philippines

President Trump Colossal Embarrassment at Papal Funeral

Donald Trump (AKA Dotard Trumpf) demonstrated again why he has been ranked as the worst president of all time, coinciding with his exponentially growing unpopularity at home and abroad. Trumpf has the lowest 100-day job approval rating of any president in the past 80 years. This latest episode of the Trumpf saga is further evidence of his manifest ineptitude.

Before departing for the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, the Dotard posted this message on social media:

“Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there!”

Who or what in the universe looks forward to attending a funeral?

Against all protocol and common sense, the President of the United States inexcusably didn’t wear black unlike every single mourner at the solemn ritual, standing out like a peacock in his bright blue suit:

Somehow egotistical Dotard Trumpf got a front row seat to the ceremonies when Vatican and monarchial protocol dictated he should have been seated in the third row. But Trumpf’s ego worked to his own humiliation as he was verbally attacked to his face during the homily for Pope Francis. The Dotard’s signature policy was rebuked in front of an audience of millions watching live around the world:

“Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice, imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions. Build bridges, not walls, was an exhortation he repeated many times,” Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re sermonized in his homily.

The barb was clearly aimed right between the eyes of Dotard Trumpf.

In 2017, the late Pontiff had lectured Trumpf about compassion, the environment, and humility, which all fell on deaf ears anyway. Look at the expression on the face of the first Jesuit pope standing beside the smiling oligarch:

The humiliation for the First Couple continued when Trumpf was photographed sleeping during the ceremonies. Below, note the expression on Melania Trumpf’s face (AKA Melanoma Trumpf) as she clutches her heart in disbelief and then looks away in disgust. A wider shot of this photograph shows a mourner behind them staring at the Dotard as if he may be snoring.

This was the first time Trumpf slept next to his wife in years.

In 2016, Republican supporters of Trumpf loudly applauded when he demeaned Hillary Clinton as “low energy” and in 2020 MAGAts vigorously cheered when the Dotard slandered President Biden as “Sleepy Joe.”

Inexplicably, Melanoma Trumpf did not prevent her husband from his garish faux pas of wearing blue to a funeral, nor did she make any efforts to keep the Dotard awake during these solemn rites.

On the ground in Rome for 14 hours, Trumpf met briefly with Ukraine President Zelensky before the funeral, but if anything was accomplished is unknown. The Dotard immediately left after the services in St. Peter’s Square, stopping only for handshakes or greetings with a few of the presidents, prime ministers, royals, and religious leaders who came to the ceremony. At this incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Trumpf did not discuss tariffs with EU leaders, his pivot towards normalizing relations with the Kremlin, or his demands that NATO increase their share of defense spending for Europe. This expensive junket cost the American taxpayer millions of dollars with nothing to show for it except another black eye for the “American brand.”

“Trumpf told aides he wanted to make it back to his golf resort in New Jersey before the end of the day.”

Sources:

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-lowest-100-day-approval-rating-80-years/story?id=121165473

Canada: Lunatic Kills Eleven by Ramming SUV Into Crowd at Filipino Street Festival in Vancouver

At least nine people were killed and an unknown number were injured when a 30-year-old man drove into a crowd at a Filipino heritage festival in the Canadian city of Vancouver on Saturday. The event celebrates a Filipino martyr who stood up to Spanish colonization in the 16th century. Video shows a young man in a black hoodie with his back against a chain link fence, alongside a security guard and surrounded by bystanders screaming and swearing at him. “I’m sorry,” the suspect says, holding his hand to his head. Vancouver has 38,600 residents of Filipino heritage (5.9% of the city’s total population).

Almost exactly seven years ago on 23 April 2018, an InCel lunatic rammed his into a crowd in Toronto. 25-year-old Alek Minassian targeted pedestrians, killing 11 and injuring 15, some critically. The 2018 Toronto incident was the deadliest vehicle-ramming attack in Canadian history. This maniac in Vancouver may end up outkilling Alek Minassian if more of the injured die while in hospital.

Source:

Vancouver Police investigates mass casualty incident at neighborhood block party – Vancouver Police Department

UN: World Food Program Runs Out of Food Stocks in Gaza

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, earlier this month. Photo: Mahmoud Issa / Reuters

The UN World Food Program (WFP) has depleted all its food stocks in Gaza as Israel continues to block the entry of all humanitarian aid into the enclave, home to over two million people. WFP delivered its last remaining supplies to kitchens preparing hot meals. For weeks, hot meal kitchens have been the only consistent source of food assistance for people in the Warsaw Ghetto of the Middle East. Despite reaching just half the population with only 25% of daily food needs, they have provided a critical lifeline. 

When victims die of purposeful neglect, untreated wounds, starvation, or unchecked disease, this is called ‘NHI’ or ‘No Humans Involved.’ When Mother Nature kills off these sick or starving Palestinians, Israel can argue that no humans were involved in their deaths.

Murder-Death-Kill Continues in Gaza: IDF Slay 48 and Maim 152 in Past 24 Hours

Since 7 Oct 2023, the IDF has killed 51,355 Palestinians and injured or maimed 117,248. The death toll after US Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) capitulated on the heinous GOP budget on 18 March, releasing billions of dollars of free money to Israel, is 1,978 and 5,207 injured. That very weekend in March, Trumpf enjoyed watching USCENTCOM forces attack the Houthis, who he derided as “savages.” The Dotard then waddled over to his cart which drove him to his chukka of golf. An international arrest warrant issued by the ICC remains active for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) also at the Hague has charged Israel with administering brutal, racist apartheid on Palestinians.

Sources:

https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/04/1162611

Translatable link here: t.me

https://www.trackaipac.com/

https://www.opensecrets.org/

Iran: 800 People Injured and 65 People Killed in Powerful Explosion

The blast took place at the southern Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, Iran’s largest commercial port and was reportedly linked to a shipment of a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant. The explosion occurred just as Iran and the US met Saturday in Oman for the third round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. The Dotard Trumpf’s chief negotiator, sycophantic oligarch Steve Witkoff, a man with no diplomatic experience, is also negotiating with Vladimir Putin. No one in Iran outright suggested that the explosion came from an attack. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led the talks, acknowledged that “our security services are on high alert given past instances of attempted sabotage and assassination operations designed to provoke a legitimate response.”

Rescuers carry an injured man after a massive explosion near the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran, Saturday, 26 Ap 2025. (Photo: Mohammad Rasoul Moradi /IRNA via AP)

As you read previously here on Coriolanus, an explosion destroyed a rocket manufacturing facility in Utah several weeks ago. Working with powerful, volatile fuels is dangerous and both of these incidents could have been accidents. But sabotage should not be ruled out, particularly with this curious Iranian explosion.

Links:

BBC.com

politico.com

https://apnews.com/article/iran-explosion-fire-bandar-abbas-72637c6b3e152a30045275f57ace29ed

Ukraine Update

Ukraine to Continue Fighting With or Without Trumpf

“Russia is waging small-scale assaults across the entire front, but the situation on the battlefield is nowhere near bad enough for Ukraine to be forced into an unfavorable peace deal, military analysts and soldiers told the Kyiv Independent.

Since Ukraine announced the start of the Russian spring offensive in early April, Moscow has made “incremental gains” in multiple sectors of the front at a high cost, but achieving a breakthrough seems unlikely.”

Russian losses in the meatgrinder since brutally invading Ukraine in Feb 2022: 948,720 personnel, 370 aircraft, 335 helicopters, and 10,719 tanks. Europe has committed to defending Ukraine in the absence of Kremlin-controlled Trumpf and Russian casualties will reach one million in 2026.

Below, the Russian ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechaev was booed at the WWII commemoration event in Germany after showing up uninvited:

Sergey Nechaev was unwelcome at the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the historic handshake between American and Soviet soldiers on the Elba River on 25 April 1945. (Photo: Russian Embassy in Germany)

The Russian security services tortured a Ukrainian journalist and 30 are still being held by the Kremlin. While Trumpf and President Zelensky conferred in Rome before Pope Francis’ interment; no details of the meeting are available at this time and most likely nothing was accomplished. Aeroflot remains sanctioned from flying to the US despite rigorous Russian lobbying. North Korea finally admitted to sending cannon-fodder to die in Russia. Dotard Trumpf’s favorite restaurant, McDonald’s, registers its trademark in Russia.

Russian General Neutralized with Powerful IED in Moscow

The late General Yaroslav Moskalik now sings with the choir invisible.

General Yaroslav Moskalik (59), in charge of Ukraine operations at the Russian Ministry of Defense, was rendered ineffective by a powerful IED. A vehicle parked in the courtyard of a residential building detonated as Moskalik passed by. The explosion reportedly threw the general several meters away. Two other unidentified persons may have been killed or injured.

This is one of many successful operations on Russian soil where the Ukraine’s sabotage and espionage network removed Russian HVTs or collaborators from Campus Martius. In Dec 2024, the HUR (Ukrainian military intelligence) rendered Gen. Igor Kirillov ineffective as you read here on Coriolanus:

 

The HUR did DIA and CIA a tremendous favor with that specific operation. After the Cold War ended, Russia secretly continued its offensive biological and chemical weapons program under General Igor Kirillov.

Son of CIA Deputy Director KIA Fighting for Russia

Michael Gloss in Moscow (Social media)

The son of CIA Deputy Director for Digital Innovation Julianne Gallina Gloss and Iraq war veteran Larry Gloss was killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine in 2024. Michael Gloss (21) was travelling around Europe before arriving in Russia on 13 Aug 2023. On his Vkontakte page bio, Michael Gloss wrote: “I ran away from home and traveled the world. I hate fascism.”

This young man wrote that he hated fascism, but died fighting for an authoritarian despot who didn’t give a shht about his insignificant life. V.I. Lenin called people like Michael Gloss ‘useful idiots.’

