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The Justice Department Just Shut Disabled People Out of Essential Online Services for Another Year

Alast-minute change from the Department of Justice (DOJ) has outraged disabled people and disability rights groups and could affect access to the ballot box come the midterm elections this November. The agency issued an interim final rule on April 20, pushing back a planned April 24, 2026, deadline for large municipalities to ensure their apps and online offerings are accessible in accordance with certain technical standards.

“It is outrageous that the Justice Department thinks that they can delay this regulation for one more year,” Chris Danielsen, a spokesperson for the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), told Truthout. “This is a real betrayal of the promise of the ADA and the promise of equal access to our government that applies to all Americans.”

Ensuring access to the websites and mobile apps of government entities is required under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, which forbids discrimination based on disability in state and local government services. Since 1996, the DOJ has consistently held that the law applies to digital content.

A vast number of state and local government services are now online, including forms, payment processors, and information from election offices, courts, public hospitals, parks, libraries, utilities, transit agencies, school districts, universities, and more. Those online services often lack basic features, such as zoomable content, high-contrast text, keyboard navigation, autocomplete options, or compatibility with screen readers, which would make them accessible to users with certain visual, motor, or cognitive disabilities. Over 70 million Americans have a disability; 7.6 million have a visual disability.

The DOJ, which is responsible for issuing regulations to clarify the rights and obligations of those covered by the ADA, has been slow to issue specific regulations for online content. The rule that was meant to take effect this April was only finalized in 2024, more than three decades after the landmark disability rights legislation was signed into law. Initially, the new rule gave state and local governments in cities of 50,000 or more residents until this April to comply. Smaller municipalities were given until next April. Under the interim final rule, both deadlines have been extended by a year.

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Daily Mail lies: Oct 7 victim saved from rape by non-existent Muslim prohibition on violating scarred women

The latest Oct. 7 rape hoax propaganda piece from The Daily insists that the only reason a woman at the Nova music festival wasn’t raped by Hamas members is that she had a scar – and falsely claims that “scars have a spiritual significance in the eyes of the terrorists.”

In one of its most brazen disinformation efforts in years, the British tabloid The Daily Mail has published a fake news story claiming that an Israeli woman who was permitted to leave by Hamas militants only avoided being sexually assaulted by showing her captors her scar.

According to the woman in question, May Hayat, she had been taken prisoner by “terrorists” at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, when she began to detect “an energy and look in their eyes that every woman knows what’s going to happen next.”

However, she insists the men declined to rape her because Muslims subscribe to a belief system under which “a scar like [hers] means a strong woman,” and “if something happened to her because of them, the 72 virgins they are promised will not come looking for them in heaven.”

This claim contradicts all known Islamic jurisprudence, including the mainstream Sunni doctrine espoused by Hamas – which forbids fighters (and men more generally) from carrying out sexual violence against women, and which does not in any way single out women with scars for special treatment.

But The Daily Mail article, entitled “October 7 survivor reveals how a childhood scar saved her from Hamas terrorists,” fully endorses Hayat’s extraordinarily suspicious claim. Hayat, the outlet states credulously, was later “told that such scars have a spiritual significance in the eyes of the terrorists.”

Hayat’s story, in which she now claims she narrowly avoided being raped, has changed significantly over the years. One month after the attack, Hayat alleged that she escaped her supposed Hamas captors, telling Reuters: “I could see how they were fighting over whether to kill me or not, and I ran away.”

Now, however, The Daily Mail writes that Hayat was actually freed when “the leader” of a Hamas cell acknowledged her scar, and “shook his head at his fellow terrorist before telling May she was free to go.”

It’s not The Daily Mail’s first attempt to launder Israeli rape hoax propaganda. In June 2024, The Grayzone revealed that what the tabloid billed as an “exclusive” story confirming Palestinians raped Israeli women on October 7 actually consisted of coerced confessions which were so full of contradictions about nonexistent victims that they are all but guaranteed to be false.

The author of that debunked report, Natalie Lisbona, has been photographed smiling with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently wanted by the International Criminal Court for his involvement in war crimes in Gaza.

