A drag queen story hour for children that was reportedly supposed to be held at an American air base library was canceled following public outcry about the nature of the event. 
The 30-minute storytime with books read by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drag-queen">drag queen</a> Stacey Teed was to be held at a library in Ramstein, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/germany">Germany</a>, where the headquarters of the U.S. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-air-force">Air Forces</a> in Europe is located. 
“An advertisement was posted to the base library social media page before the event had completed Ramstein’s established processes for special observance coordination and approval,” Lt. Col. Will Powell, head of public affairs for the 86th Airlift Wing, <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-air-force/2022/05/27/ramstein-rethinks-pride-month-events-after-critics-bash-drag-queen-story-time-for-kids/">said</a>, according to The Military Times. “The advertisement has been removed and the event will not take place.”
The cancellation followed backlash from Florida Republican Senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/marco-rubio">Marco Rubio,</a> who<a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?id=31E64EA0-339F-4198-B402-E4EEF3BF6571"> sent</a> a letter to U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on May 26, asking officials to stop the event. 
“I urge you to immediately cancel this politically divisive event, and take appropriate disciplinary action against all involved in allowing this gross abuse of taxpayer funding to place children in a sexualized environment,” Rubio wrote in his letter. 
He added that it was “insane” for the military to be using resources to promote the event.
“These inappropriate events are extremely divisive at home for good reason; in all cases, they place young children in close proximity with adults who are intentionally and explicitly sexualized,” the senator added.
He also asked for details about other instances of the U.S. military sponsoring events for children with drag queens and if money has been spent on such events. 
The <a href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3A3va4AERS-bAJ%3Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fevents%2F1457739341311627%3Fref%3Dnewsfeed%20&amp;cd=2&amp;hl=en&amp;ct=clnk&amp;gl=us">original</a> Facebook post announced that the Ramstein Library was “celebrating Pride Month” by hosting a Drag Queen Story Hour. It added that attendees should “wear your brightest and most colorful outfits!”
In his statement following the cancelation of the event, Powell added that the leadership of Ramstein was still devoted to promoting inclusivity on the base.
“Ramstein leaders strive to foster a culture based on inclusion where all people are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their political views, color of their skin or sexual orientation,” he said. “The base’s established processes will ensure all future special observance events are properly reviewed and approved prior to advertisement.”
He noted that other Pride events were in the works for June that would be supported by Ramstein base administration.

States Appeal Against US Troops Withdrawal

Air Force Base Cancels Drag Queen Story Hour Event After Public Outcry

U.S. Air Force Base In Germany Cancels Drag Queen Story Hour Event After Public Outcry

Drag Queens

Germany

Marco Rubio

U.S. Air Force

U.S. Military

A massive shipment of baby formula from Germany arrived in Indianapolis on Sunday morning as the Biden administration grapples with a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-biden-official-claims-administration-knew-about-baby-formula-shortage-last-year">shortage of the vital food</a> for the nation&#8217;s infants.
Dubbed &#8220;Operation Fly Formula,&#8221; the operation to get scarce formula to the nation&#8217;s infants is using military aircraft. The shortage has been worsening in recent weeks due to a host of factors, including the shuttering of the nation&#8217;s biggest manufacturing plant.
&#8220;Folks, I’m excited to tell you that the first flight from Operation Fly Formula is loaded up with more than 70,000 pounds of infant formula and about to land in Indiana,&#8221; the White House tweeted from Biden&#8217;s Twitter account early Sunday morning. &#8220;Our team is working around the clock to get safe formula to everyone who needs it.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Folks, I’m excited to tell you that the first flight from Operation Fly Formula is loaded up with more than 70,000 pounds of infant formula and about to land in Indiana. 
Our team is working around the clock to get safe formula to everyone who needs it. <a href="https://t.co/cX4KU0eDtZ">pic.twitter.com/cX4KU0eDtZ</a>
&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1528379633229496321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
The shipment of baby formula that arrived on Sunday will be distributed around the country, a Biden administration official told CNN. The formula in the initial load will go to hospitals, doctors, home health care facilities, and pharmacies in regions “where the needs are most acute,” CNN reported. The first shipment of formula, Nestlé Health Science formula — including Alfamino Infant and Alfamino Junior, is hypoallergenic and for babies allergic to the protein in cow milk, the official said.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-biden-official-claims-administration-knew-about-baby-formula-shortage-last-year">The shortage has been building for months</a>. On February 17, Abbott Nutrition, the nation&#8217;s largest infant formula manufacturer, recalled several lines of powdered formula and closed its largest plant in Sturgis, Michigan.
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Even before that, the COVID-19 pandemic&#8217;s effect on the supply chain and a shortage of plant workers had contributed to the problem.
A company called Datasembly ran an analysis that “showed that supply was ‘relatively stable for the first half of 2021. Then, the out-of-stock rate for baby formula hit 23% in January 2022 and has continued to climb, ” according to WKYC.
“Inflation, supply chain shortages, and product recalls have brought an unprecedented amount of volatility for baby formula,” Datasembly founder and CEO Ben Reich also said in the report released in April. “We expect to continue to see the baby formula category being dramatically affected by these conditions.”
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As The Daily Wire reported earlier this month, the shortage has left parents frustrated as the shelves remain bare at popular retailers, including Walmart, Target, and grocery store chains. Many of these retailers have imposed limits on formula purchases, so moms can&#8217;t stock up even when it becomes available.
Most brands are also sold out online or are being offered by third-party sellers for exorbitant prices.

