Radio Free
type: channel
description: Independent Media for People, Not Profits.
date: 2026-07-06T21:36:17Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: Pro-Government Iranians Call for Retaliation
items: ‘It was the apocalypse’: Train crashes destroyed their towns. Will yours be next?
items: Kenya: The Standard editor escapes seizure by armed men after president’s censure
items: Rebels with a cause: The Black Panther Party and socialism in practice
items: Climate change: United States vs. China
items: Were the Black Panthers Socialists?
items: UN News Today 06 July 2026
items: Amid Mounting War Casualties, Pete Hegseth “Defunded and Impeded” Efforts to Protect Civilians, Lawmakers Say
items: Trump’s Corruption, Birthright Citizenship & Olympian Charged w/ Touching Reflecting Pool
items: Top U.S. & World Headlines — July 6, 2026
items: Meet Rafael Rubio, NY City Council Employee Released from Delaney Hall After 5 Months in ICE Jail
items: Record Heat Waves Are Preview of Our Future on a Warming Planet: Climate Writer David Wallace-Wells
items: Going to Khameini’s funeral with Prof. Marandi
items: The Problem With Trump’s Baby Accounts
items: Dozen Dead In Russian Missile Strike On Kyiv #Ukraine #War #Breaking
items: Funding the fight against corporate polluters
items: Trump’s Corruption, Birthright Citizenship & Olympian Charged w/ Touching Reflecting Pool: Norm Eisen
items: Headlines for July 6, 2026
items: Democracy Now! 2026-07-06 Monday
items: These Immigrant Kids Were Once Protected. Under Trump, Their Deportations Have Tripled.
items: DN! Monday, July 6, 2026
items: Left in the Dust: How a Billionaire-Owned Concrete Plant Took Over a Detroit Community
items: New research traces how ‘forever chemicals’ move through the Great Lakes and into people
items: Filmmaker and music archivist Cyrus Moussavi on remembering that artists are people
items: Inside The Case Against the ‘Michigan 8’: Palestine Activism Recast as Antisemitic Terror
items: Why AI Doesn’t Think, Cannot Reason, Isn’t Intelligent and Will Never Achieve Consciousness
items: Right to Breathe: Unfiltered Messages from Gaza to President Catherine Connolly
items: Scrutinizing the Unpardonable: The AUKUS Public Inquiry So Far
items: Trump Enrichment Syndrome
items: On a Subdued 250th Birthday, Is There a U.S.”We the People” Anymore?
items: Why Today’s Global Tech War Needs Yesterday’s History
items: Our Safety Net Was Already Full of Holes. Now They’re Only Getting Bigger
items: The US Shouldn’t Deport People into War Zones
items: Fathers Closing the Gap on Parental Leave
items: It’s Time for a Tax Code That Lives Up to Our Ideals
items: Trump’s Tactic to Split the Democratic Party into Warring Factions
items: Gaza’s future stuck in diplomatic limbo as ‘Board of Peace’ blocks progress for self-determination
items: RIMPAC 2026: Part 1 – World’s biggest naval games a dress rehearsal for the coming ‘war on China’
items: New US ambassador to New Zealand says Cook Islands a top priority
items: The sound of resistance: The Grayzone goes backstage at Tehran’s Engelhab Square rally
items: Inside the Funeral of Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran
items: Khamenei was martyred here
items: The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 5, 2026
items: Los Angeles turns ‘most polluting’ World Cup into Olympic rehearsal in bid for climate legacy
items: Indonesia defends high number of military deployed in Papua
items: John Minto: The shame of NZ’s betrayal of Gaza’s children
items: What Russia Is Doing to Fill Its Army #russia #military #shorts
items: Parallel Worlds: An Interview with Artist, Gaku Tsutaja
items: The Global Revolution of Thomas Paine
items: Max Blumenthal reflects on July 4th in Tehran
items: ‘Pasifika’ All Blacks claim bloody and physical Nations rugby test against France 34-32
items: Why the AI bubble will burst – with system threatening consequences
items: Remains of abducted Mexican journalist Roxana Guzmán identified in Veracruz
items: The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 4, 2026
items: MAGA Inc.
items: July 4, 2026: What are we supposed to be celebrating?
items: What Is Free Speech? America at 250
items: Bangladesh video falsely viral as Kerala man attacked by daughters over sexual abuse
items: A New Mexico town is running dry. An immigration detention center is its biggest water customer.
items: July 4th anniversary – speakers at NZ rally slam American ‘freedom built on bones of colonised’
items: Is the United States really a land of liberty?
items: Gaza genocide – how many UN findings will the West ignore?
items: Tibetans mourn activist Lobga Rangzen after United Nations self-immolation | Radio Free Asia (RFA)
items: Horse-trading in New Caledonia over provincial presidency elections
items: Community Safety in a Time of Insurrection [EXCERPT]
items: The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 3, 2026

Pro-Government Iranians Call for Retaliation
type: item
creator: VICE News
date: 2026-07-06T21:16:56Z
subject: Sources
subject: Vice News
subject: call
subject: for
subject: iranians
subject: News
subject: progovernment
subject: retaliation
subject: sources
subject: vice
description: This content originally appeared on VICE News and was authored by VICE News.
encoded: This content originally appeared on VICE News and was authored by VICE News.

‘It was the apocalypse’: Train crashes destroyed their towns. Will yours be next?
type: item
creator: Maximillian Alvarez
date: 2026-07-06T20:20:53Z
subject: East palestine
subject: Economy and Inequality
subject: Politics and Movements: International
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Sacrifice Zones
subject: Sources
subject: Working People
subject: and
subject: apocalypse
subject: crashes
subject: destroyed
subject: east
subject: economy
subject: inequality
subject: International
subject: movements
subject: next?
subject: Palestine
subject: People
subject: podcast
subject: Politics
subject: railroad
subject: sacrifice
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: their
subject: towns
subject: train
subject: was
subject: will
subject: working?
subject: yours’
subject: zones’
description: <img width="1024" height="702" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-173131443.jpg?fit=1024%2C702&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="On July 7, 2013, two firemen look at the smoldering remains of a derailed train and massive explosion that took place in Quebec, Canada, in the small town of Lac-Mégantic on July 6, 2013. (Lucas Oleniuk/Toronto Star via Getty Images)" data-attachment-id="344863" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/lac-megantic-train-derailment-east-palestine-ohio-disaster/gettyimages-173131443" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-173131443.jpg?fit=1936%2C1328&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1936,1328" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="GettyImages-173131443" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" On July 7, 2013, two firemen look at the smoldering remains of a derailed train and massive explosion that took place in Quebec, Canada, in the small town of Lac-Mégantic on July 6, 2013. (Lucas Oleniuk/Toronto Star via Getty Images) " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-173131443.jpg?fit=780%2C535&ssl=1"> We speak with a panel of survivors of the 2013 Lac-Mégantic rail disaster in Canada—one of the deadliest in North American history—and the 2023 East Palestine train derailment and chemical disaster in the USA.
encoded: <img width="1024" height="702" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-173131443.jpg?fit=1024%2C702&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="On July 7, 2013, two firemen look at the smoldering remains of a derailed train and massive explosion that took place in Quebec, Canada, in the small town of Lac-Mégantic on July 6, 2013. (Lucas Oleniuk/Toronto Star via Getty Images)" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-173131443.jpg?w=1936&ssl=1 1936w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-173131443.jpg?resize=300%2C206&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-173131443.jpg?resize=1024%2C702&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-173131443.jpg?resize=768%2C527&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-173131443.jpg?resize=1536%2C1054&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-173131443.jpg?resize=1200%2C823&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-173131443.jpg?resize=780%2C535&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-173131443.jpg?resize=400%2C274&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-173131443.jpg?fit=1024%2C702&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="344863" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/lac-megantic-train-derailment-east-palestine-ohio-disaster/gettyimages-173131443" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-173131443.jpg?fit=1936%2C1328&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1936,1328" data-comments-opened="0" data-im…

Kenya: The Standard editor escapes seizure by armed men after president’s censure
type: item
creator: CPJ Staff
date: 2026-07-06T17:58:15Z
subject: Alex Kiprotich
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: KTN News
subject: Sources
subject: The Standard
subject: The Standard Group
subject: after
subject: alex
subject: armed
subject: censure
subject: committee
subject: editor
subject: Enforced Disappearance
subject: escapes,
subject: group
subject: Journalists
subject: kenya
subject: kiprotich
subject: ktn
subject: men
subject: News
subject: presidents'
subject: protect
subject: seizure
subject: sources
subject: standard
subject: the
description: New York, July 6—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Kenyan authorities to investigate the attempt by heavily armed men to snatch The Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich from his car, days after the president criticized the media house, and ensure that those behind the incident are brought to justice. “The attempt to forcibly...
encoded: New York, July 6—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Kenyan authorities to investigate the attempt by heavily armed men to snatch The Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich from his car, days after the president criticized the media house, and ensure that those behind the incident are brought to justice. “The attempt to forcibly disappear Alex Kiprotich, three days after President William Ruto railed against The Standard Group, reflects the growing dangers that journalists face in Kenya, despite the president’s earlier promise to allow the press to work freely,” said CPJ Africa Director Angela Quintal. “Kenyan authorities must respect the democratic role of the media in commenting on the government’s achievements and shortcomings ahead of next year’s elections and bring an end to this horrific trend of enforced disappearances.” On June 27, Kiprotich was driving to work in the central city of Nakuru when a car intercepted him and three men in plain clothes, armed with AK-47 assault rifles, stepped out, the journalist told CPJ. One opened the passenger door to check that Kiprotich was alone and then walked towards the driver’s side. Kiprotich said he locked all the doors and sped away. “As the person responsible for The Standard’s headlines, I knew I had become a target,” said Kiprotich, adding that he and a witness gave statements at the local police station. On June 24, Ruto criticized The Standard Group, one of Kenya’s largest media houses, in a post on X addressed to “GMoi,” in reference to politician Gideon Moi, the son of late former President Daniel arap Moi, whose family are majority shareholders in The Standard Group. Ruto said the group was producing “5 days a week EXTORTIONIST propaganda HEADLINES on me & my administration’s transformative track record.” After a brief reconciliation in October, the two politicians are heading rival parties ahead of August 2027 elections in which Ruto is likely to seek a second term. The Standard Group has …

Rebels with a cause: The Black Panther Party and socialism in practice
type: item
creator: Mansa Musa
date: 2026-07-06T17:25:10Z
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Rattling the Bars
subject: Sources
subject: video
subject: and
subject: bars
subject: black
subject: black panthers
subject: cause
subject: movements
subject: panther
subject: party
subject: Politics
subject: practice
subject: rattling
subject: Rebels
subject: Socialism
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: Video
subject: with
description: <img width="1024" height="664" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-514865740-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C664&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A teacher leads his students with the black power salute and slogans at a Black Panther liberation school. Photo via Getty Images" data-attachment-id="344857" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/rebels-with-a-cause-the-black-panther-party-and-socialism-in-practice/gettyimages-514865740" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-514865740-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1661&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1661" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="GettyImages-514865740" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" A teacher leads his students with the black power salute and slogans at a Black Panther liberation school. Photo via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-514865740-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C506&ssl=1"> “While the youth got no clue what the [Black Panther Party] was about, they got the essence… What they like is that the Party were no punks, they were no sellouts.”
encoded: <img width="1024" height="664" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-514865740-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C664&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A teacher leads his students with the black power salute and slogans at a Black Panther liberation school. Photo via Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-514865740-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-514865740-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C195&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-514865740-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C664&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-514865740-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C498&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-514865740-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C996&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-514865740-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1328&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-514865740-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C778&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-514865740-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1297&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-514865740-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C506&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-514865740-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C259&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-514865740-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-514865740-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C664&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data…

Climate change: United States vs. China
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-06T17:03:11Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: change
subject: China
subject: Climate
subject: Democracy
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: states
subject: united
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Climate change: United States vs. China
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-06T17:02:00Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: change
subject: China
subject: Climate
subject: Democracy
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: states
subject: united
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Were the Black Panthers Socialists?
type: item
creator: The Real News Network
date: 2026-07-06T16:56:28Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Real News Network
subject: black
subject: network
subject: News
subject: panthers
subject: real
subject: socialists
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: were
description: This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.

UN News Today 06 July 2026
type: item
creator: Dianne Penn
date: 2026-07-06T16:08:01Z
subject: Podcasts/UN News Today
subject: Sources
subject: UN News
subject: 2026
subject: july
subject: News
subject: podcastsun
subject: sources
subject: today
description: Guterres calls for action to protect children from AI dangers Ukraine: Latest Russian assault leaves at least 14 dead in KyivGaza children still under fire despite ceasefire pledge: UNICEF
encoded: Guterres calls for action to protect children from AI dangers Ukraine: Latest Russian assault leaves at least 14 dead in KyivGaza children still under fire despite ceasefire pledge: UNICEF This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Dianne Penn.

Amid Mounting War Casualties, Pete Hegseth “Defunded and Impeded” Efforts to Protect Civilians, Lawmakers Say
type: item
creator: Hannah Allam
date: 2026-07-06T16:00:00Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: amid
subject: and
subject: casualties
subject: civilians
subject: defunded
subject: efforts
subject: hegseth
subject: impeded
subject: Lawmakers
subject: military
subject: mounting
subject: pete
subject: propublica
subject: protect
subject: say
subject: sources
subject: trump administration
subject: war
description: The post Amid Mounting War Casualties, Pete Hegseth “Defunded and Impeded” Efforts to Protect Civilians, Lawmakers Say appeared first on ProPublica.
encoded: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gives a statement ahead of a NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels in June. Omar Havana/Getty Images ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Ten Democratic lawmakers told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a letter Sunday that his gutting of a program focused on protecting civilians is a leadership failure that imperils service members and erodes the military’s moral standing. Led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., the joint letter echoed concerns raised by a recent Defense Department inspector general report that described civilian protection efforts as largely “inactive.” Lawmakers also cited reporting by ProPublica and other news outlets in pushing to preserve the framework known as civilian harm mitigation and response, or CHMR. “The Trump administration — potentially in violation of federal law — has defunded and impeded civilian protection efforts,” the lawmakers asserted. A Pentagon spokesperson declined to answer questions from ProPublica, noting: “As with all congressional correspondence, the Department will respond directly to the authors.” The retreat from civilian protection drew global attention in February when an apparent U.S. strike killed dozens of children and teachers at a school on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran — an incident the Pentagon says is under investigation. Beyond those deaths, conflict monitoring groups have recorded a surge in reports of civilian casualties, most notably in Somalia and Yemen, which have both seen a dramatic increase in U.S. strikes under the second Trump administration. In March, ProPublica interviewed current and former national security officials across party lines who said the discarding of civilian protections is part of a broader remaking of the military around two key principles: more aggression, less accountability. The harm mitigation leadership, housed in a speci…

Trump’s Corruption, Birthright Citizenship & Olympian Charged w/ Touching Reflecting Pool
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-06T14:50:17Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: birthright
subject: charged
subject: Citizenship
subject: Corruption
subject: Democracy
subject: now
subject: olympian
subject: pool’
subject: reflecting
subject: sources
subject: touching
subject: trump8217s
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Top U.S. & World Headlines — July 6, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-06T14:48:51Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: headlines
subject: july
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: top
subject: World
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Meet Rafael Rubio, NY City Council Employee Released from Delaney Hall After 5 Months in ICE Jail
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-06T14:36:38Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: after
subject: city
subject: council
subject: delaney
subject: Democracy
subject: employee
subject: from
subject: hall
subject: ice
subject: jail
subject: meet
subject: months’
subject: now
subject: rafael
subject: released
subject: rubio
subject: sources
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Record Heat Waves Are Preview of Our Future on a Warming Planet: Climate Writer David Wallace-Wells
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-06T14:35:30Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: are
subject: Climate
subject: david
subject: Democracy
subject: future
subject: heat
subject: now
subject: our
subject: planet
subject: preview
subject: record
subject: sources
subject: wallacewells
subject: warming
subject: waves
subject: writer
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Going to Khameini’s funeral with Prof. Marandi
type: item
creator: The Grayzone
date: 2026-07-06T14:28:23Z
subject: Sources
subject: funeral
subject: going
subject: khameini8217s
subject: marandi
subject: prof.
subject: sources
subject: with
description: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.

The Problem With Trump’s Baby Accounts
type: item
creator: Dean Baker
date: 2026-07-06T14:14:09Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: accounts
subject: articles 2015
subject: baby
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: economics
subject: problem.
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: trump’s
subject: with
description: I usually find Claire Cain Miller’s pieces in the New York Times very useful, but her piece on Trump accounts badly misled readers in three ways. While the gist of the piece — that the Trump accounts will increase inequality since they are yet another way for the rich to avoid taxes — is correct, More The post The Problem With Trump’s Baby Accounts appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Pebbles Flintstone and Bamm-Bamm Rubble, from Bamm-Bamm’s debut in The Flintstones season-four episode “Little Bamm-Bamm.” Screen capture from episode four. I usually find Claire Cain Miller’s pieces in the New York Times very useful, but her piece on Trump accounts badly misled readers in three ways. While the gist of the piece — that the Trump accounts will increase inequality since they are yet another way for the rich to avoid taxes — is correct, there is no excuse for misleading readers. The key problem is the comment: “A $1,000 investment at birth could be worth $6,000 at age 18, the Trump administration has estimated.” While this assertion is attributed to the Trump administration, it is essentially accepted as fact. In reality, the idea that the account would increase sixfold over 18 years is close to absurd. The first point here is a simple crime that reporters often commit, it reports the numbers in nominal dollars. I know the New York Times’ readers are very well educated, but I guarantee that next to none of them have any idea how much $6,000 in 2044 will be worth in today’s dollars. It would be roughly $4,000, using the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)’s inflation projections. I know that it is the norm to just report things in nominal dollars, but it is supposed to be a news outlet’s job to convey information. This is not conveying information. It takes ten seconds to adjust nominal dollars for projected inflation. The value in today’s dollars can be written in fewer than ten words. There is zero excuse not to do it. This is a peeve I’ve had with the New York Times and other news outlets for many decades. Why can’t they write numbers in ways that are meaningful to their audience? The worst abuse is with big budget numbers that are meaningless to almost everyone who sees them, as in the $5 billion cost of the Africa AIDS program that Elon Musk nixed. Is that sum a big deal? It’s a lot of money to most of us, but it’s less than 0.08 percent of the budge…

Dozen Dead In Russian Missile Strike On Kyiv #Ukraine #War #Breaking
type: item
creator: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
date: 2026-07-06T13:57:45Z
subject: Radio Free Europe/RL
subject: Sources
subject: breaking
subject: dead
subject: dozen
subject: europerl
subject: free
subject: kyiv
subject: missile
subject: radio
subject: russian
subject: sources
subject: strike
subject: Ukraine
subject: war
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Funding the fight against corporate polluters
type: item
creator: Grist Creative
date: 2026-07-06T13:30:30Z
subject: Grist
subject: Sources
subject: against
subject: corporate
subject: fight
subject: funding
subject: polluters
subject: sources
subject: Sponsored
subject: the
description: An innovative new nonprofit called WHEN Justice is turning targeted litigation funding into a powerful tool for justice.
encoded: For decades, toxic lead cables lay like giant sea monsters snaking across the bottom of Lake Tahoe. Installed as early telecommunications lines and owned by AT&T, the abandoned cables contained over 100,000 pounds of lead and were slowly deteriorating, leaching contaminants into one of the most iconic lakes in the country. In 2021, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, or CSPA, filed a lawsuit to force AT&T to remove the abandoned lead cables. The multimillion-dollar litigation dragged on for over two years. Without sampling and scientific testing, it was difficult to make the case in court. Then Roland Peralta, the founder of a new non-profit called WHEN Justice, offered to provide $100,000 for the science needed to support the litigation. The case quickly changed course. With the new funding, scuba divers went down to the lake floor to collect samples that helped show that the lead in the cables was leaching into the surrounding waters. The crucial piece of missing evidence was found with lead isotopic testing, providing “fingerprints” that showed the lead in the cables was the same as the surrounding contamination in the lake. Once the lead contamination was linked to the cables, AT&T settled the case in nine weeks and removed the cables within months. “That was the ‘aha’ moment, where we realized we could scale this model,” said Peralta. An innovative pay-it-forward model WHEN Justice is built around a simple but deeply powerful idea: Strategic funding at the right moment in litigation can help public-interest cases win. The non-profit raises funds to help pay for the costly pieces of litigation at the intersection of environmental and human health — like scientific testing, expert analysis, and sampling — that smaller entities taking on massive corporations in court frequently cannot afford. Because environmental lawsuits often include cost recovery, WHEN’s donations can sometimes be used repeatedly, helping fund multiple cases from the same original…

Meet Rafael Rubio, NY City Council Employee Released from Delaney Hall After 5 Months in ICE Jail
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-06T12:51:24Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: after
subject: city
subject: council
subject: delaney
subject: Democracy
subject: employee
subject: from
subject: hall
subject: ice
subject: jail
subject: meet
subject: months’
subject: now
subject: rafael
subject: released
subject: rubio
subject: sources
description: A New York City Council employee who was detained at the Delaney Hall ICE jail in Newark, New Jersey, for more than five months was released from custody in June. Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez was taken by federal immigration officers in Janua...
encoded: A New York City Council employee who was detained at the Delaney Hall ICE jail in Newark, New Jersey, for more than five months was released from custody in June. Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez was taken by federal immigration officers in January during a routine asylum interview. Rubio Bohorquez, who is from Venezuela, was detained despite holding temporary protected status that should have shielded him from deportation. “People are sad; detainees are sad. It’s people that try to build a future in this country, people that have complied with the law,” says Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez of detained immigrants he met while being held in multiple ICE jails. “They have paid their taxes. They are raising families.” Rubio Bohorquez says he fears being detained again, even though his attorney Gwyneth Hesser says that would be in violation of a court order. “But it seems right now that’s not that much solace, because sometimes things are happening that are outside of the law,” says Hesser. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Record Heat Waves Are Preview of Our Future on a Warming Planet: Climate Writer David Wallace-Wells
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-06T12:36:31Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: are
subject: Climate
subject: david
subject: Democracy
subject: future
subject: heat
subject: now
subject: our
subject: planet
subject: preview
subject: record
subject: sources
subject: wallacewells
subject: warming
subject: waves
subject: writer
description: A massive heat dome settled above the eastern half of the United States over the Fourth of July weekend, bringing triple-digit temperatures, disrupting travel and prompting emergency measures for millions of people. At least 25 people died in ...
encoded: A massive heat dome settled above the eastern half of the United States over the Fourth of July weekend, bringing triple-digit temperatures, disrupting travel and prompting emergency measures for millions of people. At least 25 people died in New Jersey due to extreme heat and humidity, and more than 185 million people — over half of U.S. residents — were under heat alerts over the weekend. This follows a record-shattering European heat wave that’s been blamed for thousands of deaths across Spain, France and Germany. Climate scientists say the burning of fossil fuels is the primary cause of global warming and the reason why heat waves are becoming longer, hotter and more frequent. “Global warming is accelerating past thresholds that we used to consider unacceptable,” says climate journalist David Wallace-Wells. “There are a lot of questions about why we haven’t prepared adequately for these heat waves,” says Wallace-Wells, but he argues that it is still possible to retrofit the planet to mitigate the climate catastrophe. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Trump’s Corruption, Birthright Citizenship & Olympian Charged w/ Touching Reflecting Pool: Norm Eisen
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-06T12:16:23Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: birthright
subject: charged
subject: Citizenship
subject: Corruption
subject: Democracy
subject: eisen
subject: norm”:
subject: now
subject: olympian
subject: pool’
subject: reflecting
subject: sources
subject: touching
subject: trump8217s
description: A grand jury in Washington, D.C., has indicted former U.S. Olympic canoeist David “Davey” Hearn on a felony charge for allegedly vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on June 19. He is facing a possible maximum sentence ...
encoded: A grand jury in Washington, D.C., has indicted former U.S. Olympic canoeist David “Davey” Hearn on a felony charge for allegedly vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on June 19. He is facing a possible maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted. Hearn, who denies the accusations, says he had noticed a partly detached piece of the Reflecting Pool’s blue liner and reached into the water to see what it felt like, when he was quickly arrested and subsequently held in jail for five hours. He is one of at least six people who have been arrested for allegedly vandalizing the Reflecting Pool, which has turned green due to algae blooms despite being painted “American-flag blue” at the behest of President Trump. “We do think that Davey is being scapegoated for the failures of the White House with respect to the Reflecting Pool, that the blame is being shifted,” says Norm Eisen, co-founder and executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund. “He’s innocent, and we intend to vigorously defend the matter.” Eisen speaks about some of the other 300 cases Democracy Defenders Fund is involved in, including legal fights against the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger and the Trump administration’s executive order that attempted to end birthright citizenship. He also comments on President Trump having made $2.2 billion last year, mostly fueled by cryptocurrency profits. “It’s corruption on a scale we’ve never seen in American history, and, frankly, seldom in world history,” says Eisen. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Headlines for July 6, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-06T12:00:00Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: for
subject: headlines
subject: july
subject: now
subject: sources
description: Millions Join Funeral Procession for Iranian Supreme Leader Assassinated in U.S. Strike, Israel Continues Attacks on Lebanon Despite U.S.-Brokered Ceasefire, Dozens Killed in Yemen as Houthis Launch Hodeidah Offensive, Israel Approves New West Bank Settlements and Continues Attacks on Gaza, Family Says Palestinian Doctor Hussam Abu Safiya Was Left Disfigured by Israeli Torture, Thessaloniki Shrouded in Toxic Smoke as Wildfires Follow Record European Heat Wave, At Least 25 Die from Record U.S. Heat Wave Over Fourth of July Weekend, Trump Attacks Opponents as “Communists” in Independence Day Speech Marred by Storms, U.S. to Prosecute Former Olympian for “Damaging” Lincoln Reflecting Pool, Thousands Remain Missing as Death Toll from Venezuelan Quakes Tops 3,300, Russian Attacks on Kyiv Kill at Least 11 After Ukrainian Drones Strike St. Petersburg, Turkey Cracks Down on Dissent as Trump Heads to NATO Summit in Ankara, Pope Visits Lampedusa, Urging Humane Treatment of Migrants and Refugees, Trump Pardons Clean Air Act Violators and Ex-Partner of Jack Abramoff, FIFA Lifts Suspension of U.S. Striker After Trump Intervenes, Amnesty International Says Chinese “Ethnic Unity” Law Would Accelerate Forced Assimilation, Activist Self-Immolates Outside U.N. to Demand Tibet’s Independence from China
encoded: Millions Join Funeral Procession for Iranian Supreme Leader Assassinated in U.S. Strike Israel Continues Attacks on Lebanon Despite U.S.-Brokered Ceasefire Dozens Killed in Yemen as Houthis Launch Hodeidah Offensive Israel Approves New West Bank Settlements and Continues Attacks on Gaza Family Says Palestinian Doctor Hussam Abu Safiya Was Left Disfigured by Israeli Torture Thessaloniki Shrouded in Toxic Smoke as Wildfires Follow Record European Heat Wave At Least 25 Die from Record U.S. Heat Wave Over Fourth of July Weekend Trump Attacks Opponents as "Communists" in Independence Day Speech Marred by Storms U.S. to Prosecute Former Olympian for "Damaging" Lincoln Reflecting Pool Thousands Remain Missing as Death Toll from Venezuelan Quakes Tops 3,300 Russian Attacks on Kyiv Kill at Least 11 After Ukrainian Drones Strike St. Petersburg Turkey Cracks Down on Dissent as Trump Heads to NATO Summit in Ankara Pope Visits Lampedusa, Urging Humane Treatment of Migrants and Refugees Trump Pardons Clean Air Act Violators and Ex-Partner of Jack Abramoff FIFA Lifts Suspension of U.S. Striker After Trump Intervenes Amnesty International Says Chinese "Ethnic Unity" Law Would Accelerate Forced Assimilation Activist Self-Immolates Outside U.N. to Demand Tibet's Independence from China This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Democracy Now! 2026-07-06 Monday
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-06T12:00:00Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 20260706
subject: Democracy
subject: monday
subject: now
subject: sources
description: Democracy Now! Monday, July 6, 2026
encoded: Democracy Now! Monday, July 6, 2026 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.

These Immigrant Kids Were Once Protected. Under Trump, Their Deportations Have Tripled.
type: item
creator: Mica Rosenberg
date: 2026-07-06T10:00:00Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: ‘once
subject: deportations
subject: have
subject: Immigrant
subject: Immigration
subject: kids
subject: propublica
subject: protected
subject: sources
subject: their
subject: these
subject: tripled
subject: trump
subject: trump administration
subject: under
subject: were
description: The post These Immigrant Kids Were Once Protected. Under Trump, Their Deportations Have Tripled. appeared first on ProPublica.
encoded: Elder Chavez crossed the border as an unaccompanied minor in 2022. Now 18, he sits in Louisiana’s Winn Correctional Center facing deportation after a traffic violation. Emily Scherer for ProPublica. Source images: Courtesy of the Chavez family, JMS2/Flickr, mikepick/Flickr, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. For the first few weeks after he arrived at the immigration detention center in Winnfield, Louisiana, 18-year-old Elder Chavez was wide awake most nights, listening to the creaky sounds of the bunk beds and to voices of dozens of men, also sleepless, around him. He suffered terrible headaches and would finally doze off around 4 a.m. — just when guards would begin to summon the detainees for breakfast. Then he’d sleep for most of the rest of the day. He had developed the schedule of an owl. And he thought to himself that the dark circles that had appeared under his eyes made him look like one. He’d landed at the Winn Correctional Center after Alabama state police had caught him in December going 15 mph over the speed limit and driving without a license. He was on his way home from getting his favorite sandwich, carne asada, when he was pulled over. Once the officers realized he was an immigrant, they called U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Chavez offered to show them documents that proved he wasn’t living in hiding. Immigration authorities had granted him Special Immigrant Juvenile Status because, as a toddler, he’d been abandoned by his parents in Honduras and had come to this country on his own when he was 14. His sister, who’d migrated years earlier and was living in Alabama, offered to help take care of him. A lawyer was helping him pursue permanent residency. “I’m legal in this country,” Chavez pleaded with the officers. But the officers, he said, weren’t having it. One of them told him, “Your papers are of no use to me.” And just like that, an otherwise law-abiding high school student — who loved his welding and carpentry classes, had b…

DN! Monday, July 6, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4
date: 2026-07-06T09:31:38Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: july
subject: monday
subject: now
subject: sources
description: Monday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD
encoded: Monday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4 and was authored by Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4.

Left in the Dust: How a Billionaire-Owned Concrete Plant Took Over a Detroit Community
type: item
creator: Jena Brooker
date: 2026-07-06T09:00:00Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: billionaireowned
subject: Community
subject: concrete
subject: detroit
subject: dust
subject: environment
subject: how
subject: left
subject: over
subject: plant
subject: pollution
subject: propublica
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: took
description: The post Left in the Dust: How a Billionaire-Owned Concrete Plant Took Over a Detroit Community appeared first on ProPublica.
encoded: A view of the Kronos concrete mixing plant from the front porch of longtime resident Christina Kary. Her family built the first homes on her block, and she is determined to stay in the neighborhood. Brittany Greeson for ProPublica The abandoned house next door meant a lot to Christina Kary. For years, she tended to it, planting purple flowers, removing weeds and picking up trash. She attached locks to the doors to prevent trespassers from entering. She had considered buying the property, located on the Cadillac Heights block where her family built the first houses in the early 1900s. Several years ago, she learned that the small home with a front porch was owned by the Detroit Land Bank Authority, which manages the city’s vacant properties. Kary, 86, said she told a land bank inspector she wanted to purchase it but didn’t follow up, thinking she would eventually hear back. Then, one morning in 2024, she heard a commotion as heavy equipment squeezed through the alley. Kary watched from her backyard as the house was demolished, her feet vibrating beneath her. She marked the day in yellow highlighter on her paper wall calendar where she records other notable events like birthdays, doctor appointments and Bible study meetups. She would later learn that the city had sold the home to Crown Enterprises, a real estate firm owned by members of the Detroit area’s wealthy and politically connected Moroun family. Over the last seven years, Crown has obtained dozens of parcels in Cadillac Heights and secured permits to demolish more than 20 structures. In all, the company now owns more than 160 lots in the neighborhood, most of which are barren. It also has erected a concrete-mixing plant just across the street from Kary’s home, creating clouds of dust, noise at early hours of the day and late into the night, and industrial lights that pierce through the area. The company’s takeover of the southeast section of the neighborhood has marked the end of the community Kary and her nei…

New research traces how ‘forever chemicals’ move through the Great Lakes and into people
type: item
creator: Vivian La
date: 2026-07-06T08:45:00Z
subject: Grist
subject: Sources
subject: ‘forever
subject: and
subject: chemicals
subject: great
subject: health
subject: how
subject: into
subject: lakes
subject: move
subject: new
subject: People
subject: Research
subject: Science
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: through
subject: traces
description: The study used more than 40 years of data to map fluctuating PFAS levels across species in the region's food chain.
encoded: In the United States, PFAS chemicals are so ubiquitous — found in everything from frying pans to skincare — that nearly all of the country’s population likely has measurable levels of the so-called “forever chemicals” in their blood. It’s only in the last few decades that the public and scientists started untangling the health and ecological risks associated with some of the manufactured compounds, which earned their nickname because they don’t break down easily in the environment. Now, new research from the University of Notre Dame has deepened our understanding of how PFAS can filter through ecosystems and move up the food chain to get to people. The peer-reviewed study, published this spring in the Journal of Environmental Quality, focused on the Great Lakes. The researchers analyzed 42 years of studies and combined nearly 2,500 samples of algae, fish, birds, and other organisms, in what’s called a meta-analysis to identify trends in PFAS distribution. PFAS have been linked to a range of health issues, and the chemicals have been identified in human tissue, including in the bloodstream, liver, kidneys, and lungs. Known health risks range from decreased fertility to a higher prevalence of certain cancers. People can be exposed to PFAS in several ways, including through the food they eat. “What we’re finding is that the food web itself is a vehicle for transferring these chemicals from one organism to another,” said Gary Lamberti, aquatic science professor at Notre Dame and a study co-author. “So it’s a more holistic view than we’ve known before.” The Great Lakes study focused on six of the PFAS chemicals most commonly tested for, but there are more than 15,000 types out there, according to the National Institutes of Health. Researchers identified a dramatic decrease over the last two decades of one PFAS chemical known as PFOS, following a voluntary phaseout by industries in the early 2000s. “If we stop manufacturing these chemicals, they will eventually reduce in …

Filmmaker and music archivist Cyrus Moussavi on remembering that artists are people
type: item
creator: Eric Steuer
date: 2026-07-06T07:00:00Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Creative Independent
subject: and
subject: archivist
subject: are
subject: artists
subject: creative
subject: cyrus
subject: Film
subject: filmmaker
subject: independent
subject: moussavi
subject: Music
subject: People
subject: remembering
subject: sources
subject: that
subject: the
description: You’ve worked across documentary, archival projects, and releasing music by overlooked artists. A lot of what you do involves helping other people’s work find its way into the world. How do you decide you’re the right person to help someone tell their story?
encoded: You’ve worked across documentary, archival projects, and releasing music by overlooked artists. A lot of what you do involves helping other people’s work find its way into the world. How do you decide you’re the right person to help someone tell their story? That’s always a challenge. Almost every project I’ve worked on has come together very organically. I’ve been introduced to someone through someone else, or we’ve run into each other and had a conversation. It’s very rare that I look something up and then go track someone down. It’s usually a series of human interactions that sort of accidentally arrives at a project, especially the more in-depth ones. Often it’s not that I’m necessarily the best person to do the project. Sometimes I’m just the only person willing to do it, or the only one around with the time, resources, and energy to follow through. Each project is different, but there are projects where I’ve definitely said, “If there’s someone else who wants to do it, please go for it.” For it to make sense, there has to be a personal connection. There are infinite projects out there. As I get older and a little more discerning, my requirement is that there has to be some kind of human connection. Even if we come from very different backgrounds, there has to be something underneath it. Some shared interest or way of seeing the world that goes beyond “this is cool music” or “this will be popular.” I imagine that connection has to be rooted in trust. Yes, for sure. On both sides. These are long relationships and they’re complicated. I mean, there’s money involved. Not huge amounts of course, but money complicates things. And more importantly, there’s someone’s name and legacy involved. Their reputation and how they’re seen in the world. When a potential project first comes to you, what makes you comfortable enough to move forward with it? It’s hard to speak generally because they’re all so different. There isn’t really a “go button.” One thing I like about the …

Inside The Case Against the ‘Michigan 8’: Palestine Activism Recast as Antisemitic Terror
type: item
creator: Yarden Azoulay Katz - Stephen M. Ward
date: 2026-07-06T06:11:14Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: Activism
subject: against
subject: antisemitic
subject: articles 2015
subject: case
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: inside
subject: Leading Article
subject: michigan
subject: Palestine
subject: recast
subject: sources
subject: terror
subject: the
subject: war
description: In the early morning hours of June 10, 2026, the FBI conducted raids against individuals involved in Palestine solidarity activism at the University of Michigan. With help from local and state police departments, including the University of Michigan Police, the raids unfolded simultaneously in Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin. In Ypsilanti, MI, agents in military gear rolled into a neighborhood in an armored vehicle, with guns drawn, terrorizing families and neighbors. A similar home raid took place in Chicago. In total, seven of the eight accused individuals were arrested (one was out of the country). The case is now known as the Michigan Eight. More The post Inside The Case Against the ‘Michigan 8’: Palestine Activism Recast as Antisemitic Terror appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Property damage to a Rolls-Royce facility in Novi, Michigan, which had phrases such as “MTU ARMS GENOCIDE” and “FREE PALESTINE” painted on its exterior. Rolls-Royce produces parts for Israeli army vehicles. MTU is Rolls-Royce’s German subsidiary, which makes the engines for the Israeli army’s Merkava tanks. (Photo via US DOJ) Property damage to a Rolls-Royce facility in Novi, Michigan, which had phrases such as “MTU ARMS GENOCIDE” and “FREE PALESTINE” painted on its exterior. Rolls-Royce produces parts for Israeli army vehicles. MTU is Rolls-Royce’s German subsidiary, which makes the engines for the Israeli army’s Merkava tanks. (Photo via US DOJ) In the early morning hours of June 10, 2026, the FBI conducted raids against individuals involved in Palestine solidarity activism at the University of Michigan. With help from local and state police departments, including the University of Michigan Police, the raids unfolded simultaneously in Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin. In Ypsilanti, MI, agents in military gear rolled into a neighborhood in an armored vehicle, with guns drawn, terrorizing families and neighbors. A similar home raid took place in Chicago. In total, seven of the eight accused individuals were arrested (one was out of the country). The case is now known as the Michigan Eight. The Justice Department indicted the eight defendants – five of whom are current or former students at the University of Michigan, and one of whom was a University employee – on multiple counts of <a href="https://www.michigandaily.com/news/government/the-daily-breaks-down-the-indictment-against-eight-pro-palestine-activists/" data-iawmlf-archived-url="https://web-wp.archive.org/web/20260619213918/https://www.michigandaily.com/news/government/the-daily-breaks-down-the-indictment-against-eight-pro-palestine-activists/" data-iawmlf-current-url="https://www.michigandaily.com/news/government/the-daily-breaks-down-the-indictment-against-eight-pro-palestine-activists" data-iawmlf-archiv…

Why AI Doesn’t Think, Cannot Reason, Isn’t Intelligent and Will Never Achieve Consciousness
type: item
creator: Rob Urie
date: 2026-07-06T06:00:39Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: achieve
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: cannot
subject: consciousness
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Culture
subject: doesn’t
subject: intelligent
subject: isn’t
subject: Leading Article
subject: never
subject: reason
subject: sources
subject: think
subject: why
subject: will
description: Recent public comments made about AI suggest that Americans have difficulty with the implications of linear time. This is odd given that its conception is largely Western and is centered on the clock time used to coordin [ . . . ] The post Why AI Doesn’t Think, Cannot Reason, Isn’t Intelligent and Will Never Achieve Consciousness appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Poster for Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (detail). Recent public comments made about AI suggest that Americans have difficulty with the implications of linear time. This is odd given that its conception is largely Western and is centered on the clock time used to coordinate capitalist employment. The conceptual difficulty regards sequencing, or plans for future actions. But it also involves the distribution of profits. 100% of the capital equipment used in Western economic production was produced by workers. So, why does the resulting product belong to financiers rather than those who produced it? To use a physical metaphor, if I 1) buy a car, 2) aim it in the direction of a cliff, 3) put a stone on the gas pedal and 4) put the transmission into drive, the car will move forward and plunge off of the cliff. Question: did I, through my actions, cause the car to plunge off of the cliff? Or did the car ‘drive itself’ off of the cliff? The answer depends on where you imagine that my own actions ended. In fact, I conceived and created a series of events that if carried through with competence would lead to the car plunging off of the cliff. The car is inert metal and rubber without human direction. Likewise, if I create and set in motion a three-hundred step algorithm, is the algorithm producing the output, or did I? The distinction is between intent and process. My intent guides the conception and creation of the three-hundred step algorithm. But the work from that point forward is carried out by the algorithm being run in a computing environment. So, the algorithm didn’t conceive of the project. I did. The algorithm didn’t plan (sequence) the project. I did. The algorithm didn’t code the problem. I did. So, who produced the output, me or the machine? A similar conceptual problem applies to claims of machines ‘thinking.’ Physically speaking, AI is a bundle of algorithms housed within a large computing environment. AI didn’t conceive itself. It was conceived, if memory serves, …

Right to Breathe: Unfiltered Messages from Gaza to President Catherine Connolly
type: item
creator: Ramzy Baroud
date: 2026-07-06T05:52:15Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: breathe
subject: catherine
subject: connolly
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: from
subject: gaza
subject: messages
subject: president
subject: right
subject: sources
subject: unfiltered
description: I recently had the chance to send a message to the President of Ireland, Her Excellency Catherine Connolly. President Connolly is a vocal supporter of Palestine and remains one of the few European heads of state to explicitly accuse Israel of carrying out a genocide in Gaza. She has a long history of this advocacy; More The post Right to Breathe: Unfiltered Messages from Gaza to President Catherine Connolly appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Catherine Connolly. Image: Wikipedia. I recently had the chance to send a message to the President of Ireland, Her Excellency Catherine Connolly. President Connolly is a vocal supporter of Palestine and remains one of the few European heads of state to explicitly accuse Israel of carrying out a genocide in Gaza. She has a long history of this advocacy; while previously serving as a member of the Dáil Éireann—the lower house of the Irish Parliament—she famously argued that if Ireland couldn’t recognize Israel as a “terrorist state,” then the country was “in serious trouble.” The President’s sister, Dr. Margaret Connolly also joined the Global Sumud Flotilla—a multi-boat humanitarian convoy carrying medical supplies and food attempting to break the siege on Gaza. In May 2026, the flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters, resulting in the detention of Dr. Connolly and hundreds of other pro-Palestinian activists. Instead of developing my own message or constructing a commentary on what I think Gaza and the Palestinian people want, I chose to resort to my lifelong methodology of research—the framework of “people’s history” or “history from below.” My objective was to center the voices of truly representative Palestinians and allow them to speak for themselves, unfiltered and directly to a head of state. What follows below are the raw, unedited messages from Gazans themselves. Message from Umm Mohammed The first section is the result of an ongoing, intimate conversation with a Palestinian mother from northern Gaza. An Arabic teacher who now lives in a displacement tent, she has endured unimaginable loss in this war, losing three of her children, her husband, her brother, and a vast network of cousins and extended family. She speaks entirely from the heart. Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. We pray that God grants you safety, health, and wellness, our brother Abu Sami. In all honesty, I truly, truly wish that you can con…

Scrutinizing the Unpardonable: The AUKUS Public Inquiry So Far
type: item
creator: Binoy Kampmark
date: 2026-07-06T05:50:26Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: aukus
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: far
subject: inquiry
subject: public
subject: scrutinizing
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: unpardonable
description: In the annals of policy, strategy and budgeting, the AUKUS pact comprising Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States will be seen as one of the most mindless, absurd projects of tiny, poorly furnished minds. Not for those in the UK and US, with both receiving Croesus-rich dollops of Australian cash for stuttering submarine programs. Not More The post Scrutinizing the Unpardonable: The AUKUS Public Inquiry So Far appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Photograph Source: Petty Officer 2nd Class Dartanon Delagarza – Public Domain In the annals of policy, strategy and budgeting, the AUKUS pact comprising Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States will be seen as one of the most mindless, absurd projects of tiny, poorly furnished minds. Not for those in the UK and US, with both receiving Croesus-rich dollops of Australian cash for stuttering submarine programs. Not for flabby think tankers who repeatedly run out bills on the advisory circuit lauding the importance of costly boats and the China threat. It will be down to Australian government officials, elected and appointed, who seek the imaginary assurance of nuclear-powered submarines that they do not need, expending money they can scarce afford (AU$368 billion), while surrendering the country’s sovereignty in carefree, even treasonous manner. It is for these reasons that Australian civil society has sprung into action. As the Australian government thinks it beneath them to conduct a review of the merits of the AUKUS pact at the official level (the United Kingdom and United States have, at the very least, done so), public representatives and citizens have seized the reins. The crowd founded AUKUS Public Inquiry, coordinated by the Australian Peace and Security Forum (APSF), is the result. At its helm is former federal environment minister and frontman for Midnight Oil Peter Garrett. Former MPs, retired military and naval officers of such standing as former chief of the Australian Defence Force Chris Barrie, an assortment of strategists and academics, human rights lawyers and unions are all part of the scrutineering show. The inquiry is pursuing a number of vital questions. Will Australia ever receive those lauded submarines, be they the Virginia-class from the US Navy or the specifically designed SSN-AUKUS model? Where and how will the toxic high-level nuclear waste be stored, given that Australia has no standing facility for such a function? How many actu…

Trump Enrichment Syndrome
type: item
creator: John Feffer
date: 2026-07-06T05:50:23Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: enrichment
subject: sources
subject: syndrome:
subject: trump
description: The Trump administration concluded a recent mineral deal with Kazakhstan that, not surprisingly, enriches not only Trump’s own family but that of his secretary of commerce, Howard Lutnick. Trump’s two eldest sons, part owners of Dominari Securities, are set to profit from the Kazakh tungsten deal. So is Cantor Fitzgerald, the investment firm run by More The post Trump Enrichment Syndrome appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Photo by rob walsh The Trump administration concluded a recent mineral deal with Kazakhstan that, not surprisingly, enriches not only Trump’s own family but that of his secretary of commerce, Howard Lutnick. Trump’s two eldest sons, part owners of Dominari Securities, are set to profit from the Kazakh tungsten deal. So is Cantor Fitzgerald, the investment firm run by Lutnick’s two sons. As The New York Times pointed out in its investigation of the scheme, “Their sons were soon doing business with partners in a deal that their fathers were negotiating, continuing a pattern of self-enrichment in the second Trump administration that has few precedents in American history.” The phrases “self-enrichment” and “few precedents” are interesting ways of characterizing this latest instance of the administration’s corruption. Isn’t self-enrichment a good thing, in the sense of profiting from your own hard work? By contrast, the article doesn’t mention the word “corruption” at all. Perhaps the Times is worried about getting hit by yet another Trump legal challenge (in October last year, Trump refiled a $15 billion defamation suit against the paper for its coverage of his 2024 presidential campaign). There are indeed several precedents in American history for what Trump is doing. These previous corruption scandals—Credit Mobilier, Whiskey Ring, Teapot Dome—wrecked the reputations of presidents and cast long shadows over American politics. They also helped to produce the kind of safeguards that Trump is now destroying. As with much of Trump’s disrespect for norms, his corruption has been massive and largely in full view. The two outstanding questions are: will Trump and company ever be held accountable for their graft and will this corruption have an enduring impact on political institutions in the United States? Tracking the Damage If scandalous behavior unfolds in full view of everyone, is it still a scandal? “Scandal” suggests something hidden, something whispered about, someth…

On a Subdued 250th Birthday, Is There a U.S.”We the People” Anymore?
type: item
creator: Patrick Mazza
date: 2026-07-06T05:50:01Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: 250th
subject: anymore’:
subject: articles 2015
subject: birthday
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: People
subject: sources
subject: subdued
subject: the
subject: there
subject: uswe
description: Why 2026 feels so different from 1976 Not all birthdays are welcome. They can signify aspirations unachieved even as the window to reach them is closing. For those of us getting up in years, they can call out how old, creaky bodies are not functioning quite as well as they used to. That our departure More The post On a Subdued 250th Birthday, Is There a U.S.”We the People” Anymore? appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Photograph Source: G. Edward Johnson – CC BY 4.0 Why 2026 feels so different from 1976 Not all birthdays are welcome. They can signify aspirations unachieved even as the window to reach them is closing. For those of us getting up in years, they can call out how old, creaky bodies are not functioning quite as well as they used to. That our departure is closer than our arrival, and the clock seems to be speeding up. Here I’m speaking from personal experience. The 250th birthday of the United States seems to have many of the same attributes. High hopes for a society built on justice for all are retreating in the face of advancing oligarchy, surging racism and widening divisions over what, after all, are our aspirations. The institutions that were supposed to provide a balance that stemmed tendencies to tyranny – courts, the Congress, a free press – are sputtering ineffectively like an engine that needs an overhaul. The constitutional order is showing its age. While nations transcend the lifetime of a single individual, they too have lifespans, and a sense of mortality hangs over the U.S., with talk of civil war and breakup prominent in a way that would have been inconceivable a couple of decades ago. It is a subdued, even melancholy birthday, despite reaching the milestone of a quarter millennium since independence was declared in Philadelphia July 4, 1776. A pathetically attended and poorly conceived “Great American State Fair” on the D.C. Mall, a slimy Reflecting Pool, a White House with one wing demolished, and another area torn up to host a cage match in scenes that even Mike Judge would have had trouble imagining when he made Idiocracy in the early 2000s. Life is not only imitating art – It is exceeding it. Ironically, in a nation going backwards on climate, July 4 parades in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia are cancelled due to extreme heat fed by climate-twisting pollution. It is quite a contrast with the bicentennial 50 years ago. I recall it well. Having just…

Why Today’s Global Tech War Needs Yesterday’s History
type: item
creator: Jianlu Bi
date: 2026-07-06T05:48:37Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: economics
subject: Global
subject: History
subject: needs
subject: sources
subject: tech
subject: today’s
subject: war
subject: why
subject: yesterday’s
description: The global tech landscape no longer resembles a global village; it is a fractured theater of war. Data sovereignty laws are carving the Internet into digital fiefdoms—a reality underscored by President Donald Trump’s explosive threat to slap 100 percent retaliatory tariffs on European nations daring to levy digital services taxes on American tech giants. While More The post Why Today’s Global Tech War Needs Yesterday’s History appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Still from Terminator: Genisys. The global tech landscape no longer resembles a global village; it is a fractured theater of war. Data sovereignty laws are carving the Internet into digital fiefdoms—a reality underscored by President Donald Trump’s explosive threat to slap 100 percent retaliatory tariffs on European nations daring to levy digital services taxes on American tech giants. While Washington’s sweeping semiconductor export controls weaponize supply chains into modern naval blockades, Europe’s regulatory defiance and the aggressive hoarding of generative AI inside national and proprietary bunkers signal a deeper fracturing. This sobering paradox—where technology makes the world smaller but politics makes it meaner—feels entirely unprecedented. But it isn’t. It is simply the rehearsal of a cyclical historical script. To understand why our hyper-connected world is tearing at the seams, consider the brilliant historical framework outlined by Taiwanese commentator Gongsun Ce in his critique of John Hirst’s The Shortest History of Europe. Ce argues that whenever civilization reaches its most luminous peaks, it is driven by a twin engine: a breakthrough in physical technology combined with a massive, unstoppable knowledge spillover. Today’s algorithm-driven world is the third great iteration of this cycle. To map the trajectory of the current world, it is necessary to look at how the first two waves of knowledge spillover resolved. The first case occurred during China’s Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. It was an era defined by a hardware breakthrough—the proliferation of iron tools—and a profound software liberation: the dismantling of the aristocratic Shi class, which stripped the nobility of their monopoly on education and released knowledge into the wild. This dual explosion empowered wandering scholars, unleashed the “Hundred Schools of Thought,” and effectively triggered history’s first “regional globalization” among the Zhou vassal states. Its…

Our Safety Net Was Already Full of Holes. Now They’re Only Getting Bigger
type: item
creator: Jessie Sicley
date: 2026-07-06T05:45:55Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: (full
subject: ‘bigger
subject: already
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: economics
subject: getting
subject: holes.
subject: net
subject: now
subject: only
subject: our
subject: safety
subject: sources
subject: they’re
subject: was
description: Back when I was growing up, it seemed a bit easier to get by on next to nothing. People could afford food and shelter on a working-class wage and get a little help from safety net programs when needed. But since the 1990s, the cost of housing and healthcare has increasingly exceeded wage growth. We’re More The post Our Safety Net Was Already Full of Holes. Now They’re Only Getting Bigger appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Homeless camp, Portland, Oregon. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair. Back when I was growing up, it seemed a bit easier to get by on next to nothing. People could afford food and shelter on a working-class wage and get a little help from safety net programs when needed. But since the 1990s, the cost of housing and healthcare has increasingly exceeded wage growth. We’re also paying a larger share of our income on food now. Even as recently as 2021, an expanded Child Tax Credit, stronger unemployment insurance, and health care programs were keeping people out of poverty — even slashing child poverty in half. But spending hawks in Congress refused to renew these pandemic-era social programs, and poverty spiked right back up. Under this administration and Congress, things are even worse. Already, thin assistance programs have been slashed to fund tax cuts for billionaires and more endless wars. Even before these latest cuts, it was clear we needed a stronger safety net with less red tape. Years ago, when I stepped out on my own as a mother, I had to apply for SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps). It helped my kids get the best start in life with good, adequate nutrition, even living in an area where well-paying jobs were scarce and child care was expensive. In search of better-paying work, I moved to St. Louis. I found better pay, but the rent was at least double. Even with a bigger paycheck, I had to live in my car and apply for Section 8 housing assistance. My son had to go live with his dad. I was devastated. I found some subpar housing while I spent three years stuck at number 2,000 on the waitlist. But eventually I fell off the list altogether. It turns out the form they sent me to remain on the waitlist was returned as “undeliverable.” They had entered my address incorrectly. The error was theirs, not mine. The Department of Housing and Urban Development doesn’t track how many people lose their place in line for housing assistance. Still, the…

The US Shouldn’t Deport People into War Zones
type: item
creator: Jordan Liz
date: 2026-07-06T05:43:08Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: deport
subject: into
subject: People
subject: shouldn’t
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: war
subject: zones’
description: The Trump administration wants to deport hundreds of thousands of U.S. residents to dangerous countries. And the Supreme Court’s MAGA majority just gave its blessing. On June 25, the Supreme Court paved the way for the Trump administration to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from 350,000 migrants from Haiti and over 6,000 from Syria. TPS More The post The US Shouldn’t Deport People into War Zones appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Sheikh Maqsoud, Aleppo, under bombardment by alleged Syrian transitional government forces earlier this year. Photo: Mezopotamya Ajansı. The Trump administration wants to deport hundreds of thousands of U.S. residents to dangerous countries. And the Supreme Court’s MAGA majority just gave its blessing. On June 25, the Supreme Court paved the way for the Trump administration to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from 350,000 migrants from Haiti and over 6,000 from Syria. TPS is a legal status given to migrants from countries the U.S. government agrees are too dangerous to return to. Haiti and Syria certainly fit the description. The State Department warns Americans against traveling to Syria and Haiti “for any reason” due to the risk of crime, terrorism, kidnapping, unrest, hostage taking, and armed conflict. Yet the court’s conservative majority ruled that courts are prohibited from reviewing whether the administration followed the law in revoking TPS. The “decision that country conditions in Syria and Haiti justified termination of their TPS designations” is exempt from any form of judicial review, the justices claimed. Interestingly, the Supreme Court did not rule that the administration followed the law, or that conditions in these countries were safe. It simply ruled that these decisions couldn’t be challenged. The court also rejected the plaintiffs’ claim that terminating TPS for Haitians was racially motivated. For the court’s conservatives, none of President Trump’s past remarks — which include the lie Haitians are “eating the dogs,” “probably have AIDS,” and that Haiti is a “s—hole country” — were “overtly racial.” Effectively, the Supreme Court has granted the Trump administration the power to unilaterally end TPS for any group at any time for any reason, no matter how prejudiced or flawed. While this immediately impacts Haitians and Syrians, it puts the lives of everyone with TPS at risk. This includes people from active warzones like Ukraine, Sudan, …

Fathers Closing the Gap on Parental Leave
type: item
creator: Julia Yixia Cai
date: 2026-07-06T05:40:32Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: ‘parental
subject: articles 2015
subject: closing
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: fathers
subject: gap
subject: leave
subject: sources
subject: the
description: Paid leave has gained significant support from researchers and policymakers across the political spectrum. Paid family and medical leave (PFML), which allows parents to bond with a new baby, acknowledges the important role of childbirth in women’s lives as they strive to balance work and family responsibilities. And while it benefits all families, paid leave More The post Fathers Closing the Gap on Parental Leave appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Paid leave has gained significant support from researchers and policymakers across the political spectrum. Paid family and medical leave (PFML), which allows parents to bond with a new baby, acknowledges the important role of childbirth in women’s lives as they strive to balance work and family responsibilities. And while it benefits all families, paid leave can be particularly valuable for vulnerable populations with limited resources. Parents and other family caregivers experience psychosocial stress and opportunity costs due to the competing demands of labor market participation and household caregiving responsibilities. Paid leave can mitigate these stresses. Another positive development associated with greater availability of paid family leave is the increased use of paid leave by fathers following the birth of a child, an area that has received relatively little attention. Recent claims data indicate that in states where paid leave programs have been implemented, men’s use of paid leave to bond with a newborn has risen in recent years. Indeed, the availability of paid leave for working men may enhance the quality and stability of couple relationships and promote father’s involvement from the early stages of a child’s life. Figure 1 In fact, the gender difference in paid family leave usage at the time of a child’s birth has narrowed substantially over time (see Figure 1). Analyzing data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation, we see that among parents employed before the birth of their first child, women consistently use paid family or parental leave more than men nationwide. For the cohort with children born before 1994, approximately 29 percent of women utilized paid parental leave, compared to only about 4.5 percent of men. By 2014 to 2024, though, the proportion increased to roughly 33 percent for women and about 27 percent for men. The gap became much smaller (6 percentage points difference in the recent decade) relative to the…

It’s Time for a Tax Code That Lives Up to Our Ideals
type: item
creator: Brakeyshia Samms
date: 2026-07-06T05:40:28Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: code
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: for
subject: ideals
subject: it’s
subject: lives’
subject: our
subject: sources
subject: Tax
subject: that
subject: Time
description: The 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States is a moment to celebrate the ideals that gave birth to this country. But the anniversary also presents an opportunity to ask a difficult question: What does it mean to honor a nation founded on equality when its tax code continues to reinforce inequality? Tax More The post It’s Time for a Tax Code That Lives Up to Our Ideals appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: “Builders,” Jacob Lawrence, 1974, Screenprint on paper, Gift of Mr. Terry Dintenfass, Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, 1975.062 The 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States is a moment to celebrate the ideals that gave birth to this country. But the anniversary also presents an opportunity to ask a difficult question: What does it mean to honor a nation founded on equality when its tax code continues to reinforce inequality? Tax laws are often viewed as a technical collection of rates, deductions, and credits. In reality, they are one of the most powerful tools through which the nation decides who gets economic opportunity. The tax code deserves closer scrutiny — not simply as a mechanism for raising revenue, but as a tool that has helped drive racial wealth disparities for generations. The connection between tax policy and racial injustice goes back to the nation’s founding. The Constitution linked taxation and political representation through the Three-Fifths Compromise, embedding racial hierarchy into the country’s governing framework. Enslaved Black people generated enormous wealth for white slaveholders, fueling the country’s economic growth while receiving none of the economic benefits. From the country’s founding to the end of the Civil War, property taxes on Black slaves were the largest source of revenue for some state governments. At the end of the Civil War, lawmakers presented Black people with an opportunity for a more equitable foundation through the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. Yet all too soon the promise of “40 acres and a mule” was abandoned, denying formerly enslaved Black Americans the assets necessary to build generational wealth. American history shows that celebration and injustice can coexist. The 150th anniversary of our founding, in 1926, occurred during the cultural pinnacle of the Harlem renaissance, even as Jim Crow segregation remained firmly entrenched. Black people in the South, w…

Trump’s Tactic to Split the Democratic Party into Warring Factions
type: item
creator: Ralph Nader
date: 2026-07-06T05:29:16Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: democratic
subject: factions
subject: into
subject: party
subject: sources
subject: split
subject: tactic:
subject: the
subject: trump’s
subject: warring
description: After progressives, including self-described Democratic Socialists, won numerous primary victories in New York and elsewhere, Trump launched a whopper of a lie, even by his crazed standards. He declared that the “communist” Democratic Socialists are “the biggest threat to our nation there is, maybe since our founding …. That includes World War I, World War More The post Trump’s Tactic to Split the Democratic Party into Warring Factions appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: After progressives, including self-described Democratic Socialists, won numerous primary victories in New York and elsewhere, Trump launched a whopper of a lie, even by his crazed standards. He declared that the “communist” Democratic Socialists are “the biggest threat to our nation there is, maybe since our founding …. That includes World War I, World War II, September 11, it includes the Pearl Harbor attack.” This comes after his November 2025 White House meeting with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, where Trump praised Mamdani strongly, saying they would work together to make a better New York City. Trump is singing a different tune now. He is like Senator Joe McCarthy on steroids, who in the 1950s smeared political opponents, activists, and others, falsely accusing them of being communists. Snarling Joe then maliciously exploited the post-war fear of the Soviet Union. Today, Trump is just following in McCarthy’s footsteps by launching his latest BIG LIE yet to firm up his shrinking base of Trumpy MAGA voters. Look for Trump, an authentic fascist, to dittohead himself on his “communist” tirade. He knows that the pro-Israel, corporate Democrats are distancing themselves from the rising new progressive candidates who, if they’re smart, will make populist domestic demands that are heavily favored in the polls. These Democratic candidates should push for a much higher minimum wage than the present frozen federal minimum of $7.25 per hour, full Medicare-for-All, restore corporate and super-wealthy taxation to the levels of the prosperous 60s, crack down on corporate crimes against consumers, workers, and the environment, and adopt the long-time Western European social safety net of child care, paid worker and family sick leave and paid vacations. A real child tax credit would cut child poverty nearly in half and would benefit over 60 million children. They should raise the Social Security taxes on upper-income people to pay for raising Social Security benefits froz…

Gaza’s future stuck in diplomatic limbo as ‘Board of Peace’ blocks progress for self-determination
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-06T05:12:33Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Board of Peace
subject: Drop Site News
subject: Gaza ceasefire
subject: Gaza genocide
subject: Gaza roadmap
subject: Hazem Qassem
subject: International Stabilisation Force
subject: ISF
subject: Military operations
subject: National Committee for Gaza Administration
subject: NCAG
subject: Nickolay Mladenov
subject: Palestinian factions
subject: Palestinian self-determination
subject: Sources
subject: Administration
subject: aipac
subject: Analysis
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: blocks
subject: board
subject: ceasefire
subject: Civil Society
subject: committee
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: Development
subject: diplomatic
subject: donald trump
subject: drop
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: egypt
subject: factions
subject: Featured
subject: for
subject: force
subject: future
subject: gaza
subject: gaza’s
subject: Genocide
subject: Global
subject: Hamas
subject: hazem
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: International
subject: isf
subject: limbo
subject: military
subject: mladenov
subject: national
subject: ncag
subject: News
subject: nickolay
subject: operations
subject: Pacific
subject: Palestine
subject: palestinian
subject: Peace
subject: Politics
subject: progress’
subject: qassem
subject: qatar
subject: report
subject: roadmap
subject: selfdetermination
subject: site,
subject: sources
subject: stabilisation
subject: stuck
subject: Syndicate
subject: türkiye
description: ANALYSIS: Drop Site News Since President Donald Trump’s self-congratulatory tour for “ending” the Israeli war on Gaza last October, followed by a UN Security Council endorsement of his Gaza plan, negotiations over Gaza’s future have been stuck in a diplomatic netherworld. While Hamas handed over all of its captives and ceased its military operations, Israel
encoded: ANALYSIS: Drop Site News Since President Donald Trump’s self-congratulatory tour for “ending” the Israeli war on Gaza last October, followed by a UN Security Council endorsement of his Gaza plan, negotiations over Gaza’s future have been stuck in a diplomatic netherworld. While Hamas handed over all of its captives and ceased its military operations, Israel has repeatedly violated the deal, killing more than 1000 Palestinians, restricting aid and movement, and expanding the areas it occupies in Gaza. With media attention focused on Iran and Lebanon, Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” continues pushing a 15-point “roadmap,” first presented in April, that appears aimed at transforming a limited ceasefire into a broader political settlement based on the disarming of the Palestinian resistance and the abandoning of the struggle for Palestinian national liberation. READ MORE: Internal documents show Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ moving to crush Palestinian self-determination Trump’s Board of Peace plans to grant itself sweeping immunity, documents show Other Board of Peace reports Drop Site News has obtained two documents from the recent round of negotiations over Gaza’s future: Palestinian negotiators’ amendments to the Board of Peace’s proposed roadmap, submitted on June 13; and Response delivered late last month by the Board’s “High Representative,” Nickolay Mladenov. Jeremy Scahill and Jawa Ahmad have reported on the documents here and a summary from their X post is below: <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="wp-image-130240 size-full" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Nikolay-Mladenov-DSN-300tall.png" alt="Board of Peace’s “High Representative” Nickolay Mladenov" width="300" height="339" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Nikolay-Mladenov-DSN-300tall.png 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Nikolay-Mladenov-DSN-300tall-265x300.png 265w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />…

RIMPAC 2026: Part 1 – World’s biggest naval games a dress rehearsal for the coming ‘war on China’
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-06T01:09:03Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Earth's Greatest Enemy
subject: Emalani Case
subject: Force multiplier
subject: Liz Remmerswaal
subject: Mike Smith
subject: Naval war games
subject: Proxy wars
subject: RIMPAC 2026
subject: Sources
subject: US Indo-Pacific Command
subject: US Pacific Fleet
subject: Valerie Morse
subject: War on China
subject: Western proxy
subject: 2026
subject: abby martin
subject: Analysis
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: Australia
subject: biggest
subject: case
subject: China
subject: Climate
subject: coming
subject: command
subject: dress
subject: earth’s
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: emalani
subject: enemy
subject: Featured
subject: fleet
subject: for
subject: force
subject: Games
subject: greatest
subject: India
subject: indopacific
subject: iran
subject: japan
subject: liz
subject: mike
subject: military
subject: morse
subject: Multimedia
subject: multiplier
subject: naval
subject: new zealand
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Pacific Report
subject: part
subject: Peace Activism
subject: philippines
subject: Politics
subject: proxy
subject: rehearsal
subject: remmerswaal
subject: report
subject: rimpac
subject: Security
subject: singapore
subject: smith
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: the
subject: usa
subject: valerie
subject: vietnam
subject: war
subject: wars
subject: western
subject: world’s

RIMPAC 2026: Part 1 – World’s biggest naval games a dress rehearsal for the coming ‘war on China’
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-06T01:09:03Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Earth's Greatest Enemy
subject: Emalani Case
subject: Force multiplier
subject: Liz Remmerswaal
subject: Mike Smith
subject: Naval war games
subject: Proxy wars
subject: RIMPAC 2026
subject: Sources
subject: US Indo-Pacific Command
subject: US Pacific Fleet
subject: Valerie Morse
subject: War on China
subject: Western proxy
subject: 2026
subject: abby martin
subject: Analysis
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: Australia
subject: biggest
subject: case
subject: China
subject: Climate
subject: coming
subject: command
subject: dress
subject: earth’s
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: emalani
subject: enemy
subject: Featured
subject: fleet
subject: for
subject: force
subject: Games
subject: greatest
subject: India
subject: indopacific
subject: iran
subject: japan
subject: liz
subject: mike
subject: military
subject: morse
subject: Multimedia
subject: multiplier
subject: naval
subject: new zealand
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Pacific Report
subject: part
subject: Peace Activism
subject: philippines
subject: Politics
subject: proxy
subject: rehearsal
subject: remmerswaal
subject: report
subject: rimpac
subject: Security
subject: singapore
subject: smith
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: the
subject: usa
subject: valerie
subject: vietnam
subject: war
subject: wars
subject: western
subject: world’s

New US ambassador to New Zealand says Cook Islands a top priority
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-06T00:05:47Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Cobalt Seabed Resources
subject: Disruption policies
subject: Disruptions
subject: Jared Novelly
subject: Seabed mining
subject: Sources
subject: Trade over aid
subject: US exploration
subject: aid
subject: ambassador
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: China
subject: cobalt
subject: cook
subject: Cook Islands
subject: Development
subject: Diplomacy
subject: disruption:
subject: disruptions
subject: donald trump
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: EEZ
subject: exploration
subject: Featured
subject: foreign aid
subject: Global
subject: islands
subject: jared
subject: Mining
subject: new
subject: new zealand
subject: Niue
subject: novelly
subject: over
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Policies
subject: Politics
subject: priority:
subject: report
subject: resources
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: Samoa
subject: says
subject: seabed
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: top
subject: trade
subject: zealand
description: By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific The new US Ambassador to New Zealand is introducing Donald Trump’s agenda of “disruption” to the Pacific. Jared Novelly arrived in Wellington last week, and is expected to travel to Niue, the Cook Islands and Samoa within the next month to present his credentials. A businessman and sports team
encoded: By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific The new US Ambassador to New Zealand is introducing Donald Trump’s agenda of “disruption” to the Pacific. Jared Novelly arrived in Wellington last week, and is expected to travel to Niue, the Cook Islands and Samoa within the next month to present his credentials. A businessman and sports team owner, he told a group of reporters on Friday that the Cook Islands, with its seabed riches and its permissiveness for US exploration, was “either 1a or 1b on my priority list”. READ MORE: New US ambassador would like chance to work on New Zealand’s nuclear policy Minerals and military: Incoming US ambassador spells out vision for NZ and Pacific Other Trump Pacific policies reports “I’m going to spend quite a lot of time in the Cooks,” Novelly said. “Take something like cobalt … 90 percent of it is refined in China, and they control that resource … it just so happens that the Cook Islands is one of the richest, most vastest resources of that in their EEZ on the seabed floor.” But after more than a decade of US exploration in the Cooks, and new agreements from the beginning of the year, Novelly stopped short of saying whether he would push for exploration licences. “It’s something that I think is very potentially transformative for the Cook Islands … but I don’t make Cook Island laws,” he said. “I can introduce them to US companies that can help, and I will definitely do that if allowed.” ‘Friend’ for US businesses It was at his Senate confirmation hearing in March where Novelly promised that “all US businesses will have a friend in the Ambassador’s office” in Wellington. At that hearing, he thanked the Cook Islands for their openness to “take our long-standing relationship to the next level”, while praising Samoa for their increased caution in taking on debt with China. In Wellington, he said that he would promote that cautionary message for all Pacific nations. “China has made no bones about it, they want a base in the Pacific.” “The responsible t…

New US ambassador to New Zealand says Cook Islands a top priority
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-06T00:05:47Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Cobalt Seabed Resources
subject: Disruption policies
subject: Disruptions
subject: Jared Novelly
subject: Seabed mining
subject: Sources
subject: Trade over aid
subject: US exploration
subject: aid
subject: ambassador
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: China
subject: cobalt
subject: cook
subject: Cook Islands
subject: Development
subject: Diplomacy
subject: disruption:
subject: disruptions
subject: donald trump
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: EEZ
subject: exploration
subject: Featured
subject: foreign aid
subject: Global
subject: islands
subject: jared
subject: Mining
subject: new
subject: new zealand
subject: Niue
subject: novelly
subject: over
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Policies
subject: Politics
subject: priority:
subject: report
subject: resources
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: Samoa
subject: says
subject: seabed
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: top
subject: trade
subject: zealand
description: By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific The new US Ambassador to New Zealand is introducing Donald Trump’s agenda of “disruption” to the Pacific. Jared Novelly arrived in Wellington last week, and is expected to travel to Niue, the Cook Islands and Samoa within the next month to present his credentials. A businessman and sports team
encoded: By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific The new US Ambassador to New Zealand is introducing Donald Trump’s agenda of “disruption” to the Pacific. Jared Novelly arrived in Wellington last week, and is expected to travel to Niue, the Cook Islands and Samoa within the next month to present his credentials. A businessman and sports team owner, he told a group of reporters on Friday that the Cook Islands, with its seabed riches and its permissiveness for US exploration, was “either 1a or 1b on my priority list”. READ MORE: New US ambassador would like chance to work on New Zealand’s nuclear policy Minerals and military: Incoming US ambassador spells out vision for NZ and Pacific Other Trump Pacific policies reports “I’m going to spend quite a lot of time in the Cooks,” Novelly said. “Take something like cobalt … 90 percent of it is refined in China, and they control that resource … it just so happens that the Cook Islands is one of the richest, most vastest resources of that in their EEZ on the seabed floor.” But after more than a decade of US exploration in the Cooks, and new agreements from the beginning of the year, Novelly stopped short of saying whether he would push for exploration licences. “It’s something that I think is very potentially transformative for the Cook Islands … but I don’t make Cook Island laws,” he said. “I can introduce them to US companies that can help, and I will definitely do that if allowed.” ‘Friend’ for US businesses It was at his Senate confirmation hearing in March where Novelly promised that “all US businesses will have a friend in the Ambassador’s office” in Wellington. At that hearing, he thanked the Cook Islands for their openness to “take our long-standing relationship to the next level”, while praising Samoa for their increased caution in taking on debt with China. In Wellington, he said that he would promote that cautionary message for all Pacific nations. “China has made no bones about it, they want a base in the Pacific.” “The responsible t…

The sound of resistance: The Grayzone goes backstage at Tehran’s Engelhab Square rally
type: item
creator: The Grayzone
date: 2026-07-05T23:11:36Z
subject: Sources
subject: backstage
subject: engelhab
subject: goes
subject: grayzone
subject: rally
subject: Resistance
subject: Sound
subject: sources
subject: square
subject: tehran8217s
subject: the
description: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.

Inside the Funeral of Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran
type: item
creator: VICE News
date: 2026-07-05T22:23:13Z
subject: Sources
subject: Vice News
subject: ayatollah
subject: funeral
subject: inside
subject: khamenei
subject: News
subject: sources
subject: tehran
subject: the
subject: vice
description: This content originally appeared on VICE News and was authored by VICE News.
encoded: This content originally appeared on VICE News and was authored by VICE News.

Khamenei was martyred here
type: item
creator: The Grayzone
date: 2026-07-05T22:11:14Z
subject: Sources
subject: here?
subject: khamenei
subject: martyred
subject: sources
subject: was
description: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.

The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 5, 2026
type: item
creator: KPFA
date: 2026-07-05T18:00:00Z
subject: Pacifica Evening News
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: evening
subject: july
subject: News
subject: pacifica
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: weekdays
description: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 5, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
encoded: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 5, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.

Los Angeles turns ‘most polluting’ World Cup into Olympic rehearsal in bid for climate legacy
type: item
creator: Carolina Kyllmann, Clean Energy Wire
date: 2026-07-05T13:00:00Z
subject: Grist
subject: Sources
subject: angeles
subject: bid
subject: Cities
subject: Climate
subject: cup
subject: extreme heat
subject: for
subject: into
subject: legacy
subject: los
subject: most
subject: olympic
subject: polluting
subject: rehearsal
subject: sources
subject: Transportation
subject: turns
subject: World
description: The city is testing heat and transport plans against an influx of global sports fans, which should both inform Olympic decisions and help it cope with growing climate risks.
encoded: A pungent smell clouds the stadium where the U.S. men’s football team is set to play its first World Cup match. With 30 days to go before kick-off, the venue’s operations team is busy transforming the playing field into a world-class soccer stadium, the freshly laid soil covered in fertilizer ahead of the arrival of refrigerated trucks with special grass the following day. Tending to the playing surface is one small task in the job of delivering a seamless event in Los Angeles, one of 16 cities hosting the most popular sporting event in the world this summer. Compared to other host cities, the stakes are particularly high in L.A., which hopes to use this year’s World Cup — and next year’s Super Bowl — as a dry run for the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, coming to the city two years later. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/lastadium-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/lastadium-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/lastadium-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/lastadium-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/lastadium-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/lastadium-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/lastadium-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=2048 2048w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/lastadium-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/lastadium-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/lastadium-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/lastadium-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/lastadi…

Indonesia defends high number of military deployed in Papua
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-05T12:06:19Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Human Rights Watch Indonesia
subject: Johnny Blades
subject: Prabowo Subianto
subject: Sources
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: blades
subject: Decolonisation
subject: defends
subject: Democracy
subject: deployed
subject: Development
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: Featured
subject: Global
subject: high
subject: human
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: indonesia
subject: Indonesian military
subject: johnny
subject: military
subject: number
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Papua
subject: Police
subject: Politics
subject: prabowo?
subject: report
subject: rights
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: Security
subject: sources
subject: subianto
subject: Syndicate
subject: TPNPB
subject: watch
subject: West Papua
subject: West Papua National Liberation Army
subject: West Papuan resistance
description: By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Indonesia has defended the high number of military personnel it has deployed to West Papua, which dwarfs the size of deployments to other parts of the republic. But under Indonesian president Subianto Prabowo, a former military strongman, militarisation of Papua is changing gears and being shaped by a type
encoded: By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Indonesia has defended the high number of military personnel it has deployed to West Papua, which dwarfs the size of deployments to other parts of the republic. But under Indonesian president Subianto Prabowo, a former military strongman, militarisation of Papua is changing gears and being shaped by a type of warfare that includes drone technology. Recent research reported by Project Multatuli, says that 56,517 Indonesian military forces are deployed in Papua — at least six times more military per capita than any other region in Indonesia. READ MORE: A lopsided war: 83,000 soldiers and police powering Indonesia’s violent agenda in Papua Other West Papua reports The figures also note that Indonesia’s military far outnumbers the amount of Papuan pro-independence fighters, estimated at 1438 members of various disparate, small groups with only 361 firearms. The research figures come amid ongoing violent incidents related to a long running conflict between Indonesia’s security forces and the West Papua National Liberation Army, or armed factions of the OPM Free West Papua Movement. The Indonesian Embassy in New Zealand said not all the numbers were active combatants or personnel directed to fight Papuan resistance forces. It said the assignment of military doctors, medics, and territorial development divisions was part of efforts to provide for communities in Papua. ‘Providing security, health’ “Continuing the expansion of provinces in Papua, previously from two to six, there will be obviously the need to provide security, health, and the capability to adapt to the new administration structure, with also the assignment to guard and maintain the land and maritime borders with our neighbouring countries,” a statement from the Embassy said. Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch Indonesia said that under the country’s new President, Prabowo Subianto, there has been an escalation of military sent to Papua, with at least an extra battalion each …

John Minto: The shame of NZ’s betrayal of Gaza’s children
type: item
creator: Pacific Media Watch
date: 2026-07-05T11:29:20Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Gaza genocide
subject: Genocidal policies
subject: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
subject: Israel sanctions
subject: killing of children
subject: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
subject: Sources
subject: UN Independent Commission
subject: UN reports
subject: aotearoa
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: betrayal:
subject: children
subject: Civil Society
subject: commission
subject: Crime
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: Featured
subject: gaza
subject: gaza’s
subject: genocidal
subject: Genocide
subject: Global
subject: hebrew
subject: Human Rights
subject: independent
subject: Indigenous
subject: israel
subject: jerusalem
subject: john
subject: John Minto
subject: Justice
subject: killing
subject: military
subject: minto:
subject: network
subject: new zealand
subject: nz’s
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Palestine
subject: Policies
subject: Politics
subject: PSNA
subject: report
subject: Reports
subject: Sanctions
subject: Security
subject: shame’:
subject: Solidarity
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: the
subject: University
description: OPEN LETTER: By John Minto It is hard not to feel the deepest sense of shame as a New Zealander following the United Nations Independent Commission report released last week. (UN report details the “overwhelming” scale of children killed in Gaza). This report details Israel’s direct targeting of Palestinian children in Gaza and the Occupied
encoded: OPEN LETTER: By John Minto It is hard not to feel the deepest sense of shame as a New Zealander following the United Nations Independent Commission report released last week. (UN report details the “overwhelming” scale of children killed in Gaza). This report details Israel’s direct targeting of Palestinian children in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank. Most know the shocking case of Hind Rajab but this report exposes not just the deliberate, casualised killing of children individually but its industrial scale. READ MORE: A UN report details the ‘overwhelming’ scale of children killed in Gaza. It raises grave legal questions Gaza genocide – how many UN findings will the West ignore? Other Gaza genocide reports It’s easy to see how this has occurred. A study by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has found 62 percent to 76 percent of Jewish Israelis partially or fully agree that there are “no innocents in Gaza”. Israeli political and military leaders have used such genocidal rhetoric against Palestinians for decades, and particularly in the last three years. These leaders have set the tone for the behaviour of the public and the individual soldiers who do the killing. Dehumanising a population as Israeli leaders have done is always the first step to genocide. The most tragic aspect, however, is this would not have happened had the New Zealand government and other Western governments sanctioned Israel decades ago for the brutality of its illegal occupation in Palestine, its ethnic cleansing and its mass killing of Palestinian children as detailed in the UN report. They are still silent even now — choosing to stand with those killing the children. The shame of their betrayal of New Zealand values will last for generations. John Minto is national campaign coordinator of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA). This letter was first published by The Press. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by Pacific Media Watch.

John Minto: The shame of NZ’s betrayal of Gaza’s children
type: item
creator: Pacific Media Watch
date: 2026-07-05T11:29:20Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Gaza genocide
subject: Genocidal policies
subject: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
subject: Israel sanctions
subject: killing of children
subject: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
subject: Sources
subject: UN Independent Commission
subject: UN reports
subject: aotearoa
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: betrayal:
subject: children
subject: Civil Society
subject: commission
subject: Crime
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: Featured
subject: gaza
subject: gaza’s
subject: genocidal
subject: Genocide
subject: Global
subject: hebrew
subject: Human Rights
subject: independent
subject: Indigenous
subject: israel
subject: jerusalem
subject: john
subject: John Minto
subject: Justice
subject: killing
subject: military
subject: minto:
subject: network
subject: new zealand
subject: nz’s
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Palestine
subject: Policies
subject: Politics
subject: PSNA
subject: report
subject: Reports
subject: Sanctions
subject: Security
subject: shame’:
subject: Solidarity
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: the
subject: University
description: OPEN LETTER: By John Minto It is hard not to feel the deepest sense of shame as a New Zealander following the United Nations Independent Commission report released last week. (UN report details the “overwhelming” scale of children killed in Gaza). This report details Israel’s direct targeting of Palestinian children in Gaza and the Occupied
encoded: OPEN LETTER: By John Minto It is hard not to feel the deepest sense of shame as a New Zealander following the United Nations Independent Commission report released last week. (UN report details the “overwhelming” scale of children killed in Gaza). This report details Israel’s direct targeting of Palestinian children in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank. Most know the shocking case of Hind Rajab but this report exposes not just the deliberate, casualised killing of children individually but its industrial scale. READ MORE: A UN report details the ‘overwhelming’ scale of children killed in Gaza. It raises grave legal questions Gaza genocide – how many UN findings will the West ignore? Other Gaza genocide reports It’s easy to see how this has occurred. A study by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has found 62 percent to 76 percent of Jewish Israelis partially or fully agree that there are “no innocents in Gaza”. Israeli political and military leaders have used such genocidal rhetoric against Palestinians for decades, and particularly in the last three years. These leaders have set the tone for the behaviour of the public and the individual soldiers who do the killing. Dehumanising a population as Israeli leaders have done is always the first step to genocide. The most tragic aspect, however, is this would not have happened had the New Zealand government and other Western governments sanctioned Israel decades ago for the brutality of its illegal occupation in Palestine, its ethnic cleansing and its mass killing of Palestinian children as detailed in the UN report. They are still silent even now — choosing to stand with those killing the children. The shame of their betrayal of New Zealand values will last for generations. John Minto is national campaign coordinator of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA). This letter was first published by The Press. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by Pacific Media Watch.