Sources:

kyivindependent.com

https://kyivindependent.com/cia-deputy-directors-son-killed-while-fighting-for-russia-in-ukraine-investigation-claims/

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/

 nationalinterest.org

Former Senior CIA Official Pleads Guilty to Acting as a Foreign Agent

Dale Britt Bendler (Image: public domain )

Former CIA senior intelligence officer Dale Britt Bendler (68) of Miami, FL, pleaded guilty acting as a foreign agent required to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). In addition to pleading guilty, Bendler consented to the forfeiture of $85,000. Bendler faces a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, two years for acting as a foreign agent while being a public official and five years for mishandling classified material. Bendler is scheduled to be sentenced on 16 Jul. 

The release did not note which country Bendler betrayed the US to. As a senior CIA executive, the defendant had access to a treasure trove of secrets. Bendler may have jeopardized US national security and his own robust pension for 30 pieces of silver. The traitor is reportedly a Trumpf supporter, so a remote opportunity exists for a potential pardon in the future.

Source:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-cia-official-pleads-guilty-acting-foreign-agent-and-mishandling-classified-materials

US: Multiple ICE Impersonation Arrests Made

From left: Sean-Michael Johnson, Aidan Steigelmann and Carl Thomas Bennett. 
Al Cannon Detention Center / Philadelphia Police Department / Wake County Government / Courtesy WRAL

CNN reports: “Authorities in at least three states have arrested individuals allegedly impersonating Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at a time when real ICE agents have ramped up immigration enforcement efforts under the Trumpf junta, adding to existing fears of law enforcement among migrant communities.”

Any mother would be simply delighted to have her daughter come home with any of these above Prince Charmings. As if is people weren’t terrified enough of Trumpf’s police state, these lunatics came out of the woodwork. Recall the maniac who stalked the Ukrainians in the Pacific Northwest with a phony ICE vehicle a few weeks ago.

An indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Source:

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/04/us/ice-impersonators-on-the-rise-arrests-made-as-authorities-issue-national-warning/index.html?iid=cnn_buildContentRecirc_end_recirc

Trumpf Junta Wants States to Pursue Death Penalties

After President Biden commuted federal death row sentences, several Republican district attorneys have considered charging former death row prisoners with state charges, per Trumpf’s 20 Jan 2025 executive order. The Dotard called on the USAG to determine whether former federal death row inmates “can be charged with State capital crimes.” 

Nota Bene: While President Jimmy Carter’s first executive order on 20 Jan 1977 was to mercifully pardon all Vietnam War draft evaders, one of this fascist’s first orders was for the states to find ways to unmercifully execute people.

Luigi Mangione Pleads Not Guilty to Federal Charges

Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty to a four-count indictment charging him in the murder of oligarch Brian Thompson during his arraignment in SDNY. Mangione entered the Manhattan federal courtroom shackled at the ankles as if he was a dangerous ISIS operative with a black belt in karate. Mangione allegedly murdered the greedy CEO because of the well-documented ‘profits over people’ policy at UnitedHealthCare which cost thousands of Americans not only their savings, but their lives. The late Brian Thompson’s UHC is rated one of the worst health insurance companies on the planet and should be drawn and quartered.

US Attorney-General Pam Bondi.

Bloodthirsty USAG Pam Bondi can’t wait to send Luigi Mangione to Dr Jack Kevorkian’s ‘Thanatron’ in Terre Haute, IN, if he’s found guilty. This ghoul would would like to see more executions throughout the US.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Sources:

www.luigimangioneinfo.com

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/biden-commuted-federal-death-row-sentences-das-are-weighing-state-char-rcna202894

whitehouse.gov 

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-pamela-bondi-directs-prosecutors-seek-death-penalty-luigi-mangione

This is One Patient Cat

Canada Votes 28 April 2025

Edward R. Murrow: 25 Apr 1908 – 27 Apr 1965

Former Allies and Intelligence Partners Moving Away from Untrustworthy US

As to be expected, America’s former allies are distancing themselves away from the Trumpf regime. As Russian President Vladimir Putin, indicted for war crimes by the ICC at the Hague announced in Nov 2024 with the Trumpf election win: “There will be a new world order.”

The US stopped sharing satellite intelligence with Ukraine and vetoed a G-7 resolution against tracking Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers and stopped all offensive cyber-operations against Russia. Washington has quietly informed NATO partners that it won’t be participating in military exercises after 2025.

Russian spokesman Dimitry Peskov said on Russian state media “The new (US) administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations. This largely coincides with our vision.” A senior Conservative MP has said it is time to consider the “possibility” that the US president is a Kremlin asset. Graham Stuart, a former Foreign Office minister, issued the comment in response to Donald Trumpf’s decision to pause all military aid to Ukraine. Elon Musk’s super-AI computer “Grok 3” calculated with a 75-85% likelihood that Trumpf is “a Putin-compromised asset.”

Is there anybody on the planet that does not know Donald Trumpf is in the pockets of the Kremlin?

Canada, which will have a new Liberal Prime Minister standing for federal elections later this year, had deliberately chose a “position of dependency” over the years that relied on American intelligence to inform everything from domestic criminal investigations to foreign policy. Canada provided the Five Eyes specific “niche missions” based on geography or the access held by Canadian agencies.

“The entire foundational philosophy of the Canadian intelligence system, in terms of its capabilities, in terms of its focus, was based on reliable, ongoing, massive access to Five Eyes intelligence, primarily from the US,” said Wesley Wark, a senior fellow with the Center for International Governance Innovation.

“The old great bargain is no more. We’re going to have to do more of the intelligence heavy-lifting ourselves.”

Ottawa receives intelligence from CSIS, the RCMP and her allies.

In Germany, the largest economy in Europe, the Bundestag’s top intelligence experts are calling for a European spy network, warning that Europe can’t rely on intelligence from the US amid growing uncertainty.

Konstantin von Notz, chairman of the German parliament’s intelligence oversight committee, urged Germany and its European allies to establish their own intelligence-sharing network. “We need a European intelligence cooperation format — call it ‘Euro Eyes’ — to ensure that strong states can exchange information swiftly and securely on clear legal grounds. There is no way around increasing our own intelligence capabilities in the future.”

BND HQ, Berlin, Germany. (Photo: Jan Kleihues / Stefan Müller) https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index

To Followers of the Watch, none of this should come as a surprise. As New York Yankee legend catcher Yogi Berra—an athlete with ten World Series rings– once said ‘It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.’ What we can predict is that Canada, the UK, and Germany will increase their budgets for intelligence collection, as well as cultivate new partners. Their intelligence veterans will be wary of new allies because of the potential that they too maybe compromised by the Kremlin. South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan may be the least harmed by the Trumpf regime as his focus seems to be on Beijing. Australia and New Zealand will continue their reliance on faraway UK.  

Mark Carney will be the next Prime Minister of Canada after being sworn in by the Governor-General, and then face a general election. He will be one of the new leaders of the Free World, alongside UK PM Keir Starmer, France President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. For his sake, and the sake of Canada, let us hope there is nothing to this photograph below of Mr. Carney with the thoroughly despicable sex trafficking Ghislaine Maxwell. Note that several AI-generated photographs of Mark Carney with the lurid sex fiend Jeffrey Epstein have been circulating on the internet in an attempt to smear him. The Prime Minister-designate had previously answered questions about this authentic photograph below and denied being friends with Ghislaine Maxwell.    

Then-governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney, second from left, attends the Wildness Festival with his wife Diana Fox, far right, and others including Ghislaine Maxwell, second from right, at Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire, England, on 10 Aug 2013. Disgraced and disgusting Maxwell is wearing an AAA all-access VIP badge. Hmph. (Photo: Adrian Sherratt / Shutterstock)

This is more like it:

Sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell (USMS #02879-509) was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and is now in Tallahassee FCI.  (Photo: US Justice Department)

Sources:

Senior Conservative MP says UK must consider possibility ‘Trump is a Russian asset’ – Politics.co.uk

Canada looks to shift intelligence sharing away from diverging U.S. | National Post

US curtails Ukraine access to satellite imagery – POLITICO

German lawmakers float ‘Euro Eyes’ spy network amid uncertainty on US intel – POLITICO

US vetoes G7 proposal to combat Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers | US politics | The Guardian

Information: The United States abandons planning of military exercises in Europe

Elon’s Grok Chatbot Calculates Probability That Trump Is a Russian Asset

Kremlin says Trump’s foreign policy ‘largely coincides’ with Russia’sMark Carney faces questions on photos with Ghislaine Maxwell | Toronto Sun

Russia-Ukraine Update

Ukraine Launches Massive Drone Strike on Moscow

According to the BBC, this appears to be the largest drone attack that Ukraine has launched so far in and around Moscow. It involves dozens of drones, some of them targeting residential areas.

The governor of the Moscow region says one person has been killed and three others wounded. There are reports of damage to apartment blocks, as well as a large fire at a car park.

Four Moscow airports have been forced to close temporarily.

The Moscow mayor says Russian air defenses shot down more than 60 drones on their approach to the capital. Russia’s defense ministry has said overall 337 Ukrainian drones were either intercepted or destroyed – in Moscow and nine other regions.

These attacks happened hours before scheduled peace talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between USSECSTATE Marco Rubio and a Ukrainian delegation.  The man below represents the US:

Russian Spy Ring Wanted Unimaginable Death for Bulgarian Journalist

Christo Grozev (Undated photo: Reuters)

A journalist targeted by a Russian spy ring said it had a list of “assassination methods” to kill him that was “beyond any imagination.” Christo Grozev told the BBC the group “fantasized” about his death, and talked about using a sledgehammer and even a “suicide bomber” to target him. The Bulgarian, who has published several exposes on Russia with colleague Roman Dobrokhotov, said several incidents showed the pair were tracked across Europe and had agents “breathing down our necks.” Grozev was speaking after three Bulgarian nationals were found guilty last week of spying for Russia one of the largest foreign intelligence operations in the UK. Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.

