'These provisions are inappropriate'

A continent once widely skeptical of Giorgia Meloni now looks to the Italian prime minister for a solution to the problem of rampant mass migration in Europe. A core tenet of Meloni’s 2022 campaign involved curbing illegal immigration flows to Italy. Italian dissatisfaction with the crisis partially propelled Meloni’s political success, as mass waves of migration disproportionately affect the European Union border state. Indeed, Italy’s southernmost tip, Lampedusa, more than earned its nickname as the “gateway to Europe.”  In 2023, over 6,000 migrants entered the island in a single day. The European Union’s so-called Dublin Regulation exacerbates the problem by requiring migrants to be processed in the first country they enter. From 2023 to 2024, Meloni’s migration policies reduced sea crossings to Italy by an unprecedented 62%. Rather than reflecting a general decrease in migration flows, the reduction reflects the success of Italian policies. Smugglers of humans have targeted other Mediterranean border states at alarming rates. Spain faced a migration increase of 155%, Greece a staggering 222%. Meloni’s primary strategy involves outsourcing the processing of foreign nationals to North African nations. Italy established processing centers and facilitated returns to Albania, Libya, and Tunisia. The Albanian deal allows Italy to disembark 36,000 migrants each year for processing at a center in Gjader, operating with Italian personnel with Italian jurisdiction. Without the mobility and legal loopholes afforded by the European Union, Italian officials can enforce returns for illegal aliens and economic migrants. Italy also has invested in transit and origin nations in Africa to combat human smuggling, shifting responsibility for migration policies. Meloni has focused on deterring migration throughout her administration, emphasizing the need to “stop people traffickers from having the choice of deciding who enters Italy.” European leaders have hailed Meloni’s success since she took office in October 2022. For example, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised a deal with Tunisia in which Italy provided over 500 million euros for immediate liquid assets, renewable energy, and, most importantly, border management. Von der Leyen commended the deal as “out-of-the-box thinking, based on fair sharing of responsibilities with third countries.” In September, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Meloni to discuss immigration strategy, looking to fulfill his election promise to stifle criminal networks that spur migration to the United Kingdom. Starmer applauded Meloni’s success, noting her “remarkable progress” in addressing “drivers of migration.” Similarly, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán cooperated in a recent meeting with Meloni to target illegal immigration, smuggling, and trafficking. The pair particularly focused on increasing and speeding returns from the European Union to safe countries of origin. As hundreds of thousands of migrants have flocked to the European continent over the past decade, populations already there have grown more and more frustrated. European leaders increasingly will look to Meloni as Italian border deals prove successful, a trend that presents a clear opportunity for pragmatic conservatives on the continent. Meloni has proudly proclaimed Italy to be a “model to follow” on migration. Across Europe, leaders would be wise to rise to the standard she has set. The post In Praise of Giorgia Meloni’s Handling of a Migration Crisis appeared first on The Daily Signal.