What Russia Is Doing to Fill Its Army #russia #military #shorts
type: item
creator: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
date: 2026-07-05T07:00:12Z
subject: Radio Free Europe/RL
subject: Sources
subject: #shorts
subject: army
subject: doing
subject: europerl
subject: fill
subject: free
subject: it’s
subject: military
subject: radio
subject: Russia
subject: sources
subject: what
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Parallel Worlds: An Interview with Artist, Gaku Tsutaja
type: item
creator: Rebecca Maria Goldschmidt
date: 2026-07-05T05:57:05Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: Artist
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Culture
subject: Feature Articles
subject: gaku
subject: Interview
subject: parallel
subject: sources
subject: tsutaja
subject: with
subject: world’s
description: Onitaiji: Occupier, 2024. Acrylic on cotton canvas, 72 x 47 inches (182.9 x 119.4 cm), Private Collection. © Gaku Tsutaja; Courtesy of Ulterior Gallery, New York It makes sense that I would meet Gaku Tsutaja at a protest [ . . . ] The post Parallel Worlds: An Interview with Artist, Gaku Tsutaja appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Onitaiji: Occupier, 2024. Acrylic on cotton canvas, 72 x 47 inches (182.9 x 119.4 cm), Private Collection. © Gaku Tsutaja; Courtesy of Ulterior Gallery, New York It makes sense that I would meet Gaku Tsutaja at a protest against the War on Iran in front of Hiroshima’s Atomic Bomb Dome, the preserved relic of total […] To read this article, log in here or subscribe here. If you are logged in but can't read CP+ articles, check the status of your access here In order to read CP+ articles, your web browser must be set to accept cookies. The post Parallel Worlds: An Interview with Artist, Gaku Tsutaja appeared first on CounterPunch.org. This content originally appeared on CounterPunch.org and was authored by Rebecca Maria Goldschmidt.

The Global Revolution of Thomas Paine
type: item
creator: Jeffrey St. Clair
date: 2026-07-05T05:45:52Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Feature Articles
subject: Global
subject: paine
subject: Pressure Drops
subject: Revolution
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: thomas
description: When it can be said by any country in the world, my poor are happy, neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them, my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars, the aged are not in want, the taxes are not oppressive, the rational world is my friend because I am […] To read this article, log in here or subscribe here. If you are logged in but can't read CP+ articles, check the status of your access here In order to read CP+ articles, your web browser must be set to accept cookies. More The post The Global Revolution of Thomas Paine appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: When it can be said by any country in the world, my poor are happy, neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them, my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars, the aged are not in want, the taxes are not oppressive, the rational world is my friend because I am […] To read this article, log in here or subscribe here. If you are logged in but can't read CP+ articles, check the status of your access here In order to read CP+ articles, your web browser must be set to accept cookies. The post The Global Revolution of Thomas Paine appeared first on CounterPunch.org. This content originally appeared on CounterPunch.org and was authored by Jeffrey St. Clair.

Max Blumenthal reflects on July 4th in Tehran
type: item
creator: The Grayzone
date: 2026-07-05T05:21:45Z
subject: Sources
subject: 4th
subject: blumenthal
subject: july
subject: max
subject: reflects
subject: sources
subject: tehran
description: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.

‘Pasifika’ All Blacks claim bloody and physical Nations rugby test against France 34-32
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-05T02:38:05Z
subject: All Blacks coach
subject: Ardie Savea
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Dave Rennie
subject: Nations Rugby Championship
subject: Pasifika All Blacks
subject: Pasifika heritage
subject: Sources
subject: ‘bloody’
subject: 3432
subject: against
subject: all
subject: All Blacks
subject: and
subject: ardie
subject: asia
subject: blacks
subject: championship
subject: claim
subject: coach
subject: Culture
subject: dave
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: Featured
subject: France
subject: heritage
subject: Indigenous
subject: Innovation
subject: nations
subject: new zealand
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Pasifika
subject: physical
subject: rennie
subject: report
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: rugby
subject: Samoa
subject: savea
subject: sources
subject: Sports
subject: Syndicate
subject: test
subject: Tonga
description: By Iliesa Tora of RNZ Pacific It was physical, a bloody battle befitting the start of the new Nations Championship competition. In the end the All Blacks hung on to win 34-32 at the new One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch in front of almost 30,000 fans. That marked the start of the Dave Rennie
encoded: By Iliesa Tora of RNZ Pacific It was physical, a bloody battle befitting the start of the new Nations Championship competition. In the end the All Blacks hung on to win 34-32 at the new One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch in front of almost 30,000 fans. That marked the start of the Dave Rennie coaching era, one that has a lot of Pasifika connections. READ MORE: Dave Rennie’s All Blacks beat France 34-32 in thrilling Nations Championship Test Other Nations Rugby Championship reports Of Cook Islands heritage through his mother, Rennie had assistant Fa’alogo Tana Umaga, the first All Blacks captain of Pasifika heritage in his corner. And the duo had Ardie Savea leading the team on the field. Savea, who ended the game with a boot mark cut on his right eyebrow, is the second Pasifika heritage player to be leading the former world champs after Umaga. Together with the coaches and seven other players of Pasifika heritage, Savea marked his captaincy with a win. Three debutants Three debutants got their first taste of Test rugby, prop Xavier Numia, winger Fehi Fineanganofo and lock Jamie Hannah. Fineanganofo told the media post-match it was an emotional and nervous moment for him, before he got on to the show. He vomited at halftime, just thinking about what the next half would bring. The 23-year-old said hearing his family cheering him on and getting his first touch of the ball were surreal moments he will remember. “At halftime, I was in the toilet spewing. I felt better after,” he said. “I was sitting on the bench and nearly vomiting. I was like, I’m not even on the field yet, I can’t imagine what it’ll be like when I am on the field. “I was still in shock, and then once I had my first touch of the ball, all the nerves just went, and I just realised I was in it. “Happy to represent my family.” Tongan heritage The Tongan heritage winger said France was a tough opponent and thanked the players for helping him through his first Test. “They couldn’t stop crying, and I was…

Why the AI bubble will burst – with system threatening consequences
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-05T00:00:18Z
subject: AI
subject: AI Bubble
subject: AI investment boom
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Bank warnings
subject: Billionare oligarchy
subject: Bubble and bust
subject: Central banks
subject: Data centres
subject: Financial bubbles
subject: GDP expansion
subject: Household net worth
subject: Pension funds
subject: Sources
subject: US Federal Reserve
subject: Analysis
subject: and
subject: asia
subject: bank
subject: banks
subject: billionare
subject: boom
subject: bubble
subject: bubbles:
subject: burst:”
subject: bust
subject: central
subject: centres’
subject: Civil Society
subject: consequences
subject: Data
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: Development
subject: economics
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: Elections
subject: expansion
subject: Fascism
subject: Featured
subject: federal
subject: financial
subject: fund’s
subject: gdp:
subject: Global
subject: household
subject: Human Rights
subject: investment
subject: Justice
subject: Labour
subject: Mainstream media
subject: military industrial complex
subject: net
subject: new zealand
subject: oligarchy
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Pacific Report
subject: pension
subject: Politics
subject: report
subject: reserve
subject: Science/Technology
subject: Security
subject: sources
subject: spacex
subject: Sustainability
subject: Syndicate
subject: system
subject: the
subject: threatening
subject: warnings
subject: why
subject: will
subject: with
subject: worth

Remains of abducted Mexican journalist Roxana Guzmán identified in Veracruz
type: item
creator: CPJ Staff
date: 2026-07-04T22:20:29Z
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Killed
subject: Pulso Informativo del Sueste
subject: Roxana Berenice Guzmán Rodríguez
subject: Sources
subject: abducted
subject: berenice
subject: committee
subject: del
subject: guzmán,
subject: identified
subject: informativo
subject: journalist
subject: Journalists
subject: killed
subject: mexican
subject: protect
subject: pulso
subject: remains
subject: rodriguez,
subject: roxana
subject: sources
subject: sueste
subject: veracruz
description: Mexico City, July 4, 2026 — Mexican authorities must credibly and transparently investigate the killing of journalist Roxana Berenice Guzmán Rodríguez, determine whether her abduction and killing were related to her work as a journalist, and bring her killers to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Saturday. Unidentified armed attackers abducted Guzmán, the founder...
encoded: Mexico City, July 4, 2026 — Mexican authorities must credibly and transparently investigate the killing of journalist Roxana Berenice Guzmán Rodríguez, determine whether her abduction and killing were related to her work as a journalist, and bring her killers to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Saturday. Unidentified armed attackers abducted Guzmán, the founder and editor of news outlet Pulso Informativo del Sueste, from her residence in Nanchital, a town in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz, on June 2, 2026. Human remains found in Moloacán, a town south of Nanchital in Veracruz, were identified as belonging to Guzmán, according to a statement published by the Veracruz state prosecutor’s office (FGE) on Friday, July 3. “It is deeply saddening to learn of the killing of Roxana Guzmán, whose shocking abduction was recorded and shared widely on social media,” said Jan-Albert Hootsen, CPJ’s Mexico Representative. “This is the third journalist who has been killed in Veracruz state this year, a horrifying statistic that reaffirms the country’s dismal status as the most dangerous country for journalists. Mexican authorities must thoroughly investigate whether this killing was connected to her journalism and secure justice for her and the other two journalists killed in Veracruz state this year.” Eight suspects have been arrested in relation to the killing, four of them members of the Ixhuatlán municipal police who allegedly provided resources and logistical support to the other four suspects, identified as Javier Iván ‘N’, José del Carmen ‘N’, Luis Arturo ‘N’ and Karen Monserrat ‘N’, according to that statement. The FGE did not confirm the motive of the abduction or killing. Several calls by CPJ to the Veracruz FGE on Friday and Saturday were unanswered. Guzmán is the third journalist killed in Veracruz state in Mexico in 2026. In June, reporter Luis Ángel González was abducted and shot dead in Poza Rica. In January, journalist Carlos Castro was shot …

The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 4, 2026
type: item
creator: KPFA
date: 2026-07-04T18:00:00Z
subject: Pacifica Evening News
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: evening
subject: july
subject: News
subject: pacifica
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: weekdays
description: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 4, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
encoded: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 4, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.

MAGA Inc.
type: item
creator: Ralph Nader
date: 2026-07-04T17:36:43Z
subject: Ralph Nader
subject: Sources
subject: inc.”:
subject: maga
subject: nader
subject: ralph
subject: sources
description: Pratap Chatterjee, executive director of CorpWatch, joins us to discuss their latest report, MAGA Inc., which identifies the Crypto Czars, the Tech Titans and the Prison Profiteers who have bankrolled and benefited the most from Donald Trump’s corrupt ...
encoded: Pratap Chatterjee, executive director of CorpWatch, joins us to discuss their latest report, MAGA Inc., which identifies the Crypto Czars, the Tech Titans and the Prison Profiteers who have bankrolled and benefited the most from Donald Trump’s corrupt regime. Then, Ralph welcomes Elliot Negin, executive editor of Money Trail to talk about how Donald Trump is trying to turn Washington DC into a monument to himself. Pratap Chatterjee is an investigative journalist, producer and executive director of CorpWatch, an organization that works to promote environmental, social and human rights by holding multinational corporations accountable for their actions. He is the author of several books, including Verax: The True History of Whistleblowers, Drone Warfare, and Mass Surveillance, Halliburton’s Army, and Iraq Inc.: A Profitable Occupation. Palantir is really critical to understanding how the surveillance state works, especially in identifying people to deport and locations and people to kill in Trump’s new wars overseas, such as in Iran…Palantir’s data analytical capabilities are actually extremely simplistic and terrible. But when it comes to looking for an easy solution, that’s what Palantir offers. And they’ve been able to offer this to the Trump administration—to have them speed up their political plans such as deportation, such as waging war against Iran by giving them easy answers. Pratap Chatterjee The biggest company behind the cryptocurrency used by criminals and drug dealers and gun traffickers has come out of the shadows, into the light, thanks specifically to the credibility offered by the Trump administration. And so this is really a sea change. Pratap Chatterjee Elliott Negin, executive editor of the Substack newsletter Money Trail, is an award-winning writer, illustrator and publication designer. Prior to co-founding Money Trail in February 2025, he was the managing editor of American Journalism Review, editor and art director of Public Citizen and Nuclear …

July 4, 2026: What are we supposed to be celebrating?
type: item
creator: Maximillian Alvarez
date: 2026-07-04T17:04:12Z
subject: article
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: and
subject: are
subject: celebrating
subject: Democracy
subject: july
subject: movements
subject: Opinion
subject: Politics
subject: sources
subject: supposed
subject: trump
subject: what
description: As the United States of America limps its way across the 250-year mark, I’m asking myself the same question you’re probably asking yourself this July 4 weekend. What, exactly, are we supposed to be celebrating right now? I look around with weary ey...
encoded: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2283779980-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="National Guard Members walk along the street in view of a replica of President Trump's planned "Triumphal Arch" as people visit the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on July 2, 2026, ahead of the upcoming July 4 holiday. (Photo by Kent Nishimura / AFP via Getty Images)" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2283779980-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2283779980-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2283779980-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2283779980-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2283779980-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2283779980-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2283779980-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2283779980-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2283779980-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2283779980-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2283779980-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2283779980-sca…

What Is Free Speech? America at 250
type: item
creator: The Real News Network
date: 2026-07-04T16:26:31Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Real News Network
subject: 250+
subject: america
subject: free
subject: network
subject: News
subject: real
subject: sources
subject: speech
subject: the
subject: what
description: This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.

Bangladesh video falsely viral as Kerala man attacked by daughters over sexual abuse
type: item
creator: Ankita Mahalanobish
date: 2026-07-04T16:01:45Z
subject: Alt News
subject: Sources
subject: Abuse
subject: alt
subject: attacked,
subject: bangladesh
subject: daughters
subject: falsely
subject: Kerala
subject: man
subject: News
subject: over
subject: Politics
subject: sexual
subject: sources
subject: Video
subject: viral
description: A three-minute video that appears to be CCTV footage of a bleeding man has gone viral. In the footage, two men can be seen opening a collapsible gate, after which another man walks out, howling as he bleeds and eventually walks away. Social media users have claimed that the man from Kerala seen in the […]
encoded: A three-minute video that appears to be CCTV footage of a bleeding man has gone viral. In the footage, two men can be seen opening a collapsible gate, after which another man walks out, howling as he bleeds and eventually walks away. Social media users have claimed that the man from Kerala seen in the video raped his own daughters, and the daughters retaliated and severed his genitals. An X user, Boiled Anda (@AmitLeliSlayer) shared the video on June 30 with the same claim. (Archive) <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-316819" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-03-150948.jpg" alt="" width="589" height="852" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-03-150948.jpg 589w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-03-150948-207x300.jpg 207w" sizes="(max-width: 589px) 100vw, 589px" /> This post received 6.2 million views. It is to be noted that this user has been found sharing communal propaganda and disinformation several times in the past. Another X user, Harman Singh Kapoor, shared the same video, making similar allegations and asserting that the incident took place in Kerala, India. (Archive) <img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-316820" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-03-151033.jpg" alt="" width="594" height="864" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-03-151033.jpg 594w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-03-151033-206x300.jpg 206w" sizes="(max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px" /> This post garnered nearly 100,000 voews. Several other users have shared the same video across various social media platforms with similar claims. A few of these posts are shown in the gallery below: Click to view slideshow. Fact Check A reverse image search of a few keyframes from the video led us to the Facebook page of …

A New Mexico town is running dry. An immigration detention center is its biggest water customer.
type: item
creator: Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News
date: 2026-07-04T13:00:00Z
subject: Grist
subject: Sources
subject: biggest
subject: center
subject: customer
subject: Detention
subject: Drought
subject: dry’
subject: Immigration
subject: it’s
subject: mexico
subject: new
subject: running
subject: sources
subject: town
subject: Water
description: The town of Estancia and the ICE facility are trucking in water until a new well is drilled.
encoded: Following years of drought, the wells in Estancia, New Mexico, are running dry. After declaring a water emergency last week, the small town in Torrance County is hauling in water to fill its pipes. Estancia has also reduced water sales to the Torrance County Detention Facility, or TCDF, a federal immigration detention center run by the private contractor CoreCivic. The detention facility, Estancia’s largest commercial water customer, has resorted to trucking in water. In the midst of the crisis, Estancia Mayor Runnel Riley has taken a leave of absence. During a Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday evening, Estancia’s elected leaders passed a vote of “no confidence” in the mayor. The state has provided funding to drill a new well, and Estancia will be opening the 30-day bidding process this month. Dozens of residents attended Tuesday’s meeting in person or virtually to voice their frustration about the water problems and delays in drilling a new well. When asked by a reporter for the Mountainair Dispatch, board trustees said they did not have data available on what proportion of the city’s water goes to the detention facility. Estancia is home to 1,400 people, and up to 800 people can be detained at the facility. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/colorado-river-lake-mead-powell-drought-water-solutions.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all" alt="Lake Powell is shown surrounded by the rugged terrain of Utah." class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/colorado-river-lake-mead-powell-drought-water-solutions.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/colorado-river-lake-mead-powell-drought-water-solutions.jpeg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/colorado-river-lake-mead-powell-drought-water-solutions.jpeg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/colorado-river-lake-mead-powell-…

July 4th anniversary – speakers at NZ rally slam American ‘freedom built on bones of colonised’
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-04T10:08:35Z
subject: Amena Motawaze
subject: anti-war protests
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Colonialist project
subject: Dangerous weapons
subject: Gaza genocide
subject: July 4th
subject: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
subject: Slaughter of civilians
subject: Sources
subject: Spreading democracy
subject: US Independence Day
subject: US Invasion Day
subject: ‘built
subject: 4th
subject: Afghanistan
subject: amena
subject: american
subject: Anniversary
subject: antiwar
subject: aotearoa
subject: APAC OSI
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: bones
subject: Civil Society
subject: civilians
subject: colonialist
subject: colonised
subject: Counter-terrorism
subject: dangerous’:
subject: day
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: Featured
subject: Freedom
subject: gaza
subject: Genocide
subject: Global
subject: History
subject: Human Rights
subject: independence
subject: Indigenous
subject: Invasion
subject: iran
subject: Iraq
subject: july
subject: Justice
subject: lao
subject: lebanon
subject: Media
subject: military
subject: motawaze
subject: network
subject: new zealand
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Palestine
subject: Politics
subject: pro-palestine
subject: project’:
subject: Protests
subject: PSNA
subject: rally
subject: report
subject: Security
subject: slam
subject: slaughter
subject: Solidarity
subject: sources
subject: speakers’
subject: spreading
subject: Syndicate
subject: US War Crimes
subject: vietnam

July 4th anniversary – speakers at NZ rally slam American ‘freedom built on bones of colonised’
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-04T10:08:35Z
subject: Amena Motawaze
subject: anti-war protests
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Colonialist project
subject: Dangerous weapons
subject: Gaza genocide
subject: July 4th
subject: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
subject: Slaughter of civilians
subject: Sources
subject: Spreading democracy
subject: US Independence Day
subject: US Invasion Day
subject: ‘built
subject: 4th
subject: Afghanistan
subject: amena
subject: american
subject: Anniversary
subject: antiwar
subject: aotearoa
subject: APAC OSI
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: bones
subject: Civil Society
subject: civilians
subject: colonialist
subject: colonised
subject: Counter-terrorism
subject: dangerous’:
subject: day
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: Featured
subject: Freedom
subject: gaza
subject: Genocide
subject: Global
subject: History
subject: Human Rights
subject: independence
subject: Indigenous
subject: Invasion
subject: iran
subject: Iraq
subject: july
subject: Justice
subject: lao
subject: lebanon
subject: Media
subject: military
subject: motawaze
subject: network
subject: new zealand
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Palestine
subject: Politics
subject: pro-palestine
subject: project’:
subject: Protests
subject: PSNA
subject: rally
subject: report
subject: Security
subject: slam
subject: slaughter
subject: Solidarity
subject: sources
subject: speakers’
subject: spreading
subject: Syndicate
subject: US War Crimes
subject: vietnam

Is the United States really a land of liberty?
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-04T10:00:21Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: Democracy
subject: land
subject: Liberty
subject: now
subject: really
subject: sources
subject: states
subject: the
subject: united
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Gaza genocide – how many UN findings will the West ignore?
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-04T03:19:52Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Chris Sidoti
subject: Civilian suffering
subject: Gaza ethnic cleansing
subject: Gaza genocide
subject: Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory
subject: Israeli accountability
subject: Palestine Forum of New Zealand
subject: Sources
subject: Starvation as a weapon
subject: UN reports
subject: Western hypocrisy
subject: Western states
subject: Accountability
subject: Analysis
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: chris
subject: civilian
subject: cleansing
subject: commission
subject: Crime
subject: Democracy
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: ethnic
subject: Featured
subject: findings
subject: forum’
subject: gaza
subject: Genocide
subject: Global
subject: how
subject: Human Rights
subject: humanitarian crisis
subject: Hypocrisy
subject: ignore
subject: independent
subject: Indigenous
subject: inquiry
subject: International
subject: International Law
subject: iran
subject: israeli
subject: Justice
subject: many
subject: Media
subject: military
subject: new
subject: new zealand
subject: occupied
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Palestine
subject: palestinian
subject: Politics
subject: report
subject: Reports
subject: sidoti
subject: sources
subject: starvation
subject: states
subject: suffering
subject: Syndicate
subject: territory
subject: the
subject: United Nations
subject: weapon
subject: west
subject: western
subject: will
subject: zealand
description: “No one living today ever imagined they would witness a genocide that would continue for 1000 days. Yet here we are. One thousand days of unbearable loss. One thousand days of children buried before their dreams could begin,” writes the Palestine Forum of New Zealand. ANALYSIS: By Hossam Shaker Once again, the United Nations reminds
encoded: “No one living today ever imagined they would witness a genocide that would continue for 1000 days. Yet here we are. One thousand days of unbearable loss. One thousand days of children buried before their dreams could begin,” writes the Palestine Forum of New Zealand. ANALYSIS: By Hossam Shaker Once again, the United Nations reminds us that genocide is taking place in the Gaza Strip. A report issued on 23 June 2026 by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory documented what Israel has committed against the Palestinian people, especially children. This followed an earlier report from the same commission on 16 September 2025, which found that genocide was taking place, as well as the report of the UN special rapporteur issued on 20 October 2025. READ MORE: Sanctioned ICC judges sue Trump in US over ‘attack on judicial independence’ Chris Sidoti on UN inquiry into Palestinian rights Other Gaza genocide reports But what can meticulously documented international reports do in the face of those who have insisted on averting their eyes from declared Israeli intentions to commit genocide, ethnic cleansing, comprehensive destruction and horrific starvation — not to mention the torrent of live images transmitted around the clock to mobile devices from the field of atrocities over the course of two full years? Specialised UN reports, testimonies by international rapporteurs and experts, assessments by the most prominent global human rights organisations, and even Israeli testimonies have followed one another, all confirming the reality of the genocide committed by Israel under the eyes of the world since October 2023. In contrast, most European and Western states have clung to a rigid position that ignores this glaring truth, despite genocidal intentions being openly expressed in advance by senior Israeli leaders, who continued to boast of what their army and authorities were doing on the ground. Official western comments on tho…

Tibetans mourn activist Lobga Rangzen after United Nations self-immolation | Radio Free Asia (RFA)
type: item
creator: Radio Free Asia
date: 2026-07-04T00:15:37Z
subject: Radio Free Asia
subject: Sources
subject: activist:
subject: after
subject: asia
subject: free
subject: lobga
subject: mourn
subject: nations
subject: radio
subject: rangzen
subject: rfa
subject: selfimmolation
subject: sources
subject: tibetans
subject: united
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.

Horse-trading in New Caledonia over provincial presidency elections
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-04T00:00:02Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia elections
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia independence
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia politics
subject: Provincial elections
subject: Sources
subject: asia
subject: caledonia
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: Development
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: Elections
subject: Featured
subject: FLNKS
subject: Global
subject: horsetrading
subject: Human Rights
subject: independence
subject: Indigenous
subject: Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front
subject: Kanaky
subject: new
subject: New Caledonia
subject: new zealand
subject: over
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Politics
subject: Presidency
subject: provincial
subject: report
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: Self Determination
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
description: By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific New Caledonia’s newly-elected three provincial assemblies — Northern, Southern and the Loyalty Islands — have elected their respective presidents following the elections held on June 28 in the French Pacific territory. The make-up of the three provinces and their respective majorities were already known since the poll on Sunday.
encoded: By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific New Caledonia’s newly-elected three provincial assemblies — Northern, Southern and the Loyalty Islands — have elected their respective presidents following the elections held on June 28 in the French Pacific territory. The make-up of the three provinces and their respective majorities were already known since the poll on Sunday. The election of the three presidents was therefore supposed to reflect what came out of the ballots. READ MORE: Official results confirmed for New Caledonia’s provincial elections Pro-French, pro-independence blocs remain in New Caledonia election Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports In New Caledonia’s affluent and most populated Southern province, a united front of pro-France parties (Loyalistes-Rassemblement) has already secured an overwhelming majority of 28 of the 40 seats. On the province’s inaugural sitting and the election of a chair, group leader Sonia Backès, who is also the incumbent President of the province, thus received 28 of the 40 votes. There was no other candidate. Following the Speaker’s election, bureau members such as the Vice-President (Gil Brial) and second and third Vice-President (Brieuc Frogier and Loïc Basset-Creugnet) came from the same “Strong and United” front. But in the Northern Province, things were more complicated: the showdown was between incumbent President and UNI (Union Nationale pour l’Indépendance) leader and founder of the PALIKA party (Kanak Liberation Party) Paul Néaoutyine who was challenged by Pascal Sawa (from Union Calédonienne-FLNKS). In the newly-elected assembly seat quota, they were neck-to-neck with 10 seats for Sawa and nine for Néaoutyine. Néaoutyine, 74, has been President of the Northern province since 1999 and is also the Mayor of the small town of Poindimié. <img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-130091" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/NC-Congress-seats-Image-680wide.jpg" alt=" The make-up of the new Territorial …

Community Safety in a Time of Insurrection [EXCERPT]
type: item
creator: Laura Flanders & Friends
date: 2026-07-03T21:02:09Z
subject: Sources
subject: Community
subject: excerpt:
subject: Insurrection
subject: safety
subject: sources
subject: Time
description: This content originally appeared on Laura Flanders & Friends and was authored by Laura Flanders & Friends.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Laura Flanders & Friends and was authored by Laura Flanders & Friends.

The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 3, 2026
type: item
creator: KPFA
date: 2026-07-03T18:00:00Z
subject: Pacifica Evening News
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: evening
subject: july
subject: News
subject: pacifica
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: weekdays
description: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 3, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
encoded: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 3, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.

UN News Today 03 July 2026
type: item
creator: Daniel Johnson
date: 2026-07-03T16:18:33Z
subject: Podcasts/UN News Today
subject: Sources
subject: UN News
subject: 2026
subject: july
subject: News
subject: podcastsun
subject: sources
subject: today
description: El Niño is forecast to intensify, increasing likelihood of extreme weatherSudan’s people subject to “relentless” drone strikes in El ObeidUkraine killings caused almost totally by Russia, says UN’s Türk
encoded: El Niño is forecast to intensify, increasing likelihood of extreme weatherSudan’s people subject to “relentless” drone strikes in El ObeidUkraine killings caused almost totally by Russia, says UN’s Türk This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Daniel Johnson.

Journalist Karen Hao on Sam Altman, OpenAI & the “Quasi-Religious” Push for Artificial Intelligence
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-03T15:45:16Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: altman
subject: artificial
subject: Democracy
subject: for
subject: hao
subject: Intelligence
subject: journalist
subject: karen
subject: now
subject: openai
subject: push
subject: quasireligious
subject: sam
subject: sources
subject: the
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Tibetan activist dies after setting himself on fire outside UN headquarters
type: item
creator: Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan
date: 2026-07-03T15:10:50Z
subject: Radio Free Asia
subject: Sources
subject: activist:
subject: after
subject: asia
subject: dies
subject: Fire
subject: free
subject: headquarters
subject: himself
subject: outside
subject: radio
subject: setting
subject: sources
subject: Tibet
subject: tibetan
description: The incident comes one day after China’s ‘ethnic unity law’ came into effect.
encoded: Content warning: This story contains language that readers may find disturbing. A Tibetan activist died Thursday after setting himself on fire outside the United Nations headquarters in New York. Lobsang Palden, popularly known as Lobga Rangzen, a longtime Tibetan activist based in New York, died at Bellevue Hospital after succumbing to his injuries, Jamphel Choesang, president of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress of New York and New Jersey, told Radio Free Asia. The self-immolation comes one day after China’s new ethnic unity law went into effect, with critics warning that the law brings accelerated forced assimilation and cultural erasure of Tibetans and Uyghurs. It also brings fears of Beijing’s increasing transnational repression and its ability to stifle dissident voices overseas. “The unfolding genocide inside Tibet and the enforcement of the draconian ‘Ethnic Unity and Progress Law’ on July 1 are what drove Lobga Rangzen to this tragic decision,” Penpa Tsering, head of the Central Tibetan Administration said in a released statement on Friday. Lobga Rangzen poses for a photo in New York in this image posted to his Facebook page on July 2, 2026. (Lobga Rangzen via Facebook) Rangzen was a well-known Tibetan activist who participated in demonstrations and campaigns calling for Tibetan freedom and raising awareness of human rights issues under Chinese rule. Before the incident, Rangzen posted a Facebook video where he spoke about the situation in Tibet and the importance of efforts to preserve Tibetan language and culture. He also criticized Chinese government policies in Tibet, which he described as an “erasure” of Tibetan identity, and urged Tibetans in exile to increase their efforts in their struggle. Content warning: Below is language that readers may find disturbing. In a subsequent Facebook livestream post, Rangzen propped the camera on the sidewalk and walked a few steps to a traffic median across from the U.N. building and placed a large Tibetan flag on…

“Empire of AI”: Karen Hao on How AI Is Threatening Democracy & Creating a New Colonial World
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-03T15:00:14Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: colonial
subject: creating
subject: Democracy
subject: Empire
subject: hao
subject: how
subject: karen
subject: new
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: threatening
subject: World
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Nigerian journalist Stanley Ugagbe forcibly disappeared after investigative report
type: item
creator: CPJ Staff
date: 2026-07-03T14:37:19Z
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Paul Utebor
subject: Secret Reporters
subject: Sources
subject: Stanley Ugagbe
subject: Tega Oghenedoro
subject: after
subject: committee
subject: disappeared
subject: forcibly
subject: investigative
subject: journalist
subject: Journalists
subject: nigerian
subject: oghenedoro
subject: paul
subject: protect
subject: report
subject: reporters:
subject: secret,
subject: sources
subject: stanley
subject: tega
subject: ugagbe
subject: utebor
description: Abuja, July 3, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Nigerian authorities to urgently investigate Wednesday’s seizure of Secret Reporters journalist Stanley Ugagbe by two armed men in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, and secure his safe return. “Nigerian authorities must swiftly investigate the whereabouts of journalist Stanley Ugagbe, ensure his immediate safety, and hold those responsible for his...
encoded: Abuja, July 3, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Nigerian authorities to urgently investigate Wednesday’s seizure of Secret Reporters journalist Stanley Ugagbe by two armed men in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, and secure his safe return. “Nigerian authorities must swiftly investigate the whereabouts of journalist Stanley Ugagbe, ensure his immediate safety, and hold those responsible for his disappearance to account,” said CPJ Africa Director Angela Quintal. “The Nigerian government must act urgently to end the horrific pattern of enforced disappearances of journalists and others in a country that claims to uphold democratic values.” The Secret Reporters news site’s publisher Tega Oghenedoro, known by his pen name, Fejiro Oliver, and senior reporter Paul Utebor told CPJ that Ugabe’s neighbors saw Ugagbe enter his apartment in Jikwoyi, a northeastern Abuja suburb, on July 1, followed by two armed men, who had arrived in a black jeep. The three then left the house, with the unidentified men carrying a laptop and phones. When the neighbors tried to intervene, the men refused to speak or identify themselves while Ugagbe shouted, “Call my office.” The journalists told CPJ they believed the incident was related to the outlet’s recent investigation into corruption and infidelity allegations involving an executive with Nigeria’s Central Bank. Ugagbe was the lead reporter. After Ugagbe called the executive from his own phone to request comment prior to publication, he received a call from a man who identified himself as Ibrahim, denied the allegations in the story, and asked Ugagbe to refrain from publishing, they said. Oliver said they received a call on July 1, from sources within the police force who informed them that Ugagbe had been taken to the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) office in Abuja’s Guzape district. The SARS unit was disbanded in 2020 after mass protests. The two journalists said they had visited that site, all police stations in Jikwo…

“What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?”: James Earl Jones Reads Frederick Douglass’s Historic Speech
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-03T14:00:35Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 4th
subject: Democracy
subject: douglass’s
subject: earl
subject: frederick
subject: historic
subject: james
subject: jones
subject: july
subject: now
subject: reads
subject: slave
subject: sources
subject: speech
subject: the
subject: what
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Free the Prairieland Defendants and All Political Prisoners
type: item
creator: Andrea Chalupa
date: 2026-07-03T12:33:00Z
subject: Gaslit Nation
subject: Sources
subject: all
subject: and
subject: defendants
subject: free
subject: gaslit
subject: nation?
subject: political
subject: prairieland
subject: Prisoners
subject: sources
subject: the
description: Benjamin "Champagne" Song, a U.S. marine reservist, got 100 years in prison in Texas–no air-conditioning, sweltering heat–for saving a protester's life. So why are Democrats like Hakeem Jeffries busy battling social democrats rather than unifying resistance to Trump behind this urgent cause for freedom and the U.S. Constitution? In Texas, eight political prisoners recently received a combined 450 years for a July 4th, 2025 demonstration outside an ICE concentration camp. Song got a century behind bars for firing a warning shot to stop a cop from shooting a fleeing, unarmed protester. Other defendants got decades simply for being in a book club or transporting a box of their own zines. This is illegal collective punishment designed to destroy our trust networks and terrorize the resistance–no matter where you live. We are sliding into a fascist fever dream, and any politician who wants our support in the 2028 Democratic Party primary must publicly commit to pardoning these political prisoners. Trump's Soviet-style war on antifa endangers us all, because America's progress, what makes this country great, like the U.S. helping liberate Europe from Nazis, was built by the anti-fascists. Anyone who is anti-antifa is clearly a fascist. It's as simple as that. We refuse to let them normalize this terror. Support our independent journalism by subscribing to Gaslit Nation on Patreon and Substack today so we can keep fighting back. Thank you to everyone who supports the show–we could not make Gaslit Nation without you. A quick correction: An earlier version got the timeline wrong and said the Prairieland protests happened after the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, when they happened before. We've fixed it. These things happen, and we're sorry for the error. Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and …
encoded: Benjamin "Champagne" Song, a U.S. marine reservist, got 100 years in prison in Texas–no air-conditioning, sweltering heat–for saving a protester's life. So why are Democrats like Hakeem Jeffries busy battling social democrats rather than unifying resistance to Trump behind this urgent cause for freedom and the U.S. Constitution? In Texas, eight political prisoners recently received a combined 450 years for a July 4th, 2025 demonstration outside an ICE concentration camp. Song got a century behind bars for firing a warning shot to stop a cop from shooting a fleeing, unarmed protester. Other defendants got decades simply for being in a book club or transporting a box of their own zines. This is illegal collective punishment designed to destroy our trust networks and terrorize the resistance–no matter where you live. We are sliding into a fascist fever dream, and any politician who wants our support in the 2028 Democratic Party primary must publicly commit to pardoning these political prisoners. Trump's Soviet-style war on antifa endangers us all, because America's progress, what makes this country great, like the U.S. helping liberate Europe from Nazis, was built by the anti-fascists. Anyone who is anti-antifa is clearly a fascist. It's as simple as that. We refuse to let them normalize this terror. Support our independent journalism by subscribing to Gaslit Nation on Patreon and Substack today so we can keep fighting back. Thank you to everyone who supports the show–we could not make Gaslit Nation without you. A quick correction: An earlier version got the timeline wrong and said the Prairieland protests happened after the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, when they happened before. We've fixed it. These things happen, and we're sorry for the error. Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and …

Journalist Karen Hao on Sam Altman, OpenAI & the “Quasi-Religious” Push for Artificial Intelligence
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-03T12:23:35Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 8220quasireligious8221
subject: altman
subject: artificial
subject: Democracy
subject: for
subject: hao
subject: Intelligence
subject: journalist
subject: karen
subject: now
subject: openai
subject: push
subject: sam
subject: sources
subject: the
description: As part of our July Fourth special broadcast, we continue our extended interview with Karen Hao, author of Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI. The book documents the rise of OpenAI and how the AI industry is leadi...
encoded: As part of our July Fourth special broadcast, we continue our extended interview with Karen Hao, author of Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI. The book documents the rise of OpenAI and how the AI industry is leading to a new form of colonialism. “One of the things that you really have to understand about AI development today is that there are what I call quasi-religious movements that have developed within Silicon Valley,” says Hao. “The concept of artificial general intelligence is not one that’s scientifically grounded.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

“Empire of AI”: Karen Hao on How AI Is Threatening Democracy & Creating a New Colonial World
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-03T12:08:30Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 8220empire
subject: ai8221
subject: colonial
subject: creating
subject: Democracy
subject: hao
subject: how
subject: karen
subject: new
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: threatening
subject: World
description: In our July Fourth special broadcast, we revisit our interview with longtime technology reporter Karen Hao, author of Empire of AI, which unveils the accruing political and economic power of artificial intelligence companies — especially Sam A...
encoded: In our July Fourth special broadcast, we revisit our interview with longtime technology reporter Karen Hao, author of Empire of AI, which unveils the accruing political and economic power of artificial intelligence companies — especially Sam Altman’s OpenAI. Her reporting uncovered the exploitation of workers in Kenya, attempts to take massive amounts of freshwater from communities in Chile, along with numerous accounts of the technology’s detrimental impact on the environment. “This is an extraordinary type of AI development that is causing a lot of social, labor and environmental harms,” says Hao in an extended interview. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Chris Hedges: Requiem for America on the Fourth of July
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-03T12:02:32Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Christian fascism
subject: Christian Rapture
subject: Class war
subject: Deindustrialisation
subject: Make America Great Again
subject: Monopoly capitalists
subject: Sources
subject: The Chris Hedges Report
subject: Western neoliberalism
subject: again
subject: america
subject: Analysis
subject: asia
subject: billionaires
subject: capitalists
subject: chris
subject: christian
subject: Civil Society
subject: class
subject: Culture
subject: deindustrialisation
subject: disempowerment
subject: donald trump
subject: economic justice
subject: economics
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: environmental justice
subject: Fascism
subject: Featured
subject: for
subject: fourth
subject: Global
subject: great
subject: hedges:
subject: Human Rights
subject: july
subject: Justice
subject: maga
subject: make
subject: Media
subject: military
subject: monopoly
subject: Neoliberalism
subject: oligarchy
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Political Correctness
subject: Politics
subject: rapture
subject: report
subject: requiem
subject: Social Justice
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: war
subject: western
description: The con of neoliberalism has gutted our democracy and paved the way for fascism. COMMENTARY: By Chris Hedges Neoliberalism, better understood by its less sanitised term cutthroat capitalism, is the poison that destroyed our democracy in America. It gave the billionaire class and corporations the ideological cover to impoverish the working class, impose crippling austerity,
encoded: The con of neoliberalism has gutted our democracy and paved the way for fascism. COMMENTARY: By Chris Hedges Neoliberalism, better understood by its less sanitised term cutthroat capitalism, is the poison that destroyed our democracy in America. It gave the billionaire class and corporations the ideological cover to impoverish the working class, impose crippling austerity, hollow out democratic institutions, buy off our two ruling political parties and deform our courts into appendages of corporations and the rich. Neoliberalism drove tens of millions of disenfranchised, desperate people into the arms of Christian fascists, who preyed on their despair and sold them the fantasy of magic Jesus. It drove them into the arms of conspiracy theorists and right-wing charlatans. READ MORE: America250 versus Freedom 250: What to know about the US semiquincentennial Other Chris Hedges reports It drove them down the self-destructive rabbit holes of alcoholism and opioid addiction, compulsive gambling, domestic and sexual violence. These were the inevitable consequences of personal stagnation, disempowerment and feelings of worthlessness, frustration and profound despair. Neoliberalism ignores the cries of its victims. It dismisses their suffering and rage as irrational, ignorant and racist. It neuters liberal reforms, rendering them cosmetic and useless. Liberal apologists for neoliberalism, no longer concerned with economic justice, retreat into boutique activism. They mouth empty slogans about diversity and political correctness while pretending the relentless class war, unleashed globally since the 1970s, does not exist. The victims of neoliberal deindustrialisation, 30 million of whom lost their jobs in the US in mass layoffs, understand that the precarity of their existence does not concern their neoliberal masters. Celebrated by the disenfranchised Right-wing pundits and politicians, such as Donald Trump, who issue crude, vulgar and expletive-laden insults against the tra…

“What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?”: James Earl Jones Reads Frederick Douglass’s Historic Speech
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-03T12:01:47Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 4th
subject: 8220what
subject: Democracy
subject: douglass8217s
subject: earl
subject: frederick
subject: historic
subject: james
subject: jones
subject: july8221
subject: now
subject: reads
subject: slave
subject: sources
subject: speech
subject: the
description: We begin our July Fourth special broadcast with the words of Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery around 1818, Douglass became a key leader of the abolitionist movement. On July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York, Douglass gave one of his most f...
encoded: We begin our July Fourth special broadcast with the words of Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery around 1818, Douglass became a key leader of the abolitionist movement. On July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York, Douglass gave one of his most famous speeches, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” He was addressing the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society. The late actor James Earl Jones read the historic address during a performance of Voices of a People’s History of the United States, which was co-edited by Howard Zinn. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Attacks on Press Freedom: Lawsuits, Intimidation, and the War on Journalists | Ep. 4
type: item
creator: The Real News Network
date: 2026-07-03T12:00:29Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Real News Network
subject: and
subject: attacks
subject: Freedom
subject: intimidation
subject: Journalists
subject: lawsuits
subject: network
subject: News
subject: press
subject: real
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: war
description: This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.

Democracy Now! 2026-07-03 Friday
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-03T12:00:00Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 20260703
subject: Democracy
subject: friday
subject: now
subject: sources
description: Democracy Now! Friday, July 3, 2026
encoded: Democracy Now! Friday, July 3, 2026 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Declaration of Independence: “Merciless Indian savages” and the creation of empire
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-03T10:37:06Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: creation
subject: declaration
subject: Democracy
subject: Empire
subject: independence
subject: indian
subject: merciless,
subject: now
subject: savages
subject: sources
subject: the
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

As Iran Prepares Elaborate Funeral For Khamenei, Many Recall A Brutal Leader #shorts #iran
type: item
creator: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
date: 2026-07-03T10:11:15Z
subject: Radio Free Europe/RL
subject: Sources
subject: #shorts
subject: brutal
subject: elaborate
subject: europerl
subject: for
subject: free
subject: funeral
subject: iran
subject: khamenei
subject: leader
subject: many
subject: prepares
subject: radio
subject: recall
subject: sources
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Trump’s Communist Boogeyman Playbook: Charging Protesters as Terrorists ⎸ The Intercept Briefing
type: item
creator: The Intercept
date: 2026-07-03T10:00:04Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Intercept
subject: boogeyman
subject: briefing
subject: charging
subject: communist’
subject: intercept
subject: playbook
subject: protesters
subject: sources
subject: terrorists
subject: the
subject: trump’s
description: This content originally appeared on The Intercept and was authored by The Intercept.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Intercept and was authored by The Intercept.

“He Didn’t Need to Die.” How an Immigration Detention Center Repeatedly Failed to Address a Mental Health Crisis.
type: item
creator: Perla Trevizo
date: 2026-07-03T09:00:00Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: address
subject: center
subject: crisis
subject: Detention
subject: didn’t
subject: die,
subject: failed
subject: health
subject: how
subject: Immigration
subject: mental
subject: need
subject: propublica
subject: repeatedly
subject: sources
subject: trump administration
description: The post “He Didn’t Need to Die.” How an Immigration Detention Center Repeatedly Failed to Address a Mental Health Crisis. appeared first on ProPublica.
encoded: <img src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Camp-MontanaV2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=1149" alt="An investigative collage featuring a bright red sweatshirt, a set of handcuffs and medical examiner tags for Geraldo Lunas Campos. Red paper scraps with the seal of El Paso County, Texas, border a black-and-white photo of double doors secured behind layers of razor wire."> Geraldo Lunas Campos died at East Camp Montana on Jan. 3, 2026. Cengiz Yar/ProPublica. Source images: Documents and images reviewed by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune. Guards at an immigration detention center in El Paso, Texas, could see a detainee in his cell with one end of a bedsheet wrapped around his neck and the other tied to the door handle. If they opened the door, the sheet would tighten and strangle him. The detainee, Geraldo Lunas Campos, had been in detention at Camp East Montana for a month by then. The facility itself was still relatively new and had been opened as part of the Trump administration’s plans to house and quickly deport thousands of immigrants at a time. Almost immediately after being admitted, the 55-year-old Cuban immigrant began expressing frustration about his care, according to a nearly 300-page unpublished medical examiner’s investigative report. If you or someone you know needs help, here are a few resources: Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 Text the Crisis Text Line from anywhere in the U.S. to reach a crisis counselor: 741741 The report, reviewed by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, includes dozens of notes that detail medical staff interactions with Lunas Campos, who had a history of mental illness and had been previously institutionalized in New York. The report and the records it contains offer a rare and disturbing look at how immigrant detention facilities — erected rapidly and with little oversight — manage detainees with serious mental health needs. The records pai…

“He Didn’t Need to Die.” How an Immigration Detention Center Repeatedly Failed to Address a Mental Health Crisis.
type: item
creator: Perla Trevizo
date: 2026-07-03T09:00:00Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: address
subject: center
subject: crisis
subject: Detention
subject: didn’t
subject: die,
subject: failed
subject: health
subject: how
subject: Immigration
subject: mental
subject: need
subject: propublica
subject: repeatedly
subject: sources
subject: trump administration
description: The post “He Didn’t Need to Die.” How an Immigration Detention Center Repeatedly Failed to Address a Mental Health Crisis. appeared first on ProPublica.
encoded: <img src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Camp-MontanaV2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=1149" alt="An investigative collage featuring a bright red sweatshirt, a set of handcuffs and medical examiner tags for Geraldo Lunas Campos. Red paper scraps with the seal of El Paso County, Texas, border a black-and-white photo of double doors secured behind layers of razor wire."> Geraldo Lunas Campos died at East Camp Montana on Jan. 3, 2026. Cengiz Yar/ProPublica. Source images: Documents and images reviewed by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune. Guards at an immigration detention center in El Paso, Texas, could see a detainee in his cell with one end of a bedsheet wrapped around his neck and the other tied to the door handle. If they opened the door, the sheet would tighten and strangle him. The detainee, Geraldo Lunas Campos, had been in detention at Camp East Montana for a month by then. The facility itself was still relatively new and had been opened as part of the Trump administration’s plans to house and quickly deport thousands of immigrants at a time. Almost immediately after being admitted, the 55-year-old Cuban immigrant began expressing frustration about his care, according to a nearly 300-page unpublished medical examiner’s investigative report. If you or someone you know needs help, here are a few resources: Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 Text the Crisis Text Line from anywhere in the U.S. to reach a crisis counselor: 741741 The report, reviewed by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, includes dozens of notes that detail medical staff interactions with Lunas Campos, who had a history of mental illness and had been previously institutionalized in New York. The report and the records it contains offer a rare and disturbing look at how immigrant detention facilities — erected rapidly and with little oversight — manage detainees with serious mental health needs. The records pai…

“More Than a Human Can Bear:” On Israel’s Systematic Sexualized Violence and the Silence That Enables It
type: item
creator: Lama Khouri
date: 2026-07-03T06:07:58Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: ‘systematic
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: bear
subject: can
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: enables
subject: human
subject: israel’s
subject: Leading Article
subject: more
subject: sexualized
subject: silence
subject: sources
subject: than
subject: that
subject: the
subject: violence
subject: war
description: The Palestinian Feminist Collective has issued a 200-page report on the sexualized and gendered violence perpetrated against the Palestinian people. Five months of research. Testimony after testimony: women, men, children, elders, all saying the same things in different voices, from different prisons, across eight decades. The report concludes, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Israel has perpetrated systematic sexualized and gendered violence against the Palestinian people, constituting the crime of genocide. More The post “More Than a Human Can Bear:” On Israel’s Systematic Sexualized Violence and the Silence That Enables It appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Screengrab from a video posted by Israel Channel 12 that appears to show the sexual assault of a Palestinian prisoner by Israeli guards at Sde Teiman prison. Amal ’Ajlouni is twenty-five years old. She is a mother of four. In July 2023, Israeli soldiers stormed her home in the southern Hebron neighborhood of Khallat Al-Qaba. She testified: The [female] soldier ordered me to undress. I started to take off my prayer clothes that I was wearing, and the necklace I had around my neck made some noise, and then the soldier loosened the dog’s leash, and it came right up to me. It really scared me and the children, and we all screamed. I begged the soldier to get it away, and I told her that we were afraid of dogs. She moved the dog away and ordered me to continue undressing and also to remove my undergarments. I told her I had nothing on me and that my clothes were light and there was no reason to take off my undergarments. I begged her not to make me do it in front of the children, but she threatened to release the dog again. I had no choice, and I took off everything, weeping. The soldier ordered me to turn around as my children watched, unable to stop crying and shaking with fear. — Amal ‘Ajlouni, testimony taken by B’Tselem field researcher Manal al-Ja’bari on July 11, 2023, published September 5, 2023 (B’Tselem, 2023) Most accounts stop there. Amal did not. She kept speaking: I can’t forget what happened. The search and the humiliation I went through in front of the [female] soldiers, and the helplessness and shame I felt in front of my children. They are now afraid to sleep in their room at night and come to our bed. They don’t sleep well and wet the bed, and when they wake up, they are scared to go to the bathroom. The soldiers left at 5:30 in the morning. This is not an exceptional case. It is a pattern. The Palestinian Feminist Collective has issued a 200-page report documenting it across eight decades, in prisons, at checkpoints, during home raids, in detention fa…

Images of Surrender
type: item
creator: Stephen F. Eisenman
date: 2026-07-03T05:59:01Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Culture
subject: Images
subject: Leading Article
subject: sources
subject: surrender
subject: war
description: When President Trump, supported by Israeli Prime Minister Natanyahi, launched a war against Iran four months ago, he did so with an image of enemy surrender stuck in his head like a catchy tune, an earworm. It was probab [ . . . ] The post Images of Surrender appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Carl Mydans, The Japanese Surrender on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. September 2, 1945. Gelatin silver print. General Douglas MacArthur stands at the lower right, back to the viewer. General Yoshijirō Umezu leans over the table, signing the document of surrender. Courtesy Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, Gift of the artist. P1985.27.106. © Carl Mydans/LIFE Magazine, Time Inc. Eyeworm When President Trump, supported by Israeli Prime Minister Natanyahi, launched a war against Iran four months ago, he did so with an image of enemy surrender stuck in his head like a catchy tune, an earworm. It was probably the photo above by Carl Mydans, reproduced and widely distributed for decades after the war, of Japanese military and civilian officials gathered on the deck of the USS Battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay, to sign the document of surrender ending war in the Pacific. General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, stands in front of a microphone to the right, with his back to the viewer. Mydans’ viewpoint was from the front-right of a wooden platform built atop a gun turret, as can be seen in a photograph taken a few minutes earlier by another (unknown) photographer. The bag behind the dark haired, un-hatted Mydans was likely his kit, which included a spare 35 mm camera, Zeiss 50 mm telephoto lens, film, and a Rolleiflex. Photographer unknown, The Japanese Surrender on the USS Missouri, Sept. 2, 1945, Wikimedia Commons. Mydans was an excellent photographer. He worked for the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s, along with Walker Evans, Ben Shahn, and Dorothea Lange, and then for more than 30 years at Life, where his photo of the surrender was first published. Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu, Chaplin-esque in his morning coat, top hat and cane, stands at center right in Mydans’ picture. At left, a diagonal line of naval officers leads the eye past two pairs of protruding ventilation cowls, crisply linear naval ri…

Vampire Planet: The El Niño From Hell
type: item
creator: Joshua Frank
date: 2026-07-03T05:58:45Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: Vampire Planet
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: environment
subject: from
subject: hell,
subject: nino
subject: planet
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: vampire
description: We’re in for it. At least that’s the dire warning from scientists about the El Niño conditions now brewing in the Pacific Ocean. What’s actually in store may be up for debate, but it’s clear the developing patterns may place this El Niño on par with the strongest in over a century, which hit in More The post Vampire Planet: The El Niño From Hell appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Hurricane Iwa bearing down on Hawai’i, 1982. We’re in for it. At least that’s the dire warning from scientists about the El Niño conditions now brewing in the Pacific Ocean. What’s actually in store may be up for debate, but it’s clear the developing patterns may place this El Niño on par with the strongest in over a century, which hit in 1982-83, killing 2,000 and leaving few corners of the planet untouched. It was a devastating El Niño that struck before climate change had fully taken hold of our world. But before we look back at the early ’80s, let’s get a handle on what exactly causes these extreme weather events. Simply put, the so-called El Niño-Southern Oscillation (El Niño for short) occurs when ocean waters near the equator in the Pacific become unusually warm. In turn, these warmer waters weaken trade winds, which typically push ocean waters toward Asia and Australia. As these winds shift during an El Niño event, warmer water is hurled toward the Americas instead, shifting weather patterns across the globe. While El Niño is a normal weather occurrence, when it’s combined with a rapidly warming climate, all bets are off. Depending on where you live, one weather extreme or another is likely in your future. Think record heatwaves, worsening drought, heavier rainfall, and wildfires galore. Farms will be destroyed. Homes washed away, and economies ravaged — more of what our warming planet has been experiencing, but on steroids. Back in 1982-83, the El Niño blindsided the scientific community, which failed to predict its development in the Pacific. As a result, the world was wholly unprepared, and the destruction was immense. The trade winds that year collapsed entirely and, in fact, reversed. This led to sea-surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific reaching 5°C or more above normal. Here’s a bit of what this wrought. + Drought struck Australia, turning out to be one of the continent’s worst in the 20th century. Lack of rainfall led to unprecedented brushfire…

There is No Going Back: How Democracies Can Begin Again
type: item
creator: Daniel Warner
date: 2026-07-03T05:57:46Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: again
subject: articles 2015
subject: back
subject: begin
subject: can
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: democracies
subject: going
subject: how
subject: Leading Article
subject: Politics
subject: sources
subject: there
description: The tenth anniversary of the British vote to leave the European Union raises two immediate questions: Was it worth it? Can it be undone? The answer to the first is increasingly clear. Experts generally agree that the British economy has suffered for a decade, accompanied by political instability. The second question is more complex. Democracies are built on the assumption that citizens can change their minds. Elect a new government. Hold another referendum. Reverse course. But can a nation ever truly return to where it was before a fateful decision? More The post There is No Going Back: How Democracies Can Begin Again appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Anti-Brexit protesters in Manchester. Photo: Robert Mandel, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 4.0 The tenth anniversary of the British vote to leave the European Union raises two immediate questions: Was it worth it? Can it be undone? The answer to the first is increasingly clear. Experts generally agree that the British economy has suffered for a decade, accompanied by political instability. The second question is more complex. Democracies are built on the assumption that citizens can change their minds. Elect a new government. Hold another referendum. Reverse course. But can a nation ever truly return to where it was before a fateful decision? Philip Stephens described the “dismal verdict” about Brexit ten years after in the New York Times: “A decade later, the cost of that freedom — of the return, as Mr. Johnson repeatedly put it, of precious national sovereignty — is blindingly apparent. The vote to leave the European Union was a real cry of pain from a large section of the electorate that thought itself left behind by economic progress. The desperation remains. The ‘sunlit meadows’ were a mirage.” In 2016, Britain voted 51.9% to 48.1% to leave the European Union. Ten years later, opinion has reversed. Most polls now show that, if given another referendum, a majority of Britons would vote to rejoin the EU. Can Brexit be undone? Would rejoining restore Britain to its pre-Brexit condition? The answer depends on a distinction we do not often make: reversing a decision is not the same as restoring the world that existed before it. Brexit is not unique. Democracies—and great powers in particular—repeatedly confront decisions that later generations wish they could reverse. Brexit is only the latest example of a larger historical puzzle. Every generation seems to have its irreversible moment—the event that commentators declare has changed everything forever. There were two “last helicopters” in my lifetime: Saigon in 1975 and Kabul in 2021—moments that seemed to close a chapter…

The Forgotten Brits Who Lived Among the Cherokee
type: item
creator: Peter Bach
date: 2026-07-03T05:57:29Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: among
subject: articles 2015
subject: brits
subject: cherokee
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Culture
subject: forgotten
subject: lived
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: who
description: It took a single sentence in Ken Burns’ documentary series The American Revolution to change the way I thought about the American Revolution. It was a passing reference to British agents living among the Cherokee. The do [ . . . ] The post The Forgotten Brits Who Lived Among the Cherokee appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: A Delegation of the Creek tribe meets with the Trustees of Georgia by William Verelst. Public domain. It took a single sentence in Ken Burns’ documentary series The American Revolution to change the way I thought about the American Revolution. It was a passing reference to British agents living among the Cherokee. The documentary quickly moved on, but I couldn’t. Who were they? Were they soldiers, diplomats, or traders? Did they wear uniforms? Did they speak Cherokee? What I found showed me an often overlooked side of the Revolution. Away from the famous battlefields, it seems Britain’s war was also fought through secretive Indigenous alliances, intelligence networks, and frontier agents who looked more grizzled than polished. These men carried influence into parts of a continent where red coats rarely ventured as readily as a drawstring purse of gold. Throughout, these frontier agents waged a conflict that stretched all the way from the Great Lakes to the southern Appalachians and into Georgia. Nor were they the over-romanticised characters imagined later by James Fenimore Cooper, such as Natty Bumppo. They were more mysterious than that. A traveller approaching a Cherokee town in 1776 might notice a stranger among the warriors. At first glance he hardly looks British at all. No bright red coat. No polished gorget. Instead, a hunting shirt, buckskin leggings, moccasins stained from weeks of travel, and a hat pulled low against the summer sun. Yet this man represents the British Crown. Before anyone talks war, gifts are laid out: blankets, powder, lead, vermilion, kettles. Each is accepted with formal thanks before the council begins. The exchange is more than generosity. It shows respect, friendship, and Britain’s willingness to honour a relationship that both sides know carries obligations. But the gifts are only the beginning. The man carries letters from distant officials, promises of detailed support, and intelligence. Behind him stands a packhorse—one can almo…

How I Busted the Ruby Ridge Coverup
type: item
creator: James Bovard
date: 2026-07-03T05:57:20Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: busted
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: coverup
subject: how
subject: ridge
subject: ruby
subject: sources
subject: the
description: On June 30 1995, I helped shatter the coverup of federal killings at Ruby Ridge, Idaho. For millions of Americans, those brazen killings epitomized how the U.S. government had become a deadly peril to their rights and liberties. In 1991, an ATF informant entrapped Randy Weaver into selling him two sawed-off shotguns. After ATF officials More The post How I Busted the Ruby Ridge Coverup appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Illustration for James Bovard’s Playboy story “Overkill”, on the Ruby Ridge shooting, by Amy Crehore. (June 1995) On June 30 1995, I helped shatter the coverup of federal killings at Ruby Ridge, Idaho. For millions of Americans, those brazen killings epitomized how the U.S. government had become a deadly peril to their rights and liberties. In 1991, an ATF informant entrapped Randy Weaver into selling him two sawed-off shotguns. After ATF officials lied to a federal prosecutor, Weaver was indicted and sent the wrong court date. On August 21, 1992, after numerous illegal intrusions onto Weaver’s Ruby Ridge mountaintop property near the Canadian border, three U.S. marshals dressed in Ninja outfits and carrying submachine guns ambushed Weaver’s 14-year old son and family friend Kevin Harris. One marshal shot the boy’s dog and a firefight erupted in which another marshal was killed. As Sammy Weaver ran from the scene towards the family’s ramshackle cabin, a marshal shot him in the back and killed him. The next day, the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team arrived. Within an hour of its snipers taking position, every adult in the cabin was either dead or severely wounded – even though they had not fired a shot at the FBI. FBI sniper Lon Horiuchi shot Randy Weaver in the back as he stood outside his home, and then killed Vicki Weaver as she stood by the cabin doorway holding their 10-month-old baby. The bullet that passed through Vicki Weaver’s skull then badly wounded Kevin Harris. The FBI proclaimed its Ruby Ridge operation a great success, but a federal jury found Randy Weaver and Kevin Harris not guilty on almost all charges. Federal Judge Edward Lodge condemned the FBI’s misconduct and fabrication of evidence. I wrote about Ruby Ridge in my 1994 book, Lost Rights: The Destruction of American Liberty. But I knew I was missing so much key dirt on the case. The debacle in federal court in Idaho spurred an investigation by a Justice Department task force investigation. On December …

250th: Their Heroes Are Monsters to Us
type: item
creator: Ishmael Reed
date: 2026-07-03T05:57:19Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: 250th
subject: are
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Heroes
subject: monsters
subject: sources
subject: their
description: The segregated American media spent the week leading up to the Fourth of July praising the founding fathers and paying tribute to other American heroes. Heroes to them. Monsters to us. For CNN, Kit Carson is a hero. They showed a scene in which Carson walked miles, nearly barefoot, to rescue his men. We grew More The post 250th: Their Heroes Are Monsters to Us appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Slave quarters at Monticello, James C. Sawders, Keystone View Company, Keystone-Mast Collection, UCR/California Museum of Photography, University of California at Riverside. The segregated American media spent the week leading up to the Fourth of July praising the founding fathers and paying tribute to other American heroes. Heroes to them. Monsters to us. For CNN, Kit Carson is a hero. They showed a scene in which Carson walked miles, nearly barefoot, to rescue his men. We grew up watching the exploits of Kit Carson on cartoon shows. Our Settler education didn’t inform us that Kit Carson committed atrocities against the Navajo. How did the Navajo regard the American hero, Kit Carson? From a site called Partnership with Native Americans. In 1863, General James Carleton began a renewed effort to eradicate the Navajo. In charge of the operation was Colonel Kit Carson. Knowing he couldn’t defeat the Navajo militarily, Carson began to destroy the Navajo homes, crops, and livestock. More than two million pounds of corn, a staple of the Indian diet, were burned. Forced to survive on nuts and berries many families, starving during the long winter months, began turning themselves into the military. About 8,000 men, women, and children were forced to make the “Long Walk” to Basque Redondo, a reservation in New Mexico about 300 miles away. Many died on the way of hunger and cold. Others drowned when they were forced to cross the Rio Grande during the spring floods. Douglass Brinkley is a good guy. I spent a couple of days with him in New Orleans under a grant he’d received to bring writers to New Orleans. But now, he’s become a TV historian instead of someone who would challenge the decadent old boy Historical establishment, now under attack from a generation of women, Black, and Native American historians. But he’s right at home in a media that considers Confederacy apologist Ken Burns a historian. On a Wed.TV show, he expressed his admiration for Theodore Roosevelt.In 2021 …

Priapic Ambitions: Notes on George Washington
type: item
creator: Jeffrey St. Clair
date: 2026-07-03T05:57:05Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: ambitions
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Culture
subject: george
subject: notes
subject: Politics
subject: priapic
subject: sources
subject: Washington
description: + I excavated my way through Ron Chernow’s bulging, semi-woke (by the standards of the Texas Schoolbook Commission) biography of George Washington. I say, “semi-woke,” because while it discreetly admits that Washington [ . . . ] The post Priapic Ambitions: Notes on George Washington appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Portrait of George Washington (detail) by Charles Willson Peale (1776). + I excavated my way through Ron Chernow’s bulging, semi-woke (by the standards of the Texas Schoolbook Commission) biography of George Washington. I say, “semi-woke,” because while it discreetly admits that Washington was a patrician dandy of no exceptional military or administrative genius, who abused his troops, committed war crimes, bought his first election to public office with booze, and held 100s of slaves, often treating them cruelly in response to his own ineptitudes as a gentleman planter, it is quick to balance any evidence of fault in the character of the founding father with a statement to the effect that “while this may sound extreme to our ears, it was fairly typical for the time.” Which is, of course, exactly the point. + While Chernow’s text is rather elliptical on these decisive episodes in Washington’s life (there’s little risk of it being pulled from libraries in most of the states, at this point), the book is generously foot-noted with primary sources, many of them in Washington’s own hand (he was a prolific self-promoter of his own exalted life), which fill-in the more tenebrous aspects of his character. + The first member of the Washington clan to step foot in Virginia was John, who came ashore in the Tidewater area in 1676. George’s great-grandfather wasn’t much of a farmer (after all, he only owned three slaves and some Irish “servants”), but he did amass thousands of acres of land along the Potomac and received a military commission to kill Indians in Maryland, where he earned a reputation for treachery and slaughter. In one notorious incident, Washington murdered five Indian leaders who had come to negotiate a treaty, then claimed their land. He was known by the Potomac tribes as Conotocarious, “destroyer of villages, devourer of homes.” + It turns out George Washington could have easily run a CIA black site or the Gitmo torture camp. As an officer of the VA Regiment …

Victims of Communism?
type: item
creator: Nick Estes
date: 2026-07-03T05:56:04Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: communism
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: sources
subject: victims
description: The ruling class appears shaken, their brains rattled, and their nightmare once thought vanquished—the Red Menace—appears reborn. Following the recent sweep of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in New York and Colorado elections, there has been a torrent of backlash and public meltdowns from President Trump claiming, “I’d be the greatest communist in history,” to humanity’s More The post Victims of Communism? appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Photograph Source: cspirtos – Public Domain The ruling class appears shaken, their brains rattled, and their nightmare once thought vanquished—the Red Menace—appears reborn. Following the recent sweep of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in New York and Colorado elections, there has been a torrent of backlash and public meltdowns from President Trump <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/52e6a26e-b3da-48fb-a8f0-c5d22ea6a526?j=eyJ1IjoiNHplOXYifQ.q46XLFX9OFkba0DAK1dXuD63VdXLkMx3uohMSKDXMIc" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://substack.com/redirect/52e6a26e-b3da-48fb-a8f0-c5d22ea6a526?j%3DeyJ1IjoiNHplOXYifQ.q46XLFX9OFkba0DAK1dXuD63VdXLkMx3uohMSKDXMIc&source=gmail&ust=1783112776254000&usg=AOvVaw0xBdE6A5eAJJCVoTE3Q85E">claiming, “I’d be the greatest communist in history,” to humanity’s first billionaire posting the usual <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/26579c59-8563-434a-b621-b94476a3fdc1?j=eyJ1IjoiNHplOXYifQ.q46XLFX9OFkba0DAK1dXuD63VdXLkMx3uohMSKDXMIc" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://substack.com/redirect/26579c59-8563-434a-b621-b94476a3fdc1?j%3DeyJ1IjoiNHplOXYifQ.q46XLFX9OFkba0DAK1dXuD63VdXLkMx3uohMSKDXMIc&source=gmail&ust=1783112776254000&usg=AOvVaw1tH_fdS1IUVmQRbTZMXhqx">anti-communist nonsensical blather that communism has the “[h]ighest death count of any philosophy.” Elon Musk unabashedly cites inflated, unserious death counts that <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/4696023a-24b6-47dd-9392-4c0f3698cb43?j=eyJ1IjoiNHplOXYifQ.q46XLFX9OFkba0DAK1dXuD63VdXLkMx3uohMSKDXMIc" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://substack.com/redirect/4696023a-24b6-47dd-9392-4c0f3698cb43?j%3DeyJ1IjoiNHplOXYifQ.q46XLFX9OFkba0DAK1dXuD63VdXLkMx3uohMSKDXMIc&source=gmail&ust=1783112776254000&usg=AOvVaw3qYy_lQoV5xcELoowOxd0x">include in their tally of so-called “victims of communism” the Red Army’s liquidation of Nazis and fascists during the World War II. Adding t…

Democratic Primaries Reveal What the DNC Autopsy Buried
type: item
creator: Jamal Kanj
date: 2026-07-03T05:55:32Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: Autopsy
subject: buried
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: democratic
subject: dnc
subject: primaries
subject: reveal
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: what
description: The Democratic National Committee’s 192-page post-mortem on the 2024 election, titled “Build to Win. Build to Last,” failed to build, to win, or to learn. It never answered the only question that mattered: how did a twice-impeached, multiply-indicted former president walk back into the White House with more votes than prior to his indictments? The More The post Democratic Primaries Reveal What the DNC Autopsy Buried appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Photo by Colin Lloyd The Democratic National Committee’s 192-page post-mortem on the 2024 election, titled “Build to Win. Build to Last,” failed to build, to win, or to learn. It never answered the only question that mattered: how did a twice-impeached, multiply-indicted former president walk back into the White House with more votes than prior to his indictments? The report, authored by Democratic strategist Paul Rivera and released in May 2026 after months of stonewalling by DNC Chair Ken Martin, reads less as a serious political reckoning than as a confirmation-bias pamphlet drafted by people determined not to upset the party’s old guard. It calls for renewed focus on “Middle America,” criticizes years of disinvestment in state parties, and faults poor economic messaging. It is not wrong on any of these points. But these points alone did not cost the party America — not just Middle America. The report boasts of conducting more than 1,200 interviews to assess the health of state parties in every state, district, and territory. While it seems to be an impressive number, it remains questionable whether the interviews were of local party leaders or general democratic voters. Did it include micro-level analysis of competitive districts? Or to account for 6.8 million voters who supported Biden in 2020, where they went, and why they left. There was no breakdown of Harris’s collapse by age. No independent examination of what drove young voters away, particularly in university towns where Gaza protests defined the political atmosphere of 2024. How many of the 6.8 million were from Generation Z? And not a word on the Zionist bubble around Biden and how that funded and shielded Israel as it carried out a live-streamed genocide in Gaza. This is not a methodological oversight. It is engineered by the plan. University towns and young voter precincts were precisely where the Democratic coalition was visibly disintegrating. Most likely the reason they lost states like Wisconsin,…

The Empire Loses the Ball
type: item
creator: Troy Nahumko
date: 2026-07-03T05:55:11Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: ball
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Empire
subject: loses
subject: sources
subject: the
description: There comes a moment in every empire’s reign when the maps stop making sense. Not necessarily because the borders move. But because there comes a time when the people who used to draw them no longer get to decide what the world looks like. The World Cup has become that moment. For weeks we’ve been More The post The Empire Loses the Ball appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Image by Karsten Winegeart. There comes a moment in every empire’s reign when the maps stop making sense. Not necessarily because the borders move. But because there comes a time when the people who used to draw them no longer get to decide what the world looks like. The World Cup has become that moment. For weeks we’ve been force-fed the usual sentimental slop by broadcasters who sell every tournament as a Disney movie with shin pads. Childhood sacrifices. The little pitch where the captain learned to dream. Somewhere a violin is playing while a drone shot circles the dusty makeshift pitch where he scored his first triumphs. Every World Cup arrives wrapped in manufactured emotion sufficient to distract from the only story that actually matters. They are all missing it. The real story isn’t about one magical teenager or one heroic underdog (though there are plenty). The story is that Europe, and its colonial offspring in South America, have finally lost their exclusive claim to what they spent a century calling the beautiful game. Not ownership on paper. Ownership of the imagination. And the people losing that ownership are not handling it with any particular grace. Listen carefully enough and you can almost hear the panic. Germany’s captain Joshua Kimmich, a man paid approximately the GDP of a mid-sized African island nation to kick a ball into a net, lamented after his country’s elimination that they hadn’t even faced “world-class” opposition — yet Germany had deserved to go home because they’d been poor against everyone they met. It was remarkably candid. It was also accidentally hilarious in the manner of a man who complains that the cliff he walked off wasn’t tall enough to justify the fall. It is entirely possible that Kimmich didn’t intend a racial hierarchy in his remarks. Intentions are a luxury that history rarely extends to the people on the receiving end of them. When a German captain casually dismisses opponents from Africa and the Global South as not “…

NATO 3.0: Alliance or Military-Industrial Investment Fund?
type: item
creator: Biljana Vankovska
date: 2026-07-03T05:54:42Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: alliance
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: fund
subject: investment
subject: militaryindustrial
subject: NATO
subject: sources
subject: war
description: These are difficult times for anyone who has consistently criticised NATO. From the era of ‘defending the Free World’ against communism, through the age of ‘humanitarian intervention’ and the ‘Global War on Terror,’ to today’s supposedly existential struggle against almost the entire non-Western world, the Alliance has repeatedly reinvented the narratives that justify its existence. More The post NATO 3.0: Alliance or Military-Industrial Investment Fund? appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: NATO defense ministers conference at NATO HQ in Brussels. Photo: U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison, Dept. of Defense. These are difficult times for anyone who has consistently criticised NATO. From the era of ‘defending the Free World’ against communism, through the age of ‘humanitarian intervention’ and the ‘Global War on Terror,’ to today’s supposedly existential struggle against almost the entire non-Western world, the Alliance has repeatedly reinvented the narratives that justify its existence. The language changes; the underlying logic does not. NATO remains indispensable, and every new enemy (whether discovered, exaggerated, or actively produced) becomes further proof of its necessity. For decades, critics coming from anti-militarist, anti-hegemonic or left perspectives had to work hard to deconstruct this mythology against the combined efforts of political elites, mainstream media, academic institutions and security experts. The intellectual task itself was never particularly difficult. The contradictions, hypocrisies and devastating consequences of NATO’s interventions have remained visible long after the bombs stopped falling. What required courage was speaking against the prevailing consensus. Ironically, today the Alliance’s own leaders have become its most effective truth-tellers. Donald Trump has repeatedly stripped away the moral language that traditionally surrounded NATO. Mark Rutte, the Alliance’s Secretary General, has become equally candid, while Germany’s Chancellor and France’s President increasingly speak with remarkable openness about Europe’s military future. Yet the privilege of telling the truth about what NATO has become belongs only to those in power. As the repression of protest movements ahead of the Ankara summit demonstrates, citizens may know the truth about this military giant—but they are not expected to organise against it. The Ankara Summit has not even begun, yet its conclusions are already known. The phrase ‘historic su…

Iran: The Veil, the Beard and the Bomb
type: item
creator: M. Reza Behnam
date: 2026-07-03T05:53:32Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: beard,
subject: bomb
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Culture
subject: iran
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: veil
subject: war
description: Absorbing the revelations in the book Regime Change by journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, I posed a question to my American colleague: Why do figures like Donald Trump continue to get elected? With his sign [ . . . ] The post Iran: The Veil, the Beard and the Bomb appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Still from “Sleeper Cell” (2005), reproduced in Reel-Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People by Jack Shaheen. Absorbing the revelations in the book Regime Change by journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, I posed a question to my American colleague: Why do figures like Donald Trump continue to get elected? With his signature measured calm, he offered a chilling truth. He suggested that Americans have not felt history’s harsh winds blow with hurricane force since the Civil War, which has left our society dangerously naive and perilously unserious. On the global front, many Americans are poorly informed about the geopolitical realities of other countries, particularly regarding West Asia. Consequently, they have historically been susceptible to Israeli-aligned narratives, allowing Zionist and pro-Israel influencers to disproportionately shape U.S. public opinion and foreign policy in Israel’s favor. This dynamic applies especially to Iran, which has been severely impacted by the widespread consumption of a distorted and overwhelmingly negative narrative. The American understanding of Iran is a triumph of geopolitical minimalism, reduced to a holy trinity of stereotypes: the veil, the beard, and the bomb. This trim, three-item checklist serves as the entire curriculum for a superpower that, despite boasting of the most powerful military on earth, treats one of humanity’s oldest and dynamic civilizations as a one-dimensional cartoon villain. It is a masterpiece of intellectual efficiency. Decades of propaganda have deeply colored the perception of Iran. Hence, the country is rarely associated with the staggering architecture of Isfahan and Persepolis, the deeply moving poetry of Rumi and Hafez, or with its millennia-old legacy as a sophisticated culturally vibrant civilization. Instead, the mind defaults to a monochrome montage of ominous men with long beards and turbans chanting in the streets, anonymous women entirely obscured by black veils and a glowing ap…

How Russia and China Learned to Love Their Border
type: item
creator: John P. Ruehl
date: 2026-07-03T05:53:31Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: border
subject: China
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: how
subject: learned
subject: love
subject: Russia
subject: sources
subject: their
description: Since the early 1990s, the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk, located on the Amur River, has steadily reemerged as one of Russia’s most important “border trade hubs.” Sitting directly across from the Chinese city of Heihe, migration for work, commerce, and education has become a routine occurrence between these two cities. Now, the world’s first cross-border More The post How Russia and China Learned to Love Their Border appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin meeting in Beijing for bilateral talks, May, 2026. (Screengrab from video posted to YouTube.). Since the <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BBYOyWGD3cWKm0Mgl6oeqAnqyESsaDc-2BdBi-2B7MR8bqAs-2BeUTFBpSJArwztePfD-2BNOw-3D-3DiyQ0_pb-2B40bGv8VszgSLSxZSae2hniLAOGi35ajohLqdIu8wIVCP-2FjsifAGPrnz8TzLY-2BKjLhRsdpbQNbV16iKPh-2FomSip3-2Fa0usf8AJ6yQHR41IpfDjZOd3HpChrWaFQOOdryY03pg2-2FQfdRdf1EwBzXFdolRusFUS9hfhapPFwAYJctNI28tlE-2FAc69JCeLy-2FRljZkq6LEGrNOXsp1pVq8S87MTyoYnMo-2B-2BWYeQwiF66RxNvYCjtD3a4-2BlYHOn8QAhXXHYfTq0noF8ZFCIbkhRdQyZ8LjHsG0cEiWi5qIqW7sQLXW9RGOWL78td85P7KVN0-2B-2ByUaTVTkWbHXxR1J-2FxZrOAbEJZXZiJRopD-2FBvhDVL2r636RQ0lD-2F8emuyb8UkaqgSk69LWZGccUhfz4JZrOsFg0tAxld7CIRdDqzdONolAqUydU1Gsxm3L3DlAIQ5T9t0IgNARIruzYC45WfrNGepaFA3l5zrxihztt1MfNM-2BQD4NepIXznOPmWNAV1cnvwiBeVJyEMfqV50B0-2F5JSqom0KpRZIMVpwL0k8-2F5PljXFQuz9MKFLUo-2BOOTzO7kyMDqMSCmbM-2FifSyVUgWGzm6TDKKjPmrFdcCYNObYmtljvvc3okrI2YOUG4ftJSKfqrp7-2FQURtcyKzWZp46vZRJdqGtDz-2FLwxROp9OYiIWos7avNj0l6CJBEe0aq3gaQBwPAubNDTrQYy6pzgH-2B4FrjIHSKLpW4I-2FFxPTvH0MsKp0-2B3P0junTT-2BZh8-2FsAQeFT-2FejAJmSKsYhzHPscX0uvPPKuB6whZ3BOfSPKOt8FG5L16w-3D">early 1990s, the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk, located on the Amur River, has steadily reemerged as one of Russia’s <a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BKoxntSBW15DdllfEdL9sQZ02AlVukAXwoN2BAWa6HcwgFMJXoIiv8wVh-2Fkzd0uU-2FIZomqisGfa5pfK1W9JQtd8-3D717m_pb-2B40bGv8VszgSLSxZSae2hniLAOGi35ajohLqdIu8wIVCP-2FjsifAGPrnz8TzLY-2BKjLhRsdpbQNbV16iKPh-2FomSip3-2Fa0usf8AJ6yQHR41IpfDjZOd3HpChrWaFQOOdryY03pg2-2FQfdRdf1EwBzXFdolRusFUS9hfhapPFwAYJctNI28tlE-2FAc69JCeLy-2FRljZkq6LEGrNOXsp1pVq8S87MTyoYnMo-2B-2BWYeQwiF66RxNvYCjtD3a4-2BlYHOn8QAhXXHYfTq0noF8ZFCIbkhRdQyZ8LjHsG0cEiWi5qIqW7sQLXW9RGOWL78td85P7KVN0-2B-2ByUaTVTkWbHXxR1J-2FxZrOAbEJZXZiJRopD-2FBvhDVL2r636RQ0lD-2F8emuyb8UkaqgSk69LWZGccUhfz4JZrOsFg0tAxld7CIRdDqzdONolAqUydU1Gsxm3L3DlAIQ5T9t0IgNARIruzYC45WfrNGepaFA3l5zrxihztt1M…

Affirmative Action is Alive and Well . . . If You are Rich and White
type: item
creator: Algernon Austin
date: 2026-07-03T05:53:23Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: ‘well
subject: action
subject: affirmative
subject: alive
subject: and
subject: are
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: rich
subject: sources
subject: white
subject: you
description: Three years ago, a major Supreme Court ruling struck down affirmative action in higher education admissions. Well, that is what they would like people to believe. In fact, there are still many preference policies in elite college admissions — especially if the student is rich and White. As the Trump administration continues to campaign against More The post Affirmative Action is Alive and Well . . . If You are Rich and White appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Still from The Skulls. Three years ago, a major Supreme Court ruling struck down affirmative action in higher education admissions. Well, that is what they would like people to believe. In fact, there are still many preference policies in elite college admissions — especially if the student is rich and White. As the Trump administration continues to campaign against universities it claims are using race-related admissions policies that disadvantage White students, it has been silent about the many ways that White students are granted preferential treatment. It is not hard to find high-profile examples. By his own admission, President George W. Bush was a C-student at Yale; he liked to remind people that even a C-student can become president. Bush also was a C-student in high school, and his SAT score was below the median for his class at Yale. Why might an academically mediocre student gain admission to an Ivy League university? Bush had many characteristics that gave him advantages. The most important one is that he was a legacy — his father and grandfather both graduated from Yale. This meant that his chance of admission would be higher than other similar students without legacy status. And because of the history of racial discrimination, White students are more likely to have this type of legacy status. Another admissions advantage is having a parent willing to make a hefty donation. The father of Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, donated $2.5 million to Harvard in 1998. Kushner was then accepted there, even though reports suggest that he did not have an impressive high school academic record. The economist Raj Chetty and his colleagues found that being from a family in the richest 1 percent increases the odds of a student’s admission to an elite college by 34 percent. This preference for the very wealthy has clear racial implications. Despite the visibility of a few rich Black celebrities, Black families are significantly underrepresented among the ultra…