Russian Officials Give Meat Grinders to Mothers of Soldiers Killed in Ukraine

Mothers and spouses of Russian soldiers killed in the meat grinder in Ukraine awarded literal meat grinders. $150 Luxper MG-2000S Meat Grinder. Look at the smiles on the faces of the apparatchiks. (Photo: Social media)

Local officials from Russia’s ruling party have caused controversy by presenting mothers of soldiers killed in Ukraine with gifts of meat grinders, an appliance widely used to describe Russia’s brutal tactics on the frontline. The United Russia party in the northern Murmansk region posted photos on social media showing officials smiling as they visited bereaved mothers with gifts of flowers and boxed meat grinders for International Women’s Day on Saturday, which is widely celebrated in Russia. The post included a message thanking the “dear mums” for their “strength of spirit and the love you put into bringing up your sons.” It said the gifts were the initiative of the women’s wing of the party.

Soviet Army human wave attack during the Second World War. The Chinese PLA will NOT be copying this tactic in any conflict with Taiwan, the US, or remotely North Korea. (Photo: Russia Beyond via russiainphoto.ru)

Mother Russia has lost 875,070 soldiers since their brutal invasion of Ukraine in Feb 2022. Ukrainian intelligence estimates that 1,000 Russians are killed daily in human wave or “meat attacks” or other operations. And here the ruling party presents bereaved mothers with meat grinders. You can’t make this stuff up. Regarding the Bulgarian being stalked by Russian assassins is no surprise, and neither is the cruelty they intended to inflict on him.  The Ukrainian drone attack serves as a symbolic gesture that despite the withdrawal of US intelligence and support, Kiev is still capable of reaching out and striking Moscow.  

Sources:

Russian spy ring plans to kill journalist were ‘beyond imagination’

Russian officials criticised for giving meat grinders to mothers of soldiers killed in Ukraine | Russia | The Guardian

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c51ypekv9xwt

Chinese Espionage Continues

Three US Army Soldiers Netted

Two US Army soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington and a former soldier in Oregon have been accused in separate indictments of sharing classified military information with China. One spy was tasked with obtaining instructions and manuals for Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles used by the Army and selling them to his accomplice, who was paid by unknown people in China.

A third soldier has been accused of obtaining and selling about 20 government hard drives, some marked “SECRET” and “TOP SECRET,” to buyers in China.

Of interest to China’s intelligence in these cases is information on military exercises between the US and her allies in the Indo-Pacific region, the operation of strategic rockets and missiles, and the devastatingly effective HIMARS multiple-rocket launcher.

A M142 HIMARS launches a rocket toward Bakhmut on 18 May 2023, in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Kiev has released footage it says shows a strike on Russian positions. (Photo: Serhii Mykhalchuk / Getty Images)

These soldiers sold out their country for 30 pieces of silver. Their future is prison time and dishonorable discharges.

Bluetooth Chip Used by Billion Devices Compromised

FTA:

“The ubiquitous ESP32 microchip made by Chinese manufacturer Espressif and used by over one billion units as of 2023 contains undocumented commands that could be leveraged for attacks.

The undocumented commands allow spoofing of trusted devices, unauthorized data access, pivoting to other devices on the network, and potentially establishing long-term persistence.

This was discovered by Spanish researchers Miguel Tarascó Acuña and Antonio Vázquez Blanco of Tarlogic Security, who presented their findings yesterday at RootedCON in Madrid.

“Tarlogic Security has detected a backdoor in the ESP32, a microcontroller that enables WiFi and Bluetooth connection and is present in millions of mass-market IoT devices,” reads a Tarlogic announcement shared with BleepingComputer.

“Exploitation of this backdoor would allow hostile actors to conduct impersonation attacks and permanently infect sensitive devices such as mobile phones, computers, smart locks or medical equipment by bypassing code audit controls.”

The researchers warned that ESP32 is one of the world’s most widely used chips for Wi-Fi + Bluetooth connectivity in IoT (Internet of Things) devices, so the risk is significant.

China, the “world’s factory,” insiduously infused their massive Chinese intelligence apparatus with their manufacturers. This backdoor allows Chinese spies to infiltrate millions of devices. Using the “thousands of sand grains” approach to intelligence collection, Beijing analysts can produce a mosaic on anything they have collected on. The enemy will be able to target and collect on specific individuals by link analysis of telephone numbers, internet purchases, public records, imagery, or email addresses. Beijing can also launch offensive operations through these devices such as hidden computer viruses.  

Sources:

Office of Public Affairs | Active-Duty and Former U.S. Army Soldiers Arrested for Theft of Government Property and Bribery Scheme | United States Department of Justice

Undocumented commands found in Bluetooth chip used by a billion devices

Canada: Preventable Measles is Spreading

(Photo: BBC / SPL)

The Government of Canada informs:

As of 6 Mar 2025, Canada has recorded 227 measles cases, many requiring hospitalization. The majority of cases are unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children who have been exposed in their communities, such as in social events, daycares, schools, and healthcare settings. Notable outbreaks occurred in New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba. Measles is contagious and can cause serious illness, with complications including pneumonia, deafness, brain inflammation, and, in severe cases, death.

Measles is preventable with vaccines; however, Canada sadly suffers from a minority cult of anti-vaxxers. Measles is also spreading in the US and other parts of the world as you have read here on Coriolanus.

Sources:

Canada: Measles Spreading

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/anti-vaxxers-among-canadians-of-all-demographics-poll-finds-it-could-be-your-neighbour-thats-the-scary-thing

Former Philippines President Duterte Arrested for Crimes Against Humanity

The ex-president once said “he would be happy to kill three million drug addicts.” (Undated photo from social media)

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested at Manila’s international airport on order of the ICC in connection with a crime against humanity case filed against him. Duterte was arrested after arriving from Hong Kong and police took him into custody on orders of the ICC, which has been investigating the mass killings that happened under the former president’s deadly crackdown against illegal drugs. In Dec 2018, the country’s Commission on Human Rights (CHR) estimated the number of drug-war killings could be as high as 27,000.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who succeeded Duterte in 2022 and became entangled in a bitter political dispute with the former president, has decided not to rejoin the global court. But the Marcos administration has said it would cooperate if the ICC asked international police to take Duterte into custody through a so-called Red Notice, a request for law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and temporarily arrest a criminal suspect.

ICC arrest warrants remain active for Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes. These two ICC defendants have blood on their hands, like Rodrigo Duterte.

Indictments are merely allegations. All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Sources:

Rodrigo Duterte, former Philippines president, arrested on ICC warrant over drug killings – CBS News

www.icc-cpi.int

Cat Food Recall in Washington State and Oregon Because of Avian Flu

A company based in Washington state is voluntarily recalling its frozen raw pet food for cats over concerns of it being contaminated with avian flu. The recall includes Wild Coast Raw’s 16-ounce and 24-ounce frozen Boneless Free Range Chicken Formula, which was distributed to pet food retailers in Washington State and Oregon. The Washington State Department of Agriculture said multiple cats have been infected with the avian flu after consuming the food. One had to be euthanized. Officials have also encouraged pet owners not to give their animals raw milk because of the possible presence of the virus.

“As of 6 Jan 2025, there have been 66 confirmed human cases of H5N1 bird flu in the US since 2024 and 67 since 2022. A Louisiana man is the first person in the US who has died as a result of an H5 infection. Outside the US, more than 950 cases of H5N1 bird flu have been reported to the WHO; about half of those have resulted in death.”

Sources:

Cat Food Recall in Washington, Oregon Because of Avian Flu

www.cdc.gov

Incidents Plague White House and Trumpf Properties

USAF fighter jets intercepted a civilian aircraft flying in the temporarily restricted airspace near Trumpf’s Florida home Sunday, bringing the number of violations to more than 20 since he took office on 20 Jan. The incident took place as Trumpf finished a round of golf at his West Palm Beach private club.

The USSS shot an armed man near the White House. Andrew Dawson (27) was armed with a knife and a gun when he was confronted by agents just after midnight on Sunday, one block from the West Wing. The suspect was subsequently transported to a hospital, and his condition remains undisclosed. No USSS agents or other individuals were injured during the incident.

Trumpf’s golf course destroyed Scottish dunes he promised to preserve. (Photo: AFP)

Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland was vandalized with pro-Palestinian graffiti. A protest group claimed responsibility. Red paint was scrawled across walls at the course with the slogans “Free Gaza” and “Free Palestine” as well as insults against Trumpf. “Gaza is not for sale” was also painted on one of the greens and holes dug up on the course.

DOGE fired thousands of federal employees, nearly 8.4 million Americans hold multiple jobs to make ends meet, and President Trumpf was out golfing again. Trumpf has spent 14 days golfing (28% of his tenure so far). Hopefully problems like the Carolina fires, avian flu, the Ukraine war, or rising prices don’t keep Trumpf from the links.  

The White House physician once declared Trumpf to be in excellent health.

Sources:

More Americans have two jobs or more, a sign of inflation’s burden

Statement Regarding March 9, 2025, Officer-involved Shooting | United States Secret Service

Trump golf course destroyed Scottish dunes he promised to preserve – Raw Story

Trump’s golf resort in Scotland vandalized with pro-Palestine graffiti, World News – AsiaOne

trumpgolftrack.com

VPOTUS JD Vance Blatantly Lied on ‘X’ That His Three-Year-Old Daughter Was Menaced by Pro-Ukrainian Protestors

JD Vance complained on “X” that his 3-year-old daughter was menaced by a group of protesters shouting “Slava Ukraini.” He even went so far as to call some of them “sh*t.” JD Vance and his daughter were well-protected in a cocoon of USSS SAs as you can see in the video below. JD Vance just couldn’t double-talk his way out of his hypocrisies and then lied about the encounter.

