOIN AMAZON PRIME - Unlimited Movie/TV Streaming& FREE 2-Day ShippingRegister a SNAP EBT CardTry Audible PlusBigfoot and Other Cryptid Videos on YouTubePHANTOMS & MONSTERS VIDEO LIBRARYLYCANS! - PENNSYLVANIA'S CRYPTID CANINES UPDATE'KILLER BIGFOOT' HUNTED BY U.S. SPECIAL FORCES / GLIMMER MAN / MANTIS HUMANOIDSCRAWLER HUMANOIDS - GRUESOME INVADERS! (REAL EYEWITNESS ENCOUNTERS!)WEREWOLVES: DO THEY EXIST?'DOGMAN IN OUR YARD!' - AN OHIO FAMILY'S 12-YEAR SAGA WITH CRYPTID CANINESHey, folks. Thanks for the congrats on 'The Mothman Revisited' episode on Unsolved Mysteries. As a result, we are receiving more sighting reports and are very excited and grateful for the new information!I want to sincerely thank the Unsolved Mysteries team and Netflix for allowing us to tell the world about this phenomenon.If you have information about this or any other cryptid or unexplained sighting or encounter, please feel free to contact me by email or at 410-241-5974. Thanks again! LonCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistChicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive Map----------Become a Phantoms & Monsters Radio member - just $2.99 monthly, and receive these perks. Thanks for your support!-Members-only live chats-Exclusive members-only videos-Priority reply to members' commentsHave perks suggestions? LMK-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! THANKS

Though often off-the-beaten path, obscure, or to some, downright weird, the music that’s shaped GWAR guitarist Tommy Meehan, aka Grodius Maximus’s journey means a lot. Just ask him: “I wanted to put some care and thought into this,” he says. “Because these albums were life-changing to me.” Of course, that’s the aim here, right? To dig in with artists of all shapes, sizes, and creeds to discover where they came from, why they do the things they do, and, you know… figure out what the hell makes ’em tick. As for Meehan, who joined the iconic and always shocking hard rock The post Tommy Meehan of GWAR: 10 Albums That Changed My Life appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

In one of the poorest countries in the world, an American entrepreneur is empowering women and girls to stay in school and become household earners. Employing women as seamstresses with a generous benefits package to sew school uniforms—one of the highest financial barriers to entry into the school system—two generations of females benefit. The not-for-profit […] The post More African Girls Can Get Ahead Now Thanks to School Uniforms Designed to Grow with the Student appeared first on Good News Network.

Italian Olympian Angela Carini’s heartbreaking boxing match is just the latest indication of how dangerous the Biden-Harris Title IX rewrite will be for women. The 25-year-old female boxer from Naples, Italy, withdrew from her Aug. 1 boxing match after only 46 seconds and two hits from Algeria’s Imane Khelif. Controversy over the inclusion of Khelif arose well before the Olympic match. The boxer was disqualified from the 2023 International Boxing Association Women’s World Boxing Championships after failing two gender eligibility tests. They didn’t identify which tests, but they did say it was not a test for testosterone levels. That strongly suggests that at least one of the tests revealed that Khelif has male-typical XY chromosomes. Piecing together other reports, it’s likely that Khelif has 5-alpha reductase deficiency.  As a result, the external genitalia would not have fully masculinized and could have been mistaken as a female at birth. But the boxer has testes, with the testosterone levels of a male, a body that responds to the hormone like a male, especially during puberty. In other words, despite having a disorder of sexual development, Khelif otherwise enjoys the very advantages that justify female-only competitions. Indeed, it would be foolish to ignore those biological advantages. Carini confirmed that when she told interviewers after the match that she had never felt a punch like that. “I started to feel a strong pain in my nose,” she explained. “I didn’t give up, but a punch hurt too much and so I said, ‘Enough.’ I’m leaving with my head held high.” The International Olympic Committee (IOC) responded to critics via a statement on X. It said that all athletes participating in the boxing tournament complied with eligibility standards and medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit. The IOC failed to acknowledge that its decision to allow Khelif to compete violates its own Framework on Fairness, Inclusion, and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variation. It’s in that framework that the IOC explicitly states that “the physical, psychological, and mental well-being of athletes should be prioritized when establishing eligibility criteria.” It leaves to question whether the IOC chose to ignore the physical well-being of female boxers when they opted to allow two biological men, Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, to participate in the Paris 2024 boxing competition. In this case, a group of scientists already uncovered the answer for the committee.   Philadelphia University researchers used sensors to determine the average force of a punch for male boxers weighing about 66 kilograms (145 lbs.), the weight class of Carini and Khelif. They found males at that weight deliver punches with a force ranging from 932 newtons to 1,149 newtons. That’s equivalent to the force of a small motorcycle. As if that were not reason enough to question male participation in female boxing matches, a University of Utah study found that males can deliver punches with 162% more force than females. Males have 75% more muscle mass than their female counterparts. Allowing men to compete against women in elite sports is always unjust. But in boxing, where the differences between males and females are so vast, and the risks so high, it borders on criminal. These biological, science-backed differences may explain why this boxing match felt different to Carini, or at least why she experienced severe pain in her nose. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni quickly responded in support of Carini’s decision to end the match. This problem is not limited to this summer’s Olympic boxing spectacle, however. It has become the new norm for some American athletes after the Biden-Harris overhaul of Title IX went into effect on Aug. 1 Males who “identify as women” are now protected by law against discrimination in women’s spaces, sports, and scholarships after the definition of sex was expanded to include gender identity. This new interpretation requires educational institutions and programs that receive federal funding to comply with the Department of Education’s redefinition. That leaves many biological women like Carini at a scientific disadvantage. But this isn’t just about the opportunities and scholarships that are already being taken away from women. Some lawmakers are concerned for their health and safety. Lawmakers have already challenged the regulation, arguing the Biden-Harris administration’s redefinition of sex greatly oversteps its legal authority and conflicts with state laws that govern their public schools. After legal debate, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an injunction to temporarily block it from going into effect in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Federal courts have enjoined the changes in 26 states. That’s a huge win for female athletes. Be it local varsity teams or the Olympics, lawmakers who support legislation like the Biden-Harris administration’s reinterpretation of Title IX risk discouraging generations of women from becoming exceptional, equal members of society. Carini’s refusal to compete against a man with XY chromosomes forced the world to acknowledge the true victims of this woke ideology; namely, women. The post The Physics of a Punch: Olympic Committee Ignores Science in Female Boxing appeared first on The Daily Signal.