Some French election analysts think that Marine LePen could become the Donald Trump of France. SKY News Emmanuel Macron shocked Europe by dissolving parliament and calling a snap election on the back of a difficult defeat from the LePen’s conservative National Rally party during the recent European Parliament elections – but could the move backfire? […]

A federal jury found Hunter Biden guilty on all three federal felony gun charges he faced, concluding that he violated laws meant to prevent drug addicts from owning firearms. Daddy Joe was selling out the country and gets to put political opponents in prison. Hunter isn’t important. The conviction marks the first time a president’s […] The post Hunter’s a Convicted Felon, But Joe’s Free to Break the Law appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Martha’s Vineyard is about to run out of marijuana thanks to a state regulator balking at allowing cannabis to be transported over the ocean, and the situation has led to a lawsuit and a scramble to fix the problem. One marijuana company, Fine Fettle, previously grew its own product on the island, circumventing the ocean transportation problem. However, the company, which also runs the last open pot dispensary on the island, has said it plans to stop growing marijuana on Martha’s Vineyard and will soon close the store. Meanwhile, the state’s Cannabis Control Commission is afraid that transporting the drug over ocean waters could break federal law despite Massachusetts voters legalizing marijuana back in 2016. Critics have argued that there are ways to get to Martha’s Vineyard without leaving state territorial waters, but so far, no marijuana supplier has convinced the commission to allow this. Benjamin Zachs, who runs Fine Fettle’s Massachusetts operations, told the Associated Press that they initially thought the “captured market” on Martha’s Vineyard would remain profitable. However, many people now bring their personal stashes over on the ferry, and the drug is cheaper in other parts of Massachusetts. The cost of hiring testers on the island is also higher, Zachs said. Among the island’s famously wealthy residents are more than 230 registered medical marijuana patients and thousands more recreational users. Some medical users are older adults, including an 81-year-old woman who has been unable to get her regular order. The owner of one of the island’s two marijuana dispensaries, Geoff Rose, sued the state’s Cannabis Control Commission as his Island Time dispensary was running out of product. Rose had to temporarily shutter the store last month due to the regulations, and the island has only one other marijuana dispensary that is reportedly due to run out of product by September. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP The state’s Cannabis Control Commission has expressed to Martha’s Vineyard residents that it considers the problem an urgent one. “Obviously, this is a super priority for us, because we don’t want to see the collapse of an industry on the islands,” Commissioner Kimberly Roy told residents during a visit to the island earlier this month. “It’s a funny juxtaposition,” Roy said. “The entire industry is federally illegal. But that’s evolving, too. We are just trying to stay responsive and nimble.” Other areas where pot is legal locally have struggled with illegal dispensaries. Last year, New York found it was losing millions of dollars in tax revenue from its anemic legal marijuana sales while an illegal market thrived.

The United Nations condemned Israel on Tuesday over a rescue operation that saved four hostages from Hamas over the weekend. The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights released a statement that suggested Israel may have committed war crimes during the operation. At least some civilians were killed, though the total number is unknown, after Israeli commandos’ cover was blown and fighting broke out during the rescue. “We are profoundly shocked at the impact on civilians of the Israeli forces’ operation in An Nuseirat at the weekend to secure the release of four hostages. Hundreds of Palestinians, many of them civilians, were reportedly killed and injured,” spokesman Jeremy Laurence said in a statement, referencing fatality stats put out by Hamas-controlled groups. The Associated Press recently found that Hamas’ civilian death data has been unreliable. “The manner in which the raid was conducted in such a densely populated area seriously calls into question whether the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution – as set out under the laws of war – were respected by the Israeli forces,” Laurence said. “Our Office is also deeply distressed that Palestinian armed groups continue to hold many hostages, most of them civilians, which is prohibited by international humanitarian law. Furthermore, by holding hostages in such densely populated areas, the armed groups doing so are putting the lives of Palestinian civilians, as well as the hostages themselves, at added risk from the hostilities,” the spokesman added. “All these actions, by both parties, may amount to war crimes.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Two Israeli commando teams infiltrated Nuseirat, an area still controlled by Hamas in Gaza. The commandos were conducting a rescue operation to free four hostages, one woman and three men, who were being held in two apartments in the city, according to The Wall Street Journal. The commando units pulled off the raid around midday on Saturday, successfully getting undetected to the doors of the apartments where the hostages were held. In freeing the hostages, the commando units’ cover was blown, starting a firefight between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists in the area. Civilians were reportedly killed in the crossfire. All four hostages – Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrei Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv – were evacuated safely after being held by Hamas and its Palestinian allies for months since October 7. An Israeli commando squad leader, Arnon Zamora, was killed during the operation.

