California
Danish petition supporting plan to buy California ‘reaches 200,000 signatures’
Danish citizens have launched a petition to purchase America’s most populous and prosperous state, California, in response to Donald Trump’s efforts to acquire Greenland.
The president has recently escalated calls to purchase the autonomous Danish territory for “national security” purposes, despite both Denmark and Greenland’s Prime Ministers insisting the Arctic island is not for sale.
Pledging to “Make California Great Again,” Danes have launched a retaliatory campaign seeking the “Denmarkification” of the world’s fifth-largest economy.
The tongue-in-cheek petition, which is apparently seeking to crowdfund $1 trillion to buy the Golden State, claims it has garnered just shy of 200,000 signatures by Tuesday morning.
It comes after California’s Secretary of State Shirley Webster permitted a campaign to begin collecting signatures to vote to secede from the U.S. and become an independent country on the 2028 election ballot.
The Independent has contacted organizers of the Demarkification campaign for confirmation of the signatures gathered.
California would become “New Denmark,” according to the campaign’s website, while its world-famous theme park Disneyland would be rebranded as “Hans Christian Andersenland”.
Other benefits of the Scandinavian nation purchasing the state include “tech dominance” and “avocado on toast forever,” according to the petition.
“Have you ever looked at a map and thought, ‘You know what Denmark needs? More sunshine, palm trees, and roller skates,’” the website reads. “Well, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make that dream a reality.”
Executives from LEGO and the cast of the political drama Borgen would be pulled in to negotiate the deal, while a lifetime supply of Danish pastries would be on the table to sweeten the deal.
A disclaimer at the bottom of the page reads: “This campaign is 100% real… in our dreams”.
Trump and his allies have repeated calls for Greenland to join the U.S. to enhance national security.
At the start of the new year, the president once pointed to “economic security” as a reason for the takeover, with the island’s untapped mineral resources in great demand.
Greenland’s 800,000 square miles “contains approximately 31,400 million barrels oil equivalent of oil” and around 148 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, according to an assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey.
According to estimates from The Washington Post, because of its natural resources and industries, buying the island could cost as much as $1.7 trillion.
Last month, the president stated that the majority of Greenland’s 56,000 inhabitants “want” to become Americans.
However, a mere six percent of Greenlanders are hoping their nation will join the U.S., according to a poll commissioned by Danish newspaper of record, Berlingske, and the Greenlandic daily Sermitsiaq. The survey suggests that 85 percent of those residing in the Danish territory don’t want to become a part of the U.S.
Six percent were in favor of joining and nine percent had been left undecided, according to the poll.
It comes as a GOP congressman floated new legislation in an attempt to bolster Donald Trump’s efforts to take over Greenland, while also giving the autonomous Danish territory a new name.
Georgia Representative Buddy Carter said he wants Greeland to be called “Red, White, and Blueland” as he unveiled a new bill of the same name.
“America is back and will soon be bigger than ever with the addition of Red, White, and Blueland,” said in a statement to the New York Post.
“President Trump has correctly identified the purchase of what is now Greenland as a national security priority, and we will proudly welcome its people to join the freest nation to ever exist when our Negotiator-in-Chief inks this monumental deal.”
California
Suspected Northern California library shooter charged with murder, faces life in prison
OROVILLE — Bradley Scott Sayer was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and discharge of firearm with injury during his arraignment Thursday at the Butte County Superior Court.
Sayer, 18, is the suspect in the Chico library shooting on Monday in which two men were killed, and he could face life in prison. If convicted, Sayer is facing the highest penalty for capital murder with special circumstances, which would be life in prison without the possibility of parole. Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey, who is the prosecutor of the case, said the court is not seeking the death penalty.
Sayer was not given bail, as Ramsey said the court felt Sayer was “too dangerous.” Ramsey also said Sayer is on suicide watch in at the Butte County Jail.
“We felt that it would be too dangerous to let him go at this juncture,” Ramsey said. “He planned a mass shooting, and there’s no reason to believe that if he was let go, that he wouldn’t continue to do that.”
Sayer was staying at his father’s house, who was out of town, the day of the shooting, according to Ramsey. He then went to the closet in his father’s room and took two .22 caliber rifles and a 20-gauge shotgun, as well as several boxes of “No. 3 birdshot shells” before leaving for the library.
Sayer will appear in court next at 8:30 a.m. July 16 at the Butte County Superior Court, where he is expected to enter a plea. He is being represented by Roberto Marquez as retained counsel.
Autopsies
The Chico Police Department released a final update regarding the shooting case. The Butte County Sheriff’s Office completed the autopsies of both Jacob Cody Hull and Robert Johnson.
