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Teslas torched with Molotov cocktails and shot with gun
Is that with a price reduction? -
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US Social Security
Does it have anything to do with the increase in Medicare premiums that are automatically deducted from your SS? -
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White House was right: free speech and civil liberties in UK has never been more precarious
The Growing Authoritarianism of British Policing: A Nation Under Surveillance The state of free speech and civil liberties in Britain has never been more precarious. What was once a beacon of democracy and personal freedom is now a country where police officers act as ideological enforcers, suppressing dissent and criminalizing thought. This disturbing trend has even raised alarms in the United States, with the White House reportedly concerned about the UK’s crackdown on free expression. Yet our own government continues to ignore the warnings, allowing the police to behave like a rogue force accountable to no one but the architects of progressive orthodoxy. Every day brings another outrageous story of police overreach. Consider a four-year-old child suspended from nursery for alleged “abuse against sexual orientation and gender identity,” at an age when many children still identify more as dinosaurs than people. Or the case of a highly respected professor cast out from her university for simply stating biological facts. A grandmother was visited by plainclothes officers for posting a private message critical of a Labour councillor. And in one of the most absurd incidents, a builder in Bedfordshire received a police record for supposed racial hatred after whistling the Bob the Builder theme song at his neighbours. If the British police had a shred of self-awareness, they would be deeply ashamed of their current priorities. Instead, our law enforcement agencies are doubling down on their authoritarian tactics. The recent case of Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine highlights the terrifying extent of police intrusion into private life. Arrested in front of their young child and detained in separate cells for eight hours, their crime was merely complaining about a primary school’s hiring process via email and WhatsApp messages. Their ordeal is symptomatic of a culture where the police no longer serve the public but instead enforce ideological conformity. Even elected officials are not safe from this creeping police state. Hertfordshire county councillor Michelle Vince was warned by police that she could be investigated if she continued to assist parents in their battle against bureaucratic overreach. This blatant suppression of democratic representation should have sparked national outrage, yet it barely registers as a scandal anymore. Rather than focusing on violent crime, burglary, or fraud, the police are more concerned with monitoring online speech and punishing citizens for expressing the wrong opinions. Chief Constables issue robotic statements about “fighting crime,” but their actions reveal a very different set of priorities. Officers are trained to be “actively anti-racist,” a euphemism for selectively enforcing the law to fit a radical ideological agenda. As a result, we now have a policing system that is openly discriminatory—where arrest rates are manipulated to achieve “equality” rather than reflect actual criminal behavior. The rot is systemic. The College of Policing, a taxpayer-funded quango, plays a major role in pushing this ideological agenda into law enforcement. By prioritizing “hate crime” and “diversity training” over real policing, they have transformed the police into an organization that polices opinions rather than protects the public. Similarly, the Sentencing Council recently attempted to introduce a policy that would have enshrined two-tier justice based on race. That plan was only halted at the last moment thanks to political intervention, but it demonstrated the extent to which our institutions have been corrupted by ideology. A fundamental reset is needed. The College of Policing should be dismantled, and police forces must return to their primary function: upholding the law, not social engineering. Officers should be held personally accountable for abuses of power, and those who authorize wrongful arrests should face legal consequences. Britain is at a crossroads. Either we reclaim the values of free speech and fair policing, or we continue down this dystopian path where ideological enforcement replaces justice. If our politicians refuse to act, the public must. Crowdfunding legal action against police abuses, supporting the Free Speech Union, and demanding accountability at every level are all essential steps. For too long, the British people have tolerated the transformation of their police into ideological enforcers. The time has come to demand that they return to their real job—fighting crime, not policing thoughts. Based on a report by The Telegraph 2025-04-03 Related Topic: UK Parents Arrested Over School WhatsApp Group Complaints in ‘Massive Overreach’ by Police -
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UK Turkish Barber Shops: How Criminal Gangs Use Them to Launder Money
A surge in Turkish-style barber shops across Britain has drawn the attention of law enforcement, with police uncovering a darker side to this booming industry. According to experts, criminal gangs have increasingly exploited these cash-based businesses to launder drug money, leading to a major police crackdown. Over the past month, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has carried out multiple raids, making arrests and seizing tens of thousands of pounds in the process. Intelligence reports have linked a growing number of barber shops to money laundering and other forms of organised crime. Last year alone, over 750 new barber shops opened across the UK, adding to an already thriving industry. Drugs expert Gary Carroll, who has spent over a decade in law enforcement and now provides court testimony on street drug gangs, believes criminals are simply copying a successful method. "It's a well-trodden path that one crime group will just copy another when they see something is working," he told MailOnline. He explained that while society is shifting away from cash, barber shops remain primarily cash-based businesses, making them ideal