Operation Fly Formula

First Shipment Of Baby Formula Arrives From Europe, But Won’t Be On Store Shelves

First Shipment Of Baby Formula Arrives From Europe, But Won't Be On Store Shelves

baby formula

baby formula shortage

Indiana

Joe Biden

Back in 2018, Laura Young <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/06/us/roman-bust-goodwill-san-antonio-museum.html">went</a> to an Austin, Texas, Goodwill store and picked up a small bust that cost $34.99. Little did she know it was an ancient artifact that historians believe Allied soldiers took in Germany during World War II.
“I got it outside in the light,” Young said, reflecting on when she first purchased the statue. “He had chips to the base. He had clear repairs. He looks old. I’ve been to museums. I’ve seen Roman portrait heads before.”
She said that the statue was “pretty dirty” once <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/05/04/roman-bust-germany-goodwill-store-texas-restitution">she</a> found it, and had a worker carry the 52-pound bust out to her car.
Now, the 2,000 year old Roman artifact will be sent back to Germany after an investigation into its origins.
“There are plenty of Roman portrait sculptures in the world. There’s a lot of them around. They’re generally not in Goodwills,” art history professor Stephennie Mulder <a href="https://www.kut.org/life-arts/2022-05-04/so-the-35-sculpture-you-got-at-an-austin-goodwill-was-looted-from-a-museum-during-wwii-now-what">told</a> Austin’s NPR station. “So the object itself is not terribly unusual, but the presence of it here is what makes it extraordinary.”
According to historians and researchers, the bust is probably the Roman general Drusus Germanicus or Pompey the Great’s son, and was kept in the villa of a Bavarian king. Drusus Germanicus was a Roman political and military leader who conquered portions of modern day Germany who lived from 38 to 9 B.C. 
Some Americans, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/06/arts/design/returning-the-spoils-of-world-war-ii-taken-by-our-side.html">during</a> fighting in Germany in 1945 took artifacts like paintings, Bibles, and exquisite chests were taken from German castles and museums. This has led some to theorize that the Roman bust ended up in the hands of an American soldier during fighting in Aschaffenburg, Germany. A bust of Drusus Germanicus had been on display at the villa of Ludwig I, who replicated a Roman villa on his property. 
“US law doesn’t recognize the transfer of title when theft is involved,” said Leila Amineddoleh, who has worked as Young’s lawyer during the negotiations over the artifacts future. “I advised Laura not to sell it, either publicly or privately, that is, on the black market. She risked expensive legal battles or criminal penalties if she tried.”
It will be returned to Bavaria where it will go on display at a museum after negotiations over ownership of the head. However, for the next year, the bust will be able to be seen at the San Antonio Art Museum.
Young said she was disappointed once she found out that the Roman bust legally did not belong to her. 
“Immediately, I was like, ‘OK, I cannot keep him and I also cannot sell him,’” she said. “It was extremely bittersweet, to say the least. But I only have control over what I can control, and art theft, looting during a war, is a war crime. I can’t be a party to it.”
Questions still exist about how the bust ended up in a Texas Goodwill, but the going theory is that an American soldier took it with him coming back from Europe, though it might have been difficult to take such a large object back discreetly.
Looting was banned by Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower and most of the stealing was done by the Nazis, but some Allied theft did take place. 
“What is very unusual is that most instances of looting were committed by the Nazis—it is estimated that 20% of all the art in Europe was looted by the Nazis,” Amineddoleh said. “However, this bust of Drusus Germanicus was most likely looted by a member of the Allied forces.”
While the investigation into the true nature of the marble bust was ongoing, Young kept the bust in her living room across from the TV.
“It was on a small credenza close to the entryway of our house. Facing the TV. So you could see his reflection in the TV when you&#8217;re watching TV,” she <a href="https://www.kut.org/life-arts/2022-05-04/so-the-35-sculpture-you-got-at-an-austin-goodwill-was-looted-from-a-museum-during-wwii-now-what">said</a>, according to Austin’s NPR station. “Every time you walk into the kitchen, you pass the head. Every time you walk into the house, he greets you. He&#8217;s there. He was a constant presence.”
She nicknamed the bust “Dennis,” after a character in the TV sitcom “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.”
“It hurt a little bit. It was bittersweet. Like, it&#8217;s nice that there&#8217;s a resolution to it and that it&#8217;s working out for the best,” she said. “It&#8217;ll be a little bittersweet to see him in the museum, but he needs to go home. He wasn&#8217;t supposed to be here.”
This isn’t the first time that Young has picked up something valuable at the thrift store. She says previously scooped up a Chinese painting worth $63,000 for barely anything. It’s anybody’s guess what she will pick up next time she goes thrift shopping.

