Iranian-backed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/houthis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Houthi terrorists</a> detonated charges on an oil tanker traveling in international waters in the Red Sea this week, putting the ship at risk of becoming the third major commercial shipping vessel that the Islamic terror group has sunk over the last year.
EUNAVFOR ASPIDES — an EU military operation in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Gulf — said in a statement that the attack on the MV SOUNION happened on Wednesday after the ship did not ask for protection.
&#8220;Once the ship was attacked[,] it lost engine power and an operation was dispatched to the ship to rescue the crew,&#8221; ASPIDES said in a statement.
&#8220;While approaching the area, the EUNAVFOR ASPIDES ship destroyed an Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) that posed an imminent threat to the ship and the crew,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;All on board the MV SOUNION were subsequently rescued and are being transported to Djibouti, the nearest safe port of call. The lives of seafarers and freedom on the high seas are nonnegotiable values and their protection is a key objective of EUNAVFOR ASPIDES.&#8221;
The ship was carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil, the group said, noting that the situation now presents a serious &#8220;navigational and environmental hazard.&#8221;
&#8220;It is essential that everyone in the area exercises caution and refrains from any actions that could lead to a deterioration of the current situation,&#8221; the statement concluded. &#8220;EUNAVFOR ASPIDES with a defensive mandate acts as a credible EU maritime security provider, with the aim to contribute to the freedom of navigation in the area of operation and the safe passage of merchant vessels.&#8221;
Houthi terrorists released a video of them destroying the ship after rigging it with explosives.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724211156439000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2-L2DitSaIUj5wz8v0bgxx">Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you.</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Video released by the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Houthis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Houthis</a> seems to show the setting of explosive charges on the deck of the tanker <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sounion?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sounion</a> off the coast of Yemen in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RedSea?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RedSea</a>.
At 150k tons, this tanker is almost twice the size of Exxon Valdez and the environmental damage to the region will be massive. <a href="https://t.co/EfUbg5o5j9">pic.twitter.com/EfUbg5o5j9</a>
— Sal Mercogliano (WGOW Shipping) 🚢⚓🐪🚒🏴‍☠️ (@mercoglianos) <a href="https://twitter.com/mercoglianos/status/1827074505505960328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
CORRECTION (09/03/2024): A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the MV SOUNION was sunk during the attack. The ship has not sunk but it remains on fire and efforts to tow it have been <a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-red-sea-tanker-99db388d84f30c7e53e2703abd343fdf?taid=66d716c7d8471d00019033bc&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">abandoned</a> for the time being due to safety concerns.

Houthis

Another Tanker Destroyed By Islamic Terrorists In Red Sea

European Union

Radical Islam

Terrorism

World

The European Union threatened X owner Elon Musk on Monday ahead of his interview with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, warning that he needs to censor potentially &#8220;harmful content&#8221; or else his company could be punished.
EU industry chief Thierry Breton said in his letter that the warning was being made because users on X promoted content on the social media platform about the disturbing events that have been unfolding in the United Kingdom <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/uk-police-chief-suggests-he-would-arrest-americans-for-highlighting-british-riots-online">surrounding</a> migrants and large Muslim gangs.
&#8220;I am compelled to remind you of the due diligence obligations set out in the Digital Services Act (DSA),&#8221; Breton said. &#8220;As the individual entity ultimately controlling a platform with over 300 million users worldwide, of which one third in the EU, that has been designated as a Very Large Online Platform, you have the legal obligation to ensure X&#8217;s compliance with EU law and in particular the DSA in the EU.&#8221;
Breton said that X must make sure &#8220;effective mitigation measures are put in place regarding the amplification of harmful content in connection with relevant events, including live streaming, which, if unaddressed, might increase the risk profile of X and generate detrimental effects on civic discourse and public security.&#8221;
&#8220;This is important against the background of recent examples of public unrest brought about by the amplification of content that promotes hatred, disorder, incitement to violence, or certain instances of disinformation,&#8221; he added.
Breton noted that the EU already has a case against X and that if Musk does not take steps to restrict free speech in his interview with Trump that the EU could add evidence against him in the case.
&#8220;As the relevant content is accessible to EU users and being amplified also in our jurisdiction, we cannot exclude potential spillovers in the EU,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Therefore, we are monitoring the potential risks in the EU associated with the dissemination of content that may incite violence, hate and racism in conjunction with major political &#8211; or societal &#8211; events around the world, including debates and interviews in the context of elections.&#8221;
Musk fired back with a response aimed directly at Breton&#8217;s post on X where Breton posted the letter.
&#8220;To be honest, I really wanted to respond with this Tropic Thunder meme, but I would NEVER do something so rude &amp; irresponsible!&#8221; Musk wrote.
Musk included the meme that showed a line from the &#8220;Tropic Thunder&#8221; movie that said: &#8220;Take a big step back and literally f**k your own face!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
To be honest, I really wanted to respond with this Tropic Thunder meme, but I would NEVER do something so rude &amp; irresponsible! <a href="https://t.co/jL0GDW5QUx">https://t.co/jL0GDW5QUx</a> <a href="https://t.co/XhUxCSGFNP">pic.twitter.com/XhUxCSGFNP</a>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1823076043017630114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2024</a></blockquote>

Cannes Lions International Festival Of Creativity 2024 – Day Three

The European Union Threatens Musk Over Trump Interview; Musk Fires Back With Meme