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Lukashenko Offers To Meet With Zelensky ‘Anywhere’ After Russia Sent Belarus More Tactical Nukes

We reported earlier this week that for the first time Russia’s ‘Union State’ ally Belarus hosted multi-day drills involving a “rehearsal” of Russia’s use of tactical and strategic nuclear weapons.

The exercise ran from Tuesday to Thursday and was presided over by Presidents Lukashenko and Putin, and saw hundreds of Russian missile launchers, warships, nuclear submarines, and jets deploy and engage in military maneuvers. As part of it, Russia reportedly sent more tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.

On the occasion, and amid angry denunciations from European leaders, the 71-year-old Lukashenko – who has ruled the former Soviet nation since 1994 – asserted that “We threaten absolutely no one.”

He followed with: “But we have such weapons, and we’re ready in every possible way to defend our common fatherland from [the western Belarusian city of] Brest to [Russia’s Pacific port of] Vladivostok.”

In Ukraine, President Zelensky warned Belarus of “consequences” over potential deepened involvement in Russia’s ‘special military operation’ – though Belarus did act as a staging ground for the initial attack waves in early 2022.

“The de facto leadership of Belarus” must “stay on its toes – that is, clearly understand that there will be consequences if aggressive actions against Ukraine, against our people, are taken,” Zelensky said while making a visit this week to a Ukrainian city which is just dozens of miles from the Belarusian border.

Interestingly, and in what appears another first, Lukashenko actually offered to meet with Zelensky, and that this meeting could take place “anywhere” in Belarus or Ukraine.

“If (Zelensky) wants to discuss something, seek advice, or anything else, please do. We are open to it,” Lukashenka said on Friday, according to state media.

“I am ready to meet with him anywhere – in Ukraine, in Belarus – and discuss the problems of Belarusian-Ukrainian relations,” the Belarusian leader emphasized. 

He also addressed Zelensky’s latest accusations, rejecting the premise, and explained that his armed forces won’t join the conflict unless “aggression is committed against (Belarusian) territory.”

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Shooter Near White House Identified – Deceased Suspect Had History of Mental Health Issues, Was Previously Arrested Trying to Breach White House

The gunman who opened fire near the White House on Saturday evening has been identified as a man named Nesire Best. 

Reporters heard 20-30 gunshots fired from multiple guns near the White House on Saturday. Reporters did not see the shooter, but the incident occurred on the corner of 17th St. and Pennsylvania Ave., just steps away from the Eisenhower Executive Office building.

A motive is still unclear, but officials say he had a history of mental health issues.

Best was pronounced dead after the shooting at a local hospital.

NBC’s Tom Winter identified the shooter at approximately 9 pm ET:

BREAKING | NBC News: Six senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter say the alleged shooter of a US Secret Service checkpoint at the White House has been identified as Nesire Best.

Those officials say he has a documented history with law enforcement and prior concerns about his mental health.

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‘Great Replacement’ Fears Soar In Belgium

A major social study commissioned by VRT, known as the “Photo of Flanders,” reveals that a majority of Flemish people are afraid they are being slowly replaced by migrants, with this study now joining similar ones in France and Germany, which reveal serious fear across Europe about the ongoing Great Replacement.

The VRT survey shows that 56 percent of respondents agree with the statement: “I am afraid that Flemish people are slowly being replaced by migrants/people from abroad.”

Within this category, individuals aged 45 to 64 score at 58 percent, while those over 65 score at 59 percent.

Teenagers between 12 and 17 years old also show a high level of agreement at 58 percent.

The study also showed that 52 percent of Flemish people are afraid of a mosque being built in their neighborhood.

Only 23 percent of Flemish people explicitly say they would be open to a mosque where they live.

Notably, 22 percent of people who say they have no fear of being replaced by migrants also say they would not like to have a mosque in their neighborhood.

According to VRT, the study shows that the fear that “Flemish people will be replaced by migrants” remains great.

Belgium has also been actively erasing traditional signs of Christianity, such as renaming Christmas markets into “winter markets,” which the VRT study indicates has led to divisions in society, especially between older and younger generations.

