Ukraine Targets Moscow in ‘One of Largest Ever’ Drone Attacks

Moscow’s air defenses are still holding firm for the moment. Photo: Julius Silver,Pexels.com

Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on Moscow, as it presses on with a major incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. Russian air defence forces shot down 11 drones over Moscow and its surrounding region. No damage or casualties were reported. Drone attacks on Moscow are rare. Ukraine’s latest attempt to target the Russian capital appeared to be larger than an attack in May 2023, when at least eight drones were intercepted.

Following the assault on Moscow, temporary restrictions were imposed overnight at Moscow’s Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports, but all three later returned to normal operations.

Source:

Ukraine targets Moscow in ‘one of largest ever’ drone attacks | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera

Latvian National Extradited for Illegally Exporting Advanced US-Origin Aircraft Technology to Russia

Upgraded Tu-160M strategic bomber. (Photo: TASS)

Oleg Chistyakov AKA Olegs Čitsjakovs (55) was extradited from Latvia to a federal court in Kansas City, KS. Chistyakov allegedly conspired with US citizens Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky (61) and Douglas Edward Robertson (56) to facilitate the sale, repair and shipment of US-origin avionics equipment to customers in Russia and other countries that operate Russian-built aircraft. Buyanovksy and Robertson were charged and arrested in March 2023 and have both pleaded guilty. Buyanovsky is scheduled to be sentenced on 14 Nov; Robertson on 3 Oct.

Chistyakov is charged with conspiracy, Export Control Reform Act violations, smuggling, and money laundering. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and up to a $1 million fine.

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

Source:

Office of Public Affairs | Latvian National Extradited for Scheme to Illegally Export Advanced U.S.-Origin Aircraft Technology to Russia | United States Department of Justice

The War in Gaza Is Creating Thousands of Orphans as Polio Outbreak Looms

UN experts estimate that at least 19,000 children are now surviving with extended families, hospital staff, volunteers, or managing by themselves. Many of Gaza’s newly orphaned children are injured, traumatized, and haunted by memories of their parents. Medical staff say children are left to roam hospital hallways and fend for themselves. Hospitals label them “wounded child, no surviving family.” Neonatal units are caring for unclaimed babies and surgeons have amputated limbs from many orphans who said “they had no one to hold their hands or comfort them.”

Nearly all of the territory’s 2.4 million people have been displaced at least once during the war. On top of all this abject misery, the UN reports an outbreak of the polio virus which was polio-free for 25 years. A supply chain of refrigeration units and unfettered access to the Gaza Strip would be necessary to contain this virus.

Abdullah Akeila (LF) and his brother Ahmed (R) in Gaza. The boys are aching to see their parents again and are convinced it will happen as soon as they can go home. (Photo: Bilal Shbair for the New York Times).

Sources:

War-battered Gaza Faces Uphill Battle Against Polio | IBTimes

The War in Gaza Is Making Thousands of Orphans – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Police Brutality in US Continues: South Carolina Deputy Charged with Killing Unarmed Man, Letting Police Dog Maul Another Innocent Man

Former deputy Treyvon Jonathan Sellers in an undated photo.

A deputy in South Carolina has been charged with voluntary manslaughter and assault after he shot an unarmed suspect five times, killing him, while letting his police dog maul a different, innocent person.

State agents arrested former Florence County deputy Treyvon Jonathan Sellers (29). He was on leave after the 26 May shooting and was fired in July after an arrest in an unrelated domestic violence case. Sellers was chasing 43-year-old William Dwayne Rankin when Rankin crashed into a tree and ran into a nearby home. Sellers went into the home through the back door unannounced with his unleashed police dog. The ex-deputy then ordered the dog to attack anyone in the house. The dog bit Johnny Cooper, the owner of the home, who wasn’t involved in the chase and didn’t know Sellers. While the dog attacked Mr. Cooper, Sellers shot Rankin five times as he lay on a couch.

Sellers failed to give the dog the right commands to stop attacking and the homeowner was mauled for approximately 87 seconds, suffering permanent injuries to his left arm and shoulder. Sellers was charged with voluntary manslaughter in Rankin’s death and faces two to 30 years in prison if convicted. He was also charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature in the dog’s attack and faces up to 20 years if convicted. The fate of the police dog is not yet known.

Source:

South Carolina deputy charged with killing unarmed man, letting police dog maul someone else – CBS News

Mexico to Charge Drug Lord for Delivering Another Drug Lord to US

A plane believed to have carried Mexican drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez is seen on the tarmac of the Dona Ana County private airport, in Santa Teresa, NM, 25 July 2024.

The strange saga of how two Mexican drug lords were detained after landing in a plane in the US in July just got stranger. The Mexican government is bringing charges against Joaquín Guzmán López, the leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel founded by his father, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, because he kidnapped Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada — an older drug boss from a rival faction of the cartel — forcing him onto the plane and flying to an airport near El Paso, TX.

The younger Guzmán apparently intended to turn himself in to US authorities, but may have brought Zambada along as a prize to sweeten any plea deal. Zambada had trusted Guzmán and accompanied him to a meeting to help iron out a fierce rivalry between two Mexican politicians.

Zambada was known for eluding capture for decades because of his incredibly tight, loyal, and sophisticated personal security apparatus. Joaquin Guzman Lopez may be charged with treason. According to Mexico’s criminal code, treason is committed “by those who illegally abduct a person in Mexico in order to hand them over to authorities of another country.”

These Mexican drug cartels smuggle millions of doses of the deadly opioid fentanyl into the US, causing about 70,000 overdose deaths each year.

Source:

Mexico to charge drug lord for delivering another drug lord to US (voanews.com)

ACLU Sues Medford, Oregon for Spying on Activists

0n 1 Jun 2020 Chris Luz, the mayor of the neighboring town of Phoenix, drove through a crowd of BLM protesters in Medford, OR. He was accused of intentionally hitting at least one woman with his car. Neither he nor the protestor were charged. (Imagery: The UK Daily Mail)

The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon has sued the city of Medford, accusing the Police Department of “illegally spying” on “progressive political activists.”

The ACLU filed the lawsuit claiming the department “illegally collected information on individuals and groups engaged in racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive justice, housing justice, harm reduction, decriminalization, government transparency and environmental advocacy, when no crime had been committed. Police surveillance of protected political activities is not only unlawful; it is incompatible with life in a free society.”

The complaint, filed on behalf of Rogue Valley Pepper Shakers, Stabbin Wagon and Melissa Jones, claims police collected intelligence from social media accounts on progressive groups and events, including a Juneteenth drive-in movie at the YMCA and in 2022 before the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and federal abortion rights.

Oregon state law bans police from “collecting or maintaining information about the political, religious, or social views and associations or activities of people who are not reasonably suspected of criminal activity.”

This unwarranted police surveillance is right out of Belarussian Supremo Alexander Lukashenko’s playbook or J. Edgar Hoover’s notorious COINTELPRO and has no place whatsoever in American society.

Sources:

https://www.aclu-or.org/

ACLU sues Medford, Ore.; accuses police of ‘spying’ on activists – UPI.com

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8440541/Driver-drove-crowd-Oregon-protesters-allegedly-neighboring-towns-MAYOR.html

https://ktvl.com/news/local/da-clears-phoenix-mayor-of-wrongdoing-in-incident-at-protest-protester-also-not-charged

City of Medford Names New Police Chief City of Medford (medfordoregon.gov)

New York Man Arrested for Operating as an Illegal Agent of the Chinese Government in the US

Yuanjun Tang (67), a naturalized citizen of the US and resident of Queens, NY, was charged with being an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and making materially false statements to the FBI.