The peaceful protestors– mostly women– got JD Vance to admit that Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

JD Vance’s cousin, Nate, who volunteered in Ukraine, has said that the Trumpf administration is acting like “useful idiots” for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Nate Vance is reported to have spent three years fighting in Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. When he criticized aid to Ukraine, I told myself that it was because he had to please a certain electorate, that it was the game of politics,” Nate Vance told Le Figaro. “But what they did to Zelensky was an ambush of absolute bad faith. “Donald Trumpf and my cousin clearly believe they can placate Vladimir Putin,” he added. “They are wrong. The Russians are not about to forget our support for Ukraine. We are Vladimir Putin’s useful idiots.“

Transvestite VPOTUS JD Vance’s cynical use of a child reminded Coriolanus of a Stephen King novel which became a famous movie decades ago.

In Stephen King’s 1979 novel The Dead Zone, Republican Congressman and presidential hopeful Greg Stillson used a child as a human shield. The novelist’s choice of “Stillson” for a name was clever as it sounds like “stillborn.” Actor Martin Sheen plays the scoundrel Republican in the 1983 film of the same name. Coriolanus recommends both the novel and the film.

Below, the two on the right are who Americans elected in Nov 2024 to lead their country:

Sources:

JD Vance Lies That 3 Year Old Daughter Was Chased

JD Vance’s cousin – who volunteered in Ukraine – brands VP and Trump ‘useful idiots’ to Putin | The Independent

No One Wanted This Vocal Black Cat at the Shelter Until…

The Fourth Reich Begins in America

(Montage courtesy of James Marshall Crotty, The Huffington Post)

Donald Trump’s second presidency heralded in the new Fourth Reich with a breath-taking malicious maelstrom of white supremacist and authoritarian executive orders and directives. None of this should come as a surprise to Americans or anybody in the world, particularly the people of Germany who issued the US a warning the first time Donald Trumpf ran for President in 2016.

Americans lived through Trump’s first term holding their nostrils in horror and will do so again.

Within two hours of the Fuhrer’s inauguration on Monday, former CJCS General Mark Milley’s portrait was removed from the Pentagon.

Trump had deep resentment toward Milley, and once called him “slow moving and thinking” and a “moron.” Hours earlier, former President Joe Biden had issued a pre-emptive pardon to Milley and others against potential retaliation.

To punctuate the arrival of the Fourth Reich, at Trump’s Inaugural Ball South African-born trillionaire Elon Musk twice rendered the Nazi salute to a delighted and cheering audience.

A PhD scholar on Nazi Germany and the Third Reich commented on social media that Musk’s expert salute was perfect and unmistakable.

Here is a cheat-sheet of the Fuhrer’s agenda:

Within the first 36 hours of his coronation, the Fuhrer began terminating civil servants whom he described as members of the “Deep State” and relieved Admiral Linda Fagan, the first woman to lead the US Coast Guard.

Admiral Linda Fagan speaks at the US Coast Guard change of command ceremony at USCG Headquarters in Washington, 1 Jun 2022. (Photo: AFP)

The tempest of terror continued when Trump replaced the Ukraine team at the Pentagon and ordered a suspension of all US foreign aid (whether this includes Israel is unclear). The Fuhrer pardoned 1,500 6 January insurrectionists, including the leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers (the Proud Boys have been listed as a terrorist organization by Canada). The White House took down its Spanish language version of its website. The Fuhrer also rescinded sanctions against lunatic Israeli Settlers who have been killing Palestinians and seizing their land. See later story.

With avian flu spreading throughout the world, the Fuhrer withdrew the US from the World Health Organization (WHO) and ordered all federal health agencies to stop external communications (warnings, advisories). Trumpf also fired special advisers at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that were investigating nefarious Chinese cyber-hacking groups, like Salt Typhoon.  The Fuhrer will be announcing dates for the start of tariffs against China, Canada, and Mexico.

The Fuhrer also withdrew USSS protection from his former national security advisor John Bolton who has legitimately angered the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Force (IRGC). Mr. Bolton has the funds to pay for his own security detail. His reckless Islamophobia shouldn’t keep costing American taxpayers money to protect him.

Followers of the Watch, Coriolanus will endeavor to keep up as best as possible while the Fuhrer implements his austerity plans to impoverish Americans, destroy affirmative action, alienate allies, threaten neighbors, deport people of color, and dismantle the US from within on behalf of the Kremlin.

Oxfam: “Takers, Not Makers: Billionaires Added Two Trillion Dollars to Their Pockets in 2024”

Oxfam informs:

“Most billionaire wealth is taken, not earned The idea that extreme wealth is a reward for
extreme talent is pervasive and strongly reinforced in our media and popular culture.
But this perception is not rooted in reality. This report makes the case that the extreme wealth of today’s billionaire class is largely unearned, where inheritance, cronyism and monopoly power generate extreme wealth. Unchecked, we are about to see the biggest transfer of the largest generational wealth in human history handed over – hardly earned, hardly taxed.”

The wealth of each of the richest ten men has grown by almost US$100 million a day in 2024 on average. Even if you saved US$1,000 daily since the first humans 315,000 years ago, you still would not have as much money as one of the richest ten billionaires. If any of the richest ten billionaires lost 99% of their wealth, they’d still be a billionaire.

Obviously this will get worse for Americans as the largest wealth-extraction scheme run by a cabal of greedy billionaire oligarchs takes over the US government and economy.

Source:

Click to access English%20-%20Davos%20Executive%20Summary%202025.pdf

Russian Drones Hunting Ukrainian Civilians in Kherson Like a “Safari”

From the Economist:

“For six months Russian drones have been attacking civilians daily, chasing cars and pedestrians through the streets of Kherson in what locals call a “safari”.

“There have been more than 1,000 drone strikes since last summer, injuring over 500 people and killing 36, according to municipal authorities. Surveillance drones patrol high up; smaller attack drones (known as FPVs, or first-person-view drones), with a flying time of 20-40 minutes, sit on rooftops to conserve battery power. The munitions dropped are often makeshift: mortar shells, grenades, canisters containing shrapnel or darts, or bottles of petrol that ignite.”

Russian First Person View (FPV) kamikaze drone with a MON-50 mine containing lethal and maiming shrapnel. (Open source photo)

“Shops, schools, clinics, private houses, delivery vans, buses, firetrucks and other first responders are routinely targeted. Several administrative officials have been wounded. In one case, says Roman Mrochko, the head of the military authority in Kherson, a minibus “was almost completely destroyed, but the driver heroically saved the injured people by driving, you could say on scrap metal, to the hospital.” In the riverside neighborhoods where the attacks are concentrated, designated “red zones” by Russians on Telegram channels, life has been throttled. There is no gas, water, electricity or municipal heat. Public transport is suspended. Ambulances wait outside the area for police in armored cars to ferry the wounded to them.”

Russian forces have been accused of committing war crimes in Kherson. Investigators uncover three victims. (Photo: Govt of Ukraine)

There is no military value in hunting and killing civilians like this for sport. This is purely sadism and terrorism. The ICC indicted and issued an international arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, but there is reporting that Donald Trumpf will be sanctioning the ICC to remove warrants against him and fellow PIFWC Benjamin Netanyahu. See next story.

Source:

https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/01/18/russian-pilots-appear-to-be-hunting-ukrainian-civilians

Of course. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is After Putin and Netanyahu, So Trump is Going After the ICC

The man who handed Donald Trump the White House by sabotaging the Democratic Party in 2024 in a previous meeting with the Fuhrer.

KGB veteran Vladimir Putin met with his protege in Finland, 16 Jul 2018. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The ICC indicted and issued international arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin (17 Mar 2023) and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (21 Nov 2024) for alleged war crimes against the people of Ukraine and Gaza.

Israel National News reports:

“US President Donald Trump plans to introduce sweeping sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC).”

“The sanctions will target both ICC personnel, including judges and prosecutors, and the institution itself. The administration intends to classify the ICC as a threat to US national interests, utilizing designation procedures akin to those employed by the State Department for global terrorist organizations. This designation will impose strict penalties on anyone associated with the court’s operations.”

“Global financial institutions will be compelled to sever ties with ICC personnel or face sanctions from the US. Similar to measures imposed on sanctioned Israeli citizens by the outgoing administration, ICC staff will be unable to carry out routine banking activities, such as accessing credit cards or conducting financial transactions. Their assets will effectively be frozen, with exceptions allowed only for basic necessities like food purchases. Additionally, all US-based assets belonging to ICC employees and the institution itself will be frozen.”

“Beyond these unilateral measures, the incoming administration aims to rally US allies to reject cooperation with ICC arrest warrants targeting Israeli officials.”

On the strength of the ICC Rome Statute, Ukraine requested that Mexico arrest Putin if he attended Claudia Sheinbaum’s presidential inauguration on 1 Oct 2024. Mexico demurred and Putin sent a deputy anyway.

If signatory countries like Poland or France seek exceptions for Netanyahu, or Mongolia and Mexico for Putin, the ICC is only good for picking low-lying fruit like warlords from the Balkans or Africa. In essence, the ICC has the same enforcement mechanisms as the Vatican.

Official ICC Portrait of Jack Smith. Many Americans pinned their hopes on his success against Donald Trump when he was Special Counsel. (Credit: Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office)

Both indictments are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Sources:

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/401849

https://www.icc-cpi.int/defendant/netanyahu

https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-ukraine-icc-judges-issue-arrest-warrants-against-vladimir-vladimirovich-putin-and

Former CIA Analyst Pleads Guilty to Leaking Israeli Attack Plans on Social Platform

Asif William Rahman was arrested in Cambodia. (Photo: Guam Department of Corrections)

Asif William Rahman (34) of Vienna, VA, pleaded guilty to retaining and transmitting Top Secret National Defense Information to people who were not entitled to receive it. This information was publicly posted on a social media platform in October 2024.