The Supreme Court Opens the Door to White Christian Only Government
type: item
creator: Dean Baker
date: 2026-07-03T05:53:02Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: christian
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: court
subject: Culture
subject: door’
subject: government
subject: only
subject: opens
subject: sources
subject: supreme
subject: the
subject: white
description: The Roberts Supreme Court is determined to earn the contempt with which it is viewed by most of the public. Its ruling this week essentially gave Donald Trump free rein to fire anyone in the government who doesn’t do wha [ . . . ] The post The Supreme Court Opens the Door to White Christian Only Government appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Conference room of the Supreme Court, where cases are decided. Photo: Supreme Court. The Roberts Supreme Court is determined to earn the contempt with which it is viewed by most of the public. Its ruling this week essentially gave Donald Trump free rein to fire anyone in the government who doesn’t do what he wants. As corrupt as his administration has been to date, the Court’s ruling removed pretty much all remaining restraints. Coupled with its recent ruling on revoking temporary protective status for immigrants from Trump’s list of “shithole” countries, the Court is effectively allowing Trump to make this a government of white Christian nationalists and for white Christian nationalists. The immigration ruling said that a long list of openly racist comments about people from the countries in question cannot be taken as evidence that Trump is motivated by racial animus in his immigration decision. In the same vein, Trump could fire every non-white or non-Christian person in the government as long as he insists his decisions were not based on race or religion. But leaving Trump’s racism aside, let’s go back to the corruption that the Supreme Court felt it was important to unleash. As it stands now, agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are supposed to be staffed by professionals who make decisions on approving prescription drugs for public use, or airplanes for flying, based on a careful examination of the evidence on their safety. The Supreme Court just ruled that Donald Trump can fire the people overseeing these agencies for any reason whatsoever, or no reason at all. In their “unitary executive” theory, the writers of the Constitution felt it was essential that the president have the authority to fire anyone who makes decisions based on evidence or who refuses to lie for them. This means that if the head of the FDA refuses to approve a drug based on the analysis of the experts who have examined the evidence,…

Frame-Checking Generative AI’s Role in Transmitting News
type: item
creator: Shealeigh Voitl – Andy Lee Roth
date: 2026-07-03T05:52:36Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: ai’s
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: framechecking
subject: generative
subject: News
subject: role
subject: sources
subject: transmitting
description: As large language models (LLMs), a new generation of AI chatbots, and other forms of generative AI (artificial intelligence) become more widely used as information sources, it’s no surprise that many people are taking advantage of the convenience of AI search engine overviews. According to a June 2026 Pew Research Center report, roughly 60 percent of More The post Frame-Checking Generative AI’s Role in Transmitting News appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Still from “The Socal Dilemma.” As large language models (LLMs), a new generation of AI chatbots, and other forms of generative AI (artificial intelligence) become more widely used as information sources, it’s no surprise that many people are taking advantage of the convenience of AI search engine overviews. According to a June 2026 Pew Research Center report, roughly 60 percent of Americans read AI search engine summaries, 30 percent reported that they don’t, and 10 percent said they “were not sure if [they’d] done so.” But what is more alarming is that many users may not realize that these prominent, commanding summaries are generated by AI and can be incomplete or biased. Moreover, they may not know that they can opt out. AI summaries are designed to sound polished and authoritative, which obscures the inherent inconstancy behind them. After all, these responses are not produced through independent verification of facts and accounts, which becomes even more concerning when a user is searching for information about current news events. AI overviews mediate between users and the information they’re actually searching for. Just as a picture window or a camera viewfinder highlights some elements of a scene, while leaving others outside the frame, AI overviews direct our attention in certain ways—but with the added twist that, in this case, the framing is largely invisible to the user. One challenge that careful users of AI summaries must address is how to recognize the limits of what they’re reading. Project Censored’s Beyond Fact-Checking guide originally examined the power of journalistic framing to shape our understanding of news events, through sourcing decisions, language choices, and contextual omissions. But now, a growing number of Americans use chatbot assistance or other generative AI tools to get their news, which presents some of the same challenges mentioned above, but without any equivalent transparency about how the information is generated and by whom…

Europe Is Burning: The Deadly Heatwave That Exposes the Criminality of Fossil Capitalism and the Economy of Genocide
type: item
creator: Michael Leonardi
date: 2026-07-03T05:52:36Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: ‘burning
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: Capitalism
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: criminality’:
subject: deadly
subject: economy
subject: Europe
subject: exposes
subject: fossil
subject: Genocide
subject: heatwave
subject: sources
subject: that
subject: the
description: Europe is on fire. Record-shattering heat waves have gripped the continent, pushing temperatures above 40°C (104°F) in multiple countries, buckling infrastructure, overwhelming hospitals, and claiming thousands of lives. This is not a natural disaster. It is the foreseeable, profitable outcome of decades of fossil fuel addiction and capitalist extraction. According to a sobering analysis by More The post Europe Is Burning: The Deadly Heatwave That Exposes the Criminality of Fossil Capitalism and the Economy of Genocide appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Conditions on 26 June 2026 as per ERCC – CC BY 4.0 Europe is on fire. Record-shattering heat waves have gripped the continent, pushing temperatures above 40°C (104°F) in multiple countries, buckling infrastructure, overwhelming hospitals, and claiming thousands of lives. This is not a natural disaster. It is the foreseeable, profitable outcome of decades of fossil fuel addiction and capitalist extraction. According to a sobering analysis by The Economist, the late-June heat spike could cause around 12,000 excess deaths across Europe. The study, covering 854 cities, shows that human-caused climate change has made the event far more lethal than it would have been otherwise. France alone has already reported over 1,000 excess deaths, with Spain, Italy, and Germany also suffering heavy tolls, and northern countries — that are often less prepared for the heat — facing temps well over 30°C degrees. The elderly and the poor are paying the highest price. The World Health Organization has confirmed more than 1,300 excess deaths linked to the heat since June 21. The oceans tell an even darker story. In June 2026, global sea surface temperatures reached a new all-time record, hitting averages of 21.0°C according to the EU’s Copernicus Marine Service — surpassing previous records set in 2023 and 2024. Scientists warn we are entering “uncharted territory,” with marine heat waves expanding and intensifying. A supercharged El Niño has thrown more fuel on an already burning planet, but the root cause is clear: decades of unchecked carbon emissions by the fossil fuel industry. This is not misfortune. This is mass murder by profit. The fossil fuel giants — ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron, Italy’s ENI — have known for half a century that their products were cooking the planet. They lied, they lobbied, they delayed, and they continued drilling, fracking, and expanding. In 2025 alone, ENI reported adjusted net profits of around €5 billion, while European oil majors collectively posted ob…

Monsters Playing Victims: Danny Danon’s Twisted War on the Truth
type: item
creator: Ramzy Baroud
date: 2026-07-03T05:51:40Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: danny
subject: danons
subject: monsters
subject: playing
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: Truth
subject: twisted
subject: victims
subject: war
description: Whether Israelis will ever comprehend the irreparable damage inflicted upon their country’s reputation by their UN Ambassador, Danny Danon, is a moot point. The damage Israel has done to itself through its barbaric practices in occupied Palestine is simply impossible to overcome. Danon, however, utilizes a peculiar approach to defending Israel within international institutions: he More The post Monsters Playing Victims: Danny Danon’s Twisted War on the Truth appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe – CC BY-SA 4.0 Whether Israelis will ever comprehend the irreparable damage inflicted upon their country’s reputation by their UN Ambassador, Danny Danon, is a moot point. The damage Israel has done to itself through its barbaric practices in occupied Palestine is simply impossible to overcome. Danon, however, utilizes a peculiar approach to defending Israel within international institutions: he relies on bullying, intimidation, and an overt attempt to silence anyone who dares to challenge the official Israeli narrative—particularly women leaders. Yet, what makes his behavior most outrageous is his deployment of these abrasive tactics to suppress an issue that demands the utmost sensitivity: the systemic use of sexual violence and human rights abuses against Palestinians. The confrontation took place during a UN General Assembly session convened to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Senior UN officials were presenting harrowing findings documenting sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. True to form, Danon refused to engage with the substance of the reports. For Israeli diplomacy, the enemy is never merely the armed adversary; it is the judge, the independent human rights observer, and the UN investigator whose sole mandate is to document violations of international law. The immediate target of Danon’s wrath was Pramila Patten, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict. Instead of reflecting on the grim findings, Danon demanded Patten’s resignation. He accused her and the broader international community of harboring an “obsession” with targeting Israel. When Vanessa Frazier, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, attempted to intervene on a point of order per established protocol, Danon unleashed a vitriolic verbal assault. Refusing to yield, he shouted over her, ordering her to “be quiet” and drowning o…

Lessons From The Forrestal Diaries
type: item
creator: Jerry Long
date: 2026-07-03T05:51:32Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: diaries
subject: forrestal
subject: from
subject: lessons
subject: sources
subject: the
description: My guess is not many Americans know that in 1947 our first Secretary Of Defense believed a Jewish state in the Middle East was a bad idea for the United States, let alone that he met his death falling from a 16th story window. But James Forrestal should be of interest to anyone who is More The post Lessons From The Forrestal Diaries appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Forrestal arrives at the White House for a Cabinet meeting, c. 1945 – Public Domain My guess is not many Americans know that in 1947 our first Secretary Of Defense believed a Jewish state in the Middle East was a bad idea for the United States, let alone that he met his death falling from a 16th story window. But James Forrestal should be of interest to anyone who is repulsed by the ruthless timidity of the Democratic Party, excited by the possibilities of the Democratic Socialists, and eager to push back on the fictional narrative of Israel as our eternally indispensable ally. Fortunately, no matter how mislaid and dust-covered, history is always shouting at us, always desperate to start a conversation. So it was with a genuine sense of amazement that, after spending 4 bucks at a used book sale, I let James Forrestal talk to me. Who was James Forrestal? Like the new American nation of 1776, the new American empire of 1945 also had its Founding Fathers of bankers, diplomats and lawyers. Forrestal, a Princeton grad, bond salesman and ardent capitalist, toiled beside the Harrimans, Kennans, Bohlens, Lovetts, Achesons and McCloys to invent a conqueror’s foreign policy. These were men who lunched and drafted white papers and sent cables as they transformed the United States military from one which trained with broom handles prior to 1941 into an atomic superpower. One of my favorite books about World War II is Winston Churchill’s “The Hinge Of Fate”. The entire thing is about logistics. How the Allies’ superior ability to move men and material around the globe enabled them to defeat the Nazis. That was Forrestal – an efficient administrator who spent his days trying to figure things out. As a special assistant to FDR he oversaw industrial mobilization and procurement during the war, then, as Secretary of the Navy under Truman, he oversaw demobilization after it. Yet nothing came calmingly. Where Dean Acheson was pleased enough with himself to magisterially title his mem…

The Mad Scramble to Dim Sunlight
type: item
creator: Robert Hunziker
date: 2026-07-03T05:51:27Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: dim
subject: environment
subject: mad,
subject: scramble
subject: sources
subject: sunlight
subject: the
description: Whew! it’s hot out there, and the more the planet heats up, the more geoengineering appeals to billionaire types willing to bankroll projects to reflect sunlight to outer space. But solar radiation management (SRM) is a touchy subject that’s yet to make an impact on global warming. Who knows, maybe it never will… meaning, not More The post The Mad Scramble to Dim Sunlight appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Image by Johannes Plenio. Whew! it’s hot out there, and the more the planet heats up, the more geoengineering appeals to billionaire types willing to bankroll projects to reflect sunlight to outer space. But solar radiation management (SRM) is a touchy subject that’s yet to make an impact on global warming. Who knows, maybe it never will… meaning, not in enough time. Alas, the unexpected rapid rate of global warming has shortened the time frame that’s available to do something constructive. And SRM, like a dangling participle, needs a lot of work. The harsh reality of today’s climate change has snuffed out years of theatrics by climate advocates failing to convince world governments and the public of how real and dangerous it really is as a threat to life on Earth. Nowadays, global heat itself is proving climate change is a real threat to life. This is a new phenomenon that’s never happened before to this extent throughout all of human history. How can anybody fail to recognize global heat setting new records year-by-year for 11-12-straight years? That is according to the World Meteorological Organization. Europe certainly recognizes it; people die in botched attempts to escape heat. The extreme heat makes the nightly headlines with EU roads buckling, trains suspended, tracks bending, schools closing, nuclear plant shutdowns, power cables breaking. This is climate change challenging economic infrastructure. It’s likely to get worse. This is not normal. Don’t fall for climate deniers in the U.S. that cook-up stupid stories to diminish the threat of climate change, e.g., “more people die from winter cold than from summer heat” recently stated by a senior administration official. Oh please! Meanwhile, there’s an element in society, known as technocrats, that boldly, hubristically believe human ingenuity via geoengineering will challenge and defeat climate change before it defeats them. They’re probably wrong. MIT on Geoengineering MIT recently weighed in on the subject…

Remembering Artists From Another Time: David Hockney
type: item
creator: Richard Schulman
date: 2026-07-03T05:51:26Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: another’:
subject: articles 2015
subject: artists
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: david
subject: from
subject: hockney
subject: remembering
subject: sources
subject: Time
description: David Hockney: Los Angeles California Truthful Fiction Buster Keaton sat atop the locomotive coupling rod in The General. Unexpectedly, the unexpected surprised. What followed was a hilarious adventure and a transcendental calm. For a moment, my eyes melded into Buster’s. For a mere few seconds of moving celluloid, our eyes shared a meditative pause, and the entire More The post Remembering Artists From Another Time: David Hockney appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: David Hockney: Los Angeles California Truthful Fiction Buster Keaton sat atop the locomotive coupling rod in The General. Unexpectedly, the unexpected surprised. What followed was a hilarious adventure and a transcendental calm. For a moment, my eyes melded into Buster’s. For a mere few seconds of moving celluloid, our eyes shared a meditative pause, and the entire universe was explained. I became acutely aware of the places between the worlds of fiction and nonfiction. Universes ablaze, everything that looks like harmony poses before my single reflex. Photography has never been about where I arrive at. I am telling a story that has not been seen yet. I sit, watching quietly and solemnly the world go by, on my way to a destination. It is the middle ground that I see. The fantasies of what may become excite the camera’s lens. It is the lush life for the curious. It invites all eyes to hear the key (if you listen for the magic) of Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life.” It is a place I can play in. If you could see what my eyes think while en route to a capture–I often repeat these lines to myself as if I am alone with me, me, me. There is no eye in me, just me. There is often a bit of frivolity at play. I unintentionally try to freeze-frame every shift of light on the horizon. I unintentionally try to freeze-frame my life. I unintentionally absorb the meaning of every shapeshifter between here and there. I hold hostage one thousand stories to dream about on another day, in another repose, in a life ahead. When I arrived at David Hockney’s home, my mind went blank. For too many days, before I tried to imagine the photograph I would snap. The opportunities to meet fame head-on are rare. “What will I ‘do’ with David? What will I do?” I remember the architectural photographer Julius Shulman (who mentored me for a number of years) told me he could see David Hockney naked from his home. To this day, I doubt it. Julius had a bit of a children’s playpen in his mind. Plus, I have neve…

Mass “Unchilding” and “Forgetting” of Palestinian Children
type: item
creator: Ross MacKay - Lynne MacFadgen
date: 2026-07-03T05:50:29Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: children
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: forgetting
subject: mass,
subject: palestinian
subject: sources
subject: unchilding
description: There is no shortage of things that should astonish us about the West’s indifference to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, but the treatment of children stands apart. In ordinary life, care for children is the deepest moral reflex we have: parents structure their days around it, laws and institutions exist to enforce it, and even distant More The post Mass “Unchilding” and “Forgetting” of Palestinian Children appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Image by mohammed al bardawil. There is no shortage of things that should astonish us about the West’s indifference to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, but the treatment of children stands apart. In ordinary life, care for children is the deepest moral reflex we have: parents structure their days around it, laws and institutions exist to enforce it, and even distant or imagined threats to our children are enough to produce panic, outrage, and decisive action. When one of our children is hurt – physically or emotionally – we feel it in our own bodies; a small injury can be agonizing, a night of fear can undo us, and the death of a child is rightly understood as the most shattering loss from which families often never fully recover. And yet, when Palestinian children are killed, maimed, starved, orphaned, displaced, detained, or psychologically traumatized in the tens of thousands, this supposedly deeply-ingrained instinct no longer obtains. What is treated as sacrosanct everywhere else becomes contingent here, revealing a moral collapse that no amount of rhetoric can conceal. The Unchilding of Palestinian Children A landmark report released in June 2026 by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concludes that Israeli authorities and security forces have deliberately targeted Palestinian children, finding that these acts constitute evidence of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Examining the period from October 2023 through October 2025, the Commission records at least 20,179 children killed and 44,143 injured, while emphasizing that these figures almost certainly underestimate the true toll. More fundamentally, the report argues that the deliberate targeting of children is not incidental to Israel’s military campaign but a calculated strategy and one of the principal indicators of genocidal intent, observing that “by targeting children, Israel is attacking the very capacity of the Palestinian people to exist and to determine their future.” T…

Yes, It’s Possible! A Handbook from Building Power from Below
type: item
creator: Ly Rosengard
date: 2026-07-03T05:50:26Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: below,
subject: building
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: from
subject: handbook’
subject: it’s
subject: possible
subject: Power
subject: sources
subject: yes,
description: Interview with João França Building movements is an arduous and involved process. It takes organising people, building morale, and grit, and that isn’t even half of it. Don’t you wish you had a positive blueprint for how to move forward, to draw inspiration from, to continue the fight? Look no further than João França’s Yes, More The post Yes, It’s Possible! A Handbook from Building Power from Below appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Photo by Federico Scarionati Interview with João França Building movements is an arduous and involved process. It takes organising people, building morale, and grit, and that isn’t even half of it. Don’t you wish you had a positive blueprint for how to move forward, to draw inspiration from, to continue the fight? Look no further than João França’s Yes, It’s Possible! A Handbook from Building Power from Below (Common Notions, 2026). Based on the success of the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages (PAH), a movement in Spain that has stopped evictions, kept people in their homes, and changed perceptions of housing and financial institutions. França explains how PAH showed, through small everyday victories, that “yes, it’s possible.” This is a critical mindset needed now more than ever, given the context of rising fascism and the need to continue to be inspired to build movements today. Ly: What first compelled you to write this book? João: I used to work as a journalist and the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages (PAH) was one of the strongest movements occurring. It was really inspiring to see how effective it was, actually responding to the real life problems that people had. The PAH was tangibly keeping people in their houses and blocking evictions. People connected really well to this movement, as they felt they were doing something real. It was really inspiring and moving to see how it transformed people’s lives.For me, who got involved in movements later, it was my main political school, of a different way of doing politics. As a journalist, I felt that I was supporting the struggle through my work to communicate what was occurring to a wider audience. For this book, I approached the movement, to see if they wanted to work on this together, and that got me more involved, so it was a collaborative endeavor. Ly: At what point in the journey did it really feel, Yes, It’s Possible? In what way is that a positive and encouraging mantra? The most amazing th…

Why Do Societies Normalize Harm to Children in War, Poverty and Public Policy?
type: item
creator: Colin Greer - Reynard Loki
date: 2026-07-03T05:50:19Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: children
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Culture
subject: harm
subject: normalize
subject: Policy
subject: poverty
subject: public
subject: societies
subject: sources
subject: war
subject: why
description: Few ideas command more universal agreement than the belief that children must be protected. Across cultures, religions, and political traditions, they are regarded as uniquely deserving of care, safety, and opportunity. [ . . . ] The post Why Do Societies Normalize Harm to Children in War, Poverty and Public Policy? appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Trieste Herencia (Sad Inheritance) by Joaquín Sorolla, 1899. Public Domain. Few ideas command more universal agreement than the belief that children must be protected. Across cultures, religions, and political traditions, they are regarded as uniquely deserving of care, safety, and opportunity. Yet a glaring contradiction emerges when we look closely at the conditions under which millions of children actually live. Around the world, childhood is routinely fractured by war, hunger, pollution, displacement, and poverty. Even within the United States, children face food insecurity, inadequate healthcare, environmental hazards, failing infrastructure, and unequal educational opportunities. We usually discuss these realities as separate crises—economic, political, or environmental. Rarely do we recognize them as interconnected symptoms of a larger pattern. To a child, however, these bureaucratic distinctions matter little. The consequences accumulate in bodies, minds, and futures. This reality forces an uncomfortable question: if societies profess such deep concern for children, why does so much preventable harm persist? Why are conditions we would find intolerable in an individual case so easily accepted when they occur at scale? The answer is not necessarily a lack of empathy. It is something more troubling: many forms of harm to children have become normalized. They persist not because societies openly endorse them, but because they have been quietly absorbed into the ordinary operation of institutions, policies, and social systems. Consider how many of the gravest threats to children are discussed. War is typically analyzed in terms of territory, security, military strategy, or geopolitical interests. National debt is debated in the context of budgets, interest rates, and fiscal policy. Environmental disasters are measured through property loss, infrastructure damage, and economic costs. Immigration enforcement is discussed in terms of law, borders, and political con…

The Era of the Strongman Presidency
type: item
creator: Joshua Sperber
date: 2026-07-03T05:50:11Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: era
subject: Presidency
subject: sources
subject: strongman
subject: the
description: Watching Trump behave like a maniacal wrecking ball every day, one can be forgiven for wondering why Democratic presidents always appear so comparatively docile. Obama uses the utmost finesse to barely pass the (wretched and corporate-subsidizing) Affordable Care Act? Trump backdoor defunds it with some executive orders. Biden spends much of his term unsuccessfully attempting More The post The Era of the Strongman Presidency appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Trump speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition. Screengrab from video posted to X. Watching Trump behave like a maniacal wrecking ball every day, one can be forgiven for wondering why Democratic presidents always appear so comparatively docile. Obama uses the utmost finesse to barely pass the (wretched and corporate-subsidizing) Affordable Care Act? Trump backdoor defunds it with some executive orders. Biden spends much of his term unsuccessfully attempting to implement a small bit of student debt relief? Trump wipes out the entire Department of Education with a wave of his hand. Why, then, are Republican presidents seemingly so much more effective at doing what they want? A common temptation is to conclude that this is primarily a matter of leadership, and that if our side could just get an ideologically committed street brawler in the White House we would finally get some meaningful improvement around here. William Howell and Richard Moe’s Trajectory of Power: The Rise of the Strongman Presidency provides a different answer to the question. Examining the development of the modern presidency and the different ways that it constrains Republicans and Democrats, Howell and Moe make two major points. The first is well-known and largely uncontroversial. The executive branch has gotten massively stronger in the modern era. The only ones who still deny this only do so by focusing on one specific arena of presidential power: the president’s diminished effectiveness in lawmaking. While it’s true that, particularly within a polarized and closely divided Congress, it’s become harder for presidents to get laws passed due to countless veto points and interest group capture (Trump 1.0 couldn’t even get a Republican Congress to fund his wall or repeal Obamacare), the larger story is that the presidency has amassed dramatically more power in nearly every other capacity, particularly trade, foreign relations, and the ever-expanding realm of so-called national security. As Howell…

The Chip War Against China is Failing
type: item
creator: Imran Khalid
date: 2026-07-03T05:50:04Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: against
subject: articles 2015
subject: China
subject: chip
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: failing
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: war
description: Three years ago, Washington bet that restricting China’s access to advanced semiconductors would preserve American technological dominance. That bet is not paying off the way its architects imagined. A February 2026 analysis in American Affairs Journal found that China’s semiconductor manufacturing equipment sector has reached a level of maturity that would have seemed implausible just More The post The Chip War Against China is Failing appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: 1 Mbit high-speed CMOS pseudostatic RAM, made by Toshiba. Photo: © Raimond Spekking, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0 Three years ago, Washington bet that restricting China’s access to advanced semiconductors would preserve American technological dominance. That bet is not paying off the way its architects imagined. A February 2026 analysis in American Affairs Journal found that China’s semiconductor manufacturing equipment sector has reached a level of maturity that would have seemed implausible just a few years ago. Huawei is building advanced fabrication facilities in Shenzhen targeting 7-nanometer commercial-scale production as early as this year. SMIC, the state-backed foundry, has repeatedly pushed foreign equipment past its rated specifications to achieve manufacturing nodes that the export controls were specifically designed to prevent. This is the uncomfortable logic of economic coercion: the more you restrict, the more you incentivize the other side to build what you’re withholding. To be clear, the export controls imposed since 2022, and progressively tightened through 2025, have had real effects. They disrupted China’s semiconductor supply chains, caused price spikes, and delayed access to the most advanced fabrication nodes by multiple years. Independent analysts broadly agree that the United States retains a meaningful lead in frontier chip design and production. But a May 2026 CSIS assessment found a consistent pattern: every tightening of restrictions has prompted China to double down on state-backed domestic investment. China’s target is roughly 50 percent self-sufficiency in semiconductor equipment by 2025, up from 13.6 percent in 2024. Export controls have not halted that trajectory. By some measures, they’ve accelerated it. Semiconductors generated $627.6 billion in global sales in 2024. China is one of the largest single markets. American chipmakers barred from selling there lose revenue that would otherwise fund the research and development cycl…

Trump Dismisses Key Housing, Disaster Recovery Reform as ‘Unimportant’
type: item
creator: Matt Sedlar
date: 2026-07-03T05:49:26Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: disaster
subject: dismisses
subject: housing
subject: key
subject: recovery
subject: reform
subject: sources
subject: trump
subject: unimportant
description: Something unusual happened last week in Washington, DC. In a rare showing of bipartisan support during the Trump era, both chambers of Congress passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a package incorporating provisions from more than 60 pieces of legislation to help address housing affordability in the US. But then, in a moment More The post Trump Dismisses Key Housing, Disaster Recovery Reform as ‘Unimportant’ appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: American house, 29 Palms, California. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair. Something unusual happened last week in Washington, DC. In a rare showing of bipartisan support during the Trump era, both chambers of Congress passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a package incorporating provisions from more than 60 pieces of legislation to help address housing affordability in the US. But then, in a moment that better reflects what Americans expect from the federal government, Trump canceled the bill signing, saying he would hold up the bill until Congress passed his controversial voter ID bill, the SAVE America Act. On Monday, Speaker Mike Johnson sent the housing bill to Trump for signing, but the president called it “a big yawn” and “so unimportant.” There’s not enough space here to go through all the important sections of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act — including a provision that would limit the number of single-family homes that private equity firms can purchase. But with hurricane season upon us and extreme storms and heat waves blanketing the country, one section that stands out is the three-year reauthorization of the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR), which would maintain assistance for lower-income families in the wake of disasters. So what is CDBG-DR? When people think of disaster recovery and mitigation, they tend to think of programs associated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). But a variety of other government agencies and departments also participate. The Small Business Administration, for instance, grants low-interest financing to help survivors rebuild. And the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) administers programs such as CDBG-DR. When a disaster is declared, HUD opens CDBG-DR grants to state, local, and tribal governments to assist with disaster relief, recovery, rebuilding infrastructure, housing assistance, and economic revitalization. Right now, you’re probably thinking, “How is that di…

Let Freedom Ring?
type: item
creator: Ron Jacobs
date: 2026-07-03T05:45:39Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Freedom
subject: let
subject: ring
subject: sources
description: The US experiment has failed. It’s failed from sea to shining sea. Democracy, liberty, and equality for all are just dreams some of us have. The ones who could care less about that dream were and are mostly among the wealthiest in the population. Amber waves of grain are nothing but numbers on the commodities More The post Let Freedom Ring? appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair The US experiment has failed. It’s failed from sea to shining sea. Democracy, liberty, and equality for all are just dreams some of us have. The ones who could care less about that dream were and are mostly among the wealthiest in the population. Amber waves of grain are nothing but numbers on the commodities exchange. They have their followers among the rest, but it is their money that gives them their power, not their supporters. The fact that most of its founding fathers never intended for that experiment to extend beyond white men with property has a lot to do with that failure. The fact that the entire premise was based on the taking of land from other humans has a lot to do with that failure. The fact that millions of those whose land was taken were slaughtered is more often denied than acknowledged is equally crucial to that failure. The fact that enslaving millions for the benefit of the few is also crucial. The fact that democracy has been defined as the right to vote is also related to that failure. As we watch the court they call supreme eliminate voting rights for those who weren’t originally granted them (including the descendants of those whose ancestors were killed and enslaved), even the pretense of democracy fades into the ruins of the White House lawn. Ladies, your right to vote is next to go. This government hyped (with a straight face, mind you) as the world’s greatest democracy sells its gold-plated gimmicks for the benefit of the con-man they call the president. He’s a man whose health remains a question and whose humanity reminds the world that humanity can be a pretty ugly thing. In fact, this entire nation—from the Delaney ICE detention camp to Mar-A-Lago, from the UFC ring on the White House lawn to the data Centers across the Midwest—reminds one of that fact. Pete Hegseth’s gelled hair competes with Gavin Newsom’s, both of their swelled heads filled with emptiness, greed and a self-centeredness surpassed o…

Academic Gaslighting and Administrative Bloat Begone!
type: item
creator: Desiree Hellegers
date: 2026-07-03T05:44:39Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: academic
subject: administrative
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: begone
subject: bloat,
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: gaslighting
subject: sources
description: Dedicated to the memory of Meagan Lobnitz. Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices, That, if I then had waked after long sleep, Will make me sleep again: and then, More The post Academic Gaslighting and Administrative Bloat Begone! appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Photo by Philippe Bout Dedicated to the memory of Meagan Lobnitz. Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices, That, if I then had waked after long sleep, Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming, The clouds methought would open, and show riches Ready to drop upon me; that, when I waked, I cried to dream again. –William Shakespeare, The Tempest I don’t know about you, but these days I bring the same eagerness to reading the morning news that I do to chugging down prep drink before a colonoscopy. So, I was less than thrilled to have to set aside a well-earned – and distinctly legal – summer spliff to hold forth on the hollowing out of U.S. universities. Many of my lovely coworkers at Washington State University Vancouver received pink slips this week as WSU deals the Vancouver campus a second draconian budget cut in two years. Together the cuts hack away 23% of the campus budget, with administrators warning of more cuts to come next year. While the Washington State Legislature mandated a $3.3 million cut to WSU’s statewide budget in 2026, WSU’s upper admin has instead arbitrarily imposed an $11.68 million cut, more than fifty percent of it to be extracted from the Vancouver campus. The cuts threaten arguably hundreds of jobs in a rapidly growing urban center with a scenic waterfront, a city that vies with Tacoma for third largest city in the state. And did I mention that the cuts are being enacted the same year the admin is doling out a bonus $20 million to WSU’s terminally indebted athletic program? Across the steadily warming Columbia River at Portland State University, and across the country, academic workers are looking at losing a livelihood many spent the better part of a decade training to enter. And with the loss of those – disproportionately young – workers, students both present and future are rapidly losing …

What History Teaches About Justice After War
type: item
creator: George Cassidy Payne
date: 2026-07-03T05:24:05Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: about
subject: after
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: History
subject: Justice
subject: sources
subject: teaches
subject: war
subject: what
description: How do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed?” — bell hooks The guns eventually fall silent. They always do. But the end of fighting is not the end of war. When bombs stop falling More The post What History Teaches About Justice After War appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: How do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed?” — bell hooks The guns eventually fall silent. They always do. But the end of fighting is not the end of war. When bombs stop falling and ceasefires take hold, another struggle begins. It unfolds in courtrooms, truth commissions, community halls, and in the memories of those who survived. Nations emerging from violent conflict must confront questions that no military victory can answer. What happened? Who bears responsibility? Can justice coexist with mercy? Is reconciliation possible without accountability? Whenever the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine eventually subside, whether through negotiated settlements or military exhaustion, the international community will face the difficult work of building a peace that extends beyond the temporary absence of violence. That work will require more than reconstruction. It will require moral imagination. History offers no perfect blueprint, but it does offer wisdom. The experiences of Rwanda, postwar Germany, Chile, and South Africa reveal different approaches to accountability and reconciliation. Each illuminates both the promise and the limitations of pursuing justice after mass violence. Following the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, in which the UN says more than one million people, primarily Tutsi, were murdered in just 100 days, the country faced an almost unimaginable challenge. Survivors and perpetrators remained neighbors. Families had been shattered. Trust had disappeared. In the immediate aftermath, revenge killings occurred, prisons overflowed, and the formal justice system struggled under the weight of hundreds of thousands of cases. Eventually, Rwanda supplemented conventional courts with gacaca, community-based courts intended to uncover truth and encourage reconciliation. The lesson is sobering. When justice becomes indistinguishable from revenge, vio…

Fears of more conflict in West Papua after American pilot killed
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-03T04:02:22Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Eneko Bahabol
subject: Highland Papua
subject: Killing of pilot
subject: Military transport
subject: Nicholas F Gosselin
subject: PT AMA
subject: Sources
subject: after
subject: ama
subject: american
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: Aviation
subject: bahabol
subject: Conflict
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: eneko
subject: fears
subject: Featured
subject: Global
subject: gosselin
subject: highland
subject: Human Rights
subject: Human rights defenders
subject: independence
subject: Indigenous
subject: indonesia
subject: killed
subject: killing
subject: military
subject: more
subject: new zealand
subject: nicholas
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Papua
subject: pilot
subject: Politics
subject: report
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: Security
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: TPNPB
subject: Transport
subject: west
subject: West Papua
subject: West Papua Council of Churches
subject: West Papua National Liberation Army
description: By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Fears of yet another escalation in military conflict in Indonesia’s Papua region have risen after an American pilot flying a small aircraft into a remote airstrip in Highland Papua province was killed by West Papuan militants. The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) has claimed responsibility for killing Nicholas
encoded: By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Fears of yet another escalation in military conflict in Indonesia’s Papua region have risen after an American pilot flying a small aircraft into a remote airstrip in Highland Papua province was killed by West Papuan militants. The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) has claimed responsibility for killing Nicholas F Gosselin after he landed a small aircraft in remote Sobaham District, Yahukimo Regency, on Thursday. Gosselin had just flown seven passengers to Yahukimo from Wamena, Highland Papua’s major town, in an aircraft which belonged to a small Indonesian airline, PT AMA. The militants also burned the plane. READ MORE: Indonesian military says it has recovered body of American pilot killed by rebels in Papua Kiwi pilot kidnapping in West Papua leads to police raids in Australia Other West Papua resistance reports The TPNPB has repeatedly warned foreigners not to fly into the region if they were working with Indonesia’s military, which they are fighting for independence. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-130039" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Nicholas-F-Gosselin-SS-680wide.png" alt="US pilot Nicholas F Gosselin, killed by resistance fighters in Highland Papua" width="680" height="560" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Nicholas-F-Gosselin-SS-680wide.png 680w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Nicholas-F-Gosselin-SS-680wide-300x247.png 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Nicholas-F-Gosselin-SS-680wide-510x420.png 510w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /> US pilot Nicholas F Gosselin, killed by resistance fighters in Highland Papua . . . he was flying an aircraft which belonged to a small Indonesian airline, PT AMA. Image: screenshot from Amapapua/Instagram Eneko Bahabol, a human rights defender with the Papua Council of Churches who works in this remote region, said the other peo…

Monsters playing victims – how Israel’s Danny Danons twists his war on the truth
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-03T04:00:20Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Danny Danon
subject: Diplomatic asymmetry
subject: Established protocol
subject: international bullying
subject: International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict
subject: Israeli diplomacy
subject: Sources
subject: Western vetoes
subject: Analysis
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: asymmetry
subject: Bullying
subject: Civil Society
subject: Conflict
subject: Culture
subject: danny
subject: danon
subject: danons
subject: day
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: Diplomacy
subject: diplomatic
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: elimination
subject: established
subject: Featured
subject: for
subject: gender
subject: Global
subject: his
subject: how
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: Innovation
subject: International
subject: israel’s
subject: israeli
subject: Justice
subject: monsters
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Palestine
subject: playing
subject: Politics
subject: protocol
subject: Ramzy Baroud
subject: report
subject: sexual
subject: sexual violence
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: Truth
subject: twists
subject: UN General Assembly
subject: vetoes
subject: victims
subject: violence
subject: war
subject: western
description: COMMENTARY: By Ramzy Baroud Whether Israelis will ever comprehend the irreparable damage inflicted upon their country’s reputation by their UN Ambassador, Danny Danon, is a moot point. The damage Israel has done to itself through its barbaric practices in occupied Palestine is simply impossible to overcome. Danon, however, uses a peculiar approach to defending Israel
encoded: COMMENTARY: By Ramzy Baroud Whether Israelis will ever comprehend the irreparable damage inflicted upon their country’s reputation by their UN Ambassador, Danny Danon, is a moot point. The damage Israel has done to itself through its barbaric practices in occupied Palestine is simply impossible to overcome. Danon, however, uses a peculiar approach to defending Israel within international institutions: he relies on bullying, intimidation, and an overt attempt to silence anyone who dares to challenge the official Israeli narrative — particularly women leaders. Yet, what makes his behavior most outrageous is his deployment of these abrasive tactics to suppress an issue that demands the utmost sensitivity: the systemic use of sexual violence and human rights abuses against Palestinians. READ MORE: Palestinians mark 1000 days since Israel began full-scale assault on Gaza Other war on Gaza reports The confrontation took place during a UN General Assembly session convened to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Senior UN officials were presenting harrowing findings documenting sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. True to form, Danon refused to engage with the substance of the reports. For Israeli diplomacy, the enemy is never merely the armed adversary; it is the judge, the independent human rights observer, and the UN investigator whose sole mandate is to document violations of international law. The immediate target of Danon’s wrath was Pramila Patten, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict. Instead of reflecting on the grim findings, Danon demanded <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-130052 size-full" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Dr-Ramzy-Baroud-RB-300tall.png" alt="Palestinian author and editor Dr Ramzy Baroud " width="300" height="306" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Dr-Ramzy-Baroud-RB-300tall.pn…

Monsters playing victims – how Israel’s Danny Danons twists his war on the truth
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-03T04:00:20Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Danny Danon
subject: Diplomatic asymmetry
subject: Established protocol
subject: international bullying
subject: International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict
subject: Israeli diplomacy
subject: Sources
subject: Western vetoes
subject: Analysis
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: asymmetry
subject: Bullying
subject: Civil Society
subject: Conflict
subject: Culture
subject: danny
subject: danon
subject: danons
subject: day
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: Diplomacy
subject: diplomatic
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: elimination
subject: established
subject: Featured
subject: for
subject: gender
subject: Global
subject: his
subject: how
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: Innovation
subject: International
subject: israel’s
subject: israeli
subject: Justice
subject: monsters
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Palestine
subject: playing
subject: Politics
subject: protocol
subject: Ramzy Baroud
subject: report
subject: sexual
subject: sexual violence
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: Truth
subject: twists
subject: UN General Assembly
subject: vetoes
subject: victims
subject: violence
subject: war
subject: western
description: COMMENTARY: By Ramzy Baroud Whether Israelis will ever comprehend the irreparable damage inflicted upon their country’s reputation by their UN Ambassador, Danny Danon, is a moot point. The damage Israel has done to itself through its barbaric practices in occupied Palestine is simply impossible to overcome. Danon, however, uses a peculiar approach to defending Israel
encoded: COMMENTARY: By Ramzy Baroud Whether Israelis will ever comprehend the irreparable damage inflicted upon their country’s reputation by their UN Ambassador, Danny Danon, is a moot point. The damage Israel has done to itself through its barbaric practices in occupied Palestine is simply impossible to overcome. Danon, however, uses a peculiar approach to defending Israel within international institutions: he relies on bullying, intimidation, and an overt attempt to silence anyone who dares to challenge the official Israeli narrative — particularly women leaders. Yet, what makes his behavior most outrageous is his deployment of these abrasive tactics to suppress an issue that demands the utmost sensitivity: the systemic use of sexual violence and human rights abuses against Palestinians. READ MORE: Palestinians mark 1000 days since Israel began full-scale assault on Gaza Other war on Gaza reports The confrontation took place during a UN General Assembly session convened to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Senior UN officials were presenting harrowing findings documenting sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. True to form, Danon refused to engage with the substance of the reports. For Israeli diplomacy, the enemy is never merely the armed adversary; it is the judge, the independent human rights observer, and the UN investigator whose sole mandate is to document violations of international law. The immediate target of Danon’s wrath was Pramila Patten, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict. Instead of reflecting on the grim findings, Danon demanded <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-130052 size-full" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Dr-Ramzy-Baroud-RB-300tall.png" alt="Palestinian author and editor Dr Ramzy Baroud " width="300" height="306" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Dr-Ramzy-Baroud-RB-300tall.pn…

Monsters playing victims – how Israel’s Danny Danons twists his war on the truth
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-03T04:00:20Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Danny Danon
subject: Diplomatic asymmetry
subject: Established protocol
subject: international bullying
subject: International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict
subject: Israeli diplomacy
subject: Sources
subject: Western vetoes
subject: Analysis
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: asymmetry
subject: Bullying
subject: Civil Society
subject: Conflict
subject: Culture
subject: danny
subject: danon
subject: danons
subject: day
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: Diplomacy
subject: diplomatic
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: elimination
subject: established
subject: Featured
subject: for
subject: gender
subject: Global
subject: his
subject: how
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: Innovation
subject: International
subject: israel’s
subject: israeli
subject: Justice
subject: monsters
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Palestine
subject: playing
subject: Politics
subject: protocol
subject: Ramzy Baroud
subject: report
subject: sexual
subject: sexual violence
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: Truth
subject: twists
subject: UN General Assembly
subject: vetoes
subject: victims
subject: violence
subject: war
subject: western
description: COMMENTARY: By Ramzy Baroud Whether Israelis will ever comprehend the irreparable damage inflicted upon their country’s reputation by their UN Ambassador, Danny Danon, is a moot point. The damage Israel has done to itself through its barbaric practices in occupied Palestine is simply impossible to overcome. Danon, however, uses a peculiar approach to defending Israel
encoded: COMMENTARY: By Ramzy Baroud Whether Israelis will ever comprehend the irreparable damage inflicted upon their country’s reputation by their UN Ambassador, Danny Danon, is a moot point. The damage Israel has done to itself through its barbaric practices in occupied Palestine is simply impossible to overcome. Danon, however, uses a peculiar approach to defending Israel within international institutions: he relies on bullying, intimidation, and an overt attempt to silence anyone who dares to challenge the official Israeli narrative — particularly women leaders. Yet, what makes his behavior most outrageous is his deployment of these abrasive tactics to suppress an issue that demands the utmost sensitivity: the systemic use of sexual violence and human rights abuses against Palestinians. READ MORE: Palestinians mark 1000 days since Israel began full-scale assault on Gaza Other war on Gaza reports The confrontation took place during a UN General Assembly session convened to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Senior UN officials were presenting harrowing findings documenting sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. True to form, Danon refused to engage with the substance of the reports. For Israeli diplomacy, the enemy is never merely the armed adversary; it is the judge, the independent human rights observer, and the UN investigator whose sole mandate is to document violations of international law. The immediate target of Danon’s wrath was Pramila Patten, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict. Instead of reflecting on the grim findings, Danon demanded <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-130052 size-full" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Dr-Ramzy-Baroud-RB-300tall.png" alt="Palestinian author and editor Dr Ramzy Baroud " width="300" height="306" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Dr-Ramzy-Baroud-RB-300tall.pn…

Hanoi Protesters Fight Demolition of Their Homes
type: item
creator: Radio Free Asia
date: 2026-07-03T03:30:00Z
subject: Radio Free Asia
subject: Sources
subject: asia
subject: demolition
subject: fight
subject: free
subject: hanoi
subject: homes
subject: protesters
subject: radio
subject: sources
subject: their
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.

U.S. still China’s main rival despite report on Japan and Philippines’ capabilities
type: item
creator: Taejun Kang for RFA
date: 2026-07-03T02:00:28Z
subject: Radio Free Asia
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: asia
subject: capabilities
subject: china’s
subject: despite
subject: free
subject: japan
subject: main
subject: philippines
subject: radio
subject: report
subject: rival
subject: sources
subject: South China Sea
subject: still
description: Experts say Beijing’s scrutiny of Tokyo and Manila reflects concerns of military integration in the South China Sea
encoded: China remains focused on the United States as its chief geopolitical rival, even though a recent Chinese report on military activity in the South China Sea highlighted the growing role of Washington’s allies in the region, experts told Radio Free Asia. The report, published by the China-based South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, or SCSPI, found that U.S. military activity in the South China Sea remained extensive in 2025, despite signs of operational strain due to Washington’s increased activity in the Middle East. Although the SCSPI is not government-led, it is widely viewed by analysts as broadly reflecting Beijing’s strategic outlook, and the report indicated increased Japanese and Philippine deployment to the South China Sea. “China increasingly views Japan and the Philippines’ efforts to deepen defense cooperation … as attempts by both countries to challenge China’s core interests and cross a red line,” William Yang, a Northeast Asia analyst at the Belgium-based International Crisis Group, told RFA. Japan participated in 71 U.S.-led exercises in and around the South China Sea last year – the highest number among U.S. partners – followed by the Philippines with 32, and Yang said the focus on Tokyo and Manila shows that Beijing considers Washington’s allies more formidable than in the past. A member of the Philippine Navy looks out at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's destroyer Takanami during a joint maritime exercise in the South China Sea on June 14, 2025. (Jiji Press/AFP) “They see both countries’ assertive approach toward maritime disputes with China as a threat to its maritime interests and sovereignty claims and believe it is necessary to start increasing pressure on both countries,” Yang said. He added that Chinese officials have been “increasingly criticizing Japan and the Philippines for provoking regional instability by engaging on the Taiwan issue” and “have taken steps to increase economic and grey zone coercion against both …

Massachusetts Set to Extend Statute of Limitations for Rape Cases With DNA Evidence
type: item
creator: Willoughby Mariano
date: 2026-07-02T20:50:00Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: cases
subject: Criminal Justice
subject: DNA
subject: evidence
subject: extend
subject: for
subject: limitations
subject: massachusetts
subject: propublica
subject: rape
subject: set
subject: sources
subject: statute
subject: with
description: The post Massachusetts Set to Extend Statute of Limitations for Rape Cases With DNA Evidence appeared first on ProPublica.
encoded: Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey at a press conference at the State House in March Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Massachusetts’ deadline to prosecute rape cases will no longer be one of the strictest in the nation under a bill Gov. Maura Healey pledged to sign into law. State law currently bars nearly all rape prosecutions involving cases with adult victims after 15 years, making it difficult to charge someone after that deadline even in cases where new evidence is likely to lead to a conviction. The new law would ensure that if DNA is matched to a suspect after that 15-year window, prosecutors could file charges indefinitely. Healey pushed to revise the prosecution deadline for rape as part of her annual budget proposal in January. The move came after WBUR and ProPublica found that as many as 47 other states allow more time to charge rapes or similar sexual assaults than Massachusetts. Many of those states extended their deadlines in recent decades as DNA technology helped solve old cases and as evidence mounted that police across the nation had failed to fully investigate rape cases. Healey’s proposal survived the legislature’s monthslong budget process. She announced Wednesday that she’d sign the $63.4 billion budget and has until July 11 to approve it. It would go into effect as soon as it’s signed. “Today, DNA evidence can provide new answers years later, and our laws should reflect that reality,” Healey said in a statement. “This change gives survivors another path to justice while helping law enforcement hold violent offenders accountable.” Prosecutors must still file charges within the existing 15-year deadline if a match is made within that timeframe, as they were required to under the old law. The new law could open the door to prosecution for cases for which the statute of limitations has not yet passed. In Massachusetts, legislators have tried unsuccessfully to change the rape statute of limitations every session since 2011, WBUR found…

Trump’s Tactic to Split the Democratic Party into Warring Factions
type: item
creator: matthew
date: 2026-07-02T20:46:05Z
subject: Ralph Nader
subject: Sources
subject: democratic
subject: factions
subject: In the Public Interest
subject: into
subject: nader
subject: party
subject: ralph
subject: sources
subject: split
subject: tactic:
subject: the
subject: trump’s
subject: warring
description: By Ralph Nader July 2, 2026 After progressives, including self-described Democratic Socialists, won numerous primary victories in New York and elsewhere, Trump launched a whopper of a lie, even by his crazed standards. He declared that the “communist” ...
encoded: By Ralph Nader July 2, 2026 After progressives, including self-described Democratic Socialists, won numerous primary victories in New York and elsewhere, Trump launched a whopper of a lie, even by his crazed standards. He declared that the “communist” Democratic Socialists are “the biggest threat to our nation there is, maybe since our founding …. That… This content originally appeared on Ralph Nader and was authored by matthew.

What is free speech? America at 250
type: item
creator: Michael Fox
date: 2026-07-02T19:33:46Z
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Sources
subject: The Battle for Free Speech
subject: 250+
subject: america
subject: and
subject: battle
subject: for
subject: free
subject: free speech
subject: movements
subject: podcast
subject: Politics
subject: sources
subject: speech
subject: the
subject: what
description: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3U3A7959-scaled.jpeg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Visitors walk down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial toward the reflecting pool in Washington, DC, on September 11, 2025. Photo by Rosa Fox." data-attachment-id="344751" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/what-is-free-speech-america-at-250/3u3a7959" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3U3A7959-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"4","credit":"","camera":"Canon EOS R","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1720562176","copyright":"","focal_length":"95","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.00125","title":"","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="The Battle for Free Speech &#8211; Reflecting Pool Washington DC" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Visitors walk down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial toward the reflecting pool in Washington, DC, on September 11, 2025. Photo by Rosa Fox. " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3U3A7959-scaled.jpeg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1"> "There's a kind of narcotic effect of those words — free speech," says legal scholar Mary Anne Franks. "It's because we think we know it so well that we don't know anything about it."
encoded: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3U3A7959-scaled.jpeg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Visitors walk down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial toward the reflecting pool in Washington, DC, on September 11, 2025. Photo by Rosa Fox." decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3U3A7959-scaled.jpeg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3U3A7959-scaled.jpeg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3U3A7959-scaled.jpeg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3U3A7959-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3U3A7959-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3U3A7959-scaled.jpeg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3U3A7959-scaled.jpeg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3U3A7959-scaled.jpeg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3U3A7959-scaled.jpeg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3U3A7959-scaled.jpeg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3U3A7959-scaled.jpeg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3U3A7959-scaled.jpeg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="344751" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/what-is-free-speech-america-at-250/3u3a7959" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/t…

Meet America’s real-life ‘Toxic Avengers’
type: item
creator: Maximillian Alvarez
date: 2026-07-02T19:30:08Z
subject: East palestine
subject: Economy and Inequality
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Sacrifice Zones
subject: Sources
subject: video
subject: Working People
subject: ‘toxic
subject: america’s
subject: and
subject: avengers!
subject: east
subject: economy
subject: inequality
subject: Labor
subject: meet
subject: movements
subject: Palestine
subject: People
subject: Politics
subject: reallife
subject: sacrifice
subject: sources
subject: Video
subject: working?
subject: zones’
description: <img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Livestream-3-13-2025-2026-07-02T104329.192.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Color-altered image of Christina Siceloff—a resident of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, affected by the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment and chemical disaster—standing in a creak in East Palestine, OH, wearing a gas mask. Image Credit: TRNN." data-attachment-id="344700" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/meet-americas-real-life-toxic-avengers/livestream-3-13-2025-2026-07-02t104329-192" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Livestream-3-13-2025-2026-07-02T104329.192.jpg?fit=2560%2C1440&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1440" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Livestream 3-13-2025 &#8211; 2026-07-02T104329.192" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Color-altered image of Christina Siceloff—a resident of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, affected by the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment and chemical disaster—standing in a creak in East Palestine, OH, wearing a gas mask. Image Credit: TRNN. " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Livestream-3-13-2025-2026-07-02T104329.192.jpg?fit=780%2C439&ssl=1"> More data centers and toxic disasters are coming to America, and your community may be next. This is how to fight back.
encoded: <img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Livestream-3-13-2025-2026-07-02T104329.192.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Color-altered image of Christina Siceloff—a resident of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, affected by the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment and chemical disaster—standing in a creak in East Palestine, OH, wearing a gas mask. Image Credit: TRNN." decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Livestream-3-13-2025-2026-07-02T104329.192.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Livestream-3-13-2025-2026-07-02T104329.192.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Livestream-3-13-2025-2026-07-02T104329.192.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Livestream-3-13-2025-2026-07-02T104329.192.jpg?resize=768%2C432&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Livestream-3-13-2025-2026-07-02T104329.192.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Livestream-3-13-2025-2026-07-02T104329.192.jpg?resize=2048%2C1152&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Livestream-3-13-2025-2026-07-02T104329.192.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Livestream-3-13-2025-2026-07-02T104329.192.jpg?resize=2000%2C1125&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Livestream-3-13-2025-2026-07-02T104329.192.jpg?resize=780%2C439&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Livestream-3-13-2025-2026-07-02T104329.192.jpg?resize=400%2C225&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Livestream-3-13-2025-2026-07-02T104329.192.jpg?w=2340&ss…

‘Press freedom is dead’: Journalist detained in Ugandan media crackdown
type: item
creator: Lauren Wolfe
date: 2026-07-02T19:25:15Z
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Daily Monitor
subject: Kampala Express
subject: Nation Media Group
subject: Nation Media Group-Uganda
subject: Sources
subject: Timothy Kalyegira
subject: Uganda Communications Act
subject: Uganda Record
subject: ACT
subject: Arrested
subject: committee
subject: Communications
subject: Crackdown
subject: daily
subject: dead
subject: Detained
subject: express
subject: Freedom
subject: group
subject: groupuganda
subject: journalist
subject: Journalists
subject: kalyegira
subject: kampala
subject: Media
subject: monitor
subject: nation?
subject: press
subject: protect
subject: record
subject: sources
subject: timothy
subject: uganda
subject: ugandan
description: Lusaka, July 2, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ugandan authorities to immediately release veteran journalist Timothy Kalyegira, whose detention coincides with the military’s shutdown of east and central Africa’s largest media house. “The detention of Timothy Kalyegira marks another troubling escalation in Uganda’s assault on independent journalism, with authorities using not only soldiers but also...
encoded: Lusaka, July 2, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ugandan authorities to immediately release veteran journalist Timothy Kalyegira, whose detention coincides with the military’s shutdown of east and central Africa’s largest media house. “The detention of Timothy Kalyegira marks another troubling escalation in Uganda’s assault on independent journalism, with authorities using not only soldiers but also regulatory and criminal laws to silence the press,” said CPJ Africa Director Angela Quintal. “Ugandan authorities must immediately release Kalyegira and drop the charges against him, and ensure that all journalists in Uganda can report freely without fear of arrest, intimidation, or prosecution.” After days of anxiety over the whereabouts of Kalyegira, a veteran commentator and outspoken government critic, he appeared before the Kira Chief Magistrate’s Court on June 29, about 14 kilometers (9 miles) east of Uganda’s capital, Kampala. Kalyegira was charged with operating two digital news outlets — Kampala Express, between 2013 and 2026 and the Uganda Record, between 2014 and 2026 — without broadcasting licenses, according to the charge sheet, reviewed by CPJ. If found guilty, he could be jailed for up to one year under the 2013 Uganda Communications Act. Kalyegira denied the charges and was remanded to Luzira Maximum Security Prison until July 16, his lawyers, Eron Kiiza and Kato Tumusiime, told CPJ. The journalist has written hundreds of commentaries for the Daily Monitor, which is part of the Nation Media Group-Uganda and which was shut down by a military siege on June 28 after a social media announcement by military chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also President Yoweri Museveni’s son. “These charges against Timothy, the pretrial detention that preceded them for more than four days contrary to the 1995 Ugandan Constitution, and his subsequent remanding to Luzira Prison, all signal the Muhoozi-led Ugandan military’s heightened resolve to stamp ou…

Trump makes billions while in the White House, mostly from crypto
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-02T19:00:34Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: billions
subject: crypto
subject: Democracy
subject: from
subject: house
subject: makes
subject: mostly
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: trump
subject: while
subject: white
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Meet America’s Real-Life ‘Toxic Avengers’
type: item
creator: The Real News Network
date: 2026-07-02T18:21:15Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Real News Network
subject: ‘toxic
subject: america’s
subject: avengers!
subject: meet
subject: network
subject: News
subject: real
subject: reallife
subject: sources
subject: the
description: This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.

The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 2, 2026
type: item
creator: KPFA
date: 2026-07-02T18:00:00Z
subject: Pacifica Evening News
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: evening
subject: july
subject: News
subject: pacifica
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: weekdays
description: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 2, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
encoded: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 2, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.

TV station vehicle windshield smashed while crew reported in Illinois
type: item
creator: U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database
date: 2026-07-02T17:41:16Z
subject: Equipment Damage
subject: Sources
subject: assault
subject: crew
subject: damage
subject: equipment
subject: illinois
subject: reported
subject: smashed
subject: sources
subject: station
subject: vehicle’
subject: while
subject: windshield
description: A WBBM-TV reporter was preparing for a live broadcast with a photographer in Chicago, Illinois, on June 29, 2026, when the journalists were targeted by a group of men who shouted racial slurs and damaged the station’s news vehicle.The reporter and phot...
encoded: A WBBM-TV reporter was preparing for a live broadcast with a photographer in Chicago, Illinois, on June 29, 2026, when the journalists were targeted by a group of men who shouted racial slurs and damaged the station’s news vehicle. The reporter and photographer were near a local planetarium when several men in a white tow truck approached them, the CBS-owned outlet reported. One of the men yelled racial slurs and directed his unleashed German shepherd dog to attack the photographer, who is a Black man. View post on Instagram When the dog did not attack, one man smashed the news vehicle’s windshield with a traffic cone while another damaged the photographer’s camera, the station said. About 20 minutes later, police responded to a separate incident involving the same tow truck and arrested three suspects. They recovered a firearm during the investigation. In a later newscast, reporter Jermont Terry said the journalists, who were not identified, were safe. “While they are not physically hurt, what they endured while simply gathering news will impact them for quite some time.” WBBM-TV reported that the suspects, who have not been identified, may face hate crime charges. This content originally appeared on U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database and was authored by U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database.

TV photographer’s camera damaged by group while reporting in Illinois
type: item
creator: U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database
date: 2026-07-02T17:39:33Z
subject: Equipment Damage
subject: Sources
subject: assault
subject: camera
subject: damage
subject: damaged
subject: equipment
subject: group
subject: illinois
subject: photographers
subject: reporting
subject: sources
subject: while
description: A WBBM-TV photographer was targeted by a group of men who shouted racial slurs at him and damaged his camera while he was reporting in Chicago, Illinois, on June 29, 2026.The photographer was preparing for a live shot with a reporter near a local plane...
encoded: A WBBM-TV photographer was targeted by a group of men who shouted racial slurs at him and damaged his camera while he was reporting in Chicago, Illinois, on June 29, 2026. The photographer was preparing for a live shot with a reporter near a local planetarium when several men in a white tow truck approached them, the CBS-owned outlet reported. One of the men yelled racial slurs and directed his unleashed German shepherd dog to attack the photographer, who is a Black man. View post on Instagram When the dog did not attack, one man smashed the news vehicle’s windshield with a traffic cone while another damaged the photographer’s camera, the station said. About 20 minutes later, police responded to a separate incident involving the same tow truck and arrested three suspects. They recovered a firearm during the investigation. In a later newscast, reporter Jermont Terry said the journalists, who were not identified, were safe. “While they are not physically hurt, what they endured while simply gathering news will impact them for quite some time.” WBBM-TV reported that the suspects, who have not been identified, may face hate crime charges. This content originally appeared on U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database and was authored by U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database.

Watch now! #manuchao
type: item
creator: Playing For Change
date: 2026-07-02T16:58:27Z
subject: Playing For Change
subject: Sources
subject: #manuchao
subject: change
subject: for
subject: now
subject: playing
subject: sources
subject: watch
description: This content originally appeared on Playing For Change and was authored by Playing For Change.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Playing For Change and was authored by Playing For Change.

UN News Today 02 July 2026
type: item
creator: Jolina Dong
date: 2026-07-02T15:55:45Z
subject: Podcasts/UN News Today
subject: Sources
subject: UN News
subject: 2026
subject: july
subject: News
subject: podcastsun
subject: sources
subject: today
description: Ukraine aid chief condemns deadly attack on KyivMilitary strikes and maritime incidents threaten fragile Gulf ceasefireConflict and shrinking aid push Nigeria into hunger crisis
encoded: Ukraine aid chief condemns deadly attack on KyivMilitary strikes and maritime incidents threaten fragile Gulf ceasefireConflict and shrinking aid push Nigeria into hunger crisis This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Jolina Dong.

Putting the Freedom 250 Logo on Social Security Cards is Corrupt and Inappropriate
type: item
creator: Newswire Editor
date: 2026-07-02T15:41:18Z
subject: Common Dreams
subject: Sources
subject: 250+
subject: and
subject: cards
subject: common
subject: corrupt
subject: dreams
subject: Freedom
subject: inappropriate
subject: logo’
subject: putting
subject: Security
subject: social
subject: sources
subject: the
description: The following is a statement from Nancy Altman, President of Social Security Works, in response to the Social Security Administration announcing that babies born during the rest of 2026 will receive Social Security cards featuring the Freedom 250 logo...
encoded: The following is a statement from Nancy Altman, President of Social Security Works, in response to the Social Security Administration announcing that babies born during the rest of 2026 will receive Social Security cards featuring the Freedom 250 logo: “The first Social Security card was issued in 1936, ninety years ago. In all that time the design has never been politicized. Now, the Trump administration is putting the logo of a semi-private, partisan entity, which is widely reported to be corrupt, on the Social Security cards of newborn babies. They claim ‘no additional cost to families or taxpayers’, but the cost has to come from somewhere. Alarmingly, Freedom 250 has a history of harvesting data, and employs former DOGE operatives. DOGE has been found in court to have mishandled our private Social Security data, and these cards may provide another opportunity for that abuse of Americans’ most personal, sensitive information. We demand Commissioner Bisignano answer the following questions: Is the Social Security Administration paying a licensing fee to Freedom 250? Will you release any and all contracts between the Social Security Administration and Freedom 250? Will Freedom 250 have access to data associated with beneficiaries of Social Security cards bearing their logo? This is abuse of Social Security, a nonpartisan institution which Trump claimed he would not hurt. Like issuing passports with Trump’s visage and signature, putting his name on the Kennedy Center, and destroying the East Wing of the White House, turning Social Security cards into political propaganda reveals yet again Trump’s contempt for the American people he is supposed to be serving.” This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

As heat wave spreads across the US, data centers strain electrical grids
type: item
creator: Shireen Akram-Boshar
date: 2026-07-02T15:35:15Z
subject: AI
subject: article
subject: Economy and Inequality
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Reprint
subject: Sources
subject: across
subject: and
subject: centers
subject: Climate
subject: climate crisis
subject: Data
subject: economy
subject: electrical
subject: grids
subject: heat
subject: inequality
subject: movements
subject: Politics
subject: reprint
subject: sources
subject: spreads
subject: strain
subject: the
subject: wave
description: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2284044024-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="St. Paul, Minnesota. Mother Earth Vs Big Tech Petition rally at the capitol. The petition advocates for a two-year moratorium on the construction of hyperscale data centers. Photo by: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images" data-attachment-id="344713" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/as-heat-wave-spreads-across-the-us-data-centers-strain-electrical-grids/mother-earth-vs-big-tech-petition-rally-at-the-capitol-in-minnesota" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2284044024-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"16","credit":"UCG/Universal Images Group via G","camera":"NIKON Z 8","caption":"St. Paul, Minnesota. Mother Earth Vs Big Tech Petition rally at the capitol. The petition advocates for a two-year moratorium on the construction of hyperscale data centers. (Photo by: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1782438194","copyright":"\u00a9Michael Siluk / Universal Images Group","focal_length":"46","iso":"125","shutter_speed":"0.00625","title":"Mother Earth Vs Big Tech Petition rally at the capitol in Minnesota","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="Mother Earth Vs Big Tech Petition rally at the capitol in Minnesota" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" St. Paul, Minnesota. Mother Earth Vs Big Tech Petition rally at the capitol. The petition advocates for a two-year moratorium on the construction of hyperscale data centers. Photo by: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2284044024-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1"> “Data center…
encoded: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2284044024-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="St. Paul, Minnesota. Mother Earth Vs Big Tech Petition rally at the capitol. The petition advocates for a two-year moratorium on the construction of hyperscale data centers. Photo by: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2284044024-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2284044024-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2284044024-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2284044024-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2284044024-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2284044024-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2284044024-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2284044024-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2284044024-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2284044024-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2284044024-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2284044024-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: …

Danny Glover shares Alzheimer’s diagnosis
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-02T15:31:24Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: alzheimer8217s
subject: danny
subject: Democracy
subject: diagnosis:
subject: glover
subject: now
subject: shares
subject: sources
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

"The American Revolution Was Hardly an Anti-Colonial Movement": UCLA Historian Robin D. G. Kelley
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-02T14:13:21Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: american
subject: anticolonial
subject: Democracy
subject: hardly
subject: Historian
subject: kelley
subject: movement
subject: now
subject: Revolution
subject: robin
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: ucla
subject: was
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

"Rule of Law vs. Rule of Billionaires": Supreme Court Says Trump Can Fire Regulators, Except at Fed
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-02T14:09:04Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: billionaires
subject: can
subject: court
subject: Democracy
subject: except
subject: fed
subject: Fire
subject: Law
subject: now
subject: regulators
subject: rule
subject: says
subject: sources
subject: supreme
subject: trump
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

PNG received millions after Cyclone Maila, but some residents still wait for relief
type: item
creator: Harlyne Joku for RFA
date: 2026-07-02T14:08:59Z
subject: Radio Free Asia
subject: Sources
subject: after
subject: asia
subject: but
subject: cyclone
subject: for
subject: free
subject: maila
subject: millions
subject: Pacific
subject: png
subject: radio
subject: received
subject: relief
subject: residents
subject: some
subject: sources
subject: still
subject: wait’:
description: Cash donations from China and Australia made headlines, but government has helped only ‘severely affected’ areas.
encoded: PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea — After Cyclone Maila devastated parts of Papua New Guinea in April, disaster relief funds poured into the country, but many of the affected residents told Radio Free Asia that they have received little or no assistance from authorities. In early April, the cyclone appeared over the Solomon Sea, between PNG and the Solomon Islands. It rapidly increased in intensity and severely damaged roads and homes, and submerged crops. PNG authorities reported 25 fatalities due to landslides and flooding. Though authorities have been trying to assist affected residents, they have not yet been able to reach everyone. Marina Kaisa Eroro, who lives with her family in Samarai Island off the southeastern tip of the New Guinean mainland, told RFA. A file photo of Marina Kaisa Eroro, a resident of Samarai Island in Milne Province, Papua New Guinea. (Marina Kaisa Eroro/RFA) The cyclone blew down her breadfruit, betel nut, and fruit trees, she said. “The trees fell on our water tank and damaged our source of drinking water,” said Eroro. “No assistance at all came from the authorities.” Eroro said that councillors from the ward, the lowest division of the local government, had visited to determine the extent of damage. The island is under the jurisdiction of the Bwanabwana Rural local-level government, or LLG, in the Samarai-Murua district of Milne Bay Province. The province is headquartered on the mainland, though many of its administrative bodies are located on Samarai, which was the provincial capital until 1968. In this file photo, trees that were knocked down by Cyclone Maila have damaged a water tank on Samarai Island, Milne Bay province, Papua New Guinea. (Marina Kaisa Eroro/RFA) “No national or provincial government official visited our area to assess the damage,” said Eroro. Even in cases where residents do get assistance, it is minimal, Cora Diala, who lives in a small village in Weraura LLG, in the same province but on the mainland, told RFA. Cora…

Profiting from the Presidency: Trump and Family Rake In Billions from Crypto, Real Estate & More
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-02T14:04:54Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: billions
subject: crypto
subject: Democracy
subject: estate
subject: family
subject: from
subject: more
subject: now
subject: Presidency
subject: profiting
subject: rake
subject: real
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: trump
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Top U.S. & World Headlines — July 2, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-02T14:01:50Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: headlines
subject: july
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: top
subject: World
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Trump’s July 4th Jobs Report Shows American Dream Slipping Out of Reach for Many Working Families
type: item
creator: Newswire Editor
date: 2026-07-02T13:59:39Z
subject: Common Dreams
subject: Sources
subject: 4th
subject: american
subject: common
subject: dream
subject: dreams
subject: families
subject: for
subject: jobs
subject: july
subject: many
subject: out
subject: reach
subject: report
subject: shows
subject: slipping
subject: sources
subject: trump’s
subject: working?
description: Today’s jobs report shows the labor market added only 57,000 jobs in June, with April and May hiring revised down by 74,000 fewer jobs than previously reported. The unemployment rate changed little at 4.2%. A total of 720,000 people left the labor for...
encoded: Today’s jobs report shows the labor market added only 57,000 jobs in June, with April and May hiring revised down by 74,000 fewer jobs than previously reported. The unemployment rate changed little at 4.2%. A total of 720,000 people left the labor force last month, pushing the share of Americans working or looking for work to its lowest level since March 2021. Beneath the headline, workers are less confident they can find a job, higher prices continue to eat into paychecks, and families feel worse about their financial situation. The share of unemployed workers who have been without a job for at least six months remains above one in four, up sharply from one year ago, while a growing share of workers are stuck in part-time jobs because they cannot find full-time work. Though President Trump campaigned on saving “<a href="https://us.cisionone.cision.com/c/eJw8y7Gu4yAQheGngQ6LGcDGBUUav0aEh2HDxtheTDbat1_l6uo2p_iO_hTQk9Wj5ACTN1prBCcfwQHlvPIagcGgm8Y8GWczeUcOQXtZwhjtOJKfwZjpDuhd1mAmnJ2w-iqJn-WPqrFs3C41zdlma_20qtZ8x-FzyC08ej8vYW4CF4HL-_0eaN8HOqrABTWOAhf9M-exlV7oErjkSF3Rg-mpenvVU61bpKd67VzP7fhXee-ycipRNd44XqxKCl9w_wZhbgbAopUt_D52YTUdtR57ahzrNRztl7x6Y66fEnW0ybhZJT8aZYG8msEklV0igzl7C17-Dfg_AAD__xBWZZs" rel="noopener noreferrer" >Black jobs,” the unemployment rate among Black Americans is far higher than the national rate, reflecting the president’s unequal economy. Under President Trump, the economy is leaving working families with fewer opportunities to get ahead. Groundwork Collaborative’s Chief of Policy and Advocacy, Alex Jacquez, released the following statement: “Today’s weak jobs numbers are grim warning signs of a struggling labor market. Job gains reflect temporary seasonal hires and other workers separated from the broader economy while the majority of the labor force is frozen. Working Americans increasingly report that their paychecks can’t keep up with Trump’s high prices, but are not confident they’ll be able to find better opportunities. They’re instead focused…

“The American Revolution Was Hardly an Anti-Colonial Movement”: UCLA Historian Robin D. G. Kelley
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-02T12:48:16Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 8220the
subject: american
subject: anticolonial
subject: Democracy
subject: hardly
subject: Historian
subject: kelley
subject: movement8221
subject: now
subject: Revolution
subject: robin
subject: sources
subject: ucla
subject: was
description: Ahead of the July Fourth holiday and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we speak with the acclaimed scholar Robin D. G. Kelley, who examines how Black radicals have interpreted the document throughout U.S. history in a n...
encoded: Ahead of the July Fourth holiday and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we speak with the acclaimed scholar Robin D. G. Kelley, who examines how Black radicals have interpreted the document throughout U.S. history in a new essay for Hammer & Hope. Although the declaration famously asserts that “all men are created equal,” Kelley says that clearly did not extend to Indigenous or enslaved Black people. “When the drafters developed this declaration, they assumed that human beings were basically white men,” he says. But despite the “hypocrisy” of the declaration, many Black radicals still found value in its words, including a “justification for rebellion,” says Kelley. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

How dare she? Hindutva flagbearers threaten Muslim judge who sent 14 cow-vigilantes to jail for murder
type: item
creator: Shinjinee Majumder
date: 2026-07-02T12:42:03Z
subject: Alt News
subject: Sources
subject: alt
subject: cowvigilantes
subject: dare
subject: flagbearers
subject: for
subject: hindutva
subject: how
subject: jail
subject: judge
subject: murder
subject: muslim
subject: News
subject: Politics
subject: sent
subject: she
subject: sources
subject: threaten,
subject: who
description: Trigger Warning: Use of Expletives The June 12 conviction of 14 men for the 2022 lynching of a Muslim truck driver in Madhya Pradesh has triggered a coordinated wave of communal abuse, threats and misinformation directed at the judge who delivered the verdict. Within hours of additional district and sessions judge Tabassum Khan sentencing 14 […]
encoded: Trigger Warning: Use of Expletives The June 12 conviction of 14 men for the 2022 lynching of a Muslim truck driver in Madhya Pradesh has triggered a coordinated wave of communal abuse, threats and misinformation directed at the judge who delivered the verdict. Within hours of additional district and sessions judge Tabassum Khan sentencing 14 convicts to life imprisonment in two different cases on the same day — S. T. No. 35/2022 and S.T. No. 4/2023 — videos and social media posts began circulating that targeted her religious identity. The posts referred to her with communal slurs, dehumanised her, issued open threats of violence, stoked fears of “jihad” and demanded the release of the convicted men. The case stems from the lynching of Nazir Ahmed, a resident of Amravati, Maharashtra. On August 3, 2022, Ahmed and two others were transporting cattle from Nandarwada to their home state. In Barakhad village near Seoni Malwa in Madhya Pradesh’s Narmadapuram district, they were intercepted by a mob that suspected them of illegally smuggling cattle. According to survivor Sheikh Lala, a group of around 50 to 60 people blocked their vehicle and assaulted the three men without asking any questions. Ahmed later died of his injuries, while the two others survived. Following the investigation, police registered an FIR against fourteen individuals. After nearly three years of trial, the court found all fourteen guilty of offences including murder, attempt to murder, rioting and wrongful restraint, sentencing each of them to life imprisonment. Those convicted are Deepak alias Baba Kevat, Ajay alias Ajju Rathore, Prakash Kaushal, Pawan Bathav, Amar alias Bhola Bathav, Kanhaiya Bathav, and Ballu alias Anuj Raghuvanshi in one case and Raju alias Rajendra Kaushal, Akash alias Pintoli Bathav, Gaurav Yadav, Akash Saraathe, Chetan Maratha, Devendra alias Chotu Kori, and Sandeep alias Raja Kaushal in the other. They are all residents of Seoni Malwa. Immediately after the verdict, relative…

“Rule of Law vs. Rule of Billionaires”: Supreme Court Says Trump Can Fire Regulators, Except at Fed
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-02T12:38:10Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 8220rule
subject: billionaires8221
subject: can
subject: court
subject: Democracy
subject: except
subject: fed
subject: Fire
subject: Law
subject: now
subject: regulators
subject: rule
subject: says
subject: sources
subject: supreme
subject: trump
description: In a 6-3 ruling this week that overturned nine decades of precedent, the Supreme Court granted President Donald Trump the power to fire and replace officials at independent government agencies like the Federal Trade Commission. But in a separa...
encoded: In a 6-3 ruling this week that overturned nine decades of precedent, the Supreme Court granted President Donald Trump the power to fire and replace officials at independent government agencies like the Federal Trade Commission. But in a separate 5-4 decision, the justices ruled that Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can stay in her job as she challenges Trump’s efforts to fire her. The seemingly contradictory rulings suggest a two-tier system of regulation, says Alvaro Bedoya, a former FTC commissioner who was fired by Trump last year. The independence and stability of the Federal Reserve is important to “billionaire Wall Street Bankers,” and therefore remains protected, says Bedoya. “But then you have this whole series of other agencies that keep your toys safe, that keep health insurers from robbing people blind, that keep supermarkets from merging to make milk, eggs and beef … even more expensive. The court said that all those regulators can report directly to the president and be entirely beholden to his whims.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Profiting from the Presidency: Trump and Family Rake In Billions from Crypto, Real Estate & More
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-02T12:17:35Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: billions
subject: crypto
subject: Democracy
subject: estate
subject: family
subject: from
subject: more
subject: now
subject: Presidency
subject: profiting
subject: rake
subject: real
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: trump
description: New financial disclosures by President Donald Trump show that he made more than $1.4 billion from his family’s various cryptocurrency ventures last year, reaping a windfall after pulling back on regulation of the industry and promoting t...
encoded: New financial disclosures by President Donald Trump show that he made more than $1.4 billion from his family’s various cryptocurrency ventures last year, reaping a windfall after pulling back on regulation of the industry and promoting the United States as “the crypto capital of the world.” Other Trump businesses, like his resorts and golf courses, have also flourished since his return to the White House, while the Trump Organization has also licensed the family name to properties in countries that are crucial to U.S. foreign policy interests, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar. “It’s been an incredibly successful period for the Trump family,” says Reuters investigative reporter Tom Bergin. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Headlines for July 2, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-02T12:00:00Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: for
subject: headlines
subject: july
subject: now
subject: sources
description: Trump Defends Financial Report Showing His Personal Income Soared to $2.2 Billion in 2025, Sons of Donald Trump and Howard Lutnick Profit from U.S.-Backed Kazakhstan Mining Deal, Rights Groups Demand End to Venezuela Sanctions as Earthquake Death Toll Passes 2,000, Texas Lawmaker Condemns ICE for Attempting to Deport Families to Venezuela After Massive Quakes, Sudan’s Currency Plummets as Paramilitaries Besiege City of El Obeid, Russian Drones and Missiles Rain Down on Kyiv, Killing at Least 20, Palestinians Mark 1,000 Days Since Israel Began Full-Scale Assault on Gaza, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Declares Israel’s Assault on Gaza a Genocide, Urges Arms Embargo, World’s Oceans Experienced Record Heat Wave in June, U.S. Faces Record Heat Over 4th of July Holiday, as Spain Says June Heat Wave Killed 1,000+, ICE Arrests 10,000 Immigrants in Under a Week as White House Demands Speedier Deportations, Seven More Receive Harsh Sentences for “Terrorism” After Attending Protest at Texas ICE Jail, Speaker Mike Johnson Says Trump Won’t Veto Housing Bill He Called “A Big Yawn”, House Votes to Disclose Lawmakers Behind Taxpayer-Funded Sexual Misconduct Payouts, Actor and Activist Danny Glover Reveals Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
encoded: Trump Defends Financial Report Showing His Personal Income Soared to $2.2 Billion in 2025 Sons of Donald Trump and Howard Lutnick Profit from U.S.-Backed Kazakhstan Mining Deal Rights Groups Demand End to Venezuela Sanctions as Earthquake Death Toll Passes 2,000 Texas Lawmaker Condemns ICE for Attempting to Deport Families to Venezuela After Massive Quakes Sudan's Currency Plummets as Paramilitaries Besiege City of El Obeid Russian Drones and Missiles Rain Down on Kyiv, Killing at Least 20 Palestinians Mark 1,000 Days Since Israel Began Full-Scale Assault on Gaza Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Declares Israel's Assault on Gaza a Genocide, Urges Arms Embargo World's Oceans Experienced Record Heat Wave in June U.S. Faces Record Heat Over 4th of July Holiday, as Spain Says June Heat Wave Killed 1,000+ ICE Arrests 10,000 Immigrants in Under a Week as White House Demands Speedier Deportations Seven More Receive Harsh Sentences for "Terrorism" After Attending Protest at Texas ICE Jail Speaker Mike Johnson Says Trump Won't Veto Housing Bill He Called "A Big Yawn" House Votes to Disclose Lawmakers Behind Taxpayer-Funded Sexual Misconduct Payouts Actor and Activist Danny Glover Reveals Alzheimer's Diagnosis This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Democracy Now! 2026-07-02 Thursday
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-02T12:00:00Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 20260702
subject: Democracy
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: thursday
description: Democracy Now! Thursday, July 2, 2026
encoded: Democracy Now! Thursday, July 2, 2026 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.

17 Dead, 80+ Injured In Overnight Russian Missile Attack On Kyiv #UkraineUnderAttack #News #shorts
type: item
creator: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
date: 2026-07-02T11:32:08Z
subject: Radio Free Europe/RL
subject: Sources
subject: #shorts
subject: attack
subject: dead
subject: europerl
subject: free
subject: injured
subject: kyiv
subject: missile
subject: News
subject: overnight
subject: radio
subject: russian
subject: sources
subject: ukraineunderattack
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

DN! Thursday, July 2, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4
date: 2026-07-02T09:45:43Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: july
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: thursday
description: Thursday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD
encoded: Thursday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4 and was authored by Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4.

