Five more Democratic House representatives are calling on President Joe Biden to end his 2024 re-election campaign as his team maintains that he is staying in the race.  In an op-ed for the Chicago Tribune, Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) on Friday called on President Joe Biden to “pass the torch” while calling former President Donald Trump an “existential threat” to the country. Four other Democrats, Reps. Jared Huffman (CA) Marc Veasey (TX), Mark Pocan (WI),  and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (IL), also said on Friday that Biden should step away because of health concerns for the 81-year-old president.  Casten said that he believed Biden would lose to Trump and that he should let another Democrat challenge him. He suggested that the country might not survive if Biden was defeated.  “It is with a heavy heart and much personal reflection that I am therefore calling on Biden to pass the torch to a new generation,” Casten wrote. “To manage an exit with all the dignity and decency that has guided his half-century of public service. To cement his legacy as the president who saved our democracy in 2020 and handed it off to trusted hands in 2024 who could carry his legacy forward.” He said that he believed that Biden would struggle to respond to criticism of his mental and physical health.  “And as long as this election is instead litigated over which candidate is more likely to be held accountable for public gaffes and ‘senior moments,’ I believe that Biden is not only going to lose but is also uniquely incapable of shifting that conversation,” said  Casten.  Democratic Reps. Huffman, Veasey, Pocan, and Garcia released a statement on Friday morning calling for Biden to withdraw from the race.  “We must face the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and fitness are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign,” they wrote. “These perceptions may not be fair, but they have hardened in the aftermath of last month’s debate and are now unlikely to change. We believe the most responsible and patriotic thing you can do in this moment is to step aside as our nominee while continuing to lead our party from the White House.” They added that “passing the torch” would inject enthusiasm into the Democratic Party and “reinvigorate the race.”  The Biden campaign has so far denied any reports that he will drop out. Biden is currently recovering from COVID. His team said he might return to the campaign trail next week. 

Watch the skies this weekend, and you’ll see the ascent of the beautiful full Buck Moon. Although this celestial event has a strange name, you can expect the usual radiance of a bright, full moon. Want to find out when and how to view it in all its glory? Here’s everything you need to know about July’s full Buck Moon! First of all, where does its name come from? The Old Farmer’s Almanac tells us that it refers to the time of year that bucks, aka male deer, are growing out their antlers. Apparently, these animals lose their headgear once a year, only to grow them back even larger each time! Some Native American tribes have different monikers for the full Buck Moon. For example, the Cree name for the celestial orb at this time of the year is “Feather Moulting Moon.” Alternatively, the Dakota name is “Moon When the Chokeberries Are Ripe.” Photo by Andy Watkins on Unsplash So, when can you catch a glimpse of this month’s full moon? Technically, it will reach its peak in the wee hours of Sunday, July 21st. However, you may not actually be able to see it at this time. The Old Farmer’s Almanac explains that it will dip beneath the horizon at 6:17 A.M. Eastern Time. Instead, you should keep an eye out for the full Buck Moon on the evening of Saturday, July 20th. Wait until after sunset, and you should see it rising in the southeast! According to People, the full Buck Moon has some astronomical significance worth noting. Resident astrologer Kyle Thomas says, “Full moons energetically speed things up and have a stronger gravitational pull on Earth.” He also pointed out that the upcoming full moon will be in Capricorn, the 10th sign of the zodiac, which “can help us to pioneer toward our goals and see results.” Whether or not you believe in astrology, you won’t want to miss out on the joy of seeing the full Buck Moon. So, remember to take a look outside tomorrow evening! You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post The Full Buck Moon Rises This Weekend! Details & Best Times To See appeared first on InspireMore.