Rahman was an analyst at CIA since 2016. On 17 Oct 2024, Rahman accessed and printed two Top Secret documents containing National Defense Information regarding a US foreign ally and its planned actions against a foreign adversary. Rahman removed the documents, photographed them, and transmitted them to individuals he knew were not entitled to receive them. By 18 Oct 2024, the documents appeared publicly on multiple social media platforms, complete with the classification markings.

Beginning in the spring of 2024 and continuing through Nov 2024, Rahman repeatedly accessed and printed classified National Defense Information and transmitted to multiple individuals he knew were not entitled to receive it.

Rahman pleaded guilty to two counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information related to the national defense. He is scheduled to be sentenced on 15 May 2025. He faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison for both counts in the plea agreement.

Asif William Rahman was the individual who leaked IDF attack plans on social media in an effort to prevent Israel from attacking Iran last year. Rahman is reportedly a Yale University graduate. The poor guy tried to prevent Israel from plunging the world into further war and now pays the price of his espionage. The road to hell is indeed paved with good intentions as Mr. Rahman has found out.

Sources:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-cia-analyst-pleads-guilty-transmitting-top-secret-national-defense-information

https://ifpnews.com/us-cia-official-document-israeli-attack-iran/

The Philippines: Clade II Mpox Virus Case Reported in Baguio City

Mpox symptoms. (Photo: AFP)

Residents of Baguio are urged to stay alert after the first case of mpox was reported in the city. The Baguio City Health Services Office confirmed that the patient is a 28-year-old male. His infection was caused by the less severe Clade II mpox virus, not the more deadly Clade I.

The patient completed isolation and was cured on 17 Jan 2025.

The Baguio City Mayor reassured the public, stating that there is no cause for panic or a lockdown. He strongly advised the public to follow health protocols, including wearing face masks, practicing physical distancing, maintaining hand and personal hygiene, and ensuring proper ventilation.

The Department of Health (DOH) noted that the mpox virus can be transmitted through “direct contact with skin or mucosal lesions” during activities such as talking, breathing, kissing, touching, hugging, sexual intercourse, or through respiratory secretions. It can also be contracted indirectly through contaminated bedding, clothing, linens, or other objects.

Symptoms of mpox include skin rash or mucosal lesions, fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, muscle aches, back pain, headache, and low energy.

Authorities urged the public to observe health protocols to avoid infection, such as covering the mouth when coughing or sneezing, avoiding skin-to-skin contact, staying out of crowded areas, frequent handwashing, and maintaining good airflow. Those with symptoms are advised to seek medical consultation immediately.

The WHO informs:

In 2022–2023 a global outbreak of mpox was caused by the clade IIb strain. Mpox continues to be a threat today, and an upsurge of cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries caused by clades Ia and Ib has raised concern. There are vaccines for mpox. Vaccination should be considered along with other public health interventions.

Sources:

https://tribune.net.ph/2025/01/19/baguio-reports-first-case-of-monkeypox

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mpox

Nakba Continues in West Bank: IDF Kills Ten and Wounds 40 Palestinians in Jenin

Indicted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation aimed to “defeat terrorism” in Jenin. (Photo Reuters).

No sooner than the guns go silent in Gaza, the “Crime Minister” of Israel launches an “extensive and significant” operation to “defeat terrorism” in Jenin, long seen as a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups. Ten Palestinians were killed, 40 wounded; three doctors and two nurses were among those wounded by Israeli gunfire. A medical worker told the British charity Medical Aid for Palestinians:

“I was called in [on Tuesday] due to the surge of injuries, and the moment I stepped out of the car making my way to the emergency entrance a sniper shot me below the knee. Another doctor was shot in the same spot,” he added. “The Israeli army is shooting non-stop.”

In another barbaric development in the West Bank, dozens of masked Israeli extremists attacked Palestinians in two villages east of Qalqilya, Jinsafut and al-Funduq, setting fire to Palestinian homes and cars and smashing property. At least 21 Palestinians were injured, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. Two Israelis were also shot, apparently when an Israeli police officer opened fire while responding to the violence.

A Palestinian shop in the village of Jinsafut was set on fire overnight, when suspected Israeli settlers went on the rampage. (Photo: AFP)

The far-right, pro-settler Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, welcomed the US removing sanctions from Settlers. In a post on X, Smotrich praised Trump’s “unwavering and uncompromising support for the state of Israel.”

According to the Israeli anti-settlement group, Peace Now, in 2024 settlers also established 59 new outposts, without authorization from the Israeli government. That was more than double the number from the previous year – which was also a record year for settlement outpost establishment.

Israel has built about 160 settlements housing some 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this – as did the previous Trump administration.

There is no reporting of IDF attempts to arrest the Palestinians suspected of being terrorists nor any reports of Israeli police attempting to stop the Settlers from attacking Palestinians, their homes, cars, or businesses.

The hard-working American taxpayer dollar continues to fund ethnic cleansing in Israel, as well as their world-class universal healthcare system.

Source:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg750yzdr8o

Four Types of Tigers in One Photo

From left to right, the Golden Tiger, Snow White Tiger, Bengal Tiger and White Tiger. There are nine subspecies of tigers. How the photographer got them to pose like this is uncanny. This was originally posted on Reddit. There was no information as to which sanctuary these tigers are living in. (Photo courtesy of Nature is Amazing.)

Donald Trump Resurrecting Another 19th-Century America White Supremacist Ideology

Flag of the Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC)

The 19th-century nativist “Know Nothing Party” members were rabid anti-Catholic Protestant whites and would greet each other touching their eye, nose, and then making a zero with their fingers (“Eye Nose Nothing”).

Convicted scapegrace Republican George Santos and US Senator Marco Rubio doppelganger secretly rendering the “I Know Nothing” shibboleth during his short, foul tenure in the revered chambers of the US Congress. (Photo: Public domain).

For a decade, Donald Trumpf has been subtly (and brazenly) flashing these ancient shibboleths for a decade, letting his white supremacist followers know that he is “one of them.” This coded greeting evolved to three fingers representing “W” for white and the thumb and index finger making a “P” for power. Rightwing white Catholics were no longer excluded from the club.

Trumpf’s calls for invading Panama and Greenland is a resurrection of another 19th-century white supremacist ideology that incubated with the Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC). This occult movement of Southerners (Northerners were called “Copperheads” during the Civil War) wanted to expand American hegemony and slavery into Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America.

The Knights of the Golden Circle was reportedly organized in Lexington, KY, on 4 Jul 1854, by Virginia-born Gen. George W. L. Bickley (1819–1867).

Sketch of a Knights of a Golden Circle meeting. One KGC leader claimed they had 65,000 oath-bound members.

In “The Idea of a Southern Nation” (1979), historian John McCardell called the Knights of the Golden Circle “that most bizarre offshoot of Southern expansionism.“

With Cuba and Mexico now off limits, vulnerable Panama because of its economic and national security relevancy is now an expansionist target, as well as mineral-rich Greenland. Global warming is making Greenland’s under-tundra resources more accessible, something that Tesla, Apple, and other hi-tech companies would like easy, inexpensive access to. Knowingly or unknowingly, Trumpf is tapping into a 19th-century expansionist cult whose ideas somehow still resonates with some white Republicans.

Had the Confederacy won the American Civil War. (Map courtesy of imaginarymaps.com)

In response to Trumpf’s idiotic blathering, the King of Denmark, Head-of-State of a loyal NATO ally and important intelligence partner, changed the 500-year-old royal Court of Arms to prominently include Greenland and the Faroe Islands:

Whether this helps the situation for Greenland and Denmark remains to be seen. Donald Trumpf Jr. just visited Greenland on Tuesday in what he called a “personal day trip.” He then posted a photo with a group of locals in a bar wearing pro-Trump caps, delivering them a message on behalf of the paterfamilias: ‘We’re going to treat you well.’

(Photo: Reuters)

Nota Bene: Danes are the only other people in the world that celebrates America’s Independence Day:

Rebild National Park Society is the first Danish-American friendship association and has existed for more than 100 years. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin is savoring every second of this.

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Know-Nothing-party

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/06/danish-king-changes-coat-of-arms-in-apparent-rebuke-to-donald-trump

Ukraine: Two Russian High Value Targets (HVTs) Eliminated in Storm Shadow Missile Attack

The moment two Russian HVTs joined the Choir Invisible from their command post in Lgov, Kursk (Credit: East2West)

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is reaching its third terrible year, the Ukrainian military is stubbornly and successfully fighting off Vladimir Putin’s hegemonic designs on its Slavic neighbor. Kiev recently unleashed a (UK-manufactured) Storm Shadow missile attack targeting Russian HVTs hiding in a bunker in Kursk on 30 Dec 2024. At least 30 Russians were WIA.

Among those rendered ineffective were Russian Lieutenant Colonel Valery Tereshchenko, chief of communications of the 76th Pskov Airborne Division, and Colonel Pavel Maletsky, commander of 656th separate engineer-sapper battalion.

The late Russian Colonel Pavel Maletsky. (Credit: East2West)

The late Lt-Col Valery Tereshchenko. (Credit: East2West)

The UK, like the US, has done yeoman’s work helping the Ukrainians against Russia. But only the UK and NATO will continue assisting Kiev after the Trumpf/Putin/Musk cabal assumes power in two weeks. Expect the Ukrainian military to exert maximum force against the Russian invaders until the last possible minute. Because of the quickly compressing timetable, the Ukrainian sabotage network inside Russia may accelerate plans to assassinate HVTs before any ceasefire. Last year, the Ukrainian GUR may have done the US a tremendous service by neutralizing Lt-General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s CBRN defense unit who was also under investigation for alleged war crimes by the Kiev government.

