International
Senate Judiciary Committee approves Kash Patel’s FBI nomination in party-line vote
Quick Hit:
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines to advance Kash Patel’s nomination to lead the FBI. Patel, a close ally of President Donald Trump, now faces a full Senate vote. His nomination has drawn strong support from conservatives and fierce opposition from Democrats.
Key Details:
- The Judiciary Committee approved Patel’s nomination in a 12-10 vote, with all Republicans in favor and all Democrats opposed.
- Patel, a former national security official, has vowed to reform the FBI and address allegations of political bias within the agency.
- Democrats criticized his close ties to Trump and questioned his past role in declassifying intelligence documents.
Diving Deeper:
The Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote clears the way for Patel’s nomination to head to the full Senate, where Republicans hold a narrow majority. If confirmed, Patel would oversee the FBI at a time of heightened scrutiny over its handling of politically sensitive investigations.
Patel has promised to root out what he describes as entrenched political bias within the FBI. He has been a vocal critic of the agency’s past handling of Trump-related investigations, particularly the now-discredited Russia probe. During his confirmation hearing, Patel emphasized the need to restore public trust in federal law enforcement.
Democrats, however, have fiercely opposed his nomination, arguing that Patel’s close relationship with Trump undermines the FBI’s independence. They have pointed to his role in efforts to declassify intelligence documents related to the 2020 election as a sign that he would be a political operative rather than an impartial law enforcement leader.
Despite Democratic resistance, Patel is expected to secure confirmation in the full Senate, barring any unexpected defections. His appointment would mark a major shift in the FBI’s leadership and direction, reflecting the 47th president’s commitment to restructuring federal agencies that conservatives say have been weaponized against them.
“Kash Patel” by Gage Skidmore, licensed by CC BY-SA 2.0.
Crime
Europol takes out one of the largest pedophile networks in the world with almost 2 million users
From LifeSiteNews
An international group of police agencies has taken down one of the largest pedophile networks in the world with almost two million users.
Investigators from Bavaria, Germany, announced yesterday that they dismantled an online pedophile platform called “Kidflix” used to distribute child pornography that had around 1.8 million users worldwide. Police carried out raids in 31 countries and arrested 79 people in total.
The European police unit Europol coordinated the operation led by the Bavarian criminal police. Europol announced that around 1,400 suspects have been identified worldwide in “one of the biggest blows against child pornography in recent years, if not ever.”
According to Europol, the platform “Kidflix” was one of the largest pedophile networks in the world. Guido Limmer, deputy head of the Bavarian criminal police, said it was the “largest operation ever” organized by Europol. The platform’s server, with over 70,000 videos at the time, was reportedly shut down by German and Dutch authorities in early March.
The 79 people arrested were not only suspected of having watched or downloaded videos of child sexual abuse but some were also suspected of personally harming children. The police units carried out the raids from March 10 to 23 and reportedly confiscated thousands of electronic devices. In Germany alone, 96 locations were raided. Among the suspects was a 36-year-old man who not only viewed illegal material but also reportedly offered up his young son for sexual abuse. The child was given to child protection services after the man was arrested, the Bavarian police spokesman said.
Limmer also noted that one of the arrested suspects was a “serial” abuser from the United States.
According to Europol, “Kidflix” was set up by cybercriminals in 2021 and became one of the most popular platforms for pedophiles. The international police agency said that the investigation into the network began in 2022.
In October 2024, German police dismantled another large online pedophile network with hundreds of thousands of users, arresting six men associated with the platform.
Last year, Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office revealed that the cases of sexual abuse against children and adolescents had more than tripled in the past five years.
By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH
US Mainstream Media Maintains Myopic Focus on Less than 1000 Cases
As the measles story in the US continues to unfold with reporting of a few cases here and there come in through mainstream media, I wondered about measles in Europe.
The WHO casually reported that the Europe Region had 127,350 cases in 2024.
According to an analysis by WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 127 350 measles cases were reported in the European Region for 2024, double the number of cases reported for 2023 and the highest number since 1997.
Children under 5 accounted for more than 40% of reported cases in the Region – comprising 53 countries in Europe and central Asia. More than half of the reported cases required hospitalization. A total of 38 deaths have been reported, based on preliminary data received as of 6 March 2025.
Measles cases in the Region have generally been declining since 1997, when some 216 000 were reported, reaching a low of 4440 cases in 2016. However, a resurgence was seen in 2018 and 2019 – with 89 000 and 106 000 cases reported for the 2 years respectively. Following a backsliding in immunization coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, cases rose significantly again in 2023 and 2024. Vaccination rates in many countries are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, increasing the risk of outbreaks.
Many regions in Europe have lower rates of measles vaccination than the goal of 95%.
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Less than 80% of eligible children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Romania were vaccinated with MCV1 in 2023 – far below the 95% coverage rate required to retain herd immunity. In both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro the coverage rate for MCV1 has remained below 70% and 50% respectively for the past 5 or more years. Romania reported the highest number of cases in the Region for 2024, with 30 692 cases, followed by Kazakhstan with 28 147 cases.
The WHO Report does not mention adjudication of hospitalizations or deaths. Presumably hospitalization of healthy kids is routine for contagion control. So if measles is so common and presumably well-handled by Europe, why is it such a big deal in the United States? Don’t look for Sanjay Gupta or Anderson Cooper to tell you that a similar size region and population handles >100K cases per year without much fanfare.
Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH
President, McCullough Foundation
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