Pacific nations among hardest hit as global aid drops, says OECD
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-02T09:38:44Z
subject: Asia Pacific aid
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: ChildFund NZ
subject: ODA
subject: Oversea Development Assistance
subject: Pacific health aid
subject: SIDS
subject: Small Island Developing States
subject: Sources
subject: aid
subject: among
subject: asia
subject: assistance
subject: childfund
subject: developing
subject: Development
subject: drops
subject: economics
subject: Featured
subject: Federated States of Micronesia
subject: Global
subject: hardest
subject: health
subject: Health and Fitness
subject: hit
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: infectious diseases
subject: island
subject: malaria
subject: Marshall Islands
subject: nations
subject: new zealand
subject: oda
subject: oecd
subject: oversea
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: report
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: says
subject: sids
subject: small
subject: sources
subject: states
subject: Tonga
subject: Tuberculosis
subject: Tuvalu
description: By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific Global aid forecasts have small island developing states “among the hardest hit individually” as aid spending reaches new lows. The OECD, which tracks their wealthy member states’ Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), is projecting a 6.9 percent drop this year. Last year, it was 23.3 percent. In a report, it
encoded: By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific Global aid forecasts have small island developing states “among the hardest hit individually” as aid spending reaches new lows. The OECD, which tracks their wealthy member states’ Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), is projecting a 6.9 percent drop this year. Last year, it was 23.3 percent. In a report, it noted this would make for the lowest global ODA level since 2014, with health spending down to pre-pandemic levels. READ MORE: Pacific at risk as global aid falls to lowest level in a decade – report Other Pacific aid reports “Most reductions come from a small number of the largest providers,” the report noted, referring to European countries, and the United States. “Many highly aid-dependent countries rely on a small number of providers, increasing vulnerability to shocks.” It was also noted that five of the fifteen recipient countries with the largest cuts are small island developing states. Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) will have lost 36.6 percent of aid between 2024 and 2026; Asian and Pacific states will have lost 33.4 percent. “A single provider accounts for most ODA in several LDCs and small island developing states (SIDS), such as the United States in Marshall Islands and Micronesia, or Australia and New Zealand in Tonga and Tuvalu,” it read. “In these countries especially, a shift in aid could therefore spill over quickly into broader macroeconomic and societal stress.” Globally, health spending is projected to fall by between 29 and 46 percent in that two-year timeframe, with aid for public health and the control of communicable diseases the hardest hit. Aid targeting malaria falls by 59.6 percent, tuberculosis by 57.2 percent, other infectious-disease control by 40.4 percent. Delivery models need to change – ChildFund NZ Humanitarian aid is projected to fall by 40.3 percent, while government and civil society falls by 39.8 percent. Aid from multilateral institutions falls by 31 percent. For Josie Pagani,…

Vile abuse and targeted by Murdoch media. The cost of speaking out against Israel
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-02T09:04:50Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Bondi attack
subject: Bondi Royal Commission
subject: Israeli genocide
subject: Jewish Council of Australia
subject: Murdoch media
subject: Nazi imagery
subject: Palestine solidarity
subject: Personal safety intervention order
subject: PSIO
subject: Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion
subject: Sarah Schwartz
subject: Sources
subject: The Australian
subject: ‘vile’
subject: Abuse
subject: against
subject: Analysis
subject: and
subject: Antisemitism
subject: asia
subject: attack
subject: Australia
subject: australian
subject: bondi
subject: Civil Society
subject: cohesion
subject: commission
subject: cost
subject: council
subject: Culture
subject: Featured
subject: Genocide
subject: Global
subject: Harassment
subject: holocaust
subject: Human Rights
subject: imagery
subject: intervention
subject: into
subject: israel
subject: israeli
subject: jewish
subject: Justice
subject: Language
subject: Media
subject: military
subject: murdoch
subject: nazi
subject: Online abuse
subject: order
subject: out
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Palestine
subject: personal
subject: Politics
subject: psio
subject: Racial vilification
subject: report
subject: royal
subject: safety
subject: sarah
subject: schwartz,
subject: social
subject: Solidarity
subject: sources
subject: speaking
subject: stereotypes
subject: Syndicate
subject: targeted
subject: the
subject: weaponisation
description: Executive director of the Jewish Council of Australia, Sarah Schwartz, has told the Bondi Royal Commission of sustained abuse by pro-Israel activists. Michael West Media reports. SPECIAL REPORT: By Stephanie Tran Giving evidence before Australia’s Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, Sarah Schwartz, a human rights lawyer, said attacks from pro-Israel groups sought to
encoded: Executive director of the Jewish Council of Australia, Sarah Schwartz, has told the Bondi Royal Commission of sustained abuse by pro-Israel activists. Michael West Media reports. SPECIAL REPORT: By Stephanie Tran Giving evidence before Australia’s Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, Sarah Schwartz, a human rights lawyer, said attacks from pro-Israel groups sought to delegitimise Jewish people who criticise Israel. “They rest on the idea that Jewish identity is inherently tied to Israel, and therefore Jewish people who don’t support Israel or who criticise Israel are not really Jewish and are traitors,” she told the commission last Thursday. Schwartz said she had been referred to as a “self-hating Jew”, “Hitler’s Jew”, “kapo” and “Judenrat”, and had been depicted using Holocaust imagery, including “on a train to concentration camps” and with the yellow Star of David imposed on Jews under Nazi rule. READ MORE: ‘Unconstitutional’ – NSW court strikes down Minns’ draconian anti-protest laws Other Bondi Commission reports Holocaust weaponised She said the atrocities of the Holocaust were a motivation for her Palestine solidarity work and the weaponisation by pro-Israel accounts of Holocaust imagery was “incredibly disturbing”. “I was taught that never again meant never again for anyone, and that’s why I do the work that I do,” Schwartz said. “To have the symbols of the Holocaust and Nazi imagery and Jewish persecution used against me has been incredibly disturbing and distressing, and I think it sends a chilling message to other Jewish people when they want to speak out. Schwartz said the stereotype that all Jewish people are politically aligned with Israel “causes immense harm”. “I speak … almost every day to Jewish people who contact me and who are terrified of speaking out, because they know that if they speak their political convictions, they face the risk of a similar sort of abuse and vilification and targeting that I have experienced.” Murdoch m…

How Google and AI Nearly Made a Seasoned Reporter Spiral
type: item
creator: Justin Elliott
date: 2026-07-02T09:00:00Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: ‘spiral
subject: and
subject: google
subject: how
subject: made
subject: nearly
subject: propublica
subject: reporter
subject: seasoned
subject: sources
subject: Technology
description: The post How Google and AI Nearly Made a Seasoned Reporter Spiral appeared first on ProPublica.
encoded: Collage by Alex Bandoni/ProPublica Last month, my colleagues and I published an investigation into a Texas oil refinery startup, America First Refining, that had secretly gotten investment from Donald Trump Jr. We discovered a saga involving the Trump administration’s tariff policy, sanctioned Russian oil and an Indian billionaire family’s private zoo. At the center of the story was the CEO of the refinery company, Texas businessman John Calce. We’d spent weeks examining Calce — pulling old lawsuits, property records, corporate registry filings — and had pieced together a portrait of what appeared to be an obscure serial entrepreneur who’d for years tried and failed to secure funding for his long-shot refinery project. Then, not long before our story was set to publish, we decided to do a scrub on a separate company he had incorporated called Brownsville Energy Storage Terminals. Pulling up the company’s website, I felt a brief flash of panic: Had we somehow missed the existence of a major business owned by the man at the center of our next story? “From Houston to Rotterdam, Jurong to Fujairah. Our network connects the world’s most vital energy markets with speed, safety, and precision bulk oil storage,” announced the front page of the company’s website. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="366" width="752" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Main-Page.jpg?w=752" alt="On the main page of Brownsville Energy Storage Terminals there is a large photo of an energy site on the water with “Strategic Oil Hubs Worldwide” written over it." class="wp-image-84516" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Main-Page.jpg 2584w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Main-Page.jpg?resize=300,146 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Main-Page.jpg?resize=768,373 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Main-Page.jpg?resize=1024,498 1024w, https://www.propublica.or…

People are willing to pay more for climate-proof wine, study shows
type: item
creator: Frida Garza
date: 2026-07-02T08:45:00Z
subject: Food and Agriculture
subject: Grist
subject: Sources
subject: Agriculture
subject: and
subject: are
subject: climateproof
subject: economics
subject: extreme heat
subject: Food
subject: for
subject: more
subject: pay
subject: People
subject: shows
subject: sources
subject: Study
subject: willing
subject: wine
description: New research weighs the costs and payoffs of three common adaptation strategies: Go, stay, or change.
encoded: What’s a winemaker to do on a warming planet? Much has been written about how climate change threatens viticulture around the globe — or at least, threatens to fundamentally change the practice. A long-lasting drought in Chile is forcing winemakers to rethink irrigation systems. Vintners in California must not only endure wildfires but also the smoke that comes with them and lingers, which can alter the taste of their grapes. Severe frosts in the Champagne region of France are also altering the acidity and flavor profile of vineyards’ grapes, although some growers are starting to lean into that. A new study out of Cornell University looks at three techniques that winegrape producers can use to adapt to warmer temperatures, ranging from relatively simple and inexpensive to potentially existential: Install shade cloth to shield precious grapes from the harsh effects of the sun; grow new varieties of grapes better adapted to the heat; or relocate to cooler climates. The researchers found that, for all three cases, when these changes are communicated to shoppers, consumers are willing to pay a premium for these climate-resilient wines — even if it means some of the name-brand recognition of, say, California’s Napa Valley is lost in the process. The idea behind the market study was both to help growers understand the climate adaptation strategies available to them, the costs associated with these decisions, and then finally, how consumers perceive them. “A producer can make all the changes in the world — but if they don’t resonate well with consumers, then it’s moot,” said Alex Susskind, one of the study’s co-authors and a professor of food and beverage management at Cornell University’s school of hotel administration. The challenge with the three strategies identified by the researchers — invest in new infrastructure, invest in new grapes, or get up and move — is that only two of them might be immediately obvious to consumers. If a vineyard in California installs shade …

Pakistan suspends Geo News broadcast license for 15 days over religious content
type: item
creator: CPJ Staff
date: 2026-07-02T08:21:47Z
subject: Censored
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Geo News
subject: Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA)
subject: Sources
subject: “geo
subject: (pemra)
subject: authority
subject: broadcast
subject: censored
subject: committee
subject: content
subject: days
subject: electronic
subject: for
subject: Journalists
subject: license
subject: Media
subject: News
subject: over
subject: pakistan
subject: protect
subject: regulatory
subject: religious
subject: sources
subject: suspends
description: New York, July 2, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Pakistan’s media regulator to immediately lift its 15-day suspension of Geo News’ broadcast license after the news network was reprimanded over ​content aired during a program marking Muharram, one of the holiest months in the Islamic calendar. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA)...
encoded: New York, July 2, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Pakistan’s media regulator to immediately lift its 15-day suspension of Geo News’ broadcast license after the news network was reprimanded over ​content aired during a program marking Muharram, one of the holiest months in the Islamic calendar. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) said that Karachi-based Geo News had broadcast “religious visualization” during a June 26 program that could offend religious sentiments and disturb public order. Geo News, one of Pakistan’s largest Urdu-language news channels, apologized on June 28 for the broadcast, saying the material had been aired in error and did not reflect the channel’s editorial position. On July 1, the broadcaster announced it had fired the employees responsible for producing and approving the material. “The suspension of Geo News’ license over its programming marks a serious escalation in official interference with Pakistan’s news media,” said CPJ Afghanistan-Pakistan Representative Waliullah Rahmani. “Pakistani authorities must immediately withdraw PEMRA’s suspension order and allow Geo News and all independent news outlets to operate without heavy-handed government meddling.” Geo News said the programs depicted “certain rituals practiced by a limited number of people in Iraq and some other Middle Eastern countries” — but did not promote any broader religious point of view. Pakistan, which has strict blasphemy laws, has heightened media regulations during Muharram. Depictions of the Prophet Muhammad and other Islamic figures are especially sensitive and have triggered unrest in Pakistan in the past. The PEMRA office in Islamabad did not immediately respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

Ukraine Has Created A Logistics Problem For Russia. Here’s How.
type: item
creator: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
date: 2026-07-02T08:00:05Z
subject: Radio Free Europe/RL
subject: Sources
subject: created
subject: europerl
subject: for
subject: free
subject: has
subject: here8217s
subject: how
subject: logistics
subject: problem.
subject: radio
subject: Russia
subject: sources
subject: Ukraine
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Who Do You Serve
type: item
creator: Abby Zimet
date: 2026-07-02T07:14:52Z
subject: Common Dreams
subject: Sources
subject: common
subject: dreams
subject: serve
subject: sources
subject: who
subject: you
description: Declaring, "I believe in America, I believe in us," an active duty Air Force major was arrested Wednesday for a non-violent act of civil disobedience after he publicly called for Trump to be impeached, removed and convicted for his scores of impeachab...
encoded: Declaring, "I believe in America, I believe in us," an active duty Air Force major was arrested Wednesday for a non-violent act of civil disobedience after he publicly called for Trump to be impeached, removed and convicted for his scores of impeachable offenses. Citing the "foundational oath" he took to defend the country "against all enemies foreign and domestic" - most vitally a lawless president - Major Jason Watson insisted, finally, "The bill must come due." Watson's action came after a press conference with advocacy groups including About Face Veterans, Defenders of Our Republic, Removal Coalition, its newly launched Remove the Regime, and Free Speech For People, which has gathered over a million signatures urging Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings against Trump for his hundreds of crimes. Also present was Rep. Al Green, the only member of Congress to have filed impeachment articles. Declaring this "an existential moment for our nation," Free Speech president John Bonifaz praised Major Watson for "the kind of courage our democracy demands (in) stark contrast to those who continue to look away as President Trump commits unprecedented abuses of power." Watson introduced himself by citing his 17-year career in the military before swiftly adding, "Who I am is immaterial. In the grand scheme of things I'm a nobody. What's more important is what I have to say, and the price I'm willing to pay to say it." Thanking allies "working to restore responsible governance to our country," he repeated the "foundational" oath he first swore over 20 years ago, and has since repeated "many times since," to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States," which "binds us all together as Americans." We have all "played a part in getting us into this mess," he added, but undeniably "the burden of culpability" falls most heavily on the executive branch, "and the bill must come due." Matter-of-factly, he offered a hefty list of high crimes and misdemeanors: The "…

Musician Leyla Ebrahimi on giving in to the daydream
type: item
creator: Carolyn Bernucca
date: 2026-07-02T07:00:00Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Creative Independent
subject: creative
subject: daydream
subject: ebrahimi
subject: giving
subject: independent
subject: leyla
subject: Music
subject: Musician
subject: sources
subject: the
description: What is your earliest memory of being creative? Can you describe the feeling?
encoded: What is your earliest memory of being creative? Can you describe the feeling? The first time I remember being creative is when I was young and would play outside by myself all day. I did not need anything besides water and mud—I had a mud business, a bakery, with customers. It felt invigorating, this ultimate sense of purpose. I think that was a function of one, not having a lot of friends, and two, loving being alone, but imagining that I wasn’t. Those times were very intimate and special, for me, by me, from me. For me, being creative is still a pretty solitary activity. When did you know you wanted to pursue an artistic path? I never identified as a musician, even though I wrote songs and played them on my keyboard. I did musicals and had a theater camp stint, but I didn’t like participating in group ensembles. I fought being involved in music until I joined acapella groups, which I was bad at because again, I didn’t have the mentality that each part is important. All of this is so funny because now all I want is to have a full band on stage with me. Then in college I joined a seven-piece Pixies cover band and we accidentally got pretty good. When we played shows, I had a taste of that feeling from my childhood, only now I wasn’t alone. Did you decide to become an artist, or did it happen to you? About a year and a half ago was the first time I gave in to the dream of committing my whole self to music, even if it was never going to be full-time. Just saying out loud, “I am a musician and this is my music. I work another job, but this is what I do.” That was hard; it felt embarrassing. In my experience, I have to fake it ‘til I make it, so I just kept saying it until I believed it myself. It was a muscle I had to exercise. The night I put out my first demo was just a compulsion. That was something greater than me, for sure. I’m haunted by the idea that I’ll never hear all the great music that exists—knowing there’s a song that would make me levitate and I might no…

Sentencing of the Prairieland Defendants Necessitates a Massive Movement against ICE and Repression
type: item
creator: Sam Carliner
date: 2026-07-02T05:59:37Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: against
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: defendants
subject: ice
subject: Leading Article
subject: massive
subject: movement
subject: necessitates
subject: prairieland
subject: repression
subject: sentencing
subject: sources
subject: the
description: Trump 2.0 has been marked by a barrage of attacks on social movements. A key pillar of this repression has been the use of extreme legal measures against individuals who represent broader progressive sentiments. More The post Sentencing of the Prairieland Defendants Necessitates a Massive Movement against ICE and Repression appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Prairieland Defendants. Image: Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. Trump 2.0 has been marked by a barrage of attacks on social movements. A key pillar of this repression has been the use of extreme legal measures against individuals who represent broader progressive sentiments. Consider Kilmar Ábrego García, the immigrant who resisted his wrongful deportation to El Salvador, or Mahmoud Kahlil, the former Columbia University student and Palestine activist who was one of several pro-Palestine university activists targeted by ICE. The shocking life sentences against immigrant rights activists who protested an ICE facility in Prairieland, Texas, must be understood as part of this broader strategy in which the administration uses select individuals to pave the way for further attacks on those who have most actively resisted its far-right agenda. But the Prairieland sentences are not just another example of this repressive strategy; they represent an escalation that will have severe implications if not resisted. What these community members did was participate in a noise demonstration outside of the Prairieland Detention Center, one of the many ICE jails across the country where immigrants are held in dehumanizing, unsafe, and deadly conditions. ICE facilities have been exposed for their inhumane conditions in which imprisoned immigrants, including children, have been psychologically tortured, physically and sexually assaulted, and served spoiled food. Some of the Prairieland Defendants didn’t even participate directly in the protest. As Jacobin aptly put it: Meagan sat in her car playing Nintendo, waiting to drive demonstrators home. Daniel transported a box of magazines. The DOJ just successfully sentenced them and seven others to 30+ years in prison what they’ve called “justice” against “Antifa terrorists.” Sufia Khalid, deputy director of the National Security Criminal Defense Center at the Muslim Legal Fund of America, further explained the case on Democracy Now!: the g…

The Unfinished Revolution: When Rights Become Privileges
type: item
creator: John W. Whitehead – Nisha Whitehead
date: 2026-07-02T05:58:18Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: become
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Leading Article
subject: privileges
subject: Revolution
subject: rights
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: unfinished
subject: when
description: Two hundred and fifty years after the Declaration of Independence proclaimed that all people possess inalienable rights, we now live under a government that increasingly behaves as though rights belong to the government to distribute, restrict and revoke as it sees fit. Freedom has become conditional. Constitutional rights have become political bargaining chips. More The post The Unfinished Revolution: When Rights Become Privileges appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: LAPD guarding the entrance to the LAPD Rampart Division building. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair. What exactly are Americans celebrating this Fourth of July? Two hundred and fifty years after the Declaration of Independence proclaimed that all people possess inalienable rights, we now live under a government that increasingly behaves as though rights belong to the government to distribute, restrict and revoke as it sees fit. Freedom has become conditional. Constitutional rights have become political bargaining chips. Government now claims the authority to decide which religious beliefs deserve accommodation and which may be excluded—a clear violation of the First Amendment’s warning against both establishing a religion and favoring or disfavoring one religion over another. It insists that some speakers deserve constitutional protection while others may be censored, surveilled or punished—a violation of the right to free speech. It proclaims itself the defender of unborn life while dismantling programs that protect the health and welfare of children already born. It welcomes some immigrants with extraordinary speed while denying others the full measure of due process promised by the Constitution. It pays lip service to equality under law while dismantling programs designed to ensure equal opportunity and root out discrimination. It invokes the sanctity of children while narrowing which children may claim the birthright citizenship guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. It insists that no one is above the law while expanding presidential immunity and removing many of the traditional checks on executive power. Rights that the Declaration of Independence described as inalienable are increasingly treated as permissions—granted when convenient, withheld when inconvenient, and interpreted according to political priorities rather than constitutional principle. That is not merely bad policy. It is a repudiation of the American Revolution, because the Revolution began with one rad…

Second Thoughts About Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence
type: item
creator: Fran Shor
date: 2026-07-02T05:56:59Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: 250th
subject: about
subject: Anniversary
subject: articles 2015
subject: celebrating
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: declaration
subject: independence
subject: Leading Article
subject: Politics
subject: second
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: thoughts
description: The hoopla surrounding the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence seemingly reflects another unfortunate instance of historical amnesia. Whether immersed in the white supremacist narrative promoted by Trump and his enablers or some liberal version of the high mindedness of the Founders, we are being asked to forget the foundational and ongoing tragedies of the United States of America. More The post Second Thoughts About Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Isaac Jefferson, an enslaved blacksmith at Monticello, photographed in 1845. Tracy W. McGregor Library of American History, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library. Public Domain. The hoopla surrounding the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence seemingly reflects another unfortunate instance of historical amnesia. Whether immersed in the white supremacist narrative promoted by Trump and his enablers or some liberal version of the high mindedness of the Founders, we are being asked to forget the foundational and ongoing tragedies of the United States of America. As Isabel Wilkerson wrote in the “Afterword” to her brilliant book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent: “We are in an unspoken state of emergency. We have learned that freedom and democracy are not a destination or settled state of being but a fragile proposition, and their preservation is an ever-present duty of each and every one of us who cherishes liberty.” Moreover, the blinkered vision of our national history remains an impediment to achieving freedom and democracy, let alone celebrating the full context of the liberty promised by “Declaration of Independence.” James Baldwin’s excavation of the “collection of myths to which white Americans cling” in his still resonant 1963 Jeremiad, The Fire Next Time, provides a starting point. Among those myths to which a majority of whites adhere, according to Baldwin, are the following: “that their ancestors were all freedom-loving heroes, that they were born in the greatest country the world has ever seen, or that Americans are invincible in battle and wise in peace, that Americans have always dealt honorably with Mexicans and Indians and all other neighbors…” In a more recent and compelling work by Eddie Glaude, Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul, he excoriates our “collective forgetting,” especially as it underscores the continuing racial injustices and inequalities “at the heart of our nation.” Furthermore …

The Sexual Politics of Allen Ginsberg
type: item
creator: Jonah Raskin
date: 2026-07-02T05:55:05Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: allen
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Culture
subject: ginsberg:
subject: Politics
subject: sexual
subject: sources
subject: the
description: Here we are at the end of a month-long celebration of the life and work of the poet Allen Ginsberg (1926-2026) and I haven’t said a word about his sexual politics, which I described to a friend—who helped launch the Gay [ . . . ] The post The Sexual Politics of Allen Ginsberg appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Ginsberg with his partner, poet Peter Orlovsky, in 1978. Photo: Herbert Rusche. CC BY-SA 3.0 Here we are at the end of a month-long celebration of the life and work of the poet Allen Ginsberg (1926-2026) and I haven’t said a word about his sexual politics, which I described to a friend—who helped launch the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) in New York—as “complex.” I know I can’t make up for what I didn’t say and this will definitely not be the last word on the subject. Far from it. No one recently has written extensively about Ginsberg’s sexual politics, but about 15 years ago, the American writer Edmund White, a force in the LGBTQ community, noted that “Ginsberg bore the traces of the general homosexual oppression of his epoch, but he did more than anyone else of his generation to overcome his gay self-hatred and to take a pro-gay militant stand.” White added that “He was an apostle of tenderness among men.” Perhaps so, but not always as in poems like “Please Master” in which he says, “Fuck me more violent.” To say that he did more than anyone else to overcome gay self-hatred is to give him more credit than is due him. What about the rioters at Compton’s in San Francisco in 1966 and at the Stonewall three years later and also what about the thousands of gay men around the US who demanded to be treated with respect and dignity? Ginsberg must have known that I wasn’t gay or queer. He never made a pass at me, suggested we have sex or even touched or kissed me, though we were alike in many ways: Jewish and from lefty east coast families, both Columbia College graduates who were at odds with some of the same Cold War liberal anti-communist professors who would not assign any book by Walt Whitman, William Blake, Oscar Wilde, Emily Dickinson or Virginia Woolf. And they thought they were free thinkers and intellectuals. When the Sixties came along they wanted their students to be arrested and jailed to teach them a lesson. The idea of being “fucked in the ass” and screaming “wi…

Why People Say the Economy is Bad: Fees and Insurance
type: item
creator: Dean Baker
date: 2026-07-02T05:52:54Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: bad
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: economy
subject: fees
subject: insurance
subject: People
subject: say
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: why
description: People’s negative assessments of the economy continue to be somewhat of a mystery. The recent run-up in gas prices and inflation more generally is unambiguously bad news, but is this the worst economy ever, as some of the consumer confidence measures have been showing recently? Real income for those at the middle and bottom has More The post Why People Say the Economy is Bad: Fees and Insurance appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: House, Knappa, Oregon. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair. People’s negative assessments of the economy continue to be somewhat of a mystery. The recent run-up in gas prices and inflation more generally is unambiguously bad news, but is this the worst economy ever, as some of the consumer confidence measures have been showing recently? Real income for those at the middle and bottom has generally been rising by standard measures, so it seems that we’re missing something, and I’m not sure any of us have figured out what. My friend, Jared Bernstein, argues that a big part of the story is that consumers are unhappy not just because of inflation, but because prices are high. Implicitly, they expect them to come down and are unhappy that they don’t. I’m not entirely happy with this story, primarily because I remember the 1980s. Back then we had a big surge in inflation in the 1970s, which was brought down by a severe recession (actually two recessions) from 1980 to 1982. But prices never actually fell; we just got the rate of inflation down from peaks of more than 10% to around 3-4%. And most people seemed happy, or at least they told survey takers they were happy. I will come back to this issue. I think there might be something to the prices are high complaint, but maybe in a somewhat different way than Jared has laid out. I do think we need to consider the possibility that people don’t see inflation in the same way economists measure it. I’ll address two areas where I think the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Personal Consumption Expenditure Deflator (PCE) may miss part of the story. Then I will talk a bit more generally about how we measure inflation versus how it might be perceived by consumers. Fees Charged to Renters The Guardian had a great investigative piece this week, by Tracie McMillian, about the fees charged to tenants by the real estate management company Greystar. According to the piece, Greystar tacks a wide range of fees for everything from sewage and trash pickup t…

Abe Lincoln’s Reflecting Pool: A Republican Allegory
type: item
creator: Greg Moses
date: 2026-07-02T05:52:44Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: abe
subject: allegory
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Leading Article
subject: lincolns
subject: pool’
subject: reflecting
subject: republican
subject: sources
description: Sunlight splashed colors from the twin fountains of the Rainbow Pool. Lincoln recalled how the rainbows looked before the waterworks were split apart and surrounded by pillars with their glints of grey that glanced back at him from Kershaw granite, hewn and hauled in from the South Carolina underground. He kept his mind on the math. Add 400,000 American casualties of World War II to 600,000 casualties of the Civil War, and you get a cost of one million American souls. More The post Abe Lincoln’s Reflecting Pool: A Republican Allegory appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Statue of Lincoln, Indianapolis. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair. A half score and one year ago, the white marble eyes of Abraham Lincoln gazed eastward across the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, overlooking the collateral damage caused to the pool by the heavy construction of the World War II Memorial. Skies roiled over Washington, DC, during June 2015, one of the wettest Junes on record to date, with thunderstorms, street flooding, hail, tornadoes, and winds that toppled trees. Weathermen forecast which way the wind would blow from the remnants of Tropical Storm Bill, now moving up from Guatemala. Meanwhile, a six-day heat wave was cresting on the afternoon of the 16th, the hottest day of the year to date, during the sixth consecutive year that June temperatures trended above normal. Even the Washington Post reported blazing sun at high noon. Abe’s eyes looked straight through the curved thickness of the WWII Memorial’s Freedom Wall to the side where 4,048 gold-plated stars commemorated American casualties. His eyes then traced with studied regard the elliptical path of the bronze Rope of Unity that bound together 56 pillars representing each of the states and territories that had joined the fight, together. Sunlight splashed colors from the twin fountains of the Rainbow Pool. Lincoln recalled how the rainbows looked before the waterworks were split apart and surrounded by pillars with their glints of grey that glanced back at him from Kershaw granite, hewn and hauled in from the South Carolina underground. He kept his mind on the math. Add 400,000 American casualties of World War II to 600,000 casualties of the Civil War, and you get a cost of one million American souls. Lincoln’s republican soul uplifted itself to the memory of Cato’s final hour as dramatized on stage by Addison’s famous play. The ancient senator, with book and sword in hand, drew inspiration from Plato’s reasoning as he turned the sword on himself rather than surrender to Caesar’s dictatorship. A so…

Adding to Failure: Amending Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban
type: item
creator: Binoy Kampmark
date: 2026-07-02T05:50:12Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: adding
subject: amending
subject: articles 2015
subject: australia’s
subject: ban
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Culture
subject: failure
subject: Media
subject: social
subject: sources
subject: under16
description: When something is not working, abandon it. The policymaker and politician, the latter often inclined to populist temptation and the endless tapping for votes, will decide to make a state of wrongheadedness even worse. T [ . . . ] The post Adding to Failure: Amending Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Still from Poltergeist. When something is not working, abandon it. The policymaker and politician, the latter often inclined to populist temptation and the endless tapping for votes, will decide to make a state of wrongheadedness even worse. The evidence is starting to grow that Australia’s daft delving into the world of regulating a child’s access to social media (the arbitrary limit when social media virginity is shed is 16 years) is falling flat. Here, we have the continued, easy target that keeps nourishing the blundering, self-pleasuring prefects in Canberra: irresponsible companies with their social media platforms luring children into a cyberworld of harmful content and damaging consequences. We also have the object of holy salvation: children untouched by the world. Punish the social media platform (though in small spanks rather than vigorous lashings) or at the very least, convince them to place age-set limits to accounts; spare the unfortunate, ignorant child supposedly incapable of navigating technology they can master in a fraction of the time their parents can. The process leading to the passing of the legislation was, it should be remembered, also suspect. With parental certitude and forced caring, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke of saving childhood before the ravaging predations of Silicon Valley. Miraculously, children would cease being screen gorgers and become fit-as-fiddle athletes, climb trees or play the tuba. The underlying, somewhat sinister message was that of a moral panic taking hold. And where such panic exercises itself, the urges to control, monitor and police tend to follow with molesting predictability. The children become a pretext and, if anything, ought to be ignored. Hence the conspicuous absence of extensive consultation with youth or their involvement prior to the drafting process. The resulting Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 (Cth) is not sailing well. It was the subject of a recent analysis in …

Mail Voting Proposal: Make an Example of Steiner
type: item
creator: Thomas Knapp
date: 2026-07-02T05:49:36Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: example
subject: mail
subject: make
subject: Politics
subject: proposal
subject: sources
subject: steiner
subject: voting
description: On June 2, the US Postal Service proposed a new rule in the Federal Register on standards for handling of mail ballots, with public comment open through July 2. That rule was issued pursuant to an executive order by US president Donald Trump. While the proposal unambiguously claims that “states would retain full control over More The post Mail Voting Proposal: Make an Example of Steiner appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Ballot drop box, Portland, Oregon. Photo: Motoya Nakamura, Multnomah County Elections Division. On June 2, the US Postal Service proposed a new rule in the Federal Register on standards for handling of mail ballots, with public comment open through July 2. That rule was issued pursuant to an executive order by US president Donald Trump. While the proposal unambiguously claims that “states would retain full control over who would (or would not) be able to vote by mail in federal election,” US Postmaster General David Steiner, told Congress that in actuality, the organization he runs would refuse to deliver ballots in states which don’t turn over voter data to the federal government. While a federal judge has already nixed the scheme, it will probably end up working its way to the US Supreme Court. Even if more courts, possibly including SCOTUS, act to prevent the US Snail from seizing control of elections, it seems to me that the message — “don’t mess with our votes” — isn’t really getting through to the US government. Examples need to be made, and I think there’s a way to make one: A federal grand jury. While the usual perception of grand juries is that they indict only those whose indictments are sought by prosecutors — who, in the old saying, “could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich” — there’s nothing to PREVENT such a jury from handing down indictments against whomever, for whatever, they want. What we need is a grand jury whose members are willing to get together, talk things over, and charge David Steiner and his underlings, per Title 18, Section § 371 of the US Code, with the federal crime of “conspiracy.” What did Steiner and those who helped him craft and promulgate the rule conspire to do? They conspired to — and have publicly confessed to conspiring to — violate Title 18, Section §1703: “Whoever, being a Postal Service officer or employee, unlawfully secretes, destroys, detains, delays, or opens any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail … shal…

Adding Fuel to the Fire: The Forest Service’s Fuel Reduction Strategy
type: item
creator: Dr. Brian Moench
date: 2026-07-02T05:45:55Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: adding
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: environment
subject: Fire
subject: forest
subject: fuelto
subject: reduction
subject: servicesfuel
subject: sources
subject: strategy
subject: the
description: Most of the West’s perennial wildfire plague is due to human stupidity. But it’s not just the careless people who start the fires, it’s also all the people that voted for politicians who ignored the climate crisis or called it a hoax. The primary risk factor for increased wildfire vulnerability is hotter, drier forests. Were it not More The post Adding Fuel to the Fire: The Forest Service’s Fuel Reduction Strategy appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Logging on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair. Most of the West’s perennial wildfire plague is due to human stupidity. But it’s not just the careless people who start the fires, it’s also all the people that voted for politicians who ignored the climate crisis or called it a hoax. The primary risk factor for increased wildfire vulnerability is hotter, drier forests. Were it not for major election interference by Jeb Bush, and a nakedly partisan Supreme Court, we would have had Al Gore as President, and America might have led the world away from a suicidal leap off the cliff of climate disaster. But at least we were saved from having a “wooden personality” in the White House. Instead, 26 years later, chasing America’s bumbling descent into psychotic irrationality, much of the world has also thrown in the towel on preserving an inhabitable climate. We have a President who is so malevolently abusive to the environment he is grabbing the planet by the pussy, spending billions bribing companies to sabotage clean energy. But as long as we have all paid dearly for front row seats to this UFCSC (Ultimate Fighting Climate Stupidity Championships) cage match, let’s take a look at another contender, the US Forest Service. For decades the agency has peddled a fairy tale that Western forests are morbidly dense and unhealthy because they have put out too many fires over the last 90 years, and that’s why we have so many, massive forest fires. Solution? 1.“Fuels reduction treatments” and 2. “Prescribed burns.” The euphemisms are deliberately crafted to make you think our forests are sick, and the Forest Service “doctor” will make house calls to do forest CPR. And for good measure, this medicine will also protect your home in the forest. This is wildfire management malpractice. Yes, the agency has a lot of “in-house” research to support their claim. But the agency lives, eats, and breathes conflict of interest. The agency operates under the umbrella of the…

The American Way of War, War, War
type: item
creator: Tom Engelhardt
date: 2026-07-02T05:44:38Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: american
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: war
subject: way
description: That title of mine is certainly repetitive of me (me, me), but how can you not be repetitive in the distinctly repeated world of Donald J. Trump (Trumped, Trumped)? I mean, twice already and who really knows what’s to come? Here’s the question nobody seems to be asking right now, though: What country will Donald More The post The American Way of War, War, War appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Image by khalid kwaik. That title of mine is certainly repetitive of me (me, me), but how can you not be repetitive in the distinctly repeated world of Donald J. Trump (Trumped, Trumped)? I mean, twice already and who really knows what’s to come? Here’s the question nobody seems to be asking right now, though: What country will Donald Trump attack next? Yes, at the moment, he’s still wildly wound up in his Iran war/truce/peace/or you name it (tomorrow). Yesterday, it was, of course, Venezuela, and next week it might be Cuba or Greenland, or who on (or off) this planet knows where? And I haven’t even mentioned his military’s ongoing bombing runs in Somalia, which are barely noticed in the mainstream media here. And who knows what I’ve forgotten or what to expect in this increasingly bizarre world of ours from the president who swore repeatedly in his third election campaign that he would never, never, never go to… yes, of course, war? Hey, only the other day, Secretary of War (a title which, of course, couldn’t be blunter in the age of You Know Who) Pete Hegseth warned that “what happens with the future of Cuba is in the hands of the president of the United States and the leadership of Cuba. No matter what, the Department of War is going to be prepared and postured for any possible contingency.” Ah, yes, any possible contingency except one, of course: victory (which, since the Second World War, just hasn’t been in the American vocabulary) or, for that matter, peace. I mean what could possibly go wrong in a world that now, remarkably enough, has its first trillionaire, Donald Trump’s (sometimes) buddy Elon Musk? (On that, Senator Elizabeth Warren commented all too aptly: “I want to be clear: This is not just some fluke. It is a feature of a rigged economy.”) What, in fact, could possibly go wrong on such a rigged planet? I’m sure Donald Trump and Elon Musk couldn’t imagine. What could go wrong on a world in which no American president ever seems to realize that wars a…

Scientist’s Warnings Against Radiation
type: item
creator: John Laforge
date: 2026-07-02T05:18:11Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: against
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: radiation
subject: scientists
subject: sources
subject: warnings
description: Cindy Folkers and Ian Fairlie have written an essential book. The Scientists Who Alerted Us to the Dangers of Radiation presents the findings of 39 scientists who studied and raised alarms over the health effects of radiation exposure and who consequently suffered severe blowback from universities, government and industry. The scientists proved that radiation risks More The post Scientist’s Warnings Against Radiation appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Cindy Folkers and Ian Fairlie have written an essential book. The Scientists Who Alerted Us to the Dangers of Radiation presents the findings of 39 scientists who studied and raised alarms over the health effects of radiation exposure and who consequently suffered severe blowback from universities, government and industry. The scientists proved that radiation risks have “consistently been underestimated” for decades. Their findings angered both nuclear profiteers and research grant authorities. From Linus Pauling, Alice Stewart, John Gofman, Karl Morgan and Ernest Sternglass, to Rosalie Bertell, Jay Gould, Steve Wing, Tim Mousseau, Kate Brown and Thomas Mancuso; authoritative scientific warnings have consistently found that official radiation exposure limits are grossly inadequate, dangerously unprotective, and help facilitate the plague of cancer and cancer deaths around the world. The authors report, “[R]ecent epidemiology findings indicate that these radiation scientists were correct … but by larger margins than we had thought. For example, increased radiogenic risks are routinely ignored, the protections of children and women are not addressed, large dose/risk uncertainties are passed by, internal radiation exposures remain largely unexamined, cardiovascular risks ignored, and the hazards of common radionuclides are systematically minimized.” Nine of the radiation scientists profiled in the book “observed increased incidences of childhood leukemias and solid cancers near U.S. nuclear facilities,” they note. For example, Dr. Jay M. “Gould often found that cancer and infant mortality rates climbed when reactors were activated, then began to drop when they were closed, a phenomenon he attributed to exposure to small but chronic exposures to radiation from their radioactive releases.” “Indeed,” the authors report, “a strong pattern of epidemiological evidence indicates increased leukemia and solid cancer risks near all reactors world-wide, not just those in the U.S.…

America Creates the Displacement It Then Punishes
type: item
creator: Brian Hudson
date: 2026-07-02T05:11:56Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: america
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: creates
subject: displacement
subject: punishes
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: then
description: Republican immigration policy turns people fleeing a global order shaped in part by U.S. power into culprits—and then asks them to bear the costs of a disorder they did not create. When the Supreme Court on June 25 cleared the way for the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for more than 350,000 Haitians More The post America Creates the Displacement It Then Punishes appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Republican immigration policy turns people fleeing a global order shaped in part by U.S. power into culprits—and then asks them to bear the costs of a disorder they did not create. When the Supreme Court on June 25 cleared the way for the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for more than 350,000 Haitians and roughly 6,100 Syrians, it treated the matter as a question of executive authority. Yet the same government warns Americans not to travel to Haiti or Syria because of kidnapping, violence, terrorism, armed conflict, and collapsed security. It can acknowledge danger when those at risk carry U.S. passports, then allow the protection shielding Haitian and Syrian families who have built lives in the United States to be withdrawn, leaving many vulnerable to removal into that danger. That is not a technical inconsistency. It reveals the governing logic of the Republican immigration agenda. America helps produce or deepen instability abroad, then criminalizes, detains, and expels many of the people who flee its consequences. The border is where this contradiction becomes visible, but it is not where it begins. No honest argument should claim that the United States causes every migrant’s journey. Haiti’s crisis has Haitian causes. Syria’s catastrophe has Syrian, regional, and international causes. Corrupt elites, armed groups, authoritarian governments, and local political failure matter. But those facts do not absolve Washington. A country that exercises military power, uses sanctions and financial leverage, and helped build a carbon-intensive global economy cannot pretend that displacement begins only when someone reaches the Rio Grande. The Republican story begins too late. It sees the migrant in a detention cell, at a checkpoint, or before an immigration judge. It does not see the family calculating whether its children can survive another year; the worker pushed out by economic collapse; or the community uprooted by violence, climate shocks, and f…

North Korea’s Dark Cities Are Lighting Up: Here’s Why
type: item
creator: Radio Free Asia
date: 2026-07-02T05:08:01Z
subject: Radio Free Asia
subject: Sources
subject: are
subject: asia
subject: Cities
subject: dark
subject: free
subject: here8217s
subject: korea8217s
subject: lighting
subject: north
subject: radio
subject: sources
subject: why
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.

100,000 Dead: Myanmar, 5 Years After the Coup
type: item
creator: Radio Free Asia
date: 2026-07-02T00:57:00Z
subject: Radio Free Asia
subject: Sources
subject: 100,000
subject: after
subject: asia
subject: Coup
subject: dead
subject: free
subject: myanmar
subject: radio
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: years
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.

AI, Automation & "Reverse Centaurs"
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-02T00:00:21Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: automation
subject: centaurs
subject: Democracy
subject: now
subject: reverse
subject: sources
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Board votes to affirm CPJ’s existing definition of who is a journalist
type: item
creator: Committee to Protect Journalists
date: 2026-07-01T21:57:39Z
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: CPJ Board
subject: Jacob Weisberg
subject: journalist definition
subject: Sources
subject: affirm
subject: board
subject: committee
subject: cpj
subject: cpj’s
subject: definition
subject: existing
subject: jacob
subject: journalist
subject: Journalists
subject: protect
subject: sources
subject: votes
subject: weisberg
subject: who
description: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) board of directors voted on Wednesday to affirm the organization’s existing definition of who is a journalist and rejected claims it planned to change its definition to exclude particular groups. “CPJ frequently considers its definition of a journalist, including a review that took place in 2025 led by CPJ...
encoded: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) board of directors voted on Wednesday to affirm the organization’s existing definition of who is a journalist and rejected claims it planned to change its definition to exclude particular groups. “CPJ frequently considers its definition of a journalist, including a review that took place in 2025 led by CPJ staff and the board’s Policy Task Force,” CPJ board Chair Jacob Weisberg said in a statement. “Board members asked for a vote on a plan to look again at this definition and today voted to affirm the existing definition.” CPJ defines journalists as people who regularly cover news or comment on public affairs through any medium to report or share fact-based information with an audience. CPJ’s longstanding policy has been to include journalists working for state-backed media and those working with media organizations affiliated with militant groups provided they are not engaging in combat or inciting violence in a manner likely to have imminent effect. This approach is anchored in international humanitarian law. CPJ has never included, and removes from its lists, anyone found to be engaging in combat or inciting imminent violence. “It is not true that CPJ planned to change our definition of who is a journalist to exclude slain Palestinian and Lebanese press killed in the Israel-Gaza war. Such unsubstantiated allegations undermine the rigorous documentation of our Middle East and North Africa program over many years, while endangering Palestinian and Lebanese journalists documenting events on the ground today,” Weisberg said. “The board stands fully with the staff of CPJ, whose difficult daily work of documenting attacks on journalists is today more important than ever, and with all journalists wrongly smeared and maligned for doing their jobs.” This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

Board votes to affirm CPJ’s existing definition of who is a journalist
type: item
creator: Committee to Protect Journalists
date: 2026-07-01T21:57:39Z
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: CPJ Board
subject: Jacob Weisberg
subject: journalist definition
subject: Sources
subject: affirm
subject: board
subject: committee
subject: cpj
subject: cpj’s
subject: definition
subject: existing
subject: jacob
subject: journalist
subject: Journalists
subject: protect
subject: sources
subject: votes
subject: weisberg
subject: who
description: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) board of directors voted on Wednesday to affirm the organization’s existing definition of who is a journalist and rejected claims it planned to change its definition to exclude particular groups. “CPJ frequently considers its definition of a journalist, including a review that took place in 2025 led by CPJ...
encoded: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) board of directors voted on Wednesday to affirm the organization’s existing definition of who is a journalist and rejected claims it planned to change its definition to exclude particular groups. “CPJ frequently considers its definition of a journalist, including a review that took place in 2025 led by CPJ staff and the board’s Policy Task Force,” CPJ board Chair Jacob Weisberg said in a statement. “Board members asked for a vote on a plan to look again at this definition and today voted to affirm the existing definition.” CPJ defines journalists as people who regularly cover news or comment on public affairs through any medium to report or share fact-based information with an audience. CPJ’s longstanding policy has been to include journalists working for state-backed media and those working with media organizations affiliated with militant groups provided they are not engaging in combat or inciting violence in a manner likely to have imminent effect. This approach is anchored in international humanitarian law. CPJ has never included, and removes from its lists, anyone found to be engaging in combat or inciting imminent violence. “It is not true that CPJ planned to change our definition of who is a journalist to exclude slain Palestinian and Lebanese press killed in the Israel-Gaza war. Such unsubstantiated allegations undermine the rigorous documentation of our Middle East and North Africa program over many years, while endangering Palestinian and Lebanese journalists documenting events on the ground today,” Weisberg said. “The board stands fully with the staff of CPJ, whose difficult daily work of documenting attacks on journalists is today more important than ever, and with all journalists wrongly smeared and maligned for doing their jobs.” This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

House Republicans block vote on amendment to halt U.S.-Israeli military integration
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-01T20:02:15Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: amendment
subject: block
subject: Democracy
subject: halt
subject: house
subject: integration
subject: military
subject: now
subject: republicans
subject: sources
subject: usisraeli
subject: vote
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Ex-judge, ex-general sentenced to 5 years for spying on Chilean journalist
type: item
creator: Committee to Protect Journalists
date: 2026-07-01T18:41:14Z
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Juan Poblete
subject: Legal Action
subject: Mauricio Weibel
subject: Shafik Nazal
subject: Sources
subject: action
subject: chilean
subject: committee
subject: exgeneral
subject: exjudge
subject: for
subject: Impunity
subject: journalist
subject: Journalists
subject: juan
subject: legal
subject: maurício
subject: nazal
subject: poblete
subject: protect
subject: sentenced
subject: shafik
subject: sources
subject: spying
subject: Surveillance
subject: weibel
subject: wiretapping
subject: years
description: São Paulo, July 1, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes an unprecedented June 30 court decision that sentenced a former judge and an ex-general to five years in prison for illegally spying on independent journalist Mauricio Weibel Barahona as he was investigating corruption in the Chilean army. Weibel’s investigation, “Milicogate: The Great Theft from the...
encoded: São Paulo, July 1, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes an unprecedented June 30 court decision that sentenced a former judge and an ex-general to five years in prison for illegally spying on independent journalist Mauricio Weibel Barahona as he was investigating corruption in the Chilean army. Weibel’s investigation, “Milicogate: The Great Theft from the Copper Reserve Fund” was first published in 2015 by The Clinic newspaper. In 2016, Weibel published a book on the same matter called “Treason against Homeland.”The following year, Judge Juan Poblete and General Shafik Nazal fraudulently ordered a wiretap on Weibel, claiming his phone number belonged to a Bolivian migrant they accused of being a foreign agent. “This sets an important precedent for fighting impunity in cases involving spying on journalists — and not only in Chile,” said Cristina Zahar, CPJ Latin America program coordinator. “In the last few years, CPJ has documented illegal government spying on journalists in Mexico and El Salvador. This decision may contribute to achieving justice for them and others in similar cases across the region and globally.” The Seventh Preliminary Hearing Court of Santiago considered the Chilean government’s obligations to investigate and punish attacks against human rights defenders and journalists, rejecting arguments based on the statute of limitations that are often invoked in cases of state abuses. The sentence is final and cannot be appealed. The defendants also were stripped of their political rights for life. In an amicus curiae brief filed with the court and reviewed by CPJ, the Global Freedom of Expression initiative at Columbia University emphasized that the case was part of a regional and international context that was “troubling for freedom of expression” due to the illegitimate use of surveillance technologies to monitor the work and private conversations of journalists. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was…

A groundbreaking reparations program in Illinois
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-01T18:30:13Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: Democracy
subject: groundbreaking
subject: illinois
subject: now
subject: program
subject: reparations
subject: sources
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Toxic Avengers: America’s poisoned and abandoned communities must stand together or die
type: item
creator: Maximillian Alvarez
date: 2026-07-01T18:25:28Z
subject: AI
subject: East palestine
subject: Economy and Inequality
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Sacrifice Zones
subject: Sources
subject: Working People
subject: ‘stand
subject: ‘toxic
subject: abandoned
subject: america’s
subject: and
subject: avengers!
subject: communities
subject: die,
subject: east
subject: economy
subject: inequality
subject: movements
subject: must
subject: Palestine
subject: People
subject: podcast
subject: poisoned
subject: Politics
subject: sacrifice
subject: sources
subject: together
subject: working?
subject: zones’
description: <img width="1024" height="768" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2265328898-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="In an aerial view, Marathon Petroleum Corp's Los Angeles Refinery, one of the largest oil refineries in the North America, operates as gas prices rocket upward due to worldwide oil supply disruptions caused by the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran, on March 10, 2026 in Carson, California. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images" data-attachment-id="344687" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/toxic-avengers-americas-poisoned-and-abandoned-communities-must-stand-together-or-die/gettyimages-2265328898" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2265328898-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1919&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1919" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="GettyImages-2265328898" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" In an aerial view, Marathon Petroleum Corp&#8217;s Los Angeles Refinery, one of the largest oil refineries in the North America, operates as gas prices rocket upward due to worldwide oil supply disruptions caused by the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran, on March 10, 2026 in Carson, California. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2265328898-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C585&ssl=1"> From AI data centers to toxic industrial disasters, the USA has become a deregulated, corporate captured “sacrifice zone.” Now, a history-changing coalition of chemically impacted communities, workers, whistleblowers, and others is rising to fight back.
encoded: <img width="1024" height="768" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2265328898-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="In an aerial view, Marathon Petroleum Corp's Los Angeles Refinery, one of the largest oil refineries in the North America, operates as gas prices rocket upward due to worldwide oil supply disruptions caused by the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran, on March 10, 2026 in Carson, California. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2265328898-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2265328898-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2265328898-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2265328898-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2265328898-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2265328898-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2265328898-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2265328898-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2265328898-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2265328898-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2265328898-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/…

The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 1, 2026
type: item
creator: KPFA
date: 2026-07-01T18:00:00Z
subject: Pacifica Evening News
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: evening
subject: july
subject: News
subject: pacifica
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: weekdays
description: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 1, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
encoded: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – July 1, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.

Urban trees aren’t just nice, scientists say — they’re mandatory
type: item
creator: Matt Simon
date: 2026-07-01T18:00:00Z
subject: Grist
subject: Sources
subject: aren’t
subject: Cities
subject: extreme heat
subject: just
subject: mandatory
subject: nice
subject: say
subject: scientists
subject: solutions
subject: sources
subject: they’re
subject: trees
subject: urban
description: Researchers are calling for cities to double down on one of the simplest yet most powerful solutions to many problems.
encoded: They tower overhead and sway in the wind and often teem with squawking birds, yet trees are easy to ignore. Urbanites rush by them without noticing, and without appreciating all the work they do: Trees reduce temperatures, mitigate flooding, and provide habitat for animals. City leaders are no exception to this oversight. As mayors around the world pledge to reduce municipal greenhouse gas emissions, they’re missing the literal low-hanging fruit of bolstering urban forests, dozens of scientists argue in a new essay. “We have to elevate it from something that is nice to have, to something that we require — like, mandatory,” said Manuel Esperon-Rodriguez, an ecologist at Bangor University in the United Kingdom and lead author of the piece, publishing today in the journal PLOS Climate. “In the same way that we treat education, security, transportation, it has to be elevated to that level.” What makes urban forestry so important? For one, trees significantly cool the concrete jungle, by providing shade and releasing water vapor to “sweat.” Patches of greenery also allow stormwater to soak into the ground instead of pooling and flooding — that investment alone will spare cities from economic damages as a warming atmosphere makes rain fall harder. Spending time in parks also boosts mental health, while urban farms produce nutritious food and create jobs. Planting trees, especially native species, also provides shelter and food for fauna. At the same time, vegetation absorbs pollutants, improving air quality for everyone. These scientists have laid out a four-point approach to funding, raising, and maintaining urban forests. This, by the way, includes individual trees on sidewalks, parks, and woodlands in cities. But it’s really about all the vegetation — not just trees but shrubs as well — within the city limits, whether that’s in someone’s backyard or growing in a street median. The first hurdle is investing in this stuff. Urban forestry isn’t just about buying a bunch o…

Trump EPA Approves Its Fifth ‘Forever Chemical’ Pesticide
type: item
creator: Newswire Editor
date: 2026-07-01T17:10:36Z
subject: Common Dreams
subject: Sources
subject: ‘forever
subject: approves
subject: chemical
subject: common
subject: dreams
subject: epa
subject: fifth
subject: it’s
subject: pesticide
subject: sources
subject: trump
description: The Environmental Protection Agency has approved the highly persistent pesticide trifludimoxazin for use on wheat, oats, oranges, apples and almonds. The pesticide is a “forever chemical” — often called PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl subs...
encoded: The Environmental Protection Agency has approved the highly persistent pesticide trifludimoxazin for use on wheat, oats, oranges, apples and almonds. The pesticide is a “forever chemical” — often called PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. “This is the PFAS presidency brought to you by Donald Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin,” said Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Waiting to open the floodgates on new pesticide approvals until after the Supreme Court granted immunity to pesticide companies takes a special kind of callousness.” The approval late Tuesday marked the third new forever chemical pesticide approved in a single day by the Trump administration. Diflufenican and epyrifenacil were also approved Tuesday. Often the EPA will accompany new pesticide approvals with a press release to alert the public, however the agency has done nothing to announce these approvals other than quietly post approval documents on regulations.gov. This is the fifth PFAS pesticide approval under Trump in less than two years in office. The previous two PFAS pesticide approvals were cyclobutrifluram and isocycloseram. The Biden administration approved one PFAS pesticide in the prior four years. A 2024 report from researchers at the Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental Working Group and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility found that forever chemicals are increasingly being added to U.S. pesticide products, contaminating waterways and posing potential threats to human health. In addition to the three new PFAS pesticides approved Tuesday, the EPA also approved new uses of the PFAS pesticide bifenthrin, the first food use of chlormequat, and the non-PFAS, fluorinated pesticide fluoxapiprolin. While some PFAS differ in their toxicities, potential to accumulate in the body, and potential to pollute water, all PFAS are highly persistent and have chemical bonds that will essentially never …

More Iranian Women Are Ditching The Hijab #shorts
type: item
creator: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
date: 2026-07-01T17:05:53Z
subject: Radio Free Europe/RL
subject: Sources
subject: #shorts
subject: are
subject: ditching
subject: europerl
subject: free
subject: hijab
subject: iranian
subject: more
subject: radio
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: women
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

CORO ACARDENCHADO • en vivo en Mexico City (DF, 2026)
type: item
creator: Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes
date: 2026-07-01T17:00:05Z
subject: Petites Planètes
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: acardenchado
subject: city
subject: coro
subject: mexico
subject: petites
subject: planètes
subject: sources
subject: vivo
description: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.

Colombian election a ‘win’ for US military control of Americas
type: item
creator: The Grayzone
date: 2026-07-01T16:56:02Z
subject: Sources
subject: 8216win8217
subject: america’s
subject: colombian
subject: control
subject: election
subject: for
subject: military
subject: sources
description: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.

US Dept of War uses Venezuela’s earthquake to deepen infiltration
type: item
creator: The Grayzone
date: 2026-07-01T16:52:51Z
subject: Sources
subject: deepen
subject: dept
subject: earthquake
subject: infiltration
subject: sources
subject: uses
subject: venezuela8217s
subject: war
description: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.

Lebanese authorities green-light Israeli occupation
type: item
creator: The Grayzone
date: 2026-07-01T16:50:55Z
subject: Sources
subject: authorities
subject: greenlight
subject: israeli
subject: lebanese
subject: Occupation
subject: sources
description: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.

Anti-AIPAC wins trigger unhinged pro-Israel meltdown
type: item
creator: The Grayzone
date: 2026-07-01T16:48:57Z
subject: Sources
subject: ‘meltdown
subject: antiaipac
subject: proisrael
subject: sources
subject: trigger
subject: unhinged
subject: wins
description: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.

UN News Today 01 July 2026
type: item
creator: Daniel Johnson
date: 2026-07-01T15:54:21Z
subject: Podcasts/UN News Today
subject: Sources
subject: UN News
subject: 2026
subject: july
subject: News
subject: podcastsun
subject: sources
subject: today
description: Venezuela quake latest: needs skyrocketing, say aid agenciesSudan alert as paramilitary forces approach key Kordofan town El Obeid AI regulation window is closing fast, warns UN scientific panel
encoded: Venezuela quake latest: needs skyrocketing, say aid agenciesSudan alert as paramilitary forces approach key Kordofan town El Obeid AI regulation window is closing fast, warns UN scientific panel This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Daniel Johnson.

Governments Are Spending $1.1 Trillion Propping Up the Fossil Fuel Industry While Households Pay the Price
type: item
creator: Newswire Editor
date: 2026-07-01T15:34:41Z
subject: Common Dreams
subject: Sources
subject: are
subject: common
subject: dreams
subject: fossil
subject: fuel
subject: governments
subject: households
subject: Industry
subject: pay
subject: price
subject: propping
subject: sources
subject: spending
subject: the
subject: trillion
subject: while
description: As 350.org, Fuel Poverty Action and coalition partners today demonstrate against rising energy prices outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, a new report from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) lays bare the true scale of the fossil...
encoded: As 350.org, Fuel Poverty Action and coalition partners today demonstrate against rising energy prices outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, a new report from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) lays bare the true scale of the fossil fuel subsidy crisis: governments worldwide are on course to spend $1.1 trillion propping up the fossil fuel industry in 2026, a figure that could rise to $1.43 trillion if oil prices reach $110 a barrel. The UNDP report, <a href="https://email.cisionone.cision.com/c/eJw0z0mO2zAQheHTSLsySIrmsNCiN75Gg0PRJsJBYVEWcvvAQXr7AQ94f9yFCZKtuHNthOVWCba-du0NZxvjW9DORO2VCVFGy-7GCJ9Qr3lXTt437u-JGYbfnEcfmOTMartIRjnir_wbqssFB4FSWlkfYNqnDrePrmV_zXnQsn0t4rGIx3Vdt7PF49bHcxGPYyARDCzoCGkRj5pjLAjoaELoLZUcJiRXSj8nHCe9kCD0s82RkWD2y40IJ3GYI5eSe4PUiXKBdGIBOj3l-Ad8LgUuNxrB2SDiG0s_KrYJx-jP4WrFtWLM7ucK5Lj_g-__sGxfG2dayXXsDS9aJAu91t7iQFfpk7PSHIj1M9UqcbHZBNJwBvKOCFY5AdxHi8onEySu7138DQAA__8qsoby" rel="noopener noreferrer" >Military Escalation in the Middle East: Cushioning the Global Shock, finds that governments have responded to conflict-driven oil price spikes by expanding fossil fuel subsidies, price caps and tax rebates. While these measures offer short-term relief, they are consuming public budgets that should be building schools, hospitals and clean energy infrastructure. Many developing countries entered the latest crisis already burdened by rising debt, and fossil fuel handouts to keep prices artificially low are depleting public budgets and increasing their risk of debt distress. Anne Jellema, Executive Director of 350.org, said: "The $1.1 trillion that governments are pouring into fossil fuel subsidies this year is not a safety net, it is a ransom payment. Every dollar spent shielding the fossil fuel industry from the consequences of its own price volatility is a dollar not spent on the clean energy systems that can bring costs down for good. We need a phase out to end public subsidies for fossil fuel companies, and a permanent windfall tax…

Reparations Efforts “Sweeping the Country” Despite DOJ Attack on Evanston, IL Groundbreaking Program
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-01T15:23:43Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: attack
subject: country
subject: Democracy
subject: despite
subject: doj
subject: efforts
subject: evanston
subject: groundbreaking
subject: now
subject: program
subject: reparations
subject: sources
subject: sweeping
subject: the
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Supreme Court Approves Mail-In Voting, But Trump Keeps Pushing Extremist SAVE Act Ahead of Midterms
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-01T15:17:53Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: ‘extremist’
subject: ACT
subject: ahead
subject: approves
subject: but
subject: court
subject: Democracy
subject: keeps
subject: mailin
subject: midterms
subject: now
subject: pushing
subject: save
subject: sources
subject: supreme
subject: trump
subject: voting
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

“We Continue to Fight”: Chase Strangio on the Supreme Court’s Ban on Trans Girls & Women in Sports
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-01T14:57:47Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: ban
subject: chase
subject: continue
subject: courts
subject: Democracy
subject: fight
subject: girls
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: Sports
subject: strangio
subject: supreme
subject: the
subject: trans
subject: women
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

"America Is a Multiracial Democracy": Supreme Court Denies Trump’s Bid to End Birthright Citizenship
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-01T14:53:55Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: america
subject: bid
subject: birthright
subject: Citizenship
subject: court
subject: Democracy
subject: denies
subject: end
subject: multiracial
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: supreme
subject: trump8217s
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

A Cruel Rule: Work or Lose Benefits
type: item
creator: Mike Ervin
date: 2026-07-01T14:49:34Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Progressive
subject: Benefits
subject: cruel
subject: lose
subject: progressive
subject: rule
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: work
description: The apparent goal is to keep as many people as possible from getting the help they need.
encoded: The apparent goal is to keep as many people as possible from getting the help they need. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Mike Ervin.

Yati Narsinghanand’s aide Anil Yadav calls for ‘annihilation’ of Muslims at Mahapanchayat
type: item
creator: Oishani Bhattacharya
date: 2026-07-01T14:42:19Z
subject: Alt News
subject: Sources
subject: aide
subject: alt
subject: anil
subject: annihilation’
subject: calls
subject: for
subject: mahapanchayat
subject: muslims
subject: narsinghanands
subject: News
subject: Politics
subject: sources
subject: yadav
subject: yati
description: At the ‘Hindu Mahapanchayat’ organised by Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, the 62-year-old head priest of the Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, his right-hand man Anil Yadav, also known as ‘Chote Narsinghanand’, openly called for the “annihilation” of the Muslim community, suggesting that to bring an end to Islam, a ‘sanghar’ (translating to annihilation) needs […]
encoded: At the ‘Hindu Mahapanchayat’ organised by Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, the 62-year-old head priest of the Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, his right-hand man Anil Yadav, also known as ‘Chote Narsinghanand’, openly called for the “annihilation” of the Muslim community, suggesting that to bring an end to Islam, a ‘sanghar’ (translating to annihilation) needs to be carried out (at 3:41-minute mark). In a video released three days earlier on June 18, Narsinghanand alleged that two ‘Madanis’ (prominent Muslim clerics) of Deoband and a Samajwadi Party MP were openly preaching ‘jihad’ and ‘ghazwa-e-hind’ — a term invoked by far-Right groups to suggest an Islamic conspiracy to radicalise the nation. At the Mahapanchayat held at the temple premises, he called on Hindus to “stand up for themselves” against what he described as an imminent threat from Muslims. He stated that the purpose of the Mahapanchayat was to decide the community’s course of action to protect their families and children. When Alt News asked the assistant commissioner of police of Wave City, Priyashri Pal, if any complaints had been registered against any of the speakers at the Mahapanchayat, she said that no complaints had been filed so far (as of June 30), however, cases of objectionable speech have previously been registered against both Narsinghanand and Yadav. From the outset of his June 21 speech, Yadav reaffirmed his unconditional support for the head priest and the beliefs he espouses. “I am merely guruji’s shadow. His beliefs are my beliefs,” he said. He goes on to claim that Hindus are being killed, and to fight it, the only solution is to procreate more so as to build more strength in the Hindu community. To support his claims, Yadav cited the “example” of the Surya Pratap Chauhan stabbing case. A 17-year-old boy, Surya Pratap, was allegedly stabbed to death by his neighbour Asad and his aides, on May 28 in Ghaziabad’s Khoda. Five days later, on June 3, Asad was killed in a police…

Sudan: Crimes Against Humanity in North Darfur | Amnesty International Investigation
type: item
creator: Amnesty International
date: 2026-07-01T14:42:16Z
subject: Amnesty International
subject: Sources
subject: against
subject: amnesty
subject: crimes
subject: darfur
subject: humanity
subject: International
subject: Investigation
subject: north
subject: sources
subject: sudan
description: This content originally appeared on Amnesty International and was authored by Amnesty International.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Amnesty International and was authored by Amnesty International.

How to Win the Fight Against Ebola
type: item
creator: Marc Rosenthal
date: 2026-07-01T14:41:12Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Progressive
subject: against
subject: ebola
subject: fight
subject: how
subject: progressive
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: win,
description: Ebola response must be about care and not just containment.
encoded: Ebola response must be about care and not just containment. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Marc Rosenthal.

Top U.S. & World Headlines — July 1, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-01T14:34:52Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: headlines
subject: july
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: top
subject: World
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Eggs off the plate? The science behind the mid-day meal debate
type: item
creator: Amarabati Bhattacharyya
date: 2026-07-01T12:59:32Z
subject: Alt News
subject: Sources
subject: alt
subject: behind
subject: debate
subject: eggs,
subject: meal
subject: midday
subject: News
subject: off
subject: plate
subject: Politics
subject: Science
subject: sources
subject: the
description: Days after the West Bengal government announced that ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) would take over the mid-day meal programme in schools in Kolkata, the organization’s former vice-president and spokesperson Radharamn Das expressed his gratitude to the newly-elected BJP government and announced that paneer, rajma, soya, pulses and other vegetarian foods would be served […]
encoded: Days after the West Bengal government announced that ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) would take over the mid-day meal programme in schools in Kolkata, the organization’s former vice-president and spokesperson Radharamn Das expressed his gratitude to the newly-elected BJP government and announced that paneer, rajma, soya, pulses and other vegetarian foods would be served to the children instead of eggs. This immediately sparked a debate over nutrition and children’s growth, on social media and off it. Addressing those questions, Das spoke to ANI to allay apprehensions that a full vegetarian menu would create gaps in child nutrition. He claimed, “100 grams of egg contains 13 grams of protein. In contrast, 100 grams of soya chunks containss 52 to 54 gram of protein, which is significantly higher… Lentils, commonly consumed in vegetarian households, on average, contain 25 grams of protein…” He further said, “I was comparing protein consumption levels across Indian states with large vegetarian populations — such as Rajasthan, where 61% of people are vegetarian, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Surprisingly, protein consumption is highest in these very states. Conversely, in Bengal and the Northeastern states, where meat consumption is common, protein intake is lower… It is truly unfortunate that such misinformation is being spread..” #WATCH | Kolkata | On West Bengal mid-day meal replacing egg with paneer and soybean, ISKCON Kolkata Vice President and spokesperson Radharaman Das says, “100 grams of egg contains 13 grams of protein. In contrast, 100 grams of soya chunks contains 52 to 54 grams of protein,… pic.twitter.com/9elAAEO9qw — ANI (@ANI) June 27, 2026 “There is a common misconception that eggs are the only rich source of protein and lack a vegetarian equivalent …We have empanelled dietitians to curate our menus. We will ensure that whatever nutrients a child gets from eggs will be matched or exceeded by the superior qua…

Reparations Efforts “Sweeping the Country” Despite DOJ Attack on Evanston, IL Groundbreaking Program
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-01T12:46:14Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 8220sweeping
subject: attack
subject: country8221
subject: Democracy
subject: despite
subject: doj
subject: efforts
subject: evanston
subject: groundbreaking
subject: now
subject: program
subject: reparations
subject: sources
subject: the
description: The Department of Justice is attempting to sabotage a reparations initiative that compensates victims of historic housing discrimination in Evanston, Illinois. For decades, Black residents of Evanston were subjected to redlining and other form...
encoded: The Department of Justice is attempting to sabotage a reparations initiative that compensates victims of historic housing discrimination in Evanston, Illinois. For decades, Black residents of Evanston were subjected to redlining and other forms of housing discrimination, which prevented them from obtaining bank loans to purchase property. “Throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century, housing has been the primary way that families have built wealth, and we are in a country where there is 10 times as much wealth in the white community as there is in the Black community. … [T]hat gap is a result, primarily, of this type of dispossession on the grounds of housing,” explains Howard University law professor Justin Hansford. Evanston’s reparations program, funded through donations and a local tax on recreational marijuana sales, grants Black residents and their descendants up to $25,000 for property down payments, mortgages, home repairs and other related fees. It is the first of its kind in any U.S. city and seen as a model for similar initiatives across the country and the world. “The effort to bring a lawsuit to stop this particular program is meant to send a message to programs in cities and states around the country that this is something that is dangerous or illegal,” says Hansford, who is helping Evanston city officials defend their reparations program from the DOJ’s claims that its race-based criteria are unconstitutional. “We want to make sure that everyone knows that it is constitutional to pursue reparations in the United States.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Supreme Court Approves Mail-In Voting, But Trump Keeps Pushing Extremist SAVE Act Ahead of Midterms
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-01T12:34:44Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: ‘extremist’
subject: ACT
subject: ahead
subject: approves
subject: but
subject: court
subject: Democracy
subject: keeps
subject: mailin
subject: midterms
subject: now
subject: pushing
subject: save
subject: sources
subject: supreme
subject: trump
subject: voting
description: President Donald Trump has received another setback in his ongoing quest to control U.S. elections. In a 5-4 split, the Supreme Court ruled that mail-in ballots do not need to be received by Election Day to be counted, as long as they were pos...
encoded: President Donald Trump has received another setback in his ongoing quest to control U.S. elections. In a 5-4 split, the Supreme Court ruled that mail-in ballots do not need to be received by Election Day to be counted, as long as they were postmarked by then. Although a “rare victory for voting rights,” the conservative justices’ assertion that voting by mail is prone to fraud — a disproven theory that Trump blames his loss in the 2020 election for — is “very disturbing,” says Ari Berman, the national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones. “My fear is that this is going to embolden Republicans to double down on their efforts to try to get rid of mail voting, including the SAVE America Act, Trump’s sweeping voter suppression bill, which he seems desperate to go to any lengths to try to pass,” says Berman, who also comments on the court’s decision to strike down a federal law limiting campaign spending. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

“We Continue to Fight”: Chase Strangio on the Supreme Court’s Ban on Trans Girls & Women in Sports
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-01T12:26:34Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 8220we
subject: ban
subject: chase
subject: continue
subject: court8217s
subject: Democracy
subject: fight8221
subject: girls
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: Sports
subject: strangio
subject: supreme
subject: the
subject: trans
subject: women
description: The Supreme Court has ruled that states can prohibit transgender student athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports teams, with the court’s conservative justices finding that such bans — currently introduced in Idah...
encoded: The Supreme Court has ruled that states can prohibit transgender student athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports teams, with the court’s conservative justices finding that such bans — currently introduced in Idaho and West Virginia — do not violate the Constitution, and all nine justices agreeing that they do not violate Title IX, the federal anti-sex discrimination statute. These bans are part of an “effort that we’re seeing escalate to push trans people out of public life,” says Chase Strangio, co-director of the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project. They have the ultimate effect of “increasing the legitimacy of the Trump administration’s authority over every aspect of our bodily autonomy and everyday life.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

“America Is a Multiracial Democracy”: Supreme Court Denies Trump’s Bid to End Birthright Citizenship
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-01T12:14:36Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 8220america
subject: bid
subject: birthright
subject: Citizenship
subject: court
subject: Democracy
subject: democracy8221
subject: denies
subject: end
subject: multiracial
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: supreme
subject: trump8217s
description: “Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights — to freely participate in our political community. The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to 'every free-born person in this land.' … We keep that p...
encoded: “Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights — to freely participate in our political community. The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to 'every free-born person in this land.' … We keep that promise today.” So concludes the decision of the Supreme Court in the landmark case Trump v. Barbara, affirming the constitutional right to birthright citizenship and rejecting President Trump’s attempt to end it. Trump’s executive order had aimed to prevent babies born to undocumented immigrants and temporary foreign residents from automatically becoming American citizens. We speak to Columbia University historian of immigration Mae Ngai about the case and the white nationalist logic behind Trump’s challenge. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

The West called it terrorism – Iran called it the architecture of survival
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-01T12:06:42Z
subject: Architecture of survival
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: assassinated scientists
subject: Axis of Resistance
subject: CIA coups
subject: Forward shield
subject: Iranian oil
subject: Lim Tean
subject: Mohammad Mosaddegh
subject: Mosaic Defence
subject: Persian Gulf
subject: Sources
subject: Strategic map
subject: US Fifth Fleet
subject: Western media bias
subject: Analysis
subject: Architecture
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: assassinated
subject: Assassinations
subject: axis
subject: bias
subject: called
subject: CIA
subject: coups
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Defence
subject: Democracy
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: Featured
subject: fifth
subject: fleet
subject: forward’:
subject: Geopolitics
subject: Global
subject: gulf
subject: History
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: iran
subject: iranian
subject: Iraq
subject: Justice
subject: lim
subject: map
subject: Media
subject: Middle East
subject: military
subject: mohammad
subject: mosaddegh
subject: mosaic
subject: oil
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Palestine
subject: persian
subject: Politics
subject: qatar
subject: report
subject: Resistance
subject: scientists
subject: Security
subject: shield
subject: singapore
subject: sources
subject: strategic
subject: Survival
subject: Syndicate
subject: tean
subject: terrorism
subject: the
subject: US Military Bases
subject: west
subject: western

Headlines for July 1, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-01T12:00:00Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: for
subject: headlines
subject: july
subject: now
subject: sources
description: Satellite Images Show Over 58,000 Buildings Damaged by Venezuela Earthquakes, Iran’s Top Negotiator Rules Out High-Level Talks Until U.S. Abides by MOU, Israel’s Netanyahu Visits Troops in Southern Lebanon, Says Occupation Will Continue, 22 House Democrats Join Republicans to Defeat Lebanon War Powers Resolution, Trump’s “Board of Peace” Plans to Operate “Hamas-Free Humanitarian Zones” in Gaza, House Republicans Block Vote on Amendment to Halt U.S.-Israeli Military Integration, Supreme Court Upholds 14th Amendment’s Guarantee of Birthright Citizenship in 6-3 Ruling, SCOTUS Rules States Can Ban Trans Athletes from Women’s and Girls’ Sports, Supreme Court Strikes Down Federal Limits on Political Parties’ Campaign Spending, Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros Defeats Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado Primary Election, Over 400,000 Children Appeared in U.S. Immigration Courts Without Lawyers, Rights Groups Accuse Ghana of Complicity in Unlawful “Third Country” Deportations by U.S., South Africans March in Anti-Immigrant Protests as Vigilantes Target the Undocumented
encoded: Satellite Images Show Over 58,000 Buildings Damaged by Venezuela Earthquakes Iran's Top Negotiator Rules Out High-Level Talks Until U.S. Abides by MOU Israel's Netanyahu Visits Troops in Southern Lebanon, Says Occupation Will Continue 22 House Democrats Join Republicans to Defeat Lebanon War Powers Resolution Trump's "Board of Peace" Plans to Operate "Hamas-Free Humanitarian Zones" in Gaza House Republicans Block Vote on Amendment to Halt U.S.-Israeli Military Integration Supreme Court Upholds 14th Amendment's Guarantee of Birthright Citizenship in 6-3 Ruling SCOTUS Rules States Can Ban Trans Athletes from Women's and Girls' Sports Supreme Court Strikes Down Federal Limits on Political Parties' Campaign Spending Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros Defeats Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado Primary Election Over 400,000 Children Appeared in U.S. Immigration Courts Without Lawyers Rights Groups Accuse Ghana of Complicity in Unlawful "Third Country" Deportations by U.S. South Africans March in Anti-Immigrant Protests as Vigilantes Target the Undocumented This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Democracy Now! 2026-07-01 Wednesday
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-07-01T12:00:00Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 20260701
subject: Democracy
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: wednesday
description: Democracy Now! Wednesday, July 1, 2026
encoded: Democracy Now! Wednesday, July 1, 2026 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.

[episode cut] The Art of Difference: Disability, Neurodiversity and the ADA Legacy
type: item
creator: Laura Flanders & Friends
date: 2026-07-01T11:38:58Z
subject: Sources
subject: ada
subject: and
subject: Art
subject: cut
subject: différence
subject: Disability
subject: episode
subject: legacy
subject: neurodiversity
subject: sources
subject: the
description: This content originally appeared on Laura Flanders & Friends and was authored by Laura Flanders & Friends.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Laura Flanders & Friends and was authored by Laura Flanders & Friends.

DN! Wednesday, July 1, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4
date: 2026-07-01T09:45:46Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: july
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: wednesday
description: Wednesday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD
encoded: Wednesday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4 and was authored by Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4.