Tang is a former PRC citizen who was imprisoned in China for his activities as a dissident opposing the one-party authoritarian political system controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). On or about 2002, Tang defected to Taiwan and was subsequently granted political asylum in the US and moved to NYC. Tang regularly participated in events with fellow PRC dissidents and lead a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting democracy in China. But Tang was secretly reporting to the Ministry of State Security (MSS) on these dissidents and had at least three face-to-face meetings with his handlers. The FBI recovered photographs, videos, and documents that Tang collected or created for transmission to the MSS from numerous electronic devices and computer accounts.

Yuanjun Tang is charged with several counts and faces between five to 20 years incarceration if he is convicted.

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

Source:

Office of Public Affairs | New York Man Arrested for Operating as an Illegal Agent of the Chinese Government in the United States | United States Department of Justice

Draconian Security Services Impacting US and German Interests in China

This girl is one of 15,000 people the Chinese authorities arrested in 2015 for “jeopardizing Internet security.” (Undated imagery).

Intelligence and security services are causing difficulties for the US and Germany. American diplomatic efforts to conduct people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges are being stifled. German commercial interests in the pharmaceutical industry are also being hampered in China.

The US State Department has been arranging for Chinese students to study in the US. In 2023, 105,000 student visas were issued and approximately 300,000 Chinese students are expected to be studying at American universities by the end of 2024. But the Chinese Communist Party’s security services, including agents of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), have been discouraging these students from going. Their tactics include interrogation, intimidation, and threats of expulsion from Chinese institutions. In some cases, parents of the students have been threatened by security personnel to dissuade their children from studying abroad.

In addition, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) shut down American-sponsored educational exchange programs in Shenyang, Wuhan, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. The security services have also blocked the US Embassy in Beijing from hiring a single Chinese national for the past three years, impeding basic American diplomatic operations.

China’s emboldened police state affects Germany as well. The German pharmaceutical industry warns of possible drug shortages from China as four out of Germany’s 16 states have suspended trips by their quality-control inspectors over tightened espionage laws. The states say they can no longer guarantee the safety of their inspectors on visits to Chinese pharmaceutical factories.

Germany imports almost 90 percent of its antibiotics from China. Europe also imports a high number of active pharmaceutical ingredients and antibiotics from China, which is one of the world’s largest suppliers.

With the emergence of new diseases thanks to global climate change, a drug shortage would be catastrophic. Moreover, unscrupulous actors would take advantage of a shortfall by producing and marketing counterfeit and ineffective drugs in the West.

Sources:

Inside the Ring: Chinese security services are blocking America’s diplomatic efforts – Washington Times

German pharmaceutical industry warns of possible drug shortages from China | Euronews

https://www.csoonline.com/article/552509/china-arrests-15-000-for-internet-related-crimes.html

USAF Veteran Who Fled Child Pornography Charges Now Flies Drones for Russia

USAF veteran Wilmer Puello-Mota at Hanscom Air Force Base, MA, in 2018. (Photo: Todd Maki / USAF / AP file)

A former New England USAF airman who fled the US to avoid prison for child pornography charges has resurfaced in Moscow’s propaganda videos, describing his service in the Russian military as a drone operator in eastern Ukraine. He insisted he is not a traitor. Wilmer Puello-Mota (28) served in the USAF security forces and he deployed to Afghanistan in 2015 to protect pilots and aircraft.

“I’m Will. I’m from Massachusetts,” Wilmer Puello-Mota, who is also a former City Council member in Holyoke, MA, said in the five-minute video released by Russia’s Defense Ministry. “My call sign is ‘Boston.'”

Puello-Mota was supposed to appear in a Rhode Island courtroom on 9 Jan 2024 and plead guilty to possessing sexually explicit images of a child and other charges that could have sent him to prison for at least five years. He instead fled to Russia via Istanbul. Puello-Mota wanted a career in politics and thought being charged with possessing child pornography had ruined his life, his attorney stated.

Puello-Mota served on the Holyoke City Council from 2021 to 2023 and was aligned with conservative council members who supported former President Donald Trump. Halfway through his term, the city tried to kick Puello-Mota off the council after it learned that he had been arrested in May 2020 when police found nude photos and videos on his phone of a 17-year-old girl. He was also charged with obstruction of the judicial system, forgery and counterfeiting.

Sources:

U.S. veteran wanted for child porn charges serving in Russian forces – The Washington Post

CIA Chief in Bosnia to Emphasize US Support Amid Pro-Kremlin Rhetoric of Republika Srpska President

CIA Chief William Burns (second from left) in Sarajevo on 20 August.

CIA Director William Burns was in Sarajevo on 20 August to discuss the “worrying secessionist rhetoric and actions” of the pro-Russian president and government of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Serb entity, Milorad Dodik.

Burns, who arrived from Israel, held meetings at the Bosnian presidency with senior intelligence and government leaders. Dodik has raised concerns among Bosnia’s Western allies because of his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Dodik reaffirmed in February after personally meeting with Putin that the Republika Srpska would not join Western sanctions against Moscow over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Turmoil in the Balkans would play into the Kremlin’s hands as it could distract the US and Europe from Russia’s war in Ukraine. A visit from D/CIA shows the commitment of the US that Bosnia is a priority of its US foreign policy. The last D/CIA to visit Bosnia-Herzegovina was John Brennan in 2016.

Sources:

CIA Chief In Bosnia To Emphasize U.S. Support And ‘Worrying’ Rhetoric Of Republika Srpska President (rferl.org)

Uyghurs Sentenced to Cumulative 4.4 million Years in Prison

Police guard detainees as they appear to recite words or sing at the Tekes County Detention Center in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region in this image released on 24 May 2022.

All told, Uyghurs imprisoned by China in the far-western region of Xinjiang have been sentenced to a cumulative 4.4 million years, a Yale University’s Genocide Studies Program reports. China’s repression could lead to a ‘total ethnic incapacitation for the Uyghur people’ and the true tally of incarcerations are probably far higher.

In 2017, the Chinese government cracked down on thousands of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities and herded them into re-education camps and prisons.

The 25-page report, “Uyghur Race as the Enemy: China’s Legalized Authoritarian Oppression & Mass Imprisonment,” frames the massive incarceration not only as a crime against humanity and genocide, but also as a form of “dangerous lawfare” designed to erode the Uyghurs’ future prospects for dignity, prosperity and freedom. The study drew on information from the Xinjiang Victims Database, which has data on nearly 62,700 Uyghurs detained in Xinjiang, based on leaked Chinese police documents and other records.

Researchers found 13,114 cases that included a prison sentence, with an average term of 8.8 years, and multiplied the figure by 500,000, which they called a “conservative” figure based on the 540,000 individuals prosecuted by court from 2017 to 2021, to get 4.4 million years.

This massive sinicization program is meant to homogenize the non-Chinese ethnic population. Beijing has also forced cultural assimilation in Tibetan areas of China. Compare the staggering incarceration rates of Uyghurs below.

Sources:

uyghur_report_final_copy.pdf (yale.edu)

Uyghurs sentenced to cumulative 4.4 million years in prison: study — Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

UN human rights chief issues damning report on Chinese abuses in Xinjiang

American Gun Carnage: Virginia Man in Critical Condition After Being Shot by Two-Year-Old

According to the Chesterfield County Police Department, the unidentified man was about to leave the house and had “placed his handgun on a nearby chair.”

The toddler retrieved it and “accidentally discharged the firearm, shooting the victim,” police said.

The victim was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition and no one else in the house was wounded. Reportedly, the victim is the boyfriend of the child’s mother and police are investigating the incident. The cost of an air ambulance flight within the US can range from $12,000 to $55,000.