Donald Trump

Elon Musk

Social Media Censorship

The following is an edited transcript of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/hunter-biden-jury-deliberates-europe-turns-right-6-11-24" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Morning Wire interview</a> between Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley and Nile Gardiner from The Heritage Foundation.
Conservative and populist parties in several European countries made major gains in European Parliamentary elections Sunday, shaking up several regimes and prompting calls for snap elections. Nile Gardiner, Director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation, joined Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley to discuss what is driving Europe to the Right.
JOHN: Welcome, Nile. First, what has unfolded since Sunday?
NILE: Well, I think the results released on Sunday night are nothing less than a political earthquake in Europe. We have seen an emphatic rejection of socialist ruling elites across much of Europe. We have seen a resounding set of victories for parties on the Right in many European countries. And we&#8217;ve seen the utter humiliation of big European figures, such as Emmanuel Macron, president of France, Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, and huge gains for conservative political parties.
JOHN: Who are some of the big names and parties emerging in this sort of rise of the Right?
NILE: The biggest winner, actually, from these European elections has been Georgia Meloni in Italy, whose Brothers of Italy party did extremely well in the European elections, quadrupling their level of support. Meloni has emerged as a very, very powerful leader in Europe. In France, of course, with Marine Le Pen, her political party took over 30% percent of the vote — double the size of the vote for Emmanuel Macron&#8217;s party. She will likely face off against Macron in the French presidential race in 2027. And if that election were to be held today, she would probably emerge as the winner.
<div id="attachment_749093" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-749093" class="size-large wp-image-749093" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2155980132-864x576.jpg" alt="Giorgia Meloni, Italy's prime minister, votes in the European Election in Rome, Italy, on Saturday, June 8, 2024. After a series of recent setbacks, Europes far-right parties are aiming for gains in elections to the European Parliament that kicked off on Thursday. Photographer: Alessia Pierdomenico/Bloomberg via Getty Images" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2155980132-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2155980132-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2155980132-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2155980132.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Alessia Pierdomenico/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
JOHN: Now, we saw a snap election called by Macron. What prompted it and how risky is this for the French president and his party? 
NILE: In France, Macron&#8217;s political party received only around 15% of the vote in the European Parliamentary elections. A massive humiliation really for Macron&#8217;s ruling party. Macron therefore decided to call a snap Parliamentary election. It will be held in two rounds, late June, early July. And these elections actually could go very badly potentially for the French president. And he could end up as a lame duck president for the remainder of his term, which stretches until 2027, if his party doesn&#8217;t do well in these Parliamentary elections. So, a high-risk gambit, of course, by Macron. In the UK, the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, called an early general election to be held on July the 4th. The conservatives are trailing the opposition Labour Party very heavily in the polls, also, of course, this is a high-risk move by Sunak. He&#8217;s come under a lot of criticism for calling this early election and the UK is one of the only parts in Europe where conservatives are actually in real trouble. That&#8217;s probably largely the result of having been in power for 14 years and failing to deliver on a lot of the promises made by successive conservative governments. So a rather different situation in the UK compared to most of the rest of Europe, where we are seeing conservative parties really gaining a great deal of ground. The UK is a bit of an outlier in this area compared to the rest of Europe.
<div id="attachment_749095" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-749095" class="size-large wp-image-749095" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2156161328-864x576.jpg" alt="France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) and French President's wife Brigitte Macron (L) grab ballots before their vote for the European Parliament election at a polling station in Le Touquet, northern France on June 9, 2024. Voting began across Europe on June 9, 2024 on the final -- and biggest -- day of marathon EU elections, with balloting due in 21 countries, including France and Germany, where support for surging far-right parties is being tested. (Photo by Hannah McKay / POOL / AFP) (Photo by HANNAH MCKAY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2156161328-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2156161328-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2156161328-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2156161328.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />HANNAH MCKAY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images</div>
JOHN: Would you argue that a lot of the dissatisfaction is coming from the Right in the UK?
NILE: Yes, I think that a large part of the dissatisfaction with Rishi Sunak is that he&#8217;s not being conservative enough as prime minister. And so we&#8217;ve seen the rise of Reform, a party headed by Nigel Farage. Reform is now polling at around 15 to even 20% of the vote. These are largely conservative voters who have switched to Reform, so the ruling conservatives actually face a major challenge from Reform on the Right. Of course, the biggest challenge is from the Labor Party on the Left, but the Right in the UK is split right down the middle, and that will be a big factor in most likely allowing the socialists to take power on July the 4th.
JOHN: And what about in Germany? What are some of the trends we&#8217;re seeing there and some of the figures that are starting to define those trends?
NILE: In Germany, it&#8217;s significant that the ruling socialists headed by Olaf Scholz have done very badly. They pulled in only around 14% of the vote. Also, the Green Party did very, very badly. They&#8217;re the main allies of the socialists. They pulled in around 12% of the vote. On the Right, the Christian Democrats did very well, winning nearly a third of the vote. But the AFD political party, which in Germany is designated as hard-Right, they actually pulled in close to around 20% of the European vote, which was a big result for them. Now, I would say that the AFD are quite different from many of the other sort of Right-wing parties in Europe, and they&#8217;re somewhat isolated from the main political groupings in the European Parliament. Significantly, Marine Le Pen actually removed the AFD from her political grouping, the Identity and Democracy group within the European Parliament. So there are big differences among parties on the Right within Europe. But undoubtedly, the reality in Germany is that it is moving Right-wards. The Left is actually losing very heavily in Germany and I would expect to see next year with the national elections in Germany a conservative Christian Democratic Union-led government to take power. It&#8217;s hard to see how the socialists are going to survive with the national elections in Germany next year. There&#8217;s too much power in Brussels. And so most of the political parties on the Right that were successful in this election campaigned against the idea of Euro-federalism and against giving the EU, and the European Commission in particular, more power. We saw the sort of “Brexit Effect” in a big way in this European Parliamentary election.
<div id="attachment_749239" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-749239" class="size-large wp-image-749239" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2156163899-864x576.jpg" alt="POTSDAM, GERMANY - JUNE 9: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz casts his ballot in European parliamentary elections on June 9, 2024 in Potsdam, Germany. Elections to the European Parliament have been taking place since June 6 across European Union member states and will conclude tonight. (Photo by Kay Nietfeld - Pool/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2156163899-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2156163899-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2156163899-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2156163899.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Kay Nietfeld &#8211; Pool/Getty Images</div>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/hunter-biden-jury-deliberates-europe-turns-right-6-11-24" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LISTEN: Catch the full conversation on Morning Wire</a>
JOHN: Speaking of Brexit, as you mentioned, Nigel Farage, the architect of Brexit and a pro-Trump ally, has decided to run for Parliament under the Reform Party. How will his entrance into the political arena affect the race?
NILE: Yes, as you point out, Nigel Farage jumped into the race as the leader of the Reform Party just last week. I think it&#8217;s a significant game changer in the sense that Farage is joining the race, heading the Reform political party and encouraging many more conservative voters to switch to Reform. No doubt about it, the conservatives are going to lose a lot more seats as a result of Farage&#8217;s decision here. I think also, secondly, Nigel Farage has a good chance of winning a parliamentary seat. He&#8217;s running in the constituency of Clacton, which is a strongly Euro-skeptic, pro-Brexit area. And if Farage ends up in Parliament, I think he&#8217;ll be a very important, influential figure. What this doesn&#8217;t change, though, in terms of the big picture, is the fact that Reform, even with 15 to 20% of the vote, will likely end up only with a few seats in Parliament because of the “First-past-the-post” political system. And so the conservatives will remain the biggest party on the Right in the UK in terms of parliamentary seats, regardless of how well Reform actually performs in terms of percentage of the vote, because Reform simply doesn&#8217;t have enough firepower to win a large number of MPs under the parliamentary system. So, I expect that Reform, if they do get a few MPs in Parliament, will be closely aligned with the conservatives in terms of how they vote in the next Parliament.
<div id="attachment_749241" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-749241" class="size-large wp-image-749241" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2155417741-864x576.jpg" alt="CLACTON-ON-SEA, ENGLAND - JUNE 4: Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage walks to speak to supporters as he launches his election candidacy at Clacton Pier on June 4, 2024 in Clacton-on-Sea, England. The launch follows yesterday's announcement that Nigel Farage will stand as an MP in Clacton at the 4 July general election and takes over from Richard Tice as leader of Reform UK. The Conservative-held seat in Essex was the first to elect a UKIP MP in 2014, a party that Farage founded. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2155417741-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2155417741-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2155417741-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/GettyImages-2155417741.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Carl Court/Getty Images</div>
JOHN: While the Right-leaning parties aren’t uniform, there are a lot of unifying characteristics of most of these parties. What would you say are some of the shared ideas and policies driving them?
NILE: Yes, that&#8217;s a very good question. I would say that the number one issue in the European Parliamentary elections was really the issue of mass migration, cultural identity – a fear among many in Europe that Europe is taking in far too many migrants — and has taken in too many migrants over the course of the last two decades. This election was a fundamental rejection of mass migration to open borders. So, all of the parties on the Right who gained heavily campaigned on a platform of secure borders, limiting the flow of migrants into their countries, cracking down on migrant crime, and also fighting against Islamification in Europe. Also, high on the agenda are environmental issues as well as a rejection of net zero ideology. Nearly all of the political parties on the Right that won big in the European Parliamentary elections fought against what they believed as far-Left ideological dogma dictating hugely expensive green policies. A third factor was rising Euro-skepticism and a belief among many in Europe that the European Union has become too centralized. And so most of the political parties on the Right that were successful in this election campaigned against the idea of Euro-federalism and against giving the EU and the European Commission in particular more power.
JOHN: Final question. What aspect of these trends in Europe do you feel are important for an American audience to understand?
NILE: From a U. S. perspective, I think the European election results are going to make the Biden White House very nervous. Because some of the big issues that successful parties on the Right in Europe campaigned on are the same issues that American voters are going to be voting on in November. And the European electorate emphatically rejected the kind of woke, Left-wing, elitism that has dominated Europe in recent decades. And many American voters share European voters’ concerns over mass migration, open borders, rising crime, and higher cost of living. So, what happens in Europe, I think is important to what happens in the U.S. as well.
JOHN: Nile, thank you so much for joining us.
NILE: Thank you.