Sources:

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/two-high-ranking-russian-officials-killed-in-missile-attack-as-ukraine-fires-at/

https://www.thesun.co.uk

https://apnews.com/article/russia-explosion-head-of-nuclear-defense-forces-killed-9656bce946a9f552454df9debe5fbd18

IDF Soldier Flees Brazil Amid Gaza War Crimes Investigation

An Israeli soldier accused of committing war crimes in Gaza has fled Brazil where he was vacationing when the case was brought against him in the South American country.

The unidentified soldier is accused of participating in the mass demolition of civilian homes in Gaza amid Israel’s war against Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.

An Israeli border police officer stands guard as municipality workers demolish a Palestinian house. (Image by Sebastian Scheiner / AP Photo.)

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid lambasted the need for a soldier to flee a country where they were vacationing in the dark of night to evade investigation as “a huge political failure.”

“How did we get to the point where the Palestinians are better than the Israeli government in the international arena?” Yair Lapid asked on X.

Palestinians mourning over the body of a relative killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza, 6 Jan 2025. (Photo: Dawoud Abu Alkas / Reuters)

Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that a total of 45,854 combatants and civilians have been killed and 109,139 wounded, injured, or maimed in Israel’s Nakba against the Palestinians following the 7 Oct 2023 surprise attack which resulted in 1,269 Israelis deaths and 250 captives taken for a prisoner swap.

On 21 Nov 2024, the ICC at the Hague issued an international arrest warrant for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes. Similarly, on 17 Mar 2023 the ICC had issued a warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

These indictments are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Sources:

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2025/01/06/soldier-flees-Brazil/8791736147621/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/1/6/live-israel-pounds-gaza-as-ceasefire-talks-with-hamas-gains-momentum?update=3425712

https://www.icc-cpi.int/defendant/netanyahu

https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-ukraine-icc-judges-issue-arrest-warrants-against-vladimir-vladimirovich-putin-and

US Sanctions Alleged War Criminals in Sudan

The US Treasury Dept sanctioned the leader of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Gen. Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousafor for committing genocide in the Northeast African nation’s nearly two-year-old civil war.

USSECSTATE Antony Blinken announced the largely symbolic genocide determination. The US has repeatedly declared that war crimes have been committed by both warring parties in Sudan’s civil war, but Blinken alleged that the RSF’s systematic murder and sexual violence targeting individuals based on their ethnicity now meets the high threshold of genocide.

US Treasury sanction targets include the paramilitary weapons supplier Abu Dharr Abdul Nabi Habiballa Ahmmed and seven related companies.

Alleged war criminal RSF commander Gen. Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa.

This is an ethnic civil war between “riverine Arabs” from the former ruling class in Khartoum and “Darfur Arabs.” These “Darfur Arabs” were considered backwards and “Africanized” by the former rulers. But “Darfur Arabs” comprise the RSF base and in turn dislike the former Khartoum ruling class. An estimated 61,000-150,000 have been killed, creating 2,170,592 refugees, while internally displacing 7,720,119 people. Russia is duplicitously supplying both sides of the conflict.

Rapid Support Forces (RSF)

Sources:

https://www.state.gov/genocide-determination-in-sudan-and-imposing-accountability-measures/

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2772

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/russia-sudan-war-saf-rsf-hedges-bets-both-sides-support

Filipino Fishermen Capture Suspected Chinese Underwater Spy Drone

Soldiers gather around the Chinese-made submersible drone recovered near San Pascual, Masbate on 30 Dec 2024. (Photo: PNP-Bicol)

Local fishermen hauled in a six-foot-long yellow underwater drone off the coast in the Philippines that police believe may have come from a Chinese submarine.

Three fishermen found the bright yellow drone about six miles off the coast of San Pascual in Masbate province, police said in a release posted on Facebook.

The sea drone carried the markings – “HY-119” – referring to “underwater navigation and communication system,” police said.

According to manufacturer sources, the Sea Wing can carry Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) sensors, as well as turbulence meter, Turbidimeter, chlorophyll sensor, dissolved oxygen sensor, nitrate and other biochemical sensors. It can also carry Acoustic sensors such as ADCP (acoustic Doppler current profile), underwater acoustic communication and hydrophones, as well as naval and military relevance.

USIC and naval personnel will have an opportunity to exploit this drone. Besides the Defense Attache office in Manila, US experts are in nearby Japan and South Korea.

Sources:

https://www.ibtimes.com/china-spy-drone-captured-phillippines-3757793

http://www.hisutton.com/Chinese-Sea-Wing-Submarine-Drone.html

Canada: The CBSA Announces First-Ever Canadian Land Pre-Clearance Operation in US

From the Government of Canada:

“The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced its intention to launch its first preclearance operation in 2025. Preclearance supports the national security and economic prosperity of both Canada and the US by facilitating the secure and efficient movement of people and goods across the border.

The initiative will have Canadian border services officers working at a shared facility at the Cannon Corners port of entry in New York (adjacent to the Covey Hill, QC port of entry). For the two-year duration of the operation, travelers entering Canada will go through Cannon Corners instead of the Covey Hill port of entry, which will be closed to travelers during that time.”

(Map: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/)

“At the preclearance site, Canadian officers will examine travelers and goods to decide whether they are admissible into Canada, as they currently do at ports of entry in Canada. This includes screening for dangerous goods, such as firearms and drugs, before they leave the US. While officers will be able to conduct most types of immigration processing at this site, claims for refugee protection cannot be processed at preclearance. Travelers seeking refugee protection in Canada will need to use a Canadian port of entry.”

Cannon Corners, NY is west of the major Champlain POE (US I-87/ Canada I-15).

“Updates on the initiative and launch date will be shared on the CBSA’s website and social media platforms.

Quote from The Honorable David J. McGuinty, Minister of Public Safety:

“Today’s announcement demonstrates our shared commitment with the United States to bolster border security and streamline the flow of legitimate trade and travel between our two countries. Preclearance is yet another example of how Canada and the United States work together every day to intercept security threats early, while delivering large-scale economic benefits for Canadians and Americans.”

Quick facts:

The Preclearance in the US Regulations provide CBSA officers with the necessary authorities to carry out immigration services at preclearance sites in the US.

The US currently has preclearance operations at eight Canadian airports.

Canada is investing $1.3 billion to bolster security at the border and strengthen the immigration system, all while keeping Canadians safe.

Remarkable that the Canadian government is spending so many resources to placate the childish and boorish Donald Trumpf. Creating discord within NATO allies and Western countries is exactly what Russian President Vladimir Putin wants and Trumpf is following his instructions perfectly. The present discourse in some American circles that somehow Trumpf is responsible for PM Justin Trudeau’s resignation as head of the Liberal Party are inaccurate. The PM was dealing with domestic issues such as housing, immigration, and strengthening Canada’s national healthcare system long before Trumpf’s horrific electoral win this past Nov 2024.

Sources:

https://www.canada.ca/en/border-services-agency/news/2025/01/the-cbsa-announces-first-canadian-land-preclearance-operation-in-the-us.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4306292/The-border-town-immigrants-creeping-Canada.html

China: HMPV Virus Outbreak

Masked people walk through a station in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: 3 February 3, 2020, with an image of a virus inset by LewisTse Pui Lung / Rost-9D/iStock / Getty Images Plus / Canva)

News reports and social media posts are warning of a new outbreak of a little-known virus called human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China, but officials are yet to confirm this.

Instead, official reports from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that rates of multiple flu-like illnesses are on the rise in China.

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a virus that can cause flu-like illness in people of all ages, although some people are more at risk, including young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems.

The virus was only discovered as recently as 2001, but it is in the same family as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): another flu-like virus.

https://twitter.com/COVID19_disease/status/1874481684122607783

There is not enough information from reliable sources on the extent and severity of a possible HMPV outbreak in China to accurately predict the risk of a pandemic.

However, this is a virus that already circulates among populations in China, the US and elsewhere, so there is more herd immunity against it than there would be against a novel virus, such as COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic.

(Photo: Getty Images)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly called on Beijing to share more information on the 2019 COVID outbreak which they have yet to do. Worldwide, there have been 777,074,803 confirmed cases of the disease, which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and more than seven million deaths. Information sharing and cooperation will save lives for any epidemic, but Beijing is not known for its transparency so rumors will continue to circulate that SARS-CoV-2 was a leaked Chinese biological weapon.

Sources:

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/12/1158676

https://www.newsweek.com/human-metapneumovirus-hmpv-china-outbreak-explainer-2009126

Cat Jumps in Every Shower Her Mom Takes Shower

Lebanon: Free-Fire Zone for Right-Wing Likud Party and IDF; 13 Killed, 57 Wounded in Latest Attack

At least 13 people were killed and 57 wounded in an IDF strike near Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut, just as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Tel Aviv for the 11th time to uselessly meet with indicted war criminal Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. The death toll could be higher.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his ruling Likud party have turned Lebanon into a free-fire zone in their attempts at liquidating members of Lebanese Hezbollah. This blood-thirsty cabal has no regard for collateral damage whatsoever. The latest strike hit the Al Janah district of the capital where the main government-run Rafik Hariri University Hospital is located, Lebanon‘s Ministry of Public Health said in an update on X citing its Public Health Emergency Operations Center.

At least 13 people were killed and 57 wounded in this IDF strike near Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut. (Photo: Wael Hamzeh EPA/EFE)

Rescue teams were continuing to comb through the rubble Tuesday morning in the hope of finding survivors from at least three destroyed medium-rise buildings as well as other buildings badly damaged in the strike in the neighborhood, one of Bierut’s poorest.