President Joe Biden released a statement on Tuesday saying that he will accept the outcome of the federal criminal case against his son, Hunter Biden, after a jury convicted him of all charges related to his illegal purchase of a firearm. Jurors convicted Hunter Biden, 54, on three felony counts of lying on paperwork for a revolver and owning the firearm while being a drug addict in 2018. The verdict, reached on the second day of jury deliberations, could land Hunter Biden in prison for up to 25 years and lead to fines as high as $750,000. “As I said last week, I am the President, but I am also a Dad,” Joe Biden said. “Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “As I also said last week, I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal,” he continued. “Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support. Nothing will ever change that.” The trial lasted a little more than a week. Witnesses included Hunter Biden’s ex-wife, a former girlfriend, and the gun store clerk who sold him the revolver. The New York Times reported that after the verdict was read, Hunter Biden “stood with arms crossed” and “grimly” stared at the jury. The exact crimes that Hunter Biden was convicted of included lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on a federal firearms background check form, and being in possession of an illegally obtained firearm. Hunter Biden also faces criminal charges in California related to alleged tax violations. This is a breaking news story; refresh the page for updates. 

Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie were having problems even before the fateful cross-country road trip that ended with him allegedly killing her before eventually taking his own life. Fox News and obtained a 366-page document released by the FBI that included a copy of an undated letter Petito wrote to Laundrie before their trip. “Brian, you know how much I love you, so (and I’m writing this with love) Just please stop crying and stop calling me names, because we’re a team,” Petito wrote in the letter, which included a reference to the couple coming back from New York. “And I’m here with you. I’m always going to have your back.” Petito also apologized in the two-page, handwritten note for getting upset over “a dumb piece of paper,” while she tried to comfort Laundrie. “I love you so much it hurts,” Petito wrote. “So you in pain is killing me. I’m not trying to be negative, but I’m frustrated there’s not more I can do.” Petito repeatedly wrote of her love for Laundrie while also apologizing for alleged transgressions she doesn’t name and pleading with him to forgive her. “I hope you understand when I’m upset it’s cause you make me love you too much,” she wrote. “Now…stop crying! And come home and say you love me with a big hug.” The FBI released the documents more than three months after the Petito and Laundrie families settled a lawsuit filed by the Petitos for an unspecified amount. Petito’s parents were seeking $100,000 for pain and suffering due to the alleged actions of the Laundries. It is unclear how much, if any, money they will receive in the settlement. Laundrie is believed to have committed suicide after he went missing following the murder of his fiancée, whom Laundrie admitted to killing, according to the FBI. His remains were found in Florida’s Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in October 2021, and his family’s attorney released the notebook found with his body in June 2022. “I ended her life,” Laundrie wrote, according to a copy of the notebook exclusively provided to Fox News. “I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made. I panicked. I was in shock.” Laundrie went on to claim that Petito, who was 22 when Laundrie strangled her to death, had injured herself in a fall while they were visiting Wyoming and that he killed her to take “away her pain.” “Rushing back to our car trying to cross the streams of spread creek before it got too dark to see, to [sic] cold. I hear a splash and a scream,” Laundrie wrote, adding that he carried her as far as he could but had to stop to make a fire to keep them warm when he couldn’t make it back to the couple’s van. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP He claimed Petito “had a small bump on her forehead that eventually got larger” and that she “continually made sounds of pain, laying next to her she said little lapsing between violent shakes, gasping in pain, begging for an end to her pain.” Laundrie also referred to Petito’s death as his “mistake” and insisted that he was not ending his life “because of a fear of punishment but rather because I cant [sic] stand to live another day without her.” Petito and Laundrie were driving across the country visiting national parks when Petito went missing. She was last seen alive in late August before her family reported her missing in early September after Laundrie returned to his parents’ home in Florida without her. Laundrie’s family then reported him missing on September 17. Petito’s body was found in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 19, 2021. Laundrie’s remains were found on October 20.