Questions To The French Government At The National Assembly, In Paris

‘A Political Earthquake In Europe’: Right-Leaning European Parties Gaining Ground

'A Political Earthquake In Europe': Right-Leaning European Parties Gaining Ground

Elections

Emmanuel Macron

Europe

France

Germany

Giorgia Meloni

Italy

Morning Wire

Readers Pass

The following is an edited transcript of a recent interview between Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley and former British Prime Minister Liz Truss on a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/ten-years-to-save-the-west-with-liz-truss-sunday-extra" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sunday Extra edition of Morning Wire</a>. They discuss the importance of conservative leadership, the deep state, and her new book “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ten-Years-Save-West-Truss/dp/1684515513" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ten Years to Save The West.</a>”
JOHN: Joining us now is Liz Truss, former U.K. prime minister in 2022. She is the author of “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ten-Years-Save-West-Truss/dp/1684515513" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ten Years to Save the West: Leading the Revolution Against Globalism, Socialism, and the Liberal Establishment</a>.” Liz, thank you for joining us.
LIZ: Great to be on the show. 
JOHN: First, You’ve had time to reflect on your time as prime minister – brief as it was – what did you learn during your term?
LIZ: Well, I think the biggest thing I learned is the sheer power of the term “establishment” and the administrative state. Before I got to that job, I had spent 10 years in the British government. I had worked in the environment department, I had been a minister in justice and when I hit a brick wall, I assumed it was because I wasn&#8217;t senior enough. So when I got to the position of prime minister and I saw my plans essentially thwarted, I really understood just how powerful the establishment and the administrative state is.
JOHN: You tried to execute your vision of Britain as a low-tax, low-regulation, high-growth country – what happened? And why wasn’t the country ready for that?
LIZ: Well, I felt that it was the only way to get Britain back on track. We&#8217;d been stagnating for a few decades, economic growth hadn&#8217;t been high enough. The government was spending almost half of our national income taxes on the federal government — taxes which are at a 70-year high. I could only see the situation getting worse, so I wanted to change the trajectory and that vision did have popular support. I won the mandate of Conservative Party members. It was popular, in terms of the public.
When we put those policies forward, they included things like getting on with fracking, holding down government expenditure, reducing taxes, and reducing regulation, the economic establishment, including the Bank of England and the Office of Budget Responsibility — which is a bit like the Congressional Budget Office in the United States — those organizations actively work to undermine the policies and undermine the policies in the market.
What do I mean by that? Well, the day before we announced our budget, the Bank of England announced that it was selling 40 billion pounds worth of government gilts (bonds). So that was making it harder for us to fund the government. They didn&#8217;t tell us there was a tinderbox of bad regulation of pension funds — pension funds that were very, very susceptible to small changes in the interest rate. We were blindsided by that. And then, when the Bank of England stepped in to fix that problem, they said they would only do it for 17 days, thereby creating a deadline in the market. All the time, while they were doing these things, they were blaming the government&#8217;s policy for what was happening, rather than acknowledging their own mistakes. So, that is essentially what happened. The problem was, I was unaware that those problems existed. So when the media, as is the habit in Britain, started its “gotcha” activities, I did not know what was going on. And that was fundamentally extremely difficult.
<div id="attachment_732995" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-732995" class="size-large wp-image-732995" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/GettyImages-2147850121-864x576.jpg" alt="LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 16: Copies of the book &quot;Ten Years to Save the West&quot; by former British Prime Minister Liz Truss are displayed for sale in a bookshop on April 16, 2024 in London, England. The Conservative former prime minister, who was in office a mere 49 days, has released a memoir in which she writes that &quot;the Conservative movement across the West has been faltering for almost a generation.&quot; (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/GettyImages-2147850121-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/GettyImages-2147850121-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/GettyImages-2147850121-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/GettyImages-2147850121.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Carl Court/Getty Images</div>
JOHN: You phrased this in an interesting way in a recent speech at the Heritage Foundation. You talked about the “anti-growth” movement that&#8217;s focused on, as you put it, “redistributionism, stagnation, and the imbuing of woke culture into our businesses.” What did you mean by that? 
LIZ: What we&#8217;ve ended up with in Britain is a corporate sector big government. By that I mean the civil service and the government agencies, what we call “quangos” in Britain — quasi government organizations — and the wider media. They tend to live in London and the South East and they tend to benefit from government largesse. They don&#8217;t want the size of government to be reduced, they don&#8217;t want the subsidies to their business to be reduced, particularly if they&#8217;re in sectors like green energy. And they don&#8217;t want regulations to be reduced because they don&#8217;t want competition. So these people have been benefiting from the status quo. 
The problem is, for the average person in Britain, their life isn&#8217;t getting any better. They&#8217;ve seen massive inflation, they haven&#8217;t seen their wages go up, and they haven&#8217;t seen the economy grow. It&#8217;s become harder and harder to run a small business, because of all of the red tape. So you&#8217;ve got a real disconnect between those who benefit from the current status quo of big government, high taxes, high regulation, high immigration, and the average person in Britain who is struggling because of the very high cost of living.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/ten-years-to-save-the-west-with-liz-truss-sunday-extra" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LISTEN: Catch the full interview with former Prime Minister Liz Truss on Morning Wire</a></h4>
JOHN: In your book, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ten-Years-Save-West-Truss/dp/1684515513">Ten Years to Save the West</a>,” you emphasize the importance of conservative leadership, not only in England, but also the U.S. In your view, why is conservative leadership key to saving the West? 
LIZ: All of the problems we&#8217;ve got are due to bad ideas on the Left. Whether it&#8217;s Keynesian economics, the idea that the government can run the economy; whether it&#8217;s the climate change measures that are stopping us from producing enough energy; whether it&#8217;s the wokery in our schools saying that kids have 100 genders; or the DEI agenda pursued by major corporations, which means they&#8217;re not focused on delivering valuable products and delivering profits to their shareholders — they&#8217;re focused on ticking boxes and doing identity politics. All of those bad ideas have come from the Left and the issue is conservatives have not taken these ideas on enough. Instead, we&#8217;ve kowtowed to them, you know, we&#8217;ve tried to meet them halfway, and that has resulted in the current stagnation we&#8217;re experiencing, and it&#8217;s not just economic stagnation, it&#8217;s also a sense that, certainly in Britain, our country is not moving forward. People want the future to be better than the past, but it is not clear that that is happening. The other issue is the Left has been very effective at in Britain is embedding a human rights culture into our legal system, which essentially makes it very, very hard to deport illegal immigrants. The priority put on keeping illegal immigrants in the country seems to be higher than the priority of people already living in the country and people are immensely frustrated about that. Unfortunately, there are too many conservatives who want to be popular at London dinner parties, who want to get good corporate jobs, who have essentially gone along with this leftward drift. And that is the problem we&#8217;re facing. And that&#8217;s why conservatives need to fight back, in order to make our country dynamic again and put the power back in the hands of people and families rather than the power lying in the hands of unelected bureaucrats, which is where the power at the moment lies.
JOHN: And is that part of the reason you&#8217;ve been a supporter of Brexit? Does this connect politically and ideologically? 
LIZ: Yes it does, because Brexit was all about returning power from an unelected bureaucracy in Brussels to people in Britain. The problem is that while people voted for Brexit, we still have all the E.U. laws on our statute books, because the bureaucrats in London don&#8217;t want to change things. Because they are happy with high levels of regulation, it gives them more power, it gives them more influence. They do not want to see power returned to the people, and the people in Britain are very frustrated because they voted for change when they voted for Brexit in 2016. They voted again for change when they voted for Boris Johnson in huge numbers, and lots of people who didn&#8217;t normally vote conservative, people from what you would call the Rust Belt in America, voted conservative for the first time because they wanted to see a change and they wanted to see the status quo disrupted. The problem, however, is that the bureaucratic establishment, the corporate establishment in Britain, do not want to see that change happen and they&#8217;re resisting it. I&#8217;m somebody who went into government to try and change that and I got thoroughly trounced by what they did to undermine my policies.
JOHN: How do you feel about the current leadership? What direction do you feel like they&#8217;re taking the country? 
LIZ: Well, I want to see much stronger focus on conservative principles. We have to be honest with the British public. The reason why we haven&#8217;t been able to deal with illegal immigration, the reason why people&#8217;s energy bills are so high, the reason why people&#8217;s taxes are so high is that we have not taken on the administrative state, and we have not reversed all of the regulations and laws that Tony Blair put in place in Britain. I think we need to be honest with people and we need to be prepared to be much bolder in taking on these institutions that have acquired too much power in Britain. My book walks through my ten years in government and all the battles I had and the fact that, too often, decisions that used to be in the hands of elected representatives now lie in the hands of unelected bureaucrats. And the public are rightly frustrated by that, and I think conservatives have to be honest about the state we&#8217;re in and be prepared to make some very serious changes.
JOHN: You&#8217;ve talked a lot about the U.S. and what it needs to do – obviously we have a major election going on and polls show it’s a very tight race. If Donald Trump is elected, do you have hope for the U.S. to turn around some of this bureaucratic “stagnation,” as you say, in the sense that it&#8217;s difficult to make real changes in Washington? 
LIZ: I think you&#8217;ve got real problems with the administrative state here in the United States, who do not want to see the Trump agenda enacted. I want to see Donald Trump get elected as president, but that will not be enough. He needs to dismantle the administrative state. I&#8217;m very supportive of those changes because I know what it&#8217;s like to be in the trenches fighting against officialdom when you don&#8217;t have the power to change things. So, yes, he needs to win. I think if he wins and he successfully takes on the bureaucratic state, that will be a huge win for the West and it will send a signal to countries like the U.K. about what can be done.
JOHN: Final question. What is not being emphasized enough in British and American media in terms of the national political conversation?
LIZ: Well, the thing I&#8217;m trying to really highlight in my book is the way that unelected bureaucrats have seized power, in both of our countries, and the need to take them on. Too often politicians, and I&#8217;ve been there myself, get the blame for everything that happens. While that is not right, it&#8217;s also not going to help us fix our countries. We&#8217;ve seen the way woke, Left-wing ideas have taken over institutions. Look at what&#8217;s happening in universities in the United States, the appalling anti-Semitism that is being condoned by senior figures in those universities. That shows to me a system that has gone completely wrong. So, I want people to understand the scale of change we are going to need to see to deliver conservative ideas. We&#8217;re not in the 1970s or 1980s anymore. The Left has found new ways of fighting us. They&#8217;re not just fighting us in the ballot boxes, they&#8217;re fighting us in the institutions, they&#8217;re fighting us through the courts and we need to be absolutely resolute to take them on.
JOHN: Liz, thank you so much for joining us and for your analysis – and good luck with your new book.
LIZ: Thank you very much.
* * *
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/ten-years-to-save-the-west-with-liz-truss-sunday-extra" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Listen to the full interview with former Prime Minister Liz Truss on Morning Wire.</a>