A Troubling Milestone: Most Supreme Court Rulings Are Secretive Votes With Little Justification
type: item
creator: Ken B. Morales
date: 2026-07-01T09:00:00Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: are
subject: court
subject: courts
subject: justification
subject: little
subject: milestone
subject: most
subject: propublica
subject: rulings:
subject: secretive
subject: sources
subject: supreme
subject: troubling’:
subject: votes
subject: with
description: The post A Troubling Milestone: Most Supreme Court Rulings Are Secretive Votes With Little Justification appeared first on ProPublica.
encoded: The Supreme Court is deciding more consequential rulings than ever before in secret, issued in unsigned orders with little to no justification. Bryan Dozier/NurPhoto via AP In its term that ended last October, the Supreme Court passed an important milestone that went unnoticed: For the first time, it decided more cases by secret ballot, and with few signed opinions, than it did for cases argued in open court. These decisions, which make up the court’s “shadow docket,” are a fast-track way to get a decision from the top court. They rarely include arguments, have limited briefings and have expedited timetables, and justices infrequently provide explanation of how they voted or to cite legal precedent. The Supreme Court’s increased willingness to bypass its regular process has empowered President Donald Trump at the same time as the administration has increased use of executive authority. The court has repeatedly green-lit policies of his that lower courts have blocked — and has done so with little to no explanation. These emergency decisions have thrown lower courts’ processes into turmoil and have sometimes directly contradicted longstanding legal precedent. The outcomes have been consequential: The high court has used the process to limit federal courts from issuing nationwide injunctions and diminished Congress’ authority over federal agencies, and it has allowed for the detention of American citizens by immigration agents. ProPublica analyzed over two decades of Supreme Court rulings, which cover all of the years under Chief Justice John Roberts and go as far back as the online archives allow. We found that when the last court term ended, justices had issued 63 orders on the shadow docket, as opposed to 56 orders on the more traditional merits docket — where the court hears oral arguments scheduled months in advance and the justices issue signed opinions. Legal scholars and court watchers were shocked by our finding. They told ProPublica it’s likely the first time…

One year after the Texas floods, home feels further away than ever
type: item
creator: Laura Mallonee
date: 2026-07-01T08:45:00Z
subject: Grist
subject: Sources
subject: ‘one
subject: after
subject: away
subject: economics
subject: ever
subject: extreme weather
subject: feels
subject: floods
subject: further
subject: home
subject: housing
subject: sources
subject: texas
subject: than
subject: the
subject: year
description: Many in Sandy Creek remain stuck in a recovery system that wasn’t designed for them.
encoded: When rain falls on the RVs that line Big Sandy Creek, it sounds like gunfire. The harder it pours, the louder it gets. But what bothers Ashlee Willis most is how the wind makes them sway. It is so unsettling that she cowers in her camper’s narrow hallway with her two frightened cats, a Taylor Swift blanket stuffed into their carrier in case they have to flee. It always reminds her of that terrible night in July, when the creek ran so high and so fast that the mobile home Willis lived in actually bobbed after the water tore part of it from the foundation. Within hours, the flood would kill 10 people and destroy 74 homes in Sandy Creek, a small community in central Texas. It was supposed to be a joyful evening. Willis and her parents, Brandy and Gregg Gerstner, had bought “a bajillion” glow sticks to illuminate the above-ground pool, and had a stockpile of fireworks to celebrate Independence Day. Rain dashed that plan, so everyone, including eight guests, went to bed. Some slept in tents pitched outside. By 2:30 a.m. the storm was so violent it shook Brandy and Gregg awake. The creek was rising quickly as they scrambled to round up the goats, but there was no saving them. Gregg loaded two pigs into a guest’s Jeep as Brandy dashed back inside to grab her diabetes medication and Gregg’s laptop. By the time Gregg returned to the house, water was rushing in and limbs were crashing through the windows. Gregg led Brandy to higher ground, then waded through the torrent to save two dogs and a cat in the house. Before he reached the back door, he heard screams and watched the flood sweep the Jeep away, tossing its two occupants out. Gregg rushed to save them. One grabbed a floating tire he shoved toward her, while the other latched onto a plastic drum. He heard a third guest cry out for help from the branches of a partially submerged tree and convinced him to stay put. But he couldn’t reach Willis, who had climbed onto a pool table with the five other guests, two dogs, and a p…

Banks are financing the fossil fuel industry’s next growth strategy
type: item
creator: Joseph Winters
date: 2026-07-01T08:30:00Z
subject: Grist
subject: Sources
subject: Accountability
subject: are
subject: banks
subject: economics
subject: financing
subject: fossil
subject: fuel
subject: growth
subject: industry’s
subject: next?
subject: sources
subject: strategy
subject: the
description: New research shows major lenders are accelerating their investment in Big Oil as the industry turns toward plastics, pesticides, and other petrochemicals.
encoded: For the past two years, more than a dozen major banks have been not only reneging on their climate commitments, they’ve been actively making the crisis worse. In 2024 and 2025, during the leadup to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, all six of the nation’s largest banks abandoned the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, a voluntary climate coalition, precipitating the Alliance’s complete shutdown in October. Since then, others including Royal Bank of Canada, Scotiabank, HSBC, NatWest, Santander, and JPMorgan Chase have either weakened or scrapped their decarbonization targets. Now, new evidence shows banks are ramping up spending on fossil fuels. Beyond helping companies extract more oil and gas, they are bankrolling the industry’s pivot to plastics, fertilizers, and other petrochemical products. Two reports released earlier this month illustrate the trend. An analysis from the Rainforest Action Network, or RAN, and other environmental groups found the world’s top 65 banks contributed $508 billion to companies expanding fossil fuel development in 2025. That’s a 27 percent increase since 2024, and more than any other year since at least 2016, based on the organization’s past analyses. The second report comes from the nonprofit Center for International Environmental Law, or CIEL. It found that, between January 2019 and June 2025, big banks gave the world’s top 15 petrochemical companies at least $591 billion in loans and underwriting. Some of that benefited integrated oil and gas corporations; the amount CIEL could directly attribute to petrochemical activities was $252 billion. (For context, New Zealand’s GDP is about $279 billion.) Together, the reports suggest that large financial institutions are enabling a long-term viability strategy for the fossil fuel industry, one in which declining demand for oil and gas in energy systems and transportation is offset by a boom in petrochemicals. Indeed, in recent years oil majors including Exxon Mobil, Shell, and Saudi Aram…

Indonesian soldiers accused of wounding two Papuan teenagers in Titigi
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-01T07:14:11Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Drone attacks
subject: Sources
subject: Titigi village
subject: Accused
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: attacks
subject: Benny Wenda
subject: catholic church
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: drone
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: Featured
subject: Global
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: indonesia
subject: Indonesian
subject: Intan Jaya
subject: military
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: papuan
subject: Politics
subject: report
subject: Security
subject: soldiers
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: Teenagers
subject: titigi
subject: two
subject: ULMWP
subject: United Liberation Movement for West Papua
subject: village
subject: West Papua
subject: wounding
description: Asia Pacific Report The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULWP) has accused the Indonesian military of shooting and wounding two teenagers in Titigi village, Intan Jaya, and causing other casualties on Monday. The pair have been identified as 18-year-old Duad Hagismijau and Kiko Hagismijau, 16, and they are now being treated in hospital, alleges
encoded: Asia Pacific Report The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULWP) has accused the Indonesian military of shooting and wounding two teenagers in Titigi village, Intan Jaya, and causing other casualties on Monday. The pair have been identified as 18-year-old Duad Hagismijau and Kiko Hagismijau, 16, and they are now being treated in hospital, alleges a statement by the ULMWP. The statement said the two teenagers were working on building St Francis Xavier Titigi Catholic Church in their village when the attack began. READ MORE: Two teenagers in Intan Jaya reportedly shot Other West Papua reports More than 2000 villagers have been displaced by this “latest display of colonial violence”, adding to more than 122,000 internal refugees spread throughout West Papua, the statement said. “Intan Jaya is a warzone. The Titigi assault was followed by further drone attacks on Danggoa village — already the site of a previous drone-executed civilian killing — and Dangomba village in Hitadipa district,” said interim ULMWP president Benny Wenda. Wenda also stressed the important historical date today, which marks 1 July 1971 — the 55th anniversary of the declaration of independence by the OPM (Free West Papua Movement) at Markas Victoria. “This historic declaration, the second in the history of West Papua, was a critical moment in our struggle — a powerful rejection of Indonesian colonisation and the Act of No Choice that enabled it,” Wenda said. “As enshrined in our constitution, the ULMWP recognises all such declarations as legitimate.” ‘Ongoing brutality’ Wenda said the “ongoing Indonesian brutality” reminded Papuans why they must “uphold the spirit of 1971”. Also on Monday, the TNI (Indonesian military) was alleged to have opened fire on two Papuan civilians near a military base by the Dogabu river, in Hitadipa, the ULMWP statement said. One of them, a minor named Sandibega Agimbau, was reportedly hit by an Asoka mortar shell. The other, a shepherd called Edianus Agimbau, su…

Filmmaker Chad Hartigan on sticking it out in tough industries
type: item
creator: Nic Juarez
date: 2026-07-01T07:00:00Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Creative Independent
subject: ‘tough
subject: chad
subject: creative
subject: Film
subject: filmmaker
subject: hartigan
subject: independent
subject: industries
subject: out
subject: sources
subject: sticking
subject: the
description: How would you define your place in the film industry and how’s it different from where you started?
encoded: How would you define your place in the film industry and how’s it different from where you started? I guess you could say journeyman. In the old Hollywood studio system, there were journeymen directors who weren’t known as auteurs, weren’t known as guys that would get you Oscars, but just worked. That kind of applies and kind of doesn’t, because I don’t work as consistently as I would like to. You see the term “middle-class filmmaker.” Do you identify with that? I think the answer is probably no. That there definitively is no middle-class filmmaker anymore working purely in film. Television is where you can lead a middle-class life because there’s some stability there. But in film, there’s the elite and then there’s everyone else. The money I make at the rate I make it is only really sustainable now because I have a partner who makes good money. And before her it was sustainable because I lived in a studio apartment and lived frugally. You may remember all the ink spilled last Oscar season because both Sean Baker and Brady Corbet talked about not making livable wages on their films. I think that’s the reality and I can’t really think of what kind of movies you could be making to classify you as “middle class.” Unless you supplement directing movies with good writing jobs or TV. I’m very lucky that I’ve been able to make at least the last three movies that I’ve made for an actual budget where you have resources and everyone’s getting paid good rates. But they’re still independent movies. There’s still a lot of risk. There’s still question marks of if anyone will ever see them. And so, in one sense, it still feels like struggling. If I could continue making movies at this level forever, I would be very happy because they pay a good wage. But I do worry that those opportunities are becoming harder and harder to get. How do you protect your artistic identity as the scale of your projects grows, but also this middle class gets squeezed? I think I’m good at compromise. I …

Congressional MKUltra Hearings as MAGA PSYOP
type: item
creator: David Price
date: 2026-07-01T06:14:47Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: congressional
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: hearings
subject: Leading Article
subject: maga
subject: mkultra
subject: psyop
subject: sources
description: For the record, as someone who distrusts the CIA and who spent years studying MKUltra. I believe MKUltra died within the agency in the 1960s. It died because it didn’t work. The types of mind control they wanted do not exist. The most effective forms of mind control aren’t found in the science fiction tropes these 1950s and 60s CIA operations experimented with, they’re found in the pages of New York Times, broadcasts of Fox News, MSNBC, and Newsmax, and the hundreds of thousands of human and circuit-boarded bots incessantly posting on social media. Certainly, the CIA continued to do all sorts of horrible things, but beyond generating some “useful” interrogation techniques, MKUltra mostly didn’t pan out because a lot of its ideas were unsound. More The post Congressional MKUltra Hearings as MAGA PSYOP appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Rep. Anna Luna (R. Florida) kicks off the MKUltra hearing. Image courtesy House.gov. As a scholar who spent decades using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and archives studying Cold War CIA operations, it was with great interest that I watched yesterday’s US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearings on “Mind Control and Accountability: Uncovering the Truth of the CIA’s MKULTRA Project.” Because my academic research focuses on the CIA’s use of funding fronts and various specific CIA operations, including its MKUltra program, I was surprised to learn of congressional interest in a program that was terminated over half a century ago. UKUltra was the code name of a secret CIA program launched after US prisoners of war during the Korean War appeared to be brainwashed, leading the CIA to begin researching the possibilities of “mind control” and a variety of interrogation techniques. Between 1953 and 1973, the CIA used hundreds of witting and unwitting scientists to conduct at least 149 MKUltra subprojects at over 80 institutions, employing hundreds of researchers. Most of this research was unethical, with hideous abuses of research subjects who were often unaware of what was happening to them. This included dosing unsuspecting people with powerful drugs like LSD or potent concentrations of liquefied THC. Other MKUltra-funded research studies followed more conventional protocols, and researchers funded to do the research were often unaware they were conducting research for the CIA. I studied one of these programs, run through a research facility located at the Cornell University Medical School, the Human Ecology Fund, which during the 1950s and 60s funded a variety of seemingly mundane social science research, conducted by unwitting scholars. Some of these research projects studied topics, like cross-cultural stress indicators, that supplied information that would be reused in writing the CIA’s KUBARK interrogation manual, and other horrible CIA proj…

For Millions of Impoverished Americans, an Unhappy National Birthday
type: item
creator: Michael Slager
date: 2026-07-01T06:04:40Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: americans:
subject: articles 2015
subject: birthday
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: economics
subject: for
subject: impoverished
subject: Leading Article
subject: millions
subject: national
subject: sources
subject: unhappy
description: Out of an approximate 755,000 unhoused people in the United States, there are no reliable estimates for the number who live in motels. I have passed by the one in the picture above (I didn’t work at this particular motel) many times; it’s in the neighborhood where I now live, and it sometimes makes me think of Anna and her family. Her kids would be adults by now, yet another generation calls such places home. More The post For Millions of Impoverished Americans, an Unhappy National Birthday appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Photo: Michael Slager. Many years ago, I worked at a motel as a groundskeeper. A woman—I’ll call her Anna—lived there with her children. One of her friends would sometimes come to look after the kids when she had to work or run errands. They had several cats who spent most of their time living in the family’s car since the owner would not allow the felines to stay in the room. Both the people and the cats lived there for months. Anna was one of thousands of Americans who live in motels. Poor credit histories, high rents, and prohibitively steep upfront costs, such as security deposits, compel many to find alternative long-term lodging that at least has some basic amenities: a kitchenette (or just a microwave) and a shower. Although weekly rates are higher than renting even modestly priced apartments, there is often little choice. The rooms can be cramped, and they are sometimes run down. Safety can be a concern, and privacy is virtually impossible. Yet, people go to work, send their children to school, and make these places temporary homes. Out of an approximate 755,000 unhoused people in the United States, there are no reliable estimates for the number who live in motels. I have passed by the one in the picture above (I didn’t work at this particular motel) many times; it’s in the neighborhood where I now live, and it sometimes makes me think of Anna and her family. Her kids would be adults by now, yet another generation calls such places home. What struck me was the sign someone hung on the second-floor railing. It honors 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed. It’s a sort of birthday card for the country’s approaching semiquincentennial. Birthdays are supposed to mark milestones and accomplishments. When it comes to national celebrations, the festivities are meant to be a collective, public recognition of something good we have done. Such commemorations can also demonstrate pride in having survived some national crisis. However, concerning pov…

A Hard Reset for Corporate Power
type: item
creator: David S. D’Amato
date: 2026-07-01T06:03:27Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: corporate
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: economics
subject: for
subject: hard
subject: Leading Article
subject: Power
subject: reset
subject: sources
description: Contemporary political conversations talk a lot about the problem of money in politics, but they almost never acknowledge that modern corporate power did not arise from a system of liberal rights and open competition. Even the basic corporate privilege of limited liability is far from a natural right. The state-capital complex is fundamentally a system for the manufacture of asymmetric relationships and material inequalities. The Corporate Power Reset movement restarts a long-running conversation about where power is actually located and encountered. One of the under-discussed features of our system, whatever its name, is the formal state’s delegation of much of the coercive governance of day-to-day life. More The post A Hard Reset for Corporate Power appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: General Motors headquarters, Detroit. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair. Earlier this month, Hawaii became the first state in the country to pass legislation aiming to get corporate money out of elections by using the law of business organizations. The groups supporting this innovative approach see it as part of a broader Corporate Power Reset movement. They want to stop artificial entities created by the law “from spending money or contributing anything of value to influence candidate elections or ballot measures.” They say that corporate charters, which are a state-granted special privilege, should not contemplate a right to interfere in electoral politics. The legal theory is this: corporations are creatures of state law. States create corporate charters and define the powers corporations possess. Rather than directly regulating election spending, proponents argue states can instead rewrite their corporate codes to clarify that corporations were never granted the authority to engage in electoral spending in the first place. But the real importance of the Hawaii legislation and the Corporate Power Reset movement, as I see it, goes far beyond elections and campaign contributions. It goes to a fact at the heart of our political and economic system: the state is the author of corporate power. And if the corporate form is the product of the state, it is worth asking what other powers and privileges have been concocted by political power on behalf of economic power. This movement therefore invites a much broader and deeper reconsideration of the corporate economy as a whole. If this corporate system and its history were better understood, the billionaire and trillionaire ruling class would no longer be able to take cover under the benign language of liberalism. Contemporary political conversations talk a lot about the problem of money in politics, but they almost never acknowledge that modern corporate power did not arise from a system of liberal rights and open competition. Ev…

The New York Times on War: The Art of Being Obtuse
type: item
creator: Melvin Goodman
date: 2026-07-01T05:57:40Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: Art
subject: articles 2015
subject: being
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Leading Article
subject: new
subject: obtuse
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: times
subject: war
subject: york
description: Lessons learned are supposed to be insights and practical takeaways from past experience. The guest essays in the New York Times are arguing that such lessons will prevent the repetition of mistakes and lead to continuous improvement when faced with future decisions regarding war and peace. In making these arguments, the writers—all experienced in issues involving international security—are confident that future U.S. leaders will learn from the terrible decision-making of past U.S. leaders. More The post The New York Times on War: The Art of Being Obtuse appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Madeleine Albright with NATO officers. Photo: Basilio C., Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain. “Future presidents will remember, in short, that the (Iran) war was counterproductive on its own terms and came at the expense of every other foreign and domestic priority. They are also less likely to be taken in by those who cheered this misadventure. Going forward, their promises of cost-free coercion will sound like what they are: a drumbeat for war.” – Robert Malley and Stephen Wertheim, “The Iran Debacle Could Be a Gift for America,” New York Times, June 25 “As the war in Iran appears to come to a fragile close, Americans are left to wonder why it has accomplished so little. How could a middle power like Iran…face down a global superpower…. Put simply: Because the United States attempted to essentially go it alone.” – Oona A. Hathaway, “You Can’t Be a Superpower Without Allies,” New York Times, June 21, 2026 Lessons learned are supposed to be insights and practical takeaways from past experience. The guest essays in the New York Times are arguing that such lessons will prevent the repetition of mistakes and lead to continuous improvement when faced with future decisions regarding war and peace. In making these arguments, the writers—all experienced in issues involving international security—are confident that future U.S. leaders will learn from the terrible decision-making of past U.S. leaders. But what about the lessons of U.S. wars over the past half century? What was learned from the Vietnam War that was based on false assumptions regarding the foreign policies of the Soviet Union and China and the domestic policies of Ho Chi Minh? What was learned from two decades of war against Iraq that was based on lies and deceit? And what was learned from two decades of war in Afghanistan that achieved U.S. objectives in the first several months, which should have led to an immediate withdrawal? Hathaway’s lesson regarding fighting wars without allies is particularly obtuse bec…

America 250 and the Imperial Nation
type: item
creator: Daniel Falcone
date: 2026-07-01T05:56:23Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: 250+
subject: america
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: imperial
subject: nation?
subject: sources
subject: the
description: The renowned political theorist Danielle Allen once wrote, “The Declaration of Independence matters because it helps us to see that we cannot have freedom without equality.” As the United States commemorates the 250th anniversary of its independence on July 4, 2026, the Declaration of Independence (1776), the U.S. Constitution (1787) and Northwest Ordinance (1787) link More The post America 250 and the Imperial Nation appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Image by New York Public Library. The renowned political theorist Danielle Allen once wrote, “The Declaration of Independence matters because it helps us to see that we cannot have freedom without equality.” As the United States commemorates the 250th anniversary of its independence on July 4, 2026, the Declaration of Independence (1776), the U.S. Constitution (1787) and Northwest Ordinance (1787) link early concepts of imperial power, sovereignty, legitimacy, and interdependence. Combining these three documents is a departure from the historiography that sometimes places American imperialism starting in the nineteenth century and in the context of Westward expansion or U.S. pursuit of places like Alaska (1867) and Hawaii (1898); the latter two in accordance with the “blue water thesis” of imperialism.[1] I argue that the founding principles of the country were rooted in colonization and imperialism more so than freedom and liberation. In other words, the process of colonization started much earlier than the 1800s. The U.S. started out as both a republic and an empire in the 1700s. As scholar Greg Grandin recently pointed out, “American freedom was built on endless conquest.” This was evident in its territorial expansion and indigenous dispossession that were built into its early stages. “We have it in our power to begin the world over again,” wrote Thomas Paine in 1776. Paine was a rarity, as the lone progressive Founding Father in that he envisioned domestic liberty and not an empire. His contemporaries, at best, however, saw native people as obstacles and children to be disciplined when they were not steered for diplomatic purposes. At worst, they were to be removed or slaughtered outright. In 1776, the First Report on Canada stated its purpose as a territorial strategy.[2] Even with the Articles of Confederation (1777) there was acknowledgement of indigenous sovereignty, but at the same time, speculation over the future of “Indian affairs.”[3] Historians such as…

Ironic Fates: Bolton, Trump and Mishandling Classified Documents
type: item
creator: Binoy Kampmark
date: 2026-07-01T05:53:01Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: bolton
subject: classified
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: documents
subject: fates
subject: ironic?
subject: mishandling
subject: sources
subject: trump
description: Former US national security advisor John Bolton and President Donald J. Trump share traits neither probably knew they had. The latter, for one, is far more war-mongering than he let on to American voters, evidenced by his recently failed, disastrous foray into attacking Iran. Bolton, on the other hand, has been a consistent war addict, More The post Ironic Fates: Bolton, Trump and Mishandling Classified Documents appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Former US national security advisor John Bolton and President Donald J. Trump share traits neither probably knew they had. The latter, for one, is far more war-mongering than he let on to American voters, evidenced by his recently failed, disastrous foray into attacking Iran. Bolton, on the other hand, has been a consistent war addict, the neocons’ preferred position in projecting US power through what the British used to call might. Earlier in June, Trump had the fantastic gall to say this about the man who had a brief stint as his own moustachioed national security advisor from 2018 to 2019: “I never thought [Bolton] was a smart person, that he was a radical right in terms of war, not in terms of other things. He was. He wanted to go to war with anybody that opened their mouth, anybody that talked, and I used him for a purpose, you know.” Yet another one of the president’s mirror portraits. Trump went on to note Bolton’s involvement with the administration of President George W. Bush where “he created a lot of problems, but he always wanted to kill people in war, and that was okay for me, as long as I didn’t listen to him, which I never did.” Listening to Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu must have been quite something else. That other commonly shared trait between the two is a rather sketchy approach to handling classified documents. In October 2025, a grand jury indicted Bolton for the discovery of private journal entries, private notes and assortment of classified material from his time as national security advisor. Many of the “diary” entries about his daily activities contained, among other things, military plans for adversarial foreign governments, covert US activities in various theatres, and intelligence on adversarial heads of state. This might have stayed buried but for the hacking activities of, as the Department of Justice put it, “a cyber actor believed to be associated with the Islamic Republic of Iran”. (The hack of Bolton’s personal email account was rep…

The Fast-Food Spending Index is Falling Fast
type: item
creator: Dean Baker
date: 2026-07-01T05:50:46Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: ‘falling
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: fast
subject: fastfood
subject: index
subject: sources
subject: spending
subject: the
description: For the last several years I’ve been using real spending at fast food restaurants as a gauge for assessing how the non-rich are feeling about their personal finances. The logic is that it is a type of discretionary spending where people can easily make cutbacks if they are feeling squeezed. Also, it should not be More The post The Fast-Food Spending Index is Falling Fast appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: For the last several years I’ve been using real spending at fast food restaurants as a gauge for assessing how the non-rich are feeling about their personal finances. The logic is that it is a type of discretionary spending where people can easily make cutbacks if they are feeling squeezed. Also, it should not be affected much by the spending of the rich. It’s not likely that Elon Musk eats more Big Macs when his wealth increases or he cuts back when SpaceX’s stock plunges. And to be clear, I’m not saying the rich don’t eat fast food. I’m sure they do. The claim is just that their consumption of fast food is not affected much by changes in their short-term financial situation. Anyhow, the story the index has been telling us in the last year is not a good one. After rising at a healthy pace through 2023 (the January number was an upward blip), spending had been largely flat through 2024 and the first half of 2025. It then rose in the summer and peaked at an annual rate of $386.2 billion in September. Since then, it has fallen sharply, hitting $366.8 billion in May, a decline of just over 4.0 percent from its peak. That would seem to indicate that people are feeling pretty bad about their economic situation. This is consistent with the bad numbers being reported in the consumer confidence indexes. I’ve had people suggest to me that this decline could be driven by the increased use of Ozempic or related drugs. This would be a positive spin, since it would probably be good for people’s health if they consumed less fast food. Unfortunately, that does not seem likely to explain this sort of decline. By 2024, 12 percent of the adult population was already taking a GLP-1 drug. The increase in usage did not prevent fast-food consumption from rising rapidly in 2023 and at least staying flat in 2024. The number of people using these drugs has undoubtedly continued to rise, but probably not by enough to explain the sharp drop in consumption over the last 8 months. The drop in s…

This July Fourth Celebrate the Idea That the People are Supposed to be in Charge
type: item
creator: Meg Bostrom, Michael Chameides and Elaine Mejia
date: 2026-07-01T05:49:26Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: are
subject: articles 2015
subject: celebrate
subject: charge
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: fourth
subject: idea
subject: july
subject: People
subject: sources
subject: supposed
subject: that
subject: the
subject: this
description: Two hundred fifty years ago, Americans rejected monarchy. They rejected the idea that power should rest in the hands of one person, one family, or a distant ruling class. Instead, they enshrined an American promise: legitimate power comes from the people. Our Constitution opens with three words: “We the People.” As the country marks its More The post This July Fourth Celebrate the Idea That the People are Supposed to be in Charge appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: The Boston Tea Party.–Destruction of the Tea in Boston Harbor, December 16, 1773, from the magazine Ballou’s Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion, July 16, 1856. (Yale University Art Gallery.) Two hundred fifty years ago, Americans rejected monarchy. They rejected the idea that power should rest in the hands of one person, one family, or a distant ruling class. Instead, they enshrined an American promise: legitimate power comes from the people. Our Constitution opens with three words: “We the People.” As the country marks its 250th anniversary, that promise is worth remembering: in America, the people are supposed to be in charge. Indeed, every day we see neighbors working together to improve their lives, their communities, and the country. Earlier this year, hundreds of residents of San Marcos, Texas, packed into public meetings with concerns about a new data center. The Caldwell/Hays Examiner, a local paper, summarized the sentiment: “Electricity bills may soon spike while access to clean water diminishes drastically, given the unfathomably giant data center on its way.” The local government rejected the unpopular project, and similar efforts are taking place across the country. In every place the message is clear: the people who live there, not a distant tech company, should be in charge of the community’s resources. Rural communities are also taking on Big Ag. For example, Grassroots Organizing of Western Wisconsin brought residents together and passed local safeguards that limit threats from factory farms and support family farmers, clean water, and local infrastructure. Iowans won a big victory against a global pesticide manufacturer. Knowing their state’s unusually high cancer rates, Iowa Farmers Union mobilized from the bottom up and blocked a law that would have shielded a billion-dollar corporation from accountability. These patriotic efforts help fulfill the promise of “We the People.” They also show what’s possible when people come together to shape the deci…

AI Abundance: the Clarity Act and the Stablcoin Wars
type: item
creator: Ellen Brown
date: 2026-07-01T05:42:49Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: abundance
subject: ACT
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: clarity
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: economics
subject: sources
subject: stablcoin
subject: the
subject: wars
description: As Americans prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, few are paying attention to a bill moving through Congress that could seriously impinge on our financial independence. The Clarity for Payment Stablecoins Act, H.R. 4766, is slated to make privately issued stablecoins a major component of the U.S. monetary system. More The post AI Abundance: the Clarity Act and the Stablcoin Wars appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: As Americans prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, few are paying attention to a bill moving through Congress that could seriously impinge on our financial independence. The Clarity for Payment Stablecoins Act, H.R. 4766, is slated to make privately issued stablecoins a major component of the U.S. monetary system. Supporters see stablecoins as a way to strengthen the dollar’s global role while creating a vast new market for U.S. Treasury securities. Critics see the rise of programmable private money that can be monitored, frozen, or restricted by its issuers. Banks fear the loss of the deposits that are essential to advancing affordable credit. What appears to be a debate about digital tokens has thus become a battle over the future of banking itself and finance. Why Stablecoins Matter Stablecoins are privately issued digital tokens that can circulate on blockchain networks independently of the banking system. They are designed to maintain a stable value, typically one dollar per token. Unlike Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, whose values fluctuate wildly, stablecoins are usually backed by reserve assets such as cash and short-term U.S. Treasury securities. Their growth has been explosive. The stablecoin market now measures in the hundreds of billions of dollars and continues to expand rapidly. Advocates see them as the next stage in the evolution of money: faster, cheaper, available around the clock, and capable of moving across borders without relying on traditional banking networks. For users in countries suffering from inflation, currency controls, or banking instability, dollar-denominated stablecoins can function as digital dollar savings accounts. Residents of Argentina, Turkey, Nigeria, and other countries may trust a Treasury-backed dollar token more than their own national currency. In some countries suffering from inflation, merchants quote prices in dollar stablecoins and accept them directly through mobile app…

Heatwaves and Wildfires
type: item
creator: George Wuerthner
date: 2026-07-01T05:40:57Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: environment
subject: heatwaves
subject: sources
subject: wildfires
description: Growing drought and heatwaves are expanding wildfire acreage. Wildfire Tucumcari NM. Photo by George Wuerthner Most residents of the West are aware that summer days are getting warmer, and nights are not cooling as much as in the past. Climate change is real, whether the current administration wants to acknowledge it or not. Warming temperatures More The post Heatwaves and Wildfires appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Growing drought and heatwaves are expanding wildfire acreage. Wildfire Tucumcari NM. Photo by George Wuerthner Most residents of the West are aware that summer days are getting warmer, and nights are not cooling as much as in the past. Climate change is real, whether the current administration wants to acknowledge it or not. Warming temperatures have extended and intensified wildfire season in the West, where long-term drought has heightened the risk of wildfires. Scientists estimate that human-caused climate change has already doubled the area of forest burned in recent decades, with the amount of land consumed by wildfires in Western states projected to increase by 2 to 6 times by around 2050. A recent study amplifies these basic conclusions. The study found that heat waves drive up the area burned by wildfires. According to the researchers, this occurred during 2001–2024, during and immediately following heatwaves. Researchers observed a 2.5-fold increase in burned areas in WUS forests since 2001, with ~64% of this increase coinciding with heatwaves. Approximately 15% of the high-heat days accounted for 42% of the acreage charred. Heatwaves can rapidly dry fine fuels, including easily ignited materials such as grass, leaves, needles, and small branches. Heatwaves also limit overnight humidity recovery, and temperatures often remain high. And rising heated air can increase atmospheric instability, promoting plume-dominated fire behavior and rapid-fire growth. During the heat waves, the amount of land burned each day was over 50% higher than on cooler days. In some western areas, that increase reached 300%. Heatwaves increase the vapor deficit, increasing the moisture the atmosphere can absorb, drying out vegetation. Heatwaves also limit the normal nighttime cooling, permitting fires to burn longer and hotter. Adding to the potential for larger fires is that lightning storms are more common during heatwaves. Modeling shows that climate change will continue to trans…

What’s Behind China’s Scientific Research in South China Sea
type: item
creator: Radio Free Asia
date: 2026-07-01T05:30:01Z
subject: Radio Free Asia
subject: Sources
subject: asia
subject: behind
subject: China
subject: china8217s
subject: free
subject: radio
subject: Research
subject: scientific
subject: sea’
subject: sources
subject: south
subject: what8217s
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.

Growing Old With Donald Trump
type: item
creator: Tom Engelhardt
date: 2026-07-01T05:26:19Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: donald
subject: growing
subject: old
subject: sources
subject: trump
subject: with
description: Yes, I’ve written about it before (and before that, too), but it still strikes me whenever… oh, sorry, this almost 82-year-old just nodded off (like “our” President Donald Trump in the middle of a thought)… I was going to say, whenever I read about him closing his eyes and dozing off during some meeting or at More The post Growing Old With Donald Trump appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Yes, I’ve written about it before (and before that, too), but it still strikes me whenever… oh, sorry, this almost 82-year-old just nodded off (<a href="https://substack.com/redirect/ce824d7c-d6a8-4775-bc46-0f56a7236a10?j=eyJ1IjoiY3hzYyJ9.fFDCZd86HpEg4wUdrRqIBWFdQUxLbjfFhZT671sU_AQ" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://substack.com/redirect/ce824d7c-d6a8-4775-bc46-0f56a7236a10?j%3DeyJ1IjoiY3hzYyJ9.fFDCZd86HpEg4wUdrRqIBWFdQUxLbjfFhZT671sU_AQ&source=gmail&ust=1782922555578000&usg=AOvVaw10dWctOiQCgbPoPIHo6Jq-">like “our” President Donald Trump in the middle of a thought)… I was going to say, whenever I read about him closing his eyes and dozing off during some meeting or at some other moment of significance. I mean, what can you expect from the man who, if he truly lasts until January 2029, will indeed be the <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/17e6814c-1d88-4c51-8b2e-15ad2010db6e?j=eyJ1IjoiY3hzYyJ9.fFDCZd86HpEg4wUdrRqIBWFdQUxLbjfFhZT671sU_AQ" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://substack.com/redirect/17e6814c-1d88-4c51-8b2e-15ad2010db6e?j%3DeyJ1IjoiY3hzYyJ9.fFDCZd86HpEg4wUdrRqIBWFdQUxLbjfFhZT671sU_AQ&source=gmail&ust=1782922555578000&usg=AOvVaw0ii_e_5XlpJvElYwmzrFX2">oldest president in American history (although give Joe Biden full credit, he at least came close)? On the first day of Biden’s presidency, in fact, he was 78 years and 61 days old. On Donald Trump’s first day (the second time around), he was 78 years and 220 days old. And to put that in perspective, only two other presidents in our history came even faintly (and I want to emphasize that “faintly”!) close to either of them: Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. Eisenhower was 70 years and 98 days old on the last day or his presidency, and Reagan was 77 years and 349 days old on his final day. And don’t think it means nothing that the leadership of what, in this century (and much of the last one), was the greatest power on the f…

Single Database Mania: a Glyph
type: item
creator: Ed Sanders
date: 2026-07-01T04:15:00Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: ‘single
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: database
subject: glyph
subject: mania
subject: sources
description: The post Single Database Mania: a Glyph appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: The post Single Database Mania: a Glyph appeared first on CounterPunch.org. This content originally appeared on CounterPunch.org and was authored by Ed Sanders.

In dismissing pellet injuries as ‘limited damage’, ‘Chauhaan’ loses sight of Kashmir’s grim, brutal reality
type: item
creator: Indradeep Bhattacharyya
date: 2026-07-01T04:09:47Z
subject: Alt News
subject: Sources
subject: alt
subject: brutal
subject: chauhaan
subject: damage
subject: dismissing
subject: Featured
subject: grim
subject: injuries
subject: kashmir’s
subject: limited
subject: loses
subject: News
subject: pellet
subject: Politics
subject: reality
subject: sight
subject: sources
description: Around 8 pm on July 11, 2016, three days after the killing of Burhan Wani, 14-year-old Insha Mushtaq Lone looked out of a ground-floor window of her house in Sedow village in Shopian district of south Kashmir to watch a protest that had broken out in her neighbourhood. Within moments, a searing pain ripped through […]
encoded: Around 8 pm on July 11, 2016, three days after the killing of Burhan Wani, 14-year-old Insha Mushtaq Lone looked out of a ground-floor window of her house in Sedow village in Shopian district of south Kashmir to watch a protest that had broken out in her neighbourhood. Within moments, a searing pain ripped through her face. She did not know what hit her. Three of her front teeth broke. There was blood all over her. When she woke up in hospital, her face was pockmarked with more than 100 pellet wounds. Her eyes were bandaged. She could see nothing. She has never seen again. 16-year-old Farzan Sheikh was doing his mathematics homework at home in Srinagar on the afternoon of March 28, 2017, when he heard a commotion outside. Curious, he stepped out and saw a funeral procession passing. Then he heard pro-Kashmir slogans and security personnel fire tear gas and pellets to scatter the crowd. He started running toward home. “I saw a policeman with a gun aiming at me, and he shot directly at me,” he said. “That was the last thing I saw.” He fell to the ground, bleeding from his left eye, his whole body pierced with pellets. He woke at the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital to a doctor asking how many fingers he was holding up. He could see nothing through his left eye. He spent two months convalescing, then returned to school. Then one day in August, his father forgot to turn off a streetlight that shone into Farzan’s bedroom. Farzan stepped out at 11 pm to do it himself. Pellets struck him again. This time in his right eye. They came from a CRPF vehicle parked across the street. There were no warnings. After three surgeries on his right eye and four on his left, doctors told Farzan he had lost all vision in his right eye. They, however, said Farzan might regain 40 to 50% vision in his left eye with further surgeries. As for Insha, she continued her studies and cleared her school final and then her Class 12 board exams in 2023. That perhaps explains why the teaser of …

At the World Cup, the Western media has set up a ‘moral checkpoint’
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-01T04:02:03Z
subject: Amnesty International
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Double Standards
subject: FIFA World Cup
subject: Gaza genocide
subject: Human Rights Watch
subject: Indictment of journalism
subject: Media conferences
subject: Sources
subject: South African apartheid
subject: Trevor Noah
subject: Western media bias
subject: African
subject: amnesty
subject: Analysis
subject: Apartheid
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: asylum-seekers
subject: bias
subject: checkpoint
subject: conferences
subject: cup
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: Discrimination
subject: double
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: eurovision
subject: Featured
subject: fifa
subject: football
subject: gaza
subject: Genocide
subject: Global
subject: has
subject: human
subject: Human Rights
subject: indictment
subject: International
subject: iran
subject: journalism
subject: Justice
subject: lebanon
subject: Media
subject: Middle East
subject: moral
subject: noah
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Palestine
subject: Politics
subject: report
subject: rights
subject: Russia
subject: set
subject: sources
subject: south
subject: South Africa
subject: Sports
subject: standards
subject: Syria
subject: the
subject: trevor
subject: Ukraine
subject: United Nations
subject: usa
subject: Venezuela
subject: watch
subject: western
subject: World
description: COMMENTARY: By Patrick Gathara “Why is it that African teams and Middle Eastern teams have to answer for what their governments are doing but European teams don’t?” South African comedian Trevor Noah asked recently during a World Cup watch party. He was reacting to the questions Western journalists had lobbed at Iranian players following their
encoded: COMMENTARY: By Patrick Gathara “Why is it that African teams and Middle Eastern teams have to answer for what their governments are doing but European teams don’t?” South African comedian Trevor Noah asked recently during a World Cup watch party. He was reacting to the questions Western journalists had lobbed at Iranian players following their games. But the question goes far beyond Iran. It speaks to a familiar hierarchy in global journalism: Some players are allowed to be athletes. Others are turned into ambassadors, defendants and moral exhibits. READ MORE: Iran’s heartbroken Team Melli exit World Cup amid silver lining of Mexican hospitality Iran bow out of World Cup: Late drama ends Team Melli’s knockout dream Iran’s Trojan Horse in US: Team Melli’s presence in WC Other FIFA World Cup reports The World Cup is often sold as the place where football rises above politics. This has always been a canard. Politics, and hypocrisy, have always been part of the sport. Teams have boycotted or been banned from the competition because of the policies of their governments. Russia is banned for its invasion of Ukraine. South Africa was eventually banned for apartheid. Israel, however, gets to play in qualifiers despite occupying Palestine, Lebanon and Syria, bombing Iran, and despite findings by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and UN experts that it is committing genocide in Gaza and maintaining a system of apartheid at home and in the occupied territories. The United States, too, has never been banned despite its many wars of aggression. Full of politics Nor is the World Cup unique. International cultural and sporting competitions are full of politics and hypocrisies dressed up as principle. Just look at the controversies around Israel’s participation in Eurovision. Noah’s question is an indictment of a journalism that likes to imagine itself as challenging power but often mirrors its assumptions. Much ink was spilled over the propriety of Russia and Qatar hosting…

Why North Korea Isn’t at the 2026 World Cup
type: item
creator: Radio Free Asia
date: 2026-07-01T03:24:19Z
subject: Radio Free Asia
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: asia
subject: cup
subject: free
subject: isn8217t
subject: korea
subject: north
subject: radio
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: why
subject: World
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.

A Resistance History of the United States
type: item
creator: Andrea Chalupa
date: 2026-07-01T02:42:00Z
subject: Gaslit Nation
subject: Sources
subject: gaslit
subject: History
subject: nation?
subject: Resistance
subject: sources
subject: states
subject: the
subject: united
description: How do we fight back? This week on Gaslit Nation, Tad Stoermer, author of A Resistance History of the United States, explains how true resistance is built by communities like ours. Looking at the Underground Railroad and the French Resistance, Stoermer digs deep on what Gaslit Nation has said for years: grassroots power is the most reliable power we have left. Small acts of individual resistance compound into collective awakening. Today's localized protests against ICE in Minneapolis and Delaney Hall are the true making of a great America. Our story is a story of progress, and white reactionary blood lust. MAGA are the vampires that have long sucked on human flesh. They're back in the forms of Big Tech wannabe-cyborgs and craven weirdos. Simply put, they're slimy creepers, the strongmen who have always lived by spilling blood. We have grassroots power, but now we need to build political power through elected officials who meet the moment, not take money from AIPAC and crypto trust funds. There is no substitute for political power. Communities like Gaslit Nation build together. That's our Declaration of Independence. This week's bonus show, out Thursday, will look at Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's crypto threat to our country as she enriches her family like a corrupt Russian politician. We'll also demand justice for the Prairieland Defendants – activists sentenced to 30 to 100 years in prison for protesting. Harsh sentences to punish the people ignited our Founding Fathers to build militias. Demand unconditional pardons for our Prairieland Defendants – we must reverse and heal the damage of Trump fascism. Join our Gaslit Nation community on Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com – get bonus shows, ad free listening, exclusive events, and more. Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you. Show Notes: Opening clip: AOC on MSNow https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Nxb-JLE0WZY EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: Gaslit Nation Salons t…
encoded: How do we fight back? This week on Gaslit Nation, Tad Stoermer, author of A Resistance History of the United States, explains how true resistance is built by communities like ours. Looking at the Underground Railroad and the French Resistance, Stoermer digs deep on what Gaslit Nation has said for years: grassroots power is the most reliable power we have left. Small acts of individual resistance compound into collective awakening. Today's localized protests against ICE in Minneapolis and Delaney Hall are the true making of a great America. Our story is a story of progress, and white reactionary blood lust. MAGA are the vampires that have long sucked on human flesh. They're back in the forms of Big Tech wannabe-cyborgs and craven weirdos. Simply put, they're slimy creepers, the strongmen who have always lived by spilling blood. We have grassroots power, but now we need to build political power through elected officials who meet the moment, not take money from AIPAC and crypto trust funds. There is no substitute for political power. Communities like Gaslit Nation build together. That's our Declaration of Independence. This week's bonus show, out Thursday, will look at Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's crypto threat to our country as she enriches her family like a corrupt Russian politician. We'll also demand justice for the Prairieland Defendants – activists sentenced to 30 to 100 years in prison for protesting. Harsh sentences to punish the people ignited our Founding Fathers to build militias. Demand unconditional pardons for our Prairieland Defendants – we must reverse and heal the damage of Trump fascism. Join our Gaslit Nation community on Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com – get bonus shows, ad free listening, exclusive events, and more. Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you. Show Notes: Opening clip: AOC on MSNow https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Nxb-JLE0WZY EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: Gaslit Nation Salons t…

Bougainville volcano ups gears, as Titan Ridge submarine volcano cools off
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-01T01:19:27Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Mt Bagana
subject: Rabaul Volcanological Observatory
subject: Sources
subject: Titan Ridge
subject: Volcanic dust
subject: Volcano alert
subject: Volcano damage
subject: Volcanoes
subject: alert
subject: asia
subject: bagana
subject: Bougainville
subject: cools,
subject: damage
subject: dust
subject: Featured
subject: gears
subject: observatory
subject: off
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Papua New Guinea
subject: pollution
subject: rabaul
subject: report
subject: ridge
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: Security
subject: sources
subject: submarine
subject: Syndicate
subject: titan
subject: ups
subject: volcanic
subject: volcano
subject: volcanoes
subject: volcanological
description: By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Explosive activity has picked up in recent days at Bougainville’s Mt Bagana volcano. Papua New Guinea’s Rabaul Volcanological Observatory declared a Stage 1 Alert for Bagana amid its most notable upsurge in activity for two years. The observatory’s principal geodetic surveyor, Steve Saunders, said activity at the volcano had
encoded: By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Explosive activity has picked up in recent days at Bougainville’s Mt Bagana volcano. Papua New Guinea’s Rabaul Volcanological Observatory declared a Stage 1 Alert for Bagana amid its most notable upsurge in activity for two years. The observatory’s principal geodetic surveyor, Steve Saunders, said activity at the volcano had been ongoing for several years, but last week the activity increased. READ MORE: Lack of monitoring meant PNG volcano was missed by agency NZDF delivers supplies for volcano-affected Bougainville communities More than 7000 people in Bougainville need temporary accommodation after eruption Schools closed, people displaced by Bougainville eruption says president “There was a large eruption, it was basically the dome collapsing down the east flank. It was very spectacular but it was in uninhabited areas so didn’t really cause much of a problem. Noting continuous lava activity at the summit, Saunders said there was “a red glow and rocks rolling down the side every few weeks”. “There was some dust downwind etc, but it looked worse than it was.” Social media comments about the volcano indicated dust issues impacting crops to the south in Torokina, on Bougainville’s east coast. PNG’s National Information Centre said the Department of Community Government and District Affairs Disaster Office were in touch with Torokina and other areas impacted, and monitoring the situation. Pumice issue Meanwhile, in another part of PNG’s Islands region, Manus Province, Saunders said big rafts of pumice from an active submarine volcano in the Bismarck Sea had started to disperse. Since May, pumice created by the so-called Titan Ridge volcano had been carried by tides and currents into Manus Island’s south coast, impacting sea life and marine traffic. However, Saunders said there was little pumice being produced by the volcano now as its activity has abated in the past week or two, and that pumice rafts around Manus Island had now mostly w…

ACT candidate resigns in NZ after Chinese political group link revealed
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-07-01T00:29:34Z
subject: ACT Party
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: China Zhi Gong Party
subject: Local Democracy Reporting
subject: Lyra Yan Zhang
subject: Sources
subject: United Front Work Department
subject: ACT
subject: after
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: candidate
subject: China
subject: China in Pacific
subject: Chinese
subject: Chinese Communist Party
subject: Chinese influence
subject: Democracy
subject: department
subject: Elections
subject: Featured
subject: front
subject: gender
subject: Global
subject: gong
subject: group
subject: link
subject: local
subject: lyra
subject: new zealand
subject: NZ elections
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: party
subject: political
subject: Politics
subject: report
subject: reporting
subject: resigns
subject: revealed:
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: united
subject: work
subject: yan
subject: zhang
subject: zhi
description: By Justin Wong, Local Democracy Reporter An ACT candidate has withdrawn from a new Wellington electorate race at November’s election, after failing to declare her previous membership of a Chinese political group linked to the country’s ruling communist party. After Local Democracy Reporting sent questions about Lyra Yan Zhang’s background on Monday, the party confirmed
encoded: By Justin Wong,em]:font-sans-italic [&>strong]:font-sans-semibold [&>em]:italic"> Local Democracy Reporter An ACT candidate has withdrawn from a new Wellington electorate race at November’s election, after failing to declare her previous membership of a Chinese political group linked to the country’s ruling communist party. After Local Democracy Reporting sent questions about Lyra Yan Zhang’s background on Monday, the party confirmed on Tuesday the Kenepuru candidate had resigned – a week after her unveiling. “All of our candidates are asked to disclose previous political party memberships. Ms Zhang did not disclose her previous connections, and [on Monday] she decided not to continue with her candidacy,” an ACT spokesperson said in a statement. READ MORE: Other Local Democracy Reports LOCAL DEMOCRACY REPORTING Online publications by the China Zhi Gong Party — a satellite party of the Chinese Communist Party — reveal Zhang was a member who sat on party committees in the province of Hunan. Zhi Gong Party is one of eight “democratic” minor parties officially recognised in China’s one-party political system. Researchers into China’s foreign influence operations say it is a “united front” organisation controlled by the CCP’s United Front Work Department to assert influence on overseas Chinese communities and mobilise them to promote Beijing’s foreign policy goals. “Membership of the party demonstrates a close affiliation with the CCP,” said Geoff Wade, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. “Members of the party, even nominally retired ones overseas, thus offer overt challenges to democratic societies through potential influence and coercion activities within the host society.” Porirua local elections Zhang also ran in last year’s local body elections in Porirua, coming 11th out of 15 candidates at the Onepoto General Ward. Zhang told The Post at the time she was a Zhi Gong Party party member from 2017 until 2020, when she resigned because of the…

Was Ecuadorian activist Monika Silva murdered for exposing govt-cartel links?
type: item
creator: The Grayzone
date: 2026-06-30T22:47:20Z
subject: Sources
subject: activist:
subject: ecuadorian
subject: exposing
subject: for
subject: govtcartel
subject: links
subject: monika
subject: murdered
subject: silva
subject: sources
subject: was
description: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.

People are getting deported because of scam calls
type: item
creator: ProPublica
date: 2026-06-30T21:36:05Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: are
subject: because
subject: calls
subject: deported
subject: getting
subject: People
subject: propublica
subject: scam
subject: sources
description: This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by ProPublica.
encoded: This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by ProPublica.

Venezuela’s earthquake victims receive solidarity, need long-term support
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-30T21:02:18Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: Democracy
subject: earthquake
subject: longterm
subject: need
subject: now
subject: receive
subject: Solidarity
subject: sources
subject: support
subject: venezuela’s
subject: victims
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Supreme Court blocking Trump birthright citizen attack a ‘real relief,’ but also ‘bare minimum’
type: item
creator: Brett Wilkins
date: 2026-06-30T20:28:53Z
subject: article
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Reprint
subject: Sources
subject: also
subject: and
subject: attack
subject: bare
subject: birthright
subject: blocking
subject: but
subject: citizen
subject: court
subject: minimum
subject: movements
subject: Politics
subject: real
subject: relief
subject: reprint
subject: sources
subject: supreme
subject: supreme court
subject: trump
description: This story originally appeared in Common Dreams on June 30, 2026. It is shared here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license. The US Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order that sought to deny autom...
encoded: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2268794952-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Demonstrators rally in support of birthright citizenship outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC on April 1, 2026. Photo by Kent Nishimura / AFP via Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2268794952-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2268794952-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2268794952-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2268794952-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2268794952-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2268794952-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2268794952-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2268794952-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2268794952-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2268794952-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2268794952-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2268794952-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (…

How Trump’s World Cup echoes dictatorships of the past
type: item
creator: Michael Fox
date: 2026-06-30T20:06:10Z
subject: article
subject: Politics and Movements: International
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: cup
subject: Dictatorships
subject: echoes
subject: Fascism
subject: how
subject: International
subject: movements
subject: past,
subject: Politics
subject: sources
subject: Sports
subject: the
subject: trump
subject: trump’s
subject: World
description: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2250178685-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="President Donald Trump reacts on stage during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 05, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo by Scott Taetsch - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images" data-attachment-id="344660" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/how-trumps-world-cup-echoes-dictatorships-of-the-past/fifa-world-cup-2026-official-draw" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2250178685-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"FIFA via Getty Images","camera":"Canon EOS R1","caption":"WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 05: U.S. President Donald Trump reacts on stage during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 05, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1764929868","copyright":"2025 FIFA","focal_length":"200","iso":"1600","shutter_speed":"0.0025","title":"FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" President Donald Trump reacts on stage during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 05, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo by Scott Taetsch &#8211; FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2250178685-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1"> Trump's 2026 World Cup fits into a long history of authoritarian governments using international sports to distract from the human rights abuses and violence of their administratio…
encoded: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2250178685-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="President Donald Trump reacts on stage during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 05, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo by Scott Taetsch - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2250178685-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2250178685-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2250178685-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2250178685-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2250178685-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2250178685-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2250178685-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2250178685-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2250178685-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2250178685-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2250178685-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2250178685-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(10…

7 exiled Belarusian media sites hit by DDoS attacks
type: item
creator: Anna Brakha
date: 2026-06-30T19:08:44Z
subject: Aliaksandra Pushkina
subject: Barys Haretski
subject: Belarusian Association of Journalists
subject: Censored
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Cyberattack
subject: Euroradio
subject: Fyodar Pauluchenka
subject: Mediazona-Belarus
subject: Nasha Niva
subject: Pozirk
subject: Reform.news
subject: Sources
subject: Yauhen Kazartsau
subject: Zerkalo
subject: aliaksandra
subject: association
subject: attacks
subject: barys
subject: belarusian
subject: censored
subject: cloudflare
subject: committee
subject: cyberattack
subject: DDoS
subject: euroradio
subject: exiled
subject: fyodar
subject: haretski
subject: hit
subject: Internet
subject: Journalists
subject: kazartsau
subject: Media
subject: mediazonabelarus
subject: nasha
subject: niva
subject: pauluchenka
subject: pozirk
subject: protect
subject: pushkina
subject: reformnews
subject: sites
subject: sources
subject: yauhen
subject: zerkalo
description: Websites of at least six exiled Belarusian news outlets and one journalists’ association have been targeted since March by distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, which aim to overwhelm websites with floods of internet traffic. Staff at several of the affected outlets said the increasingly frequent attacks appear to extend a pattern of transnational repression linked to...
encoded: Websites of at least six exiled Belarusian news outlets and one journalists’ association have been targeted since March by distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, which aim to overwhelm websites with floods of internet traffic. Staff at several of the affected outlets said the increasingly frequent attacks appear to extend a pattern of transnational repression linked to coverage of political issues. The targeted media sites — all effectively banned from operating in Belarus after authorities labeled them “extremist” groups — include Zerkalo, Reform.news, Nasha Niva, Pozirk, Mediazona.Belarus, Euroradio, and the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), a trade group exiled since 2021. For years, Belarus has harassed journalists in exile with criminal cases in absentia, opaque investigations, intimidation of their families, and property seizure. At least 21 journalists remain behind bars in the country, even after four were pardoned this year. These repressive tactics are part of an ongoing crackdown since peaceful protests swept the country in 2020 in response to the disputed re-election of President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994. While it can be difficult to pinpoint those responsible for DDoS attacks, editors and journalists at the outlets targeted in the recent wave told CPJ they believed Belarusian authorities might have sought to squash reporting on particular political topics, including events linked to Belarus’ exiled opposition. Work disrupted Zerkalo For six days in late April, DDoS attacks forced staff of independent news portal Zerkalo, which was founded by the former team of the now-defunct Tut.by, to tighten access to their website. To do this, they used additional verification steps, including Completely Automated Public Turing tests (CAPTCHAs), which are designed to confirm site visit requests are from humans. “During this time, our technical team’s resources were directed not toward product development for Zerkalo, b…

7 exiled Belarusian media sites hit by DDoS attacks
type: item
creator: Anna Brakha
date: 2026-06-30T19:08:44Z
subject: Aliaksandra Pushkina
subject: Barys Haretski
subject: Belarusian Association of Journalists
subject: Censored
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Cyberattack
subject: Euroradio
subject: Fyodar Pauluchenka
subject: Mediazona-Belarus
subject: Nasha Niva
subject: Pozirk
subject: Reform.news
subject: Sources
subject: Yauhen Kazartsau
subject: Zerkalo
subject: aliaksandra
subject: association
subject: attacks
subject: barys
subject: belarusian
subject: censored
subject: cloudflare
subject: committee
subject: cyberattack
subject: DDoS
subject: euroradio
subject: exiled
subject: fyodar
subject: haretski
subject: hit
subject: Internet
subject: Journalists
subject: kazartsau
subject: Media
subject: mediazonabelarus
subject: nasha
subject: niva
subject: pauluchenka
subject: pozirk
subject: protect
subject: pushkina
subject: reformnews
subject: sites
subject: sources
subject: yauhen
subject: zerkalo
description: Websites of at least six exiled Belarusian news outlets and one journalists’ association have been targeted since March by distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, which aim to overwhelm websites with floods of internet traffic. Staff at several of the affected outlets said the increasingly frequent attacks appear to extend a pattern of transnational repression linked to...
encoded: Websites of at least six exiled Belarusian news outlets and one journalists’ association have been targeted since March by distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, which aim to overwhelm websites with floods of internet traffic. Staff at several of the affected outlets said the increasingly frequent attacks appear to extend a pattern of transnational repression linked to coverage of political issues. The targeted media sites — all effectively banned from operating in Belarus after authorities labeled them “extremist” groups — include Zerkalo, Reform.news, Nasha Niva, Pozirk, Mediazona.Belarus, Euroradio, and the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), a trade group exiled since 2021. For years, Belarus has harassed journalists in exile with criminal cases in absentia, opaque investigations, intimidation of their families, and property seizure. At least 21 journalists remain behind bars in the country, even after four were pardoned this year. These repressive tactics are part of an ongoing crackdown since peaceful protests swept the country in 2020 in response to the disputed re-election of President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994. While it can be difficult to pinpoint those responsible for DDoS attacks, editors and journalists at the outlets targeted in the recent wave told CPJ they believed Belarusian authorities might have sought to squash reporting on particular political topics, including events linked to Belarus’ exiled opposition. Work disrupted Zerkalo For six days in late April, DDoS attacks forced staff of independent news portal Zerkalo, which was founded by the former team of the now-defunct Tut.by, to tighten access to their website. To do this, they used additional verification steps, including Completely Automated Public Turing tests (CAPTCHAs), which are designed to confirm site visit requests are from humans. “During this time, our technical team’s resources were directed not toward product development for Zerkalo, b…

Current government abuse in the U.S. has roots in treatment of Native peoples
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-30T19:02:36Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: Abuse
subject: current
subject: Democracy
subject: government
subject: has
subject: native
subject: now
subject: people’s
subject: roots
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: treatment,
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Photojournalist pepper-sprayed by federal officer at New Jersey protest
type: item
creator: U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database
date: 2026-06-30T18:38:28Z
subject: Sources
subject: assault
subject: federal
subject: jersey?
subject: new
subject: officer
subject: peppersprayed
subject: photojournalist
subject: Protest
subject: sources
description: Photojournalist Stephanie Keith was targeted with pepper spray by a federal officer while documenting a protest outside a detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 27, 2026.Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began Ma...
encoded: Photojournalist Stephanie Keith was targeted with pepper spray by a federal officer while documenting a protest outside a detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 27, 2026. Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment. Federal officers have responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed. Keith posted images from the protest on Instagram, two of which show an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer deploying a can of pepper spray directly at her camera. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 24, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press. “We remind members of the media and the public to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.” This content originally appeared on U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database and was authored by U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database.

The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – June 30, 2026
type: item
creator: KPFA
date: 2026-06-30T18:00:00Z
subject: Pacifica Evening News
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: evening
subject: june
subject: News
subject: pacifica
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: weekdays
description: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – June 30, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
encoded: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – June 30, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.

What would the Black Panthers say about DSA today?
type: item
creator: Mansa Musa
date: 2026-06-30T17:52:47Z
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Rattling the Bars
subject: Sources
subject: video
subject: about
subject: and
subject: bars
subject: black
subject: black panthers
subject: dsa
subject: movements
subject: panthers
subject: Politics
subject: racial justice
subject: rattling
subject: say
subject: Socialism
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: today
subject: Video
subject: what
subject: would
description: <img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sequence-03.00_05_45_03.Still001.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Split-screen image: (Left) Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) speaks to a crowd in front of the US Senate building in Washington, DC, on April 26, 2017. Image credit: Office of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Wikimedia Commons. (Right) A 1968 poster of Huey Newton sitting in a rattan throne chair wearing a beret and a black leather jacket while holding a shotgun in his right hand and a spear in his left hand. Image credit: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture." data-attachment-id="344641" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/what-would-the-black-panthers-say-about-dsa-today/sequence-03-00_05_45_03-still001" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sequence-03.00_05_45_03.Still001.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1920,1080" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Sequence 03.00_05_45_03.Still001" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Split-screen image: (Left) Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) speaks to a crowd in front of the US Senate building in Washington, DC, on April 26, 2017. Image credit: Office of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Wikimedia Commons. (Right) A 1968 poster of Huey Newton sitting in a rattan throne chair wearing a beret and a black leather jacket while holding a shotgun in his right hand and a spear in his left hand. Image credit: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sequence-03.00_05_45_03.Still001.jpg?fit=780%2C439&ssl=1…
encoded: <img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sequence-03.00_05_45_03.Still001.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Split-screen image: (Left) Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) speaks to a crowd in front of the US Senate building in Washington, DC, on April 26, 2017. Image credit: Office of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Wikimedia Commons. (Right) A 1968 poster of Huey Newton sitting in a rattan throne chair wearing a beret and a black leather jacket while holding a shotgun in his right hand and a spear in his left hand. Image credit: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture." decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sequence-03.00_05_45_03.Still001.jpg?w=1920&ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sequence-03.00_05_45_03.Still001.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sequence-03.00_05_45_03.Still001.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sequence-03.00_05_45_03.Still001.jpg?resize=768%2C432&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sequence-03.00_05_45_03.Still001.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sequence-03.00_05_45_03.Still001.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sequence-03.00_05_45_03.Still001.jpg?resize=780%2C439&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sequence-03.00_05_45_03.Still001.jpg?resize=400%2C225&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Sequence-03.00_05_45_03.Still001.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: …

Lawyers’ Committee Statement on Birthright Citizenship Ruling from Supreme Court
type: item
creator: Newswire Editor
date: 2026-06-30T16:17:39Z
subject: Common Dreams
subject: Sources
subject: birthright
subject: Citizenship
subject: committee
subject: common
subject: court
subject: dreams
subject: from
subject: lawyers
subject: ruling
subject: sources
subject: statement
subject: supreme
description: The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down President Trump’s order denying birthright citizenship to children born on U.S. soil, affirming that the Fourteenth Amendment means what it has always meant. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under L...
encoded: The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down President Trump’s order denying birthright citizenship to children born on U.S. soil, affirming that the Fourteenth Amendment means what it has always meant. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which filed an amicus brief in Trump v Barbara, welcomed the ruling and issued the following: Dariely Rodriguez, chief counsel at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said: “Today’s ruling solidifies what we have known to be true for over a hundred years and what our Constitution and federal laws have supported: that anyone born on American soil, regardless of the legal status of their parents, is born an American citizen. We have endured an incredible test of our collective will as a nation and have prevailed. We are glad ideological gamesmanship failed, and the right result was reached here.” Olivia Sedwick, counsel at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said: “We are satisfied with today’s result, however, we know it should have never been a question from the start. This part of our democracy’s foundation remains intact. The domicile status of one’s parents has never been a part of the calculus to determine who is born an American citizen. We hope this ends the attack on the citizenship of our American-born brothers and sisters who are born to immigrant parents. That question has finally been asked, answered, and laid to rest, hopefully, forever.” This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

Supreme Court’s Assault on Trans and Intersex Rights
type: item
creator: Newswire Editor
date: 2026-06-30T16:16:45Z
subject: Common Dreams
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: assault
subject: common
subject: courts
subject: dreams
subject: intersex
subject: rights
subject: sources
subject: supreme
subject: trans
description: In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling allowing states to ban trans youth and some intersex youth from participating in school sports, the Center for Constitutional Rights released the following statement:Today's decision confirms what trans and in...
encoded: In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling allowing states to ban trans youth and some intersex youth from participating in school sports, the Center for Constitutional Rights released the following statement: Today's decision confirms what trans and intersex advocates have known for some time: we are in the Plessy v. Ferguson/Bowers v. Hardwick era of trans rights, which is to say that we have entered a period when the legal recognition and legal protections for trans and intersex people are at an all-time low. As was the case for Black Americans after Plessy was rebuked by Brown v. Board of Education, and for the LGBTQIA+ community after Lawrence v. Texas overturned Bowers, eventually this moment will be seen for what it is: a disgrace, a legal wrong, and a failure of moral clarity for which we must atone. We stand in solidarity with trans and intersex people as they face a wave of persecution and hatred much more vast than is commonly recognized. A comprehensive campaign years in the making – one that includes a raft of executive orders and federal rules driven by anti-LGBTQIA+ animus, 797 anti-trans bills in 43 states (with exceptions impacting intersex youth), efforts to censor speech and punish professors, cuts to funding for nonprofits that serve LGBTQIA+ people, and shameful kowtowing by hospitals – has endangered the health, rights, and safety of trans and intersex people across the country. The anti-trans policymakers and activists have, through their actions and rhetoric, made their goal clear: to terrorize trans people and remove them from public life. And yet, with today’s decision, the Supreme Court has once again abdicated duty to be a bulwark against state-sponsored persecution of trans and intersex people that is so severe that, according to the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security, trans and intersex people are experiencing the early stages of genocide. Rather than document this persecutory campaign, the mainstream press has b…

West Virginia v. BPJ Ruling Will Harm Young Transgender Athletes in Devastating Setback for LGBTQ+ Rights
type: item
creator: Newswire Editor
date: 2026-06-30T16:13:59Z
subject: Common Dreams
subject: Sources
subject: Athletes
subject: bpj
subject: common
subject: devastating
subject: dreams
subject: for
subject: harm
subject: lgbtq
subject: rights
subject: ruling
subject: setback
subject: sources
subject: transgender
subject: virginia
subject: west
subject: will
subject: young
description: In response to the Supreme Court decision in West Virginia v. BPJ, Karla Gonzales Garcia, Gender, Sexuality, and Identity Director at Amnesty International USA said:“This decision comes at a time of rising authoritarian practices under the Trump admin...
encoded: In response to the Supreme Court decision in West Virginia v. BPJ, Karla Gonzales Garcia, Gender, Sexuality, and Identity Director at Amnesty International USA said: “This decision comes at a time of rising authoritarian practices under the Trump administration, which use gender and sexuality as a cultural battle for political gain. Amid escalating efforts to legalize discrimination against transgender people, this decision could pave the way for broader laws that exclude transgender people from public life altogether. “Transgender youth should have the same opportunities afforded to their cisgender peers. Athletic programs are essential to the growth and development of all young people. Today’s ruling would deny transgender youth the ability to participate in recreational activities with their friends and peers – simply due to their gender identity. “Transgender people are our family, neighbors, friends, coworkers and community members, and the U.S. government will not force them from existence. We are united in solidarity with every young transgender athlete whose future feels less certain today. “Together, we will continue to fight for a better future – one where transgender people can enjoy their human right to bodily autonomy and a life of freedom, safety and dignity.” This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

Why democratic socialists are winning
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-30T16:13:48Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: are
subject: Democracy
subject: democratic
subject: now
subject: socialists
subject: sources
subject: why
subject: winning
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

UN News Today 30 June 2026
type: item
creator: Daniel Johnson
date: 2026-06-30T16:08:00Z
subject: Podcasts/UN News Today
subject: Sources
subject: UN News
subject: 2026
subject: june
subject: News
subject: podcastsun
subject: sources
subject: today
description: Venezuela quake update: hospital staff under stress and panic in worst-hit communities – WHO, UNHCRDR Congo Ebola outbreak could force an additional one million people into poverty spiral; UNDPStrait of Hormuz gradual reopening is no quick fix for deve...
encoded: Venezuela quake update: hospital staff under stress and panic in worst-hit communities – WHO, UNHCRDR Congo Ebola outbreak could force an additional one million people into poverty spiral; UNDPStrait of Hormuz gradual reopening is no quick fix for developing nations: UNCTAD This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Daniel Johnson.

What would the Black Panthers say about DSA?
type: item
creator: The Real News Network
date: 2026-06-30T16:07:15Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Real News Network
subject: about
subject: black
subject: dsa
subject: network
subject: News
subject: panthers
subject: real
subject: say
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: what
subject: would
description: This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.

The Democratic Party Gets Its Populist Takeover
type: item
creator: The Intercept
date: 2026-06-30T16:00:34Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Intercept
subject: democratic
subject: gets
subject: intercept
subject: it’s
subject: party
subject: populist:
subject: sources
subject: takeover
subject: the
description: This content originally appeared on The Intercept and was authored by The Intercept.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Intercept and was authored by The Intercept.

Xenophobic groups march on "deadline" for undocumented migrants
type: item
creator: Amnesty International
date: 2026-06-30T15:51:08Z
subject: Amnesty International
subject: Sources
subject: amnesty
subject: deadline
subject: for
subject: groups
subject: International
subject: march
subject: migrants
subject: sources
subject: undocumented
subject: xenophobic’
description: This content originally appeared on Amnesty International and was authored by Amnesty International.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Amnesty International and was authored by Amnesty International.

Corporate Political Spending Surges to Record-Shattering Levels
type: item
creator: Newswire Editor
date: 2026-06-30T15:46:21Z
subject: Common Dreams
subject: Sources
subject: common
subject: corporate
subject: dreams
subject: levels
subject: political
subject: recordshattering
subject: sources
subject: spending
subject: surges
description: Nearly one third of all corporate political spending on elections since the 2010 Citizens United decision has occurred in the current election cycle – months before the general election, a new report from Public Citizen finds. Since the U.S. Supreme C...
encoded: Nearly one third of all corporate political spending on elections since the 2010 Citizens United decision has occurred in the current election cycle – months before the general election, a new report from Public Citizen finds. Since the U.S. Supreme Court greenlit direct corporate spending to influence election outcomes in 2010, corporations have spent $1.58 billion on federal elections. In the 2026 election cycle alone, they have spent $517 million, a figure sure to soar as the November general election approaches (these totals reference disclosed political spending, not any contributions from Dark Money organizations that keep donors secret). The 2026 cycle spending already far exceeds the $461 million corporate spending during the 2024 presidential cycle. Driving this unprecedented surge of political spending are crypto, Big Tech and online betting corporations. Altogether, those three sectors are responsible for 57 percent of the corporate spending in the 2026 midterms. The new corporate spending is going primarily to corporate supremacist super PACs, which, unlike most super PACs, prioritize the interests of specific corporate sectors over either major political party or any particular candidate. The report, “The Rise of Corporate Supremacist Super PACs,” also finds that the biggest beneficiary of corporate contributions besides the industry-prioritizing super PACs is the Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. MAGA Inc. received $120.6 million in direct contributions from corporations including Crypto.com, Energy Transfer Partners, UnitedHealthcare, and Reynold’s American. “A decade and a half after Citizens United, corporations are starting to spend on politics like never before,” said Rick Claypool, Research Director at Public Citizen and author of the report. “Crypto corporations shattered norms against corporate spending in elections last cycle and now many others are following suit – and still more are sure to follow.” “This corporate spending is a disaster for democracy…

The Project Censored Newsletter—June 2026
type: item
creator: Kate Horgan
date: 2026-06-30T15:14:54Z
subject: Project Censored
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: censored
subject: newsletterjune
subject: Newsletters
subject: project’:
subject: sources
subject: the
description: Meet Our Summer 2026 Student Interns We’re so excited to welcome a new cohort of talented students to the Project Censored team, who will support our research and editorial efforts throughout the summer. Isïa Patie is an incoming junior at Binghamton U...
encoded: Meet Our Summer 2026 Student Interns We’re so excited to welcome a new cohort of talented students to the Project Censored team, who will support our research and editorial efforts throughout the summer. Isïa Patie is an incoming junior at Binghamton University studying political science. Before that, she attended the… The post The Project Censored Newsletter—June 2026 appeared first on Project Censored. This content originally appeared on Project Censored and was authored by Kate Horgan.

Flawed SCOTUS Campaign Finance Ruling Opens New Avenues for Billionaires and Corporations to Buy Elections
type: item
creator: Newswire Editor
date: 2026-06-30T15:13:13Z
subject: Common Dreams
subject: Sources
subject: ‘flawed’
subject: and
subject: avenues’
subject: billionaires
subject: buy
subject: campaign
subject: common
subject: corporations
subject: dreams
subject: Elections
subject: Finance
subject: for
subject: new
subject: opens
subject: ruling
subject: scotus
subject: sources
description: Today, by a vote of 6-3, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the long-standing federal limit on campaign spending coordination between political parties and candidates. This limit was passed by Congress in 1971 to guard against the corrupting effect of...
encoded: Today, by a vote of 6-3, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the long-standing federal limit on campaign spending coordination between political parties and candidates. This limit was passed by Congress in 1971 to guard against the corrupting effect of large campaign contributions flowing through party committees to candidates to circumvent federal limits on the amount of direct campaign contributions to candidates. The case is National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission. Public Citizen filed an amicus brief in the case arguing in support of the law. “This Supreme Court twisted the First Amendment to help billionaires and corporations buy our elections and bend our government to their will,” said Public Citizen Democracy Advocate Jon Golinger. “We have to combat this outcome by increasing transparency so voters know who’s paying for election ads, empowering small donors and public matching funds, and passing the Democracy For All Amendment to empower Congress, the states, and the voters to put in place reasonable protections to guard against campaign finance corruption.” This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

‘You have to kill people’: The US, Israel, and Latin America’s far right are plotting to crush the left
type: item
creator: Marc Steiner
date: 2026-06-30T15:09:17Z
subject: Politics and Movements: International
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Sources
subject: The Marc Steiner Show
subject: america’s
subject: and
subject: are
subject: crush
subject: far
subject: have
subject: Honduras
subject: International
subject: israel
subject: kill
subject: latin
subject: latin america
subject: left
subject: marc
subject: movements
subject: People
subject: plotting
subject: podcast
subject: Politics
subject: right
subject: show
subject: sources
subject: steiner
subject: the
subject: you
description: <img width="1024" height="779" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1165484066-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C779&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez (3rd-R) and his wife First Lady Ana Garcia Carias (2nd-R) sing their national anthem as they stand alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd-L) and his wife Sara Netanyahu (L) during an inauguration ceremony in Jerusalem of the Diplomatic Trade Office of Honduras on September 1, 2019. Photo by DEBBIE HILL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images" data-attachment-id="344622" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/you-have-to-kill-people-the-us-israel-and-latin-americas-far-right-are-plotting-to-crush-the-left/gettyimages-1165484066" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1165484066-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1948&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1948" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="GettyImages-1165484066" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez (3rd-R) and his wife First Lady Ana Garcia Carias (2nd-R) sing their national anthem as they stand alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd-L) and his wife Sara Netanyahu (L) during an inauguration ceremony in Jerusalem of the Diplomatic Trade Office of Honduras on September 1, 2019. Photo by DEBBIE HILL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1165484066-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C593&ssl=1"> “You have to do everything to not let go of power, and you have to make it seem like everything that will happen—the killings, the kidnappings—are all being done by the communists.”
encoded: <img width="1024" height="779" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1165484066-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C779&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez (3rd-R) and his wife First Lady Ana Garcia Carias (2nd-R) sing their national anthem as they stand alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd-L) and his wife Sara Netanyahu (L) during an inauguration ceremony in Jerusalem of the Diplomatic Trade Office of Honduras on September 1, 2019. Photo by DEBBIE HILL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1165484066-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1165484066-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C228&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1165484066-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C779&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1165484066-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C584&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1165484066-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1169&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1165484066-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1559&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1165484066-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C913&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1165484066-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1522&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1165484066-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C594&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1165484066-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C304&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-1165484066-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w,…

Brennan Center Reacts to Supreme Court Ruling on Birthright Citizenship
type: item
creator: Newswire Editor
date: 2026-06-30T15:01:50Z
subject: Common Dreams
subject: Sources
subject: birthright
subject: brennan
subject: center
subject: Citizenship
subject: common
subject: court
subject: dreams
subject: reacts
subject: ruling
subject: sources
subject: supreme
description: Today in Trump v. Barbara the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of citizenship to everyone born in the United States.Thomas Wolf, director of democracy initiatives at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, had the foll...
encoded: Today in Trump v. Barbara the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of citizenship to everyone born in the United States. Thomas Wolf, director of democracy initiatives at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, had the following reaction: “Today’s ruling is the right one amid an avalanche of Supreme Court opinions undermining our democracy. The Court could not have defensibly ruled any differently. The Fourteenth Amendment guaranteed citizenship to everyone born here over 150 years ago. The Supreme Court affirmed that 20 years later in Wong Kim Ark. Meanwhile, the Court has been on an anti-democratic rampage. “In just the past few weeks alone, the Court further undermined the Voting Rights Act, encouraged more aggressive partisan gerrymandering, dangerously expanded presidential power over federal agencies, and further depleted protections for immigrants. This ruling does not make up for all the damage the Court has done this term.” This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

ICE kidnapped my husband on his way to buy diapers for our infant son
type: item
creator: Gabriela Soto
date: 2026-06-30T15:01:32Z
subject: article
subject: Politics and Movements: International
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Prisons and Policing
subject: Reprint
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: buy
subject: diapers
subject: for
subject: his
subject: husband
subject: ice
subject: Immigration
subject: infant
subject: International
subject: kidnapped
subject: movements
subject: our
subject: Policing
subject: Politics
subject: Prisons
subject: reprint
subject: son
subject: sources
subject: way
description: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2278488128-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Gabriella Soto, whose husband is on a hunger strike, speaks outside Delaney Hall which is being used as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center on May 27, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images" data-attachment-id="344631" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/ice-kidnapped-my-husband-on-his-way-to-buy-diapers-for-our-infant-son/immigration-advocates-demonstrate-and-clash-with-officers-outside-delaney-hall-detention-facility-in-newark-2" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2278488128-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"6.3","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"Canon EOS R1","caption":"NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 27: Gabriella Soto, whose husband is on a hunger strike, speaks outside Delaney Hall which is being used as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center on May 27, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. The protests, which have become tense over the holiday weekend, come amid reports of an ongoing hunger strike by hundreds of detainees in the facility. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1779881996","copyright":"2026 Getty Images","focal_length":"70","iso":"250","shutter_speed":"0.00125","title":"Immigration Advocates Demonstrate And Clash With Officers Outside Delaney Hall Detention Facility In Newark","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="Immigration Advocates Demonstrate And Clash With Officers Outside Delaney Hall Detention Facility In Newark" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Gabriella Soto, whose husband is on a hunger strike, speaks outside Delaney Hall which is being used as an Immigration and Customs Enf…
encoded: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2278488128-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Gabriella Soto, whose husband is on a hunger strike, speaks outside Delaney Hall which is being used as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center on May 27, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2278488128-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2278488128-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2278488128-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2278488128-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2278488128-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2278488128-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2278488128-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2278488128-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2278488128-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2278488128-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2278488128-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2278488128-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 3…

Birthright Protection Remains, But Attacks Continue
type: item
creator: Newswire Editor
date: 2026-06-30T15:00:39Z
subject: Common Dreams
subject: Sources
subject: attacks
subject: birthright
subject: but
subject: common
subject: continue
subject: dreams
subject: protection
subject: remains
subject: sources
description: In an important victory for all Americans, today the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a presidential executive order that would have changed the 14th Amendment’s process for U.S. citizenship. But while today is a victory, attacks on communities of color...
encoded: In an important victory for all Americans, today the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a presidential executive order that would have changed the 14th Amendment’s process for U.S. citizenship. But while today is a victory, attacks on communities of color continue to persist both with the president and in cases with this court. “While we welcome the Court finally upholding a constitutional amendment ratified nearly two centuries ago, upholding the law is no cause for celebration, it is a requirement” Common Cause President & CEO Virginia Kase Solomón said. “Let today be a stark reminder that this court continues to systematically dismantle voting protections for Black and brown communities, tilting the scales of justice toward a dark era where a wealthy, privileged few dictate the rules for the rest of us. Today may be a brief victory for the rule of law, but our fight to protect our multiracial democracy continues.” This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

Supreme Court Gives Blessing for Billionaires to Buy More Influence Over Politicians
type: item
creator: Newswire Editor
date: 2026-06-30T14:58:23Z
subject: Common Dreams
subject: Sources
subject: billionaires
subject: blessing
subject: buy
subject: common
subject: court
subject: dreams
subject: for
subject: gives
subject: influence
subject: more
subject: over
subject: politicians
subject: sources
subject: supreme
description: Today, the Supreme Court ruled for the Republican Party and JD Vance in National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission, reversing previous decisions and removing one of the last restrictions preventing wealthy donors from funn...
encoded: Today, the Supreme Court ruled for the Republican Party and JD Vance in National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission, reversing previous decisions and removing one of the last restrictions preventing wealthy donors from funneling huge sums to their preferred candidates through political parties. The decision strikes down limits on "coordinated expenditures" and opens the door to even more billionaire influence in American elections. Stand Up America’s Managing Director of Policy and Political Affairs, Brett Edkins, issued the following statement on today’s decision: “The right-wing supermajority on the Supreme Court thinks Citizens United didn’t go far enough. Today they gave their blessing for billionaires to buy even more influence over the politicians who represent us. “Americans deserve a Supreme Court that upholds our fundamental freedoms–not one that consistently sides with billionaire donors and diminishes the power of everyday citizens in our democracy. Congress should rein in this rogue Court once Trump leaves office by enacting major reforms, including term limits, an enforceable code of ethics, and expanding the Court with justices who will defend our democracy and our fundamental freedoms.” Since 2021, Stand Up America has been on the front lines of the fight for Supreme Court reform, mobilizing its members to take nearly one million actions in support of Supreme Court term limits, expansion, and a binding code of ethics. This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

"Keep Supporting the Venezuelan People": Thousands Missing as Earthquake Rescue Efforts Continue
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-30T14:49:43Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: continue
subject: Democracy
subject: earthquake
subject: efforts
subject: keep
subject: missing
subject: now
subject: People
subject: Rescue
subject: sources
subject: supporting
subject: the
subject: thousands
subject: venezuelan
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Meet Aber Kawas, DSA-Backed Palestinian American Who Won New York State Senate Primary
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-30T14:48:24Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: aber
subject: american
subject: Democracy
subject: dsabacked
subject: kawas
subject: meet
subject: new
subject: now
subject: palestinian
subject: primary
subject: senate
subject: sources
subject: State
subject: who
subject: won,
subject: york
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

"First America": Cherokee Podcaster Rebecca Nagle on the Full Story of the U.S. Founding
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-30T14:47:34Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: (full
subject: america
subject: cherokee
subject: Democracy
subject: first
subject: founding
subject: nagle
subject: now
subject: podcaster
subject: rebecca
subject: sources
subject: story
subject: the
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Top U.S. & World Headlines — June 30, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-30T14:37:06Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: headlines
subject: june
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: top
subject: World
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

How Ken Burns Began Filmmaking
type: item
creator: VICE News
date: 2026-06-30T14:29:23Z
subject: Sources
subject: Vice News
subject: began
subject: burns
subject: Filmmaking
subject: how
subject: ken
subject: News
subject: sources
subject: vice
description: This content originally appeared on VICE News and was authored by VICE News.
encoded: This content originally appeared on VICE News and was authored by VICE News.

Videojournalist grabbed, shoved by police at New Jersey immigration protest
type: item
creator: U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database
date: 2026-06-30T14:01:58Z
subject: Sources
subject: assault
subject: grabbed
subject: Immigration
subject: jersey?
subject: new
subject: Police
subject: Protest
subject: shoved
subject: sources
subject: videojournalist
description: Status Coup videojournalist Jon Farina was grabbed and shoved by a law enforcement officer while covering protests outside a federal detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 7, 2026.Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facilit...
encoded: Status Coup videojournalist Jon Farina was grabbed and shoved by a law enforcement officer while covering protests outside a federal detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 7, 2026. Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. Federal officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment. In an Instagram post, Status Coup reported that Farina was “one of several members of the press who were shoved by law enforcement and restricted from covering.” The first half of the footage, recorded by Farina, shows several officers shouting at him to move back. “No bullshit, I’ll put you in cuffs, I swear to god,” one Newark Police Division officer tells Farina. Then a Newark detective wearing sunglasses yells at Farina to get back, as a nearby voice is heard shouting, “Press! Press! Press! Press! Press!” The video then cuts to footage captured by freelance photojournalist Pierre Lavie, in which an officer is seen running up to Farina as he moves away in the direction the detective specified. The officer then grabs and pushes Farina seemingly toward the street. A second individual, who appears to be wearing press credentials, was also shoved by the officer. View post on Instagram “It’s the state police — the New Jersey State Police — throwing punches to people that are on the ground. Grabbing and throwing members of the press,” Farina reports in his footage. “This is what you have going on here in New Jersey.” The Newark police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On June 8, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka released a statement that officers were dispatched to Delaney Hall after receiving reports that people we…

“Keep Supporting the Venezuelan People”: Thousands Missing as Earthquake Rescue Efforts Continue
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-30T12:50:08Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 8220keep
subject: continue
subject: Democracy
subject: earthquake
subject: efforts
subject: missing
subject: now
subject: people8221
subject: Rescue
subject: sources
subject: supporting
subject: the
subject: thousands
subject: venezuelan
description: Rescue efforts in Venezuela continue as thousands of people remain missing — trapped under the rubble of flattened homes and buildings nearly a week after two back-to-back earthquakes devastated the capital, Caracas, and the nearby city of La ...
encoded: Rescue efforts in Venezuela continue as thousands of people remain missing — trapped under the rubble of flattened homes and buildings nearly a week after two back-to-back earthquakes devastated the capital, Caracas, and the nearby city of La Guaira. Rescue teams are desperately searching for survivors, with Venezuelan health officials saying Monday that over 1,700 people are confirmed dead. The toll is expected to rise dramatically as the window for finding survivors closes. In the face of the wreckage, “we’re seeing also a lot of solidarity from the Venezuelan people” who are sharing space and resources with those displaced by the quakes, says Beatriz Ochoa, Latin America head of advocacy for the Norwegian Refugee Council. Looking ahead, “We will need to transition to more medium- and longer-term solutions, so that people can have affordable housing and a more dignified place to sleep and to be able to rebuild their lives,” says Ochoa, calling for more international support. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Meet Aber Kawas, DSA-Backed Palestinian American Who Won New York State Senate Primary
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-30T12:35:49Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: aber
subject: american
subject: Democracy
subject: dsabacked
subject: kawas
subject: meet
subject: new
subject: now
subject: palestinian
subject: primary
subject: senate
subject: sources
subject: State
subject: who
subject: won,
subject: york
description: The Democratic Socialists of America’s slate dominated the New York primaries last week, with Aber Kawas winning the Democratic nomination for a New York state Senate seat in the New York City borough of Queens with a 20-point lead again...
encoded: The Democratic Socialists of America’s slate dominated the New York primaries last week, with Aber Kawas winning the Democratic nomination for a New York state Senate seat in the New York City borough of Queens with a 20-point lead against progressive State Assemblymember Steven Raga. Born and raised in New York to Palestinian parents, Kawas campaigned on affordable housing, universal healthcare, immigration reform, public transit, climate action and opposition to U.S. support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Over the past decade, the DSA has grown from about 5,000 members to over 100,000 members in 200 chapters across the United States. “What we are saying is that we want to make sure that people who are struggling are provided the best social services possible by our government,” says Aber Kawas of DSA candidates. “That is not a threat to people. That is a really hopeful message that so many Americans and so many people are looking for, and that is why we were able to win in these landslide victories.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Viral video does not show Pune Fort case accused Siya Goyal dancing
type: item
creator: Oishani Bhattacharya
date: 2026-06-30T12:35:30Z
subject: news
description: A 36-second-long video of two women dancing has gone viral on social media with users claiming that it features Siya Goyal, one of the accused in the alleged murder of 26-year-old Ketan Agarwal in Pune’s Lohagad Fort. On June 23, Pune rural police arrested Siya Goyal (20) and Chetan Chaudhary (22) for allegedly murdering Goyal’s […]
encoded: A 36-second-long video of two women dancing has gone viral on social media with users claiming that it features Siya Goyal, one of the accused in the alleged murder of 26-year-old Ketan Agarwal in Pune’s Lohagad Fort. On June 23, Pune rural police arrested Siya Goyal (20) and Chetan Chaudhary (22) for allegedly murdering Goyal’s fiancé, Ketan Agarwal. They have been booked under Sections 103 (murder) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). As per reports, Goyal and Chaudhary had been involved in a romantic relationship and allegedly conspired to murder Agarwal. Goyal and Agarwal went on a trek to Pune’s Lohagad Fort on June 18, where Agarwal fell nearly 400 feet into a gorge. Investigation later revealed it was not an accidental fall. It is against this backdrop that the said video has gone viral. X page TeluguBulletin.com (@TeluguBulletin) shared the afore mentioned clip on June 27, claiming that the video featured Goyal. The post garnered over 10,000 views. (Archive) Siya Goyal’s statements about Ketan have sparked fresh debate online. After she claimed she was unhappy with certain aspects of their relationship, many social media users questioned how the couple had appeared so comfortable during their pre-wedding shoot. The discussion… pic.twitter.com/Qflf1xgyvH — TeluguBulletin.com (@TeluguBulletin) June 27, 2026 Another X user, @thecaspiansk, posted the video with a caption saying: “Yes she was not happy with wedding”. This post has received more than 163,000 views. (Archive) Yes she was not happy with wedding pic.twitter.com/olMFKTQo9O — CASPIAN (@thecaspiansk) June 27, 2026 Several other users shared the same clip and amplified the claim that the video showed Goyal dancing. Below are a few instances: Click to view slideshow. Fact Check To verify this claim, we broke down the video into several keyframes and ran a reverse image search on some of them. This led us to an Instagram post shared on June 21, 2026. This post carried the same…

“Merciless Indian Savages”: Cherokee Podcaster on Racist Slur in the Declaration of Independence
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-30T12:14:48Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 8220merciless
subject: cherokee
subject: declaration
subject: Democracy
subject: independence
subject: indian
subject: now
subject: podcaster
subject: racist
subject: savages8221
subject: slur
subject: sources
subject: the
description: Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July Fourth, we speak to award-winning Cherokee author and journalist Rebecca Nagle about what’s missing from the conventional story of the American Revo...
encoded: Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July Fourth, we speak to award-winning Cherokee author and journalist Rebecca Nagle about what’s missing from the conventional story of the American Revolution. “The last grievance in the Declaration of Independence is about 'merciless Indian savages,'” says Rebecca Nagle. “According to our founders, in their own words, the thing that they were most angry about was Native people.” She also argues that the “biggest myth” is that the founders built a democracy, “because they also built an empire,” and that the two can’t coexist. Nagle partnered with leading Indigenous scholars on a new documentary podcast called First America. The series challenges the conventional U.S. origin story by examining the experiences of Indigenous peoples, and traces how laws and legal doctrines first used to dispossess Indigenous nations continue to impact questions of executive power, immigration, xenophobia, citizenship, territorial expansion and U.S. foreign policy today. Nagle links the dark history of the United States’ founding to ongoing oppression in the country. “I would be reporting on America’s past, and then the same thing would happen in our present,” she says. “Rounding people up, putting people in detention, even shooting anybody who gets in the way, these are things that our government has done before — not once, not twice, but many, many times.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Headlines for June 30, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-30T12:00:00Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: for
subject: headlines
subject: june
subject: now
subject: sources
description: Iranian Officials Deny Trump’s Claims of High-Level Talks in Doha, Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill 8, Including 2 Children, as Smotrich Calls for Gaza Settlements, Rights Group Says Israel Is Killing Palestinian Children in West Bank at Fastest Rate Since 1967, More Than 130 Venezuelans Recently Deported from U.S. Feared Dead in La Guaira Earthquakes, Ukrainian Drones Target Moscow After Russian Attacks on Ukraine Kill 8, SCOTUS to Allow the President to Fire Independent Agency Heads, Except at the Federal Reserve, Divided Supreme Court Upholds Grace Periods for Mail-In Ballots Postmarked by Election Day, SCOTUS Rules Cellphone Location Data Is Protected by the Fourth Amendment, SCOTUS Declines to Hear Trump’s Appeal of $5 Million Sex Abuse and Defamation Case, Supreme Court Will Consider Arizona Laws Requiring Proof of Citizenship to Vote, DSA-Backed Insurgents Target Democratic Incumbents as Colorado Holds Primaries, New York City Council Employee with TPS Released from Newark ICE Jail After 5 Months, Trump Bought Stock in Taser Company Before ICE Announced $220 Million Contract, New York Mayor Mamdani Closes Part of Rikers Island Jail
encoded: Iranian Officials Deny Trump's Claims of High-Level Talks in Doha Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill 8, Including 2 Children, as Smotrich Calls for Gaza Settlements Rights Group Says Israel Is Killing Palestinian Children in West Bank at Fastest Rate Since 1967 More Than 130 Venezuelans Recently Deported from U.S. Feared Dead in La Guaira Earthquakes Ukrainian Drones Target Moscow After Russian Attacks on Ukraine Kill 8 SCOTUS to Allow the President to Fire Independent Agency Heads, Except at the Federal Reserve Divided Supreme Court Upholds Grace Periods for Mail-In Ballots Postmarked by Election Day SCOTUS Rules Cellphone Location Data Is Protected by the Fourth Amendment SCOTUS Declines to Hear Trump's Appeal of $5 Million Sex Abuse and Defamation Case Supreme Court Will Consider Arizona Laws Requiring Proof of Citizenship to Vote DSA-Backed Insurgents Target Democratic Incumbents as Colorado Holds Primaries New York City Council Employee with TPS Released from Newark ICE Jail After 5 Months Trump Bought Stock in Taser Company Before ICE Announced $220 Million Contract New York Mayor Mamdani Closes Part of Rikers Island Jail This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Democracy Now! 2026-06-30 Tuesday
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-30T12:00:00Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 20260630
subject: Democracy
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: tuesday
description: Democracy Now! Tuesday, June 30, 2026
encoded: Democracy Now! Tuesday, June 30, 2026 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.