for laundering illicit funds. "They can get away with it because the fees they charge are relatively low," he said. Another major factor is the lack of regulation in the barbering industry. "There's a lack of enforcement, without the one-off hygiene checks you'd get with food businesses," Carroll noted. Unlike restaurants or retail shops, barber shops do not have to register with Companies House and can operate as sole traders, making them harder to track. Many salons also rent out individual chairs to hairdressers, further complicating financial oversight. Although many businesses advertise themselves as "Turkish" barbers, they are often run by individuals from a range of nationalities, including Kurds and Albanians. Carroll pointed to a possible link between this phenomenon and the ongoing trade in heroin trafficked from Turkey and other parts of Asia. "When we look at money laundering, there's the well-established affiliation with Turkish heroin, and the demand for that is certainly not decreasing in the UK," he explained. Authorities have responded with an aggressive crackdown, working with local police forces, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), and immigration enforcement officers to investigate suspect businesses. One technique used by tax inspectors involves monitoring the number of chairs in use at a salon to determine whether the reported profits match customer activity. A government official told The Sunday Times that some streets feature multiple barber shops reporting high earnings, despite being mostly empty. Since 2018, the number of barber shops in the UK has increased by over 15%, reaching more than 18,000, according to retail analytics firm Green Street. Traditional Turkish barbers are well known for offering stylish haircuts that often include hot towel treatments and cut-throat razor shaves. However, the NCA investigation has raised concerns that organised crime is exploiting this trade. "Intelligence linking the use of barber shops, as well as other cash-intensive businesses, to money laundering and other criminality has risen in recent years," an NCA spokesperson confirmed. "In response to this threat, the NCA has co-ordinated multi-agency law enforcement action targeting barber shops where suspicious activity has been identified, and where there are possible connections to organised crime," the spokesperson added. The criminal links to barber shops have been exposed in several high-profile cases. One of the first major incidents came with the arrest of people smuggler Hewa Rahimpur in 2022. Rahimpur, an Iranian Kurd who had arrived in the UK illegally and was later granted asylum, was found to be leading a network responsible for smuggling 10,000 migrants across the Channel in small boats. His gang had amassed £13 million in cash from these operations, requiring a means to launder the money. Rahimpur, who had experience as a barber, opened a salon in Camden, North London, as a front for his illicit dealings. He was eventually extradited to Belgium and sentenced to 11 years in prison for people trafficking. Another case involved Afghan national Gul Wali Jabarkhel, who used his North London barber shop as a hub for a people-smuggling network. He attempted to recruit lorry drivers to transport migrants hidden in cargo. When he realised police were investigating him, he fled to Kabul in 2020. Jabarkhel was later convicted alongside three others at Kingston Crown Court for his role in what the NCA described as a "ruthless operation where human beings were little more than goods to profit from." Some barber shops have even been linked to terrorism. In 2023, Tarek Namouz, the owner of Boss Crew Barbers in West London, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for sending £11,000 to Syria to fund terrorism. Prosecutors revealed that Namouz had boasted to a prison visitor that he had actually transferred £25,000 to ISIS supporters to purchase weapons and explosives. As law enforcement continues its crackdown, the growing number of Turkish-style barber shops in Britain is facing intense scrutiny. While many remain legitimate businesses, authorities are determined to root out those being used as fronts for criminal enterprises. Based on a report by The Daily Mail 2025-04-03 -
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Trump Admin’s Crackdown on Illegal Immigration: 113,000 Arrests, 100,000+ Deportations
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, his administration has deported more than 100,000 migrants, fulfilling his campaign promise to take aggressive action on illegal immigration. According to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, both Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have made 113,000 arrests and carried out “north of” 100,000 deportations in just over two months. “He’s doing what he was voted in to do. Point blank!” an ICE source told The Post. The administration’s efforts focus on removing illegal migrants, alleged gang members, and suspected terrorists from the country. While it remains unclear how many of those detained have criminal records or where they are being deported to, sources suggest that a significant portion of deportations are to Mexico. Upon taking office, Trump wasted no time in implementing strict immigration policies. He immediately declared an emergency at the southern border, deployed thousands of additional troops to reinforce border security, shut down the asylum system for illegal crossers, and launched a nationwide mass deportation initiative. ICE’s detention facilities have reached full capacity, and the agency is now requesting additional funding from Congress to expand the number of available beds to support the ongoing deportation campaign. Within the first 50 days of his administration, ICE had already made 32,000 arrests. Trump has also taken unprecedented steps to combat transnational criminal organizations. In a controversial move, he invoked the rarely used 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan gang members without trial, sending them to a high-security El Salvadoran prison notorious for its harsh conditions. Seventeen alleged members of the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs were transferred to the facility on Sunday night, despite a federal judge’s earlier ruling blocking the use of the wartime law for this purpose. The impact of these policies is evident at the U.S.