Key Speakers At Conservative Political Action Conference

‘Ten Years To Save The West’: An Interview With Former British PM Liz Truss

'Ten Years To Save The West': An Interview With Former British PM Liz Truss

Conservatives

Great Britain

interview

Politics

The Swamp

United Kingdom

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/european-union">European Union</a>, responding to the recent Iranian attack on Israel in which it fired roughly 350 drones and missiles, decided on Monday to tighten sanctions on Iran, barring the exportation of  EU-made components used for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ballistic missiles.
“After Tehran&#8217;s attack on 13 April against Israel, which saw over 300 projectiles headed from different fronts towards the Jewish nation, the EU began working on an expanded raft of sanctions to cover the production of missiles and enlarge the catalogue of prohibited drone-related components,” EuroNews <a href="https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/04/22/eu-countries-agree-to-slap-new-sanctions-on-iran-to-curtail-drone-and-missile-production#:~:text=The%20European%20Union%20has%20reached,or%20drones%2C%20and%20ballistic%20missiles." target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>, noting of Iran that the “country has over the years developed an intricate network of operators to obtain sensitive dual-use items, which can be used for both military and civilian purposes, and evade long-standing international sanctions.”
The EU sanctions reportedly will increase restrictions to the &#8220;whole region of the Middle East and the Red Sea,&#8221; according to High Representative Josep Borrell.
On the other hand, no move was made by the EU to name the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, although that idea has been discussed since the Iranian regime cracked down on protesters last year. “There are doubts within the EU members whether this step can be legally taken (which first requires a national decision in this regard, that is, for a court in one of the EU countries to declare it a terrorist organization) and, most importantly, whether it would be a convenient thing to do, as it would further close the already narrow channels of communication with Tehran,” El Pais <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-04-22/the-eu-is-preparing-to-expand-its-sanctions-on-iran-as-a-political-warning-after-the-attack-on-israel.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>.
In mid-February, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/eu-warns-israel-against-catastrophic-rafah-offensive-2024-02-19/#:~:text=BRUSSELS%2C%20Feb%2019%20(Reuters),the%20southern%20edge%20of%20Gaza.">every EU country except Hungary</a> warned Israel not to attack Rafah, Hamas’ last stronghold in Gaza. In recent years, Hungary’s relations with Israel have been very warm; in May 2020, Hungarian Foreign Minister Petar Scheirto made it clear Israel could depend on Hungary for support, <a href="https://www.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-766829" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a> Hungary would “continue to oppose anti-Israeli statements in front of the European Union, the United Nations and in international forums.” He called accusations against Israel for war crimes “absurd” while noting that both countries had been under attack in the international arena &#8220;as a result of political voting.”