LIMPE FUCHS • live in Berlin / Kiezsalon
type: item
creator: Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes
date: 2026-06-30T11:54:09Z
subject: Petites Planètes
subject: Sources
subject: berlin
subject: fuchs
subject: kiezsalon
subject: limpe
subject: live
subject: petites
subject: planètes
subject: sources
description: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.

A UN report details the ‘overwhelming’ scale of children killed in Gaza. It raises grave legal questions
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-30T11:21:07Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Children targeted
subject: Commission of Inquiry
subject: Gaza genocide
subject: Human rights law
subject: Israeli atrocities
subject: Occupied Palestine
subject: Palestinian children
subject: Sources
subject: UN reports
subject: Analysis
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: Atrocities
subject: Australia
subject: children
subject: commission
subject: Crime
subject: Culture
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: details
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: evidence
subject: Featured
subject: gaza
subject: Genocide
subject: Global
subject: grave
subject: human
subject: Human Rights
subject: humanitarian
subject: Indigenous
subject: inquiry
subject: International Law
subject: israeli
subject: Justice
subject: killed
subject: Law
subject: legal
subject: military
subject: occupied
subject: Opinion
subject: overwhelming
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Palestine
subject: palestinian
subject: Politics
subject: questions
subject: raises
subject: report
subject: Reports
subject: Research
subject: rights
subject: scale
subject: Security
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: targeted
subject: the
subject: United Nations
description: ANALYSIS: By Shannon Bosch A recent United Nations report has detailed serious allegations of Israel deliberately targeting Palestinian children during the conflict since October 2023. The report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, which has been rejected by the Israeli government, documents harrowing
encoded: ANALYSIS: By Shannon Bosch A recent United Nations report has detailed serious allegations of Israel deliberately targeting Palestinian children during the conflict since October 2023. The report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, which has been rejected by the Israeli government, documents harrowing child deaths. It describes the scale of the deaths as “unprecedented”. Legally, the report itself does not prosecute anyone, but it can have major consequences by adding to a growing record of international law evidence. READ MORE: Israel continues to commit genocide and other atrocity crimes by deliberately targeting Palestinian children Israel’s deliberate targeting of Gaza children part of genocide: UN inquiry The Gaza doctrine – Israeli ‘journacide’ and the muted NZ media response Other Gaza genocide reports An independent investigation The commission is a standing investigative body created by the UN Human Rights Council in May 2021 after the escalation in Gaza and East Jerusalem that year. Its mandate is unusually broad and ongoing. It is tasked with investigating all alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, identifying root causes and preserving evidence for accountability. Since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, the commission has published several reports on the conflict, including on the deaths of Israeli children. This latest report is significant because it focuses specifically on children, examining the impact of Israeli military operations on Palestinian children between October 2023 and March 2026. The report notes that the commission sent requests for information to the State of Palestine, the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli government. The first two responded, but the latter did not. Four major findings The commission’s report makes four highly signif…

A UN report details the ‘overwhelming’ scale of children killed in Gaza. It raises grave legal questions
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-30T11:21:07Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Children targeted
subject: Commission of Inquiry
subject: Gaza genocide
subject: Human rights law
subject: Israeli atrocities
subject: Occupied Palestine
subject: Palestinian children
subject: Sources
subject: UN reports
subject: Analysis
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: Atrocities
subject: Australia
subject: children
subject: commission
subject: Crime
subject: Culture
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: details
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: evidence
subject: Featured
subject: gaza
subject: Genocide
subject: Global
subject: grave
subject: human
subject: Human Rights
subject: humanitarian
subject: Indigenous
subject: inquiry
subject: International Law
subject: israeli
subject: Justice
subject: killed
subject: Law
subject: legal
subject: military
subject: occupied
subject: Opinion
subject: overwhelming
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Palestine
subject: palestinian
subject: Politics
subject: questions
subject: raises
subject: report
subject: Reports
subject: Research
subject: rights
subject: scale
subject: Security
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: targeted
subject: the
subject: United Nations
description: ANALYSIS: By Shannon Bosch A recent United Nations report has detailed serious allegations of Israel deliberately targeting Palestinian children during the conflict since October 2023. The report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, which has been rejected by the Israeli government, documents harrowing
encoded: ANALYSIS: By Shannon Bosch A recent United Nations report has detailed serious allegations of Israel deliberately targeting Palestinian children during the conflict since October 2023. The report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, which has been rejected by the Israeli government, documents harrowing child deaths. It describes the scale of the deaths as “unprecedented”. Legally, the report itself does not prosecute anyone, but it can have major consequences by adding to a growing record of international law evidence. READ MORE: Israel continues to commit genocide and other atrocity crimes by deliberately targeting Palestinian children Israel’s deliberate targeting of Gaza children part of genocide: UN inquiry The Gaza doctrine – Israeli ‘journacide’ and the muted NZ media response Other Gaza genocide reports An independent investigation The commission is a standing investigative body created by the UN Human Rights Council in May 2021 after the escalation in Gaza and East Jerusalem that year. Its mandate is unusually broad and ongoing. It is tasked with investigating all alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, identifying root causes and preserving evidence for accountability. Since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, the commission has published several reports on the conflict, including on the deaths of Israeli children. This latest report is significant because it focuses specifically on children, examining the impact of Israeli military operations on Palestinian children between October 2023 and March 2026. The report notes that the commission sent requests for information to the State of Palestine, the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli government. The first two responded, but the latter did not. Four major findings The commission’s report makes four highly signif…

DN! Friday, July 3, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4
date: 2026-06-30T10:45:33Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: friday
subject: july
subject: now
subject: sources
description: Friday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD
encoded: Friday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4 and was authored by Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4.

“That Guy Is Still Out There”
type: item
creator: Joaquin Sapien
date: 2026-06-30T10:30:00Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: Criminal Justice
subject: guy
subject: out
subject: propublica
subject: sources
subject: still
subject: that
subject: there
description: The post “That Guy Is Still Out There” appeared first on ProPublica.
encoded: Vanessa Saba for ProPublica It took less than a day for the detective to give up on the case. A patrol officer had reported a harrowing, violent midnight rape in a Syracuse, New York, park. Hospital records recounted that the victim, an 18-year-old freshman at Syracuse University, was “crying uncontrollably.” Her face was bruised, and she had scratches on her neck. Her hymen had been lacerated in two places. Her urine was “grossly bloody,” according to the hospital report, and there was semen inside her. At 8 on the morning after the assault, after the victim looked fruitlessly through books of mug shots in hopes of identifying her assailant, Syracuse detective George Lorenz interviewed her. She had been awake most of the night for a first police interview, followed by forensic and medical exams: everything from gathering physical evidence of the rape to X-rays of her skull because the attacker had pounded her head on a brick walkway. To alleviate the pain from her injuries, she had been given Demerol, a powerful opioid. Lorenz, a burly 17-year veteran of the department who had worked as a meat cutter and truck driver before becoming a police officer, seemed annoyed that she had trouble staying awake, according to her subsequent account. “That’s inconsequential, just the facts,” he barked when he thought she was providing extraneous detail. The detective was dubious that a rape had occurred, according to his preliminary report. “It is this writer’s opinion, after interview of the victim, that this case, as presented by the victim, is not completely factual,” he wrote. After speaking to the male student whom the victim had been visiting before she was attacked, the detective checked the crime scene for anything his colleagues, who had recovered a knife and the victim’s glasses, might have missed. That was the totality of Lorenz’s investigation. Five hours after receiving the case, in a report marked 13:00 on May 8, 1981, he placed it in the “inactive file pending fur…

To Protect Its Drinking Water, This City Has to Appeal to the Oil Regulators That Put It at Risk
type: item
creator: Nick Bowlin
date: 2026-06-30T10:00:00Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: “put
subject: appeal
subject: city
subject: drinking
subject: environment
subject: has
subject: it’s
subject: oil
subject: pollution
subject: propublica
subject: protect
subject: Regulation
subject: regulators
subject: risk
subject: sources
subject: that
subject: the
subject: this
subject: Water
description: The post To Protect Its Drinking Water, This City Has to Appeal to the Oil Regulators That Put It at Risk appeared first on ProPublica.
encoded: A building that houses one of Enid, Oklahoma’s public water supply wells, left, sits less than a quarter-mile from an oil field wastewater disposal operation, right. The proximity violates a state rule restricting such injection operations within a half-mile of public water wells. September Dawn Bottoms for ProPublica Down a dirt road in northwest Oklahoma, only a few hundred yards from where the city of Enid draws its drinking water, a company injects the toxic byproduct of oil production deep underground. That close proximity violates a state rule meant to protect public groundwater supplies from oil field wastewater, which can be saltier than the sea and laden with toxic metals. Injection operations are banned within a half-mile of public water wells unless regulators hold a hearing to ensure that such activity will not pollute the water. But in 2018, without a hearing, state regulators approved this injection well, an apparatus that applies pressure to dispose of wastewater down a steel tube. And in the years since, the well, named the Flying Monkey, has repeatedly failed structural integrity tests, signaling a potential leak. The Frontier and ProPublica mapped every injection well in the state to determine how close they are to public water wells. We identified at least 114 injection wells in communities across Oklahoma — including the Flying Monkey and two others in Enid — that are located within a half-mile of a public water supply well. More than 300,000 Oklahomans live in communities that rely on these water wells, according to our analysis. Does your Oklahoma water system have oil field wastewater wells near public drinking water wells? Search for your address, ZIP code or water system name to see how many oil field disposal wells are within a half-mile of a drinking water well. Examples: 120 W Maine St, Enid, OK 73701, Seminole, 73160 Your location is not within a water system that has disposal wells near public water wells. <polygon points="0 0, 6 2.5, 0…

Russia’s Petrol Collapse Has Citizens Desperate #breaking #russia #shorts
type: item
creator: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
date: 2026-06-30T09:56:11Z
subject: Radio Free Europe/RL
subject: Sources
subject: #shorts
subject: breaking
subject: citizens
subject: collapse
subject: desperate
subject: europerl
subject: free
subject: has
subject: petrol
subject: radio
subject: Russia
subject: russia8217s
subject: sources
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

DN! Tuesday, June 30, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4
date: 2026-06-30T09:45:59Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: june
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: tuesday
description: Tuesday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD
encoded: Tuesday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4 and was authored by Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4.

Trump’s DOJ Said Police Reform Was “Factually Unjustified.” A New Report Shows Otherwise.
type: item
creator: Topher Sanders
date: 2026-06-30T09:30:00Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: ‘unjustified’
subject: Criminal Justice
subject: doj
subject: factually
subject: new
subject: otherwise
subject: Police
subject: propublica
subject: reform
subject: report
subject: said
subject: shows
subject: sources
subject: trump’s
subject: was
description: The post Trump’s DOJ Said Police Reform Was “Factually Unjustified.” A New Report Shows Otherwise. appeared first on ProPublica.
encoded: Phoenix police in 2020. The American Civil Liberties Union sued Phoenix earlier this month as part of an initiative to hold local police departments accountable during the Trump administration, which has dropped federal oversight efforts. The litigation is ongoing. Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo Last year, when the Trump Justice Department dropped its oversight of troubled police departments in cities such as Louisville, Kentucky, and Minneapolis, it argued that the reform efforts were “factually unjustified.” But according to a new report by the American Civil Liberties Union, officers in those places were continuing to engage in the very behaviors that attracted federal scrutiny in the first place, including using excessive — and dangerous — force against people experiencing mental health crises. The ACLU reviewed hundreds of police use-of-force reports in four communities where, under the Biden administration, the DOJ had found evidence of unconstitutional policing. In their review, ACLU investigators found agencies continuing to misuse Tasers and failing to properly review their officers’ use of force. In one case, Minneapolis police repeatedly shocked a man with a Taser after he complied with their orders. In another, a Louisville officer broke a man’s car window during a mental health call while a second officer pointed his gun, escalating the encounter, according to the report. That officer then pulled the man from the car, at which point the man brandished a knife. The officers hit him with a baton and shocked him seven times. The records primarily span from late 2024, after President Donald Trump won a second term in the White House, to early 2025, as the new administration began to shift the Justice Department away from its traditional focus on civil rights enforcement. The report also cites reporting by ProPublica, which has detailed police misconduct and reform efforts in Louisville and Memphis, Tennessee. In the fall of 2025, Trump deployed hundreds of Natio…

Florida Is Executing Prisoners at a Record Pace, Even as Most of the U.S. Abandons the Death Penalty
type: item
creator: Pamela Colloff
date: 2026-06-30T09:00:00Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: ‘even
subject: abandons
subject: Criminal Justice
subject: death
subject: executing
subject: florida
subject: most
subject: pace
subject: penalty
subject: prison
subject: Prisoners
subject: propublica
subject: record
subject: sources
subject: the
description: The post Florida Is Executing Prisoners at a Record Pace, Even as Most of the U.S. Abandons the Death Penalty appeared first on ProPublica.
encoded: <img src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260629-coloff-soth-2026_06md-00219.jpg?w=1149" alt="Three people are seen from behind, kneeling on a grassy lawn facing away from the camera toward a distant, low-profile facility with white buildings and a perimeter fence. To the left of the group, a small white sign on posts reads “Opponents” in black capital letters. The center individual has both hands raised in the air against a large expanse of cloudy sky."> Across a two-lane highway from Florida State Prison, people prayed as an execution was carried out on June 2. Alec Soth/Magnum This spring, Father Dustin Feddon began waking up in the middle of the night. Heart racing, he would stand at the bathroom sink in the dark, splashing cold water on his face until the feeling passed. For about a dozen years, Feddon had visited prisoners on Florida’s death row as their appeals wound their way through the courts. Some had waited for decades, but the priest learned, more or less, how to accompany people through years of confinement and isolation without losing himself in their desolation. Then in January 2025, Gov. Ron DeSantis began signing death warrants at an accelerated rate. What followed was the busiest period of executions in more than eight decades in a state that has long been a stronghold of capital punishment. In November, DeSantis set the execution date for Frank Walls, one of the men Feddon was counseling. Walls was moved from death row, at Union Correctional Institution, about an hour west of Jacksonville in the northeast part of the state, to nearby Florida State Prison. There he was placed in one of the three cells, known as death watch, that sit 30 feet from the execution chamber. And with that, Feddon was drawn into the strange, intimate work of accompanying a condemned person through the final weeks of his life. Seven days before Christmas, he sat beside Walls in the execution chamber, his hand resting on the man’s leg. Walls, with wh…

For Puerto Rico’s fishers, climate change isn’t the only challenge — being left to adapt alone is.
type: item
creator: Ayurella Horn-Muller
date: 2026-06-30T08:45:00Z
subject: Food and Agriculture
subject: Grist
subject: Sources
subject: Accountability
subject: adapt
subject: Agriculture
subject: alone
subject: and
subject: being
subject: challenge
subject: change
subject: Climate
subject: equity
subject: fishers
subject: Food
subject: for
subject: International
subject: isn’t
subject: left
subject: only
subject: puerto
subject: rico’s
subject: sources
subject: the
description: Even as Puerto Rico's fisherfolk navigate rising seas and monster storms, a maze of bureaucracy is proving to be their biggest obstacle.
encoded: Tomás Ayala leaps off the side of a small dinghy and into the dark swell of water. His arms slice through the waves like a cutlass as he dives deep into the bay off the southeastern coast of the Puerto Rican island of Culebra. Armed with a spear gun, Ayala swims even deeper as he scans the perimeter of the reef for his target. It doesn’t take long. Mere seconds later, a cloud of blood darkens the water around a large hogfish — proof enough that he found his mark. He snatches up his catch and makes for the surface. Back safely on his boat, Ayala drops the reef fish into a cooler, guns the motor, and heads for shore. It’s late Wednesday afternoon in mid-May. Ayala has been out since before dawn. The 50-year-old hails from a family of fishers — he started free diving for reef fish, laying lobster traps, and catching octopus when he was just eight years old, following in the footsteps of his brother and grandfather. Before long, he arrives at his destination — a concrete dock leading to a villa pesquera, a “fishing village” or “fish landing center,” a site with key infrastructure for Culebra’s community of traditional fisherfolk. Inside are cleaning stations, freezers, a saltwater tank for storing lobsters, a mélange of other equipment, and a bustling market. The villa pesquera provides the equipment dozens of local fishers need to sustain their work, and also a space to convene: Every week, the association that co-manages the space comes together for updates and to share their challenges and successes. Ayala is greeted by Nicolás Gómez Andújar, a marine scientist whose dad is a local fisher, and they prepare the space for their next gathering. The members will discuss the federal permits they’re hoping to get for a native oyster farm, the effort to clear droves of abandoned fishing gear from Culebra’s seabed, and anything else someone may want to bring to the group. While they talk, they’ll eat a seafood mofongo, a popular shrimp-and-plantain dish. <img decoding="async…

Why is it so unusually expensive to replace lead pipes in Chicago?
type: item
creator: Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco
date: 2026-06-30T08:30:00Z
subject: Grist
subject: Sources
subject: Accountability
subject: chicago
subject: expensive
subject: lead
subject: pipes
subject: replace
subject: sources
subject: unusually
subject: why
description: The city with the most lead pipes in the nation is paying way above average to fix them. Officials can't fully explain why.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco.

Pakistan Attacks Afghanistan, Dozens Reported Dead #shorts
type: item
creator: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
date: 2026-06-30T08:24:12Z
subject: Radio Free Europe/RL
subject: Sources
subject: #shorts
subject: Afghanistan
subject: attacks
subject: dead
subject: dozens
subject: europerl
subject: free
subject: pakistan
subject: radio
subject: reported
subject: sources
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

The Feeling of Patriotism Is All In the Air, Sort Of
type: item
creator: Abby Zimet
date: 2026-06-30T06:43:20Z
subject: Common Dreams
subject: Sources
subject: (sort
subject: air:
subject: all
subject: common
subject: dreams
subject: feeling
subject: Patriotism
subject: sources
subject: the
description: In his latest Freedom 250 triumph, Pres. Fragile Snowflake launched a Great American State Fair in D.C, which is not a state, boasting tens of attendees, no shade or seats, melted ice cream, busted Ferris wheel, $25 pretzels, teenage performers, sorry...
encoded: In his latest Freedom 250 triumph, Pres. Fragile Snowflake launched a Great American State Fair in D.C, which is not a state, boasting tens of attendees, no shade or seats, melted ice cream, busted Ferris wheel, $25 pretzels, teenage performers, sorry-ass pavilions often sporting a mere chair, a masturbating MAGA podcaster, and a Spinal-Tap-like mini-Arc-de-Pedo that began disintegrating its first day. No wonder headliner Trump - right again! - giddily proclaimed, "This is the beginning of the golden age of America." Fresh from miraculously transforming "the reflecting lakes" (sic) into a fetid debacle, Trump launched "the most unforgettable birthday party any country has ever had," though maybe not in the way he envisioned. Many observers noted "his own Potemkin Village," billed as "a world-class exposition," sadly "sputtered out of the gate," bathed in the same "stench of kitsch and failure" as everything he touches. The “sparsely attended and shockingly boring” result was variously likened to "comedy gold," "horror movie vibes," "theater of the absurd," and a Butlins - low-rent British package resorts - "for fascists with heatstroke." It did not have to be this way. A viral Reddit post by a former worker at the Smithsonian recalled the "millions in private philanthropy" raised years ago for a landmark 250th anniversary of what's been called "the greatest sentence ever written" declaring "all men (sic) are created equal." Planned was a month-long folk festival, "The Festival of Festivals," featuring a blend of the likes of Burning Man, Farm Aid, Grand Ole Oprey and local festivals highlighting the best of American arts, redolent of the famed Christmas Truce of World War One when "people put down their weapons and got together" in a hopeful, unifying cause. That was before Trump "stole America's 250th birthday and threw it for himself," refusing to issue permits for the Smithsonian's version and swiftly turning what could have been a historic civic celebration into…

When the Children Become the Target
type: item
creator: Vijay Prashad
date: 2026-06-30T06:00:32Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: become
subject: children
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: sources
subject: target
subject: the
subject: war
subject: when
description: On June 23, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel released one of the most devastating reports ever produced by a UN investigative body on the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Its title is almost unbearable to read: The Essence of Childhood Has Been Destroyed. Behind the title lies an accusation of extraordinary gravity. The Commission concludes that Israeli authorities and security forces have deliberately targeted Palestinian children and that these actions amount to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in the Gaza Strip, alongside war crimes in the occupied West Bank. More The post When the Children Become the Target appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: A 6 ⁄ 16 More details A wounded Palestinian infant at Al-Shifa Hospital, October 2023. Photo: Palestinian News & Information Agency (Wafa). CC BY-SA 3.0. On June 23, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel released one of the most devastating reports ever produced by a UN investigative body on the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Its title is almost unbearable to read: The Essence of Childhood Has Been Destroyed. Behind the title lies an accusation of extraordinary gravity. The Commission concludes that Israeli authorities and security forces have deliberately targeted Palestinian children and that these actions amount to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in the Gaza Strip, alongside war crimes in the occupied West Bank. The report is not an emotional appeal. It is a painstaking legal document built upon witness testimony, forensic evidence, satellite imagery, military analysis, medical records, and years of documentation. What it presents is not merely another catalogue of civilian casualties. It argues that the killing, maiming, starvation, detention and psychological destruction of Palestinian children cannot be explained as collateral damage. Rather, the Commission concludes that children themselves have become deliberate targets of Israeli military policy. The implications of such a finding reach far beyond Gaza. They raise fundamental questions about the future of international law itself. A Report of Extraordinary Gravity The Commission estimates that since October 2023, at least 20,179 Palestinian children have been killed and more than 44,000 injured. Approximately thirty per cent of all Palestinians killed have been children. These figures alone place the Gaza war among the deadliest conflicts for children in modern history. Yet the report’s importance lies not simply in the numbers but in its conclusions regarding intent. It documents repeated i…

Which Country Will Win the World Cup?
type: item
creator: Cesar Chelala
date: 2026-06-30T05:56:54Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: country
subject: cup
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: which
subject: will
subject: win,
subject: World
description: In 1950, the fourth FIFA World Cup was held in Brazil from June 24 to July 16. Brazil became the finalist of its group by defeating Mexico 4–0, crushing Sweden 7–1, and beating Spain 6–1. What happened then could be a lesson for this year’s soccer World Cup, where small country teams are performing with More The post Which Country Will Win the World Cup? appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Illustration by Paola Bilancieri. In 1950, the fourth FIFA World Cup was held in Brazil from June 24 to July 16. Brazil became the finalist of its group by defeating Mexico 4–0, crushing Sweden 7–1, and beating Spain 6–1. What happened then could be a lesson for this year’s soccer World Cup, where small country teams are performing with excellence. Unlike Brazil, Uruguay’s national team, by contrast, showed a different performance. They tied a difficult match 2–2 against Spain after trailing 2–1. Then Uruguay defeated Sweden 3–2, scoring the winning goal just minutes before the end of the match. The match between a brilliantly performing Brazil and an unconvincing Uruguay would decide the world title. Uruguay, one point behind Brazil, had to win to become world champion. Their rival needed only a draw to lift the coveted trophy. There was enormous interest in the match despite the consensus among sports journalists and the public that Brazil would be the champion. After all, the Brazilian team had won its previous matches with ease, while Uruguay had only managed a draw with Spain and a hard‑fought win against Sweden. A comparison of previous performances left little doubt about the final result. On July 16, 1950, Rio de Janeiro was buzzing. An improvised carnival was ready to celebrate Brazil’s triumph over Uruguay. Brazilians completely filled the recently inaugurated Maracanã Stadium. Although the official count was a world‑record 173,850 spectators, unofficial estimates put the number closer to 210,000. Only a few Uruguayans were present at the match. The newspaper O Mundo published a special edition with a photograph of the Brazilian team under the caption: “These are the world champions.” Jules Rimet, the former president and creator of the FIFA World Cup, had prepared a speech in Portuguese to congratulate the winners, who were expected to be the Brazilians. The Brazilian Football Confederation had printed 22 gold medals with the names of its players. A song …

Imperialism-Induced Fault Lines: The Venezuelan Earthquake
type: item
creator: Chris Gilbert - Cira Pascual
date: 2026-06-30T05:56:47Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: earthquake
subject: fault
subject: imperialisminduced
subject: lines
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: venezuelan
description: Collection drives for food, clothing, medicine, and other essential goods have sprung up across Venezuela. Here, members of Provincial Trujillo Commune organize donations for families displaced by the earthquake. (Gobernación de Trujillo) There is no such thing as a purely natural disaster, especially in a country under siege. Likewise, the response to any disaster is More The post Imperialism-Induced Fault Lines: The Venezuelan Earthquake appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Collection drives for food, clothing, medicine, and other essential goods have sprung up across Venezuela. Here, members of Provincial Trujillo Commune organize donations for families displaced by the earthquake. (Gobernación de Trujillo) There is no such thing as a purely natural disaster, especially in a country under siege. Likewise, the response to any disaster is always mediated by social, political, and even geopolitical factors. Following the devastating 1812 earthquake that occurred during the independence struggle, Simón Bolívar said: “If nature opposes us, we will fight against it and make it obey us.” Today, this remark can sound jarring—like a strange anti-ecological outburst—but what Bolívar meant was that the strategic project of emancipation must remain in the forefront and guide our actions, even when confronting a natural challenge. This should be kept in mind when we think about the earthquakes that recently struck Venezuela. The natural fact is straightforward: there was a double movement of the earth, first a magnitude 7.2 tremor followed seconds later by another measuring 7.5. In its wake, the destruction followed along natural fault lines, such as the San Sebastián Fault that runs along the La Guaira coast, but it also spread along imperialist-made ones. Foremost among these were the fractures in the country’s infrastructure, emergency rescue capacity, and health system caused by more than a decade of crippling sanctions. These sanctions, which still number more than 1000, are not merely words and hostile intentions. Mark Weisbrot’s research at CEPR in Washington estimated that they contributed to some 40,000 excess deaths in just one year. For those unacquainted with the international finance system, the impact of a sanctions regime of this kind may be hard to understand. However, the net result is that every international transaction becomes difficult. Ordinary trade and credit lines collapse, while companies, banks and governments avoid tran…

Starmer Begone: Another Dud Leaves Number 10
type: item
creator: Binoy Kampmark
date: 2026-06-30T05:54:43Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: another’:
subject: articles 2015
subject: begone
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: dud
subject: leaves
subject: number
subject: Politics
subject: sources
subject: starmer,
description: It is one of the most remarkable ways to fall from grace. Leading British Labour to a deceptively crushing victory over diddling, muddling, decrepit fools. Asserting a period of stable rule, if not exactly dull then at least reliable after several stints of lunacy under the Conservatives gone to the bad. But it was not More The post Starmer Begone: Another Dud Leaves Number 10 appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Keir Starmer and Donald Trump at Gaza “peace summit” in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Photo: Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street. It is one of the most remarkable ways to fall from grace. Leading British Labour to a deceptively crushing victory over diddling, muddling, decrepit fools. Asserting a period of stable rule, if not exactly dull then at least reliable after several stints of lunacy under the Conservatives gone to the bad. But it was not to be. Sir Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation as Prime Minister on June 22, turned out to be inept in several ways, not being able to communicate well, not being particularly fluent (fudging “hostages” for “sausages”), an appalling lack of judgment (the appointment of the Epstein-soiled Lord Peter Mandelson to the ambassadorial post in Washington), unable to put together that most yearned for thing – a capturing narrative, a glued unity however specious. Economic growth was the agenda, but where did it go? What the British voter got, instead, was the July 2024 decision to axe winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners, which was followed by an about turn in May last year. He retained the policy introduced by the Conservatives in 2017 restricting benefits to the first two children of a family, only to be abandoned in last year’s budget. To target the rise of Reform, he took rhetorical pickings from its leader, Nigel Farage, and promised a mandatory digital ID card to be stored on mobile phones as proof of a person’s right to work in the UK. This policy, too, was abandoned. In foreign affairs, where he was supposedly at greater ease, Starmer proved sickeningly amenable to Israel’s ruthless campaign in Gaza, explicitly approving the withholding of power and water supplies from Palestinian civilians as means of “self-defence”. The real terrorists, it would seem, were to be found at home, incarnated in the direct action group Palestine Action, which the Starmer government banned, placing it in the same league as ISIS or …

Teamsters: The Ghost of Jackie Presser
type: item
creator: Joe Allen
date: 2026-06-30T05:50:37Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: ghost
subject: jackie
subject: Labor
subject: presser?
subject: sources
subject: teamsters
subject: the
description: The big news coming out of the Teamsters’ recent convention in Las Vegas is that for the first time in 35 years, there will be no rank-and-file democratic elections for the top officers of the union. The Fearless slate, led by Richard Hooker, failed to get the 5% of the delegates necessary to make it onto the ballot. The More The post Teamsters: The Ghost of Jackie Presser appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Teamsters President Sean O’Brien. Photo: Ted Merriman. CC BY-SA 4.0 The big news coming out of the Teamsters’ recent convention in Las Vegas is that for the first time in 35 years, there will be no rank-and-file democratic elections for the top officers of the union. The Fearless slate, led by Richard Hooker, failed to get the 5% of the delegates necessary to make it onto the ballot. The Incumbent Sean O’Brien‑Fred Zuckerman “Teamsters United Slate” were elected to office by delegates to the convention. Popularly known as the “OZ” slate, they secured 96% of the vote. They are the first leaders of Teamsters to be elected without a popular mandate since the 1989 voluntary consent decree between the union and the federal government that mandated changes in the union’s highly undemocratic constitution to provide for one-member-one-vote for convention delegates and International officers. The last Teamster leader elected by convention delegates was Jackie Presser, the notoriously corrupt, mobbed-up, and FBI informant, in 1986. The Teamsters’ General President Sean O’Brien cast the OZ slate’s reelection as a victory for the union’s rank and file. “This victory belongs to rank-and-file Teamsters. When we were sworn into office four years ago, our leadership team committed to building a bigger, faster, stronger union, and that’s exactly what we’ve done,” O’Brien was quoted in an official union statement. Yet, convention delegates are disproportionately union officers, staff, and close allies—with bloated and multi-salaries‑where full-time rank and file workers are few. “The Teamsters is now the most aggressive, effective, and respected labor union on Earth” are in sharp contrast to a union deep in crisis. It must be a great relief for O’Brien and Zuckerman to avoid campaigning, especially at UPS, which has been ravaged by tens of thousands of layoffs and building closures across the country. Adding insult to injury, the Teamsters’ approved buyout program for UPS drivers has…

Cuba: Blockades and Capitulation…or Canny Compromises?
type: item
creator: Eve Ottenberg
date: 2026-06-30T05:50:33Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: ‘compromises
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: blockades
subject: canny
subject: capitulationor
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Cuba
subject: sources
description: Events in Cuba have flown under the radar lately, but big changes are afoot. Noted by PBS June 19 but only belatedly by anybody else, Cuba’s new free-market reforms include 176 measures “to further decentralize Cuba’s state-run economy…[with] more space for private businesses, imports and exports without state intermediation, free hiring of personnel, authorization for More The post Cuba: Blockades and Capitulation…or Canny Compromises? appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Pete Hegseth meets with on board the guided-missile destroyer USS Hudner during his visit to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Feb. 25, 2025. Photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander C. Kubitza, Department of Defense. Events in Cuba have flown under the radar lately, but big changes are afoot. Noted by PBS June 19 but only belatedly by anybody else, Cuba’s new free-market reforms include 176 measures “to further decentralize Cuba’s state-run economy…[with] more space for private businesses, imports and exports without state intermediation, free hiring of personnel, authorization for private banks and investment by Cubans abroad.” There will even be fast-food chains on the island. If this echoes to you the so-called opening up of Eastern Europe after the Soviet collapse, you’re onto something – namely the corporate blueprint for privatizing a state-run, aka communist, economy. This was not inevitable for Cuba before Donald “Nail the Commies” Trump quite repulsively blockaded the island, but once he did, it arguably became so. Cuba’s state monopoly on foreign trade and centralized production are now kaput, PBS reports. However, in a happy sign of governmental sanity, “Cuban authorities cautioned that…measures will not be viable if the U.S. does not lift the energy and financial embargo on the island.” So, Mr. Trump: no end to sanctions and the blockade, no free-market “opening up” of Cuba. The blockade will be the key test. Sanctions have been around, doing their insidious damage, forever. But the blockade is Trump’s signature barbarity, and if these reforms don’t inspire enough magnanimity in the Washington despot to end this brutality, this siege, then all bets are off. You’d think Trump would seize this opportunity to try to freeze the Russians and Chinese out of the Caribbean, and he may: Moscow was the only power in the world that broke the energy blockade. It boldly sent the Anatoly Kolodkin tanker with 730,000 barrels of crude oil that arrived in …

How Russia is Upending the West’s Attempt to Control Technology With Intellectual Property
type: item
creator: John P. Ruehl
date: 2026-06-30T05:48:47Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: attempt’
subject: control
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: how
subject: intellectual
subject: property
subject: Russia
subject: sources
subject: Technology
subject: the
subject: upending
subject: west’s
subject: with
description: Taking an invention and claiming it as yours is called intellectual property, based on practices followed by US and European businesses. But what happens when your neighbor argues that inventions can’t be owned, and that intellectual property is no longer applicable based on the rules and regulations you have established? In March 2026, Russian officials More The post How Russia is Upending the West’s Attempt to Control Technology With Intellectual Property appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Spasskaya Tower, the Kremlin. Photo: Крылов Иван. CC BY-SA 4.0 Taking an invention and claiming it as yours is called intellectual property, based on practices followed by US and European businesses. But what happens when your neighbor argues that inventions can’t be owned, and that intellectual property is no longer applicable based on the rules and regulations you have established? In March 2026, Russian officials announced plans to develop a state-managed system for the “temporary administration” of the intellectual property of foreign companies from “unfriendly countries” that left Russia after the 2022 Ukraine invasion. The move drew immediate concerns in policy and legal circles and is one of Moscow’s latest challenges to the Western-led system of patents, copyrights, and trademarks that has developed over centuries. What Led to the Development of Intellectual Property Before the modern IP system, creators could be protected through reputation, guild membership, secrecy, patronage, or state-granted monopolies. Early precursors to today’s framework took place in Venice, including printing monopolies in 1469, and reflected efforts to control the value of reproduced knowledge. Another milestone was the Venetian Patent Statute of 1474, which granted inventors time-limited exclusive rights over new creations. The European Enlightenment later helped spread the notion across the region that inventions and ideas could be legally ownable property, laying the foundations for modern IP law to develop in different states. While powerful Western firms and states have the greatest stake in maintaining the existing system, given the advantages it ensures for key industries, that wasn’t always the case. From the late 18th century to the early 20th century, the US often relied on weak foreign IP enforcement, copying European industrial and scientific innovations, which “propelled the United States forward and quickly transformed it into one of the world’s leading industrial po…

A Tipi Village Takes on Healing and Homelessness
type: item
creator: Laura Flanders
date: 2026-06-30T05:47:51Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: healing
subject: homelessness
subject: sources
subject: takes
subject: tipi
subject: village
description: Thousands of people in the U.S. die from extreme heat, cold, and lack of care every year, including many of our unhoused neighbors. As climate change exacerbates extreme weather and states prepare for deadly heat waves this summer, it’s important to ask what government officials will do to protect the most vulnerable — and if More The post A Tipi Village Takes on Healing and Homelessness appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Screengrab from the Laura Flanders Show. Thousands of people in the U.S. die from extreme heat, cold, and lack of care every year, including many of our unhoused neighbors. As climate change exacerbates extreme weather and states prepare for deadly heat waves this summer, it’s important to ask what government officials will do to protect the most vulnerable — and if it’s enough. Back in 2012, I visited organizers in “He Sapa,’’ the sacred Black Hills of South Dakota, who had taken matters into their own hands and cared for unhoused people (their “relatives”) in the Rapid City area in the dead of winter. The story of Camp Mniluzahan is a powerful example of community care, healing, cultural revival, and the reciprocal value of the #LANDBACK movement. #LANDBACK the hashtag took off in the late 2010s. I met with members of the NDN Collective about a year after they launched an official campaign on Indigenous Peoples’ Day. They say #LANDBACK is about reclaiming ancestral lands, but also a whole lot more. “Through the public lands that the federal government has stolen from Native people, they have mismanaged those lands and have made them playgrounds for transnational corporations to profiteer off of these public lands,” says Nick Tilsen, the President and CEO of NDN Collective. “The first thing is we’re going to stop the extractive industry model. The question is then what can we do to restore?” To address criminalization, violence and police harassment, NDN’s volunteers formed a “Creek Patrol” to check in on their unhoused neighbors, and later they established a tipi village called Camp Mniluzahan where those people could be safe, cared-for and fed in a culturally affirming environment. Hermus Bettelyoun, Racial Equity Organizer at NDN Collective, told me that about half of the people they served at the camp got sober, and many found new family and new homes. “We’ve learned that when our relatives, even those that are deep into addiction, and deep into trauma, when th…

2026 Isn’t the First Time Christians Have Tried to Claim the United States as Their Own
type: item
creator: David Mislin
date: 2026-06-30T05:46:37Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: articles 2015
subject: christians
subject: claim
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: first
subject: have
subject: isn’t
subject: Politics
subject: sources
subject: states
subject: the
subject: theirown
subject: Time
subject: tried
subject: united
description: David Mislin, Temple University Amid celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary, assertions of the country’s religious, and specifically Christian, character have grown louder in political discourse. In May 2026, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other prominent officials participated in a prayer service in Washington, D.C. Johnson proclaimed, “We hereby rededicate the United States of America as More The post 2026 Isn’t the First Time Christians Have Tried to Claim the United States as Their Own appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: President Reagan, Nancy Reagan and Billy Graham at the National Prayer Breakfast held at the Washington Hilton Hotel. White House Photographic Office. David Mislin, Temple University Amid celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary, assertions of the country’s religious, and specifically Christian, character have grown louder in political discourse. In May 2026, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other prominent officials participated in a prayer service in Washington, D.C. Johnson proclaimed, “We hereby rededicate the United States of America as one nation under God.” Though planners invoked the nation’s “Judeo-Christian” heritage, most religious leaders at the event came from the evangelical Christian tradition. In a prerecorded video, President Donald Trump read from the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians. Many ordinary Americans who attended the prayer service seemed to recognize the desire to link the United States with Christianity. One told a reporter that the U.S. was “founded on a Christian doctrine,” while another insisted it was “an important thing for our nation, just to put Christ back first.” These ideas weren’t limited to this one-time gathering. In speeches and prayers at public events, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth proclaimed the U.S. to be “one nation under God.” In February 2026, at a Christian broadcasters convention, he declared that “Christ is King” and claimed “a direct through line from the Old and New Testament Christian gospels to the development of Western civilization and the United States of America.” At first glance, these expressions might seem triumphalist declarations that link the nation’s success over the past 250 years with Christian faith. As a historian of U.S. Christianity, however, I recognize expressions like these often arise when Christian Americans are feeling anything but triumphant. Civil war and committing to God As the U.S. plunged into Civil War in 1861, both the Union and Confederacy sought to link their side to God…

New York Gov. Huchul’s Push for Nuclear Power
type: item
creator: Karl Grossman
date: 2026-06-30T05:45:36Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: for
subject: gov.
subject: huchuls
subject: new
subject: Nuclear
subject: Power
subject: push
subject: sources
subject: york
description: New York Governor Kathy Hochul has just issued a statement headed: “Governor Hochul Announces Major Milestone To Facilitate New Advanced Nuclear Development.” It repeats her declaration in her State of the State address in January to have five gigawatts of new nuclear power—the equivalent of five standard-size nuclear power plants—built in New York State. She More The post New York Gov. Huchul’s Push for Nuclear Power appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Image by Lukáš Lehotský. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has just issued a statement headed: “Governor Hochul Announces Major Milestone To Facilitate New Advanced Nuclear Development.” It repeats her declaration in her State of the State address in January to have five gigawatts of new nuclear power—the equivalent of five standard-size nuclear power plants—built in New York State. She announced: “Today’s action marks the start of a full examination of ways to bring new advanced nuclear power online.” Last year, as she directed the New York Power Authority to facilitate construction of new nuclear power plants, Hochul said: “I’m the first Democratic governor in a generation to say to nuclear: ‘I’m embracing this.” Then and in the new announcement she said the new nuclear power plants in New York would produce “zero-emissions electricity” and be “advanced” models. However, as environmental attorney Susan Shapiro, long involved in challenging nuclear power, said at what has been a series of “Forums for a Nuclear-Free New York” held in recent months to counter Hochul’s nuclear drive: “It is patently untrue that nuclear energy is zero-emissions or a carbon-free source of energy.” The nuclear fuel-cycle, which includes mining, milling and fuel enrichment and fabrication, is “carbon-intensive,” said Shapiro. Moreover, nuclear power plants themselves emit carbon, a radioactive form, Carbon-14. The claim that nuclear power is “emissions free” is a “fraud on the public,” said Shapiro. It’s “not zero-emissions, not carbon-free, and not part of a solution to climate change.” While pushing nuclear power, Hochul at the same time is delaying implementation of the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act—heralded when it was enacted in 2019 as the way to offset climate change by utilizing green, renewable, clean energy sources led by solar and wind. As to the “advanced” nuclear power plants that Hochul cites, Dr. Gordon Edwards, president of the Canadian Coalition for…

Solidarity Strikes and Taft-Hartley’s Long Shadow
type: item
creator: Hayley Brown
date: 2026-06-30T05:36:31Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: economics
subject: long
subject: shadow
subject: Solidarity
subject: sources
subject: Strikes
subject: tafthartleys
description: This week marks the anniversary of the enactment of one of the most consequential pieces of labor legislation in US history. The Labor Management Relations Act, better known as the Taft-Hartley Act, was passed over President Truman’s veto on June 23, 1947, and substantially narrowed the forms of collective action protected under federal labor law. More The post Solidarity Strikes and Taft-Hartley’s Long Shadow appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: David Dubinsky of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union speaks against the Taft–Hartley Act, May 4, 1947. The Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archive, Cornell University. CC BY 2.0 This week marks the anniversary of the enactment of one of the most consequential pieces of labor legislation in US history. The Labor Management Relations Act, better known as the Taft-Hartley Act, was passed over President Truman’s veto on June 23, 1947, and substantially narrowed the forms of collective action protected under federal labor law. The Taft-Hartley Act provided employers with a myriad of new legal weapons while suppressing some of organized labor’s most powerful tactics, dramatically reshaping the US labor landscape. Most of the provisions in the Taft-Hartley Act remain in effect nearly eight decades later. For most private-sector workers, one of the costliest parts of the Taft-Hartley Act is its prohibition on secondary or “solidarity” actions. In a secondary action, workers at one company strike, picket, or boycott to support workers at another. Secondary actions enable workers across a supply chain to join forces and exert pressure, giving employees across different shops more leverage together than they would have individually. The Taft-Hartley Act, however, largely confined legal protections for strikes and picketing to actions directed at the “primary employer” involved in the labor dispute. Twelve years later, Congress would add Section 8(e), the “hot cargo” provision, which blocked unions from negotiating contractual solidarity with their employers. In practice, this meant unions could no longer blunt the Taft-Hartley restrictions through contract language requiring their employer to avoid doing business with a company involved in a labor dispute. The Taft-Hartley Act’s restrictions on secondary actions represented a major change to the New Deal-era National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which contained no such ban. The restrictions on so…

Unchecked Billionaire Oligarchs
type: item
creator: Jared O. Bell
date: 2026-06-30T05:18:24Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: billionaire
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: oligarchs
subject: sources
subject: unchecked
description: Not long after the second Trump administration took office, a new power center emerged in Washington under the banner of “government efficiency.” Through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, Elon Musk was handed extraordinary influence over federal agencies, and USAID became an early target, as legal challenges and reporting on DOGE’s efforts to control More The post Unchecked Billionaire Oligarchs appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Not long after the second Trump administration took office, a new power center emerged in Washington under the banner of “government efficiency.” Through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, Elon Musk was handed extraordinary influence over federal agencies, and USAID became an early target, as legal challenges and reporting on DOGE’s efforts to control USAID’s funding streams make clear. Inside USAID, I saw global health, humanitarian response, democracy and governance, and conflict prevention work abruptly stripped down or eliminated. Career colleagues with decades of experience were pushed out or sidelined, partners abroad were left with collapsing funding streams, and thousands of employees, including me, lost our jobs. The larger damage fell on communities that depended on those programs for disease control, humanitarian relief, peacebuilding and institutional survival. None of this followed a serious national debate. It reflected the preferences of a narrow set of actors who viewed expertise and accountability as obstacles, not safeguards. Similar cuts, purges and “efficiency” drives hit other departments and agencies, from CDC and HHS to FEMA and State, quietly hollowing out capacity across the U.S. government, a pattern analyzed in overviews such as the Brookings Institution’s commentary on DOGE and reflected in broader discussions of oligarchic power. The machinery that once underpinned global health, disaster response, diplomacy and development has been hobbled far more than most Americans realize. This is what oligarchic power looks like up close: a small, insulated class using its wealth and access to reshape the institutions everyone else depends on, with minimal debate and even less accountability. Despite the scale of the damage, there has been no serious attempt to hold Musk, DOGE or their accomplices to account. A few depositions and cursory hearings have taken place, and watchdogs have filed lawsuits and opened investigations, but one …

The Delusion of AI-American Centaurs
type: item
creator: Evaggelos Vallianatos
date: 2026-06-30T04:47:35Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: aiamerican
subject: articles 2015
subject: centaurs
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: delusion
subject: sources
subject: the
description: Prologue I have always been skeptical of the viability and potential benefits of AI technologies. This is because they are primarily war technologies, masquerading in the deceptive cover of intelligence. But they have nothing to do with intelligence, a human virtue of distinguishing good from evil, beautiful from ugly and justice from injustice. AI technologies More The post The Delusion of AI-American Centaurs appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Young Achilles riding the man-horse super centaur Cheiron. “The Education of Achilles by Cheiron.” Painting by Eugene Delacroix, French, 1862. Getty Museum. Wikipedia. Public Domain. Prologue I have always been skeptical of the viability and potential benefits of AI technologies. This is because they are primarily war technologies, masquerading in the deceptive cover of intelligence. But they have nothing to do with intelligence, a human virtue of distinguishing good from evil, beautiful from ugly and justice from injustice. AI technologies can never incorporate human intelligence. They are mechanical triggers / devices following human instructions. In fact, I see the evolution of these technologies into more lethal war weapons and war-related consequences, as well as deceptive but profitable devices like iPhones, computers and other machines – here in America and other societies. Unless these AI machines are checked, regulated and, the weaponized versions phased out, anarchy, authoritarianism and destruction will strike humans, civilization and the planet. Why? Because man and machines don’t mix. But if they become scrambled eggs, watch out for monsters. Centaurs in ancient Greece Gaetano Zompini,“The Centaur Cheiron Teaching Geography to the Young Achilles.” 1759. LACMA. Wikipedia Commons. Public Domain. The ancient Greeks opened human minds to the pleasures of intelligence, science, technology, ethics and civilization. They also experimented (in their mythology and literature) with the invention of human animals: Centaurs (piercing bulls, man-horses), Satyrs (humans with the tail and feet of goats and followers of Dionysos), Minotaur (man with the head of a bull) and other hybrid non-human monsters like Chimera (lion, goat, snake) – and other less known monsters. One of the centaurs named Cheiron was an exception to the untamed, uncivilized and wild centaurs. He lived on Mount Pelion in Thessaly. He was the immortal son of the pre-Olympian god Cronos and the sea …

Fijian widow alleges husband was beaten in police raid, told to lie before his death
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-30T04:45:06Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Beqa Island
subject: Deaths in custody
subject: Fiji police brutality
subject: Fiji Police Force
subject: Fiji police investigation
subject: Police beatings
subject: Sources
subject: alleges
subject: asia
subject: beaten
subject: beatings
subject: before
subject: beqa
subject: brutality,
subject: Crime
subject: custody.
subject: death
subject: deaths
subject: Democracy
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: Featured
subject: Fiji
subject: Fiji police
subject: fijian
subject: force
subject: Global
subject: his
subject: husband
subject: Investigation
subject: island
subject: Justice
subject: Law enforcement
subject: lie
subject: military
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Police
subject: Police brutality
subject: Politics
subject: raid
subject: report
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: sources
subject: told
subject: was
subject: widow
description: By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific The widow of a deceased Fijian farmer is claiming that her husband was beaten by police during a raid — and told to lie about it. Ane Vakararawa’s husband, Iveri Tuimasi, died two weeks ago — yet another in a string of deaths this year where law enforcement is
encoded: By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific The widow of a deceased Fijian farmer is claiming that her husband was beaten by police during a raid — and told to lie about it. Ane Vakararawa’s husband, Iveri Tuimasi, died two weeks ago — yet another in a string of deaths this year where law enforcement is alleged to have played a role. Police have acknowledged that there was a raid on the couple’s property on Beqa Island, and in a statement last week, said they would interview the officers involved. READ MORE: Calls to dismantle joint taskforce rejected by Fiji govt despite brutality allegations Other Fiji police brutality reports Vakararawa has alleged that Tuimasi was severely beaten during the raid, suffering a blow to the head, and a liver rupture that required surgery. It is also alleged the officers — including a soldier — coerced Tuimasi into saying that he had sustained his injuries from a fall. Sharing her story with RNZ Pacific, Vakararawa said that her husband asked her to get the word out before he died. “One week prior, he somehow knew it, and he was telling me that if anything happens, I need to be strong,” Vakararawa said. “He kept telling me, I need to post it, I need to post the things that the officers did to him.” Another death Three weeks ago, RNZ Pacific reported on the death of another Fijian, Sakiasi Ose Radravu, who had been raided in uptown Suva. Radravu’s family said he had been beaten, tortured and sodomised by officers, which Amnesty International described as typical of Fijian authorities. Less than a week before Radravu’s raid, Jone Vakarisi, widely reported by local media as a known drug peddler, was found dead in a military prison. Tuimasi and Radravu both have sepsis listed as their primary cause of death. Both of their death certificates listed a variety of other factors, but both families insist that their loved ones were totally fine before their encounters with the police. Tuimasi’s certificate noted that a liver abscess had caused the sepsis, as…

Iran’s heartbroken Team Melli exit World Cup amid silver lining of Mexican hospitality
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-30T04:00:15Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: FIFA World Cup
subject: Football fans
subject: Iranian football team
subject: Sources
subject: Team Melli
subject: ‘heartbroken’
subject: amid
subject: Analysis
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: Culture
subject: cup
subject: Democracy
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: exit
subject: fans
subject: Featured
subject: fifa
subject: football
subject: Global
subject: hospitality:
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: iran
subject: iran’s
subject: iranian
subject: Justice
subject: lining
subject: logistics
subject: melli
subject: mexican
subject: mexico
subject: Pacific
subject: Politics
subject: report
subject: silver’
subject: sources
subject: Sports
subject: team
subject: tijuana
subject: usa
subject: World
description: By Anushe Engineer Iran’s bittersweet, logistically complicated, politically charged, and heartbreaking World Cup run found a silver lining in Mexico, where the men’s football team departed their base camp in Tijuana to a warm goodbye from fans in the border city. Iran were eliminated from the World Cup on Saturday, after Austria’s last-gasp equaliser against
encoded: By Anushe Engineer Iran’s bittersweet, logistically complicated, politically charged, and heartbreaking World Cup run found a silver lining in Mexico, where the men’s football team departed their base camp in Tijuana to a warm goodbye from fans in the border city. Iran were eliminated from the World Cup on Saturday, after Austria’s last-gasp equaliser against Algeria saw them drop out of the tournament’s eight best third-placed teams. It capped a dramatic 24 hours for Iran, who lost control of their fate for the knockout stage following a 1-1 draw with Egypt on Friday, which ended dramatically with an apparent last-ditch Iranian winner controversially ruled offside following a VAR check. READ MORE: Iran bow out of World Cup: Late drama ends Team Melli’s knockout dream Iran’s Trojan Horse in US: Team Melli’s presence in WC Other FIFA World Cup reports The United States and Israel’s war on Iran dictated the logistics for Team Melli’s presence at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Iran shifted their base camp from Arizona to Tijuana not long before the tournament began, fearing visa complications. In rarely-seen stringent logistical conditions, the team was forced to depart for Mexico mere hours after the full-time whistle of their matches in the US, despite repeated requests from the Iranians to relocate their fixtures out of the country engaged in an active war against them. But from the moment Iran first touched down in Tijuana, Mexico welcomed the team with open arms. Fans thronged the perimeter of the team’s hotel before and after their travels for each group stage match, holding posters and waiting for autographs from players. Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand signs autographs for fans at a hotel in Tijuana, Mexico, on Sunday. Image: Gabriela Aoun Angueira/AJ ‘Hope our paths cross again’ The mutual love and respect that developed over three weeks made its way to social media and a global online audience that backed Team Melli through their off-pitch hardships. It was also…

Musician and GUNK co-founder H. Pruz on opening a new door
type: item
creator: Maryam Said
date: 2026-06-30T04:00:00Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Creative Independent
subject: and
subject: cofounder
subject: creative
subject: door’
subject: gunk
subject: independent
subject: Music
subject: Musician
subject: new
subject: opening
subject: pruz
subject: sources
subject: the
description: I saw that you worked with your cousin for your “Krista” music video. What was that process like?
encoded: I saw that you worked with your cousin for your “Krista” music video. What was that process like? Yeah. We made hundreds of videos and I basically privated all of them since, but they’re still unlisted on an old channel. My cousin Molly and I made so many videos together and that music video was made from a series that we had written and recorded , edited, and directed ourselves. It was a horror film. It was really cool to piece that together and play around with memory. Molly also directed the final music video for “After Always,” so it was cool to bring her in. Is there a different process when you’re working with family than when you’re working with friends? Definitely. I have no sisters, but I have two brothers, and so I do really view Molly as a sister. I feel like it’s easier for us to be honest about issues that come up with creating things together, and we both have really strong creative voices. It was a lesson for me in releasing control, which I think a lot of the record making was, too—with Felix, who is my partner and, in a way, that’s like my new family. I think it’s really easy for me with both types of family, all types of family, to just be really open about what’s working and what’s not working. I had a lot of difficulty with releasing control, but being able to do it with family, it was good to have that pushback—which I think I have with a lot of my friends, but it can be more of a fragile zone. There’s this catchall, like, “We are going to be okay at the end of this.” From all sides surrounding it, though, we all kind of were like, “We might not agree creatively on what this is going to look like, but it’s going to be okay. We’re putting our relationships aside and it’s going to be okay.” Do you have any rituals you do before you begin your recording process? Running is really key for me, in writing a song and recording a song. I compulsively need to run a lot because mentally it just stabilizes me and my creative flow. Every other day I’m runni…

On the 6th anniversary of the National Security Law, what has happened to Hong Kong’s spirit?
type: item
creator: Human Rights Watch
date: 2026-06-30T03:37:35Z
subject: Human Rights Watch
subject: Sources
subject: 6th:
subject: Anniversary
subject: happened?
subject: has
subject: hong
subject: human
subject: kong8217s
subject: Law
subject: national
subject: rights
subject: Security
subject: sources
subject: spirit’:
subject: the
subject: watch
subject: what
description: This content originally appeared on Human Rights Watch and was authored by Human Rights Watch.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Human Rights Watch and was authored by Human Rights Watch.

Two Varanasi boat cases, two legal paths: Same-day bail for five, two months in jail for 14 Muslims
type: item
creator: Ankita Mahalanobish
date: 2026-06-30T02:56:07Z
subject: Alt News
subject: Sources
subject: alt
subject: bail
subject: boat
subject: cases
subject: five:
subject: for
subject: jail
subject: legal
subject: months’
subject: muslims
subject: News
subject: paths
subject: Politics
subject: sameday
subject: sources
subject: two
subject: varanasi
description: Five men were arrested in Varanasi on June 23 after the Dashashwamedh police took suo motu cognisance of a video purportedly showing them cooking chicken and drinking beer on a small boat on the Ganges. The five were released on bail the same day. Curiously, the FIR mentioned Sections 196 (2) and 299 of the […]
encoded: Five men were arrested in Varanasi on June 23 after the Dashashwamedh police took suo motu cognisance of a video purportedly showing them cooking chicken and drinking beer on a small boat on the Ganges. The five were released on bail the same day. Curiously, the FIR mentioned Sections 196 (2) and 299 of the BNS, but the challan submitted in court showed arrest only under provisions of Section 170 of the BNSS. BNS 196 (2) and 299 deal with promoting enmity between different groups on grounds such as religion etc and deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings. Section 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) empowers police to arrest individuals to prevent the commission of a cognizable offence. Speaking to Alt News, station house officer (SHO) of Dashashwamedh police station Santosh Kumar confirmed that the challan submitted before the executive magistrate stated that the men had been “shouting” at tourists despite repeated attempts by the police to pacify them, creating a situation that could have led to a “breach of peace”. When asked why the FIR charges and the video evidence of cooking chicken on a boat were not mentioned, the officer made evasive responses. In sharp contrast to this, just three months earlier, 14 Muslim men who had been arrested for consuming non-vegetarian food while breaking their fast aboard a boat on the Ganges, spent over two months behind the bars before securing bail from the Allahabad high court. They were initially booked under seven sections of the BNS and later also charged with the stringent BNS Section 308(5) (extortion under threat of death or grievous hurt) and Section 67 of the IT Act, pertaining to publishing or transmitting obscene material. June Incident: Two Sections, Same Day Bail A video circulating on social media showed nine men on a boat, wearing winter wear, cooking chicken, displaying bottles of alcohol, and referring to the gathering as a ‘party’, allegedly on the Ganges. As the v…

Official results confirmed for New Caledonia’s provincial elections
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-30T02:15:23Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Eveil Océanien
subject: France in the Pacific
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia elections
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia politics
subject: Provincial elections
subject: Sources
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: caledonia
subject: caledonia’s
subject: confirmed:
subject: Elections
subject: eveil
subject: Featured
subject: FLNKS
subject: for
subject: France
subject: Global
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: Justice
subject: Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front
subject: Kanaky
subject: Media
subject: new
subject: New Caledonia
subject: new zealand
subject: océanien
subject: official
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Politics
subject: provincial
subject: report
subject: results
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: Self Determination
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: the
subject: UC FLNKS
subject: UNI
description: By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific The official results of New Caledonia’s provincial elections held on Sunday were proclaimed last evening. In a comprehensive document, the French High Commission in New Caledonia has published the key election figures, which confirm the tendencies observed immediately after the vote on Sunday. This includes the final makeup of
encoded: By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific The official results of New Caledonia’s provincial elections held on Sunday were proclaimed last evening. In a comprehensive document, the French High Commission in New Caledonia has published the key election figures, which confirm the tendencies observed immediately after the vote on Sunday. This includes the final makeup of New Caledonia’s Territorial Congress, which results from the proportional representation in the French Pacific territory’s three provinces (Northern, Southern and the Loyalty Islands). READ MORE: Pro-French, pro-independence blocs remain in New Caledonia election Counting underway at polling stations in New Caledonia provincial elections New Caledonia polls close in French Pacific territory’s first provincial elections since 2019 Heavy security deployed as New Caledonia’s crucial elections begin New Caledonia’s political parties make final pitch to voters before campaigning ends Alcohol sales banned in New Caledonia as provincial election approaches Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports In the Southern province, which is New Caledonia’s most populated and affluent region, the results confirm a clear victory for the “Strong and United” list made up of pro-France parties Les Loyalistes and Le Rassemblement. Under outgoing provincial President Sonia Backès, they have reached 28 of the 40 seats and collected 50.4 percent of the suffrage. The pro-independence list for FLNKS, headed by Johanito Wamytan, will get seven seats (15.59 percent of the vote). Eveil Océanien’s list (Another World is possible), headed by Milakulo Tukumuli, has five seats (10.2 percent). In the Northern province, pro-independence UC-FLNKS (headed by Pascal Sawa) and Union Nationale pour l’Indépendance (UNI) headed by Paul Néaoutyine are neck-and-neck, with 10 and nine seats. The remaining three seats go to the small list “Let’s Act together for the North”. In the smallest province, the Loyalty Islands, seats are divided between pro-independenc…

Official results confirmed for New Caledonia’s provincial elections
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-30T02:15:23Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Eveil Océanien
subject: France in the Pacific
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia elections
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia politics
subject: Provincial elections
subject: Sources
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: caledonia
subject: caledonia’s
subject: confirmed:
subject: Elections
subject: eveil
subject: Featured
subject: FLNKS
subject: for
subject: France
subject: Global
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: Justice
subject: Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front
subject: Kanaky
subject: Media
subject: new
subject: New Caledonia
subject: new zealand
subject: océanien
subject: official
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Politics
subject: provincial
subject: report
subject: results
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: Self Determination
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: the
subject: UC FLNKS
subject: UNI
description: By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific The official results of New Caledonia’s provincial elections held on Sunday were proclaimed last evening. In a comprehensive document, the French High Commission in New Caledonia has published the key election figures, which confirm the tendencies observed immediately after the vote on Sunday. This includes the final makeup of
encoded: By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific The official results of New Caledonia’s provincial elections held on Sunday were proclaimed last evening. In a comprehensive document, the French High Commission in New Caledonia has published the key election figures, which confirm the tendencies observed immediately after the vote on Sunday. This includes the final makeup of New Caledonia’s Territorial Congress, which results from the proportional representation in the French Pacific territory’s three provinces (Northern, Southern and the Loyalty Islands). READ MORE: Pro-French, pro-independence blocs remain in New Caledonia election Counting underway at polling stations in New Caledonia provincial elections New Caledonia polls close in French Pacific territory’s first provincial elections since 2019 Heavy security deployed as New Caledonia’s crucial elections begin New Caledonia’s political parties make final pitch to voters before campaigning ends Alcohol sales banned in New Caledonia as provincial election approaches Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports In the Southern province, which is New Caledonia’s most populated and affluent region, the results confirm a clear victory for the “Strong and United” list made up of pro-France parties Les Loyalistes and Le Rassemblement. Under outgoing provincial President Sonia Backès, they have reached 28 of the 40 seats and collected 50.4 percent of the suffrage. The pro-independence list for FLNKS, headed by Johanito Wamytan, will get seven seats (15.59 percent of the vote). Eveil Océanien’s list (Another World is possible), headed by Milakulo Tukumuli, has five seats (10.2 percent). In the Northern province, pro-independence UC-FLNKS (headed by Pascal Sawa) and Union Nationale pour l’Indépendance (UNI) headed by Paul Néaoutyine are neck-and-neck, with 10 and nine seats. The remaining three seats go to the small list “Let’s Act together for the North”. In the smallest province, the Loyalty Islands, seats are divided between pro-independenc…

Official results confirmed for New Caledonia’s provincial elections
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-30T02:15:23Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Eveil Océanien
subject: France in the Pacific
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia elections
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia politics
subject: Provincial elections
subject: Sources
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: caledonia
subject: caledonia’s
subject: confirmed:
subject: Elections
subject: eveil
subject: Featured
subject: FLNKS
subject: for
subject: France
subject: Global
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: Justice
subject: Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front
subject: Kanaky
subject: Media
subject: new
subject: New Caledonia
subject: new zealand
subject: océanien
subject: official
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Politics
subject: provincial
subject: report
subject: results
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: Self Determination
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: the
subject: UC FLNKS
subject: UNI
description: By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific The official results of New Caledonia’s provincial elections held on Sunday were proclaimed last evening. In a comprehensive document, the French High Commission in New Caledonia has published the key election figures, which confirm the tendencies observed immediately after the vote on Sunday. This includes the final makeup of
encoded: By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific The official results of New Caledonia’s provincial elections held on Sunday were proclaimed last evening. In a comprehensive document, the French High Commission in New Caledonia has published the key election figures, which confirm the tendencies observed immediately after the vote on Sunday. This includes the final makeup of New Caledonia’s Territorial Congress, which results from the proportional representation in the French Pacific territory’s three provinces (Northern, Southern and the Loyalty Islands). READ MORE: Pro-French, pro-independence blocs remain in New Caledonia election Counting underway at polling stations in New Caledonia provincial elections New Caledonia polls close in French Pacific territory’s first provincial elections since 2019 Heavy security deployed as New Caledonia’s crucial elections begin New Caledonia’s political parties make final pitch to voters before campaigning ends Alcohol sales banned in New Caledonia as provincial election approaches Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports In the Southern province, which is New Caledonia’s most populated and affluent region, the results confirm a clear victory for the “Strong and United” list made up of pro-France parties Les Loyalistes and Le Rassemblement. Under outgoing provincial President Sonia Backès, they have reached 28 of the 40 seats and collected 50.4 percent of the suffrage. The pro-independence list for FLNKS, headed by Johanito Wamytan, will get seven seats (15.59 percent of the vote). Eveil Océanien’s list (Another World is possible), headed by Milakulo Tukumuli, has five seats (10.2 percent). In the Northern province, pro-independence UC-FLNKS (headed by Pascal Sawa) and Union Nationale pour l’Indépendance (UNI) headed by Paul Néaoutyine are neck-and-neck, with 10 and nine seats. The remaining three seats go to the small list “Let’s Act together for the North”. In the smallest province, the Loyalty Islands, seats are divided between pro-independenc…

Inside North Korea: What It’s Really Like Meeting Kim Jong Un
type: item
creator: VICE News
date: 2026-06-30T01:29:54Z
subject: Sources
subject: Vice News
subject: inside
subject: it’s
subject: jong
subject: kim
subject: korea
subject: like
subject: meeting
subject: News
subject: north
subject: really
subject: sources
subject: vice
subject: what
description: This content originally appeared on VICE News and was authored by VICE News.
encoded: This content originally appeared on VICE News and was authored by VICE News.

Louisiana Supreme Court Frees Death Row Prisoner, Calling Evidence Against Him “Scientifically Indefensible”
type: item
creator: Richard A. Webster
date: 2026-06-29T22:35:00Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: ‘indefensible’
subject: against
subject: calling
subject: court
subject: Criminal Justice
subject: death
subject: evidence
subject: frees
subject: him
subject: louisiana
subject: prison
subject: prisoner
subject: propublica
subject: row:
subject: scientifically
subject: sources
subject: supreme
description: The post Louisiana Supreme Court Frees Death Row Prisoner, Calling Evidence Against Him “Scientifically Indefensible” appeared first on ProPublica.
encoded: Jimmie Duncan hugs his parents, Sharon and Bennie, after he was released from prison on bail in December 2025. Jamal Barnes for the Innocence Project Former Louisiana death row inmate Jimmie “Chris” Duncan is officially a free man following a unanimous ruling Monday by the Louisiana Supreme Court. In the opinion, justices upheld a lower court’s decision to toss out Duncan’s 1998 conviction for killing his former girlfriend’s toddler, Haley Oliveaux, citing flawed forensics practices used to convict him. Justice Cade R. Cole wrote on behalf of the seven-member court that new evidence presented by Duncan’s legal team left no doubt that his conviction should be overturned. “The post-conviction evidence undermined the core factual premises on which the state depended,” Cole wrote in the official opinion. Two other justices, including Chief Justice John Weimer, issued opinions concurring with Cole. “I am flooded with relief,” said Chris Fabricant, a member of Duncan’s legal team and director of strategic litigation with the Innocence Project in New York, in an interview. “It would have been a moral outrage for the conviction to be reinstated.” The court’s ruling came after a 2025 Verite News and ProPublica investigation examined the reliability of the key forensic evidence used to convict Duncan, now 57. At the time, he faced the possibility of being put to death as Gov. Jeff Landry, a staunch death penalty advocate, made moves to expedite executions after a 15-year pause. Duncan’s conviction was based largely on now-discredited bite mark evidence presented by forensic dentist Michael West and pathologist Steven Hayne. Their analysis, which was critical to Ouachita Parish prosecutors securing Duncan’s conviction, claimed to match marks on Haley’s body to Duncan’s teeth. But experts have since deemed such evidence, fairly common at the time of Duncan’s 1998 trial, to be junk science. Meanwhile, the longtime partnership between West and Hayne has come under scrutiny from c…

The chimpanzees paying the price in the global wildlife trade
type: item
creator: Jaclynn Ashly
date: 2026-06-29T21:22:05Z
subject: article
subject: Politics and Movements: International
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: chimpanzees
subject: climate crisis
subject: environment
subject: Global
subject: International
subject: movements
subject: paying
subject: Politics
subject: price
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: trade
subject: wildlife
description: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Photo-5.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Max at Sweetwaters. Captured as an infant in Burundi in 1988 and held by a French film crew before being rescued, he still reacts to the sound of small planes overhead — a memory, his caregivers believe, of the country's civil war. Photo by Jaclynn Ashly." data-attachment-id="344583" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/photo-5-6" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Photo-5.jpg?fit=2400%2C1600&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2400,1600" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Photo 5" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Max at Sweetwaters. Captured as an infant in Burundi in 1988 and held by a French film crew before being rescued, he still reacts to the sound of small planes overhead — a memory, his caregivers believe, of the country&#8217;s civil war. Photo by Jaclynn Ashly. " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Photo-5.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1"> The illicit great ape trade operates within the same forces destabilizing chimpanzee habitats: armed conflict, extractive industries that carve roads into once-remote forests, and the poverty they produce.
encoded: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Photo-5.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Max at Sweetwaters. Captured as an infant in Burundi in 1988 and held by a French film crew before being rescued, he still reacts to the sound of small planes overhead — a memory, his caregivers believe, of the country's civil war. Photo by Jaclynn Ashly." decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Photo-5.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Photo-5.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Photo-5.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Photo-5.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Photo-5.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Photo-5.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Photo-5.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Photo-5.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Photo-5.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Photo-5.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Photo-5.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Photo-5.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="344583" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/photo-5-6" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/20…

Uganda military chief orders Nation Media Group shutdowns, threatens Managing Director Susan Nsibirwa
type: item
creator: Committee to Protect Journalists
date: 2026-06-29T20:38:31Z
subject: Andrew Mwenda
subject: Censored
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Daily Monitor
subject: Nation Media Group
subject: Nation Media Group-Uganda
subject: NTV Uganda
subject: Shutdown
subject: Sources
subject: Susan Nsibirwa
subject: andrew
subject: censored
subject: chief
subject: committee
subject: daily
subject: director
subject: group
subject: groupuganda
subject: Journalists
subject: managing
subject: Media
subject: military
subject: monitor
subject: mwenda
subject: nation?
subject: nsibirwa
subject: ntv
subject: orders
subject: protect
subject: shutdown
subject: shutdowns
subject: sources
subject: susan
subject: threatens
subject: uganda
description: New York, June 29, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for Ugandan authorities to swiftly and unreservedly remove security forces from the premises of the privately owned Nation Media Group-Uganda (NMG-U), permit the company to operate freely, and ensure Managing Director Susan Nsibirwa can work without concern that she may be arrested or attacked. In...
encoded: New York, June 29, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for Ugandan authorities to swiftly and unreservedly remove security forces from the premises of the privately owned Nation Media Group-Uganda (NMG-U), permit the company to operate freely, and ensure Managing Director Susan Nsibirwa can work without concern that she may be arrested or attacked. In the early hours of June 28, Ugandan security forces arrived at the NMG-U headquarters in the Namuwongo district of Kampala and its broadcast centers at the Kampala Serena International Conference Centre, blocking access and shutting down the company’s ability to print newspapers or conduct standard radio and TV broadcasts. “Nothing much has changed,” Nsibirwa told CPJ at around 6 p.m. local time on June 29. “Our websites are active, our social media handles are active, and pretty much that’s how we’re doing our work, until the situation should change. So we’re just digital now.” “Laying siege to the Nation Media Group in Uganda, the largest independent media house in east and central Africa, at the whim of military chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba offers yet another indication of the country’s deepening authoritarianism,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa director. “No military officer should be able to intimidate or silence an independent media house because he dislikes its reporting or rejects the universal right to press freedom. President Yoweri Museveni must hold his son accountable for this egregious abuse of power and ensure that the NMG and its journalists can continue to operate freely in Uganda without fear of arbitrary censorship,” said Quintal. In a June 29 update published online, Daily Monitor, which is an NMG company, noted that in Uganda the media group also owns NTV Uganda, The East African, Spark TV, 93.3 KFM, 90.4 Dembe FM, Ennyanda newspaper, and the Nation Courier. Nsibirwa said that the security forces detained a technical team and a driver as they took control of the TV premises and hel…

More than a dozen South African journalists targeted as anti-migrant deadline looms
type: item
creator: Joan Chirwa
date: 2026-06-29T20:23:18Z
subject: Agence France-Presse
subject: Antony Sguazzin
subject: Ashraf Hendricks
subject: Barbara October
subject: Business Day
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Daniel Steyn
subject: David Harrison
subject: Dianne Hawker-Kalubi
subject: DW
subject: Getty Images
subject: GroundUp
subject: Hajra Omarjee
subject: Joseph Bracken
subject: Kgaogelo Magolego
subject: News 24
subject: Saamwiet Moos
subject: SABC
subject: Sakhiseni Nxumalo
subject: Sibongakonke Shoba
subject: Sophie Mokoena
subject: Sources
subject: South African National Editors Forum
subject: Sowetan
subject: Tsoanelo Sefoloko
subject: Wesley Fester
subject: You FM
subject: Yusuf Kosadia-Hassen
subject: African
subject: agence
subject: antimigrant
subject: antony
subject: ashraf
subject: barbara
subject: bracken
subject: Business
subject: committee
subject: daniel
subject: david
subject: day
subject: deadline
subject: dianne
subject: dozen
subject: Editors
subject: fester
subject: forum’
subject: francepresse
subject: getty
subject: groundup
subject: hajra
subject: harrison
subject: hawkerkalubi
subject: hendricks]
subject: Images
subject: joseph
subject: Journalists
subject: kgaogelo
subject: kosadiahassen
subject: looms,
subject: magolego
subject: mokoena
subject: moos
subject: more
subject: national
subject: News
subject: nxumalo
subject: october
subject: omarjee
subject: protect
subject: saamwiet
subject: sabc
subject: sakhiseni
subject: sefoloko
subject: sguazzin
subject: shoba
subject: sibongakonke

More than a dozen South African journalists targeted as anti-migrant deadline looms
type: item
creator: Joan Chirwa
date: 2026-06-29T20:23:18Z
subject: Agence France-Presse
subject: Antony Sguazzin
subject: Ashraf Hendricks
subject: Barbara October
subject: Business Day
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Daniel Steyn
subject: David Harrison
subject: Dianne Hawker-Kalubi
subject: DW
subject: Getty Images
subject: GroundUp
subject: Hajra Omarjee
subject: Joseph Bracken
subject: Kgaogelo Magolego
subject: News 24
subject: Saamwiet Moos
subject: SABC
subject: Sakhiseni Nxumalo
subject: Sibongakonke Shoba
subject: Sophie Mokoena
subject: Sources
subject: South African National Editors Forum
subject: Sowetan
subject: Tsoanelo Sefoloko
subject: Wesley Fester
subject: You FM
subject: Yusuf Kosadia-Hassen
subject: African
subject: agence
subject: antimigrant
subject: antony
subject: ashraf
subject: barbara
subject: bracken
subject: Business
subject: committee
subject: daniel
subject: david
subject: day
subject: deadline
subject: dianne
subject: dozen
subject: Editors
subject: fester
subject: forum’
subject: francepresse
subject: getty
subject: groundup
subject: hajra
subject: harrison
subject: hawkerkalubi
subject: hendricks]
subject: Images
subject: joseph
subject: Journalists
subject: kgaogelo
subject: kosadiahassen
subject: looms,
subject: magolego
subject: mokoena
subject: moos
subject: more
subject: national
subject: News
subject: nxumalo
subject: october
subject: omarjee
subject: protect
subject: saamwiet
subject: sabc
subject: sakhiseni
subject: sefoloko
subject: sguazzin
subject: shoba
subject: sibongakonke

The News That Did Make the News – But Was Wrong
type: item
creator: Kate Horgan
date: 2026-06-29T20:05:58Z
subject: Project Censored
subject: Sources
subject: but
subject: censored
subject: did
subject: make
subject: News
subject: project’:
subject: sources
subject: that
subject: the
subject: The Project Censored Show
subject: was
subject: wrong
description: On this episode of the Project Censored Show, co-hosts Mickey Huff and Eleanor Goldfield dig into some of the news that did make the news but was wrong. They highlight the need for critical media literacy, especially when we’re confronted with somethin...
encoded: On this episode of the Project Censored Show, co-hosts Mickey Huff and Eleanor Goldfield dig into some of the news that did make the news but was wrong. They highlight the need for critical media literacy, especially when we’re confronted with something that pings our confirmation bias. They also dive into some history, the US at 250, the framing of our nationalistic ideals, the society of the spectacle, Idiocracy, and finding our way to solidarity. The post The News That Did Make the News – But Was Wrong appeared first on Project Censored. This content originally appeared on Project Censored and was authored by Kate Horgan.

The Sycophancy Machine: How AI Rewards Confirmation Over Accuracy
type: item
creator: Kate Horgan
date: 2026-06-29T20:05:06Z
subject: Project Censored
subject: Sources
subject: accuracy
subject: censored
subject: confirmation
subject: how
subject: machine?
subject: over
subject: project’:
subject: rewards
subject: sources
subject: sycophancy
subject: the
subject: The Project Censored Show
description: On this episode of the Project Censored Show, Mickey Huff sits down with public health researcher and journalist Lily Minh Wass to talk about the sycophancy machine. Lily outlines the subtle and disturbing quirks of AI’s large language models, amplifyi...
encoded: On this episode of the Project Censored Show, Mickey Huff sits down with public health researcher and journalist Lily Minh Wass to talk about the sycophancy machine. Lily outlines the subtle and disturbing quirks of AI’s large language models, amplifying our human desire to be agreed with, which supersedes the desire to be factual. Lily highlights our cognitive offloading onto AI, breaks down how these systems operate, and more. The post The Sycophancy Machine: How AI Rewards Confirmation Over Accuracy appeared first on Project Censored. This content originally appeared on Project Censored and was authored by Kate Horgan.

Patriotism Toward What End? The Enduring Debate in U.S. History Education
type: item
creator: Andrew Kordik
date: 2026-06-29T19:13:45Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Progressive
subject: debate
subject: Education
subject: end
subject: enduring
subject: History
subject: Patriotism
subject: progressive
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: toward
subject: what
description: Florida’s new ‘FACT U.S. History’ course raises questions about whether U.S. history education should promote democratic critiques or obedience and nationalism.
encoded: Florida’s new ‘FACT U.S. History’ course raises questions about whether U.S. history education should promote democratic critiques or obedience and nationalism. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Andrew Kordik.

Hungarians celebrate first post-Orbán Pride
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-29T19:01:50Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: celebrate
subject: Democracy
subject: first
subject: hungarians
subject: now
subject: postorbán
subject: pride’:
subject: sources
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

A Sad Decline in Support for Same-Sex Marriage
type: item
creator: Akilah Monifa
date: 2026-06-29T18:48:49Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Progressive
subject: decline
subject: for
subject: marriage
subject: progressive
subject: sad
subject: samesex
subject: sources
subject: support
subject: the
description: Marriage rights should be respected and protected as civil rights.
encoded: Marriage rights should be respected and protected as civil rights. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Akilah Monifa.

the-pacifica-evening-news-weekdays-june-29-2026-confusion-surrounds-iran-peace-talks-u-n-says-israeli-settler-violence-in-west-bank-reaches-record-high-san-francisco-pride-weekend-mar
type: item
title: The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – June 29, 2026: Confusion Surrounds Iran Peace Talks; U.N. Says Israeli Settler Violence in West Bank Reaches Record High; San Francisco Pride Weekend Marked by Protests, Arrests, and Calls for LGBTQ Rights
creator: KPFA
date: 2026-06-29T18:00:00Z
subject: Pacifica Evening News
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: and
subject: arrests
subject: bank
subject: calls
subject: confusion
subject: evening
subject: for
subject: francisco,
subject: high
subject: iran
subject: israeli
subject: june
subject: lgbtq
subject: marked
subject: News
subject: pacifica
subject: Peace
subject: pride’:
subject: Protests
subject: reaches
subject: record
subject: rights
subject: san
subject: says
subject: settler
subject: sources
subject: surrounds
subject: talks
subject: the
subject: violence
subject: weekdays
subject: weekend
subject: west
description: San Francisco Pride Weekend Marked by Protests, Arrests, and Calls for LGBTQ Rights U.N. Says Israeli Settler Violence in West Bank Reaches Record High Confusion Surrounds Iran Peace Talks as U.S., Tehran Head to Qatar U.N. Human Rights Chief Urges Investigations into Deaths in ICE Custody Budapest Celebrates First Pride Since Orbán’s Defeat Supreme Court Issues Rulings Favoring E. Jean Carroll, Lisa Cook, and Mail-In Ballots Supreme Court in Washington, DC. USDA Photo by Ken Hammond The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – June 29, 2026: Confusion Surrounds Iran Peace Talks; U.N. Says Israeli Settler Violence in West Bank Reaches Record High; San Francisco Pride Weekend Marked by Protests, Arrests, and Calls for LGBTQ Rights appeared first on KPFA.
encoded: San Francisco Pride Weekend Marked by Protests, Arrests, and Calls for LGBTQ Rights U.N. Says Israeli Settler Violence in West Bank Reaches Record High Confusion Surrounds Iran Peace Talks as U.S., Tehran Head to Qatar U.N. Human Rights Chief Urges Investigations into Deaths in ICE Custody Budapest Celebrates First Pride Since Orbán’s Defeat Supreme Court Issues Rulings Favoring E. Jean Carroll, Lisa Cook, and Mail-In Ballots The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – June 29, 2026: Confusion Surrounds Iran Peace Talks; U.N. Says Israeli Settler Violence in West Bank Reaches Record High; San Francisco Pride Weekend Marked by Protests, Arrests, and Calls for LGBTQ Rights appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.