sculpture

The Story Of How A 2,000 Year Old Roman Artifact Ended Up In A Texas Goodwill

Woman Picked Up 2,000 Year Old Roman Artifact For $35 At Thrift Store

Italy

Readers Pass

Texas

World War II

After nearly 80 years, the U.S. Army is making up for lost cake.
On Thursday, soldiers from U.S. Army Garrison Italy <a href="https://www.army.mil/article/256190/u_s_army_garrison_italy_soldiers_return_italian_womans_birthday_cake_77_years_later">gave</a> a birthday cake to an 89-year-old Italian woman whose birthday cake was taken from her home by American soldiers during the final days of World War II.
The woman, Meri Mion of Vicenza, was only 13 years old when U.S. soldiers, on April 28, 1945, took her cake as they were fighting in the area and looking for something to eat. The army has now given her a new cake ahead of her 90th birthday.
“Sgt. Peter Wallis, a military police Soldier from Seabeck, Washington, presented the cake to Mion, with Col. Matthew Gomlak, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Italy. Hundreds of people – to include Italian soldiers, carabinieri, U.S. veterans and Italian veterans, plus many local residents, looked on,” the Army said in a press release.
Once the scene of fierce combat as soldiers from the U.S. 88th Infantry fought German soldiers in stormy weather became a peaceful scene as Mion was presented with a birthday cake 77 years after the fighting.
At least 19 Americans were killed or wounded while fighting German troops in the area, and the U.S. also lost several tanks during the campaign. Nevertheless, grateful Italians gave U.S. soldiers bread and wine after the region was successfully liberated.
Gomlak noted that the “warm welcome by the people of Vicenza continues to this day,” while Wallis said the ceremony “was a little awkward, but it makes me feel great to give her the cake.”
After a night of hiding from the fighting on their family farm, 13-year-old Mion was looking forward to enjoying her birthday cake but said she was disappointed when it disappeared.
“Her happiness turned into disappointment later when the resourceful American Soldiers made off with her birthday cake,” Gomlak explained. The American soldiers had taken the cake from the window sill.
However, she was happy that the army remembered and was grateful after being presented with the cake.
The American campaign in Italy lasted from 1943 to 1945, and the Allies met stiff resistance from German troops. An estimated 60,000–70,000 Allied soldiers died during the fighting, while roughly 100,000 Germans were killed during the campaign.
“Mountainous Italy was a hard place to fight and mistakes were made by both sides, even before the main focus of fighting in Western Europe shifted to France in June 1944. The result was that difficult, hardscrabble fighting in Italy lasted almost the end of WWII,” the American Heritage Museum <a href="https://www.americanheritagemuseum.org/exhibits/world-war-ii/italian-campaign/">explained</a>.
The U.S. maintains cemeteries in Italy for American war dead from World War II, including the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and the Florence American Cemetery.
The Sicily-Rome Cemetery, dedicated in 1956, has the graves of 7,845 soldiers and the names of 3,095 soldiers who were missing in action <a href="https://www.abmc.gov/Sicily-Rome">engraved</a> on the marble walls of a chapel. At the Florence American Cemetery, 4,392 soldiers are <a href="https://www.abmc.gov/Florence">buried</a>, and the names of 1,409 missing are also memorialized.

Soldiers In Rome Via Del Corso 1944

American Soldiers Ate Her Birthday Cake During The Liberation Of Italy. The U.S. Army Just Gave Her A New One

U.S. Army Gives Cake To Italian Woman 77 Years After Soldiers Took Her Birthday Cake During WWII

America

Military

U.S. Army

A 700-year-old ship that archeologists believe played an important role in a burgeoning European trade system has been discovered in Estonia, just five feet under the street. 
The 80-foot long ship <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/ship-forged-empire-dates-back-26752743">found </a>in Tallinn, Estonia’s capital, is believed to be one of the best preserved ships ever found from around the 13th century. Early dating has placed the ship’s construction at around 1298. 
“It’s believed to be a Hanseatic cog once owned by the Hanseatic League, a powerful merchant alliance spanning several European nations,” Metro U.K. <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2022/04/20/tallinn-700-year-old-ship-found-5ft-under-street-by-construction-workers-16498703/amp/">reported</a>. “The whole area used to be undersea, with the ship sinking close to the Härjapea river mouth.”
Larger than the average Hanseatic cog, archeologists believe that the newly discovered ship had sails allowing it to sail with less manpower and also was able to sail into shallow areas due to its flat bottom. 
“The boards are intact up to three meters from the bottom of the ship,” archeologist Mihkel Tammet explained. “It is built using massive oak logs and planks. The ship has overlapping planking, sealed with animal hair and tar.
Construction workers stumbled upon the ship while working on new office buildings in the area. In 2008, another historic ship was discovered just 164 feet away from the new discovery, also during construction. 
Tammet explained that the area where the ship was found used to be  submerged by several feet of water.
​​&#8221;There were probably shallower underwater sand ridges which were hard to map because they changed their shape and location because of ice drifts and storms,” Tammet explained. “Our ship was found on one of these ridges under the sediments. It sank close to the Härjapea river mouth.”
The Hanseatic League, <a href="https://www.worldhistory.org/Hanseatic_League/">dominated</a> by Germanic towns and cities, involved what is now the Netherlands, Britain, and Scandinavia in a vast trading network. 
“By the time of its formal founding it had already established a monopoly on trade in the Baltic region through their center on Gotland Island in Sweden. From Gotland, the Hanseatic League was able to make firm trade alliances and secure even more lucrative arrangements with other nations,” the World History Encyclopedia <a href="https://www.worldhistory.org/Hanseatic_League/">explained.</a>  
The league grew quite profitable and remained quite powerful for about two hundred years, before starting to diminish in about the 15th century before disappearing in the 19th century. 
Tallinn government archeologist announced that the ship would be moved from the construction site and likely to either a museum or a wreck preservation area. 
“The wreck will be removed from its current position to allow the construction work to continue,” Ragnar Nurk, an archeologist, said according to The Mirror. “There are two main options currently: it will go to the maritime museum or to the wreck preservation area in Tallinn Bay near Naissaar Island.”
The ship will not be able to remain fully intact for the moving process. 
“Unfortunately the size and restricted conditions of construction do not let us to move the ship away in one part,” Nurk stated.