In an average year in Virginia, 1,160 people die and 1,624 are wounded by guns. Virginia has the 33rd-highest rate of gun violence in the US.

Virginia Federal firearms licenses in 2021: 423,707

Approximately 44.6% of adults in Virginia have guns at home.

Averaging almost 50,000 deaths from firearms annually, the US the only high-income country to report such a high death toll from gun violence. Until America can shed its dangerous love of firearms, this type of carnage will continue.

Sources:

Man in critical condition after being shot by 2-year-old – ABC News (go.com)

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

3. Virginia – Gun map: Ownership by state – statistics and rates (cbsnews.com)

https://airambulance.com/blogs/post/how-much-does-air-ambulance-cost/

https://www.statista.com/topics/10904/gun-violence-in-the-united-states/#topicOverview

https://www.thetrace.org/2023/12/data-gun-violence-deaths-america/

‘Islamic State Supporter’ in Las Vegas Indicted on Terrorism Charges

A Las Vegas resident who wrote in chatroom that he would be “starting lone wolf operations in Las Vegas against enemies of Allah” was indicted by a Clark County grand jury on eight counts of four different terrorism- and explosives-related charges.

Joshua Robles, a juvenile at the time of his November 2023 arrest, had in-depth knowledge of the Islamic State (IS) group, sought to communicate with members of the group, and had components of explosives in his bedroom.

The Metropolitan Police Department arrest report read that Robles “intended to carry out acts of violence against the perceived enemies of ISIS and their religious doctrine, and the violent acts would take place in the Las Vegas area.” A search of his home uncovered components to construct an explosive device.

This young man doesn’t have to join IS to cause casualties; as noted above, Americans suffer from appalling firearms violence daily.

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

Source:

‘Islamic State supporter’ in Las Vegas indicted on terrorism charges | Stars and Stripes

Historic Milestone for Polish Space Science with Launch of Eagle Eye Satellite

Polish space science and technology reached a historical moment with the successful launch of the EagleEye satellite into Earth’s orbit. Facilitated by SpaceX, the mission took place from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The satellite will deliver high-resolution images of the Earth, providing data for research and monitoring purposes. The mission is expected to last at least one year and will orbit the Earth at a low altitude, gradually descending from an initial height of approximately 500 km to around 350 km. EagleEye was designed entirely in Poland from the ground up and manufactured locally except for microprocessors.

Sources:

Polish EagleEye Satellite: A Landmark Project for the Space Sector – Creotech

Historic milestone for Polish space science as they successfully launch Eagleeye satellite | Euronews

‘Behind Closed Doors’: Ex-Trump Aide Spills Secrets to DNC

Former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham speaks on stage in front of an apparent text message with Republican presidential candidate, former US President Donald Trump during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on 20 August 2024 in Chicago. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

former White House press secretary for Donald Trump delivered a stinging rebuke of her former boss at the Democratic National Convention. Stephanie Grisham told Democrats she wasn’t just a Trump supporter, she was a “true believer” and one of his closest advisers, spending Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving with the Trump family at Mar-a-Lago.

“Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters,” she said. “He calls them basement-dwellers.”

During a pandemic-era hospital visit, as people died in the intensive care unit, Grisham said Trump was “mad that the cameras weren’t watching him.”

“He has no empathy,” said Grisham. “No morals. And no fidelity to the truth. He used to tell me, ‘It doesn’t matter what you say, Stephanie. Say it enough, and people will believe you.'”

Grisham said she resigned the same day she asked former first lady Melania Trump whether it was OK to tweet that “peaceful protest are the right of every American, but there is no place for lawlessness & violence.”

Mrs. Trump replied: “No,” according to a screenshot of the conversation displayed at the convention.

“I couldn’t be part of the insanity any longer,” she said, noting she was “skewered” for not holding White House briefings. “Unlike my boss, I never wanted to stand at that podium and lie.” She earned applause as she noted she’s once again behind a podium — “advocating for a Democrat.”

You can only imagine how former President Trump must have reacted to this.

Watch the clip below or at this link.

Source:

‘Behind closed doors’: Ex-Trump aide spills former boss’ secrets to packed DNC – Raw Story

Kenya ‘Psychopath’ Serial Killer Suspect Escapes from Custody

Kenyan police launched a major manhunt for a serial killer who escaped from a Nairobi police cell, along with a dozen other detainees. He had confessed to murdering and dismembering 42 women. Collins Jumaisi (33) was described by police as a “vampire, a psychopath.” He was arrested last month after the horrific discovery of mutilated bodies in a slum garbage dump in Nairobi.

The dumped bodies threw a fresh spotlight on Kenya’s police force as they were found just 100 yards from a police station. And this is the second time in barely six months that a suspect in a high-profile case has escaped from custody.

Kenya’s police watchdog, the Independent Police Oversight Authority, was looking into whether there was any police involvement or a “failure to act to prevent” the killings. Kenyan police are often accused by rights groups of carrying out unlawful killings or running hit squads, but few have faced justice.

There are approximately 101,000 personnel in the Kenyan Police Service. This summer Kenya deployed 600 experienced police officers to restore law and order amid worsening civil strife and gang violence in Haiti under a UNSC-approved mission.

Source:

Kenya ‘Psychopath’ Serial Killer Suspect Escapes From Custody | IBTimes

https://www.kenyapolice.go.ke/

Belarus President: “One-Third of Army Deployed to Ukrainian Border”

Belarus has deployed nearly one-third of its troops to the border with Ukraine, the country’s authoritarian leader Aleksandr Lukashenka told Russia’s state-run Rossia-1 television channel on 18 August. He said the decision was made in response to Ukraine allegedly maintaining 120,000 soldiers near the border with Belarus and amassing more forces. Lukashenka also insisted that Kyiv had raised the stakes by launching a surprise offensive in Russia’s Kursk region.

According to the Global Firepower Index (GFI), the Belarussian Army has 263,000 troops and in terms of readiness: 336 tanks, 14 attack helicopters, and nearly 50 attack/fighter jets.  GFI ranked Belarussian military strength 64 out 145 countries surveyed in 2024. The longest standing ruler in Europe, the deeply unpopular Lukashenko maintains a 55,000 paramilitary force and never changed the name of the Belarussian KGB after the USSR imploded in 1991.

The majority of the Belarussian population oppose the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as the cruel and despotic Aleksandr Lukashenko. His statement on Russian TV was a political maneuver to demonstrate his loyalty to Vladimir Putin and a means of putting pressure on Ukraine. But nothing would destabilize the Lukashenko regime more than Ukrainian rockets and drones smashing into the pristinely kept city of Minsk.  

Sources:

Belarusian Leader Says One-Third Of Army Deployed To Ukraine Border (rferl.org)

2024 Belarus Military Strength (globalfirepower.com)

Belarusians are facing discrimination and blame for Russia’s war in Ukraine (theconversation.com)

Mother and Six Children Killed by IDF Airstrike as Secretary of State Blinken Arrives for Truce Talks

After the Israeli attack, the children’s grandfather, Muhammad Awad Khattab, asked a CNN reporter:

“They were taken by surprise when a missile hit them and completely destroyed their apartment. What did they do to deserve this? What resistance did they have?”

This latest IDF effrontery comes one day after a strike killed at least 18 people, all from the same family in central Gaza. Nine children were among those killed and the IDF claimed responsibility for the attack. The IDF killed ten people in southern Lebanon the preceding day (please see yesterday’s Coriolanus post).