Discussions surrounding inclusive naming conventions also generate pushback. A majority of Flemish people, at 57 percent, maintain that a Christmas market should simply remain a Christmas market. Resistance to neutral terms like winter market is highest among older demographics, with 64 percent of 45-to-64-year-olds and 67 percent of those over 65 opposing the change. This opposition drops among younger populations, with 41 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds and 45 percent of 25-to-44-year-olds objecting to the replacement of the traditional name.

The Photo of Flanders is an ongoing tracking study that VRT has conducted since 2009 to observe the social themes that concern Flemish residents.

Regarding specific statistics on Islam, 60 percent of Flemish people report feeling concerned about Islam’s presence in Flanders.

This concern peaks among individuals aged 45 to 64 at 65 percent, and among those over 65 at 67 percent, though these percentages have decreased slightly compared to 2023 and 2024.

For youth between the ages of 12 and 17, the figure stands slightly lower at 61 percent, though researchers note an upward trend in this youngest bracket.

Patrick Loobuyck, an ethical philosopher of the University of Antwerp/UGent, states that these anti-diversity figures are “quite high” and Flemish people are struggling with “rapid social changes.”

“They are concerned about themes that are important to our society: who we are, what the future is of Flanders and what is the place of the population that is there today,” said Loobuyck.

“The population has actually changed a lot in recent decades. That diversity is no longer limited to cities, but is felt almost everywhere. People see and feel that, and also notice consequences in education and society.”

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LEFTIST UTOPIA IMPLODES: Hundreds of Dangerous Cook County Criminals ‘Completely Untraceable’ After Democrats’ Woke Pre-Trial Program Collapses

The lawless, woke experiment that Democrats have forced onto the state of Illinois has officially imploded, leaving the citizens of Cook County completely exposed to a terrifying wave of untraceable, violent crime.

In what can only be described as a catastrophic and total failure of the radical Left’s criminal justice “reforms,” Cook County’s pre-trial release electronic monitoring program has completely fallen apart.

A staggering 243 dangerous offenders, including cold-blooded murderers, attempted murderers, and violent sexual assaulters, have completely vanished.

According to sources close to law enforcement, these violent predators are now entirely off the grid and untraceable. That represents a horrific 8% of the entire program’s participants, people who were deemed too dangerous to roam free without ankle bracelets, yet were handed a “get out of jail free” card by radical Cook County judges anyway.

NBC Chicago reported:

Roughly 8% of the more than 3,000 people enrolled in the often-criticized electronic monitoring system in Cook County are missing, according to the chief judge.

In other words: 243 people are missing.

“Transparency is not optional — it is a core obligation of this office,” Chief Judge Charles Beach II said in a statement. “The public has a right to know how this program operates, what the data shows and what we are doing every day to make it stronger.”

Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke, a frequent critic of electronic monitoring, issued a statement Wednesday saying she welcomes the chief judge’s transparency but called the data “alarming.”

Burke also said the data “clearly demonstrates how current safeguards are falling short, particularly when [electronic monitoring] is available to those charged with the most threatening and heinous crimes.”

[…]

The chief judge has set up an online dashboard showing the charges of people currently on electronic monitoring as of April 3. The dashboard shows 21 people charged with murder, 13 charged with attempted murder, 173 charged with aggravated battery and 29 people charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault.

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Trans track athlete AB Hernandez dominates competition at California girls masters meet

A transgender track athlete again took the top spot in several events at a California master’s meet on Saturday, leading officials to award a second gold medal to the runner-up.

Jurupa Valley High School senior AB Hernandez scored first place in the girl’s high jump, long jump and triple jump at Saturday’s California Interscholastic Federation’s (CIF) Southern Section Track and Field Masters meet at Moorpark High School in Ventura County.

In all three events, Hernandez stood alongside the second-place finisher on the winner’s podium.

In all three categories, Hernandez’s score far exceeded the competition.

In the girl’s high jump, Hernandez’s mark was 5 feet, 8 inches while the second-place hit 5 feet, 6 inches.