Nachbau einer Hansekogge

Hanseatic Cog Found 700 Years After Last Trading Expedition Five Feet Under Street

Great Britain

History

Museum

Netherlands

Sweden

In the latest address to world leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the German parliament to tear down the new &#8220;wall&#8221; being built by Russia in Europe, dividing Western and Eastern Europeans over the subject of freedom.
&#8220;Dear [German chancellor Olaf Scholz], tear down this wall,&#8221; Zelensky <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/zelensky-ronald-reagan-scathing-speech-germany-1688930">pleaded</a>, echoing Ronald Reagan’s famous 1987 speech when the American president called on the then-President of the Soviet Union, ​​Mikhail Gorbachev, to bring down the Berlin wall.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not a Berlin Wall — it is a wall in central Europe between freedom and bondage and this Wall is growing bigger with every bomb,&#8221; Zelensky said, also calling on Scholz to “​​give Germany the leadership role that you in Germany deserve.”
Zelensky then argued that Germany was more concerned about its own economy than the security of Ukraine prior to the Russian invasion.
“We turned to you,” Zelensky <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10622875/Zelensky-urges-Germany-tear-new-Wall-Europe-that.html">said</a>. “We told you that Nord Stream was a kind of preparation for the war.”
“And the answer we got was purely economic — it is economy, economy, economy but that was the mortar for the new wall,” he said.
Zelensky also discussed the slogan “never again,” in reference to the Holocaust.
&#8220;I address all of you who heard politicians say every year &#8216;never again,&#8217; but I can see these words are worth nothing. Now, our whole nation is being exterminated in Europe, why?&#8221; Zelensky said. &#8220;I address the older people among you who have survived the Second World War, who were rescued during the occupation, who survived Babyn Yar, where President Steinmeier visited last year for the 80th anniversary of the tragedy, and where Russian missiles struck.”
&#8220;It was there that families were killed. Again, 80 years later,&#8221; Zelensky continued. &#8220;You are also behind the wall, a wall that separates you from Ukrainians that are dying in Ukraine with every bomb that is landing on our land.&#8221;
Zelensky’s speech to Germany was notably more critical than his address to the British and American governments. However, Zelensky did invoke the memory of Pearl Harbor and September 11 in his speech to the United States Congress, as part of his call for a no-fly zone.
&#8220;Friends, Americans, in your great history, you have pages that would allow you to understand Ukrainians, understand us now, when we need you right now,&#8221; Zelensky said in his speech to Congress, according to a <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/zelensky-speech-congress-read-address-transcript-b2037126.html">translation</a>. &#8220;Remember Pearl Harbor, terrible morning of December 7, 1941, when your sky was black from the planes attacking you,&#8221; Zelensky said. &#8220;Just remember it, remember, September the 11th, a terrible day in 2001 when evil tried to turn US cities into battlefields, when innocent people were attacked from air, just like nobody else expected it and you could not stop it. Our country experiences the same, every day, right now.”
“Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands of people,” Zelensky continued. “Russian troops have already fired nearly 1,000 missiles at Ukraine, countless bombs they use drones to kill us with precision. This is a terror that Europe has not seen, has not seen for 80 years and we are asking for a reply for an answer to this terror from the whole world is there’s a lot to ask for to create a no fly zone zone over Ukraine to save people.”
“Is this too much to ask humanitarian no fly zone, something that Ukraine it that Russia would not be able to terrorize our Free Cities,” Zelensky asked. “Is this too much to ask? We offer an alternative: you know what kind of defense systems we need. 300 and other similar systems, you know how much depends on the battlefield on their ability to use aircraft. Powerful, strong air aviation to protect our people with freedom or learn aircraft that can help Ukraine help Europe and you know that they exist and you have them but they are on earth not in Ukraine in the Ukrainian sky.”
“They don’t defend our people. I have a dream,” Zelensky added. “These words are known to each of you today. I can say I have a need. I need to protect our sky. I need your decision. Your help. Which means exactly the same. The same you feel when you hear the words. I have a dream.”
Ian Haworth is a writer for The Daily Wire and contributor to Morning Wire. Follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/ighaworth">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ighaworth">Facebook</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/IanGHaworth">YouTube</a>.

Zelensky

Zelensky Slams Germany For Allowing New ‘Wall,’ Says ‘Never Again’ Now ‘Worth Nothing’