-Mexico border, where illegal crossings have dropped to record lows. In March, border agents recorded just 7,000 illegal entries—down an astonishing 94% from the 137,000 crossings reported in March of the previous year under President Joe Biden. February’s numbers were similarly low, with just 8,300 illegal crossings—the smallest figure recorded in at least 25 years. DHS officials have dubbed this dramatic decline “the Trump effect,” crediting the administration’s tough stance on immigration for the shift. “Illegal entries into the United States are no longer a backdoor way to getting status,” a DHS source stated. According to the source, migrants are now “scared there are consequences,” as everyone caught is prosecuted and serves time. Most of the remaining illegal border crossings are concentrated in the San Diego and El Paso sectors, but if the trend continues, the U.S. could see the lowest number of illegal migrants since 1968. The Trump administration’s stringent immigration policies have already reshaped the border landscape, and officials suggest that further enforcement measures are on the horizon. Based on a report by NYP 2025-04-01 -
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March Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll: Trump's Approval Dips Slightly but Majority Still Favor Him
A new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll for March 2025 shows a slight dip in former President Donald Trump's approval rating, now at 49%, a three-point drop from February. Despite this decrease, 54% of voters still believe he is performing better as president compared to Joe Biden. Trump's support remains strong among Republicans, men, white voters, those aged 25-64, and rural communities. Key policies, such as deporting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes (80%), closing the border (74%), and reducing government fraud and waste (72%), continue to receive high approval. However, his policies on imposing tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada (50%) and renaming the Gulf of Mexico (39%) remain less popular. Public opinion on economic matters remains a key focus, with 38% of voters believing the U.S. economy is on the right track, a steady figure from last month and a 10-point increase since January 2025. Personal financial outlooks have shown minor improvement, with 33% stating their situation is getting better, up two points from February. However, concerns persist among Democrats, Independents, women, younger voters, Hispanics, and rural voters, who are more likely to feel their financial standing is worsening. Economic issues dominate voter concerns, with inflation (43%) remaining the top issue, followed closely by the broader economy and immigration. Democratic Party approval remains low, with only 37% of voters expressing support—the lowest since March 2018, excluding February 2025, when it stood at 36%. While most Democratic and Black voters still back the party, 43% of Black voters and 34% of Democrats now disapprove. Additionally, 71% of voters believe the Democratic Party needs new, moderate leadership heading into the 2026 midterms and 2028 election, a sentiment shared by 57% of Democrats. A majority of voters (55%) support moderate Democrats who are open to working with Trump, with only 27% of Democrats backing such cooperation, compared to 78% of Republicans and 59% of Independents. The debate over First Amendment rights for non-citizens remains contentious, with 62% believing illegal immigrants should not have the same free speech protections as U.S. citizens and should face deportation if they promote causes counter to U.S. foreign policy. National security remains a pressing issue, with 69% of voters supporting the federal government’s authority to revoke green cards and deport individuals who actively support U.S.-designated terrorist organizations such as Hamas. Republicans (86%) are the most supportive, followed by Independents (64%) and Democrats (55%). Additionally, 52% of voters agree that the president should be able to deport suspected Venezuelan criminal gang members without requiring a court trial. According to the latest Harvard Harris Poll, two thirds of voters say the administration should be deporting foreign students who actively support terrorist movements. On fiscal matters, 79% of voters want the government to balance the budget by reducing expenditures, though nearly half remain uncertain about the extent of necessary cuts. While 68% support a $1 trillion reduction in government spending, only 42% believe Elon Musk and DOGE can achieve this goal by year’s end. Nevertheless, 56% of voters view Musk and DOGE as key players in making significant government spending cuts, with support strongest among Republicans (83%) and weakest among Democrats (33%). Musk’s overall favorability has declined, shifting from neutral to a net 10-point unfavorable rating. Support for Israel remains high, with 77% backing Israel over Hamas, and Trump’s handling of the conflict has gained favor, with 54% approval, a 21-point lead over Biden’s January 2025 numbers. Additionally, 72% of voters favor destroying Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities, and 59% support U.S. assistance in Israeli airstrikes targeting these sites. Military action in the Red Sea also garners broad support, with 71% of voters backing U.S. airstrikes against Houthi terrorists attacking American warships and obstructing the Suez Canal. Most voters (60%) agree that the U.S. should engage in such actions rather than leaving it to European forces. The Ukraine-Russia conflict remains a divisive topic, with 70% of voters advocating for Ukraine to negotiate a settlement rather than prolong the war. Trump’s handling of the situation sees 56% approval, with 53% of voters rejecting the idea that he is abandoning Ukraine in favor of Russia. Party divisions persist, as only 29% of Democrats agree, compared to 73% of Republicans and 55% of Independents. Overall, while Trump’s approval has slightly dipped, he still holds an edge over Biden in voters’ perceptions. Economic concerns, immigration policies, and national security remain top priorities, and the Democratic Party faces mounting pressure to adopt a more moderate approach heading into future elections. Based on a report by PR Newswire 2025-04-03 https://harvardharrispoll.com/all-polls/
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