THE CENTER SQUARE—U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, led a bicameral appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court requesting it to uphold American sovereignty in a $10 billion lawsuit brought by Mexico blaming U.S. gun manufacturers for cartel gun violence in Mexico. The bicameral appeal was made in concert with one by a coalition of 28 state attorneys general, The Center Square reported. At issue is a 2022 lawsuit brought by the Mexican government against U.S. gun manufacturers arguing they are responsible for Mexican cartel crime in Mexico. A federal judge in Massachusetts dismissed the lawsuit. Mexico then appealed to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled last year that its claim fell within an exception to the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act of 2005. When the case was before the 1st Circuit, Cruz led a bicameral appeal, filing an amicus brief with three U.S. senators and 35 U.S. House members. Like the AGs, they argued the PLCAA protects businesses that sell firearms from being held liable for harm caused by criminals who abuse them. Mexico argues an exception in the law enables it to hold liable American gun manufacturers and distributors for cartel gun crime. But “Mexico’s arguments in this lawsuit don’t hold water, which is why the suit was thrown out in the district court,” Cruz argued in the 1st Circuit brief. “In sum, what the government of Mexico is trying to do is impose its own interpretation of American law on American businesses. This demonstrates a disregard for our Constitution and in particular, our Second Amendment. They’re also ignoring the fact that Congress has exercised its authority by passing the law in question here, the … PLCAA, and the fact that the United States is a sovereign nation.” After the 1st Circuit ruled in favor of Mexico, 27 AGs, led by Montana, appealed in June to the Supreme Court to throw out the case. Cruz also led 10 senators and 14 House members in another amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court requesting it to grant certiorari. On Tuesday, Cruz led another coalition of 16 U.S. senators and 22 House members, petitioning the Supreme Court again. Mexico’s lawsuit “seeks to trample on our Constitution,” Cruz said. “I look forward to the Supreme Court ending this madness, putting an end to Mexico’s assault on our Second Amendment, and sending a clear message that American sovereignty will not be eroded by any country.” The lawsuit has unified a large group of people “as almost as never before,” said U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who is leading the U.S. House coalition. “This is a landmark legal question and weighs whether to allow foreign governments to violate American sovereignty, bankrupt our firearms industry with lawfare, and undermine our Second Amendment rights. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to our constitutional freedoms. Our cause will prevail.” “Mexico’s lawsuit is an affront to the sovereignty of the United States of America,” the brief states. “It has no place in federal court, and it attempts to coerce American courts to subvert the policy determinations of the political branches of the U.S. Government. A nation’s authority on its own soil is virtually absolute. Congress exercised that authority in passing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. … Mexico’s suit disregards those legal principles, trying to impose its own foreign view of liability protection law and the right to bear arms on the American people. “Mexico’s suit attempts to impose the laws of that foreign nation upon the citizens and companies of this nation. This is ironic, given that Mexico’s Constitution also provides its citizens the right to possess firearms in their residences for self-defense. But that nominal right is a pale shadow of its American counterpart, subject to severe restrictions, coupled with the fact that there is only a single gun store in Mexico. That nation’s laws and tradition of the right to own firearms bear little resemblance to that of our own.” They also note that the district court “properly rejected Mexico’s arguments that because its alleged injuries occurred outside the United States and because it is a foreign-sovereign plaintiff, PLCAA was categorically inapplicable to this lawsuit.” In August, U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor in Boston again dismissed the case, this time against six of eight U.S. companies named in the lawsuit. He ruled Mexico didn’t provide concrete evidence to prove that their operations in Massachusetts had any connection to cartel gun violence in Mexico. In October, the Supreme Court announced that it would hear the case. Originally published by The Center Square The post Cruz Leads Appeal to Supreme Court Over Mexico’s Lawsuit Against US Gunmakers appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Hypocrisy, Thy Name Is CNN

NASA Delays Return to the Moon (Plus How Will DoGE Impact NASA)

Isn’t it interesting that nearly every person Trump taps to serve in his administration has suddenly come under fire for a long list of allegations? The ones surrounding Matt Gaetz were enough for him to withdraw. And now DOD nominee Pete Hegseth is the target of another leftist smear campaign aimed at painting him as a sexual predator. “All the headlines were ‘Pete Hegseth accused of sexual assault in 2017,’ and then you go through an article of a million words and only at the very bottom do you see, ‘Oh actually, he was cleared of all these assault allegations,”’ says Sara, pointing out the obvious attempt to damage his reputation. But dragging his name through the mud was only part one of the act. As it turns out, there’s a part two to this smear campaign. “NBC has now unleashed a new rumor about Pete Hegseth,” says Sara, playing a clip of the news segment during which the outlet reported that current and former Fox News employees have expressed concerns over Hegseth’s drinking. According to the NBC segment, these employees said that “he drank in ways that concerned them.” Two employees reported that “on more than a dozen occasions, they smelled alcohol on him.” “His drinking should be disqualifying,” one former employee said. Sara is infuriated but not surprised. “It’s always these anonymous cowards,” she criticizes. She then points out that “a number of prominent people who have worked with Pete Hegseth” — all of whom have identified themselves — “have all come out in support of him, completely discrediting NBC’s allegations.” It’s clear that the allegations against Pete Hegseth are nothing more than an “egregious, malicious smear,” says Sara. To hear more about the story, including the New York Times hit piece that attempted to pit Hegseth against his own mother, watch the episode above. Want more from Sara Gonzales?To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred take to news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