EU flag

EU Tightens Sanctions On Iran After Iranian Attack On Israel

Iran

Israel

Sanctions

By now, the world has heard the news. A municipal mayor in Brussels attempted to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/brussels-police-try-to-shut-down-conference-featuring-orban-farage-other-leading-european-conservatives" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shut down</a> a peaceful gathering of conservative leaders simply because he disagreed with their message.
The resultant outcry was enormous — the very essence of free speech was at stake — culminating in a rapidly <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://adfinternational.org/free-speech-prevails-for-nat-con__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!3e4hdrEyPrjSHR-Ny5IdDKSUOAzVbsFf8AQLtUj4NZNA0XwbYhe-5Frtk0Fcg7v09huGJ1hewD_pUvi8-BjlFaw$" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executed emergency court order</a> allowing the conference to resume, but not before the police had stepped in, relegating the first day of the event to abject chaos.
I was honored to lead the legal challenge against this authoritarian overstep, and in so doing, play a key part in this watershed moment for fundamental freedoms. 
It was business as usual as I prepared to attend the National Conservatism Conference in Brussels from April 16-17. Known as “NatCon,” the event presented nothing out of the ordinary in a city that regularly ebbs and flows with gatherings across the political spectrum. As the center of the European Union, discussion, dialogue, and even peaceable demonstrations across the ideological spectrum are core to the Brussels ethos.
<div id="attachment_726077" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-726077" class="size-large wp-image-726077" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2147852060-864x576.jpg" alt="British eurosceptic populist Nigel Farage speaks during the &quot;NatCon&quot; national conservatism conference gathering hard-right politicians at the Claridge hotel in Brussesl on April 16, 2024. Brussels authorities were seeking today to shut down the controversial gathering after it was targeted by a social media protest campaign and bumped from its first two choices of venue. (Photo by Simon Wohlfahrt / AFP) (Photo by SIMON WOHLFAHRT/AFP via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2147852060-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2147852060-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2147852060-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2147852060.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />SIMON WOHLFAHRT/AFP via Getty Images</div>
But cancel culture was quick to bare its teeth. The event, a mainstream gathering of conservatives representing diverse views, had <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/16/world/europe/brussels-conversative-conference-emir-kir.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">already been canceled</a> by two venues, before securing a third near Brussels’ European Quarter. It was at this point that the mayor of this district decided to step in, issuing an egregiously discriminatory order to shutter the conference due to a supposed threat to “public peace.”
The order made two facts indisputably clear: 1) There was no evidence whatsoever of a threat of violence. And 2) It was nothing more than the vision behind National Conservatism that motivated the shutdown. In essence, from the mayor’s perspective: I don’t like these people. I shall not allow them to meet.
As stated in the mayor’s order: 
<blockquote>That this vision is not only ethically conservative (e.g. hostility to the legalization of abortion, same-sex unions, etc.) but also focused on the defense of ‘national sovereignty,’ which implies, among other things, a ‘Eurosceptic’ attitude.</blockquote>
To be clear, pro-life views are not a crime. Neither is, of course, the “defense of national sovereignty.” This was a dictatorial and discriminatory abuse of power, pure and simple. And when I arrived at the conference on the morning of April 16, the effects of this abuse were evident. <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://twitter.com/Paul_B_Coleman/status/1780242908156662188/photo/1__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!3e4hdrEyPrjSHR-Ny5IdDKSUOAzVbsFf8AQLtUj4NZNA0XwbYhe-5Frtk0Fcg7v09huGJ1hewD_pUvi8PBGYQFk$" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pictures</a> of a line of police in riot gear flooded X — the world was on notice that something insidious was afoot in Brussels.
Police surrounded the door, preventing participants from entering. It was only my direct line with the organizers that got me in. Never mind that expected to attend were multiple high-level participants including former U.K. Home Secretary Suella Braverman, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and Cardinal Müller from Germany. The diplomatic ramifications of this fiasco cannot be overstated, prompting reactions from both the U.K. and Belgian Prime Ministers, and massive international outcry.
<div id="attachment_726079" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-726079" class="size-large wp-image-726079" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2148826538-864x576.jpg" alt="BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - APRIL 16: Conservative MP Suella Braverman, former UK Secretary of State for the Home Department, gives a speech on Day 1 of The National Conservatism Conference at the Claridge on April 16, 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. The National Conservatism (NatCon) conference, attended by 500 delegates over two days, features speeches from former UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, among others. Originally slated for Concert Noble, the venue was changed due to pressure from Brussels Mayor Philippe Close. (Photo by Omar Havana/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2148826538-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2148826538-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2148826538-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2148826538.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Omar Havana/Getty Images</div>
The freedoms of speech and assembly are essential for the functioning of any democratic society. In fact, without them, there cannot be said to be democracy. And yet, here we were, confronted by a line of police for exercising our right to peacefully gather and discuss the issues of our day. This kind of authoritarianism has no place in contemporary Europe — a disgrace to our continent and the values the EU espouses.
As a lawyer for ADF International, an organization dedicated to the promotion of fundamental freedoms, I found myself in the right place at the right time to rise to the defense of basic human rights.
We lead the charge alongside the NatCon organizers in mounting a legal challenge, which was decided in our favor by the Conseil d’État, Belgium’s highest administrative court, at 2:30 a.m.on April 17. The fact that the court had convened and decided overnight was a testament to the outrageous nature of what had transpired. The judgment was clear — the conference would be <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68826578">allowed to continue</a> into its second day without police interference.
Fueled by espresso and croissants, day two of the conference proceeded with a markedly electric energy. Conference attendees previously barred from entry took on the talks and conversations with a newfound gusto, having just come face to face with the frightening reality of what it means to be a “conservative” in Europe.
While among us at the conference there would surely be disagreement and differences of opinion on a great many issues, we found ourselves enjoying a unique moment of solidarity — united in our shared commitment to protecting our basic human right to speak freely.
What happened this week depicts the state of free speech in Europe in a very poor light. This is the sad reality of European censorship. However, we remain optimistic that it also will serve as an important wake-up call, reminding us of the crucial importance of diligently defending our fundamental freedoms under the law, lest they slip away from us as they have done before in the darker moments of our continent’s history.
* * *
Jean-Paul Van De Walle is legal counsel, Europe, for ADF International in Brussels, and led the legal efforts that successfully challenged the shut-down of the National Conservatism Conference.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

National Conservatism Conference In Brussels

I Was There: Here’s What Happened When They Tried To Silence Conservatives In Brussels

Brussels

Leftists

Nigel Farage

The Netherlands

Leaders from around the world condemned <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iran</a> for its attack against Israel on Saturday after the Islamic nation fired hundreds of drones and missiles at the U.S. ally.
Iran, the world&#8217;s leading state sponsor of terrorism, launched its anticipated attack against Israel, saying it was a response to Israel killing a top Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander in Damascus earlier this month. World leaders from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden to U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the European Union harshly criticized Iran&#8217;s actions. The U.S. and U.K. also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-u-k-shoot-down-100-iranian-drones-fired-at-israel-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scrambled fighter jets</a> to shoot down Iranian suicide drones launched toward Israel.
&#8220;In recent years, and especially in recent weeks, Israel has been preparing for a direct attack by Iran. Our defensive systems are deployed; we are ready for any scenario, both defensively and offensively. The State of Israel is strong. The IDF is strong. The public is strong,&#8221; said Netanyahu. &#8220;We appreciate the U.S. standing alongside Israel, as well as the support of Britain, France and many other countries.&#8221;
&#8220;We have determined a clear principle: Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We will defend ourselves against any threat and will do so level-headedly and with determination,&#8221; Netanyahu added. &#8220;Citizens of Israel, I know that you are also level-headed. I call on you to follow the directives of IDF Home Front Command. Together we will stand and with G-d&#8217;s help – together we will overcome all of our enemies.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Citizens of Israel, I know that you also are also level-headed. I call on you to follow the directives of IDF Home Front Command.
Together we will stand and with G-d&#39;s help – together we will overcome all of our enemies.
&mdash; Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/1779242413644468544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Iran&#8217;s Mission to the United Nations <a href="https://twitter.com/iran_un/status/1779269993043022053?s=46&amp;t=o-U3qwC25WnWaylJ0oeG7Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the attack was a &#8220;response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus&#8221; and warned the U.S. to &#8220;STAY AWAY!&#8221;
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
&#8220;The matter can be deemed concluded,&#8221; Iran&#8217;s Mission to the U.N. added. &#8220;However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe. It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the U.S. MUST STAY AWAY!&#8221;
Hours after the attack began, Biden promised that America&#8217;s support of Israel &#8220;remains strong.&#8221;
&#8220;I just met with my national security team for an update on Iran’s attacks against Israel,&#8221; the president said. &#8220;Our commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I just met with my national security team for an update on Iran’s attacks against Israel. Our commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad. <a href="https://t.co/kbywnsvmAx">pic.twitter.com/kbywnsvmAx</a>
&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1779289588890010044?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-statement-on-iranian-regimes-reckless-attack-against-israel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;I condemn in the strongest terms the Iranian regime’s reckless attack against Israel. These strikes risk inflaming tensions and destabilising the region. Iran has once again demonstrated that it is intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard.&#8221;
&#8220;The UK will continue to stand up for Israel’s security and that of all our regional partners, including Jordan and Iraq,&#8221; Sunak added. &#8220;Alongside our allies, we are urgently working to stabilise the situation and prevent further escalation. No one wants to see more bloodshed.”
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne added, &#8220;France condemns in the strongest terms the attack launched by Iran against Israel. By deciding on such an unprecedented action, Iran is taking a new step in its destabilizing actions and taking the risk of a military escalation.&#8221;
The European Union also condemned Iran&#8217;s attack, calling it &#8220;an unprecedented escalation and a grave threat to regional security.&#8221;