Secretary Blinken landed in Tel Aviv on Sunday night, his ninth trip to Israel since 7 Oct 2023. President Biden expressed optimism with Secretary of State Blinken’s efforts at reaching a truce and releasing the hostages. The US administration seems more concerned about the Israeli hostages than the Likud cabinet.

“It’s still underway, we’re not giving up, [it’s] still possible,” Biden said.

But the honorable Mr. Blinken must deal with a man dubbed by Israelis as the “Crime Minister.” Indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, Mr. Netanyahu has also been on trial for corruption and bribery charges in a Jerusalem court.

Israeli PM Netanyahu has turned the Gaza Strip, once described as the “world’s largest open-air prison,” into an immense abattoir. Since October 2023, 40,000 Gazans have been killed (and over 500 Palestinians have been murdered in the West Bank). ICC prosecutors at the Hague have been seeking an international arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu for several months now.

Marek Edelman, the last surviving commander of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising poignantly remarked:

“To be a Jew means always being with the oppressed, never with the oppressors.”

Source:

6 children, mother killed by Israeli airstrike as Blinken arrives for truce efforts – UPI.com

ICC statement on arrest warrants of Israeli and Hamas leaders (bbc.com)

Donald Trump Campaign in Shambles as Former President Searches for Scapegoat Amidst Falling Poll Numbers and Internal Dissent from MAGA Supporters

Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign is increasingly mired in disarray as the former president grapples with internal conflicts and sinking poll numbers. Staffers and advisors are scrambling to regain control of a campaign that up until mid-summer appeared to be on a steady course. However, Biden’s unexpected exit from the race has left Team Trump unable to adjust to the new political landscape. The former president, known for his reluctance to accept responsibility, is now reportedly searching for someone to blame as his campaign falters.

Moreover, influential far-right figures are turning against former president Donald Trump’s campaign. Some have threatened a digital “war” against the Republican candidate’s aides and allies that could complicate the party’s calls for unity in the final weeks of the presidential race. Nick Fuentes, a white supremacist and podcaster who dined with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., in 2022, said on X that Trump’s campaign was “blowing it” by not positioning itself more to the right and was “headed for a catastrophic loss,” in a post that had been viewed 2.6 million times.

The former president’s tendency to lash out at those around him, rather than reflect on his own actions, suggests that a major shake-up may be on the horizon. Whether this will be enough to turn the tide in Trump’s favor remains to be seen as the 2024 election draws closer.

Sources:

Donald Trump Campaign in Disarray as Former President Searches for Scapegoat Amidst Falling Poll Numbers – EconoTimes

Far-right influencers turn against Trump campaign (msn.com)

US Food Recall: Over 167,000 Pounds of Purdue Frozen Chicken

All recalled Purdue products are marked with the same P-33944 establishment number on the back which can be used to identify them.

Perdue Foods is recalling more than 167,000 pounds of frozen chicken products over fears of contamination. The frozen, ready-to-eat chicken breast nugget and tender items could contain foreign material, specifically metal, the USDA FSIS warned. Perdue said it has received multiple complaints from customers about metal wire embedded in the product, leading it to notify the FSIS.

“There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider,” FSIS advised.

“FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”

The products in question were manufactured on 23 March 2024, and were shipped to retail locations across the US while also being sold online directly to consumers. The recalled products include chicken breast tenders and nuggets in different sizes as well as nuggets under the Butcherbox brands.

Source:

Perdue Foods LLC, Recalls Frozen, Ready-To-Eat Chicken Breast Nugget and Tender Products Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination | Food Safety and Inspection Service (usda.gov)

US Police Brutality: Two Alaska State Troopers Charged After Violent Assault on Wrong Man

A still photo from video footage of Alaska State Troopers brutally assaulting an innocent man in Soldotna, AK on 24 May 2024. Photo: @kylehopkinsak/X

Alaska State Troopers Sgt. Joseph Miller and K-9 handler Jason Woodruff were charged with fourth-degree misdemeanor assault following a case of mistaken identity when they pepper-sprayed, tased, and unleashed a police dog on an innocent man on 24 May. The Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Public Safety said he was “totally sickened” by what he saw on the troopers’ body cameras.

Troopers Miller and Woodruff responded to a report of an illegally parked car. The vehicle was registered to a man whose name was linked to an active misdemeanor warrant. The troopers ordered the driver out of the vehicle, but broke the car’s windows and dragged him out when he refused, protesting there was no warrant against him.

The troopers then pepper-sprayed and tased him. Woodruff then sicced his police dog on the driver and ordered the animal to “bite the man.” Miller then placed his foot on the man’s head, “pushing it into the ground covered in broken glass,” causing his “face or head” to start bleeding. After the man was taken to a local hospital for treatment, the troopers realized they had actually arrested the cousin of the man with the warrant.

Miller and Woodruff have since been placed on administrative leave and the dog is no longer in service. The troopers next court appearance is on 10 September. The Alaskan government can expect a tremendous civil lawsuit from the grievously injured man and will probably offer the victim a healthy out-of-court settlement.

Incidents of police brutality continue unabated in the US. Episodes like this gave rise to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) and De-Fund the Police movements, and who can blame them?

Source:

Alaska state troopers charged after violent assault of wrong man (hngn.com)

https://time.com/5936408/defund-the-police-definition-movement/

US State Department clears $5B Sale of Patriot Missiles to Germany

The US State Department has approved the sale of the latest variant of Patriot missiles to Germany in a deal that could be worth an estimated $5 billion. The Foreign Military Sale to Germany would involve 600 of the Lockheed Martin-manufactured Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles, which includes 10 fly-to-buy missiles.

Germany has invested heavily in its Patriot air and missile defense capabilities this year as it sends both Patriot batteries and interceptors to Ukraine to support the country’s years-long fight against Russia’s invasion. Patriot’s dominance in Ukraine has attracted fresh attention and potential customers from around the world. Germany is a longtime user of Patriot which serves as the air defense for 19 countries, with 15 of those countries using PAC-3 MSE in its missile inventory.

President Vladimir Putin’s attempt to weaken and de-stabilize NATO have backfired. Neutral Finland and Sweden recently joined NATO and last year Poland made a record-breaking deal for 96 AH-64E Apache Guardian Helicopters. The Apache is probably the most lethal attack helicopter in the world.

Sources:

US State Department clears $5B sale of Patriot missiles to Germany (defensenews.com)

Record-Breaking Deal for 96 AH-64E Apache Guardian Helicopters for Poland – MILMAG

Why the AH-64 Apache is the World’s Best Attack Helicopter | The National Interest

NATO – Homepage

Right-Wing Extremist Tied to Threats Against Raw Story Reporter Arrested on Gun Charges

Six neo-Nazis — holding burning flares and raising their arms in Nazi salutes — demonstrated in front of author Jordan Green’s home on 10 Feb 2024. One held a sign threatening “consequences.” (Image courtesy of rawstory.com)

Kai Liam Nix, a 20-year-old Army soldier based at Fort Liberty, NC and tied to white supremacist groups, was arrested on 15 August. He is being detained in a North Carolina jail on a “federal hold.” Nix was linked to a demonstration by neo-Nazis in February outside the Greensboro, NC home of Raw Story reporter Jordan Green. Nix photographed four men wearing skull masks holding burning flares in Hitler salutes while flanking a fifth man, who held a sign warning of “consequences” for Green’s reporting on neo-Nazi youth gang 2119, AKA the Blood and Soil Crew.

The man holding the sign, Sean Kauffmann, along with two of the men making Hitler salutes — Jarrett William Smith and David Fair — had been the subject of Green’s previous reporting.

The US Army has been working for years trying to identify and purge itself of right-wing extremists who enlisted in order to gain expertise in weapons and tactics and then establish networks with other dangerous fellow white nationalists.