In the long jump competition, Hernandez posted a winning mark of 20 feet, 4.75 inches, while the runner-up landed a jump of 19 feet, 1.75 inches.

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Seattle Homeless Man Who Allegedly Kidnapped and Raped Girl Had 28 Prior Arrests

A Seattle homeless man who allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl already had 28 prior arrests and 46 warrants.

KVI reported on May 7 that Joshua V. Kowalczewski, 36, allegedly targeted the girl at a bus stop, forced her to join him in nearby woods, and raped her in the middle of the day.

He was charged with first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping by King County prosecutors.

His bail was set at $1 million after prosecutors noted the risks he poses the public — and his two decades of refusing to cooperate with court orders.

Kowalczewski indeed had 28 arrests and 13 convictions, as well as 46 lifetime warrants and nine active warrants, per a report from KCPQ.

KVI noted that those convictions included offenses such as assault, drug possession, theft, DUI, violating protection orders, possessing burglary tools, and criminal trespassing.

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Senate Crypto Bill At Risk Beyond Midterms If Not Passed By August: NYDIG

The US Senate’s crypto market structure bill could take until August to pass and risks not advancing at all if lawmakers cannot pass it before the midterms, said Greg Cipolaro, head of research at financial services firm NYDIG.

Patrick Witt, a senior White House crypto adviser, said earlier this month that he was targeting July 4 for the Senate’s crypto bill to pass, saying there was enough time for a Senate markup, floor vote and House vote. 

“This may represent an aspirational benchmark rather than a fixed legislative deadline,” Cipolaro said in a note on Friday. “The realistic window, however, is June through early August.”

The crypto market structure bill would outline how US watchdogs would regulate crypto and is seen as one of the most important pieces of crypto legislation this year. However, it has been marred by delays as lawmakers and lobbyists have sought to add or amend provisions around stablecoins and government officials’ use of crypto, among other issues.

The bill passed a long-delayed markup in the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday, which voted largely along party lines to advance it to the Senate floor, where it will need 60 votes to avoid prolonged debate and pass.

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Garden Grove Reminds California That Competence Saves Lives

Garden Grove gave California a Memorial Day weekend emergency no family wanted: A damaged chemical tank at the GKN Aerospace facility forced tens of thousands of residents from their homes after methyl methacrylate began creating a serious fire, vapor, and explosion risk.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Orange County, and state officials said the tank held roughly 5,000 to 7,000 gallons of the volatile chemical.

Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey described the tank as unstable after crews found its internal temperature had climbed from 77º F to 90º F and was rising about 1º F per hour, saying that responders couldn’t accept a tank failure or explosion as an outcome, which was the right message for a public already staring at road closures, shelter plans, and evacuation maps. From Reuters:

Craig Covey, division chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, said crews had gone back into the danger zone in Garden Grove overnight after drone readings on Friday suggested water sprayed on the tanks was helping stabilize the situation.

But those drone readings measured the outside of the vessel, not the chemical inside, Covey said in a video update posted on social media on Saturday morning. When crews reached the tank’s gauge, they found ⁠the internal temperature was 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), up from 77 degrees (25 C) when responders had pulled back.

The temperature was increasing by about one degree an hour, he said. “That’s the bad news,” Covey said.

Officials have warned since Friday that the tank, which contains methyl methacrylate, a flammable chemical used in plastics and manufacturing, could rupture and spill up to 7,000 gallons (26,500 liters) of toxic material or explode and endanger nearby tanks.

On Saturday, Covey said firefighters were exploring whether a heavy flow of cooling water might slow the curing process inside the tank enough to reduce pressure and prevent an explosion.

“Letting this thing just fail and blow up is unacceptable to us,” Covey said. “Our goal is to find something and not allow that to happen.”

Garden Grove Police Chief Amir El-Farra said about 15% of residents in the evacuation zone had refused to leave. Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, chief health officer for the Orange County Health Care Agency, warned that extended exposure to chemical vapors could create serious respiratory concerns, along with eye irritation, headaches, nausea, and other symptoms.

Emergency orders reached Garden Grove and nearby communities, including Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park, and Westminster.

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