However, a second hospital was evacuated after the IDF alleged it housed a secret underground bunker used by Hezbollah to store cash, sparking panic that an airstrike could be imminent.

The Israeli army also hit the coastal city of Tyre with ten rounds of strikes after calling on residents of the al-Hawsh neighborhood to evacuate.

Hezbollah counter-attacked against Israeli territory firing around 80 “projectiles” across the border, causing no injuries or damage, only tripping loud air-raid sirens.

Lebanese Hezbollah confirmed that it was responsible for a failed attempt over the weekend to attack Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu‘s private residence in Caesarea with three explosive drones.

The announcement at a press briefing in Beirut came as Netanyahu sat down for talks with Blinken with Netanyahu’s office posting a photo on social media of the pair in the Israeli leader’s office in Jerusalem.

Blinken will earnestly try to kickstart negotiations for a cease-fire in Gaza to release the remaining hostages and pressure Israel to improve humanitarian aid access in Gaza after threatening to halt weapons shipments over the issue.

The State Department said in a statement that during his four-day trip, which will also take in other capitals in the region, Blinken would also be discussing the need to “reach a diplomatic resolution to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that fully implements UN Security Council Resolution 1701” and allowed civilians on both sides of the Blue Line to return to their homes.

“The Secretary will reaffirm the US commitment to work with partners across the region to de-escalate tensions and provide lasting stability,” the department said.

Since Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, 1.2 million people have been displaced, 2,412 people killed (including 127 children), and 11,267 people wounded. The next generation of anti-Israelis and antisemites have been well-incubated by the Likudniks.

Remarkably, Israel apologized for killing three Lebanese Army soldiers last weekend. The Lebanese Army is not a party to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The multi-faith manned Lebanese Army does not support Israel’s invasion of its country and refers to them as the “enemy.” Lebanon’s army receives US military and financial assistance (for example, in 2021 the US provided $236 million. This is a mere drop in the bucket relative to what Israel has received since 1950. See State Dept info on US aid to Lebanon below).

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, one of the most competent members of the Biden Administration and a man with a reputation for intellect and decency, must be holding his nose every time he meets with the odious Prime Minister of Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu has been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the State of Israel has been cited for war crimes at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), both august bodies located near each other at the Hague.

This man is patiently waiting for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. He is Karim Khan KC, the Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague. Americans should be familiar with the ICC. Special Counsel Jack Smith completed his assignment at the ICC prosecuting war criminals before returning to the US to prosecute Donald Trump for his alleged crimes against the American people. (Photo: Office of the Prosecutor via BBC).

Sources:

At least 13 killed, 57 injured in Israeli airstrike near Beirut hospital as Blinken arrives in Israel – UPI.com

UN world court calls for prevention of genocidal acts in Gaza | UN News

Israel Apologizes After Strike Kills 3 Lebanese Soldiers – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

U.S. Security Cooperation With Lebanon – United States Department of State

Ukraine Military Intelligence: Russian Pilot Involved in Deadly Kremenchuk Strike ‘Eliminated’

The late Russian Air Force Colonel Dmitry Golenkov was an unindicted war criminal.

Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) announced on 21 Oct the “elimination” of Russian military pilot Dmitry Golenkov, a chief of staff in Russia’s 52nd heavy bomber aviation regiment who was involved in a deadly missile attack on a shopping center in Ukraine’s Kremenchuk in June 2022. The attack, carried out using Tu-22M3 bombers, resulted in 22 deaths and dozens of injuries among the nearly 1,000 civilians present at the Amstor shopping center at the time.

Rescuers working sift through rubble at the Amstor shopping center in Kremenchuk after it was hit by a Russian missile strike on 27 Jun 2022. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine / AFP

HUR also linked Golenkov to the January 2023 missile attack on a residential building in the city of Dnipro, which killed 46 people, including six children. The intelligence agency reported that Golenkov’s body was found with head injuries, possibly inflicted with a hammer, emphasizing “fair retribution for every war crime.” Russia had claimed the June 2022 attack targeted military storage facilities near Kremenchuk, not the civilian center. 

Ukraine’s espionage capabilities are constantly improving. Rather than attempt an abduction and bring this killer to face justice in a war crimes trial in Kiev, Colonel Golenkov was rendered ineffective on Russian soil and his unknown assailants have disappeared.

Source:

Kyiv Says Russian Pilot Involved In Deadly Kremenchuk Strike ‘Eliminated’ (rferl.org)

Food Safety Alert: McDonald’s Quarter Pounder Hamburgers

McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers are making people sick, with most illnesses in Colorado and Nebraska. At least 49 illnesses have been reported across ten states, including one death of an older person. Ten people have been hospitalized, including a child who had hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious complication that can develop from an E. coli infection.

CDC, FDA, USDA FSIS, and public health officials in multiple states are investigating an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections. Most people in this outbreak are reporting eating the Quarter Pounder hamburger at McDonald’s before becoming sick. It is not yet known which specific food ingredient is contaminated.

McDonald’s is collaborating with investigation partners to determine what food ingredient in Quarter Pounders is making people sick. McDonald’s stopped using fresh slivered onions and quarter pound beef patties in several states while the investigation is ongoing to identify the ingredient causing illness.

McDonald’s recently opened a lawsuit against US beef suppliers for price-fixing and GOP hopeful Donald Trump completed a photo-op at a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania which was ridiculed at many levels. As a Republican strategist once said, “everything Trump touches, dies.”

Sources:

E. coli Outbreak Linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders | E. coli infection | CDC

McDonald’s sues major beef producers in US price-fixing lawsuit | Reuters

South Korea May Send Weapons to Ukraine to Counter North Korea’s Troop Deployments

South Korea is a top-ten weapons producer in the world. Pictured above is the K239 Chunmoo, a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS). (Photo: Hanwha Defense / Armaments Agency)

South Korea could send weapons to Ukraine as part of “phased measures” it vowed to take against North Korea and Russia over their deepening military cooperation, a senior presidential official said.

The comment came after South Korea’s deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo told a news conference that the South Korean government demanded that Pyongyang immediately withdraw troops it sent to Russia to help in the war with Ukraine.

“If the illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia continues, [we] will not stand by but respond firmly in collaboration with the international community,” Kim said, warning of “phased measures” in response to the level of their military ties.

A senior presidential official told reporters that the measures could include sending weapons for defense and attack, but the official did not elaborate. 

South Korea’s spy agency said last week that the North had decided to send about 12,000 troops to help Russia with its war in Ukraine, and had already dispatched 1,500 soldiers to Vladivostok for training.

18 of them have already deserted their posts in Russia. (Photo: ukranews.com)

North Korea has denied the report, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed speculation of North Korean troops going to Ukraine as “fake news.”

South Korea has a long-standing policy of not supplying weapons to countries fighting wars and has maintained that stance with Ukraine, sending only humanitarian aid.

The official’s remarks came in response to the Ukrainian envoy’s comment that the North was planning to soon send “large-scale” regular troops to help Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine.

Russia said it would continue to strengthen ties with North Korea, while declining to confirm South Korea’s report. The US said it could not confirm the report, while North Korea’s state-run media outlets had remained silent at time of publication.

North Korea and Russia have moved closer over the past year or more amid widespread suspicion that North Korea has supplied conventional weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine in return for military and economic assistance. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly submitted a bill to the lower house of parliament on Monday to ratify a treaty to raise its relationship with North Korea to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The change was agreed by Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on 19 Jun in Pyongyang after summit talks during the Russian president’s state visit.   

The new partnership includes a mutual defense assistance clause that would apply in the case of “aggression” against one of the signatories.

Both raging wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are escalating and Vladimir Putin miscalculated the South Korean response. His attempt at disguising the North Koreans as Siberian Buryats was seen through and the Ukrainians could benefit greatly from the effective mass casualty-causing South Korean weapons. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is paralleling the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War, with allies sending arms and personnel in a massive testing ground and battlefield meat-grinder. The North Korean “volunteers” will become cannon-fodder in “meat attacks” when they encounter tired, but combat-hardened and experienced Ukrainian soldiers like the Amazon pictured below and the dense intelligence web targeting them.

Anastasia Blyshchyk said she was initially rebuffed when she volunteered to fight. “I heard, ‘You’re a woman, you need to make babies, go home.’” Photo: Emile Ducke for The New York Times

While the Biden Administration cannot persuade Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-Un, or the Iranian leadership to de-escalate, Pres. Biden can talk to his so-called “ally” to a achieve a ceasefire in the Middle East. And like Tehran, Moscow, and Pyongyang, the Likud regime is not cooperating with him either. And hands down the US is Israel’s greatest benefactor in the world. Prolonged hostilities defer Netanyahu’s bribery and corruption trial and enfeebles the Biden Administration. Democratic Party leaders are right to suspect that Netanyahu wants to continue hostilities in the Middle East, as well as a right-wing GOP victory this November. Right-wingers like Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are birds of the same feather, like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un.

Sources:

Seoul could send weapons to Ukraine to counter North Korea’s troop deployments — Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

South Korea summons Russian envoy to urge it to stop North Korean Ukraine involvement

North Korea sending troops to aid Russia in Ukraine war: South’s spy agency

Russia forming North Korean battalion amid soldier shortage: reportOpinion | Ukrainian Women Fight for Their Own Liberation – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

American Warzone: Five Dead in Shooting at Home in Washington State; Teenager Arrested

Americans suffer wartime casualties every year because of the proliferation of firearms in the US. According to the CDC, in 2022 there were more than 48,000 firearm-related deaths in the US.

Law enforcement officials found five people killed in a shooting inside a home southeast of Seattle on Monday morning and took a teenager into custody.

Several people called 911 around 5AM to report a shooting in Fall City, WA.

(Google Maps)

Arriving deputies immediately took one teen into custody while another teenager who had been hurt was taken to a Seattle hospital. Both teens live at the house.