Berlin

Holocaust

Putin

Russia

Soviet Union

Volodymyr Zelensky

As much of the Western world debates how best to beat back Russia&#8217;s military invasion of Ukraine without escalating the conflict to World War III involving troops from NATO countries, many have speculated that hitting Russian President Vladimir Putin in the proverbial economic jugular — Russian energy exports —  with heavy sanctions would drastically limit the motherland&#8217;s ability to fund the war.
Yet on Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz put the kibosh on that idea for the European Union, saying that the continent — especially Germany — relies on Russian energy for its way of life and cannot afford such sanctions because of the disruption it would bring to the economy and national security.
&#8220;Europe has deliberately exempted energy supplies from Russia from sanctions,&#8221; Scholz said in a statement, the Agence France-Presse <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/world/russian-energy-imports-essential-to-europeans-daily-lives-olaf-scholz-8203501.html">reported</a>.
&#8220;Supplying Europe with energy for heat generation, mobility, electricity supply and industry cannot be secured in any other way at the moment,&#8221; Scholz <a href="https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/germanys-scholz-defends-exemption-of-russian-energy-from-eu-sanctions">continued</a>. &#8220;It is therefore of essential importance for the provision of public services and the daily lives of our citizens.&#8221;
&#8220;The federal government has been for months working urgently with its partners in the European Union and beyond to develop alternatives to Russian energy,&#8221; Scholz added.
&#8220;This cannot be done overnight,&#8221; the German leader <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-07/ukraine-update-oil-surges-as-u-s-mulls-banning-russian-imports">noted</a>. &#8220;That is why it is a conscious decision on our part to continue the activities of business enterprises in the area of energy supply with Russia.&#8221;
The announcement comes as President Joe Biden is reportedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/price-of-oil-per-barrel-doubles-from-what-it-cost-a-few-months-ago">considering an embargo of Russian oil</a> in the United States, while also apparently floating the idea of <a href="https://www.axios.com/biden-saudi-trip-oil-b7a91070-8045-4155-9120-a35d59fd7603.html">asking</a> Saudi Arabia and Venezuela to ramp up their production <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/buttigieg-slammed-saying-all-options-on-table-oil-iran">while leaving open the possibility</a> of buying oil from Iran.
On Sunday, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/price-of-oil-per-barrel-doubles-from-what-it-cost-a-few-months-ago">reported</a> that gas in the U.S. is currently averaging $4.00 a gallon. Others have reported that cutting off America&#8217;s import of Russian oil would only make that cost go higher without an alternative supply of oil:
<blockquote>The national average price for gas jumped to $4 per gallon over the weekend for the first time since 2008 as prices continue to worsen during the Biden-era.
“As of Sunday afternoon, the national average of a regular gallon of gas was $4.009, according to AAA,” USA Today reported. “That’s up 8 cents from Saturday and up 40 cents from last week. The U.S. hit the $4 national average a day earlier than analysts expected.”</blockquote>
Of course, many have argued that increasing America&#8217;s oil production would be a better move than relying on foreign countries — especially ones with hostilities like Venezuela, Iran, and a less-than-solid relationship with Saudi Arabia.
In response to already high gas prices, even electric vehicle maker and billionaire Elon Musk recognized that America should ramp up its oil output, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/price-of-oil-per-barrel-doubles-from-what-it-cost-a-few-months-ago">noted</a>:
<blockquote>Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-pushes-energy-policy-for-u-s-that-would-negatively-affect-his-own-company-extraordinary-times-demand-extraordinary-measures">said</a> late last week that he supported increasing domestic oil and gas drilling to offset energy problems that the U.S. is facing due to policies from the Biden administration and the war in Europe.
“Hate to say it, but we need to increase oil &amp; gas output immediately. Extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures,” Musk tweeted. “Obviously, this would negatively affect Tesla, but sustainable energy solutions simply cannot react instantaneously to make up for Russian oil &amp; gas exports.”</blockquote>

Olaf Scholz

German Chancellor: Russian Energy ‘Essential’ For European Way Of Life, No Sanctions

Oil and Gas

Sanctions

Kyiv Mayor and former world champion boxer Vitali Klitschko mocked Germany after the nation offered to send 5,000 helmets to Ukraine — where the possible threat of an imminent Russian invasion looms.
According to a tweet posted early Wednesday, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced the plan to provide Ukraine with 5,000 helmets.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Ministerin Lambrecht informierte heute den Verteidigungsausschuss im Deutschen Bundestag über ihre Vorhaben in der Legislatur. Sie machte auch deutlich, dass Deutschland eng an der Seite der 🇺🇦 steht. Wir werden 5000 Helme an die Ukraine liefern &#8211; Ausrüstung, die gebraucht wird. <a href="https://t.co/tWbI44NAch">pic.twitter.com/tWbI44NAch</a>
— Verteidigungsministerium (@BMVg_Bundeswehr) <a href="https://twitter.com/BMVg_Bundeswehr/status/1486311241849217024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Translation:
<blockquote>Minister Lambrecht today informed the Defense Committee in the German Bundestag about her plans in the legislature. She also made it clear that Germany stands closely on the side of [Ukraine]. We will deliver 5000 helmets to Ukraine &#8211; equipment that is needed.</blockquote>
&#8220;We will deliver 5,000 helmets to Ukraine also as a very clear signal, we stand by your side. That is gear, these are not weapons but it helps, it gives support,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/mickbk/status/1486318241932849154">Lambrecht added</a>.
<a href="https://twitter.com/sumlenny/status/1486309912296701957">Sergei Sumlenny</a>, an expert on Eastern Europe, wondered why Germany would not offer weapons if they truly wanted to support Ukraine in the event of a possible invasion. &#8220;Germany&#8217;s Defence Minister said, Germany sends 5,000 military helmets to Ukraine. It&#8217;s better than nothing, but still raises many questions. If Germany acknowledges the need for equipment in front of Russian invasion, why not to send arms as support for the legitime self-defence?&#8221; he asked.
Politico Europe&#8217;s <a href="https://twitter.com/vonderburchard/status/1486318108608507910">Hans von der Burchard</a> also noted the shift, adding that Germany was &#8220;now willing to export protective military equipment — concretely 5,000 helmets — to Kyiv. Still no lethal weapons. Defense ministry spokesperson could not say whether the helmets are a donation or have to be paid by Ukraine.&#8221;
But Kyiv Mayor Klitschko mocked the move, calling it a joke and saying that it had left him &#8220;speechless,&#8221; according to a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-offers-ukraine-helmets-draws-kyiv-mayors-ire-2022-01-26/">report from Reuters</a>:
<blockquote>&#8220;The behaviour of the German government leaves me speechless. The defence ministry apparently hasn&#8217;t realized that we are confronted with perfectly equipped Russian forces that can start another invasion of Ukraine at any time,&#8217; he told top-selling Bild daily.
&#8220;What kind of support will Germany send next?&#8221; he joked. &#8220;Pillows?&#8221;
</blockquote>
Up to this point, Germany has blocked military aid to <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/crisis-in-ukraine/">Ukraine</a> — going so far as to force any planes carrying such aide from Great Britain or other allies to avoid German airspace and go around.
Former Secretary of State <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/you-would-have-a-trifecta-mike-pompeo-says-biden-could-do-three-things-right-now-to-turn-us-energy-policy-around">Mike Pompeo</a> called the German response &#8220;feckless,&#8221; saying that if they persisted in allowing Russia to control access to energy through the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, they would ultimately pay the price for that.
&#8220;The Germans have been incredibly feckless here. We need an ambassador there that is prepared to defend America’s interest and convince the German government to do the right thing not only for Ukraine and Europe but for Germany as well,&#8221; Pompeo told Fox News host Martha MacCallum. &#8220;They’ll suffer under this threat for decades to come. When you shut down your energy systems and say we’re going to rely on Russia, I’m sure that Vladimir Putin and his successor too, will see this risk. It’s outrageous for the Germans to not let equipment move across the country. The United States needs to demonstrate its leadership in the way that President Biden said he would.&#8221;