A jury sentenced 44-year-old Jason Thornburg to death over the gruesome murder of three people whose bodies were found burning in a dumpster in 2021. Thornburg was convicted in November of capital murder and sentenced on Wednesday for the murders he referred to as a "human sacrifice to God." 'He is a psychopath. He is evil. He is the type of evil that we want to believe doesn't exist in our community.' The bodies of David Lueras, Lauren Phillips, and Maricruz Mathis were found "heavily dismembered" in the dumpster in Fort Worth. Police quickly identified one of the bodies but took longer on the other two because of the state of the remains. Thornburg confessed to the murders when he spoke to police and offered horrifying details about what he did to the victims. He said that he had studied the Bible and that the sacrifices were made for religious reasons. He said he rented a room at the Mid City Inn in Euless and brought each of the victims to the room on separate occasions. He slit the throats of two of the victims and strangled the third. He admitted to sexually assaulting a victim's corpse and severing the genitalia of another. He also said he ate part of the heart of a victim. Thornburg said he dismembered the bodies in the bathtub of his room and then hid their remains under his bed. After disposing of the bodies in a dumpster and setting them on fire, Thornberg said that he cleaned out the plastic tubs he used in his insidious crime and then returned them back to the store from which they were purchased. He then confessed to two other murders. Thornberg said that he was responsible for the suspicious death of his roommate, 61-year-old Mark Jewell. Firefighters found Jewell's body after his home exploded in May 2021.He also said that he killed Tanya Begay, who was his girlfriend at the time, in Arizona in 2017. Her body has never been found. Thornberg's attorneys argued that he was suffering from psychotic delusions at the time of the murders and said it would be unjust to execute him. "You have to decide as jurors, do we execute someone who is psychotic at the time they did something? You have to ask yourself, do we execute someone who is delusional? Is that what we're about as a civilized society? Do we execute someone whose mother left them in a position where they were susceptible to all of the evils in our society? Do we do that as a civilized society?" argued one attorney. A prosecutor argued to the jury that it was far too dangerous to allow him to live. "He is a psychopath. He is evil. He is the type of evil that we want to believe doesn't exist in our community. We want to believe we are not raising our children in a world where people like Jason Thornburg exist," the prosecutor said. "We want to believe we live in a world where the Bible is not a weapon, where your vulnerabilities don't make you prey to a serial killer. But so long as we live in a world with Jason Thornburg, said evil will exist."The jury deliberated for only five hours. Thornburg had no reaction to the reading of the sentence. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

It's looking increasingly unlikely that I'll get to be in a John Carpenter movie, but thanks to The Thing Remastered I can at least pretend I'm one of his cooler-than-cool protagonists. This updated version of the survival-horror sequel to Carpenter's sci-fi classic just shadow dropped on Steam, so you can join in the carnage too. Continue reading The Thing Remastered is the sequel Carpenter’s movie deserves, and it’s out now MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best horror games, Best classic games, Best action-adventure games

Where are the Indiana Jones and the Great Circle keys? Some are a lot better hidden than others, and finding them will reward you with access to new locations, bundles of money, and ability-unlocking books. They're well worth seeking out, so here's a full list of the lot. Continue reading All Indiana Jones and the Great Circle keys and their rewards MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle release date, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle length, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Game Pass

How do you complete the Sacred Wounds puzzle in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle? This puzzle is the first major brainteaser you'll encounter during the story. After Antonio gives you a bottle of wine, you head to a tower in the Vatican and pour its contents into a basin. Then, after rotating a stone circle 360 degrees, you'll head down into the catacombs beneath the city. Here you'll find one of the game's trickiest puzzles. Continue reading Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Sacred Wounds and Jesus painting puzzle guide MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle release date, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle length, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Game Pass