International
German parliament passes law allowing minors to change their legal gender once a year

Olaf Scholz
From LifeSiteNews
“An exception to the unrestricted change of gender entry applies to men if the request for change is obviously in connection with an impending conscription in case of national defense,” the NZZ article states. “In such a case, the gender entry cannot be changed. Men must then remain men.”
The German parliament has passed the so-called “self-identification law,” which allows people confused about their sex, including minors, to change their legal gender once per year.
A vote in the Bundestag (German federal parliament) on April 12 saw the law passed as 374 MPs voted in favor, 251 voted against, and eleven MPs abstained.
The new legislation, proposed by Germany’s left-wing government coalition, will allow anyone to change his or her legal gender entry once per year by simply stating their desire to do so to the registry office. Parents can decide to change the legal gender of their children under the age of 14 with their offspring’s “consent.”
Minors between the ages of 14 and 18 can apply to change their gender entry themselves but will need their parents’ consent. However, in the case of a disagreement between parents and their children, a family court can make a decision based on the “best interests of the child.”
Leaked communications of top pro-LGBT doctors have shown that so-called “gender-affirming care” can cause severe mental and physical disease and that it is impossible for minors to give “informed consent” to it.
These doctors “indicate repeatedly that they know that many children and their parents don’t understand the effects that puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries will have on their bodies,” journalist Michael Shellenberger wrote in his summary of the leaked files. “And yet, they continue to perform and advocate for gender medicine.”
While the “self-identification law” does not include any provisions on medical interventions such as gender surgeries or puberty blockers, a website established by the German government has promoted blockers and hormone injections for gender-confused children.
The head and co-founder of the German pro-family organization DemoFürAlle, Hedwig von Beverfoerde, criticized the new law and pointed out that “socially transitioning” by changing one’s name and legal gender increases the likelihood that minors will go down the path of medical “transition,” even though most children and adolescents grow out of their gender-confusion once they hit adulthood.
“With the passing of the Self-Determination Act, thousands of children and young people with identity conflicts will be at the mercy of the lure of the trans lobby,” von Beverfoerde warned.
“Even if the [German] government claims that the SBGG [self-determination law] has nothing to do with trans-medical measures, this law removes all protective barriers.”
“This is happening at a time when more and more countries are banning the use of puberty blockers, and the evidence from studies is becoming increasingly clear. Most recently, for example, a comprehensive study commissioned by the British Health Service (‘Cass Review’) shows that social transition with name and pronoun changes fuels medical transition and that most young people reconcile with their biological gender if they are given sufficient time to think about it,” she continued.
Von Beverfoerde concluded by calling on the German government to ban puberty blockers, cross-sex hormone injections, and surgical interventions for minors.
READ: UK’s National Health Service to stop prescribing puberty blockers to gender-confused children
Chancellor Olaf Scholz from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) welcomed the law: “We show respect for transgender, intersex and non-binary people – without taking anything away from others.”
“This is how we continue to drive forward the modernization of our country,” he added.
The law was criticized by the politicians from the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU), the Alternative for Germany (AfD), and the Bünsdnis Sarah Wagenknect (BSW).
AfD MP Martin Reichardt said the law was “ideological nonsense” promoted by “trans-extremists” and that his party rejected the “ludicrous law” in its entirety.
Under the new law, anyone who reveals the former name or true gender of someone who changed their legal registry can be fined up to € 10,000 ($ 10,672) if they share this information “with the intent to harm.”
However, as a report by the newspaper NZZ points out, in the case of war, gender ideology has to take a back seat.
“An exception to the unrestricted change of gender entry applies to men if the request for change is obviously in connection with an impending conscription in case of national defense,” the NZZ article states. “In such a case, the gender entry cannot be changed. Men must then remain men.”
The Self-Determination law is due to come into force on November 1, 2024.
Daily Caller
‘I Know How These People Operate’: Fmr CIA Officer Calls BS On FBI’s New Epstein Intel