Vitali Klitschko Press Conference In Kiev

‘What Kind Of Support Will Germany Send Next? Pillows?’: Kyiv Mayor Mocks Germany For Promising 5,000 Helmets To Ukraine

Ukraine

People around the world have settled all too comfortably into virtual work routines — for example, by using their laptops in bed and joining Zoom calls while wearing pajama pants. However, one German court has excellent news for a man injured during his “commute” from the bedroom to the home office.
According to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/10/success/wfh-commuting-germany-court/index.html">CNN Business</a>:
<blockquote>A man who slipped down the stairs and broke his back while walking from his bed to home office can file a claim on his employer&#8217;s insurance after a court in Germany ruled that he was commuting at the time…
The man, an area sales manager working for a company identified only as &#8220;R-GmbH&#8221; was on his way to work &#8220;from his bedroom to his home office one floor below,&#8221; when he slipped and fractured a vertebra, according to a statement issued by the court on Wednesday.
His employer&#8217;s insurance initially refused to cover the claim. 
But because he was walking down the stairs, for the first time that day straight to his home office, the court considered his journey to be &#8220;insured as an activity in the interest of his employer, as a commute to work.&#8221;</blockquote>
Killian O&#8217;Brien — a lecturer in German Law at University College London — told CNN Business that insurers should prepare for a deluge of new claims: &#8220;This is because there is an increased category of activities and events that you can carry out [within the home] that will now be covered, and it seems likely that insurers will therefore have to revisit this ruling often.”
The German economy, however, is poised to experience far more significant disruptions than absurd workers’ compensation cases.
As Olaf Scholz <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/olaf-scholz-becomes-german-chancellor-promises-harsher-covid-response-as-angela-merkels-16-year-reign-concludes">replaces</a> longtime Chancellor Angela Merkel and indicates a willingness to take hardline measures against the spread of COVID-19, analysts <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/germany-headed-for-recession-as-covid-restrictions-tighten">warn</a> that Germany is entering a recession. According to the Ifo Institute for Economic Research, the German economy will shrink by 0.5% in the fourth quarter of 2021 in comparison with the third, before stagnating in the first quarter of 2022. The group also foresees a 3.3% rise in consumer prices — well above the European Central Bank’s 2% target.
Germany — which has one of the lowest inoculation rates in Europe — is preparing to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/youll-be-vaccinated-recovered-or-dead-germanys-health-minister-warns">inflict</a> high degrees of pressure on its unvaccinated population. German Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn recently warned that “by the end of this winter everyone in Germany will either be vaccinated, recovered or dead.”
Merkel and state governors in Germany announced — and later retracted — a five-day lockdown over the Easter holiday.
“The idea of an Easter shutdown was drawn up with the best intentions, because we must urgently manage to slow and reverse the third wave of the pandemic,” Merkel explained. “However, the idea … was a mistake — there were good reasons for it but it could not be implemented well enough in this short time.”
Europeans living under various COVID-19 lockdowns and mandates are reacting in the form of massive protests. Tens of thousands of people routinely march in the Netherlands, Italy, France, Austria, and other such nations.
The Daily Wire is fighting Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate in federal court. Join us in this fight by <a href="https://lp.dailywire.com/osha-petition/">signing our petition</a> to OSHA, telling them that you will not comply with this mandate.