UN News Today 29 June 2026
type: item
creator: Daniel Johnson
date: 2026-06-29T16:56:52Z
subject: Podcasts/UN News Today
subject: Sources
subject: UN News
subject: 2026
subject: june
subject: News
subject: podcastsun
subject: sources
subject: today
description: Venezuela quake: Families still searching for loved ones against impossible odds, OCHA warnsDR Congo widespread abuses in spotlight at Human Rights Council Gaza: Another child killed despite ceasefire, reports UNICEF
encoded: Venezuela quake: Families still searching for loved ones against impossible odds, OCHA warnsDR Congo widespread abuses in spotlight at Human Rights Council Gaza: Another child killed despite ceasefire, reports UNICEF This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Daniel Johnson.

MAGA eliminated his congressional district. He’s still running.
type: item
creator: Maximillian Alvarez
date: 2026-06-29T16:54:25Z
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Sources
subject: video
subject: Voting Rights
subject: and
subject: congressional
subject: district
subject: Elections
subject: eliminated
subject: he’s
subject: his
subject: maga
subject: midterms
subject: movements
subject: Politics
subject: racial justice
subject: rights
subject: running
subject: sources
subject: still
subject: Video
subject: voting
description: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TRNN-Justin-Pearson-Netroots-.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Tennessee State Representative Justin Pearson speaks with TRNN at the Netroots conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 6, 2026. Credit: TRNN." data-attachment-id="344573" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/maga-eliminated-his-congressional-district-hes-still-running/trnn-justin-pearson-netroots" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TRNN-Justin-Pearson-Netroots-.jpg?fit=1440%2C960&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1440,960" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="TRNN &#8211; Justin Pearson Netroots" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Tennessee State Representative Justin Pearson speaks with TRNN at the Netroots conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 6, 2026. Credit: TRNN. " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TRNN-Justin-Pearson-Netroots-.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1"> We speak with Tennessee State Representative Justin Pearson about fighting data centers, billionaires, and the MAGA Republicans gerrymandering his district—the only majority-Black district in the state—out of existence.
encoded: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TRNN-Justin-Pearson-Netroots-.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Tennessee State Representative Justin Pearson speaks with TRNN at the Netroots conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 6, 2026. Credit: TRNN." decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TRNN-Justin-Pearson-Netroots-.jpg?w=1440&ssl=1 1440w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TRNN-Justin-Pearson-Netroots-.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TRNN-Justin-Pearson-Netroots-.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TRNN-Justin-Pearson-Netroots-.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TRNN-Justin-Pearson-Netroots-.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TRNN-Justin-Pearson-Netroots-.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TRNN-Justin-Pearson-Netroots-.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TRNN-Justin-Pearson-Netroots-.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="344573" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/maga-eliminated-his-congressional-district-hes-still-running/trnn-justin-pearson-netroots" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TRNN-Justin-Pearson-Netroots-.jpg?fit=1440%2C960&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1440,960" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_lengt…

MAGA Eliminated His Congressional District. He’s Still Running. w/ Rep. Justin Pearson
type: item
creator: The Real News Network
date: 2026-06-29T16:03:52Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Real News Network
subject: congressional
subject: district
subject: eliminated
subject: he’s
subject: his
subject: justin
subject: maga
subject: network
subject: News
subject: pearson
subject: real
subject: rep.
subject: running
subject: sources
subject: still
subject: the
description: This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.

The Performative Ceasefire In Gaza
type: item
creator: The Intercept
date: 2026-06-29T16:01:13Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Intercept
subject: ceasefire
subject: gaza
subject: intercept
subject: performative
subject: sources
subject: the
description: This content originally appeared on The Intercept and was authored by The Intercept.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Intercept and was authored by The Intercept.

Stephen Miller’s white nationalist agenda: Eddie Glaude
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-29T15:55:21Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: ‘stephen
subject: "eddie"
subject: agenda
subject: Democracy
subject: glaude
subject: miller8217s
subject: nationalist
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: white
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Behind Ken Burns’ Civil War Documentary
type: item
creator: VICE News
date: 2026-06-29T15:46:45Z
subject: Sources
subject: Vice News
subject: behind
subject: burns8217
subject: civil
subject: documentary
subject: ken
subject: News
subject: sources
subject: vice
subject: war
description: This content originally appeared on VICE News and was authored by VICE News.
encoded: This content originally appeared on VICE News and was authored by VICE News.

StoryCorps Facilitates Conversations Across the U.S. for 250th Anniversary
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-29T14:46:32Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 250th
subject: across
subject: Anniversary
subject: conversations
subject: Democracy
subject: facilitates
subject: for
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: storycorps
subject: the
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

"America, U.S.A.": Eddie Glaude on the 250th Anniv., Race & "Madness at the Heart of the Country"
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-29T14:42:34Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: "eddie"
subject: 250th
subject: america
subject: anniv.
subject: country
subject: Democracy
subject: glaude
subject: heart
subject: madness
subject: now
subject: race
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: usa
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Top U.S. & World Headlines — June 29, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-29T14:24:40Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: headlines
subject: june
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: top
subject: World
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Pride and resilience in the Sunshine State
type: item
creator: Noella Williams
date: 2026-06-29T14:19:20Z
subject: article
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Reprint
subject: Sources
subject: The Cultural Front
subject: and
subject: cultural
subject: florida
subject: front
subject: lgbtq
subject: movements
subject: Politics
subject: pride’:
subject: reprint
subject: resilience
subject: sources
subject: State
subject: sunshine
subject: the
description: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2208275036-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Revellers take part in the 17th Annual Miami Beach Pride Parade on April 6, 2025, in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, Florida. Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images" data-attachment-id="344560" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/pride-and-resilience-in-the-sunshine-state/topshot-us-politics-lgbtq-rights-parade" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2208275036-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"AFP via Getty Images","camera":"NIKON Z 8","caption":"TOPSHOT - Revellers take part in the 17th Annual Miami Beach Pride Parade on April 6, 2025, in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Giorgio VIERA / AFP) (Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1743961624","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-LGBTQ-RIGHTS-PARADE","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-LGBTQ-RIGHTS-PARADE" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Revellers take part in the 17th Annual Miami Beach Pride Parade on April 6, 2025, in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, Florida. Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2208275036-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1"> In the face of tragedy and hostility, LGBTQ+ Floridians remain tenacious through organizing and community.
encoded: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2208275036-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Revellers take part in the 17th Annual Miami Beach Pride Parade on April 6, 2025, in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, Florida. Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2208275036-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2208275036-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2208275036-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2208275036-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2208275036-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2208275036-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2208275036-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2208275036-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2208275036-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2208275036-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2208275036-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2208275036-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (1…

TARUFU • live in Berlin (Germany / Japan 2025)
type: item
creator: Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes
date: 2026-06-29T13:58:34Z
subject: Petites Planètes
subject: Sources
subject: 2025
subject: berlin
subject: germany
subject: japan
subject: live
subject: petites
subject: planètes
subject: sources
subject: tarufu
description: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.

“Meet a Stranger”: StoryCorps Facilitates Conversations Across the U.S. for 250th Anniversary
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-29T12:52:23Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 250th
subject: 8220meet
subject: across
subject: Anniversary
subject: conversations
subject: Democracy
subject: facilitates
subject: for
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: storycorps
subject: stranger8221
subject: the
description: The Trump administration’s commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding have drawn criticism for their overt partisanship and conflicts of interest for the Trump family. Surveys show widespread ambivalence and ...
encoded: The Trump administration’s commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding have drawn criticism for their overt partisanship and conflicts of interest for the Trump family. Surveys show widespread ambivalence and lack of enthusiasm for the semiquincentennial. StoryCorps founder Dave Isay has set out to capture the national mood with Connect250, an oral history project matching strangers across the United States to interview each other about their lives, families and formative experiences. The series is produced in partnership with NPR’s Morning Edition, with the conversations to be preserved in the Library of Congress. “It’s actually a very hopeful project,” says Isay. “We have to hold on to hope.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

“America, U.S.A.”: Eddie Glaude on the 250th Anniv., Race & “The Madness at the Heart of the Country”
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-29T12:14:01Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: "eddie"
subject: 250th
subject: 8220america
subject: 8220the
subject: anniv.
subject: country8221
subject: Democracy
subject: glaude
subject: heart
subject: madness
subject: now
subject: race
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: usa8221
description: “I do not love America, and never have, especially now.” Those are the opening words of America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries, a new book from Princeton historian Eddie Glaude. Released ahead of the 250...
encoded: “I do not love America, and never have, especially now.” Those are the opening words of America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries, a new book from Princeton historian Eddie Glaude. Released ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, the book is a critical look back at how the United States has celebrated previous milestone birthdays, including what narratives were left out of the official commemorations. This comes as President Donald Trump has made himself the center of many events and celebrations for the 250th anniversary, while promoting a “storybook version” of U.S. history that elides the injustice that was baked into the very founding of the country, Glaude tells Democracy Now! in a wide-ranging conversation about race, inequality and the legacy of slavery. “Donald Trump and his supporters, they want to be white without judgment,” says Glaude. “History is a battleground, because history, of course, holds them to account.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Headlines for June 29, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-29T12:00:00Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: for
subject: headlines
subject: june
subject: now
subject: sources
description: Nearly 50,000 Remain Missing in Venezuela as Earthquake Rescue Efforts Pivot to Recovery, Iran Denies U.S. Claims of Upcoming Talks Following Weekend Clashes, Israel Renews Attacks on Southern Lebanon After Signing U.S.-Brokered Deal, Children Among the Dead as Israel Continues to Bombard Gaza, Despite Ceasefire Deal, Gaza Humanitarian Convoy Activists Released from Libyan Prison, France’s Death Toll Tops 1,000 as Europe Bakes Under Unprecedented Heat Wave, Appeals Court Blocks Trump’s Rollback of Pollution Limits from Coal-Fired Plants, Kenyan Activists Arrested at Anti-Government Protests Say They Were Tortured by Police, Trump Taps Former Oklahoma State Trooper Lance Schroyer as Next ICE Director, Mexican Immigrant Dies at For-Profit ICE Jail in Texas, the 20th Such Death in 2026, Tens of Thousands in Budapest Celebrate First Pride Event Since Viktor Orbán’s Ouster, Court in Chile Sentences Former Secret Police over 1976 Assassination in Washington, D.C.
encoded: Nearly 50,000 Remain Missing in Venezuela as Earthquake Rescue Efforts Pivot to Recovery Iran Denies U.S. Claims of Upcoming Talks Following Weekend Clashes Israel Renews Attacks on Southern Lebanon After Signing U.S.-Brokered Deal Children Among the Dead as Israel Continues to Bombard Gaza, Despite Ceasefire Deal Gaza Humanitarian Convoy Activists Released from Libyan Prison France's Death Toll Tops 1,000 as Europe Bakes Under Unprecedented Heat Wave Appeals Court Blocks Trump's Rollback of Pollution Limits from Coal-Fired Plants Kenyan Activists Arrested at Anti-Government Protests Say They Were Tortured by Police Trump Taps Former Oklahoma State Trooper Lance Schroyer as Next ICE Director Mexican Immigrant Dies at For-Profit ICE Jail in Texas, the 20th Such Death in 2026 Tens of Thousands in Budapest Celebrate First Pride Event Since Viktor Orbán's Ouster Court in Chile Sentences Former Secret Police over 1976 Assassination in Washington, D.C. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Democracy Now! 2026-06-29 Monday
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-29T12:00:00Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 20260629
subject: Democracy
subject: monday
subject: now
subject: sources
description: Democracy Now! Monday, June 29, 2026
encoded: Democracy Now! Monday, June 29, 2026 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.

The Gaza doctrine – Israeli ‘journacide’ and the muted NZ media response
type: item
creator: Pacific Media Watch
date: 2026-06-29T11:03:57Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Eugene Doyle
subject: Francesca Albanese
subject: Gaza doctrine
subject: Gaza genocide
subject: Gaza journalists
subject: Gaza media freedom
subject: Israeli genocide
subject: Israeli torture
subject: Journacide: The War on Truth
subject: Killing of journalists
subject: Lebanese journalists
subject: Occupied Palestine
subject: Seán Murray
subject: Sources
subject: albanese
subject: Analysis
subject: and
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: Crime
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: doctrine
subject: doyle
subject: eugene
subject: Featured
subject: francesca
subject: Freedom
subject: gaza
subject: Genocide
subject: Global
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: iran
subject: israeli
subject: journacide
subject: Journalists
subject: killing
subject: lebanese
subject: lebanon
subject: Media
subject: Media Freedom
subject: military
subject: Multimedia
subject: murray
subject: muted
subject: new zealand
subject: occupied
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Pacific Voices
subject: Palestine
subject: Politics
subject: press freedom
subject: report
subject: response
subject: sean
subject: Security
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: the
subject: Torture
subject: Truth
subject: war
description: COMMENTARY: By David Robie, Pacific Media Watch A friend and colleague, Solidarity columnist Eugene Doyle, posed a brief question on the Facebook media page Kiwi Journalists Association last week. “Kiwi journalists . . . is there a reason for so little solidarity with Palestinian colleagues,” he mused over a haunting portrait of emaciated Palestinian journalist
encoded: COMMENTARY: By David Robie, Pacific Media Watch A friend and colleague, Solidarity columnist Eugene Doyle, posed a brief question on the Facebook media page Kiwi Journalists Association last week. “Kiwi journalists . . . is there a reason for so little solidarity with Palestinian colleagues,” he mused over a haunting portrait of emaciated Palestinian journalist Mujahid Abu Mufleh showing his appalling state after 14 months inside an Israel torture prison. “No trial. No conviction.” READ MORE: Silencing the messenger: Israel kills journalists, while the West merely censors them Improvements in Pacific media freedom, but a shameful silence on Gaza ‘death trap’ Facing up to genocide – a New Zealand journalist bears witness with Gaza and West Bank Other Gaza media reports <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="wp-image-129870 size-full" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Mujahid-Abu-Mufleh-KJA-400wide.png" alt="The image of Palestinian journalist Mujahid Abu Mufieh " width="400" height="447" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Mujahid-Abu-Mufleh-KJA-400wide.png 400w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Mujahid-Abu-Mufleh-KJA-400wide-268x300.png 268w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Mujahid-Abu-Mufleh-KJA-400wide-376x420.png 376w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /> The image of Palestinian journalist Mujahid Abu Mufieh after 14 months in an Israeli jail that prompted the question about New Zealand media empathy. Image: ED/KJA This is what Palestinian hostages look like after release: emaciated, exhausted, and visibly scarred by prolonged detention. Occupied Palestine has become the deadliest place for journalists in the world. Yet merely three media people responded to Doyle’s question. Broadcaster and singer Moana Maniapoto (Te Arawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) summed up the cruel image as “journacide”, citing the use of the label by UN Special Rapporteur on Pales…

CPJ, partners condemn targeting of journalists covering South Africa’s anti-migrant protests
type: item
creator: CPJ Staff
date: 2026-06-29T09:59:53Z
subject: Attacked
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Harassed
subject: Sources
subject: africa’s
subject: antimigrant
subject: attacked,
subject: committee
subject: condemn
subject: covering
subject: cpj
subject: harassed
subject: Journalists
subject: partners
subject: protect
subject: Protests
subject: sources
subject: south
subject: targeting
description: The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined seven other media freedom organizations in condemning attacks on foreign nationals and the targeting of journalists covering anti-migrant protests in South Africa. In a joint statement, issued ahead of the June 30 deadline set by the anti-migrant group March and March, the organizations called on its leaders to...
encoded: The Committee to Protect Journalists has joined seven other media freedom organizations in condemning attacks on foreign nationals and the targeting of journalists covering anti-migrant protests in South Africa. In a joint statement, issued ahead of the June 30 deadline set by the anti-migrant group March and March, the organizations called on its leaders to end unlawful action, stop threatening journalists, and reject conduct that could expose journalists to intimidation or violence. They also urged political parties supporting the campaign to distance themselves from threats against journalists and rhetoric that incites hostility or violence against foreign nationals. The coalition called on authorities to protect foreign nationals and journalists, ensure journalists can work safely and without interference, and hold those responsible for threats, assaults and incitement to violence to account. It said March and March had used social media to identify journalists and encourage supporters to do the same in a blatant attempt to intimidate and silence independent reporting. Read the full statement here. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

DN! Monday, June 29, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4
date: 2026-06-29T09:45:53Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: june
subject: monday
subject: now
subject: sources
description: Monday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD
encoded: Monday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4 and was authored by Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4.

Native American Tribes Came Together to Secure Their Rights to Colorado River Water. Four States Are Stalling the Deal.
type: item
creator: Mark Olalde
date: 2026-06-29T09:00:00Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: american
subject: are
subject: came
subject: colorado
subject: deal
subject: environment
subject: four:
subject: native
subject: propublica
subject: Regulation
subject: rights
subject: river
subject: secure
subject: sources
subject: stalling
subject: states
subject: the
subject: their
subject: together
subject: tribes
subject: Water
description: The post Native American Tribes Came Together to Secure Their Rights to Colorado River Water. Four States Are Stalling the Deal. appeared first on ProPublica.
encoded: A man fills his water tank at a well a few miles from the Hopi village of Mishongnovi, on the tribe’s northern Arizona reservation. A deal to bring Colorado River water to Native American communities in northern Arizona, where a third of homes lack running water, is being blocked by neighboring states, caught up in a broader battle over how to divide the dwindling river. The largest tribal water rights settlement in U.S. history — the product of decades of negotiations to secure water for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe — was on the verge of being realized before Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming stepped in to oppose it being codified by Congress. “We have significant unresolved concerns with the legislation that may affect each of our states’ rights to and interests in Colorado River water,” negotiators for Utah and Wyoming wrote in March to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in a previously unreported letter. New Mexico and Colorado sent similar letters. Those four states, known collectively as the Upper Basin, are at a stalemate with the Lower Basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada over new rules governing how they share the Colorado River, a key water source for nearly 40 million people. Congress and the White House, under both Democratic and Republican leadership, have declined to approve the settlement until all parties reach an agreement. For 83-year-old Marilyn Tewa, the stalemate means her family will continue to go without running water. Tewa serves on the Hopi Tribal Council, where her duties include working on the water rights agreement, but her village of Mishongnovi, on the tribe’s northern Arizona reservation, lacks indoor plumbing. Every other day, she loads 5-gallon buckets into her pickup and drives 5 miles to a windmill originally built for livestock that draws untreated water from underground. “That’s what keeps us alive,” Tewa said, tapping the spigot on a May afternoon. Back home, Tewa bustled a…

Climate activists take on a new foe: Data centers
type: item
creator: Kate Yoder
date: 2026-06-29T08:45:00Z
subject: Grist
subject: Sources
subject: Activists
subject: centers
subject: Climate
subject: Culture
subject: Data
subject: foe
subject: new
subject: Politics
subject: Protest
subject: sources
subject: take
description: As climate action stalls, the movement is finding new energy in local fights to stop polluting, power-hungry facilities.
encoded: Amid the many political casualties of 2025 — mass federal layoffs, shuttered agencies, and clean energy spending cuts — the passing of one of the last decade’s defining political projects went almost entirely unnoticed. On December 31, 2025, the Green New Deal Network, a coalition of climate, labor, and social justice organizations, officially died. The coalition wasn’t intended to last forever, but its demise was sped up by the political mood that got President Donald Trump reelected in 2024, when the momentum that the movement had enjoyed under the Biden administration seemingly evaporated overnight. As Trump launched an all-out assault on environmental regulations and climate policies, the climate movement was left at a loss, unsure how to push for change with the public increasingly focused on other issues, like the cost of living, and a federal government hostile to its cause. “The conditions under which the Green New Deal Network was founded have fundamentally changed,” the coalition’s site said, explaining its decision to fold. “The mission of climate, jobs, and justice is far from over — but the structure built to win a specific moment is no longer the right vehicle for what comes next.” Saul Levin, who was the network’s director of campaigns and politics, knew what was next for him personally: fighting AI data centers. The artificial intelligence boom has created a surge in construction of giant facilities that process digital information, and communities across the country are working to stop them from being built, concerned about water usage, soaring energy bills, and Big Tech taking over. Over a year ago, Levin had started a Signal chat to help people opposing data centers get organized. Now, his chat has about 350 members across 40 states, and he’s busy with his new podcast, “The Hum,” capturing their stories and highlighting successes. Many climate activists are following a similar path. Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions, air and water pollution,…

Illustrator and podcaster Andy J. Pizza on what to do when motivations and interests change
type: item
creator: Jun Chou
date: 2026-06-29T07:00:00Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Creative Independent
subject: and
subject: andy
subject: change
subject: creative
subject: Illustration
subject: illustrator,
subject: independent
subject: interests
subject: motivations
subject: pizza
subject: podcaster
subject: Podcasts
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: what
subject: when
subject: Writing
description: Give me a peek into your world.
encoded: Give me a peek into your world. I’ve heard writer Cal Newport talk about lifestyle-centric planning; I would reword it as neurotype-centric world building. You’re building your world around whatever weird person you are and what you need. One of the things I need is to spend tons of time with the things I’m obsessed with. The tricky part about that as an ADHD person is they change over time. For the first part of my career, I was less aware they would change as much as they do. I thought, “Illustration is my passion and obsession and that will be the thing that sustains me throughout a career.” In my 20 years of pursuing that, I had a period of time where I was like, “Oh no, I don’t care that much about illustration right now.” And that was really scary. But then I realized that illustration is a great thing to build your life around as an ADHD person because it is a tool to dig into whatever you want to dig into. So now I think about illustration and storytelling as very connected because my favorite definition of illustration is writing with pictures. It’s this hyperfixation that keeps me interested in being alive. Have your existential spirals gotten easier with time? It definitely has gotten easier with time. I’m going to bring up something you should never talk about in a creative interview. It’s this embarrassing thing that has helped me make sense of that, called the BCG Growth-Share Matrix from the world of business and business consulting. It is about this dynamic between what you’re passionate about right now and what you’ve mastered. Often what you’ve mastered, you’re less passionate about. Especially if you’re an ADHD person; the less novel it is, the better you get at it, the less interesting it is, and the less dopamine you get from it. The thing I like about this Growth Share Matrix is it talks about how much share of a market you have, how established you are in that market, versus how much that market is growing. It’s a framework that’s helped me un…

Air India crash: The infamous ‘cockpit conversation’ that became a global fact without evidence
type: item
creator: Rachel Chitra
date: 2026-06-29T06:25:11Z
subject: Alt News
subject: Sources
subject: air:
subject: alt
subject: became
subject: cockpit
subject: conversation
subject: crash
subject: evidence
subject: fact’
subject: Global
subject: India
subject: infamous
subject: News
subject: Politics
subject: sources
subject: that
subject: the
subject: without
description: The Air India AI171 crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killed 260 people, making it one of the deadliest aviation disasters in Indian history. Within weeks of the tragedy, the focus of the investigation and much of the ensuing public discourse came to centre onto one of the dead: Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the Air […]
encoded: The Air India AI171 crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killed 260 people, making it one of the deadliest aviation disasters in Indian history. Within weeks of the tragedy, the focus of the investigation and much of the ensuing public discourse came to centre onto one of the dead: Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the Air India pilot who was flying the Boeing 787 on what proved to be its final journey from Ahmedabad to London. At the heart of that discourse was a single cockpit exchange contained in the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report, released a month after the crash. It said, “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.” That single sentence would be repeated by television anchors, newspaper columnists and aviation commentators around the world. It would eventually become the foundation for the narrative that one of the pilots had caused the crash by moving the aircraft’s fuel-control switches. There was only one problem. The cockpit conversation that triggered this global speculation never mentioned fuel. It did not mention switches. It did not identify which pilot was speaking or which pilot was being questioned. The report did not provide a timestamp of the conversation indicating when the exchange took place. How the Fuel-switch Narrative Took Hold In fact, by the time readers encountered the cockpit conversation in the AAIB report, much of the groundwork for that interpretation had already been laid. On July 10, 2025, two days before the preliminary report into the crash was released, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published an Exclusive that appeared to reveal the investigation’s central narrative before the public had seen the report. The headline read: “Air India Probe Puts Early Focus on Pilots’ Actions and Plane’s Fuel Switches.” Citing “people familiar with U.S. officials’ early assessments”, the newspaper reported that investig…

A Lost War, a Bad Agreement and a Possible Good Outcome
type: item
creator: L. Michael Hager
date: 2026-06-29T06:02:33Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: “good”
subject: agreement
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: bad
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Leading Article
subject: lost
subject: outcome
subject: possible
subject: sources
subject: war
description: One thing is certain. The U.S. lost its war of choice against Iran. Trump and Netanyahu failed to eliminate the perceived Iranian nuclear threat, despite relentless bombing that killed thousands and destroyed both military assets and civilian infrastructure. The desired "regime change" left a more hawkish leader in charge. Iranian forces then deployed missiles and drones to carry out devastating attacks on American bases in the Gulf. Thirteen U.S. soldiers lost their lives. Most significantly, Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz sparked global panic in energy, fertilizer, and other vital markets. For Americans, the war meant a dollar a-gallon increase at the gas pump. For Trump, ending the war became a political imperative. More The post A Lost War, a Bad Agreement and a Possible Good Outcome appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: One thing is certain. The U.S. lost its war of choice against Iran. Trump and Netanyahu failed to eliminate the perceived Iranian nuclear threat, despite relentless bombing that killed thousands and destroyed both military assets and civilian infrastructure. The desired “regime change” left a more hawkish leader in charge. Iranian forces then deployed missiles and drones to carry out devastating attacks on American bases in the Gulf. Thirteen U.S. soldiers lost their lives. Most significantly, Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz sparked global panic in energy, fertilizer, and other vital markets. For Americans, the war meant a dollar a-gallon increase at the gas pump. For Trump, ending the war became a political imperative. The June 17 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has drawn sharp criticism, even from some right-wing members of Congress. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy described the agreement as the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades.” Others opined that its sanctions relief could allow a weakened Iran to rebuild its military; or they faulted the MOU for not banning Iran from extending its control over an international waterway. Yet the critics don’t say what they probably know: that a lost war rarely gives the losing party a good deal. If the just-signed MOU maintains the 60-day ceasefire and becomes a full-fledged agreement, America’s benefits could ultimately outweigh what it loses. The possible gains are three: an end to a costly war, a downscaling of U.S. relations with Israel, and a modest retreat from American imperialism. 1. War. The MOU pauses military action for 60 days. This stops (at least for now) America’s daily cash expenditures on the war–estimated by various sources at between $800 million to $1 billion. According to a U.S.-based rights group (HRANA), 3,636 Iranians (including 1,701 civilians have been killed during the war. The MOU will save lives on both sides. Since Iranian (and U.S.) closures of the Strait blocked international com…

What’s Wrong With the American Left: The Indifference to Governing
type: item
creator: David Schultz
date: 2026-06-29T06:00:50Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: american
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: governing
subject: indifference
subject: Leading Article
subject: left
subject: Politics
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: what’s
subject: with
subject: wrong
description: There is a fault in contemporary left politics that is easy to miss because it looks like a virtue. The new new left is rich in moral clarity about ends and strangely indifferent to means, treating the winning of office and the announcement of good intentions as the substance of politics while neglecting the unglamorous business of delivery. It legislates aspirations and then loses interest in whether the housing actually gets built, the train actually runs, the benefit actually reaches the person it was meant for. For a tradition whose entire claim is that democratic control of the economy would serve people better than the boardroom does, the inability to make government work is a betrayal at the root. More The post What’s Wrong With the American Left: The Indifference to Governing appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Gavin Newsom and Joe Biden in Mather, California, 2021. Photo by Adam Schultz, White House. There is a fault in contemporary left politics that is easy to miss because it looks like a virtue. The new new left is rich in moral clarity about ends and strangely indifferent to means, treating the winning of office and the announcement of good intentions as the substance of politics while neglecting the unglamorous business of delivery. It legislates aspirations and then loses interest in whether the housing actually gets built, the train actually runs, the benefit actually reaches the person it was meant for. For a tradition whose entire claim is that democratic control of the economy would serve people better than the boardroom does, the inability to make government work is a betrayal at the root. Robert Dahl, across A Preface to Democratic Theory and his work on polyarchy, insisted that democracy is not an abstraction but a set of institutions judged by whether they are genuinely responsive to citizens. A democratic socialism worthy of the name must therefore care intensely about competence, about whether the agency answers the phone and the promise becomes a fact. Harrington’s vision of empowering people at the base presupposes institutions that function well enough to be worth controlling. Yet the contemporary left often behaves as though the moral clarity of its goals excused it from the engineering of their achievement. It tolerates the procedural thickets that strangle its own programs, then is surprised when citizens conclude that government cannot do anything well. This matters because every failure of delivery is an argument for the other side. When a progressive city cannot build affordable housing at reasonable cost or speed, the lesson the public draws is not that the goal was wrong but that the left cannot be trusted to run things. The tradition understood that socialism had to outperform, not merely out promise. Harrington and Nove both insisted that a fe…

Roundup Wins!
type: item
creator: Robert Hunziker
date: 2026-06-29T05:58:59Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: environment
subject: roundup:
subject: sources
subject: wins
description: MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) just got a poke in the eye as the US Supreme Court narrowed avenues for plaintiff cases against the chemical giant Bayer (formerly Monsanto). Ever since March 2015, when the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as a Group 2A “probable human carcinogen” tort More The post Roundup Wins! appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Image by Arjun MJ. MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) just got a poke in the eye as the US Supreme Court narrowed avenues for plaintiff cases against the chemical giant Bayer (formerly Monsanto). Ever since March 2015, when the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as a Group 2A “probable human carcinogen” tort cases exploded up to 170,000 claims of complications from Roundup. The US president had already ‘greased the skids’ for the Supremes by declaring glyphosate as a crucial necessity for National Defense by signing an executive order; Promoting the National Defense by Ensuring an Adequate Supply of Elemental Phosphorus and Glyphosate-Based Herbicides d/d February 18, 2025. Under the order, the US Secretary of Agriculture is directed to ensure that no government “order, rule, or regulation” threatens the financial viability of domestic producers of the substances. Hmm, it also grants those producers immunity under the Defense Production Act. Critics claimed this provision could be used to insulate manufacturers from legal accountability. Some of the leaders of Make America Healthy Again (MAHA), the lobby group that supports US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy, immediately took umbrage, but RFK, Jr backed the executive order, claiming that it “safeguards America’s national security.” According to the Lawsuit Information Center: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long been a vocal critic of Roundup. In 2018 he was part of the legal team that successfully represented DeWayne Johnson in the 2018 landmark lawsuit against Monsanto, marking the first time the company faced a jury trial alleging its weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. RFK Jr.’s team won an historic $289 million verdict (later reduced) for the former school groundskeeper. The jury found that Monsanto acted with malice and failed to warn consumers of cancer risks With Trump Administration backing, Bayer/Monsanto won a 7-2 US Supreme Court June 25, 2026 de…

El Salvador: Between Tourism and Terror
type: item
creator: Manuel Perez-Rocha
date: 2026-06-29T05:58:15Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: between
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Leading Article
subject: salvador
subject: sources
subject: terror
subject: tourism
description: Cristosal reports that in El Salvador, tens of thousands of people have been arbitrarily detained under the state of emergency and that “civic space has been drastically reduced, and many journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society organizations can no longer operate safely in the country.” In July 2025, Cristosal was forced to relocate its operations outside of El Salvador following an increase in repression. More The post El Salvador: Between Tourism and Terror appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Salvadoran police and cops providing a show of force at the CECOT prison. Photo: Office of the President of El Salvador. While El Salvador’s government promotes its countries’ beaches, volcanoes, and safe streets in gentrified neighborhoods, thousands of Salvadoran families are denouncing arbitrary detentions and seeking justice for relatives imprisoned under President Nayib Bukele’s extended state of emergency. The contrast is stark: the country welcomes tourists with open arms while ruthlessly imprisoning its own people, drawing widespread international criticism for human rights abuses. May 18 marked one year since the arbitrary arrest of attorney Ruth López, head of the anti-corruption unit at the organization Cristosal, in a clear attempt to silence voices critical of the regime. She remains in prison despite the government’s earlier statement that her “provisional arrest” would last six months. Hundreds of organizations around the world have demanded Ruth’s unconditional release, given the total lack of evidence against her. “Authoritarians love corruption and fear accountability,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, a U.S. Democratic congressman and staunch critic of Donald Trump. “The arrest of long-time human rights defender Ruth López is another chilling attack on democracy by Bukele’s regime. Free Ruth NOW.” Margaret Satterthwaite, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, stated that Ruth López does not have full access to legal representation and that her arrest suggests a pattern of repression against civil society— and in particular against those who advocate for government accountability. Indeed, Cristosal reports that in El Salvador, tens of thousands of people have been arbitrarily detained under the state of emergency and that “civic space has been drastically reduced, and many journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society organizations can no longer operate safely in the country.” In July 2025, Cristosal was fo…

Musk’s Trillion-Dollar Fortune is a Flashing Warning Light for Democracy
type: item
creator: Chuck Collins
date: 2026-06-29T05:54:22Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Democracy
subject: economics
subject: flashing
subject: for
subject: fortune
subject: light
subject: musk’s
subject: sources
subject: trilliondollar
subject: warning
description: The red emergency light is flashing on America’s democracy dashboard, like a damaged aircraft teetering toward a mountain. Elon Musk becoming the planet’s first trillionaire should make us tremble for the future of self-governing republics. It’s as if we’re bringing back modern pharaohs to dominate our societies. Musk’s SpaceX company recently went public with a (probably inflated) More The post Musk’s Trillion-Dollar Fortune is a Flashing Warning Light for Democracy appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Elon Musk wielding a chainsaw at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2025. Photo: Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0 The red emergency light is flashing on America’s democracy dashboard, like a damaged aircraft teetering toward a mountain. Elon Musk becoming the planet’s first trillionaire should make us tremble for the future of self-governing republics. It’s as if we’re bringing back modern pharaohs to dominate our societies. Musk’s SpaceX company recently went public with a (probably inflated) market capitalization of $2 trillion. SpaceX’s IPO increased Musk’s net worth by an estimated $188 billion, and the stock’s first-day surge subsequently pushed his fortune to roughly $1.1 trillion, according to Forbes. The concern here isn’t with wealth per se. It’s the tremendous power of concentrated wealth to distort markets, politics, and society. When you have Musk’s level of wealth, you’re no longer just buying another mansion or private jet (of which he already has several). You’re buying a media outlet, a senator, and maybe, in the case of Musk, elevating a president. Musk has no inhibitions about deploying the power of his considerable wealth. He bought Twitter, one of the public squares of our time, and transformed it into X, a partisan and disinformation platform rife with hate speech and extremism. In the 2024 election cycle, he donated $291 million to President Trump and Republican candidates, according to <a role="link" href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/03/elon-musk-tops-list-of-2024-political-donors-but-six-others-gave-more-than-100-million" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/03/elon-musk-tops-list-of-2024-political-donors-but-six-others-gave-more-than-100-million&source=gmail&ust=1782413326381000&usg=AOvVaw2KO6llHzEa2RE5ELJnhwns">Open Secrets. As Michael Mechanic wrote in Mother Jones, “Musk expended 0.1 percent of his wealth in the process and got far more in return.”…

Abundance Jumps the Shark
type: item
creator: Dean Baker
date: 2026-06-29T05:53:45Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: abundance
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: economics
subject: jumps
subject: shark
subject: sources
subject: the
description: For folks who might have missed it, abundance is the cool trend in politics these days. It got started with the book Abundance, which was co-authored by New York Times columnist Ezra Klein and Atlantic writer Derek Thompson. The gist of the book is that excessive government regulation is slowing growth and keeping us from More The post Abundance Jumps the Shark appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Vancouver, BC, skyline. Photo: David Zhang. CC BY-SA 2.0 For folks who might have missed it, abundance is the cool trend in politics these days. It got started with the book Abundance, which was co-authored by New York Times columnist Ezra Klein and Atlantic writer Derek Thompson. The gist of the book is that excessive government regulation is slowing growth and keeping us from enjoying the good things in life. The clearest case is with housing, where NIMBY activists block efforts to increase housing density, which would lower prices. However, they make the case more generally that a wide range of regulations make it difficult to do even simple things, like set up EV charging stations or extend broadband to rural communities. There is clearly something to the abundance story. It is easy to find cases where seemingly pointless regulations blocked projects that most of us would consider good. The problem is figuring out which regulations are pointless. The abundance authors also show little interest in widely abused regulations that benefit the rich. At the top of this list would be the government-granted patent monopolies that make prescription drugs and medical equipment expensive. In almost all cases, drugs and medical equipment would be cheap if sold in a free market, but for whatever reason, “abundance” apparently doesn’t mean cheap drugs. There is a similar story with bankruptcy laws that benefit private equity companies. Under current law, a private equity company can buy a restaurant, retail, or hospital chain, sell off all their assets and then have the chain declare bankruptcy. This leaves the creditors, such as landlords, suppliers, and often workers, out of luck. Meanwhile, the private equity partners can walk away with their money. The bankruptcy law doesn’t hold them liable for the debts they impose on the companies they purchase. These sorts of bankruptcies are a total waste from an economic perspective. And they can redistribute an enormous amount of m…

The Troubling Precedent of Federal Immunity for Corporate Pollution
type: item
creator: Matt Sedlar
date: 2026-06-29T05:53:12Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: corporate
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: environment
subject: federal
subject: for
subject: immunity
subject: pollution
subject: precedent
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: troubling’:
description: Last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a notice in a US District Court to dismiss a case between the NAACP and Elon Musk’s xAI based on “federal policy, national security, and the public interest.” The case revolves around a gas turbine plant dubbed the Colossus Gas Plant that residents complain is pumping toxic More The post The Troubling Precedent of Federal Immunity for Corporate Pollution appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Pulp mill, Halsey, Oregon. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair. Last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a notice in a US District Court to dismiss a case between the NAACP and Elon Musk’s xAI based on “federal policy, national security, and the public interest.” The case revolves around a gas turbine plant dubbed the Colossus Gas Plant that residents complain is pumping toxic pollutants into nearby neighborhoods. But the DOJ states that the turbines are essential to nearby data centers that power xAI’s Grok, an AI tool the government says is critical to military operations in Iran. DOJ’s lawyers are also arguing that citizens don’t have the right to sue, a stance that is quickly becoming the de facto position within the administration on pollution. It all started in 2025, when residents of Boxtown, a predominantly Black neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee, saw the arrival of Musk’s xAI, which took over an old manufacturing factory to build its Colossus 1 data center. To power the data center, the company installed methane-burning, or gas, turbines. Per the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) own site, these turbines emit pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and carbon monoxide, which are linked toincreased rates of asthma, respiratory diseases, heart problems, neurological issues, and certain cancers. Residents pushed back, but city leaders, including the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce, sided with the company, stating that the pollution produced by the gas turbines needed to power the center would be negligible. However, researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, found that the average concentration of nitrogen dioxide in South Memphis has increased by 3 percent, with peak levels reaching 79 percent above pre-xAI levels in areas immediately surrounding the data center and by 9 percent in nearby Boxtown. Then, between August and December 2025, xAI and MZX Tech LLC installed and began operating 27 gas turbines in nearby Southaven, Mi…

Clean Energy Investments Can Lead to Good Union Jobs
type: item
creator: Algernon Austin
date: 2026-06-29T05:49:10Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: “good”
subject: articles 2015
subject: can
subject: clean
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Energy
subject: environment
subject: Investments
subject: jobs
subject: lead
subject: sources
subject: union
description: At the AFL-CIO convention in early June, union leaders spoke of how the Biden administration’s 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) and its 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) contributed to the creation of good union jobs in clean energy production. As discussed in CEPR’s Majority Agenda, US More The post Clean Energy Investments Can Lead to Good Union Jobs appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Wind Turbines, Columbia River Gorge. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair. At the AFL-CIO convention in early June, union leaders spoke of how the Biden administration’s 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) and its 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) contributed to the creation of good union jobs in clean energy production. As discussed in CEPR’s Majority Agenda, US infrastructure is in a poor state. Our energy infrastructure receives only a D+ grade. The Biden administration directed$1 trillion to clean energy, and those investments have produced positive results for workers, US energy production, and the climate. “Energy jobs grew every year of the Biden administration” and “[c]lean energy investments powered job growth in the sector,” the Roosevelt Institute reports. The Institute adds, The lion’s share of energy job growth (72 percent) after the passage of IIJA and IRA was in clean energy, representing over 450,000 net new jobs in clean energy. Jobs in clean energy now represent nearly 44 percent of all US energy jobs. Roosevelt also pointed specifically to strong growth in construction and manufacturing jobs related to clean energy. The Biden legislation encouraged the linking of project funding to labor and community benefits agreements. This policy appears to have worked to support the growth of union jobs in the energy sector. Figure 1 shows that while the overall private-sector unionization rate declined over the Biden administration, the unionization rate increased in the energy sector. Figure 1 Much of the world is moving toward a clean energy future, but the Trump administration wants to take the United States back to the dirty energy past. One such step was the administration’s cancelling of wind energy projects. John L. Downey, the president of the International Union of Operating Engineers, who celebrated the growth of energy jobs at the AFL-CIO convention, issued a statement on December 23, 2025 in re…

Apathy in the American Medical Association
type: item
creator: Jenin M.
date: 2026-06-29T05:48:48Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: ‘apathy
subject: american
subject: articles 2015
subject: association
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Medical
subject: sources
subject: the
description: “We have nothing to do with that.” An American Medical Association staff member said this to me with a look of disdain on her face. I was at the AMA’s annual conference in Chicago, urging the doctors in attendance to speak up for their imprisoned Palestinian colleague, pediatrician and neonatologist Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya. My More The post Apathy in the American Medical Association appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: “We have nothing to do with that.” An American Medical Association staff member said this to me with a look of disdain on her face. I was at the AMA’s annual conference in Chicago, urging the doctors in attendance to speak up for their imprisoned Palestinian colleague, pediatrician and neonatologist Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya. My group posted up outside conference rooms and handed out informational flyers uplifting his story. Dr. Abu Safiya has been held in brutal Israeli detention for over 500 days without charge; you would think these details would trigger some sympathy or at least curiosity in his American counterparts, but the opposite happened. We were flocked by security guards, verbally harassed, and treated as if we were doing something much more nefarious than handing out harmless pieces of paper. A male security guard was threatening to get physical with me when the AMA staffer walked past — but instead of intervening, she joined in with him, egging him on. I asked her, “Do you know why we’re here, though? You guys need to speak up for your colleagues in a genocide.” She shook her head snidely, showcasing an apathy that was almost laughable considering the irony of the situation: A staff member for the country’s leading medical institution — one that prides itself on its ethics — couldn’t even pretend to care about a Palestinian doctor being tortured by Israel. It’s quite maddening when you think of how much support the AMA gave Ukraine when the Russian invasion began. They quickly put out statements of condemnation that the healthcare sector was being impacted, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid were given almost instantly. It has been three years since Gaza’s healthcare sector was completely reduced to rubble, and the AMA has yet to say a single word about it. A year and a half has passed since Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya was abducted from the hospital that Israel besieged. Coincidentally, the same week the AMA was meeting in Chicago, new photos of Dr. Abu…

How Public Benefit Claims Work…and Why Their Assumptions Matter
type: item
creator: Reynard Loki
date: 2026-06-29T05:45:27Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: assumptions
subject: benefit
subject: claims
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: economics
subject: how
subject: matter?
subject: public
subject: sources
subject: their
subject: why
subject: workand
description: Phrases like “public benefit,” “impact,” “responsibility,” or “sustainability” are routinely used by universities, nonprofits, corporations, and public agencies to describe their work, summarizing complex activities in ways that are easy to communicate to donors, policymakers, journalists, and the public. On the surface, these statements appear straightforward, seeking to improve access to education, reduce environmental harm, More The post How Public Benefit Claims Work…and Why Their Assumptions Matter appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: San Antonio Food Bank (SAFB) Outreach Office. Photo by Lance Cheung, USDA. Phrases like “public benefit,” “impact,” “responsibility,” or “sustainability” are routinely used by universities, nonprofits, corporations, and public agencies to describe their work, summarizing complex activities in ways that are easy to communicate to donors, policymakers, journalists, and the public. On the surface, these statements appear straightforward, seeking to improve access to education, reduce environmental harm, or support vulnerable populations. Yet they tend to compress numerous underlying judgments into a few words, depending on decisions about what outcomes count, which groups are included, and how success is measured. Public benefit statements depend on interpretive assumptions. The more revealing question is how a statement is structured and understood. Underlying assumptions shape meaning in often-overlooked ways, and different assumptions can yield different interpretations of the same activity. How Impact Language Shapes Institutional Communication The use of impact-oriented language has expanded significantly in recent decades. Universities emphasize their contributions to society through research, teaching, and community engagement. Nonprofits describe program outcomes in measurable terms. Corporations increasingly frame their activities in terms of environmental, social, and governance criteria, presenting themselves as responsible actors within broader social systems. This shared vocabulary enables institutions to communicate with diverse audiences. It also allows for comparison across organizations, at least at a general level. Terms such as “impact” and “sustainability” create a common language that can be used across sectors. But these terms are also highly flexible. The same term can describe very different activities, evaluated using different criteria. One institution’s definition of “impact” may emphasize measurable outcomes within a specific population, whi…

Tyrant Trump’s Biggest Legacy – Bringing Out the Worst in America
type: item
creator: Ralph Nader
date: 2026-06-29T05:36:04Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: america
subject: articles 2015
subject: biggest
subject: bringing
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: legacy
subject: out
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: trump’s
subject: tyrant
subject: worst
description: Jimmy Carter’s campaign motto in 1976 was “Why Not the Best!” declaring everywhere he went: “I want to see us once again have a nation that’s as good and honest and decent and truthful and competent and compassionate and filled with love as are the American people.” Dictator Donald Trump wants the opposite and is More The post Tyrant Trump’s Biggest Legacy – Bringing Out the Worst in America appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Jimmy Carter’s campaign motto in 1976 was “Why Not the Best!” declaring everywhere he went: “I want to see us once again have a nation that’s as good and honest and decent and truthful and competent and compassionate and filled with love as are the American people.” Dictator Donald Trump wants the opposite and is bringing the worst out of America. Here are a few of his metastasizing initiatives: 1. Championed the worst forms of energy – coal, oil, and gas – and depressing solar energy and wind power with restrictive policies, and even paying ongoing wind project companies nearly a billion dollars in your tax dollars to stop construction! Also, he is using many billions of your tax dollars to subsidize the failing nuclear power companies to build more expensive, unneeded, uninsurable, un-investable (by Wall Street), unsafe, boondoggles while his GOP takes large campaign contributions from fossil fuel and nuclear power corporate welfarists. 2. Encouraged the worst corruption of the Pentagon—more waste, contractor fraud and abuse—led by a foul-mouthed buffoon pushing illegal wars, mass deaths, and racism. Hegseth is despised by many high-ranking officers for his misogynistic firings and incompetence. 3. Brought out the worst from his toady Attorney Generals at the Justice Department—firing prosecutors and other lawyers for perceived vengeance. Trump gives orders directly to DOJ officials, thus ending any traditional arms-length independence at that Department. Trump has gotten his Attorney Generals to dismiss over 100 corporate crime cases, to decline enforcement of laws holding polluters and corporate criminals accountable, and made DOJ his personal law firm. 4. Encouraged the worst from the Environmental Protection Agency, whose puppet director believes that more methane, other greenhouse gases, motor vehicle gases, auto factories, and coal pollution are permissible for America’s children to breathe. EPA Director Lee Zeldin should rename his shattered agency and fire…

The Missing Art of the Deal with Iran
type: item
creator: Mel Gurtov
date: 2026-06-29T04:46:11Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: Art
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: deal
subject: iran
subject: missing
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: with
description: Understanding the MOU Most of the critical commentary on the Trump administration’s memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran centers on the specific commitments each side is supposed to have made and intends to carry out. But the MOU is not a peace agreement; it is a framework for a potential agreement. Therein lies one of More The post The Missing Art of the Deal with Iran appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Understanding the MOU Most of the critical commentary on the Trump administration’s memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran centers on the specific commitments each side is supposed to have made and intends to carry out. But the MOU is not a peace agreement; it is a framework for a potential agreement. Therein lies one of its central problems: the actual terms of a contractual arrangement between the US and Iran governments are matters for future negotiations, whereas the only firm arrangement is for an opening of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran in return for an end to the US blockade of Iran’s ports. Even then, the opening is tentative; shipping remains dangerous as Iran has indicated dissatisfaction with the route through the Strait, while the US has not withdrawn its naval and air power from the Strait area. In short, nothing about the MOU is certain. The “understandings” in the MOU are matters of interpretation. Whether or not they lead to a signed agreement depends on how each party assesses the behavior of the other in fulfilling its presumed commitments. Leaders in both countries have expressed doubts about the credibility and reliability of the other—Trump about Iran’s willingness to carry out the MOU’s terms, in which case he has threatened to resume warfare, and Iran about US intentions with regard to its nuclear program and US ties to Israel. Mutual trust is absent, but more to the point is clarity about each party’s compliance with the agreement’s terms. Obama’s Way Two other problematic pieces to the US-Iran talks are the absence of involvement by other interested parties and lack of US expertise in the talks—both very different from what took place in 2015 when the US reached a nuclear deal with Iran under President Obama. The 2015 nuclear deal, let’s recall, was not just a US-Iran deal. China, Russia, Germany, France, Britain, and the European Union (“5P+1”) were also parties, creating a broader responsibility for the process and outcome. Moreover, w…

Fiji military defends national role in society after 9% budget cut
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-29T04:16:25Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Esrom Immanuel
subject: Major-General Ro Jone Kalouniwai
subject: Military budgets
subject: Republic of Fiji Military Forces
subject: RFMF
subject: Sources
subject: UN peacekeeping
subject: after
subject: asia
subject: budget
subject: budgets
subject: cut
subject: defends
subject: Democracy
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: esrom
subject: Featured
subject: Fiji
subject: Fiji Sun
subject: forces
subject: Global
subject: immanuel
subject: jone
subject: kalouniwai
subject: majorgeneral
subject: military
subject: national
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Peacekeeping
subject: Politics
subject: report
subject: republic
subject: rfmf
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: role
subject: Security
subject: Sitiveni Rabuka
subject: Society
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
description: RNZ Pacific Fiji’s military has hit out against budget cuts it copped last Friday. In a social media post, the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), which has gained influence in law enforcement over the last year, issued an apparent warning to detractors to recognise the role they play in Fijian society. “The RFMF… genuinely
encoded: RNZ Pacific Fiji’s military has hit out against budget cuts it copped last Friday. In a social media post, the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), which has gained influence in law enforcement over the last year, issued an apparent warning to detractors to recognise the role they play in Fijian society. “The RFMF… genuinely respects the concerns raised in public commentary… that military spending should be reduced on the grounds that Fiji is not engaged in conventional warfare,” said RFMF commander Major-General Ro Jone Kalouniwai. READ MORE: Fiji military puts public ‘on notice’ citing national security threats Other Fiji military reports “But we ask those who hold this view to look again.” In the 2026-2027 Budget, the RFMF lost around FJ$14.8 million (NZ$11.5 million) — a 9 percent cut — and is projected to lose another $1.1 million next year. Fiji Sun reported that, for Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, the rationale behind the cut was Fiji’s decision to scale back overseas peacekeeping commitments. But the three-part post, titled “What the RFMF means to Fiji – Beyond the Budget and into the grey zone”, outlined the military’s view of itself as essential in efforts against the drug trade and corruption — and its social value. “The RFMF has never asked for recognition. But perhaps it is time we offer it anyway,” it read. Govt revenue falling “And in doing so, ask ourselves honestly what it would cost us not to have it.” While announcing the budget, Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel revealed that government revenue was falling while expenditure was climbing. The country’s budget deficit is more than FJ$200 million higher than last year, due in part to a lower tax take. Immanuel said the government was shifting cash towards infrastructure projects and private sector development. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

Time to pull plug on power-hungry ‘bludger’ AI data centres, says CAFCA
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-29T04:00:50Z
subject: AI
subject: AI computers
subject: AI data factories
subject: Aluminium smelter
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: CAFCA
subject: Corporate welfare
subject: Electricity output
subject: LNG terminal
subject: Murray Horton
subject: Sources
subject: Southland
subject: aluminium
subject: asia
subject: bludger
subject: Business
subject: cafca
subject: centres’
subject: Climate
subject: computers
subject: corporate
subject: Data
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: economics
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: electricity
subject: environment
subject: factories
subject: Featured
subject: Global
subject: horton:
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: Justice
subject: liquefied natural gas
subject: lng
subject: military
subject: murray
subject: new zealand
subject: output
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: plug
subject: Politics
subject: powerhungry
subject: pull
subject: renewable energy
subject: report
subject: says
subject: Security
subject: smelter
subject: sources
subject: southland
subject: Surveillance
subject: Syndicate
subject: Technology
subject: terminal
subject: Time
subject: welfare
description: Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa The Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa (CAFCA) has warned that a planned AI data centre in Southland would consume up to 25 percent of New Zealand’s annual electricity output and push power prices higher for Kiwi consumers and businesses. CAFCA organiser Murray Horton said in a statement that
encoded: Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa The Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa (CAFCA) has warned that a planned AI data centre in Southland would consume up to 25 percent of New Zealand’s annual electricity output and push power prices higher for Kiwi consumers and businesses. CAFCA organiser Murray Horton said in a statement that data centres consumed a “phenomenal amount” of electricity. “The proposed $5 billion foreign-owned Datagrid AI centre near Invercargill would require 1 gigawatt of electricity to operate,” he said. READ MORE: Southland’s first ‘AI factory’ data centre gets go-ahead Other AI energy reports “That is nearly twice as much as the 570 megawatts that Rio Tinto’s Tiwai Point aluminium smelter consumes. “Currently the smelter takes 13 percent of all the electricity New Zealand produces. If the data centre is built, we would have to sacrifice more than one third of the power we produce to supply just two foreign-owned businesses.” Horton said CAFCA had long targeted Rio Tinto’s smelter near Bluff, labelling it New Zealand’s “biggest corporate bludger”. “It pays a secret, super cheap price for power that is not available for any other user. All other electricity users in Aotearoa therefore subsidise the power that the smelter consumes and exports in the form of aluminium,” he said. Textbook example “Rio Tinto’s smelter is the textbook example of corporate welfare in New Zealand, but this new data centre would take this to another level. It would use twice as much power and would require it 24 hours a day, every single day of the year. “In a dry winter the smelter can turn off one or two of its pot lines to conserve power, but data centres cannot do that. Industry experts say AI computers can be damaged if they are shut down so they need an unending, uninterrupted supply. “The government’s plans to develop a liquefied natural gas import terminal in Taranaki to provide backup power in lean years have to be seen in this light. “LNG is en…

Pro-French, pro-independence blocs remain in New Caledonia election
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-28T23:59:56Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Kanaky For All
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia elections
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia independence
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia politics
subject: Provincial elections
subject: Sonia Backès
subject: Sources
subject: Strong and United
subject: “remain
subject: all
subject: and
subject: asia
subject: backes
subject: bloc’s
subject: caledonia
subject: election
subject: Elections
subject: Featured
subject: FLNKS
subject: for
subject: Global
subject: independence
subject: Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front
subject: Kanaky
subject: Media
subject: new
subject: New Caledonia
subject: new zealand
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Politics
subject: profrench
subject: proindependence
subject: provincial
subject: report
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: sonia
subject: sources
subject: strong
subject: Syndicate
subject: united
description: By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific The one-round provincial election held in New Caledonia yesterday has produced a few surprises, but essentially maintained the existing blocs between pro-independence and pro-France parties. In the Southern Province (New Caledonia’s most affluent and populated, including the capital Nouméa), provisional results show half the votes went to the “Strong
encoded: By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific The one-round provincial election held in New Caledonia yesterday has produced a few surprises, but essentially maintained the existing blocs between pro-independence and pro-France parties. In the Southern Province (New Caledonia’s most affluent and populated, including the capital Nouméa), provisional results show half the votes went to the “Strong and United” pro-France camp. This brought together the Rassemblement, Les Loyalistes parties, headed by incumbent Southern Province President Sonia Backès. READ MORE: Counting underway at polling stations in New Caledonia provincial elections New Caledonia polls close in French Pacific territory’s first provincial elections since 2019 Heavy security deployed as New Caledonia’s crucial elections begin New Caledonia’s political parties make final pitch to voters before campaigning ends Alcohol sales banned in New Caledonia as provincial election approaches Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports Her list has obtained the support of 50.4 percent of the votes in the province, according to provisional results last night, which should give it 28 seats in the Southern Province and 24 of the 54 seats in New Caledonia’s Territorial Congress. Support for the Strong and United pro-France list was not only strong in the capital Nouméa, but also in its three surrounding towns of Mont-Dore, Dumbéa and Païta. Speaking to a crowd of supporters last night, Backès, 50, hailed the results and her party’s score, saying this was a way for voters to recognise what had been done during the past seven years, marked by several crises — including the covid pandemic and the May 2024 riots. “The non-independence voters have supported our list at a large majority and I think our choice for unity was important,” she said. “Also because we were carrying a clear message of support for a New Caledonia within France, as well as a society model we believe in, based on respect for democracy, of merit and equality for everyon…

The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – June 28, 2026
type: item
creator: KPFA
date: 2026-06-28T18:00:00Z
subject: Pacifica Evening News
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: evening
subject: june
subject: News
subject: pacifica
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: weekdays
description: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – June 28, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
encoded: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – June 28, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.

BAU + CARLA LIMA (Mindelo, Ilha de São Vicente, Cabo Verde)
type: item
creator: Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes
date: 2026-06-28T14:06:22Z
subject: Petites Planètes
subject: Sources
subject: bau
subject: cabo
subject: carla
subject: ilha
subject: lima
subject: mindelo
subject: petites
subject: planètes
subject: são
subject: sources
subject: verde
subject: vicente
description: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.

Cow manure could be the next data center fuel
type: item
creator: Marin Scotten, Sentient
date: 2026-06-28T13:00:00Z
subject: Food and Agriculture
subject: Grist
subject: Sources
subject: Agriculture
subject: and
subject: center
subject: could
subject: cow?
subject: Data
subject: Energy
subject: Food
subject: fuel
subject: manure,
subject: next?
subject: solutions
subject: sources
subject: the
description: The manure-to-energy field has a new sales pitch. Critics warn it could mean even more factory farms.
encoded: At first glance, Lent Hill Dairy Farm in Steuben County, New York, looks like most other industrial dairies. There are red buildings that house some 4,000 cows, a staggering manure pit, and two gigantic dome-like structures that serve as anaerobic co-digesters. These giant machines break down manure and local food waste to produce biogas. This renewable natural gas, or RNG, is then typically transported for use as electricity, heating, and fuel. But at Lent Hill, the gas produced isn’t just heating homes or running tractors. It’s also powering an on-site cryptomine. The operation, run by Pennsylvania-based Ag-Grid Energy, is the first of its kind in the country. The company claims the anaerobic digestion of manure and food waste could be a game-changer, not only in powering crypto, but data centers, which currently use 4.9 percent of the country’s electricity, a figure that could double by 2030. “At the end of the day, our model is providing value to the rural area that we are in,” Rashi Akki, the founder and CEO of Ag-Grid Energy, told Sentient. The project claims to recycle more than 45,000 gallons of food waste per day and the manure of 4,000 cows. “What we want to do is also provide, if possible through fiber optics, [the] value of the AI computing capacity to that same regional area,” Akki said. While Ag-Grid Energy wants to work with midsize dairies to create on-site power generation for small-scale data centers, the world’s largest technology players have bigger visions. Tech giants are increasingly searching for fossil fuel alternative fuel sources to power hyperscale data centers that won’t put a strain on the grid. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/data-centers.jpg?quality=75&strip=all" alt="digital collage of a photo of a data center and a photo of people holding signs protesting data centers with pixel graphics on top" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/data-centers.jpg?qua…

Counting underway at polling stations in New Caledonia provincial elections
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-28T10:59:07Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Elections count
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia elections
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia independence
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia politics
subject: Sources
subject: asia
subject: caledonia
subject: count
subject: counting,
subject: Elections
subject: Featured
subject: Global
subject: independence
subject: Kanaky
subject: new
subject: New Caledonia
subject: new zealand
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Politics
subject: polling
subject: provincial
subject: report
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: sources
subject: stations
subject: Syndicate
subject: underway:
description: By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ, RNZ Pacific reporters Polling stations have now closed in New Caledonia, as electoral officials begin tallying votes in today’s provincial elections. The Sunday elections are the first to be held in the French territory for 7 years after the 2024 elections were abandoned following riots that left 14 dead, and
encoded: By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ, RNZ Pacific reporters Polling stations have now closed in New Caledonia, as electoral officials begin tallying votes in today’s provincial elections. The Sunday elections are the first to be held in the French territory for 7 years after the 2024 elections were abandoned following riots that left 14 dead, and about 2.2 billion euros (NZ$4.4 billion) in economic damage. A special election night broadcast is underway, with preliminary results expected between 10.30pm and 11pm local time. READ MORE: New Caledonia polls close in French Pacific territory’s first provincial elections since 2019 Heavy security deployed as New Caledonia’s crucial elections begin New Caledonia’s political parties make final pitch to voters before campaigning ends Alcohol sales banned in New Caledonia as provincial election approaches Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports 192,584 people were registered to vote in these elections. RNZ Pacific’s French Pacific correspondent Patrick Decloitre said there had been no reports of any incidents during polling today. In the Southern province and even more in rural Northern province and Loyalty Islands, voters and their families seemed to have chosen to cast their votes either after Sunday mass or just before polling stations closing time, so they could stay on and watch the counting process. Security was heavy with some 2500 law enforcement officers, mostly policemen and gendarmes, as well as additional officers from the French anti-crime squad and judiciary police. The heavy set-up was designed to remain “visible” by the population. It mainly focused on security and monitoring of polling stations and the immediate surroundings. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-129827" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Counting-in-Kone-NC1ere-680wide-.png" alt="New Caledonia election vote counting underway at a polling station in Koné, Northern province" width="680" height="457" s…

Is This the Most Dangerous Road in Kyrgyzstan?
type: item
creator: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
date: 2026-06-28T10:15:07Z
subject: Radio Free Europe/RL
subject: Sources
subject: dangerous’:
subject: europerl
subject: free
subject: kyrgyzstan
subject: most
subject: radio
subject: road
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: this
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Inside the Darién Gap
type: item
creator: Belén Fernández
date: 2026-06-28T06:55:47Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: CounterPunch Investigative Fund
subject: Sources
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: darién
subject: Feature Articles
subject: fund
subject: gap
subject: inside
subject: investigative
subject: sources
subject: the
description: Belén Fernández in the Darién Gap, 2024. Plastered onto the side of the glassed-in immigration office at the dock in Necoclí – the northwestern Colombian city just across the Gulf of Urabá from the Darién Gap – is a poster warning of the hazards of northbound migration. Over recent years, more than 1.2 million people […] To read this article, log in here or subscribe here. If you are logged in but can't read CP+ articles, check the status of your access here In order to read CP+ articles, your web browser must be set to accept cookies. More The post Inside the Darién Gap appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Belén Fernández in the Darién Gap, 2024. Plastered onto the side of the glassed-in immigration office at the dock in Necoclí – the northwestern Colombian city just across the Gulf of Urabá from the Darién Gap – is a poster warning of the hazards of northbound migration. Over recent years, more than 1.2 million people […] To read this article, log in here or subscribe here. If you are logged in but can't read CP+ articles, check the status of your access here In order to read CP+ articles, your web browser must be set to accept cookies. The post Inside the Darién Gap appeared first on CounterPunch.org. This content originally appeared on CounterPunch.org and was authored by Belén Fernández.

Humanitarians in Libya
type: item
creator: Julie Wark
date: 2026-06-28T05:19:59Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Feature Articles
subject: humanitarians
subject: Libya
subject: sources
description: What can ten humanitarian activists tell us about today’s (and yesterday’s) geopolitics? In politics, and especially genocidal politics, the micro can say much more about the macro than the macro about the micro. Reduced to macro arguments among pundits and politicians about whether the enormity of genocide is or is not “genocide”, the real meaning, […] To read this article, log in here or subscribe here. If you are logged in but can't read CP+ articles, check the status of your access here In order to read CP+ articles, your web browser must be set to accept cookies. More The post Humanitarians in Libya appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: What can ten humanitarian activists tell us about today’s (and yesterday’s) geopolitics? In politics, and especially genocidal politics, the micro can say much more about the macro than the macro about the micro. Reduced to macro arguments among pundits and politicians about whether the enormity of genocide is or is not “genocide”, the real meaning, […] To read this article, log in here or subscribe here. If you are logged in but can't read CP+ articles, check the status of your access here In order to read CP+ articles, your web browser must be set to accept cookies. The post Humanitarians in Libya appeared first on CounterPunch.org. This content originally appeared on CounterPunch.org and was authored by Julie Wark.

The Genius of Ken Burns: The Vietnam War
type: item
creator: VICE News
date: 2026-06-28T01:48:33Z
subject: Sources
subject: Vice News
subject: burns
subject: genius
subject: ken
subject: News
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: vice
subject: vietnam
subject: war
description: This content originally appeared on VICE News and was authored by VICE News.
encoded: This content originally appeared on VICE News and was authored by VICE News.

Heavy security deployed as New Caledonia’s crucial elections begin
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-28T01:06:04Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Cyber threats
subject: France in the Pacific
subject: French security forces
subject: Isle of Pines
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia elections
subject: Kanaky New Caledonia politics
subject: Polling booths
subject: Provincial elections
subject: Sources
subject: asia
subject: begin
subject: booths
subject: caledonia
subject: caledonia’s
subject: crucial
subject: cyber
subject: deployed
subject: Elections
subject: Featured
subject: forces
subject: France
subject: French
subject: gendarmes
subject: Global
subject: heavy
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: isle
subject: Justice
subject: Kanaky
subject: military
subject: new
subject: New Caledonia
subject: new zealand
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: pines
subject: Politics
subject: polling
subject: provincial
subject: report
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: Security
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: the
subject: Threats
description: By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific Heavy security has been deployed in New Caledonia as crucial provincial elections are being held in the French Pacific territory today. Polling stations are open from 8am local time (9am NZ time) until 6pm tonight. This comes as heavy security has been deployed. It involves a total of some
encoded: By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific Heavy security has been deployed in New Caledonia as crucial provincial elections are being held in the French Pacific territory today. Polling stations are open from 8am local time (9am NZ time) until 6pm tonight. This comes as heavy security has been deployed. It involves a total of some 2500 law enforcement officers, mostly policemen and gendarmes (the equivalent of 16 squadrons, as opposed to 12 in normal circumstances). READ MORE: New Caledonia’s political parties make final pitch to voters before campaigning ends Alcohol sales banned in New Caledonia as provincial election approaches Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports Additional officers from the French anti-crime squad and judiciary police are deployed. The reinforcements are to remain posted at least until early July 2026 or longer, depending on what develops. The heavy set-up mainly focuses on security and monitoring of polling stations and their immediate surroundings. Drones and additional armoured vehicles are also deployed on the ground, including the Centaurs — armoured vehicles that were previously used during and after the riots that broke out in New Caledonia in May 2024, causing 14 dead and material damage of about 2.2 billion euros (NZ$.4.4 billion). The whole security operation is meant to “reassure” the population, as well as show the presence of security forces on the ground and their capacity to intervene quickly if needed. The French High Commission in New Caledonia said at the weekend the general climate was relatively calm ahead of the vote. Since last week, a total ban on the sale of alcohol has been in force and will remain until after election day. This, the High Commission said, was because New Caledonia was still undergoing a “sensitive” period on social and economic grounds. Latest incident on the Isle of Pines However, on Friday evening, in the small island town of Vao, on the Isle of Pines (south off the capital Nouméa), police and gendarmes were …

Pakistan PM drops a ‘truth bomb’ on US about the Iranian missiles
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-28T00:00:45Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Memorandum of Understanding
subject: Middle East peace
subject: Minab 168
subject: Shehbaz Sharif
subject: Sources
subject: US double standards
subject: US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding
subject: Western media bias
subject: 168
subject: about
subject: Analysis
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: ballistic missiles
subject: bias
subject: bomb
subject: Democracy
subject: Diplomacy
subject: double
subject: drops
subject: east
subject: Featured
subject: Global
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: Innovation
subject: iran
subject: iranian
subject: Justice
subject: Media
subject: mediator’s
subject: memorandum
subject: middle
subject: Middle East
subject: minab
subject: missiles,
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: pakistan
subject: Palestine
subject: Peace
subject: Politics
subject: report
subject: self-defence’
subject: sharif
subject: shehbaz
subject: sources
subject: standards
subject: Syndicate
subject: the
subject: Truth
subject: understanding
subject: usiran
subject: western
description: COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, one of the signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the US, has called out what he says are double standards and duplicity by those trying to wreck the peace deal. His short, memorable statement was largely ignored in the Western media
encoded: COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, one of the signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the US, has called out what he says are double standards and duplicity by those trying to wreck the peace deal. His short, memorable statement was largely ignored in the Western media but its content should be digested by all. He addressed his comments directly to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian who arrived in Pakistan on June 23. The Iranian delegation had just arrived on a plane named Minab 168 — in memory of the 168 children and staff killed in an attack on an Iranian girls’ school by US and Israeli forces at the outset of the US-Israel attack on Iran. READ MORE: Air raid sirens in Bahrain, Kuwait; US bombs Iran again over Hormuz attacks Other war on Iran hypocrisy reports Sharif made his comments a day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Gulf foreign ministers issued a joint statement that “lasting regional peace and security requires addressing the full spectrum of Iran’s threats, including its ballistic missiles, drones, and support of proxies in the region.” Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif addressing the Iranian delegation: “There are spoilers all over the world who want to scuttle this peace deal.” “They don’t want the Iranian nation, a great nation, to come out of the ashes of war and touch the zenith of glory.”… https://t.co/17vpQQNamy — The Saviour (@TheSaviour) June 23, 2026 One of the reasons Sharif’s comments are important is that the US-Israeli side operates a well-thumbed playbook of agreeing on frameworks for negotiations and then immediately breaking them (killing negotiators or attacking Lebanon, for example) or trying to rewrite the framework midstream to their advantage. Shehbaz Sharif called them out: <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="moz-reader-block-img" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65d1663c773f8165d6f54468/2691a991-dd6a-4a67-9469-47d0a46c2aaf/Scre…

Pakistan PM drops a ‘truth bomb’ on US about the Iranian missiles
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-28T00:00:45Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Memorandum of Understanding
subject: Middle East peace
subject: Minab 168
subject: Shehbaz Sharif
subject: Sources
subject: US double standards
subject: US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding
subject: Western media bias
subject: 168
subject: about
subject: Analysis
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: ballistic missiles
subject: bias
subject: bomb
subject: Democracy
subject: Diplomacy
subject: double
subject: drops
subject: east
subject: Featured
subject: Global
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: Innovation
subject: iran
subject: iranian
subject: Justice
subject: Media
subject: mediator’s
subject: memorandum
subject: middle
subject: Middle East
subject: minab
subject: missiles,
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: pakistan
subject: Palestine
subject: Peace
subject: Politics
subject: report
subject: self-defence’
subject: sharif
subject: shehbaz
subject: sources
subject: standards
subject: Syndicate
subject: the
subject: Truth
subject: understanding
subject: usiran
subject: western
description: COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, one of the signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the US, has called out what he says are double standards and duplicity by those trying to wreck the peace deal. His short, memorable statement was largely ignored in the Western media
encoded: COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, one of the signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the US, has called out what he says are double standards and duplicity by those trying to wreck the peace deal. His short, memorable statement was largely ignored in the Western media but its content should be digested by all. He addressed his comments directly to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian who arrived in Pakistan on June 23. The Iranian delegation had just arrived on a plane named Minab 168 — in memory of the 168 children and staff killed in an attack on an Iranian girls’ school by US and Israeli forces at the outset of the US-Israel attack on Iran. READ MORE: Air raid sirens in Bahrain, Kuwait; US bombs Iran again over Hormuz attacks Other war on Iran hypocrisy reports Sharif made his comments a day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Gulf foreign ministers issued a joint statement that “lasting regional peace and security requires addressing the full spectrum of Iran’s threats, including its ballistic missiles, drones, and support of proxies in the region.” Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif addressing the Iranian delegation: “There are spoilers all over the world who want to scuttle this peace deal.” “They don’t want the Iranian nation, a great nation, to come out of the ashes of war and touch the zenith of glory.”… https://t.co/17vpQQNamy — The Saviour (@TheSaviour) June 23, 2026 One of the reasons Sharif’s comments are important is that the US-Israeli side operates a well-thumbed playbook of agreeing on frameworks for negotiations and then immediately breaking them (killing negotiators or attacking Lebanon, for example) or trying to rewrite the framework midstream to their advantage. Shehbaz Sharif called them out: <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="moz-reader-block-img" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65d1663c773f8165d6f54468/2691a991-dd6a-4a67-9469-47d0a46c2aaf/Scre…

KELP!
type: item
creator: Ralph Nader
date: 2026-06-27T18:10:11Z
subject: Ralph Nader
subject: Sources
subject: kelp
subject: nader
subject: ralph
subject: sources
description: Ralph speaks to economist Dean Baker about the hypocrisies behind the supposed Social Security shortfall and Republicans' "waste, fraud, and abuse" panic. Then, Ralph talks to journalist and ocean activist David Helvarg about his new book: Forest of th...
encoded: Ralph speaks to economist Dean Baker about the hypocrisies behind the supposed Social Security shortfall and Republicans' "waste, fraud, and abuse" panic. Then, Ralph talks to journalist and ocean activist David Helvarg about his new book: Forest of the Sea: The Remarkable Life and Imperiled Future of Kelp. Dean Baker is a Senior Economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, where he authors “Beat the Press,” his regular commentary on economic reporting. He has written several books, including Getting Back to Full Employment: A Better Bargain for Working People, The End of Loser Liberalism: Making Markets Progressive, False Profits: Recovering from the Bubble Economy, and The Conservative Nanny State: How the Wealthy Use the Government to Stay Rich and Get Richer. People will hear big numbers. They’ll hear “$300 billion” and they’ll go “Oh my God, that’s a lot of money. That’s money out of my pocket. It’s causing the government deficit,” whatever. That’s because they haven’t given it any context…If we could, in any conceivable world, afford to pay $500 billion to increase the military budget, surely we can afford to pay $300 billion to ensure that everyone gets their Social Security benefits. It’s just a case of: put it in context. I’m not going to say it’s a small number. It isn’t. But it’s smaller— $300 billion is smaller than $500 billion, and that’s really not a disputable point. Dean Baker Where [DOGE] had the biggest consequences is with foreign aid. [Musk] just got a big kick out of that— USAID, he just shut it down. He boasted about that. He goes, “Last weekend I fed USAID into the wood chipper.” That’s almost verbatim what he said. Now, what this meant was that you have people— and you could find waste in that program just like any other program, but this is a program that provided millions of people with medicine, with nutrition, with healthcare. And suddenly they couldn’t get it…And Elon Musk was boasting that he killed that program. That’s gr…

The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – June 27, 2026
type: item
creator: KPFA
date: 2026-06-27T18:00:00Z
subject: Pacifica Evening News
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: evening
subject: june
subject: News
subject: pacifica
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: weekdays
description: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – June 27, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
encoded: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – June 27, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.

MÚSICAS DE CABO VERDE ★ official teaser
type: item
creator: Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes
date: 2026-06-27T16:46:56Z
subject: Petites Planètes
subject: Sources
subject: cabo
subject: mÚsicas
subject: official
subject: petites
subject: planètes
subject: sources
subject: teaser
subject: verde
description: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.

The Black and Brown Enforcers of White Supremacy w/ Steven Thrasher
type: item
creator: The Real News Network
date: 2026-06-27T16:04:25Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Real News Network
subject: ‘enforcers’
subject: and
subject: black
subject: brown
subject: network
subject: News
subject: real
subject: sources
subject: steven
subject: supremacy
subject: the
subject: thrasher
subject: white
description: This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.

Environmental defenders remain among world’s most targeted activists
type: item
creator: Katie Surma, Inside Climate News
date: 2026-06-27T13:00:00Z
subject: Grist
subject: Indigenous Affairs
subject: Sources
subject: “remain
subject: Activists
subject: affairs
subject: among
subject: defenders
subject: environmental
subject: Indigenous
subject: International
subject: most
subject: sources
subject: targeted
subject: world’s
description: A new report found that environmental defenders are increasingly encountering overlapping networks of government officials, corporations, criminal groups, and private security forces.
encoded: Environmental and Indigenous rights defenders remained among the world’s most targeted human rights advocates in 2025, despite landmark rulings by international courts affirming governments’ obligations to protect both the environment and those who defend it. At least 358 human rights defenders were killed last year, according to a report released last week by Front Line Defenders, a Dublin-based group that provides support for global human rights activists. Nearly a quarter, 84, were targeted because of their often unpaid work protecting land and the environment. Those killings were documented in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, India, Indonesia, Peru, Philippines, Turkey, Somalia, and Palestine. Indigenous-rights defenders — often working on environmental issues but tracked separately from environmental defenders — accounted for another 17 percent of the killings documented by the group. Beyond the killings, even more defenders faced threats and attacks ranging from surveillance and smear campaigns to arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture, and killings. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/environmental-defenders-violence-protest-indigenous.jpg?quality=75&strip=all" alt="A group of climate protesters carry signs and portraits of Indigenous land defenders" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/environmental-defenders-violence-protest-indigenous.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/environmental-defenders-violence-protest-indigenous.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/environmental-defenders-violence-protest-indigenous.jpg?resize=330%2C220&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/environmental-defenders-violence-protest-indigenous.jpg?resize=768%2C512&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/202…

RAIZ DI TARRFI (Trás Os Montes, Ilha de Santiago, Cabo Verde)
type: item
creator: Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes
date: 2026-06-27T11:33:16Z
subject: Petites Planètes
subject: Sources
subject: cabo
subject: ilha
subject: montes
subject: petites
subject: planètes
subject: raiz
subject: Santiago
subject: sources
subject: tarrfi
subject: trás
subject: verde
description: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.

CASA RAMIRO (Ilha do Fogo, Cabo Verde)
type: item
creator: Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes
date: 2026-06-27T09:56:41Z
subject: Petites Planètes
subject: Sources
subject: cabo
subject: casa
subject: fogo
subject: ilha
subject: petites
subject: planètes
subject: ramiro
subject: sources
subject: verde
description: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.