A post shared on social media purports that Tesla CEO Elon Musk pulled funding from Tractor Supply Co. after they announced a diversity, equity and inclusion plan. Verdict: False The claim stems from a satirical website. Fact Check: Musk recently endorsed former President Donald Trump for president, pledging $45 million a month to the cause, Fox Business reported. This […]

A post shared on X claims that an American-made air defense missile hit a Kyiv children’s hospital. pic.twitter.com/Kqn1gKdzE8 — Jackson Hinkle ?? (@jacksonhinklle) July 8, 2024 Verdict: Misleading Experts and observers have said the missile is likely Russian. The Ukrainian government said a Russian cruise missile hit the hospital. Fact Check: A missile hit a Kyiv […]

'How the hell did it get published in the first place'

The Boss is showing no signs of slowing down

'We hope that this is kind of a wake-up call for the state'

A Minneapolis woman relates her memories of her psychic mother who was part of a Wiccan coven. Her mother apparently could shapeshift into a large black feline!I received the following account from a reader:"Hey, Lon - I just read a few of your articles on Skinwalkers.My mom died in May of 1988 but she talked many times about a certain occurrence that happened to her when I was 7, which would have been in 1970. In all the places we lived we had ghosts or whatever you choose to call them, and when you grow up in that - it's just normal - as odd as that might sound.Anyhow, my mom was VERY psychic and about this time (1970) she started hanging out with many witches and criminals. Not that the 2 are related. Just to let you know, my brother and I had a very interesting childhood. My brother is 3-4 years older than me - depending on who had the last birthday and he and my mom were very close. Well, she and my brother Terry would play a lot of mental telepathy games in his room in the basement. If she was around, she would just focus on him and they'd go down to his room and do these mind games. Like what color, number, or whatever am I thinking of. Stuff like that.Anyhow, we lived in South Minneapolis at the time and it was sometime in 1970. They had been downstairs doing their thing and they came up freaked out. What my mom told me was that when they were doing their mind thing it felt like she was being pulled backwards out of her body. It was like her spirit was being drawn towards the basement window. It was one of those really small narrow ones that no one could ever fit through. She had been facing Terry and as she was being pulled, she could see Terry's (my brother) face. She said he looked terrified as he was looking at her.She told me she fought with everything she had to get back into her body and was finally able to do so. When she got back into her body she asked Terry what happened. He told her that she started turning into a giant black cat. They both came up and told me what happened and then again many times over the years. The story never changed and I never doubted it. One thing I should say also is she always said she wanted to be a big black cat. Like a black panther. I don't know how it happened but I believe it to this day.Then around 1979 or 1980 my mom and I lived in Northeast Minneapolis and one of her friends came over. This was a man called Moe. I don't know if that was his real name or a nickname but I remember he was super cool and belonged to Wicca and was something of a high priest. My mom always said they were the good witches and he performed exorcisms. She had a couple friends who did but Moe was the nicest. Well, she was in the tub when Moe came over so we were sitting at the kitchen table. I have ALWAYS been afraid of werewolves so thought I'd ask him about them - knowing that he would tell me they were just made up. That wasn't what he told me. He paused and said, "I can't tell you if there are or aren't werewolves. I have read about werewolves being in the hills in Russia but I don't know. I DO know a woman who can turn herself into a cat though."Well, the cat thing I really wasn't thinking too much about because I was now concentrating on the werewolf issue. My mom and I were not close and it's weird because we never had a 'normal' family and didn't talk about what most people do I guess but later it dawned on me that (what I have come to believe at any rate) is that that was Moe's way of telling me about my mom. Perhaps she was finally able to learn and harness the energy it took to make the change. She wasn't home much but spent a great deal of time with her witch friends so who knows? Anyhow, I value Moe's input and I know from Terry and my mom both that at least that one time she was indeed turning from a human physical form into a giant cat. How this is possible I cannot fathom or comprehend but I believe it because the story from 1970 to when she died in 1988 NEVER ONCE CHANGED.For what it's worth - I thought I would share. Take it easy and the best wishes to you and yours." L**********POLL: WHAT DO YOU THINK? Vote & comment on paranormal, cryptid & unexplained mysteries!FERAL PEOPLE & WILD MEN - ISOLATED HOMININS | Join Us - 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 YouTube'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 CANINES----------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-----CREEPY CAMPING ENCOUNTERS - ABOMINABLE CREATURES | LIVE CHAT | Q & A (REAL EYEWITNESS REPORTS!)I hear and read cryptid encounter reports daily. There are risks and dangers in the wilderness. Most campers, hikers, and hunters research and respect any wildlife or environmental pitfalls before heading to the location.But how can these people protect themselves from a creature they are told doesn't exist? An anomalous being that is so abominable that it's difficult for the human mind to comprehend.I'll examine several reports that I have received over the years so that you can develop your rationale for their existence.-----Project Threshold: Finale-----Have you had a sighting or encounter?Contact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonAlso available with audiobooknarration by Terry Springs,CBS-TV Las Vegas affiliate.This blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.Registered trademark PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS ® / PHANTOMS & MONSTERS ® - USPTO #90902480 - Lon D. Strickler© 2005-2024 Phantoms & Monsters - All Rights Reserved