The Reichstag, German Parliament Building

German Court Rules That Moving From Bed To Home Office Counts As Commuting, Man Gets Worker’s Comp For Slipping Down The Stairs

Germany is heading toward recession amid a reintroduction of COVID-19 lockdowns.
Last week, Olaf Scholz <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/olaf-scholz-becomes-german-chancellor-promises-harsher-covid-response-as-angela-merkels-16-year-reign-concludes">replaced</a> longtime Chancellor Angela Merkel as head of the German government. In the days before Scholz assumed office, he and Merkel jointly announced a new lockdown for unvaccinated citizens; meanwhile, Scholz’s government signaled a willingness to take hardline measures against the spread of COVID-19.
The economic consequences of such a position, however, will be palpable.
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/14/economy/germany-recession-omicron/index.html">CNN Business</a> reported:
<blockquote>Europe&#8217;s largest economy will shrink 0.5% in the fourth quarter of this year, compared with the third, and stagnate in the first three months of 2022, according to projections published Tuesday by the Ifo Institute for Economic Research. An economy is in recession when it contracts for two consecutive quarters…
Growth is expected to pick up next summer as a wave of coronavirus cases subsides and supply bottlenecks ease, but the slow start to the year will cost the manufacturing powerhouse. Ifo slashed its growth forecast for 2022 by 1.4 percentage points to 3.7%.
Ifo expects inflation to increase by 3.1% this year and 3.3% in 2022, rates that far exceed the European Central Bank&#8217;s target of 2%. Consumer prices are not expected to return to normal until 2023, according to Ifo.</blockquote>
Other European countries are likewise introducing aggressive lockdown measures and vaccine mandates.
Austria <a href="https://fortune.com/2021/12/01/vaccine-mandate-eu-germany-austria-greece-scholz-von-der-leyen/">announced</a> that it would require all citizens — reportedly starting at age fourteen — to be fully vaccinated by February or face fines or imprisonment. Each citizen’s vaccination status will be noted in his or her electronic health records. 
Italy is <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20211206-covid-19-italy-tightens-restrictions-on-unvaccinated-ahead-of-year-end-holidays">operating</a> under two levels of health passes. Those with negative COVID-19 tests can receive “basic” passes, letting them use public transportation or check into hotels. However, in order to access theaters, indoor dining, museums, and other entertainment, Italians must have the “Super Green Pass” — showing that the bearer has either been vaccinated against COVID-19 or recovered from the disease within the last six months.
The same is true in much of eastern Europe. Latvian politicians cannot <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/parliament-bans-unvaccinated-lawmakers-from-voting-on-laws-getting-paid-in-latvia">vote</a> on laws, debate bills in person or virtually, or receive their salary without inoculation or a certificate showing that they have recovered from COVID-19. Greeks over 60 years of age must be vaccinated by January, or they will be <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59474808">fined</a> one-seventh of their monthly pension until they are. 
In recent weeks, the world’s governments have shifted their attention toward the Omicron variant. However, early reports indicate that it is not as lethal as others.
“It presents mild disease with symptoms being sore muscles and tiredness for a day or two not feeling well,” South African Medical Association Chair Dr. Angelique Coetzee told <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/south-african-doctor-raised-alarm-omicron-variant-says-symptoms/">The Telegraph</a>. “So far, we have detected that those infected do not suffer the loss of taste or smell. They might have a slight cough. There are no prominent symptoms. Of those infected, some are currently being treated at home.”
Coetzee described one case in which a six-year-old girl had “a temperature and a very high pulse rate, and I wondered if I should admit her. But when I followed up two days later, she was so much better.”
“What we have to worry about now is that when older, unvaccinated people are infected with the new variant, and if they are not vaccinated, we are going to see many people with a severe [form of the] disease,” she added.
The Daily Wire is fighting Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate in federal court. Join us in this fight by <a href="https://lp.dailywire.com/osha-petition/">signing our petition</a> to OSHA, telling them that you will not comply with this mandate.

Germany Headed For Recession As COVID Restrictions Tighten

COVID

Omicron Variant

Olaf Scholz was selected as Chancellor of Germany on Wednesday, marking the end of Angela Merkel’s 16-year career as the nation’s head of government.
During her decade and a half in office, Merkel led Germany and the European Union through the 2008 recession, multiple currency and migrant crises, and COVID-19.
<a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/pre-written-olaf-scholz-sworn-in-as-german-chancellor/">Politico</a> reported:
<blockquote>Scholz, who led the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) to a narrow victory in September’s general election, will govern in a three-party coalition with the environmentalist Greens and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP). Such an alliance has never run Germany before.
With a coalition pact having been sealed between the parties, Scholz was comfortably elected chancellor by the German parliament on Wednesday morning. In a secret ballot, a total of 395 MPs supported him, while 303 voted against his nomination.</blockquote>
Germany’s new government will pursue “social justice,” cut carbon emissions, and maintain fiscal discipline, according to the outlet. 
Merkel’s decision to step down from her position marks an inflection point in German politics, leaving a power gap in both her nation and Europe as a whole:
<blockquote>Merkel, who emerged as Europe’s pre-eminent leader through multiple crises in her decade and a half in power, did not run for reelection, and her center-right Christian Democrats are now looking for a new chief and contemplating life as the country’s main opposition.
Although he is from a different party, Scholz has presented himself as Merkel’s natural successor, at least in terms of style, playing up his reputation as a low-key pragmatist. And he stressed that message again in a handover ceremony with Merkel at the chancellery on Wednesday afternoon.</blockquote>
Politico adds that Scholz’s government “has made clear it is ready to take tougher measures to tackle the pandemic.” Indeed, Scholz and Merkel <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/germany-announces-lockdown-for-unvaccinated-people">unveiled</a> a new lockdown for unvaccinated citizens last week. 
“We have understood that the situation is very serious and that we want to take further measures in addition to those already taken,” Merkel said during a press conference. “The fourth wave must be broken and this has not yet been achieved.”
Days earlier, Germany’s health minister <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/youll-be-vaccinated-recovered-or-dead-germanys-health-minister-warns">warned</a> the nation’s citizens that they will either be “vaccinated, recovered or dead” by the end of the winter. With 68% of people fully vaccinated, Germany has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Europe; meanwhile, its infection rate is among the highest in the world.
Reports from earlier this year indicated that Germany planned to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/germany-to-hold-quarantine-breakers-in-refugee-camps-detention-centers-reports">hold</a> citizens refusing to comply with lockdown rules in detention centers. Policymakers in the state of Saxony — which includes Leipzig and Dresden — approved plans to hold quarantine-breakers in an enclosed area of a refugee camp. Brandenburg also intended to use a refugee camp to hold quarantine breakers, while repeat offenders in Schleswig-Holstein would be held in a juvenile detention center.
For nearly two years, protests have routinely broken out in Germany, Italy, Austria, France, the United Kingdom, and other European countries in reaction to harsh COVID-19 lockdowns.

