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International

Greece plans to spend 20 billion euros to halt ‘national threat’ of population decline

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From LifeSiteNews

By Emily Mangiaracina

Demographer and data analyst Stephen Shaw has said that ‘no society in history has been known to come out of’ the ‘spiral’ of population decline.

Greece plans to spend 20 billion euros on economic incentives aimed at halting the country’s population decline, which Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called a “national threat.”

The nation that has been referred to as the “cradle of civilization” now has a fertility rate of 1.3, one of the lowest in Europe, and far below the rate of 2.1 that is needed to maintain the population.

In fact, the country now has twice as many deaths as it has births. Last year, Mitsotakis shared during a demographics conference that Greece recorded one birth for every two deaths in 2022.

On September 30, a demographic plan to incentivize having children, totaling 20 billion euros, was presented to Greece’s government. The money will be spent on tax breaks, day care vouchers as well as the establishment of day care centers in workplaces, and cash benefits rewards for raising children. Families with three or more children will receive greater compensation.

Family and Social Cohesion Minister Sofia Zacharaki said on October 2 that “the ultimate goal” of the plan “is to improve the standard of living.”

She noted that, according to current forecasts, by 2070 the biggest population group will be people over 90 years old.

The country is one of many undergoing different phases of population decline headed toward collapse. Greece’s particularly low birth rate may be further exacerbated by the economic hardships plaguing the country, which in July had the second-highest unemployment rate in the EU.

Demography experts such as data analyst Stephen Shaw, the creator of the documentary “Birthgap,” are skeptical about whether economic incentives can reverse the trend of population decline. He has noted that even the Roman Empire, in its later stages, enacted policies aimed at increasing birth rates, including taxing the childless.

According to Shaw, “No society in history has been known to come out of” the “spiral” of population decline.

This trend of childlessness began to crop up in the 1970s. For example, in Japan in 1974, one in 20 women were childless. By 1977, the ratio was 1 in 4, and by 1990, it had reached 1 in 3, a statistic that held in 2020. Shaw has shared that most countries have likewise now become “childless nations,” where one-third or more people will become “childless for life.”

It is notable that the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) confirmed in December 2022 that the majority of childless women actually desire children. Delayed childbearing, and as Shaw commented in his film, failing to “find the right partner at the right time” are major factors contributing to the childlessness explosion.

Commentators such as Elon Musk have warned that if global birth rates continue to decline at their current projected rates, “human civilization will end.”

International

Elon Musk, JD Vance, others to appear at Trump’s return rally in Butler, PA, on Saturday

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From LifeSiteNews

By Stephen Kokx

Donald Trump is holding a rally on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, at the same location where he was nearly assassinated three months ago, with allies including Elon Musk set to join him.

Saturday afternoon at 5 pm (EST), Donald Trump will hold a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, at the same location he nearly lost his life at just three short months ago. 

“I’m going back to Butler because I feel I have an obligation to go back to Butler. We never finished what we were supposed to do,” Trump told NewsNation earlier this week.  

Trump will be joined by a literal army of his closest political allies, including running mate JD Vance, son Eric and daughter-in-law Lara Trump — co-chair of the Republican National Committee — and Elon Musk, who shared news of his planned attendance on X. 

Also scheduled to appear is the family of slain firefighter Corey Comperatore, a dozen Pennsylvania sheriffs, multiple congressmen, and many persons who also attended Trump’s last rally at the Butler Farm Show Inc. location on July 13.  

Although the Secret Service urged Trump to not hold events outside following the assassination attempt, the former president announced on TRUTH Social just days later that he would not be doing so and that he would be returning to Butler. Some commentators accused the agency’s request of being a form of election interference intended to suppress enthusiasm for Trump. 

Security is expected to be extremely tight at the rally. The monumental breakdown in coordination  between local police and federal agents that allowed a 20-year-old shooter to fire multiple rounds at Trump’s head while he was on stage has still not been fully clarified, prompting speculation that the effort was an “inside job” carried out by intelligence agencies to replace Trump as the GOP’s nominee with a more pro-war candidate.   

After the July shooting, scores of political commentators and religious figures attributed Trump’s survival to God’s protection. Trump himself said as much in his GOP nominee acceptance speech just five days later. “I’m not supposed to be here tonight … I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of Almighty God,” he said. 

On August 8, the state of Pennsylvania published several X posts informing residents that it is likely there won’t be a clear winner on election night. 

“Pennsylvanians won’t always know the final results of all races on election night. Any changes in results that occur as counties continue to count ballots are not evidence that an election is ‘rigged’,” said the state, which has faced criticism over election irregularities in recent years.