In an average year, 1,388 people die and 3,407 are wounded by firearms in North Carolina. The Tar Heel State has the 17th-highest rate of gun violence in the US.

Sources:

Right-wing extremist tied to threats against Raw Story reporter arrested on gun charges – Raw Story

Inside the neo-Nazi hate network grooming children for a race war

Florida teens tied to ‘2119’ neo-Nazi gang to plead guilty for antisemitic attacks

The Violent Far-Right Terrorist Threat to the U.S. Military | Council on Foreign Relations (cfr.org)

Gun-Violence-in-North-Carolina-2.9.2021.pdf (everystat.org)

Ten-Year-Old Girl Discovers Dinosaur Footprints On Beach in Wales, UK

“We were just out looking to see what we could find, we didn’t think we’d find anything,” says Tegan, on the beach where the discovery was made. (Undated imagery courtesy of the BBC.)

10-year-old schoolgirl Tegan went for a summer holiday beach stroll with her mother in south Wales and spotted five enormous footprints that dinosaur experts believe are the mark of a camelotia that lived over 200 million years ago.

Efforts are underway to get them verified. Little is known about camelotias but it is thought they walked on their front feet and their hind limbs, were herbivorous and lived during the late Triassic period. The National Museum Wales paleontology curator states that she is “fairly certain they are genuine dinosaur prints.”

Source:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c049pe7gx6do

IDF Kills Ten in Southern Lebanon Preceding US Secretary of State Blinken Visit to Israel and Start of America’s DNC Convention

Israel Defense Forces killed at least ten people during an overnight strike in southern Lebanon, including a mother and her two children. This was the deadliest Israeli strike in southern Lebanon since October 2023. Hezbollah retaliated by firing 55 rockets into northern Israel, causing some fires but no casualties.

This was a calculated move by war crimes-indicted Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to cause a counterattack from the Shia Crescent during critical negotiations with Hamas to reach a cease-fire and release the remaining Israeli hostages (which includes eight AMCITs).

Moreover, the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) gets underway shortly in Chicago. Any reprisal attack from the Shia Crescent during the convention would demonstrate to Democrats the dangers that Israelis must endure (ignoring the fact that the perils are caused by none other then the bellicose Likud Party).

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III, D/CIA William Burns, and D/DIA Director Lt Gen Jeffrey A. Kruse, as well as the hardworking American taxpayer, must be wondering how and why Benjamin Netanyahu keeps insulting their intelligence with his lethal provocations and brutal policies.

More than 40,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza and over 500 Palestinians have been murdered in the West Bank since October 2023. The Likud Party should simply change its name to the Tsaba (War) Party.

Sources:

Israel kills 10 in southern Lebanon strike ahead of Antony Blinken’s visit – UPI.com

240520-panel-report-eng.pdf (icc-cpi.int)

GOP Presidential Candidate Donald Trump Unravelling and Getting Ridiculed

Former President Donald Trump held a rally in Pennsylvania which was reported to have empty seats and video shows supporters trickling out during one of his rambling speeches. The oldest man to ever run for President also shouted out “North Carolina!” forgetting that he was conducting his rally in Pennsylvania. And with less than 90 days before Election Day, the frustrated 45th President has been unable to stick Kamala Harris with a famous nickname, a shtick to attack enemies he may have learned years ago at the fabled Friar’s Club in NYC .

While Trump historically came up with effective epithets such as “crooked Hillary,” “sleepy Joe,” “Sloppy Steve” (Bannon), or “Lyin’ Ted” (Cruz), the ex-president has yet to come up with nicknames for Harris or Minnesota Governor Tim Walz that have stuck. Trump’s attempts at branding Kamala Harris with “Laffin’ Kamala,” “Lyin’ Kamala,” or “Crazy Kamala” have been ineffective on his Truth Social platform.

Responding to a Republican commentator who remarked Kamala Harris is “beautiful,” Donald Trump replied:

“I say that I am much better looking than her. I’m a better-looking person than Kamala.”

A Democratic strategist responded: “This guy has lost his f—— marbles” and Team Kamala weighed in: “Trump melts down over Kamala Harris being on the cover of TIME Magazine.”

Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party have effectively commandeered the media narrative since President Biden exited the race on 21 July. And after the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the two candidates should see a two to four-point boost in polls. Meanwhile, as Trump prepares for his televised debate with Kamala Harris on 10 Sep, he must also be distracted by his imminent sentencing date on 18 Sep for his 34-count felony conviction in NYS.

Watch below or click here.

Watch below or click here.

‘More empty seats’: Reporter shows people ‘trickling out of’ Trump’s rally as he’s talking – Raw Story

Trump likely in state of ‘panic’ due to ‘ineffective’ nicknames for Kamala Harris: report – Raw Story

‘Lost his marbles’: Trump ridiculed for claiming to be ‘better looking’ than Kamala Harris – Raw Story

USAF Security Personnel Exchange Gunfire With Unknown Assailants

USAF security personnel exchanged gunfire with an unknown shooter in a passing vehicle who twice within two hours opened fire on an entrance to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, early Saturday morning. There were no casualties and the San Antonio Police are investigating.

The motive, number of assailants, or how many rounds were fired are still being determined. The entrance was closed for several hours and the base was not locked down. US and NATO bases in Europe have been on high alert after several attempts by Kremlin-linked saboteurs and infiltrators were thwarted.   

In an average year, 4,122 people die and 7,726 are wounded by firearms in Texas. The Lone Star State has the 29th highest rate of gun violence in the US. Texas firearms licenses in 2021: 1,006,555. 45.7% of Texans say they live in homes with guns.

Sources:

Guards at San Antonio Air Force base exchange fire with unknown shooters – UPI.com

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/09/politics/intelligence-russian-sabotage-threat-us-bases-europe/index.html

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

Lockouts at Canada’s Two Largest Railroads May Disrupt US Supply Chain

Canada’s two largest railroads are starting to shut down their shipping networks as a labor dispute with the Teamsters Union threatens to cause lockouts or strikes that would disrupt cross-border trade with the US. The union represents 10,000 workers at both railroads and they seek cite crew scheduling, rail safety, and worker fatigue has their main sticking points.

Both the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and Canadian National (CN) railroads, which haul millions of tons of freight across the border, have stopped taking certain shipments of hazardous materials and refrigerated products. They are threatening to lock out Teamsters Canada workers starting Thursday if deals are not reached. On Tuesday, CPKC will stop all shipments that start in Canada and all shipments originating in the US that are headed for Canada. CN barred container imports from US partner railroads.

The two railroads handle about 40,000 carloads of freight each day, worth about $1 billion. Shipments of fully built automobiles and auto parts, chemicals, forestry products and agricultural goods would be hit hard, especially with harvest season looming.

Analysts expect work stoppages to last only a few days, but if they continue, there could be significant supply chain disruptions. Both railroads have extensive networks in the US, and CPKC also serves Mexico. Those operations will keep running even if there is a work stoppage.

Sources:

Lockouts at Canada’s 2 largest railroads may disrupt US supply chain (voanews.com)

Nearly 68M People Suffering from Drought in Southern Africa

About 68 million people, 17% of the population in Southern Africa, are suffering the effects of an El Nino-induced drought that has wiped out crops across the region. The drought, which started in early 2024, has hit crop and livestock production, causing food shortages and damaging the wider economies.

This is southern Africa’s worst drought in years, owing to a combination of naturally occurring El Nino — when an abnormal warming of the waters in the eastern Pacific changes world weather patterns — and higher average temperatures produced by greenhouse gas emissions.

Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi have already declared the hunger crisis a state of disaster, while Lesotho and Namibia have called for humanitarian support. Heads of state from the 16-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) were meeting in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare to discuss regional issues including food security.

Sources:

Nearly 68M suffer from drought in Southern Africa, SADC says (voanews.com)

Kiev Opens Investigation into Alleged Beheading of Dead Soldier

Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska speaks at a Russian war crimes exhibition in London (Undated image: James Manning/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Ukraine’s Prosecutor-General’s Office is investigating an allegation that a Ukrainian soldier participating in the recent Russia incursion was beheaded. A video circulating on social media on 16 August showed a Russian soldier beside a pole with a severed head.

The Telegram channel DeepState identified the Russian soldier in the video as a member of the 155th Marine Brigade, which is deployed near the Kolotilovka checkpoint in the Belgorod region. Ukrainian forces were fighting in that area on 12 August.

Authorities in Kiev are also investigating a 18 June report that Russian troops beheaded a Ukrainian soldier in the eastern Donetsk region.

The desecration of soldiers’ bodies, including mutilation and beheadings, is a war crime.

Sources:

Kyiv Opens Investigation Into Alleged Beheading Of Dead Soldier (rferl.org)

Ukrainian Prosecutor Says Russian Troops Beheaded Ukrainian Soldier (rferl.org)

Melting Arctic Permafrost Could Release Mercury into Waters as Temperature Rise

Flowing across Alaska to the Bering Sea, the Yukon River erodes the permafrost along its banks and carries with it sediment downstream.

As our planet warms, permafrost which contains large amounts of accumulated mercury, is eroding faster and releasing this highly toxic metal into the environment.  Though the mercury released from melting permafrost doesn’t pose a toxic threat today, its impact will grow over time. Mercury gradually accumulates in the food chain, beginning with plants, fish, and animals that humans eventually consume.

Natural atmospheric circulation causes pollutants to move towards higher latitudes. This results in mercury accumulating in the Arctic where it is absorbed by plants which then die and become part of the soil. This freezes in the permafrost – where the ground stays frozen all year round – and over thousands of years, mercury concentrations build up in the soil. In this form, mercury isn’t particularly dangerous. But this toxic metal is released when the soil thaws, and the Arctic is warming four times faster than the global average. This poses a major environmental and health threat to the five million people living in the Arctic and more than three million people who live in areas where the permafrost is expected to disappear completely by 2050.

Unless mankind does something soon, the earth as we know it today won’t be the same for future generations.

Sources:

Melting Arctic permafrost could release a ‘mercury bomb’ as temperatures rise | Euronews

Ex-US Green Beret Linked to Attempted 2020 Venezuelan Coup

Venezuelan forces captured several mercenaries after the failed 2020 coup [Getty Images]

Jordan Goudreau, a decorated former US Green Beret, is being prosecuted for allegedly smuggling automatic weapons from Florida to South America as part of a failed 2020 coup attempt against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. His DNA was found on some of 60 recovered weapons, linking him to illegal arms trafficking that facilitated an amphibious raid against the Maduro government in Venezuela.  

Several fighters were killed and two of Goudreau’s former US Special Forces colleagues were imprisoned in Venezuela. Goudreau allegedly spent $90,000 on a yacht he used to transport ammunition, body armor plates and magazines for AR-15 rifles. Some of the weapons never made it because the yacht sank in the middle of the Caribbean. Goudreau and an unnamed associate had to be rescued by a passing natural gas tanker.

The 2020 anti-Maduro incursion was carried out by a ragtag group of Venezuelan army deserters whom Goudreau allegedly helped arm and train in neighboring Colombia. Goudreau later claimed responsibility for the putsch, but said he was acting in concert with the Venezuelan opposition to protect democracy. The defendant stated he was in touch with then-President Donald Trump’s administration, which made no secret of its desire to see Maduro gone, even though there’s no evidence US officials approved the invasion.

The 48-year-old has no criminal record and was a three-time Bronze Star recipient in Iraq and Afghanistan, but prosecutors argued he was both a danger to the public and a flight risk because of his firearms expertise, access to a sailboat at a USAF base in Tampa and an astonishing $10,000-a-month in military retirement disability income. If convicted, Goudreau faces between 10 and 20 years in prison.

Sources:

Middle District of Florida | Former Green Beret and Venezuelan National Charged with Violating Export and Firearms Laws | United States Department of Justice

US arrests a former Green Beret over the failed 2020 raid into Venezuela to remove Maduro | AP News

DNA on weapons implicates ex-U.S. Green Beret in attempted Venezuelan coup, federal officials say | AP News

FBI Arrests DoD Contractor with Scores of Classified Documents

Gokhan Gun, an electrical engineer and DoD contractor, was arrested by the FBI following a court-ordered search warrant of his home in Falls Church, VA. Investigators became aware that while working for the USAF in Washington, Mr. Gun had printed thousands of documents since starting his job in mid-2023. Many documents were unclassified, but some were marked Top Secret. Mr. Gun printed 256 documents, totaling approximately 3,400 pages. He then printed more than 406 pages of documents, which included 82 with Top Secret headings. Mr. Gun is charged with illegally obtaining and retaining national defense secrets.

Investigators are still trying to determine why Mr. Gun, who became an American citizen in 2021, hoarded so many documents. He nonchalantly carried them out of his office in rolled-up wads in plastic shopping bags. Mr. Gun frequently travels overseas and owns homes in Virginia, Texas and Florida. The FBI arrested the suspect early in the morning at his house while Mr. Gun was preparing to leave for what he described as a “fishing trip” with friends in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The counterintelligence investigation is continuing.

Source:

Defense Dept. Contractor Arrested With Dozens of Classified Documents – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Fire at Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant in Occupied Ukraine, but Officials Say Safety Not Compromised

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said radiation indicators appeared normal for the plant.

The brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine established a new precedent. For the first time in history, a nuclear power plant has been occupied by a hostile foreign power. Russian forces took over the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant early during Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” against Ukraine. Worldwide concerns skyrocketed about potential radiation leaks or fallout from any mishap at the atomic plant.

A fire broke out on 11 August at a cooling tower at this nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine following what Russian officials allege was Ukrainian shelling, which Kiev denied. Plant management reported the fire was still blazing but that it was not endangering the safe operation of the facility. Ukrainian officials disclosed there was unofficial information or rumors that Russian forces had set fire to a large number of automobile tires in the cooling towers.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has access to the site and reported no impact on nuclear safety. Along with the EU Joint Research Center, they are monitoring radiation levels in a potentially catastrophic situation for Europe, Ukraine, and Russia.

Sources:

Zelenskiy / Official – Telegram

Update 241 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine | IAEA

Radiological Maps – European Commission (europa.eu)Fire Hits Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant, But Officials Say Safety Not Compromised (rferl.org)

Ex-POTUS Donald J. Trump Losing Support from Within: ‘You’re gonna lose this!’

Mr. David McAfee at Raw Story reports that Donald Trump is getting pushback on his latest conspiracy theory from his own MAGA supporters. The former president claimed that VPOTUS Kamala Harris was faking her huge crowd sizes by using AI. The claim was ranked as “just false” by CNN, and one lawmaker said this comment made Trump unfit to be president. When Trump posted this absurd claim on Truth Social, some of his own supporters encouraged the GOP presidential nominee to back off.

Raw Story catalogued the following MAGA criticisms:

@Trumpbobo: “You realized that there is a video right that so otherwise shows.”

@Gobbyrocks: “It’s not fake, Trump. Please fire your disastrous advisors immediately before we lose this election!”

@Magahlahgo: “Are you ever going to talk about what you plan on doing if you win? Nobody cares about her crowds.”