‘A New Step In Its Destabilizing Actions’: World Leaders Harshly Condemn Iran’s Attack On Israel

Benjamin Netanyahu

Joe Biden

Rishi Sunak

U.K.

Pro-life activists have long believed that fetuses are deserving of human rights because of the scientific belief that human life begins at conception. Contrary to what some may think, this goal is not out of reach. States are <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/personhood-bills-ivf-restrictions-alabama-rcna140228" target="_blank" rel="noopener">working</a> to enshrine fetal rights into law, recognizing fetuses as human beings who should be given the same rights as people who have already been born. 
As of March 15, 23 pieces of legislation had been introduced in 13 states that would create fetal personhood and outlaw abortion, according to the pro-abortion <a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/state-legislation-tracker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guttmacher</a> Institute. With fetal personhood as the end goal for many in the pro-life movement, how these laws would impact the fertility treatment of in vitro fertilization (IVF) is now a main point of discussion. 
A recent decision by the Alabama Supreme Court essentially <a href="https://publicportal-api.alappeals.gov/courts/68f021c4-6a44-4735-9a76-5360b2e8af13/cms/case/343D203A-B13D-463A-8176-C46E3AE4F695/docketentrydocuments/E3D95592-3CBE-4384-AFA6-063D4595AA1D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">states</a> that embryos must be considered children under the letter of the law. It ruled that embryos fall under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act, which creates a way for parents to receive punitive damages over the death of a child. It found that embryos qualify as “unborn children” and stated that the Act “applies to all unborn children, regardless of their location.” The decision called into question whether or not the IVF industry will be able to continue its treatments under pro-life legislation. The pro-life movement and the practice of IVF can co-exist, but their bond would be stronger if the procedures surrounding IVF were altered because of new laws protecting unborn life.
Although fetal rights will inevitably have a major impact on the IVF industry, this does not mean that supporters of IVF should shy away from such rights being enshrined into law. Many pro-life advocates, as well as conservative Christians, view IVF as an essential means to starting a family. A Facebook group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/search/groups/?q=christian%20ivf%20support&amp;sde=Abo6mQGTwumSH8ghiQqAvvjPX7NFviMO4wSBhxr6grIQwUayjg5k0ye5FNdIS2HCiLkkJOB-TfP5YV29lVJ9zt3H" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> “Christian IVF Support” has 2,000 members and conservative women have begun to speak out in favor of IVF practices. 
Hannah Nelson, a Christian mother who received IVF treatment in order to give birth to her son, responded to a post by conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey in late February. “There is an ethical and Christian way to do IVF,” she wrote, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/03/01/ivf-embryos-alabama-ruling-conservative-women/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Washington Post. “I am curious why you’re against that means of creating a family.”
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, told me about natural cycle IVF, a <a href="https://www.shadygrovefertility.com/article/stimulated-ivf-vs-natural-cycle-ivf/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">process</a> that <a href="https://lomalindafertility.com/is-natural-cycle-ivf-your-best-option/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">takes</a> one egg at a time from a woman during her menstrual cycle. The egg is <a href="https://www.ohioreproductivemedicine.com/2018/02/21/natural-ivf-and-mini-ivf/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fertilized</a> outside of the body, and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/health/did-i-need-to-make-extra-embryos-to-have-a-baby-a6b0c584?st=l0ewceljhfags4n&amp;reflink=article_imessage_share" target="_blank" rel="noopener">transferred</a> back into the woman, similar to traditional IVF, but without the use of drugs or multiple embryos. 
“There is natural cycle IVF which I believe only extracts a limited number of eggs and implants every embryo into the mother,” Hawkins explained over text. “I think many who are pro-life would be okay with [natural cycle IVF] as you aren’t ‘screening out’ humans or freezing them.”
There is also the process of “Minimal Stimulation IVF,” or “Mini IVF,” which <a href="https://fertilitynj.com/ivf/mini-ivf/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">incorporates</a> less medication to produce fewer eggs, resulting in fewer embryos. This could be another option for people who have concerns over the vast number of unused embryos that are frozen through the traditional IVF process, possibly to never be implanted and given a chance.
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Without <a href="https://www.theregreview.org/2022/08/13/saturday-seminar-the-regulation-of-assisted-reproduction/">cohesive</a><a href="https://www.theregreview.org/2021/08/10/verniero-wild-west-fertility-clinics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> regulation</a>, the IVF industry as a business is not pro-life. One doesn’t have to look far to find pro-life parents who have gone through the IVF process and were forced to seek alternative clinics or received pushback when they wanted to implant all of their embryos.
The IVF industry does not promote pro-life practices in part due to clinics’ desires to have high success rates and make money. The procedure of in-vitro fertilization, however, can be completed in a way that gives value to the lives of unborn children. Laws that protect the unborn at all stages of life — whether in utero or prior to being implanted — will change the IVF industry for the better.
Legislators in the United States need only glance across the pond for a model on how to better protect human life created through fertility treatments. European countries have stricter laws on IVF and other fertility procedures. According to fertility treatment <a href="https://ivi-fertility.com/blog/regulations-legislation-assisted-reproduction-europe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">group</a> IVI, as of January 2022, 20 of the states in the European Union <a href="https://ivi-fertility.com/blog/regulations-legislation-assisted-reproduction-europe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">permit</a> donation of sperm and only 17 allow egg donation. The process of freezing one’s eggs or sperm is allowed in all countries in Europe if it is done because of medical reasons that could negatively impact a person’s ability to have children. In many other countries, however, it is not allowed for social reasons. The only states that permit &#8220;fertility preservation” for social purposes include Germany, Spain, Switzerland, as well as the United Kingdom. 
Even the United Kingdom, which <a href="https://www.fertilityclinicsabroad.com/ivf-abroad/ivf-united-kingdom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allows</a> access to IVF, has restrictions. The law does <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/health/5360625/danielle-lloyd-gender-selection-legal-uk-early-foetus-identification/#:~:text=The%20only%20way%20you%20can,a%20technique%20which%20does%20this." target="_blank" rel="noopener">not</a> permit parents to pick which embryo they would prefer based on the child’s sex unless it is for a medical reason. In the United States, this is widely <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/04/fertility-clinics-advertise-gender-selection-ethical-wuandary.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accepted</a>, even though several states ban sex selection for abortion, even when some of them <a href="https://www.abortionfinder.org/abortion-guides-by-state/abortion-in-kansas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allow</a> the <a href="https://www.abortionfinder.org/abortion-guides-by-state/abortion-in-north-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">procedure</a>. According to the Guttmacher Institute, as of August 2023, eleven states <a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/abortion-bans-cases-sex-or-race-selection-or-genetic-anomaly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prohibit</a> abortion because of the sex of the baby.
No one conceived through fertility treatments — or parents who utilized these procedures — should be judged or ostracized. As Kristan Hawkins pointed out in our conversation, “those who were conceived via IVF are valuable persons who we are glad are here.”
The pro-life movement does not need to exist apart from IVF, but it can and should positively influence laws surrounding fertility treatments so that humans at all stages of life are given the rights they deserve.
* * *
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire. 
Disclosure: The author formerly worked with Students for Life of America.