Deputies entering the home found the bodies of five people. Two were adults and three were described as young teenagers. No names have been released yet.

“Once bodies were discovered, clearly we understand that this is a hugely significant crime scene,” the King County Sheriff’s office said.

The shooting appears to involve members of a family, but authorities didn’t yet know how they were related. There was no ongoing threat to the community.

“I have no reason to think that there will be any additional arrests,” said the sheriff’s department.

The teen in custody was booked into King County’s juvenile detention facility and will be arraigned on Tuesday or Wednesday.

A neighbor told KING-TV that a couple and their five children lived in the home.

“I’m just in total shock, I keep bursting into tears,” Lynne Trowern, told the news outlet.

King County Councilmember Sarah Perry said the shooting involved a family of seven people.

Sheriff Patricia Cole-Tindall told KING-TV that she was “very sad, very disturbed” to learn about the shooting.

Guns are in the households of an estimated 42.1% of Washington state residents. In 2021, 165,534 firearms licenses were recorded in the state. In an average year, 887 people die and 1,245 are wounded by guns in Washington State. Gun violence costs Washington $1,559 per resident each year. Gun deaths and injuries cost Washington $11.9 billion each year, of which $171.7 million is paid by taxpayers.

Sources:

Teen in custody after 5 found dead in shooting at home in Washington state (voanews.com)

Gun-Violence-in-Washington-2024-05.pdf (everystat.org)

11. Washington – Gun map: Ownership by state – statistics and rates (cbsnews.com)

https://www.cdc.gov/firearm-violence/data-research/facts-stats/index.html

Leptospirosis Cases Rising in Philippines

Est. population 118,277,063; GDP per capita: $9,700 (2023 est.) Map and data: CIA

The Philippines continues to log more leptospirosis cases and deaths. From January to October, the Philippines Dept of Health recorded 5,835 cases, 16 per cent more than in the same period last year. Meanwhile, 509 deaths have been reported across the country.

“As we expect more rain to come, we must always be mindful of what to do especially if there is flooding. Avoid floodwaters as much as possible,” Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said. Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection commonly spread through water contaminated with animal urine.

Humans become infected through direct contact with the urine of infected animals or with a urine-contaminated environment. Cases of leptospirosis can increase after floods when people may have to wade through contaminated water.

Without treatment, leptospirosis in people can lead to kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, trouble breathing, and even death.

About one million cases in people occur around the world each year, with nearly 60,000 deaths. Leptospirosis has been reported throughout the US. Leptospirosis is treated with antibiotics, such as doxycycline or penicillin.

Residents wade across a flooded street with their belongings in Sangli in Western Maharashtra, India. They are vulnerable to a host of water-borne diseases. (Undated photo: PTI)

Leptospirosis and other water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery will continue afflicting people in flood-prone areas. The ubiquitous mosquito will also thrive in these wetlands, becoming vectors for Zika, Chikungunya, Dengue, and Malaria. Mankind needs pesticides to combat these pests, but at the same time we see that some pesticide residues can contaminate water supplies, as we have seen in Martinique and France.

Sources:

https://assamtribune.com/health-and-fitness/leptospirosis-cases-continue-to-rise-in-the-philippines-1555127?infinitescroll=1

About Leptospirosis | Leptospirosis | CDC

View from Europe: Donald Trump’s Unpredictable Actions Fuel Concern for his Mental and Cognitive Health

Copyright John Bazemore/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved.

With a few weeks to go before the presidential election, European writer Andrew Naughtie summarized concerns about Donald Trump mental and cognitive health.  

“In recent weeks, Trump has been behaving particularly oddly, rambling and slurring his words in increasingly long-winded speeches and at one point remaining on the stage after an event to spend half an hour silently dancing to a mournful playlist.

One particularly strange appearance lately saw him deliver a five-minute-plus monologue about the late golfer Arnold Palmer, in the course of which he alluded to other linksmen’s astonishment at the size of Palmer’s genitalia.”

Mr Naughtie further writes:

“Trump’s campaign has also declined to release his medical records and pulled him out of numerous public events and interviews, fueling speculation that he is “exhausted” and that they are trying to limit opportunities for him to give a particularly poor performance.

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris’s campaign is leaning hard into the idea that Trump is unfit to be president not just because of his previous conduct but because he is not psychologically up to the task.”

“It is clear: Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged,” Vice-President Kamala Harris said at a recent campaign stop. “And he is seeking unchecked power.”

In the 2016 presidential campaign, Democratic candidate Senator Hilary Clinton said:

“I will leave it for psychiatrists to explain [Trump’s] affection for tyrants.”

Mr Naughtie writes there was a great debate in the American psychiatric and psychological establishment over whether or not it was ethical for clinicians to diagnose Donald Trump with a personality disorder from afar without examining him in person.

He wrote that this argument dates back to the 1964 election when more than 1,000 psychiatrists told a survey that, in their professional opinion, then-Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater was unfit for office. This is called a “duty to warn.”

Mr. Naughtie concludes:

“Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, frequently deride Harris as intellectually subnormal, with Trump going so far as to deride her as “crazy” and “nuts”. While this may play well with their voters, there is so far no sign of any serious discussion about the state of Harris’s mental health.

The vice president has also released her medical records, which show her to be in excellent physical health besides minor myopia and seasonal allergies — and despite all the speculation about his physical and mental exhaustion, there is so far no indication that Trump will be releasing his.”

Many Americans are dumb-founded that this election could be even this close between a convicted felon who was twice impeached as President and a former California Attorney-General, US Senator, and current VPOTUS. The only explanation is that whites, the bulk of the Republican Party, have no choice but to support Donald Trump, an avatar of white supremacy or “whiteness,” regardless of the catastrophic social and economic policies outlined in Project 2025 or his tremendous panoptic character flaws. Both Trump and Vance perpetrate lies about Haitian refugees eating pets or spread lies about Kamala Harris or Ken Walz as a distraction. Discussing the Christian Talibanization of America embodied in Project 2025 may turn off enough white female Republican voters in battleground states who have already lost reproductive rights thanks to the reactionary US Supreme Court.

Source:

Donald Trump’s unpredictable actions fuel concern for his mental and cognitive health | Euronews

Georgia Man Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement with Weapon and Other Charges During 6 Jan 2021 Assault on US Capitol

Cylester Maxwell at the Stop the Steal rally on 6 Jan 2021. (Photo: FBI)

Cylester Maxwell (42) of Alpharetta, GA was arrested by the FBI and charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon and civil disorder during the 6 Jan 2021 assault on the US Capitol.

Maxwell was identified in open-source video footage on 6 Jan 2021, in Washington, DC marching with a crowd of rioters away from the “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse and toward the Capitol building. By approximately 1:35 PM Maxwell made it onto restricted Capitol grounds positioned near the front of the crowd confronting a police line on the West Plaza near the Media Tower erected in front of the Inaugural Stage.

Maxwell, together with other members of the mob, shoved an eight feet tall and ten feet wide sign into the line of police like a battering ram. Several seconds later, after the sign was pushed into the officers, Maxwell let go of it and grabbed and pulled a barricade away from the police line.  

(Photo: FBI)

Maxwell pulled another bike rack barricade away from the police and successfully broke through the West Plaza police line. He then remained on or near the West Plaza for some time as rioters flooded the Capitol’s Lower and Upper West Terraces.

In the 45 months since 6 Jan 2021, more than 1,532 suspects have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to attacking the US Capitol, including more than 571 seditionists charged with feloniously assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The FBI investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

This brontosaurus heeded the call of idiotic call of Donald Trump, behaved violently at his behest, and now has thrown his life away listening to the ex-President, whose mental fitness is being questioned.

A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Sources:

District of Columbia | Georgia Man Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement with a Weapon and Other Charges During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

New Zealand Airport Sets Time Limit on Goodbyes and Hugs

The cuddle cap was imposed in Sep 2024 to “keep things moving smoothly” in the redesigned passenger drop-off area outside the airport, CEO Dan De Bono told the AP. It was the airport’s way of reminding people that the zone was for “quick farewells” only. (Photo: AP)

Emotional farewells are a common sight at airports, but travelers leaving the New Zealand city of Dunedin will have to be quick. A new three-minute time limit on goodbye hugs in the airport’s drop-off area is intended to prevent lingering cuddles from causing traffic jams.

“Max hug time three minutes,” warn signs outside the terminal, adding that those seeking “fonder farewells” should head to the airport’s parking lot instead.

(Map: ontheworldmap.com)

The signs had polarized social media users, De Bono said.

AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports on a ‘hug cap’ imposed at a New Zealand airport.

“We were accused of breaching basic human rights and how dare we limit how long someone can have a hug for,” he said, adding that others had welcomed the change.

The signs were meant as an alternative to those at other airports warning of wheel clamping or fines for drivers parked in drop-off areas. Some in Britain have imposed fees for all drop-offs — however brief.

Dunedin’s airport — a modest terminal serving a city of 135,000 people on New Zealand’s South Island — preferred a “quirky” approach, De Bono said.

Three minutes was “plenty of time to pull up, say farewell to your loved ones and move on,” he said. “The time limit is really a nicer way of saying, you know, get on with it.”

A 20-second hug is long enough to release the wellbeing-boosting hormones oxytocin and serotonin, De Bono said. Anything longer was “really awkward.”

But passengers need not worry unduly about enforcement. “We do not have hug police,” De Bono said.

Visitors might, however, be asked to move their lingering embraces to the parking lot, where they can cuddle free of charge for up to 15 minutes.

At age 57, Lynda Perry has become the oldest ‘new’ constable in the history of the Royal New Zealand Police College. Luckily, she won’t be enforcing any hug violations at the airport.

Source:

New Zealand airport wants you to hug goodbye faster | AP News