From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By Hailey Gomez
CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou said Monday on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime” he doesn’t believe anything about the new intelligence from the FBI on deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein adds up.
A report released by Axios Sunday said that, based on a two-page memo, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI concluded that there had been no “client list” left by Epstein, despite ongoing public doubt. Discussing the new intelligence, Fox’s Jesse Watters asked Kiriakou if he believed the information from officials “adds up.”
“No, I don’t think this adds up,” Kiriakou said. “You’ve hit it on the head, and so has Barry. I think you’re both exactly right on this. We really don’t know anything because the FBI doesn’t want us to know anything. I’m not blaming the FBI Director Kash Patel or the Deputy Director Dan Bongino.”
In 2019, Epstein was arrested and charged with sex trafficking, only to be found dead in his New York Metropolitan Correctional Center cell a month later. Officials said the deceased pedophile hanged himself in the cell. Speculations grew online due to the circumstances of his death.
WATCH:
During his 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump vowed to release all Epstein’s files, with Patel also vowing to release as many files as he could. However, in May, Patel and Bongino told Fox News they remained firm that Epstein committed suicide, with Bongino flatly saying Epstein “killed himself.”
“I think that that layer beneath them, that’s part of what we like to call the deep state, has taken this bull by the horns, and they’ve probably destroyed information,” Kiriakou added. “Look at what the CIA did in 1975 after Congress ordered that it release all of its files related to an operation called MKUltra. The director of the CIA went back to headquarters and ordered everything to be destroyed, and, in the end, only about 20% of the documents survived.”
“We’re still learning about the FBI’s operations against Martin Luther King 50, 55 years after the fact, so now we’re supposed to believe that everybody’s telling the truth, that there were no files, there were no dossiers?” Kiriakou asked. “I’m sorry. I just don’t buy it because I know how these people operate.”
Despite the newly released memo from the DOJ and FBI, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in February that she had personally reviewed Epstein’s list.
Daily Caller
Blackouts Coming If America Continues With Biden-Era Green Frenzy, Trump Admin Warns

From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By Audrey Streb
The Department of Energy (DOE) released a new report Monday warning of impending blackouts if the United States continues to shutter power plants without adequately replacing retiring capacity.
DOE warned in its Monday report that blackouts could increase by 100% by 2030 if the U.S. continues to retire power plants without sufficient replacements, and that the electricity grid is not prepared to meet the demand of power-hungry data centers in the years to come without more reliable generation coming online quickly. The report specifically highlighted wind and solar, two resources pushed by Biden, as responsible for eroding grid stability and advised that dispatchable generation from sources like coal, oil, gas and nuclear are necessary to meet the anticipated U.S. power demand.
“This report affirms what we already know: The United States cannot afford to continue down the unstable and dangerous path of energy subtraction previous leaders pursued, forcing the closure of baseload power sources like coal and natural gas,” DOE Secretary Chris Wright said. “In the coming years, America’s reindustrialization and the AI race will require a significantly larger supply of around-the-clock, reliable, and uninterrupted power. President Trump’s administration is committed to advancing a strategy of energy addition, and supporting all forms of energy that are affordable, reliable, and secure. If we are going to keep the lights on, win the AI race, and keep electricity prices from skyrocketing, the United States must unleash American energy.”
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All regional grid systems across the U.S. are expected to lose reliability in the coming years without the addition of more reliable power, according to the DOE’s report. The U.S. will need an additional 100 gigawatts of new peak hour supply by 2030, with data centers projected to require as much as half of this electricity, the report estimates; for reference, one gigawatt is enough to power up to one million homes.
President Donald Trump declared a national energy emergency on his first day back in the Oval Office and signed an executive order on April 8 ordering DOE to review and identify at-risk regions of the electrical grid, which the report released Monday does. In contrast, former President Joe Biden cracked down on conventional power sources like coal with stringent regulations while unleashing a gusher of subsidies for green energy developments.
Electricity demand is projected to hit a record high in the next several years, surging 25% by 2030, according to Energy Information Administration (EIA) data and a recent ICF International report. Demand was essentially static for the last several years, and skyrocketing U.S. power demand presents an “urgent need” for electricity resources, according to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), a major grid watchdog.
Wright has also issued several emergency orders to major grid operators since April. New Orleans experienced blackouts just two days after Wright issued an emergency order on May 23 to the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the regional grid operator covering the New Orleans area.
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