High angle shot of Asian pregnant woman holding an ultrasound scan photo in front of her baby bump, sitting on bed at home. Mother-to-be. Precious moment in life. Preparation for a new family member. Expecting a new life. Baby and new life concept

How The Pro-Life Movement Can Positively Influence Laws Surrounding Fertility Treatments

Alabama

Children

Christians

Opinion

Parenting

Pro-Life Movement

The Irish government has been served the mother of all wake-up calls.
Having spent 24 million euros in taxpayer money on a virtue-signaling effort to convince the nation to remove the word “mother” from its Constitution, the Irish government was dealt a swift clip around the ear this past weekend with a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ireland-looks-set-reject-constitutional-changes-2024-03-09/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resounding defeat</a> of its latest “progressive” referendum.
The proposed changes would have removed provisions that recognize and honor women’s service to society in raising the next generation of responsible citizens:
<blockquote>… the State recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved.
The State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.</blockquote>
A “yes” result would have replaced this language with a gender neutral alternative, obliging the State more vaguely to support care within the home and the community. It might seem like a small tweak. And certainly, there are some men who play a significant role as stay-at-home dads. But the male and female experiences in the workplace, home, and society-at-large are different. Women and men are not interchangeable. The pressures placed on mothers are unique. It’s she, having birthed the child in an experience that no man can replicate, who then navigates the delicate balance of work-versus-family.
Irish mothers, it would seem, knew best — with a thundering 74% vote in favor of protecting the original wording of the constitution.
The data has always supported such an outcome — which the government might have noticed, had they not blindly assumed that they could speak for the women of Ireland. <a href="https://everymum.ie/my-family/two-thirds-of-irish-mothers-would-prefer-to-stay-home-instead-of-going-to-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Two-thirds</a> of Irish mums would prefer to stay at home to parent full-time, than return to work — if only they could afford it.
It’s a sentiment echoed across the West, with <a href="https://time.com/4068559/gallup-poll-stay-at-home-mothers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">56%</a> of American mums agreeing that they’d prefer to stay home and prioritize child-raising over career advancement. Over a <a href="https://www.civitas.org.uk/2023/05/10/mothers-preferences-over-childcare-and-work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">third</a> of their British counterparts concur. Today’s model of “boss babe” feminism typically stigmatizes this dream, requiring women regain social status by rejoining the rat race to the boardroom as soon as possible after giving birth.
But what have we gained from such a model? A plummeting birth rate, for one. The pressure on women to spend their twenties and thirties advancing through zoom calls and office cubicles has surely played a hand in the birthrate recently <a href="https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/irelands-birth-rate-drops-sharply-to-reach-lowest-level-in-decades-1598551.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">falling</a> to the lowest level on record in six decades. A generation of disillusioned women have been schooled that their value in society depends on their GDP contribution, rather than their input into raising the next generation.
Western governments have taken “maternity policy” to largely mean cheaper outsourcing of childcare, to allow women to return to work as soon as possible — rather than finding creative solutions to support women’s choices to prioritize parenting, and invest in raising the next generation. The outcome for society is yet to be fully unpacked. U.S. studies <a href="https://www.nichd.nih.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pubs/documents/seccyd_06.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show</a> that lots of hours spent in outsourced daycare can have a link to increased aggression and disobedience in children, poorer relationships with teachers, and a higher susceptibility to risk-taking at the age of 15 — including through sex, drugs and alcohol use.
It’s not only an outdated concept of Carrie Bradshaw feminism that is downgrading the value and respect attributed to mums. The growing practice of surrogacy demands the commercialization of motherhood — downgrading the role of a pregnant mother as a mere “incubator” for a product to be passed on to a customer. An increasing trend amongst gay men growing a family through surrogacy is to announce the news on social media with their shirts off, in a hospital bed, posing as if post-birth. UK Law Commission proposals would seek to enable two dads in such a situation to be named on the birth certificate on the day, thus erasing both the legal and social role of a mother in the life of the child she carried and delivered.
There’s no question about it — dads are amazing, and are necessary in a child’s life. But a thousand excellent dads cannot replace one mum — and her unique, feminine, nurturing role. The life of a mother is an often thankless task. Ireland are miles ahead of the rest of the West in acknowledging her irreplaceable role within their constitution. It’s time now to put their words into practice — by honoring mums with better, more flexible work options, and the ability to make an empowered choice to stay absent from the workforce for the length of time she deems necessary to raise her children.
The Irish government have talked a strong game about supporting “choice” in recent years. If that’s the case, it’s long past time to support a woman’s choice to be a committed mum.
* * *
Lois McLatchie Miller is Senior Legal Communications Officer for Alliance Defending Freedom UK. Follow her: @LoisMcLatch
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Dublin’s Grafton Street