About 100 Muslims attended the Fairfax County School Board meeting on Thursday night to protest the school district’s plans to add radical gender ideology to elementary schools’ curriculums. The Northern Virginia school district unanimously approved changes to its Family Life Education Curriculum on June 27—including teaching kindergartners about the supposed “gender spectrum” and middle schoolers about transgenderism—despite significant parental opposition. A Muslim woman, Thoraia Hussein, a Fairfax mother of six, spoke against the district’s Family Life Education Curriculum and sexually explicit books in county libraries on behalf of Muslim parents and those of other faiths. “According to the First Amendment, you may have personal beliefs, but you may not enforce them upon others,” Hussein said. “Referencing last year’s [Fairfax County Public Schools] parent survey, the majority chose not to pass gender ideology education and sex education to school curriculum.” Hussein spoke about pornographic books in libraries, such as “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” “Gender Queer,” and “This Book is Gay.” “Those books are not just sexually exploiting children, but also offend our core values as Muslims,” she said. Hussein’s minute-long speech was met with resounding applause and cheers throughout the packed auditorium. Muslims have a history of taking a strong stand against radical gender ideology being taught in their children’s schools. Arab and Muslim protesters shut down a school board meeting in Dearborn, Michigan, in October 2022 over sexually explicit LGBTQ library books. Muslims also protested outside the U.S. District Court in Maryland last summer in response to Montgomery County Public Schools’ plan to read LGBTQ “Pride Storybooks” to children without parental consent. The Daily Signal spoke with Hussein after her public testimony. While Hussein believes gender ideology is sinful due to her religion, she said she respects people with different beliefs. She just wants the school district to have that same respect for her beliefs. “It’s not only about that respect,” she told The Daily Signal. “It’s about telling my children, ‘What you believe is wrong.’ I’m not going around telling your children what you believe is wrong. I respect what you choose for yourself. So, I just expect you to respect the same—what I chose for my children.” Hussein had brought some of the sexually explicit books from local schools to her mosque, the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., to show other families the importance of opposing radical gender ideology in Fairfax County. “We couldn’t even finish reading [them],” Hussein said of the books. “It was so inappropriate.” That inspired about 100 Muslims, including the mosque’s imam, to support her public testimony at the School Board meeting. Since her oldest child was in kindergarten 17 years ago, the district has made decisions based on surveys on parents, Hussein said, yet the district completely ignored parental pushback about adding gender ideology to the elementary school curriculum. Most parents and community members do not support adding lessons on gender identity in elementary schools, the district admitted in a summary of comments submitted about the Family Life curriculum. Parents shared concerns about lessons on gender identity not being age-appropriate for elementary schoolers, and expressed the belief that they, not schools, should be the primary educators of their children on such topics. “Even though parents were really upset, saying that they don’t want their children to be introduced to such explicit sex information, still they said [the community review] is not accurate, and they went ahead, and they want to do a pilot program about it,” Hussein said. “And that’s what makes us feel as parents that we’re not heard. We are supposed to take care of our children, but at the same time, we’re not allowed to do so, because they’re not listening to us.” The district will implement a pilot program in 14 elementary schools for a coed Family Life Education Curriculum for the 2024-2025 academic year. As a mother of six and a local youth mentor, Hussein has firsthand experience with how age-inappropriate information about gender ideology harms children. “I’ve seen a lot of issues with children going to school reading about things, and they don’t find anyone to actually explain to them about it,” she said. “So, they’re getting exposed to information that they don’t know how to process. And most of the time, parents are not there, or they are not aware because of the pressures of life.” Hussein is concerned about the confusion caused by children learning they supposedly can be any gender they want. “In my religion, we have only male and female,” she said. Hussein’s youngest child, who is in elementary school, walked out of his classroom when his teacher started a lesson on gender ideology. The child told his teacher that it violates his religion. When asked about the widespread parent opposition to gender ideology instruction, the school district told The Daily Signal that parents can opt their children out of the Family Life Education Curriculum. “As