The University of Michigan spent about $100,000 celebrating its “DEI 2.0” plan, which included an espresso bar, hip-hop performance, and a lecture connecting “critical race theory and hip-hop.” The event took place in October 2023, but the details were provided to The College Fix via a public records request last month, which reported the findings last week. The university’s public affairs department announced the event, which is an annual DEI Summit, saying it would “celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and highlight its intersection with critical race theory, celebrating and exploring the power of storytelling as a driving force for social change.” The event included “a roundtable discussion with hip-hop artists and critical race theory experts” and performances from Rapsody and others. “Diversity, equity and inclusion are core values at the University of Michigan,” university spokesperson Colleen Mastony told the Fix in a statement. “The university’s DEI efforts are far-reaching in ways appropriate to the size, scope, and complexity of our university – spanning across 51 units of the university and serving functions that support our over 50,000 students and over 50,000 employees,” she added. As The Fix noted, the university spent around $60,000 on its two keynote speakers, paying hip-hop artist, producer, and activist David Banner $25,000 for a 10-minute speech and his participation in a 45-minute moderated roundtable discussion. Hip-hop artist Rapsody was paid $35,000 for a musical performance and her participation in the roundtable discussion. The contracts for each included first-class air travel and coach tickets for their traveling companions, along with transportation, lodging, and meals for two nights. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP The university also spent another $32,564 on catering, audio equipment, decorations, and photography. This included a $1,750 mobile espresso cart, a $395 photo booth, and a $550 cotton candy cart. In the past few months, several university systems have dropped DEI mandates, including most recently the University of North Carolina. The leadership board that governs the university system’s policies voted in May to repeal previous diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. The school will instead have new neutrality-focused guidelines, and the university said it was committed to free speech, academic freedom, and accepting different viewpoints and people. A Texas law also banned DEI programs and offices at public universities, which led to 60 DEI employees getting laid off at the University of Texas-Austin. Harvard University has also recently ended a requirement for faculty to sign DEI statements as a condition of employment.

“Game of Thrones” star Emilia Clarke said she worried she could be fired after sustaining a brain injury while working on the hit HBO drama series.  The 37-year-old actress discussed her thoughts while speaking with the U.K.-based Big Issue in an article published Monday. “When you have a brain injury, because it alters your sense of self on such a dramatic level, all of the insecurities you have going into the workplace quadruple overnight,” Clarke told the outlet.  “The first fear we all had was: ‘Oh my God, am I going to get fired? Am I going to get fired because they think I’m not capable of completing the job?’” she said. The actress mentioned how the brain aneurysm occurred during a break in filming and said only certain crew and cast members were aware of what was going on. Clarke recalled thinking about how the stress of returning to the set could trigger another medical issue. She said her thought was, “Well, if I’m going to die, I better die on live TV.” The “Game of Thrones” actress founded a charity to develop better mental health support for people who had been through similar experiences.  “Having a chronic condition that diminishes your confidence in this one thing you feel is your reason to live is so debilitating and so lonely,” Clarke said. “One of the biggest things I felt with a brain injury was profoundly alone. That is what we’re trying to overcome.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP During the interview, she also discussed feeling how she “couldn’t carry on” following the brain injury. She said she instructed medical staff to let her die because she believed her acting days were over. Now, she sees enduring the event as a positive. “It has given me a superpower,” Clarke said. The actress had her first aneurysm, which caused a stroke and a subarachnoid hemorrhage, in 2011. She discussed the experience in a personal essay published in The New Yorker in 2019. “I was suffering from a condition called aphasia, a consequence of the trauma my brain had suffered,” she said at the time. “In my worst moments, I wanted to pull the plug,” Clarke added. “I asked the medical staff to let me die. My job — my entire dream of what my life would be — centered on language, on communication. Without that, I was lost.” The aphasia was temporary, and eventually, the actress was able to speak again. Clarke had a second surgery on another aneurysm in 2013.