Without Pennsylvania’s 19 Electoral College votes, Trump would have to win Republican-leaning states like North Carolina and Georgia and pick up Arizona and Nevada, both of which he lost to Joe Biden in 2020. And even then, he would only be at 268. He would still have to win a typically Democratic state like New Hampshire (4 Electoral College votes), Wisconsin (10), or Michigan (15), to surpass the 270 threshold. But with Pennsylvania in his column, all Trump has to do is retain North Carolina and Georgia and he will receive the necessary 270 votes. 

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International

Multiple women’s college volleyball teams forfeit matches rather than face male opponent

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From LifeSiteNews

By Sarah Holliday

Southern Utah, Boise State, and Wyoming universities forfeited women’s volleyball matches against San José State over the inclusion of a male on the female team, sparking Christian non-profit Concerned Women for America to launch a lawsuit against San José State.

Both Southern Utah University (SUU) and Boise State University’s (BSU) female volleyball teams made the decision to refuse competing against a team with a male-born player.

San José State University’s (SJSU) Blaire Fleming (born Brayden Fleming) is the 6’1 biological male competing on the SJSU female volleyball team – the individual various outlets have attributed to the school’s undefeated winning streak. However, after reassessing their initial decision, the University of Wyoming (UW) has added itself to the list of schools demanding fairness and safety in women’s sports.

When UW first learned of the transgender-identifying opponent, they first decided to move forward  with their October 5 game. But not long after BSU chose to forfeit, “It appears [UW] … had a change-of-heart,” wrote OutKick’s Dan Zaksheske in response to the team announcing they would, in fact, not compete.

SUU was the first school to opt out of play against SJSU in a preseason matchup and BSU was the first to cancel conference play. Both teams did not explicitly state their reason for forfeiting, and UW also kept their public statement vague. They shared in a statement from Tuesday:

After a lengthy discussion, the University of Wyoming will not play its scheduled conference match against San Jose State University. Per Mountain West Conference policy, the conference will record the match as a forfeit and a loss for Wyoming.

But as Zaksheske added, “While Wyoming is the latest school to cancel a match against San Jose State, don’t be surprised if more schools follow suit.”

It turns out SJSU chose to initially hide the fact that Fleming is a biological male – from both his own teammates and other competitors. This reality, alongside an increasing number of colleges refusing to compete, has not merely sparked controversy, but action as well.

The conservative Christian non-profit Concerned Women for America (CWA) has filed a complaint against SJSU. “We want to protect the integrity of women’s sports but also the safety of these female athletes,” said Macy Petty, a CWA legislative assistant and a NCAA volleyball athlete.

According to Petty, the issue is rooted in the fact that “many of these schools were unaware that there was a male athlete on” the female team. “We just want to make sure that these schools know exactly what is going on in this athletic program because the NCAA and SJSU had not previously given them the decency to even let them know what was happening.”

In a comment to The Washington Stand, Doreen Denny, CWA senior advisor, stated, “What is happening in NCAA women’s volleyball is a game changer.” As she went on to say, this is the first time we’re seeing “NCAA member institutions … taking a stand against the NCAA’s trans athlete policy that directly discriminates against female athletes and are upholding the integrity of women’s sports.”

CWA CEO Penny Nance also praised UW’s decision in a statement, emphasizing her gratitude that the university “has taken seriously the issues of unfairness and discrimination against female athletes when males compete in women’s sports.” She added, “No NCAA member institution should have to be making this choice.”

In addition to CWA’s complaint, former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines has filed a lawsuit against SJSU. Included as a plaintiff in this lawsuit is Brooke Slusser, a player on the SJSU volleyball team. The document reads:

Due to the NCAA’s Transgender Eligibility Policies which permit Fleming to play on the SJSU women’s volleyball team and which led to SJSU recruiting Fleming, giving Fleming a scholarship, and allowing Fleming to be in positions to violate Brooke’s right to bodily privacy, Brooke has suffered physical and emotional injuries, embarrassment, humiliation, emotional distress, mental anguish and suffering.

In comments shared with OutKick, Slusser said, “It’s crazy to say, but it was an easy decision for me to join because it’s something I truly believe in.… This is something that so many people do care about. It’s just that so many people are scared to talk about it.”

“While these schools have not given a full explanation for their decisions to forfeit matches against San Jose State University,” concluded Denny, “their actions are speaking louder than words.”

This article is reprinted with permission from the Family Research Council, publishers of The Washington Stand at washingtonstand.com.

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