New German Government Official Transfer

Olaf Scholz Becomes German Chancellor, Promises Harsher COVID Response As Angela Merkel’s 16-Year Reign Concludes

Angela Merkel

On Thursday, Germany announced a plan for a lockdown for unvaccinated people in the country as some officials push the idea of forced vaccinations. 
As <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/02/europe/germany-lockdown-covid-restrictions-intl/index.html">reported</a> by CNN: 
<blockquote>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph" data-paragraph-id="paragraph_EE5720E6-8EDA-995F-3FBA-7B773CDA4F25" data-act-id="paragraph_1">Unvaccinated people will be banned from accessing all but the most essential businesses, such as supermarkets and pharmacies, to curb the spread of coronavirus, outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel and her successor, Olaf Scholz, announced Thursday, following crisis talks with regional leaders. Those who have recently recovered from Covid-19 are not covered by the ban.</div>
<div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_EE5720E6-8EDA-995F-3FBA-7B773CDA4F25" data-act-id="paragraph_1"></div>
<div class="zn-body__paragraph" data-paragraph-id="paragraph_220BF5BB-7F16-007D-1A3D-7B75EEC61904" data-act-id="paragraph_2">The pair also backed proposals for mandatory vaccinations, which if voted through the parliament could take effect from February at the earliest.</div>
</blockquote>
The outlet noted that with the new intensified restrictions, unvaccinated people can only get together with two people from a different household. “Bars and nightclubs must shut down in areas with an incidence rate above 350 cases per 100,000 people over one week. And the country would limit the number of people at large events like soccer matches,” CNN reported.
&#8220;We have understood that the situation is very serious and that we want to take further measures in addition to those already taken,&#8221; Merkel told the press at a news conference Thursday. 
&#8220;The fourth wave must be broken and this has not yet been achieved,&#8221; she added.
The move comes a week after Germany’s health minister <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/youll-be-vaccinated-recovered-or-dead-germanys-health-minister-warns">issued a warning</a> to German citizens that they’ll either be “vaccinated, recovered or dead” by the conclusion of the oncoming winter.
“By the end of this winter everyone in Germany will either be vaccinated, recovered or dead,” Jens Spahn told a news conference in Berlin, as reported by <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59378548">BBC News</a>.
According to <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/germany/">data</a> from Worldometers on December 2nd, there have been 5,978,964 coronavirus cases in Germany and 102,669 total deaths.
Other countries in Europe intensely responded to the rise in cases prior to the panic caused by the new Omicron variant of the virus. 
Earlier this month, Austria <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/austria-announces-country-wide-vaccine-mandate-and-another-lockdown">headed</a> into another national lockdown that was set to last for at least 10 days as it also announced plans to mandate COVID-19 vaccination starting in February.
As <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/19/austria-plans-compulsory-covid-vaccination-for-all">reported</a> by The Guardian:
<blockquote>
The age from which people will be required to be vaccinated has not yet been determined, the government said.
Those refusing to be vaccinated are likely to face administrative fines, which can be converted into a prison sentence if the fine cannot be recovered.
</blockquote>
“For a long time the consensus in this country was that we don’t want a vaccine mandate,” Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said. “In spite of months of persuasion, we have not managed to convince enough people to be vaccinated.”
CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/19/europe/austria-national-lockdown-intl/index.html">reported</a>:
<blockquote>
Asked by CNN from what age the mandatory vaccination order would apply, the Austrian Chancellory said: “Details are still to come, from what age and when you are considered fully vaccinated.”
Austrian Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein said Friday that schools and kindergartens would remain open during the upcoming national lockdown.
</blockquote>
On Wednesday, the first case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was detected in the United States, but the person has only been showing mild symptoms.
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/omicron-variant-officially-in-us-but-johns-hopkins-expert-says-no-need-to-fear">reported</a> by The Daily Wire, Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters at the White House Wednesday that the Omicron variant has been found in a person in California. The person had recently returned from South Africa, according to the Associated Press. 
“We knew it was just a matter of time before the first case of omicron would be detected in the United States,” said Fauci.
“CA’s large-scale testing and early detection systems have found the Omicron COVID-19 variant in California. We should assume that it’s in other states as well,” Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1466120183018233856?s=20">tweeted</a>.  “There’s no reason to panic — but we should remain vigilant. That means get vaccinated. Get boosted. Wear a mask indoors.”

Germany Announces Lockdown For Unvaccinated People

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