@Cordlopez: “Please shut the f— up and get focused.”

@Witness023: “No. Consult with a good expert on this. They are going to make us look dumb.”

@Deplorable59: “STFU about the crowd size. She’s getting bigger crowds now face that fact. You’re gonna lose this! Stop with this bulls— – get out on the road. Talk to the people-don’t talk about her personally. Talk about the issues and what you will do to change things. You’re our only hope – you gotta stop screwing it up!”

Karlyn Borysenko: “I want you to win but you have got to start hinging back into reality and stop listening to anyone who lies to you about Kamala’s campaign. This is a video that aired live of the event. It is real. The photos are being generated from a parody account.”

Conservative influencer Ian Miles Cheong: “Kamala’s crowd at the airport was in fact real,” he wrote. “You can claim they’re paid actors or that they were just there for a concert but they are definitely not AI.”

Our deepest appreciation to Mr. David McAfee at Raw Story for monitoring Truth Social and presenting his findings.

Source:

‘You’re gonna lose this!’ Trump fans rebel against him over ‘A.I.’ Harris rally claim – Raw Story

Five Suspects Arrested for Rocket Attack on al-Asad Air Base in Iraq

Iraqi security personnel detained five individuals in connection with a rocket attack on al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq that wounded four US servicemembers and a defense contractor. Three rockets were launched by an Iranian-backed militia, two of which impacted the base, while the third rocket was intercepted. US CENTCOM is investigating how the rockets penetrated defense measures. See map at bottom.

The attack is the latest targeting al-Asad Air Base in recent weeks. On 25 July, two rockets were launched but did not strike the base. On 16 July, the base came under attack by two drones, one of which struck the base but caused minimal damage. The second drone launched in the same attack was shot down. No casualties were reported following either attack.

US bases in the region are prone to retaliatory strikes by pro-Iranian Shia militias whenever Israel attacks Iranian sovereign territory with rockets or drones or conducts extra-judicial killings (XJK) in Iran, Syria, or Lebanon. Shia Houthis on the Arabian Peninsula in support of their co-religionists in Iran similarly retaliate against maritime Western targets that may be allied or associated with Israel.

This last rocket attack followed an order by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to move additional warships and a fighter squadron to the Middle East to bolster Israel’s defense. The decision to move US forces came ahead of an anticipated Iranian counterattack in response to the Israeli assassination of Palestinian resistance leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Source:

5 arrested for rocket attack on base in Iraq that injured 4 service members, 1 contractor | Stars and Stripes

“Absolute loyalty’: Xi Jinping Focuses Anti-Corruption Campaign on China’s Military

Xi Jinping has unleashed a new campaign to enforce party discipline and root out corruption in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), in a sign that the Chinese leader’s decade-long push to exert tight personal control over the armed forces has fallen short.

The Central Military Commission, China’s top military leadership organ which Xi chairs, called for the establishment of an “early warning mechanism for integrity risks in the military” and announced a probe into corruption in equipment procurement going back almost six years.

The renewed campaign to root out corruption comes as several top officers of the PLA’s Rocket Force, which oversees the country’s nuclear and conventional missile arsenals, have disappeared from public view — often a signal of an investigation. China’s former foreign minister Qin Gang was absent from public commitments for a month before he was replaced by his predecessor.

According to Cercius, a Canada-based consultancy tracking elite Chinese politics, the status of about 10 current and former Rocket Force officials is unclear. Rod Lee, a leading expert on the PLA Rocket Force at the USAF Academy suggested the possibility that some, if not all, of these individuals were “rolled up for discipline or corruption.”

In an unprecedented move in 2022, China extradited Yanjun Xu, a senior operative in the Ministry of State Security (MSS) to the US. He is the first Chinese intelligence officer ever to be extradited to America to stand trial. Xu targeted US aviation companies, recruited employees to travel to China, and solicited their proprietary information, stealing advanced technology on behalf of Beijing.

The 42-year-old veteran spy was eventually convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Yanjun Xu (USM #77877-061) is incarcerated at Otisville FCI New York, and scheduled to be released 16 April 2035.

Sources:

‘Absolute loyalty’: Xi Jinping turns anti-corruption focus to China’s military (ft.com)

Office of Public Affairs | Chinese Government Intelligence Officer Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Espionage Crimes, Attempting to Steal Trade Secrets From Cincinnati Company | United States Department of Justice

Approximately 320 US military personnel are assigned to al-Asad Airbase alongside 9,000 or so Iraqi airmen and soldiers. Denmark and Norway maintain a combined contingency of 190 personnel.

Maniac who Attacked US Capitol Police on 6 Jan 2021 Sentenced to 20 Years

US Justice Dept image shows David Dempsey stomping on police officers in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel at the US Capitol on 6 Jan 2021.

David Dempsey (37) of Santa Ana, CA, was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to assaulting law enforcement with a dangerous weapon during the 6 Jan 2021 attack on the US Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the US Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Senior US District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, a President Ronald Reagan nomination, confined David Dempsey to 240 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $2,000 in restitution.

Prosecutors described this runamok as one of the most violent members of Donald Trump supporters that attacked the Capitol as lawmakers met to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory. David Dempsey represents America’s “Fedayeen Saddam,” a white supremacist dead-ender who stomped on heads, swung poles and a metal crutch, and attacked police officers with pepper spray and broken pieces of furniture.

US Justice Dept image shows David Dempsey throwing a pole at a police officer in the Lower West Terrace at the US Capitol on 6 Jan 2021.

Unless presidentially pardoned, this miscreant will grace the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) with his departure when he is 57 years of age. After two decades of incarceration, Davis Dempsey will not have contributed much towards his Social Security retirement and he will have to find adequate employment just to sustain him plus save money for his imminent golden years.

In the 43 months since 6 Jan 2021, more than 1,488 suspects have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the attack on the US Capitol, including nearly 550 seditionists charged with feloniously assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The FBI investigation remains ongoing.

Sources:

District of Columbia | California Man Sentenced for Assaulting Law Enforcement with a Dangerous Weapon During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

https://www.rawstory.com/capitol-riot-arrests-2654807458

Ukrainian SBU Uses Double Agent to Apprehend Senior Russian GRU Agent in Kiev

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) arrested a senior agent of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces (GRU) through the use of their own double agent. A Russian operator was organizing a sabotage cell in Kiev to target select vehicles with arson. An individual previously caught by the SBU became a double agent for them and documented the subversive activities of the female Russian military intelligence officer. This is called “turning in place.”

She recruited and coordinated the arsonists and helped them organize other subversive activities in Kiev. The woman gave instruction in the manufacture of homemade ignition devices, which were to be used to destroy military vehicles. The GRU operative arranged to film the arson attack to be committed by the SBU double agent and was caught in the act.

The captured operative will be charged with acts of treason committed under martial law for which she faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property. She may be used in a future prisoner swap for a high value Ukrainian operative held by the Kremlin.

The SBU also reported the detention of a 32-year-old fitness trainer from Odessa who set fire to the cars of the Armed Forces in Kyiv, Dnipro and Odessa on the orders of the FSB. The Odessa man, who was looking for quick money on the Internet, set fire to an АFU van in Kiev after having traveled to the capital, where he rented an apartment for one day. At night, he set fire to the parked military vehicle, capturing the result on his phone which Russia wanted to “prove” the existence of a pro-Russian underground in Kyiv. He intended to carry out similar actions in other Ukrainian cities.