“The autopsies were completed; results indicate that both victims died as result of gunshot wounds. The wounds are consistent with a shotgun being used. The decedents will be turned over to their families who will be making funeral arrangements. The suspect remains in custody at the Butte County Jail being held in isolation,” Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said.
California
CA state senator physically, verbally harassed at pride parade for Israel stance | The Jerusalem Post
California State Senator Scott Wiener was harassed for his stance on Gaza during the San Francisco Trans March on Friday, to the point where it was no longer safe for him to remain, Wiener said.
A group of people were so “physically and verbally aggressive that it was impossible for me to safely remain in the park,” Wiener stated, adding that this was the first time he did not participate in the march.
Wiener was surrounded by people who made statements about his “Israeli handlers, among many other inaccurate, extreme, and vile statements,” Wiener said.
“We f***ing hate you. You stopped being queer the moment you started supporting Israel,” one person yelled in a video later shared on social media.
Wiener stated that while he has no objection to anyone disagreeing, opposing, or protesting him, the “harassment, including cornering me, touching me, or trying to physically bully me out of a public event, that crosses a line.”
“In San Francisco, we’re better than that,” he added.
Mayor Daniel Lurie made a statement on X/Twitter condemning the harassment, calling the language used “targeted, hateful, and antisemitic.”
In San Francisco, we welcome disagreement and respectful dialogue around issues many of us feel passionately about – but we cannot allow harassment and threats of violence,” Lurie wrote.
The California State Senate Democratic Caucus also released a statement on X, condemning the hate Wiener received.
“The harassment and violence shown from yesterday’s march in San Francisco towards Senator Scott Wiener is unacceptable and must be called out,” the statement read.
The caucus also pointed to Wiener’s work on legislation “advancing the rights and protections for Transgender, Gender Expansive and Intersex people.”
“The CA Senate Democratic Caucus and CA LGBTQ Caucus jointly denounce the verbal harassment and attacks he experienced,” the statement said.
California
At least 117 dead dogs found in search at California animal rescue accused of abuse, officials said
California authorities unearthed at least 117 dogs in “various states of decomposition” on Friday, many of which appeared to have been killed by gunshot, as part of an ongoing investigation into an animal rescue organization.
The bodies were discovered during a search of Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna, California, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. Officials had been granted a warrant that included excavation of the property for evidence that dogs had been buried in “mass graves.”
The 117 canine remains were those found mostly intact at two sites, the sheriff’s office said. Nearly two dozen skulls, “hundreds” of bones, and 600 dog collars were also recovered on the property.
Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal thanked the law enforcement teams and forensic veterinarians who assisted in the recovery. In a statement, he noted that the investigation is “just getting started.”
“The determination all of these professionals showed while working through this horrific scene is something we will not forget,” Honsal said.
NBC News was not able to reach Shannon Miranda, the founder of Miranda’s Rescue, by phone on Sunday. She did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
The sheriff’s office said in a news release last week that it had been contacted in April regarding allegations of fraud, animal abuse and animal cruelty at the rescue, and that the case had been assigned to the Major Crimes Division.
An initial search warrant was executed on May 1, at which time officials seized evidence related to the investigation. Investigators also determined that a “significant number” of animals surrendered to the rescue had not been accounted for.
A second search warrant, executed Thursday, led to the recovery of the canine remains.
Forensic veterinarians were able to examine 71 of the bodies on-site Thursday but did not have time to reach the remaining 46. A preliminary examination — including X-rays of the remains — found that “many of those animals showed evidence of bullet fragments.”
Investigators are working to identify dogs that were microchipped.
Other remains were found “in advanced stages of decomposition” and were deemed too severely deteriorated to be removed from their burial site, the sheriff’s office said.
This investigation is expected to be lengthy, the sheriff’s office cautioned in a statement to the public.
“The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office understands the public’s desire for accountability and justice,” it said. “However, it is our responsibility to conduct a complete, impartial, and legally sound investigation while ensuring that the constitutional and legal rights of everyone involved are protected throughout the process.”
No charges were announced.
Miranda was not available for comment, but posted a statement on June 18 addressing “recent media coverage and online commentary,” on the rescue’s website. The statement described two incidents that had “drawn particular attention” both involving animals that were killed at the facility.
The first involved a dog that killed another animal and attacked a third; the second involved a dog that lunged at a stroller carrying a baby, according to the statement.
“These were not decisions made lightly and were based on my responsibility to protect both the public and the animals in our care,” Miranda wrote.
The statement also described Miranda’s Rescue is a no-kill shelter, meaning animals are not euthanized simply to free up space, but acknowledged euthanasia is sometimes necessary.
“Whenever euthanasia has been necessary, I have notified local authorities in advance, even when told that reporting is not required,” Miranda wrote. “I believe it is important to maintain a clear record of these difficult decisions.”
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