you know, should any parent wish to opt their child out of FLE, they are able to do so,” said the district’s media relations manager, Julie Allen. But parents shouldn’t have to opt their kids out, according to Hussein. “A lot of parents, like immigrants, come from different backgrounds,” she said. “They don’t understand that there is a choice to opt out. And those are the most vulnerable children, because their parents cannot address it. They don’t understand what’s going on.” Schools should focus on education and leave religion to parents, according to Hussein. “Let’s leave this conversation to parents, because parents have to have the right to teach their children their values,” she said. The Muslim families protesting gender ideology in Fairfax County don’t want to cause trouble, Hussein explained, adding they just want to protect their right to raise their kids in accordance with their faith. “Our religion encourages us to love everyone,” she said. “At the same time, our religion is our life, and anything that touches that is considered a threat to who we are. So, it’s not that we hate anybody. We don’t want to force anyone into anything. And indeed, we don’t anyone to force whatever they want on us.” The post ‘They’re Not Listening To Us’: 100 Muslim Parents Oppose Gender Ideology at Virginia School Board Meeting appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. German authorities have taken decisive action against Compact, the nation’s most influential right-wing publication, by shutting it down amid growing calls to ban the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which shares close ties with the magazine. This step by the government aligns with a broader campaign against the publication and its associated political factions. Compact magazine is a monthly political magazine published in Germany. It also has a website and social media channels. It was founded in 2010 by Jürgen Elsässer, a journalist who previously worked for various leftist publications but later shifted to right-wing ideologies. The magazine is known for its populist right-wing stance, often focusing on topics such as anti-globalization, criticism of US policies, and strong opposition to immigration. The crackdown began in the early hours of Tuesday when the interior ministry declared the magazine banned and police conducted raids on related addresses across four German states. According to the ministry, Compact’s content, which included “racist, anti-minority, historically revisionist and conspiracy theory-laden” material, played a significant role in inciting hatred against minorities, promoting a vision of the German nation exclusive to ethnic Germans. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasized the government’s resolve against those she termed “intellectual arsonists.” She stated, “Our signal is quite clear: we will not permit people to define in ethnic terms who belongs to Germany and who does not.” This action, however, has been met with fierce criticism from several AfD politicians, who argue that it represents an overreach of government power and an attack on free speech. Hans-Christoph Berndt, the party’s lead candidate in Brandenburg where Compact was based, likened the government’s tactics to those of “an authoritarian police state.” This event could be a precursor to more extensive measures against the AfD, with mainstream politicians increasingly concerned about the party’s recent successes, including a strong showing in the European Parliament elections and significant gains in eastern Germany. Yet, there remains considerable skepticism among centrist politicians about the potential repercussions of a ban, fearing it might undermine democracy and inadvertently bolster populist right-wing elements. The constitutional court has set a high legal threshold for banning a party, emphasizing that any party must demonstrate a direct and active threat to the liberal democratic order, with a realistic chance of achieving its unconstitutional aims, to be considered for prohibition. The decision by German authorities to ban Compact magazine, a significant voice in the country’s right-wing media landscape, raises critical concerns about the censorship of free speech and the responsibilities of the press. The principle of press freedom is a cornerstone of democratic societies, intended to safeguard the media’s role as a watchdog against governmental overreach and a platform for diverse viewpoints. When a state decides to shut down a publication, even one as contentious as Compact, it risks impairing this foundational principle. While the content of Compact was criticized for allegedly inciting hatred, the complete suppression of the magazine is a heavy-handed approach that stifles more than just allegedly harmful speech. Such developments are particularly concerning at a time when institutions face threats from various forms of populism, which themselves often exploit the notion of “protecting” the public from dangerous ideologies to justify curbing civil liberties. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Free Speech is Under Fire as Germany Silences Compact Magazine appeared first on Reclaim The Net.