The Ukrainian intelligence services continue to improve, neutralizing threats within their border and maintaining a clandestine network within Russia. Overall Operational Security (OPSEC) is also excellent, as the Russian military seems to have been caught unawares of Ukraine’s recent surprise offensive into Kursk. Either that, or the Kremlin ignored intelligence of the imminent AFU attack. President Putin appeared displeased at a recent emergency session of his national security council.

Sources:

SBU Uses Double Agent to Apprehend a Senior GRU Agent in Kyiv (kyivpost.com)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/23/ukraine-cia-shadow-war-russia/

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/08/09/putin-seethes-as-ukraines-shock-incursion-catches-leadership-by-surprise-a85970

Wildfires Rage Across North America

The US Forest Service is at “the highest level of wildfire response possible,” as forests grapple with record-breaking dry timber conditions. Last year, more than 1,600,000 hectares of land in Canada were scorched, setting a new record. In the US, NOAA reported that 55,571 fires burned 2,633,636 acres of land. North America could see similar or more damage this year. Drier conditions caused by global climate change are the root cause.

The first link below is an interactive real-time NASA map to show you the extent of the current conflagration.

Unless mankind can turn things around PDQ, Mother Nature will have a difficult time to recuperating from these grievous environmental wounds which impacts oxygen levels in the atmosphere and our delicate food cycle. The same can be said about our oceans. Warming waters are creating more “dead zones” and “algae blooms,” killing off the flora and fauna of the Seven Seas. One such oxygen-depriving “dead zone” the size of New Jersey is lurking in the Gulf of Mexico. The time to act is now to save our environment for future generations.

Sources:

https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/usfs/map/#d:24hrs;@-100.0,40.0,4.0z

https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/wildfires-tracker-canada

https://www.nbcnews.com/western-wildfires

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/01/dead-zones-in-our-oceans-have-increased-dramatically-since-1950-and-we-re-to-blame/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/phytoplankton-blooms-grow-climate-change-1.6764789

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/weather/topstories/a-dead-zone-about-the-size-of-new-jersey-lurks-in-the-gulf-of-mexico/ar-BB1r2LAt

Canadian North Korea UN Expert Detained in Switzerland for Espionage

Swiss authorities took the rare and unusual move to detain an unnamed Canadian in spring 2024 on suspicions of spying, most likely for China. Craig LNU is a resident of Geneva and a former UN expert on North Korea. He first attracted the attention of the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service when he met with a suspected Chinese spy and appeared to accept cash in return for providing information.

The suspect sought to capitalize on his knowledge of North Korean diplomats with whom he had cultivated relationships over many years. This investigation is an effort by Switzerland to root out Chinese espionage operations in Geneva, home to multiple UN organizations, and the arrest is highly unusual in a country that typically asks spies to quietly leave. The Chinese military intelligence agent, accredited to Beijing’s permanent mission to Geneva, has since left Switzerland. 

“It is very rare for the Swiss authorities to make arrests on spying charges, let alone bringing such a matter eventually to court,” advised an expert on Chinese operations at the University of Basel. The last major case in which Switzerland is known to have detained a foreign national for espionage dates back to 1998, when authorities arrested a Mossad agent in Bern targeting the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

“If [the Swiss authorities prosecute a suspect], one must assume that they have a solid case,” he said, suggesting that external pressure may have played a role in Bern’s actions. If charged and convicted of gathering military, economic and political intelligence for a foreign government, Craig LNU could face up to three years in a Swiss prison.

Nota Bene: Swiss and Western intelligence agencies must intensively debrief Craig LNU for damage assessment, which is probably being discreetly conducted . If the suspect shared sensitive information about former UN colleagues or North Korean diplomats, he may have put them in grave peril when they travel to China or North Korea, both of which have a have a history of detaining foreigners on allegations of espionagesubversion and other trumped-up charges.

Source:

North Korea expert, missing for months, detained in Switzerland for espionage | NK News

GOP Nominee to Run North Carolina Schools Advocated pro-Trump Military Coup in 6 January 2021 Video and Deaths of Presidents Obama and Biden

Michele Morrow, who supported a putsch against the US government on 6 Jan 2021, as well as advocated the public executions of Presidents Obama and Biden, is seeking a position where her estimated annual salary could be as high as $172,318

Michele Morrow, the Republican nominee to run the K-12 public education system in North Carolina, filmed a video while attending the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol urging then-President Donald Trump to put “the Constitution to the side” and use the US military to stay in power. This same person who has been nominated to run North Carolina’s $11 billion budget for K-12 public schools and set education priorities and the curriculum, also called for violence against Democrats, including executing Presidents Obama and Biden.

Morrow was at the US Capitol as the 6 January 2021 attack occurred, according to public videos reviewed by CNN that show her in a restricted area on the northwest side of the Capitol. CNN has seen no evidence that Morrow entered the Capitol building that day or that she engaged in violence, and she was not charged with any crimes.

In the March 2024 Republican primary, Morrow defeated the incumbent North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction. That same month, CNN’s KFile reported Morrow had previously called for the public execution of Barack Obama and the death of Joe Biden and other prominent Democrats in comments on a since-deleted X account. The candidate has purged past extremist posts since running for office.

Remarkable that North Carolina is an election away from giving a handsome annual salary of potentially $172,318 to a neo-Confederate to manage its $11bn K-12 public school system. If the normal people of the Tar Heel State allow this Trump supporter to win the election, they will have to hold their noses for four years as their hard-earned tax dollars provide Michele Morrow with a robust salary as she oversees the curriculum being taught to 1,459,852 public school (and possibly 77,791 charter school) students.

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2024/03/21/north-carolina-gop-public-schools-nominee-sot-ac360-vpx.cnn

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/14/politics/kfile-gop-nominee-north-carolina-public-schools-michele-morrow-executing-democrats

https://www.dpi.nc.gov/documents/fbs/resources/fy25webschedulesupdated7-12-24pdf/download?attachment

Israeli airstrike on Gaza school used as shelter kills at least 80, Palestinian officials report

An Israeli airstrike hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza early Saturday, killing at least 80 people and wounding nearly 50 others, Palestinian health authorities reported. This was one of the deadliest IDF attacks over the past ten months. A witness said the munitions struck during prayers at a mosque in the building.

This attack was the latest of what a UN human rights officer called “systematic attacks on schools” by Israel, with at least 21 schools destroyed since 4 July 2024 leaving hundreds dead, including women and children.

“For many, schools are the last resort to find some shelter,” a UN official reported after Saturday’s bombardment.

The venomous Benjamin Netanyahu government has turned the Gaza Strip, once described as the “world’s largest open prison,” into a massive merciless hecatomb. Palestinians, UN refugee workers, World Central Kitchen volunteers, humanitarians, Freedom Flotilla samaritans, and journalists are completely unsafe and vulnerable to death or maiming at any time at the hands of the IDF.

All this carnage takes place while the world blithely enjoys the “Bread and circuses” spectacle of the vainglorious Paris XXXIII Olympiad. Sadly, Western governments that provide economic or military aid to Israel are complicit in these “massacres by munitions.”

To eliminate Muslims from the nascent Republika Srpska in July 1995, Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Milosevic and General Ratko Mladic orchestrated an infamous mass execution of 8,000 unarmed Bosnian men and boys in Srebrenica. Both caitiffs were later convicted of genocide by the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague.

So, you wonder how much population reduction the Likud government is seeking in the Gaza Strip, with the thousands and thousands of casualties the IDF have inflicted. And in the West Bank, the UN reports at least 500 Palestinians have been murdered by settlers over the past two years to which the Israeli security services seems to have turned a blind eye.

Sources:

https://www.voanews.com/a/israeli-airstrike-kills-over-60-people-at-gaza-school-palestinian-health-officials-say/7737279.html

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/06/1150596

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