Mum’s Still The Word: Irish Legislature Shoots Down ‘Gender Neutral’ Referendum

Mum’s Still The Word: Irish Legislature Shoots Down 'Gender Neutral' Referendum

Fathers

Gender Equality

Gender Neutral

Ireland

Mothers

Parliament

The European Commission previewed a proposal this week to create a €100 billion, or about $109 billion, defense fund to build out the bloc’s military industrial base, but earned criticism from some European leaders.
The proposal is aimed at making the European Union more self-reliant in providing arms, ammunition, and defense technology to its members. Officials backing the proposal said the fund is necessary to counter Moscow, a major concern of E.U. bloc members after Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago.
“In response to Russia&#8217;s aggression against Ukraine, the E.U. must bolster its defense capabilities,” E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/peace-dividend-dead-brussels-plan-war-ukraine-eurobonds-thierry-breton/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> recently.
The plan would require unanimous approval from E.U. member countries. French President Emmanuel Macron has long supported a more centralized approach to defense from the E.U. Many of the bloc’s members have expressed skepticism at the proposal, however.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has previously <a href="https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/eu-army-commission-floats-e100-billion-defense-fund/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> that a centralized E.U. defense fund would be too impractical to work. Other officials, such as Austrian MEP Harald Vilimsky, are wary of centralizing too much national security authority with the bloc.
“If the centralists have their way, we will have an E.U. army tomorrow, with an E.U. defence minister and EU headquarters, all under the umbrella of NATO,” he told <a href="https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/pure-fantasy-eu-defence-plans-criticised-by-member-states/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The European Conservative</a>.
The plan was introduced with an initial starting pot of about $1.5 billion, a small sum relative to its goal and the cost of funding a military, generally. Officials did not propose a clear mechanism for funding the European Defence Investment Program (EDIP), as the fund has been called, though Borrell did suggest this week that some of the money could be gained from siezed Russian assets.
“If we agree that these assets can be used to support Ukraine’s reconstruction, it could also be used to avoid Ukraine’s destruction, and its means to increase military capacities or the defense technological base of Ukraine,” Borrell <a href="https://twitter.com/EU_Commission/status/1764972093416866104" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
The EDIP, if implemented, would redirect billions of dollars away from the U.S. defense industry toward building up the continent&#8217;s own military-industrial complex. A French national security think tank, known as IRIS, found that the E.U. relies on foreign countries for the vast majority of its military manufacturing, with the United States being by far the bloc’s largest supplier.
“The value of defence acquisitions announced by EU countries from the start of the [Ukraine-Russia] war to June 2023 is of just above €100 billion. Over the 12 months from June 2022 to June 2023, they amounted to €75 billion, compared with €52 billion euros for the year 2021,” the September 2023 <a href="https://www.iris-france.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/19_ProgEuropeIndusDef_JPMaulny.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> said. “From this total, 78% is being procured from outside the EU, including 80% from the US, 13% from South Korea, 3% each from the UK and Israel, and 1% from other countries. This leaves €21 billion for EU countries themselves. Alone, the US accounts for 63% of EU countries&#8217; acquisition plans.”
The proposed EDIP plan would redirect much of Europe’s military spending toward building up a local national security industry over the next decade. The commission’s proposed timeline aims to have half of Europe’s defense spending local by 2030, increased to 60% by 2035.

Josep Borrell

European Leaders Skeptical After E.U. Floats $109 Billion Defense Fund To Counter Russia

Conflicts

Ukraine-Russia War

Members of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/european-union" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Parliament</a> are calling for sanctions against Tucker Carlson after he announced an interview with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Carlson posted a <a href="https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1754939251257475555" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> to X on Tuesday announcing that he was in Moscow to interview Putin. Carlson’s sit-down with the Russian president is the first time Putin agreed to speak with a Western newsperson since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago.
European Parliament member Guy Verhofstadt, former prime minister of Belgium, said the bloc should consider imposing a “travel ban” on Carlson for serving as a “mouthpiece” for Putin.
“As Putin is a war criminal and the EU sanctions all who assist him in that effort, it seems logical that the External Action Service examine his case as well,” Verhofstadt told <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/tucker-carlson-sanctions-eu-putin-interview-1867655" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Newsweek</a>.
The External Action Service (EAS) oversees foreign policy for the European Union, handling such issues as diplomacy and sanctions. The EAS can choose to review a potential new addition to the E.U.’s sanction list. If the EAS finds the evidence convincing and sanctions warranted, it will present the case to the European Council, comprised of European government leaders, for approval.
Urmas Paet, a member of the European Parliament from Estonia, <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/european-parliament-proposes-ban-tucker-142022416.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">backed</a> a travel ban against Carlson in remarks made to Ukrainian news.
“Carlson wants to give a platform to someone accused of crimes of genocide — this is wrong. If Putin has something to say he needs to say it in front of the ICC. At the same time Carlson is not being a real journalist since he has clearly expressed his sympathy for the Russian regime and Putin and has constantly disparaged Ukraine, the victim of Russian aggression,” Paet said. “So, for such propaganda for a criminal regime, you can end up on the list of sanctions. This concerns primarily a travel ban to E.U. countries.”
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Carlson’s interview with Putin has taken place since the Tuesday announcement, though it has yet to be released. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Newsweek Wednesday that the interview had been recorded, adding, “[Carlson’s] position is different from the others.”
“It is in no way pro-Russian, it is not pro-Ukrainian, it is pro-American, but at least it contrasts with the position of the traditional Anglo-Saxon media,” Peskov said.
It’s unclear how widespread support for sanctioning Carlson is among members of the E.U. Any potential sanction or travel ban against Carlson would likely take time to litigate and approve, if an effort moves forward at all.
The threats to sanction Carlson over the interview received blowback from conservative media in the U.S.
“The idea that Tucker would be sanctioned for engaging [in] free speech and journalism is the kind of thuggish tyranny one might expect from Vladimir Putin’s regime, not from democratic western governments,” posted Daily Wire co-founder Jeremy Boreing. “Even if Tucker flies rhetorical cover for Putin, a man with hundreds of nuclear weapons trained [on] us — and I hope he is sincere when he says that is not what he is there to do — he would still be well within his rights to do so.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The idea that Tucker would be sanctioned for engaging free speech and journalism is the kind of thuggish tyranny one might expect from Vladimir Putin’s regime, not from democratic western governments. 
Even if Tucker flies rhetorical cover for Putin, a man with hundreds of… <a href="https://t.co/8uSSBxT8QV">https://t.co/8uSSBxT8QV</a>
&mdash; Jeremy Boreing (@JeremyDBoreing) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeremyDBoreing/status/1755367810996613128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Glenn Beck, founder of The Blaze, said: “So, you’re not allowed to interview dictators now?! Should we also expect sanctions for the New York Times, which fawned over Stalin, Mussolini, and Hitler? How about Dan Rather for interviewing Saddam Hussein? Or Megyn Kelly for also interviewing Putin? This is what journalists do. They get BOTH sides of the story.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Reports are now claiming the EU might SANCTION <a href="https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TuckerCarlson</a> for interviewing Putin. Um…WHAT?! So, you’re not allowed to interview dictators now?!
Should we also expect sanctions for the New York Times, which fawned over Stalin, Mussolini, and Hitler? 
How about Dan Rather…
&mdash; Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) <a href="https://twitter.com/glennbeck/status/1755343181929976057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Tucker Carlson

EU Lawmakers Call For ‘Travel Ban’ On Tucker Carlson Over Putin Interview

Media

Russia

Vladimir Putin

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/european-union" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Union</a> is set to launch a full naval mission to the Red Sea next month to stop Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists from launching attacks against cargo ships.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday that the fleet, which will be comprised of assets from at least seven European nations, will head toward the Red Sea within the next three weeks.
&#8220;This is the purpose: protection of the ships,&#8221; Borrell told reporters in Brussels. &#8220;Intercepting of the attacks against the ships. Not participating in any kind of action against the Houthis. Only blocking the attacks of the Houthis.&#8221;
The three nations that are reportedly vying to lead the operation are France, Italy, and Greece, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-houthis-naval-mission-trade-eu-9f779d51f6fe3ebd8df0032c92221817" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a>.
“Many European firms asked us to do that because their business model is suffering a lot due to the high increase in cost and having to go down to South Africa,” he said, referring to the alternative route that commercial ships are taking. “It’s affecting prices, it’s affecting inflation. So, it’s a natural endeavor for us to try to avoid this risk.”
Houthi terrorists based in Yemen have launched more than 30 missile and drone attacks against cargo ships and tankers in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since mid-November, VOA <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/us-shoots-down-houthi-anti-ship-missile-in-latest-red-sea-attack/7464559.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. They <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/iranian-backed-houthi-terrorists-seize-cargo-ship-in-red-sea" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hijacked</a> a massive cargo ship when they first started their attacks.
The attacks have caused severe disruptions to global trade as thousands of ships have been forced to find alternative routes.
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The Houthis are just one of several major Iranian-backed terrorist groups in the region that are carrying out Iran&#8217;s agenda of killing Americans and attacking Israel.
Other major Iranian-backed terrorist groups include Hamas inside Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Islamic Resistance in Iraq, and more.

Type 45 destroyers in port

European Union To Launch Full Naval Mission To Red Sea

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