This Area In Ukraine Is Becoming Increasingly Dangerous | Ukraine Front Line Update
type: item
creator: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
date: 2026-06-27T08:00:33Z
subject: Radio Free Europe/RL
subject: Sources
subject: area
subject: becoming
subject: dangerous’:
subject: europerl
subject: free
subject: front
subject: increasingly
subject: line
subject: radio
subject: sources
subject: this
subject: Ukraine
subject: update
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

The reckoning – what the US-Iran MOU means in reality for Israel
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-27T07:32:51Z
subject: Abraham Accords
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Greater Israel
subject: Iran MOU
subject: Israel's strategic future
subject: Normalisation architecture
subject: Palestinian Statehood
subject: regional hegemony
subject: Sources
subject: Strategic defeat
subject: theocracy
subject: ‘normalisation
subject: abraham
subject: accords
subject: Analysis
subject: Architecture
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: ballistic missiles
subject: Benjamin Netanyahu
subject: Decolonisation
subject: defeat
subject: economics
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: Featured
subject: for
subject: future
subject: Global
subject: greater
subject: hegemony
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: iran
subject: israel
subject: israel’s
subject: Justice
subject: means
subject: Media
subject: Middle East
subject: military
subject: mou
subject: nuclear weapons
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: pakistan
subject: Palestine
subject: palestinian
subject: Politics
subject: qatar
subject: reality
subject: reckoning,
subject: regional
subject: report
subject: saudi arabia
subject: Security
subject: sources
subject: statehood
subject: strait of hormuz
subject: strategic
subject: Sustainability
subject: Syndicate
subject: the
subject: türkiye
subject: usa
subject: usiran
subject: what
description: Israel’s legitimacy has been catastrophically squandered. It can only begin to be rebuilt through justice for the Palestinian people, writes Lim Tean. ANALYSIS: By Lim Tean It is a peculiar kind of defeat — one dressed in the language of victory. Operation Epic Fury was sold to the world as a decisive strike to eliminate
encoded: Israel’s legitimacy has been catastrophically squandered. It can only begin to be rebuilt through justice for the Palestinian people, writes Lim Tean. ANALYSIS: By Lim Tean It is a peculiar kind of defeat — one dressed in the language of victory. Operation Epic Fury was sold to the world as a decisive strike to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat once and for all. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had lobbied Washington for precisely this moment. He got his war. What he didn’t get was the outcome he promised. The US-Iran MOU is Israel’s strategic nightmare rendered in diplomatic text. And the consequences extend far beyond the terms of any single agreement. READ MORE: US strikes Iran after attack on vessel in Strait of Hormuz Other US-Israel war on Iran reports Other Lim Tean articles Left out of the room Let us begin with the most humiliating fact. The MOU’s second paragraph mentions Lebanon three times and declares the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts — without once mentioning Israel. A new deconfliction mechanism for Lebanon has been announced, including the United States, Iran, Pakistan, and Qatar. Israel is excluded from that too. Think about what that means. The country that triggered this war, that flew alongside American aircraft, that provided the intelligence Netanyahu boasted had been decisive — was not in the room when peace was made. Washington negotiated Israel’s strategic future without Israel. Vice-President JD Vance’s message to Israeli critics of Trump and the MOU was blunt: they need to “wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in”. That is not the language of alliance. That is the language of managed irrelevance. What Iran kept The nuclear question — the ostensible casus belli for the entire war — remains unresolved. The MOU suffices with rhetorical promises, deferring the actual mechanics of blocking Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capacity, with no guarantee of agreement…

New Caledonia’s political parties make final pitch to voters before campaigning ends
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-27T06:14:15Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Sources
subject: asia
subject: before
subject: caledonia’s
subject: campaigning
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: Elections
subject: ends
subject: Featured
subject: final
subject: Global
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: make
subject: new
subject: New Caledonia
subject: new zealand
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: parties
subject: pitch
subject: political
subject: Politics
subject: report
subject: RNZ Pacific
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: voters’
description: By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific Campaigning in New Caledonia officially closed yesterday at midnight local time — two days ahead of election day tomorrow, June 28. The poll will renew the members of New Caledonia’s three provincial assemblies (Northern, Southern and the Loyalty Islands). In the following days and well into July, the poll
encoded: By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific Campaigning in New Caledonia officially closed yesterday at midnight local time — two days ahead of election day tomorrow, June 28. The poll will renew the members of New Caledonia’s three provincial assemblies (Northern, Southern and the Loyalty Islands). In the following days and well into July, the poll will then determine, on a proportional representation basis, the makeup of New Caledonia’s Territorial Congress and the makeup of New Caledonia future “collegial” government and its President. READ MORE: Alcohol sales banned in New Caledonia as provincial election approaches Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports Over the past two weeks, campaigning has been intense from running political party lists — a total of 23 — both on social networks and during political rallies. The two main blocks in New Caledonia, the pro-independence and those who want New Caledonia to remain a part of France, have been particularly active. They are reafirming their respective positions: The pro-independence UC-FLNKS will continue to support the French Pacific territory’s quick access to full sovereignty; and For the pro-France group (consisting of a coalition of Rassemblement, Les Loyalistes) it is to continue advocating for a “French” New Caledonia, based on the three referendums held between 2018 and 2021, all rejecting independence. Postponed three times But this year, as New Caledonia’s provincial elections were postponed three times since 2024 (the year they should have been held in normal circumstances, along the lines of a normal five-year term), the debate was also significantly marked by the dire economic and social situation following the May 2024 civil unrest and riots. The political future of New Caledonia remains unresolved after five years of unsuccessful attempts through negotiations between pro-France, pro-independence groups and the French government. And the population is mostly worried by bread and butter issues: unemployment (after h…

Border cities bright at night as North Korea goes solar
type: item
creator: Noh Jung Min for RFA
date: 2026-06-27T01:59:54Z
subject: Radio Free Asia
subject: Sources
subject: ‘bright
subject: asia
subject: border
subject: Cities
subject: free
subject: goes
subject: korea
subject: night
subject: north
subject: radio
subject: solar
subject: sources
description: Power shortages once darkened Sinuiju at night, but satellite images show a renewable energy boom is underway.
encoded: A North Korean city on the border with China is no longer completely dark at nighttime, satellite imagery and eyewitness accounts revealed. Experts told Radio Free Asia it is a sign that North Korea is turning to solar power to solve its chronic energy problems. “As recently as about ten years ago, vehicle traffic would stop around midnight, and lights were barely visible,” Park Jongchol, a professor at Gyeongsang National University in South Korea, told RFA. Park recently visited the Chinese city of Dandong, which lies across the Yalu River border from North Korea’s Sinuiju. The bridge connecting the two cities is the major gateway for overland trade between the two countries, and tourists often visit the Chinese side of the river to catch a glimpse of one of the most isolated societies in the world. For decades, the two sides of the river sharply contrasted at nighttime. Dandong was awash with neon, and later LED signs, brightly lit streets, and apartment buildings with illuminated windows. But Sinuiju was completely dark, save for illuminated statues or portraits of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un’s father and grandfather, who were his predecessors. Power shortages are so rampant in North Korea that in some places, the lights come on for only a few hours each day. Pyongyang was so embarrassed of the contrast with China, that in 2021, it ordered Sinuiju to be supplied with electricity until 10 p.m. to hide the severity of the country’s shortages. After 10 though, the city would virtually disappear to anyone looking across the river from Dandong. “But now, Sinuiju is very noticeably bright — there are apartment buildings and factories with their lights on from night through morning,” said Park, who was in Dandong in early June, ahead of Chinese President Xi’s visit to North Korea. Park said that during his three-day trip, he visited parts of Dandong that are across the river from rural villages far away from downtown Sinuiju, and even they were illuminated. He als…

Australian media ignores UN report on Israeli deliberate killing of children
type: item
creator: Pacific Media Watch
date: 2026-06-27T00:35:55Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Gaza genocide
subject: Israeli War Crimes
subject: Michael West Media
subject: News values
subject: Sources
subject: Sydney Morning Herald
subject: Targeting of children
subject: UN reports
subject: abc news
subject: Al Jazeera
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: Australia
subject: australian
subject: children
subject: crimes
subject: Decolonisation
subject: deliberate”
subject: Democracy
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: Featured
subject: Fiji
subject: gaza
subject: Genocide
subject: Global
subject: herald:
subject: Human Rights
subject: ignores
subject: Indigenous
subject: israel
subject: israeli
subject: Justice
subject: killing
subject: Media
subject: Media credibility
subject: michael
subject: military
subject: morning
subject: Multimedia
subject: new zealand
subject: News
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Palestine
subject: Politics
subject: report
subject: Reports
subject: Security
subject: sources
subject: sydney
subject: Syndicate
subject: targeting
subject: the guardian
subject: United Nations
subject: values
subject: war
subject: west
description: By Stephanie Tran in Sydney The devastating United Nations report this week into the deliberate targeting and murder of Palestinian children by Israel is not very newsworthy in Australia apparently. On Tuesday, the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel released a harrowing report finding that Israel has deliberately targeted and
encoded: By Stephanie Tran in Sydney The devastating United Nations report this week into the deliberate targeting and murder of Palestinian children by Israel is not very newsworthy in Australia apparently. On Tuesday, the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel released a harrowing report finding that Israel has deliberately targeted and killed Palestinian children. The 94-page report documented children being shot by snipers, targeted by drones, denied medical treatment, subjected to starvation and detained in conditions involving torture, sexual violence and severe abuse. READ MORE: Israel’s deliberate targeting of Palestinian children — Al Jazeera Jale Moala: Why is the UN credible when Fiji agrees but not when it’s inconvenient? UN report must mark a turning point for accountability for Palestinian children The commission concluded that the deliberate targeting of children was one of the key elements establishing genocidal intent. These are extraordinary findings backed up by an in-depth investigation by a UN body, and one would think it would be of substantial public interest worthy of front-page headlines, but Australia’s mainstream media doesn’t seem to think so. The ABC made somewhat of an effort by bringing on global affairs editor Laura Tingle to discuss the commission’s findings on its news programme. However, half of their article covering the report was dedicated to parroting Israel’s defence of the indefensible and was buried at the bottom of their website. Guardian Australia was the only other mainstream Australian outlet to cover the UN report until yesterday. Again, it was buried, and the article has since been relegated to the bottom of its home page. The Nine newspapers caught up two days late, with The Sydney Morning Herald framing it: “commissioned experts” (not simply the UN) had “accused” Israel … and repeated the “claim” of genocide. A significant portion of the article was dedicated to Israel’s denial of the report…

BOMBU MININU FAMÍLIA (Mindelo, Ilha de São Vicente, Cabo Verde)
type: item
creator: Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes
date: 2026-06-27T00:25:19Z
subject: Petites Planètes
subject: Sources
subject: bombu
subject: cabo
subject: familia
subject: ilha
subject: mindelo
subject: mininu
subject: petites
subject: planètes
subject: são
subject: sources
subject: verde
subject: vicente
description: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.

Tyrant Trump’s Biggest Legacy – Bringing Out the Worst in America
type: item
creator: matthew
date: 2026-06-26T23:57:56Z
subject: Ralph Nader
subject: Sources
subject: america
subject: biggest
subject: bringing
subject: In the Public Interest
subject: legacy
subject: nader
subject: out
subject: ralph
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: trump’s
subject: tyrant
subject: worst
description: By Ralph Nader June 26, 2026 Jimmy Carter’s campaign motto in 1976 was “Why Not the Best!” declaring everywhere he went: “I want to see us once again have a nation that’s as good and honest and decent and truthful and competent and compassionate ...
encoded: By Ralph Nader June 26, 2026 Jimmy Carter’s campaign motto in 1976 was “Why Not the Best!” declaring everywhere he went: “I want to see us once again have a nation that’s as good and honest and decent and truthful and competent and compassionate and filled with love as are the American people.” Dictator Donald… This content originally appeared on Ralph Nader and was authored by matthew.

VALDOMIRO & O GRUPO DAS BANDEIRAS (Ilha do Fogo, Cabo Verde)
type: item
creator: Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes
date: 2026-06-26T23:09:49Z
subject: Petites Planètes
subject: Sources
subject: bandeiras
subject: cabo
subject: das
subject: fogo
subject: grupo
subject: ilha
subject: petites
subject: planètes
subject: sources
subject: valdomiro
subject: verde
description: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.

Trump should foot the bill for rebuilding Venezuela after earthquake disaster
type: item
creator: Michael Fox
date: 2026-06-26T22:06:59Z
subject: article
subject: Economy and Inequality
subject: Politics and Movements: International
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Sources
subject: after
subject: and
subject: bill
subject: disaster
subject: earthquake
subject: economy
subject: foot
subject: for
subject: inequality
subject: International
subject: movements
subject: Opinion
subject: Politics
subject: rebuilding
subject: should
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: trump
subject: Venezuela
description: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2282931916-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Volunteers attempt to move debris as they search for bodies on the rubble of collapsed buildings in Catia La Mar, La Guaira, Venezuela, on June 26, 2026, following deadly earthquakes. Photo by Federico PARRA / AFP via Getty Images" data-attachment-id="344554" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/trump-should-foot-the-bill-for-rebuilding-venezuela-after-earthquake-disaster/venezuela-earthquake-aid" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2282931916-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"AFP via Getty Images","camera":"NIKON Z 9","caption":"Volunteers attempt to move debris as they search for bodies on the rubble of collapsed buildings in Catia La Mar, La Guaira, Venezuela, on June 26, 2026, following deadly earthquakes. The death toll from two powerful earthquakes that devastated Venezuela earlier this week rose to 920 on June 26, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said. (Photo by Federico PARRA / AFP via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1782498046","copyright":"AFP or licensors","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"VENEZUELA-EARTHQUAKE-AID","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="VENEZUELA-EARTHQUAKE-AID" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Volunteers attempt to move debris as they search for bodies on the rubble of collapsed buildings in Catia La Mar, La Guaira, Venezuela, on June 26, 2026, following deadly earthquakes. Photo by Federico PARRA / AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2282931916-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1"> Beyond his blustering suggestions and jokes that he sho…
encoded: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2282931916-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Volunteers attempt to move debris as they search for bodies on the rubble of collapsed buildings in Catia La Mar, La Guaira, Venezuela, on June 26, 2026, following deadly earthquakes. Photo by Federico PARRA / AFP via Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2282931916-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2282931916-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2282931916-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2282931916-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2282931916-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2282931916-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2282931916-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2282931916-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2282931916-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2282931916-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2282931916-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2282931916-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) ca…

Across Europe, heat adaptation plans are being put to a brutal test
type: item
creator: Naveena Sadasivam
date: 2026-06-26T21:14:39Z
subject: news
description: “Cities across the world are still preparing for the heat that we're experiencing today.”
encoded: France has been preparing for climate-fueled heat waves for more than two decades. In 2003, more than 14,800 people died as summer temperatures hovered above 95 degrees Fahrenheit for two weeks. The devastating event led French policymakers to build one of the world’s most comprehensive heat-resilience programs. The following year, the French government unveiled a national heat plan that included a four-tiered alert system. When temperatures rise and trigger the highest alert level, authorities establish a crisis center to coordinate a national response. Local officials are required to implement their heat plans, which include providing access to cool spaces, ensuring access to water, and checking in on heat-vulnerable residents. France’s meteorological and health agencies jointly monitor weather forecasts and health risks, alerting residents when dangerous conditions arise. In the years since, France has taken additional measures to adapt to hotter summers: Cities have planted trees to reduce the urban heat island effect, built shaded walkways and biking paths, and converted public spaces into cooling centers that residents without air conditioning can use on the hottest days. (Only about 25 percent of French households have air conditioning.) In Paris, policymakers have conducted drills and tabletop exercises, rehearsing what it might be like to live in the future when temperatures are projected to hit 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Those strategies are now being put to one of their biggest tests. Over the past week, cities across Europe have experienced soaring temperatures, with many breaking all-time heat records. More than a dozen countries across Europe, including France, issued heat alerts over the past week, warning their residents to stay indoors during the hottest hours, keep homes cool by drawing shutters and curtains, and avoid strenuous physical activity. It’s the continent’s second heat wave in two months, both of which began even before the official start o…

Photographer’s camera flash broken, seized at New Jersey protest
type: item
creator: U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database
date: 2026-06-26T21:11:37Z
subject: Equipment Damage
subject: Equipment Search or Seizure
subject: Sources
subject: broken
subject: camera
subject: damage
subject: equipment
subject: flash
subject: jersey?
subject: new
subject: photographers
subject: Protest
subject: search
subject: seized
subject: seizure
subject: sources
description: Photographer Ian Bartlett’s flash was broken off his camera and seized by a federal officer at a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Newark, New Jersey, on June 5, 2026.Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility...
encoded: Photographer Ian Bartlett’s flash was broken off his camera and seized by a federal officer at a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Newark, New Jersey, on June 5, 2026. Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility, which is owned and operated by The Geo Group. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment. Federal officers have responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed. Bartlett did not comment on the incident for the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. But in a series of now-expired stories on his Instagram on June 5, viewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, he posted pictures of the damage, and wrote that an ICE officer tried to take his camera and snapped the flash off, claiming he was purposely strobing him. In one post, he said the officer asked him for his press credentials in exchange for the flash he seized. “In the moment I decided he could keep the broken flash so that I may keep my press credentials,” he wrote. Bartlett said the damage will cost several hundred dollars. In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 1, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press. “We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.” This content originally appeared on U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database and was authored by U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Databa…

Photojournalist pepper-sprayed by DHS officer at LA immigration protest
type: item
creator: U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database
date: 2026-06-26T21:06:22Z
subject: Sources
subject: assault
subject: dhs
subject: Immigration
subject: officer
subject: peppersprayed
subject: photojournalist
subject: Protest
subject: sources
description: Photojournalist Jose Mejia was sprayed in the face with a chemical irritant by a federal officer while covering an immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 6, 2026.The protest was held outside the city’s Metropolitan Detention Center, wh...
encoded: Photojournalist Jose Mejia was sprayed in the face with a chemical irritant by a federal officer while covering an immigration protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 6, 2026. The protest was held outside the city’s Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are being confined. It marked the anniversary of the large protests against immigration raids that began in and around LA in June 2025. Mejia told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was covering the protest for the independent media collective OwlMedia. Everything was peaceful outside the detention center, he said, until a brawl with a counterprotester began. Then, Department of Homeland Security officers armed with riot gear advanced on the crowd. “It all happened so fast,” Mejia said. “They were pushing people super violently.” Mejia positioned himself in the middle of the action and got close enough to capture DHS making an arrest. Then one officer pointed at Mejia, lifted his right hand and pepper-sprayed him directly in the face. Mejia’s eyes burned, and he was unable to see for 40 minutes. He said an officer pushed him to the side of a gate outside the facility, where bystanders helped to flush his eyes. Mejia eventually left after LA police announced a dispersal order and threatened to arrest anyone who stayed. “They feel entitled to do whatever they want,” Mejia said, “and nothing is going to happen to them.” In a statement to the Tracker on June 24, a DHS spokesperson said law enforcement responded to about 200 protesters outside the detention center and that some individuals threw bottles and assaulted officers. “We remind members of the media and the public to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks — though our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights,” the statement said. This content originally appeared on …

A Tipi Village Takes on Healing & Homelessness [EXCERPT]
type: item
creator: Laura Flanders & Friends
date: 2026-06-26T21:02:51Z
subject: Sources
subject: excerpt:
subject: healing
subject: homelessness
subject: sources
subject: takes
subject: tipi
subject: village
description: This content originally appeared on Laura Flanders & Friends and was authored by Laura Flanders & Friends.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Laura Flanders & Friends and was authored by Laura Flanders & Friends.

A Tipi Village Takes on Healing & Homelessness [EXCERPT]
type: item
creator: Laura Flanders & Friends
date: 2026-06-26T21:02:51Z
subject: Sources
subject: excerpt:
subject: healing
subject: homelessness
subject: sources
subject: takes
subject: tipi
subject: village
description: This content originally appeared on Laura Flanders & Friends and was authored by Laura Flanders & Friends.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Laura Flanders & Friends and was authored by Laura Flanders & Friends.

Photojournalist pushed over barricade at New Jersey immigration protest
type: item
creator: U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database
date: 2026-06-26T20:37:08Z
subject: Sources
subject: assault
subject: barricade
subject: Immigration
subject: jersey?
subject: new
subject: over
subject: photojournalist
subject: Protest
subject: pushed
subject: sources
description: A freelance photojournalist was shoved by police over a concrete barrier while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 2026.Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigr...
encoded: A freelance photojournalist was shoved by police over a concrete barrier while covering a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its treatment of detainees in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 2026. Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. Federal officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police and city officers in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment. Freelance photojournalist Peter Lavie, who was also at the scene, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that on June 6, Newark police carrying riot shields began pushing protesters and journalists out of the way near Delaney Hall. As officers continued clearing the area, they pushed Lavie and two other photojournalists, forcing them backward over a concrete barrier that had been used as part of the protest perimeter. Lavie identified one of the other photojournalists as Ryan Murphy, who had been documenting the protests for photo agencies including Reuters and had been assaulted twice by federal officers while on the job in May. Murphy did not respond to requests for comment, and the Tracker was unable to independently confirm that he was one of the photojournalists who was pushed. The incident was captured on video by journalist L. Vural Elibol, chief videographer for Turkey’s Anadolu Agency. View post on Instagram Lavie — who identified the third photojournalist as Tom Hudson — said they “all collapsed on each other.” He added that he believed officers were indiscriminately pushing people out of the area rather than targeting journalists specifically. The Newark police did not respond to a request for comment. On June 8, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka released a statement asserting that respo…

You Can’t Pray the Gay Away
type: item
creator: Irene Monroe
date: 2026-06-26T20:29:47Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Progressive
subject: away
subject: can’t
subject: gay’
subject: pray
subject: progressive
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: you
description: I know firsthand that conversion therapy doesn’t work. SCOTUS’ decision to protect it only hurts LGBTQ+ people.
encoded: I know firsthand that conversion therapy doesn’t work. SCOTUS’ decision to protect it only hurts LGBTQ+ people. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Irene Monroe.

US media presents centrist panic over progressive wins as mere post-ideological ‘electability concerns’
type: item
creator: Adam Johnson
date: 2026-06-26T20:13:39Z
subject: article
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: centrist
subject: concerns
subject: electability
subject: Elections
subject: israel
subject: Media
subject: Media Criticism
subject: mere
subject: movements
subject: Opinion
subject: over
subject: Palestine
subject: panic,
subject: Politics
subject: postideological
subject: presents
subject: progressive
subject: sources
subject: wins
description: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2147059718-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Rahm Emanuel, U.S. ambassador to Japan, attends a photo op with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and congressional leaders before Kishida addressed a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday, April 11, 2022. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images" data-attachment-id="344536" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/us-media-presents-centrist-panic-over-progressive-wins-as-mere-post-ideological-electability-concerns/japan-joint-meeting-april-11" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2147059718-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag","camera":"ILCE-1","caption":"UNITED STATES - APRIL 11: Rahm Emanuel, U.S. ambassador to Japan, attends a photo op with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and congressional leaders before Kishida addressed a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday, April 11, 2022. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., appears at left. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1712830101","copyright":"2024 CQ-Roll Call, Inc.","focal_length":"37","iso":"4000","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"Japan Joint Meeting April 11","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="Japan Joint Meeting April 11" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Rahm Emanuel, U.S. ambassador to Japan, attends a photo op with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and congressional leaders before Kishida addressed a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday, April 11, 2022. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2147059718-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1"> No mention o…
encoded: <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2147059718-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Rahm Emanuel, U.S. ambassador to Japan, attends a photo op with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and congressional leaders before Kishida addressed a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday, April 11, 2022. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2147059718-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2147059718-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2147059718-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2147059718-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2147059718-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2147059718-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1366&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2147059718-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2147059718-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1334&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2147059718-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2147059718-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2147059718-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2147059718-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-…

States want transparent laws around animal agriculture. A fight in Congress could derail that.
type: item
creator: Frida Garza
date: 2026-06-26T19:50:29Z
subject: Food and Agriculture
subject: Grist
subject: Sources
subject: Agriculture
subject: and
subject: animal
subject: around
subject: congress
subject: could
subject: derail
subject: fight
subject: Food
subject: laws
subject: Politics
subject: Regulation
subject: sources
subject: states
subject: that
subject: transparent
subject: want
description: The Save Our Bacon bill would make it harder for consumers to know how their meat was raised.
encoded: It’s been nearly eight years since Congress reauthorized the farm bill, the massive legislative package that funds programs run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. What used to be passed roughly every five years, the farm bill touches nearly every aspect of agricultural production in the U.S. It puts billions toward conservation programs, nutrition assistance, rural development, crop insurance, and climate-smart practices. But persistent disagreements between lawmakers over these and other programs have stymied the process of passing a new farm bill. The federal government has instead resorted to stop-gap measures and one-year extensions of a small handful of programs. If farmers were hoping to see a new farm bill this year, they may very well be disappointed — as a new schism between the two houses of Congress was made clear this week, when the Senate agricultural committee released a draft of its farm bill that excluded a law known as the Save Our Bacon Act. The measure was included in the House draft farm bill earlier this year with vocal support by Representative G.T. Thompson, who chairs the House agricultural committee. Save Our Bacon, or SOB, would override state and local laws like California’s Prop 12, which bans the sale of pork, chicken, and veal products that come from farms using the most extreme forms of animal confinement, such as gestation crates for hogs. Factory farming operations where animals have the least amount of space to move around result in a lot of manure, which is typically consolidated and stored in lagoons that can pollute the local air and waterways. Advocacy groups argue laws like Prop 12 are common sense and popular among voters who want to know where their food comes from. There are currently 14 states with similar laws on the books, according to the American Meat Producers Association, or AMPA, an industry group that opposes SOB. “It’s just disappointing that we’re even talking about this because the farm bill should be about s…

NZ anti-war protesters call for independent foreign policy and peaceful planet
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-26T19:41:03Z
subject: Anti-War Aotearoa
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Christopher Luxon
subject: Gaza genocide
subject: Global peace
subject: Greenpeace Aotearoa
subject: Israeli atrocities
subject: March for Peace
subject: Niamh O'Flynn
subject: NZ foreign policy
subject: Sources
subject: Stop Wars Aotearoa
subject: US-Israel attacks
subject: War minerals
subject: War on Iran
subject: and
subject: antiwar
subject: aotearoa
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: Atrocities
subject: attacks
subject: call
subject: christopher
subject: Civil Society
subject: Climate
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: environment
subject: Featured
subject: for
subject: foreign
subject: gaza
subject: gender
subject: Genocide
subject: Global
subject: greenpeace
subject: Human Rights
subject: independent
subject: Indigenous
subject: Innovation
subject: iran
subject: israeli
subject: Justice
subject: luxon
subject: march
subject: military
subject: minerals
subject: new zealand
subject: niamh
subject: oflynn
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Palestine
subject: Peace
subject: peaceful
subject: planet
subject: Policy
subject: Politics
subject: protesters
subject: Protests
subject: report
subject: Security
subject: sources
subject: stop
subject: Syndicate
subject: Te Tiriti o Waitangi
subject: usisrael
subject: war
subject: wars
description: COMMENTARY: By Liz Remmerswaal Up to 1000 people joined a March for Peace in Auckland last weekend to demand that Aotearoa New Zealand become a voice for peace rather than a complicit partner in US-led illegal wars. The march on June 20 was organised by a new group, Anti-War Aotearoa (AWA), and Greenpeace Aotearoa, and
encoded: COMMENTARY: By Liz Remmerswaal Up to 1000 people joined a March for Peace in Auckland last weekend to demand that Aotearoa New Zealand become a voice for peace rather than a complicit partner in US-led illegal wars. The march on June 20 was organised by a new group, Anti-War Aotearoa (AWA), and Greenpeace Aotearoa, and stopped outside the US Consulate en route because it is important that the New Zealand government refuses any “war mineral” deals with the Trump administration. The groups are urging the government to implement a fully independent foreign policy grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, diplomacy, and international law. READ MORE: People power against Trump’s wars – act against NZ ‘war mineral’ deals Paul Hopkinson: Why NZ’s ‘Free Palestine’ party seeks to put Gaza genocide at centre of politics Israel’s deliberate targeting of Gaza children part of genocide: UN inquiry The new Middle East: How the Old Order died and what is rising in its place Other Palestine reports Niamh O’Flynn, programme director at Greenpeace Aotearoa, said the nation’s environmental and international priorities were fundamentally linked. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="moz-reader-block-img" src="https://worldbeyondwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aotearoa2606b.jpg" alt=""NZ out of Trump's wars" banner at the Auckland June 20 march" width="960" height="618" data-src="https://worldbeyondwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aotearoa2606b.jpg" data-srcset="https://worldbeyondwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aotearoa2606b.jpg 960w, https://worldbeyondwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aotearoa2606b-300x193.jpg 300w, https://worldbeyondwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aotearoa2606b-768x494.jpg 768w" data-sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /> “NZ out of Trump’s wars” banner at the Auckland March for Peace on June 20. Image: Liz Remmerswaal/WBW “We oppose [NZ Prime Minister Christopher] Luxon and the coalition government allowing Aotearoa to be drawn into Trump’s war…

Iran Monarchists Gone Wild: World Cup Edition
type: item
creator: The Grayzone
date: 2026-06-26T19:35:44Z
subject: Sources
subject: cup
subject: edition
subject: gone
subject: iran
subject: monarchists
subject: sources
subject: wild
subject: World
description: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.

Venezuela’s crisis, US military’s opportunity – Anya on Judging Freedom
type: item
creator: The Grayzone
date: 2026-06-26T19:32:35Z
subject: Sources
subject: 8211
subject: anya
subject: crisis
subject: Freedom
subject: judging
subject: military8217s
subject: opportunity?
subject: sources
subject: venezuela8217s
description: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.

Court Upholds Life-Saving National Soot Air Quality Standard
type: item
creator: Newswire Editor
date: 2026-06-26T18:47:42Z
subject: Common Dreams
subject: Sources
subject: air:
subject: common
subject: court
subject: dreams
subject: lifesaving
subject: national
subject: quality
subject: soot
subject: sources
subject: standard
subject: upholds
description: Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the national, health-based limit on fine particulate matter (PM2.5), also known as soot, that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) strengthened in 2024.Soot, made up of tiny toxic parti...
encoded: Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the national, health-based limit on fine particulate matter (PM2.5), also known as soot, that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) strengthened in 2024. Soot, made up of tiny toxic particles that lodge deep in the lungs, results in severe health harms, including premature death, and comes from sources like vehicle exhaust pipes, power plants, and factories. The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM2.5 set baseline national air quality standards to reduce the harms of this deadly air pollutant for communities across the country. Last year, in an unprecedented move, Trump’s EPA gave up defending the strengthened standard against challenges from industry and aligned states and asked the court to strike it down on narrow legal grounds, without ever disputing the science underlying the standard. Health, environmental, and community groups, along with a coalition of states led by California, continued to defend the standard. “Clean air is not a luxury. We are thrilled these vital air quality standards have been upheld by a federal court,” said Patrice Simms, vice president of Healthy Communities at Earthjustice. “The 2024 soot standard is a critical advancement for public health, projected to save thousands of lives every year. Lee Zeldin’s EPA must stop catering to polluters and must instead fulfill its mission to protect public health. The time for implementing the 2024 soot standard is now.” “Fine particulate matter standards provide critical public health protections. The court correctly rejected EPA’s about-face on the need for a stronger standard,” said Shaun Goho, senior director, Legal Advocacy at Clean Air Task Force. “The science is clear that soot has many serious health impacts, particularly for children, the elderly, and those with asthma. By EPA’s own estimate, implementing the 2024 soot standard will prevent 800,000 cases of asthma symptoms, 2,000 hospital visits, and 4,500 pr…

Journalist pepper-sprayed by federal officers at Father’s Day protest
type: item
creator: U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database
date: 2026-06-26T18:26:32Z
subject: Sources
subject: assault
subject: day
subject: fathers
subject: federal
subject: journalist
subject: officers
subject: peppersprayed
subject: Protest
subject: sources
description: Independent reporter and photojournalist Wali Khan was targeted with pepper spray by federal officers while documenting protests outside a detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 21, 2026.Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention ...
encoded: Independent reporter and photojournalist Wali Khan was targeted with pepper spray by federal officers while documenting protests outside a detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 21, 2026. Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. Federal officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment. Khan reported on social media that protesters gathered outside the facility on June 21, tying neckties to the main gate after all Father’s Day visitations were canceled. In a social media post he jointly published with Status Coup, federal officers can be seen streaming out of the facility alongside a couple of Geo Group employees, and starting to push demonstrators back while conducting arrests. After deploying chemical munitions at the crowd — including pepper spray and pepper balls — officers then retreat behind the fence marking the detention center grounds. Khan told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that an officer deliberately pepper-sprayed him, adding simply, “That really fucking sucked.” View post on Instagram Reflecting on the last month of protests, Khan said that federal officers routinely targeted members of the press. “When the ICE or DHS officers step in to push protesters back, who are trying to block vehicles or whatever, they very obviously target journalists who are in front and taking pictures,” Khan said. “They push us back and beat us. They pepper-spray us. They don’t care. “They deploy their less-lethal ammunition like it’s a toy, and they’re very trigger-happy,” he added. In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 24, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations woul…

Independent journalist struck with shield by New Jersey police officer
type: item
creator: U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database
date: 2026-06-26T18:21:27Z
subject: Sources
subject: assault
subject: independent
subject: jersey?
subject: journalist
subject: new
subject: officer
subject: Police
subject: shield
subject: sources
subject: struck
subject: with
description: Independent reporter and photojournalist Wali Khan was struck with a shield by a police officer while covering protests outside a federal detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 2026.Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention fa...
encoded: Independent reporter and photojournalist Wali Khan was struck with a shield by a police officer while covering protests outside a federal detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 6, 2026. Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility began May 22, when many detainees went on a hunger strike. Members of Congress, state and local lawmakers and rights groups have alleged dire conditions at the facility. Federal officers responded to the protests with chemical irritants, physical force and arrests, as did state police in the days that followed. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations of detainee mistreatment. In a post on social media, Khan reported that while federal officers had responded to protests earlier during the day on June 6, they were absent that night. Present instead was a collection of Newark Police Division officers and employees for The Geo Group, which owns and operates the facility. “Geo group employees have been seen carrying baseball bats when exiting the facility and have assaulted protestors trying to block their cars,” he wrote. Khan told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that Newark police were also aggressive when responding to the crowd. “They shoved and assaulted us with riot shields, me and a few journalists, pushing us back,” he said. In some of his footage from that night, officers are seen repeatedly shoving demonstrators while ordering them to get back, at times jostling Khan and his camera. Later, police shouts of “Move back!” are followed by protesters chanting “Fuck you!” View post on Instagram The Newark police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On June 8, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka released a statement asserting that responsibility for security at the immigration detention facility rests with The Geo Group but adding that all city officers are required to uphold standards of professionalism and accountability. “Any conduct that falls short undermines the significant progres…

Belarus jails journalist Kyril Pazniak for 3.5 years
type: item
creator: CPJ Staff
date: 2026-06-26T18:10:24Z
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Imprisoned
subject: Kyril Pazniak
subject: Platform 375
subject: Sources
subject: 375
subject: belarus
subject: committee
subject: for
subject: imprisoned
subject: jails!
subject: journalist
subject: Journalists
subject: kyril
subject: pazniak
subject: platform
subject: protect
subject: sources
subject: years
description: New York, June 26, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the June 26 sentencing of Belarusian journalist Kyril Pazniak to three years and six months in prison, and calls on Belarusian authorities to release him immediately. The court in Minsk, the capital, convicted Pazniak on charges of creating an extremist group and discrediting Belarus. The court also fined Pazniak 24,750 Belarusian rubles (US$8,530). ...
encoded: New York, June 26, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the June 26 sentencing of Belarusian journalist Kyril Pazniak to three years and six months in prison, and calls on Belarusian authorities to release him immediately. The court in Minsk, the capital, convicted Pazniak on charges of creating an extremist group and discrediting Belarus. The court also fined Pazniak 24,750 Belarusian rubles (US$8,530). The charges against Pazniak are connected to his work for the YouTube channel Platform 375, which has covered politics and economy in Belarus. Pazniak hosted discussions between the government and opposition supporters until 2022. “The three-and-a-half-year prison sentence given to journalist Kyril Pazniak shows that Belarusian authorities remain unforgiving of those who independently covered the aftermath of the 2020 protests that swept the country following the disputed re-election of President Aleksandr Lukashenko,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “The authorities should immediately release Pazniak, as well as all imprisoned journalists.” Pazniak was detained in Minsk on September 3, 2025. The next day, Belarusian authorities designated Platform 375 as extremist. “The verdict has no reasoned legal grounds and is evidence that there is no place for a free press in any form in Belarus today,” Siarzhuk Herasimovich, one of the founders of Platform 375, told Belsat TV. Pazniak’s daughter Yanina, who was detained on September 4, 2025, was sentenced on Friday as well, but her prison sentence and fine on similar charges was unknown. State prosecutors had requested three years in prison, reported Poland-based Belarusian broadcaster Belsat TV. According to the outlet, the charges against her stem from the sole fact that she registered Platform 375 on TikTok. The trial of Pazniak and his daughter was scheduled to start in Minsk on May 14, but was postponed to June 17 because Pazniak was suffering complications from COVID-…

The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – June 26, 2026
type: item
creator: KPFA
date: 2026-06-26T18:00:00Z
subject: Pacifica Evening News
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: evening
subject: june
subject: News
subject: pacifica
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: weekdays
description: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – June 26, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
encoded: Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays – June 26, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.

Frozen conflict – The Grayzone live
type: item
creator: The Grayzone
date: 2026-06-26T17:52:20Z
subject: Sources
subject: 8211
subject: Conflict
subject: frozen
subject: grayzone
subject: live
subject: sources
subject: the
description: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.

JD Vance Praises Richard Nixon, Downplays Watergate Scandal
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-26T17:43:01Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: Democracy
subject: downplays
subject: nixon
subject: now
subject: praises
subject: richard
subject: scandal:
subject: sources
subject: vance,
subject: watergate
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Gaza Sunbirds w/ Karim Ali
type: item
creator: Josh Frank
date: 2026-06-26T17:37:54Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: CounterPunch Radio - podcasts
subject: Sources
subject: ali
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: gaza
subject: karim
subject: Podcasts
subject: radio
subject: sources
subject: sunbirds
description: On this episode of CounterPunch Radio, Tori Tsui talks with Karim Ali, co-founder of the Gaza Sunbirds. Karim Ali is a Palestinian award-winning community organiser and co-founder of the Gaza Sunbirds – a para-cycling team of Palestinian amputee ...
encoded: On this episode of CounterPunch Radio, Tori Tsui talks with Karim Ali, co-founder of the Gaza Sunbirds. Karim Ali is a Palestinian award-winning community organiser and co-founder of the Gaza Sunbirds – a para-cycling team of Palestinian amputee athletes. The post Gaza Sunbirds w/ Karim Ali appeared first on CounterPunch.org. This content originally appeared on CounterPunch.org and was authored by Josh Frank.

ARY KUEKA (Ilha de Santo Antão, Cabo Verde)
type: item
creator: Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes
date: 2026-06-26T17:01:48Z
subject: Petites Planètes
subject: Sources
subject: antão
subject: ary
subject: cabo
subject: ilha
subject: kueka
subject: petites
subject: planètes
subject: santo
subject: sources
subject: verde
description: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.

No union dues for genocide: Inside the historic UAW vote to divest from Israel
type: item
creator: Maximillian Alvarez
date: 2026-06-26T16:30:37Z
subject: Politics and Movements: International
subject: Politics and Movements: US
subject: Sources
subject: Working People
subject: and
subject: divest
subject: dues
subject: for
subject: from
subject: gaza
subject: Genocide
subject: historic
subject: inside
subject: International
subject: israel
subject: Labor
subject: movements
subject: Palestine
subject: People
subject: podcast
subject: Politics
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: uaw
subject: union
subject: vote
subject: working?
description: <img width="1024" height="662" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2154367262-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C662&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Pro-Palestinian protestors gather with a sign reading 'UAW Rank & File Workers For Palestine' after police cleared a new encampment of pro-Palestinian protestors on the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) campus on May 23, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images" data-attachment-id="344525" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/no-union-dues-for-genocide-inside-the-historic-uaw-vote-to-divest-from-israel/pro-palestinian-protesters-re-establish-encampment-at-ucla" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2154367262-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1656&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1656" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"5","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"Canon EOS R3","caption":"LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 23: Pro-Palestinian protestors gather with a sign reading 'UAW Rank \u0026amp; File Workers For Palestine' after police cleared a new encampment of pro-Palestinian protestors on the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) campus on May 23, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. The protest coincided with today\u2019s congressional hearing on campus protests where UCLA Chancellor Gene Block testified. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1716472547","copyright":"2024 Getty Images","focal_length":"200","iso":"320","shutter_speed":"0.0005","title":"Pro-Palestinian Protesters Re-Establish Encampment At UCLA","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="Pro-Palestinian Protesters Re-Establish Encampment At UCLA" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Pro-Palestinian protestors gather with a sign reading &#8216;UAW Rank &#038; File Workers For Palestine&#8217; after police cleared a new encampment of pro-Palestinian protesto…
encoded: <img width="1024" height="662" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2154367262-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C662&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Pro-Palestinian protestors gather with a sign reading 'UAW Rank & File Workers For Palestine' after police cleared a new encampment of pro-Palestinian protestors on the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) campus on May 23, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2154367262-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2154367262-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C194&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2154367262-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C662&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2154367262-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C497&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2154367262-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C993&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2154367262-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1325&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2154367262-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C776&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2154367262-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1294&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2154367262-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C504&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2154367262-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C259&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2154367262-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2154367262-scaled.j…

UN News Today 26 June 2026
type: item
creator: Daniel Johnson
date: 2026-06-26T16:30:24Z
subject: Podcasts/UN News Today
subject: Sources
subject: UN News
subject: 2026
subject: june
subject: News
subject: podcastsun
subject: sources
subject: today
description: Venezuela quake: finding people still alive remains top priority: UN human rights chief urges accountability in ICE deaths in custodyDR Congo: Ebola is spreading and so is a massive hunger crisis, warns WFP
encoded: Venezuela quake: finding people still alive remains top priority: UN human rights chief urges accountability in ICE deaths in custodyDR Congo: Ebola is spreading and so is a massive hunger crisis, warns WFP This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Daniel Johnson.

Trump’s asylum policy & echoes of Holocaust history
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-26T16:22:45Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: Asylum
subject: Democracy
subject: echoes
subject: History
subject: holocaust
subject: now
subject: Policy
subject: sources
subject: trump8217s
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

The high price journalists paid for LGBTQ+ reporting, and how to protect yourself now
type: item
creator: Committee to Protect Journalists
date: 2026-06-26T16:14:45Z
subject: Aleksandre Lashkarava
subject: Attacked
subject: Avijit Roy
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Kae Petrin
subject: Killed
subject: Sources
subject: Trans Journalist Association
subject: Xulhaz Mannan
subject: aleksandre
subject: and
subject: association
subject: attacked,
subject: avijit
subject: committee
subject: for
subject: high
subject: how
subject: journalist
subject: Journalists
subject: kae
subject: killed
subject: lashkarava
subject: lgbtq
subject: lgbtqia+
subject: mannan
subject: now
subject: paid
subject: petrin
subject: price
subject: protect
subject: reporting
subject: roy:
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: trans
subject: xulhaz
subject: yourself
description: As LGBTQ+ communities celebrate Pride this June, many journalists continue to face an ugly reality: simply reporting on this community can open them up to prosecution, physical attacks, threats, arrest, exile, and even death. Avijit Roy, a Bangladeshi-born American who blogged about LGBTQ+ rights and free expression, was stabbed to death alongside his wife after...
encoded: As LGBTQ+ communities celebrate Pride this June, many journalists continue to face an ugly reality: simply reporting on this community can open them up to prosecution, physical attacks, threats, arrest, exile, and even death. Avijit Roy, a Bangladeshi-born American who blogged about LGBTQ+ rights and free expression, was stabbed to death alongside his wife after receiving death threats related to his reporting in February 2015. About a year later, Xulhaz Mannan, who founded the first and only LGBTQ+ magazine in Bangladesh, was stabbed to death in his home. Camera operator Aleksandre “Lekso” Lashkarava underwent surgery after defending a colleague from a group of about 20 anti-LGBTQ+ protesters in Georgia in 2021 who, according to that colleague, repeatedly kicked him in the head and left him in a pool of blood. Lashkarava was found dead at his home six days later. <img decoding="async" height="160" width="300" src="https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/georgia_07-12-2021.png?w=300" alt="" class="wp-image-116848" srcset="https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/georgia_07-12-2021.png 833w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/georgia_07-12-2021.png?resize=300,160 300w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/georgia_07-12-2021.png?resize=768,408 768w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/georgia_07-12-2021.png?resize=570,303 570w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/georgia_07-12-2021.png?resize=652,347 652w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/georgia_07-12-2021.png?resize=760,404 760w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/georgia_07-12-2021.png?resize=367,195 367w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> Georgian camera operator Aleksandre Lashkarava (right) died after he was beaten by anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrators at a protest. (Photo: Formula News/YouTube) Although the official concluded the cause of death was heroin intoxication, family members said they lacked trust in the autopsy findings because international experts w…

Thylacine | Live at @arteconcert ‪Festival 2022 (Paris)
type: item
creator: Blogothèque
date: 2026-06-26T16:00:24Z
subject: La Blogothèque
subject: Sources
subject: @arteconcert
subject: 2022
subject: blogothèque
subject: festival
subject: live
subject: paris
subject: sources
subject: thylacine
description: This content originally appeared on Blogothèque and was authored by Blogothèque.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Blogothèque and was authored by Blogothèque.

CACHUPA PSICADÉLICA (Mindelo, Ilha de São Vicente, Cabo Verde)
type: item
creator: Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes
date: 2026-06-26T15:35:53Z
subject: Petites Planètes
subject: Sources
subject: cabo
subject: cachupa
subject: ilha
subject: mindelo
subject: petites
subject: planètes
subject: psicadÉlica
subject: são
subject: sources
subject: verde
subject: vicente
description: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.

Alaska Governor Vetoes Plastic Foam Foodware Ban
type: item
creator: Newswire Editor
date: 2026-06-26T15:17:46Z
subject: Common Dreams
subject: Sources
subject: alaska
subject: ban
subject: common
subject: dreams
subject: foam
subject: foodware
subject: governor
subject: plastic
subject: sources
subject: vetoes
description: Yesterday, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy vetoed House Bill 25, led by Rep. Andy Josephson, that would have prohibited single-use polystyrene foodware in restaurants and across Alaska’s government. The bill, which passed the State Senate and House with...
encoded: Yesterday, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy vetoed <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.-2BIOCSEqOIi7e88afJsDw5r0k2JrNAUuRMjw5M8whivYsVdEGU8pImHuC21TpmtEO4Av32PAnPcdiKWsBFlaUrg-3D-3DJ5t-_s0lTyPdoyuzn-2FJTE9fjR8nSlryGpLl-2B7mxK4it06DfIN-2FfMDgHUrTLsHq1xjCi7D6OhOfqYNIp06HXjwZCEtJ7zM-2FN2fXV7YZ9DGLx4mzMVRehUiTOtwXhomMj-2F2GYtz2XztNOtRz1zn6rSiO7y4-2Be2y4s40ZfkHuSEuiDRm2R3rtwbNWmIMXJKzpaNcUJJchoeFKgU2cK9My8GBxh1DJsXoBTx4enbTjayZy2zv3rM3csCabe9Nc3h9xiKIkJm-2F43KY3Xmu2DdJmCfDEDGOc-2FODGZJlwXx1pyVrbbsxJ3OcY2ezCBvuApa4u6bCDhLGa-2BfFFY-2B7bWYjrobx-2B3o-2BUyWO3JN5RjxIt7fLn9KSDF0qxqcofa8xORjuICHgY4xF" rel="noopener noreferrer" >House Bill 25, led by Rep. Andy Josephson, that would have prohibited single-use polystyrene foodware in restaurants and across Alaska’s government. The bill, which passed the State Senate and House with bipartisan support this spring, would have aligned Alaska with growing action across the country, including similar policies in Washington and Oregon. “The governor’s veto is a setback for Alaska and our oceans,” said Christy Leavitt, Senior Campaign Director at Oceana. “Alaska is on the frontlines of the global plastics crisis, and leaders like Rep. Josephson in the state legislature stepped up with a meaningful solution. This veto undermines bipartisan action to reduce single-use plastic pollution at the source, and will only put Alaska’s communities, wildlife, and waters in further jeopardy. We applaud the efforts of the state legislature and look forward to working with lawmakers to pass this important bill in the future to phase out plastic foam foodware.” Plastic pollution is affecting Alaska’s ecosystems. Microplastics have been found in Southeast Alaskan glaciers, ocean waters, and Arctic sea ice. Polystyrene foam — one of the earliest plastics identified in the ocean — continues to contribute to the global plastics crisis. Ocean wildlife, including marine mammals, fish, and seabirds, often mistake foam for food, which…

BATUCADEIRAS DELTA RAMANTXADA (Tarrafal, Ilha de Santiago, Cabo Verde)
type: item
creator: Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes
date: 2026-06-26T15:06:15Z
subject: Petites Planètes
subject: Sources
subject: batucadeiras
subject: cabo
subject: delta
subject: ilha
subject: petites
subject: planètes
subject: ramantxada
subject: Santiago
subject: sources
subject: tarrafal
subject: verde
description: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.

Bayer/Monsanto Wins Roundup Case as Supreme Court Blocks Suit over Link Between Herbicide & Cancer
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-26T14:52:18Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: bayermonsanto
subject: between
subject: blocks
subject: cancer
subject: case
subject: court
subject: Democracy
subject: herbicide
subject: link
subject: now
subject: over
subject: roundup:
subject: sources
subject: suit
subject: supreme
subject: wins
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Al-Arabiya correspondent killed by car bomb in Yemen
type: item
creator: CPJ Staff
date: 2026-06-26T14:50:55Z
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Killed
subject: Sources
subject: alarabiya
subject: bomb
subject: car
subject: committee
subject: correspondent
subject: Detained
subject: Journalists
subject: killed
subject: protect
subject: sources
subject: yemen
description: Washington, D.C., June 25, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Yemen’s internationally recognized government to conduct an immediate, transparent investigation into Mohammed Aydah’s killing. Aydah, a correspondent for Saudi-owned channels Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath, was killed on Wednesday when an explosive device detonated under the driver’s seat of his vehicle in the southern...
encoded: Washington, D.C., June 25, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Yemen’s internationally recognized government to conduct an immediate, transparent investigation into Mohammed Aydah’s killing. Aydah, a correspondent for Saudi-owned channels Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath, was killed on Wednesday when an explosive device detonated under the driver’s seat of his vehicle in the southern port city of Al-Mukalla, in Yemen’s eastern Hadramout governorate. Though no group has yet claimed responsibility, Al-Mukalla security authorities had warned Aydah that his life was in danger, but failed to elaborate. In late 2018, Aydah was chased and nearly arrested by armed members of the Houthi group in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. “The preceding threats against Aydah, coupled with an explosive device planted in his car, strongly suggest that this was a targeted killing, underlining the extreme dangers Yemeni journalists face while reporting from one of the world’s most perilous conflict zones,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “A transparent investigation that brings those responsible to justice is essential not only for accountability in Aydah’s case, but also for protecting journalists across Yemen.” The targeted killing follows recent political shifts in Yemen, including the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council temporarily seizing oil-rich Hadramout governorate in December 2025, only to lose the region to Saudi-backed forces before disbanding entirely in January 2026. Since 2024, at least 33 Yemeni journalists have been killed by Israel, Houthi insurgents, and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. In a separate incident, Yemeni journalist Salah al-Din Ali al-Ruhani was <a href="https://yemenshabab.net/sections/NEWS/Political/%D9%86%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D8%AD%D9%81%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%AA%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%B4%D9%81-%D8%B9%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%…

Supreme Court Strips Protections for Haitian & Syrian Immigrants in "Racially Inflected" Decision
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-26T14:49:46Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: court
subject: decision
subject: Democracy
subject: for
subject: haitian
subject: immigrants
subject: inflected
subject: now
subject: protections
subject: racially
subject: sources
subject: strips
subject: supreme
subject: syrian
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Venezuela Earthquakes: U.S. Sanctions Impede Rescue Efforts as Death Toll Soars
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-26T14:48:41Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: death
subject: Democracy
subject: Earthquakes
subject: efforts
subject: impede
subject: now
subject: Rescue
subject: Sanctions
subject: soars
subject: sources
subject: toll
subject: Venezuela
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

In "Devastating" Immigration Ruling, Supreme Court Allows Trump Admin to "Turn Back" Asylum Seekers
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-26T14:47:34Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: admin
subject: allows
subject: Asylum
subject: back
subject: court
subject: Democracy
subject: devastating
subject: Immigration
subject: now
subject: ruling
subject: seekers
subject: sources
subject: supreme
subject: trump
subject: turn
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Top U.S. & World Headlines — June 26, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-26T14:46:11Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: headlines
subject: june
subject: now
subject: sources
subject: top
subject: World
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

CPJ, partners express urgent concern to NATO over press accreditation denial for Turkey summit in July
type: item
creator: Committee to Protect Journalists
date: 2026-06-26T14:43:55Z
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Press Accreditation
subject: Sources
subject: accreditation
subject: committee
subject: concern
subject: cpj
subject: denial
subject: express
subject: for
subject: Journalists
subject: july
subject: NATO
subject: over
subject: partners
subject: press
subject: protect
subject: sources
subject: summit
subject: Turkey
subject: urgent
description: The Committee to Protect Journalists joined the International Press Institute and other press freedom and human rights organizations in expressing concern over the denial of accreditation to Turkish journalists hoping to cover NATO’s summit in Ankara, Turkey on July 7-8. Dozens of Turkish journalists, including staff from independent media outlets Halk TV, Sözcü TV, Nefes,...
encoded: The Committee to Protect Journalists joined the International Press Institute and other press freedom and human rights organizations in expressing concern over the denial of accreditation to Turkish journalists hoping to cover NATO’s summit in Ankara, Turkey on July 7-8. Dozens of Turkish journalists, including staff from independent media outlets Halk TV, Sözcü TV, Nefes, BirGün, Cumhuriyet, ANKA News Agency, Medyascope, and T24, have been denied accreditation. The press freedom and human rights organizations sent a joint letter to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte saying the accreditation denials were “a direct limitation on publicly available information and a deprivation of independent perspectives from Türkiye – for both the Turkish public and the international community.” The signatories called on NATO to reconsider the rejections and restore accreditation to outlets that meet NATO’s own eligibility criteria, including the requirement for editorial independence. Read the full statement here. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

Gluttons for Punishment
type: item
creator: Wajahat Ali
date: 2026-06-26T13:15:00Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Progressive
subject: for
subject: gluttons
subject: progressive
subject: punishment:
subject: sources
subject: the
description: The MAGA movement has used and abused people’s ignorance and fear about transgender people as a Trojan horse to implement its fascist agenda.
encoded: The MAGA movement has used and abused people’s ignorance and fear about transgender people as a Trojan horse to implement its fascist agenda. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Wajahat Ali.

Are Police in France Discriminating Against Black & Arab Youth?
type: item
creator: Human Rights Watch
date: 2026-06-26T13:06:24Z
subject: Human Rights Watch
subject: Sources
subject: against
subject: arab
subject: are
subject: black
subject: discriminating
subject: France
subject: human
subject: Police
subject: rights
subject: sources
subject: watch
subject: Youth
description: This content originally appeared on Human Rights Watch and was authored by Human Rights Watch.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Human Rights Watch and was authored by Human Rights Watch.

Trump Rule Changes Would Kneecap Head Start
type: item
creator: Hailey Gibbs
date: 2026-06-26T13:00:00Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Progressive
subject: changes
subject: head
subject: kneecap
subject: progressive
subject: rule
subject: sources
subject: start
subject: the
subject: trump
subject: would
description: Congress must make sure this vital program is adequately supported.
encoded: Congress must make sure this vital program is adequately supported. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Hailey Gibbs.

Bayer/Monsanto Wins Roundup Case as Supreme Court Blocks Suit over Link Between Herbicide & Cancer
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-26T12:50:20Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: bayermonsanto
subject: between
subject: blocks
subject: cancer
subject: case
subject: court
subject: Democracy
subject: herbicide
subject: link
subject: now
subject: over
subject: roundup:
subject: sources
subject: suit
subject: supreme
subject: wins
description: The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 to restrict thousands of lawsuits claiming Bayer, the parent company of Monsanto, had a duty to warn consumers about potential cancer risks from its popular weed killer Roundup. The case before the Supreme Court beg...
encoded: The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 to restrict thousands of lawsuits claiming Bayer, the parent company of Monsanto, had a duty to warn consumers about potential cancer risks from its popular weed killer Roundup. The case before the Supreme Court began in St. Louis, Missouri, where a resident named John Durnell, who had used Roundup for decades and was later diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, sued Monsanto under Missouri state law for not putting a warning label on its product. But because the federal Environmental Protection Agency found no cancer risk in its assessment of Roundup, the court has ruled against Durnell. “The ruling essentially says that only the EPA can make a determination that something is harmful to us and has to carry a warning label,” explains reporter Nate Halverson, who has been documenting health and environmental harms allegedly linked to Roundup, as well as efforts to hold Monsanto accountable. In his reporting, Halverson found that scientific studies cited by the EPA in its Roundup assessment were “ghostwritten” by Monsanto itself — and “that ghostwritten information has now made its way into the Supreme Court’s decision.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Supreme Court Strips Protections for Haitian & Syrian Immigrants in “Racially Inflected” Decision
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-26T12:37:59Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 8220racially
subject: court
subject: decision
subject: Democracy
subject: for
subject: haitian
subject: immigrants
subject: inflected8221
subject: now
subject: protections
subject: sources
subject: strips
subject: supreme
subject: syrian
description: Thousands of Haitians and Syrians living in the United States are newly at risk of deportation after the Supreme Court ruled to allow the Trump administration to strip them of “temporary protected status,” or TPS. The program, desi...
encoded: Thousands of Haitians and Syrians living in the United States are newly at risk of deportation after the Supreme Court ruled to allow the Trump administration to strip them of “temporary protected status,” or TPS. The program, designed for foreign citizens of countries the U.S. government believes are too unstable or dangerous to be returned to, often due to natural disasters or war, has been a major target of attack by the Trump administration and its anti-immigrant agenda. “We are looking at the catastrophic deficit in the workforce in the United States if we allow this deportation machine and cruelty to take effect,” our guest, Haitian Bridge Alliance’s Guerline Jozef, says. “This is just part of the Trump administration’s efforts to feed the detention and deportation machine and essentially halt immigration,” adds Lupe Aguirre of the International Refugee Assistance Project. “It’s about maintaining their campaign promises to root out people that they see as undesirable.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Venezuela Earthquakes: U.S. Sanctions Impede Rescue Efforts as Death Toll Soars
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-26T12:28:44Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: death
subject: Democracy
subject: Earthquakes
subject: efforts
subject: impede
subject: now
subject: Rescue
subject: Sanctions
subject: soars
subject: sources
subject: toll
subject: Venezuela
description: The death toll from twin earthquakes that hit Venezuela Wednesday night is expected to reach into the thousands as rescuers continue to search for bodies trapped in the rubble. Hospitals are rapidly reaching a breaking point, and thousands of ...
encoded: The death toll from twin earthquakes that hit Venezuela Wednesday night is expected to reach into the thousands as rescuers continue to search for bodies trapped in the rubble. Hospitals are rapidly reaching a breaking point, and thousands of survivors have been left homeless. Reporter Andreína Chávez’s building was one of the countless residences in Venezuela’s capital Caracas and its surrounding region that were damaged by the massive quakes. Chávez was on the street when the earthquakes struck, and says she “saw at least three buildings partially collapse right in front of [her].” As Venezuelans band together to find survivors, the country is calling for international support and resources to step up critical rescue and recovery efforts. “We weren’t prepared for a disaster of this magnitude,” says Chávez. “Venezuela is a country that has been under U.S. sanctions … as well as a country that has an infrastructure that is very deteriorated. We have public services that are very deteriorated, and all of that has been something that has really added to this tragedy.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

In “Devastating” Immigration Ruling, Supreme Court Allows Trump Admin to “Turn Back” Asylum Seekers
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-26T12:13:30Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 8220devastating8221
subject: 8220turn
subject: admin
subject: allows
subject: Asylum
subject: back8221
subject: court
subject: Democracy
subject: Immigration
subject: now
subject: ruling
subject: seekers
subject: sources
subject: supreme
subject: trump
description: The Supreme Court has sided with the Trump administration in a major blow to the rights of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. The court ruled 6 to 3 along partisan lines to sanction so-called metering at the southern border, which allows...
encoded: The Supreme Court has sided with the Trump administration in a major blow to the rights of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. The court ruled 6 to 3 along partisan lines to sanction so-called metering at the southern border, which allows immigration officers at ports of entry to block asylum seekers from setting foot on U.S. soil. “In a time of increasing conflict and climate catastrophe, this will result in many more deaths,” warns Erika Pinheiro of Al Otro Lado, the lead plaintiff in the case. When the turnback policy was first introduced, recounts Melissa Crow of the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, who served as co-counsel for the plaintiffs’ case, many asylum seekers became “so desperate that they ended up trying to enter between ports of entry, either by swimming across the Rio Grande or by traversing the desert under harrowing conditions, and many, many of them didn’t make it to the other side.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Headlines for June 26, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-26T12:00:00Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: for
subject: headlines
subject: june
subject: now
subject: sources
description: Over 500 Are Dead and Thousands Remain Missing Following Twin Earthquakes in Venezuela, U.N. Shipping Agency Halts Strait of Hormuz Evacuations as Projectile Strikes Cargo Ship, Israeli Airstrikes Kill 2 in Lebanon as Netanyahu Says Occupation Will Continue Indefinitely, Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to Block Asylum Seekers at U.S. Border, Supreme Court Will Allow Trump to End TPS for 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians, Supreme Court Blocks Cancer Patients from Suing Bayer over Popular Weed Killer, U.S. Plans to Deport Over 500 Unaccompanied Immigrant Children, Federal Agents Confront Election Worker at Syracuse Polling Place over Instagram Post, Judge Blocks Trump’s Order Creating “Confirmed Citizen Lists” and Restricting Mail-in Voting, JD Vance Praises Richard Nixon, Downplays Watergate Scandal, New York City to Freeze Rents for Nearly 1 Million Apartments for Next Two Years
encoded: Over 500 Are Dead and Thousands Remain Missing Following Twin Earthquakes in Venezuela U.N. Shipping Agency Halts Strait of Hormuz Evacuations as Projectile Strikes Cargo Ship Israeli Airstrikes Kill 2 in Lebanon as Netanyahu Says Occupation Will Continue Indefinitely Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to Block Asylum Seekers at U.S. Border Supreme Court Will Allow Trump to End TPS for 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians Supreme Court Blocks Cancer Patients from Suing Bayer over Popular Weed Killer U.S. Plans to Deport Over 500 Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Federal Agents Confront Election Worker at Syracuse Polling Place over Instagram Post Judge Blocks Trump's Order Creating "Confirmed Citizen Lists" and Restricting Mail-in Voting JD Vance Praises Richard Nixon, Downplays Watergate Scandal New York City to Freeze Rents for Nearly 1 Million Apartments for Next Two Years This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Democracy Now! 2026-06-26 Friday
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-26T12:00:00Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 20260626
subject: Democracy
subject: friday
subject: now
subject: sources
description: Democracy Now! Friday, June 26, 2026
encoded: Democracy Now! Friday, June 26, 2026 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.

PATCHE DI RIMA (Praia, Cabo Verde)
type: item
creator: Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes
date: 2026-06-26T11:55:28Z
subject: Petites Planètes
subject: Sources
subject: cabo
subject: patche
subject: petites
subject: planètes
subject: praia
subject: rima
subject: sources
subject: verde
description: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.

CPJ, partners call on EU to review approach toward Tunisia amid critical human rights decline
type: item
creator: CPJ Staff
date: 2026-06-26T10:18:16Z
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Imprisoned
subject: Sources
subject: amid
subject: approach
subject: call
subject: committee
subject: cpj
subject: critical
subject: decline
subject: Detained
subject: human
subject: imprisoned
subject: Journalists
subject: partners
subject: protect
subject: Review
subject: rights
subject: sources
subject: toward
subject: Tunisia
description: On Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists and five other press freedom and human rights organizations sent a joint letter to the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for an immediate change in the EU’s approach toward Tunisia due to a severe human rights decline. The signatories urged von der Leyen to condemn...
encoded: On Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists and five other press freedom and human rights organizations sent a joint letter to the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for an immediate change in the EU’s approach toward Tunisia due to a severe human rights decline. The signatories urged von der Leyen to condemn the crackdown on free speech and to press for the release of those who have been wrongfully incarcerated, including journalists. Several members of the press, including Mourad Zghidi, Borhen Bsaies, and Zied el-Heni remain imprisoned in Tunisia solely for exercising their right to report. Two other journalists, Ghassen Ben Khelifa and Khaoula Boukrim, were sentenced to two and four years in prison consecutively. Others, like lawyer and media commentator Sonia Dahmani, CPJ’s 2025 International Press Freedom Award honoree, continue to face judicial harassment despite her release from prison in November following the adoption of a European Parliament resolution. Read the full letter in English. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

Russian independent journalists fear MAX app, new online restrictions will hinder reporting
type: item
creator: Lamiya Adilgizi
date: 2026-06-26T09:49:36Z
subject: Censored
subject: Committee to Protect Journalists
subject: Legal Action
subject: Roskomnadzor
subject: Sources
subject: Telegram
subject: Transnational Repression
subject: VK
subject: action
subject: app
subject: censored
subject: committee
subject: fear
subject: hinder
subject: independent
subject: Internet
subject: Journalists
subject: legal
subject: max
subject: new
subject: online
subject: protect
subject: reporting
subject: repression
subject: restrictions
subject: roskomnadzor
subject: russian
subject: sources
subject: telegram
subject: transnational
subject: will
description: As Russian authorities tighten the screw on popular messaging app Telegram and promote a state-backed “super app” that observers say could act as a surveillance tool, independent journalists and media outlets inside and outside Russia say it will become more difficult to report stories securely and stay connected to audiences. President Vladimir Putin is pushing...
encoded: As Russian authorities tighten the screw on popular messaging app Telegram and promote a state-backed “super app” that observers say could act as a surveillance tool, independent journalists and media outlets inside and outside Russia say it will become more difficult to report stories securely and stay connected to audiences. President Vladimir Putin is pushing for “digital sovereignty” and more control over Russia’s online infrastructure, including through the promotion of the MAX app, which some journalists and experts have compared to China’s WeChat – a powerful surveillance tool for the state. MAX was released by Russian technology giant VK in March 2025 and is intended as a domestic alternative to Telegram, a critical platform for independent and exiled media that the Kremlin wants to curtail because it offers an alternative source of information, notably since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Amid growing censorship, Telegram allows opposition figures, journalists, human rights defenders, activists and digital influencers to reach large audiences outside traditional state-controlled media channels. Its relative independence makes it harder for the authorities to control the flow of information. But since February, state media regulator Roskomnadzor has introduced restrictions on Telegram over what it says is failure to combat fraud, delete extremist content and protect user data. Observers, including Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov, say the throttling of the app is designed to push people into embracing MAX, allowing authorities to more easily control news and information and making it specifically harder for journalists, inside and outside the country, to communicate securely with potential sources or receive tip-offs. The Telegram crackdown comes on top of widespread internet shutdowns, which have cut off many Russians from reliable information as Putin’s popularity declines and tensions grow over the war in Ukraine. “Two phone practices…

DN! Friday, June 26, 2026
type: item
creator: Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4
date: 2026-06-26T09:45:48Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: 2026
subject: Democracy
subject: friday
subject: june
subject: now
subject: sources
description: Friday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD
encoded: Friday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4 and was authored by Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4.

Belarusian Leader Lukashenko Tempers War Rhetoric After Zelenskyy Ultimatum
type: item
creator: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
date: 2026-06-26T09:06:12Z
subject: Radio Free Europe/RL
subject: Sources
subject: after
subject: belarusian
subject: europerl
subject: free
subject: leader
subject: lukashenko
subject: radio
subject: rhetoric
subject: sources
subject: tempers
subject: ultimatum
subject: war
subject: zelenskyy
description: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

An Oregon Law Lets One Wealthy Region Turn the Desert Green. When Drought Hits, Farmers Pay the Price.
type: item
creator: Emily Cureton Cook
date: 2026-06-26T09:00:00Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: ‘one
subject: desert
subject: Drought
subject: environment
subject: farmers
subject: green
subject: hits
subject: Law
subject: let’s
subject: oregon
subject: pay
subject: price
subject: propublica
subject: region
subject: Regulation
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: turn
subject: wealthy
subject: when
description: The post An Oregon Law Lets One Wealthy Region Turn the Desert Green. When Drought Hits, Farmers Pay the Price. appeared first on ProPublica.
encoded: The Central Oregon Irrigation District diverts water from the Deschutes River through hundreds of miles of canals, pipes and ditches to irrigate high desert lands near Bend and Redmond, Oregon. Brandon Swanson/OPB Chris Casad awakens each day before dawn on the Central Oregon property he bought nine years ago, the farm where he once grew tons of potatoes before water shortages forced him to fallow fields and take a job feeding someone else’s cattle on someone else’s land. At 38, he’s got tractors older than he is. His two kids are under 5. His wife, Cate, has two jobs. They’re staring down a pile of debt from their 85 acres and its unending supply of things in the process of breaking. The crisis for their farm started in drought — three summers during which starving grasshoppers descended on the area’s remaining crops, tepid reservoirs bloomed with toxic algae, nearly 1,000 Oregon wells went dry and the springs feeding the Deschutes River shriveled to their lowest recorded flow. But the death knell for Casad’s crops was Oregon’s century-old law, which protects some water users at the expense of others. The couple saw the state cut their community’s share of irrigation water from the Deschutes in the name of that law. Farmers in Jefferson County, where they live, stopped cultivating a third of the county’s irrigated land. “There were a number of suicides, let alone people who closed up shop, older farmers just not wanting to waste their life’s worth of work and their savings on just trying to keep it going,” Casad said. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="766" width="1149" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260404-Nash-DeschutesIrrigation_101_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?w=1149" alt="A man and a woman stand together in front of a tractor. Behind them is another tractor, cars, a wide-open landscape and, in the distance, snow-capped mountains." class="wp-image-82505" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploa…

Oregon Leaders Are Trying to Save the Deschutes River. Here’s Why That’s So Hard.
type: item
creator: Emily Cureton Cook
date: 2026-06-26T08:55:00Z
subject: ProPublica
subject: Sources
subject: are
subject: deschutes
subject: environment
subject: hard
subject: here’s
subject: leaders
subject: oregon
subject: propublica
subject: Regulation
subject: river
subject: save
subject: sources
subject: that’s
subject: the
subject: trying
subject: why
description: The post Oregon Leaders Are Trying to Save the Deschutes River. Here’s Why That’s So Hard. appeared first on ProPublica.
encoded: A dam across the Deschutes River in Bend, Oregon, diverts water to irrigation district canals in July 2025. Brandon Swanson/OPB Every year, about 90% of Central Oregon’s Deschutes River disappears into networks of canals and pipes traversing high desert. Between April and October, what’s left in this major river — one of the largest spring-fed waterways in the U.S. — looks more like a creek trickling out of Bend, Oregon. Six irrigation districts — quasi-public corporations — divert the water to green up the properties of about 7,500 landowners in one of the state’s driest regions. Of the six, none is as powerful as the Central Oregon Irrigation District. It has rights to use more than half of the Deschutes’ volume — more than all the other districts combined. And under state law, in times of scarcity, most of the others must cut back to protect COID’s share of the river. During the last drought, state water law forced commercial farmers downstream to fallow their land while COID diverted four times what its landowners’ crops consumed, an Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica analysis of state data found. Our analysis showed similar ratios across both wet and dry years, roughly aligning with estimates of what COID told the state its crops required. While state water managers did not dispute our analysis, the irrigation district said it didn’t trust the satellite-based data we used, which Oregon lawmakers backed to study water availability. COID landowners are doing exactly what the law encourages them to do, state legislators said. To keep rights to the water, districts have to prove to the state that their customers are consistently using it “beneficially.” In the district, our reporting found, more than 9 out of 10 acres were pasture — grass for grazing or landscaping, or hay for livestock — considered beneficial under the law. Oregon and other Western states have so far rejected any legislation that restricts what people can grow or how efficient they must be:…

How climate change gets under the skin
type: item
creator: Zoya Teirstein
date: 2026-06-26T08:45:00Z
subject: Grist
subject: Sources
subject: change
subject: Climate
subject: gets
subject: health
subject: how
subject: skin
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: under
description: Here’s what we know, so far, about the lasting effects of climate change on the body’s vital systems.
encoded: How Climate Change Gets Under the Skin Gets Under the Skin A warming world is putting pressure on every system in your body. Heat waves, wildfire smoke, infectious diseases, and other health threats amplified by climate change are jeopardizing decades of public health gains. As temperatures rise, experts warn that everyone is at risk. By Zoya Teirstein Illustrations by Samantha Mash​​​​ Jun 26, 2026 This story is part of the Grist series Vital Signs, exploring the ways climate change affects your health. This reporting initiative is made possible thanks to support from the Wellcome Trust.​​​​​ Doctors agree: Climate change is a hazard to your health. Leading medical journals warn that rising greenhouse gas emissions will result in millions of needless deaths and undermine decades of hard-won progress in public health. Some of these risks are obvious. The immediate effects of extreme heat and wildfire smoke on the lungs and heart are easy to recognize — and particularly dangerous for those who are already immunocompromised or in poor health. Heat-related mortality has been rising since the 1990s, and wildfire smoke is now linked to tens of thousands of illnesses and deaths every year. But researchers are beginning to unearth clues about how repeat, overlapping climate stressors, from flood-related mold to warming water temperatures to higher pollen counts, affect everyone — even society’s healthiest members. No one is immune. Here’s what we know, so far, about the lasting effects of climate change on the body’s vital systems. ​​​​​​​ Cardiovascular System <img class="interactive-health-story-section__inline-image" src="https://grist.org/article/how-climate-change-affects-your-body-systems-health/https:&%23x2F;&%23x2F;grist.org&%23x2F;wp-content&%23x2F;uploads&%23x2F;2026&%23x2F;06&%23x2F;Climate-Health-cardiovascular.png&%23x3F;quality&%23x3D;75&strip&%23x3D;all" width="1024" height="1251" alt="Climate-Health-cardiovascular" aria-hidden="true" loading="lazy" decoding…

This is the story that Trump and the West doesn’t want you to know
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-26T08:37:08Z
subject: Anger at America
subject: Anglo-Iranian Oil Company
subject: Anglo-Persian Oil Company
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: British Empire
subject: British Petroleum
subject: First World War
subject: Iran-Iraq War
subject: Iranian oil
subject: Israeli atrocities
subject: Mohammed Mosaddegh
subject: Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi
subject: Operation Ajax
subject: Political caricatures
subject: political cartoons
subject: SAVAK
subject: Sources
subject: War on Iran
subject: ‘british’
subject: ajax
subject: america
subject: Analysis
subject: and
subject: anger
subject: anglo?iranian
subject: anglopersian
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: Assassinations
subject: Atrocities
subject: bp
subject: caricatures
subject: Cartoons
subject: Civil Society
subject: company
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: doesn’t
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: Education
subject: Empire
subject: Featured
subject: first
subject: Global
subject: History
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: iran
subject: iranian
subject: iranian revolution
subject: iraniraq
subject: israeli
subject: Justice
subject: know’
subject: Media
subject: Middle East
subject: mohammed
subject: mosaddegh
subject: oil
subject: operation
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: pahlavi
subject: Palestine
subject: petroleum
subject: political
subject: Politics
subject: report
subject: reza
subject: savak
subject: Shah
subject: sources
subject: story
subject: Syndicate
subject: that

Ask a Climate Therapist: How do I avoid getting trapped in the system I hope to change?
type: item
creator: Leslie Davenport
date: 2026-06-26T08:30:00Z
subject: Grist
subject: Sources
subject: ask
subject: avoid
subject: change
subject: Climate
subject: Culture
subject: getting
subject: health
subject: hope
subject: how
subject: solutions
subject: sources
subject: system
subject: the
subject: therapist
subject: trapped
description: A young engineer has a vision for changing their industry, but worries about slowly becoming a cog in the machine. Therapist Leslie Davenport offers advice for staying creative.
encoded: Dear Leslie, I work as a civil engineer, and I want to change the way roadway projects are seen, from constant expansion to holistic community-led improvement — but I feel like I don’t have enough traction as an entry-level employee. I am scared I will get sucked into the system as it is now and never effect the change I envision. How do I make sure I don’t fall into this trap? — A Worried Engineer Submit a question for a future Ask a Climate Therapist column Dear Worried Engineer, While it might not feel like it, your concern is an asset: It signals that you’re aware of how systems suppress creativity and reward business as usual. You’re right that as an entry-level worker, you may need to take the long view and build credibility before you can shift your organization’s culture and policies. This approach is called strategic patience — an intentional practice you draw on while you’re working toward values-based change. (It’s completely different from capitulation, which involves rationalizing a particular story so you can feel OK about your workplace or industry as it is.) Think of this as a time for reconnaissance and field research on your part. Keep your eyes wide open to the specific challenges you think your organization needs to overcome in order to adopt the more holistic, community-based approach that you want to see in action — and write about it, to help keep yourself on track and hone your ideas about how to transform some of the established practices in your field. Ask a Climate Therapist tackles your questions about how to navigate the emotional side of climate change, with leading climate-aware therapist Leslie Davenport. Have a question? Ask it here! The “trap” that you want to avoid also has a name: bureaucratic absorption, the gradual process by which people who enter systems intending to change them are instead changed by them. So, how can you avoid falling into that? Most climate psychology tools focus on increasing the resilience of our emotions…

Jale Moala: Why is the UN credible when Fiji agrees but not when it’s inconvenient?
type: item
creator: Pacific Media Watch
date: 2026-06-26T07:40:15Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Gaza genocide
subject: Israeli genocide
subject: Israeli War Crimes
subject: Sources
subject: Targeting children
subject: Targeting Palestinians
subject: UN credibility
subject: UN help to Fiji
subject: UN reports
subject: ‘credible’
subject: ‘credibility’
subject: agrees
subject: asia
subject: Asia Report
subject: but
subject: children
subject: crimes
subject: Decolonisation
subject: Democracy
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: Featured
subject: Fiji
subject: gaza
subject: Genocide
subject: Global
subject: HELP
subject: Human Rights
subject: inconvenient
subject: Indigenous
subject: israeli
subject: it’s
subject: jale
subject: Justice
subject: Media
subject: military
subject: moala:
subject: Multimedia
subject: new zealand
subject: not
subject: Opinion
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: Pacific Voices
subject: Palestine
subject: palestinians
subject: Politics
subject: report
subject: Reports
subject: Security
subject: Self Determination
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: targeting
subject: the
subject: United Nations
subject: war
subject: when
subject: why
description: COMMENTARY: By Jale Moala It’s interesting how readily many people in Fiji embrace the work of the United Nations when it supports local programmes such as climate resilience, development, governance and social inclusion. Yet when the UN publishes reports critical of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, some of the same voices suddenly dismiss it as
encoded: COMMENTARY: By Jale Moala It’s interesting how readily many people in Fiji embrace the work of the United Nations when it supports local programmes such as climate resilience, development, governance and social inclusion. Yet when the UN publishes reports critical of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, some of the same voices suddenly dismiss it as corrupt, evil or “fake news”. Recently the UN published a report that accuses Israel of deliberately targeting children in Gaza. READ MORE: Israel continues to commit genocide, atrocity crimes by deliberately targeting Palestinian children, UN independent commission finds Israeli envoy and UN official clash at hearing over report blacklisting Tel Aviv Other Fiji and Israel reports Facebook comments in response to the report have described the UN as the “enemy of Israel”, “a promoter of lies” and even an organisation that “stands for terrorists”. The Fijian response raises an interesting question: Is the UN credible only when it says things we already agree with? Or do we judge its credibility according to who its findings happen to criticise? No institution is beyond criticism, including the UN. But it is worth remembering that it has maintained an office in Suva since Fiji’s independence, supporting everything from disaster recovery and climate resilience to governance, health and community development. It seems odd to celebrate its work when it helps Fiji, yet dismiss it outright when its findings are politically or religiously inconvenient. Jale Moala, one of Fiji’s most experienced and talented journalists, has been editor of the Fiji Daily Post and Pacific Islands Monthly, night editor of The National daily newspaper in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, and a senior journalist on several New Zealand news media. This commentary is republished from his Facebook page with permission. Targeting of Gaza chidren Video: ABC News This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by Pacific Media Watch.

Chocolatier Sandy Tran on trusting yourself (and your team)
type: item
creator: Nereya Otieno
date: 2026-06-26T07:00:00Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Creative Independent
subject: and
subject: chef
subject: chocolatier
subject: creative
subject: Food
subject: independent
subject: sandy
subject: sources
subject: team
subject: the
subject: tran
subject: trusting
subject: your
subject: yourself
description: How did you go from pastry chef at The French Laundry to this?
encoded: How did you go from pastry chef at The French Laundry to this? The French Laundry is a very different world. As a restaurant, it’s just a different format. There’s a formula: an ice cream course, a fruit course, a chocolate course—and the three shall not meet. Working within that kind of structure was cool. My chef taught me how to really make those things shine. Learning from him, having a big garden process, and just watching how that resonated with guests was great foundational learning. Transitioning that kind of knowledge base to here was a complete 180. I could put a perfectly oiled strawberry on a plate and give it to you, and you’re like, “This is fantastic.” Making that translate to a bonbon takes a lot of art. Sometimes, I’ll have a strawberry plucked and eat it, and be like, “This is great.” And then try to put it into a bonbon, and I’m like, “That’s bad. How did it go from there to there?” Do you start with just throwing things at the table, thinking, “these are the ingredients that I need to get towards this flavor profile,” and rejiggering it from there? Exactly. I’m very trial-and-error. I like to have a wild, crazy thought, and then I’ll struggle and try to make it, and then realize that there are limitations to what I can do. So it’s like, “Okay, cool. That was a good idea, Sandy, but let’s rein it in. Maybe we’ll just do a basic ganache to let the other ingredient that you’re really trying to shine, shine.” And then you just find inspiration from everywhere, walking the market. I need to be out in the sunshine, smell, taste, and think about ingredients. I’m always thinking about things even though I might not look it. Is that very different in your experience as the head chocolatier versus the restaurant environment? It’s kind of crazy because the restaurant is very fleeting. At The French Laundry, the menu was supposed to change every day. So you could put something on the menu and if you didn’t like it, you can change it tomorrow. But with this, …

Cook Islands set to head to the polls in six weeks — August 12
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-26T06:52:46Z
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Cook Islands elections
subject: Cook Islands Party
subject: Mark Brown
subject: Pacific parliaments
subject: Sir Tom Masters
subject: Sources
subject: asia
subject: august
subject: brown
subject: cook
subject: Cook Islands
subject: Cook Islands News
subject: Elections
subject: Featured
subject: head
subject: islands
subject: mark
subject: masters
subject: new zealand
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Report
subject: parliament’s
subject: party
subject: Politics
subject: polls?
subject: report
subject: set
subject: sir
subject: Six
subject: sources
subject: Syndicate
subject: the
subject: tom
subject: weeks
description: RNZ Pacific Cook Islanders are set to head to the polls in six weeks’ time, the King’s Representative of the Cook Islands, Sir Tom Marsters, has announced. In a radio announcement, Sir Tom said that on the advice tendered to him by Prime Minister Mark Brown to call for fresh elections, and pursuant to Article
encoded: RNZ Pacific Cook Islanders are set to head to the polls in six weeks’ time, the King’s Representative of the Cook Islands, Sir Tom Marsters, has announced. In a radio announcement, Sir Tom said that on the advice tendered to him by Prime Minister Mark Brown to call for fresh elections, and pursuant to Article 37 of the Cook Islands constitution, he had dissolved Parliament and appointed Wednesday, 12 August, as the date for the next general election. Sir Tom added that, in accordance with the principles of Westminster parliamentary democracy, the incumbent government would enter into a caretaker mode leading up to the election. READ MORE: Cook Islands PM keeps election date ‘close to his chest’ as opposition eyes unseating him Other Cook Islands reports The Cook Islands Parliament was adjourned sine die on Tuesday afternoon local time, concluding business for this term. In Parliament, Brown clarified that, under the constitution, the King’s Representative is responsible for issuing the notice announcing the election date. Cook Islands News had earlier indicated that the election would be held in August. The last general election took place on 1 August 2022, when Prime Minister Brown led the Cook Islands Party to form a government for a fourth consecutive term with the support of Independent MPs. Election dates Prior to that, the 2018 election was held on June 14, while the 2014 poll was a snap election held on July 9. The 2010 general election took place on November 17. Following the conclusion of business for the latest sitting, which was headlined by the passing of the National Budget, Speaker of Parliament Tai Tura adjourned the House sine die, marking the formal conclusion of the 18th Parliament’s business. “The decision taken by this House does not dissolve Parliament,” Tura clarified. “As that is a matter provided for under the Constitution … it signifies that the House has completed the work presently, before it, and will now stand adjourned without a date.” …

HRW’s Executive Director Philippe Bolopion is in Kyiv this week.
type: item
creator: Human Rights Watch
date: 2026-06-26T06:43:23Z
subject: Human Rights Watch
subject: Sources
subject: bolopion
subject: director
subject: executive
subject: hrw8217s
subject: human
subject: kyiv
subject: philippe
subject: rights
subject: sources
subject: this
subject: watch
subject: week
description: This content originally appeared on Human Rights Watch and was authored by Human Rights Watch.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Human Rights Watch and was authored by Human Rights Watch.

The Hidden Architecture of Knowledge: Intelligence, Academia and the Shaping of Power
type: item
creator: David Price
date: 2026-06-26T06:02:56Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: academia
subject: and
subject: Architecture
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: hidden
subject: Intelligence
subject: knowledge
subject: Leading Article
subject: Power
subject: shaping
subject: sources
subject: the
description: One of the central questions guiding my recent work on intelligence, knowledge production and state power concerns undeclared interests and relationship of research funders. Most of the questions I pursue grew out of my efforts to understand the implications of a mid-1970s finding by the US Senate Church Committee (so named, because it was chaired by Senator Frank Church) that the CIA’s covert funding of US international scholarship was “massive.” The committee established that about half the grants for international research during the 1960s (excluding grants made by Carnegie, Ford, and Rockefeller Foundations—which the report found had their own CIA ties) were secretly funded or influenced by the CIA. This passage got me searching for documents that could substantiate how this system worked. More The post The Hidden Architecture of Knowledge: Intelligence, Academia and the Shaping of Power appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Participants at the International Conference on Modernization in Asia held at Korea University, sponsored by the CIA-linked Asia Foundation in 1965. One of the central questions guiding my recent work on intelligence, knowledge production and state power concerns undeclared interests and relationship of research funders. Most of the questions I pursue grew out of my efforts to understand the implications of a mid-1970s finding by the US Senate Church Committee (so named, because it was chaired by Senator Frank Church) that the CIA’s covert funding of US international scholarship was “massive.” The committee established that about half the grants for international research during the 1960s (excluding grants made by Carnegie, Ford, and Rockefeller Foundations—which the report found had their own CIA ties) were secretly funded or influenced by the CIA. This passage got me searching for documents that could substantiate how this system worked. Part of my work might be thought of as a memory project. Using archives, previously secret documents, oral histories, and published works to consider how the not-always-mentioned interests of the US military industrial complex shaped the development of anthropology and other intellectual inquiries during the Cold War. As I read history of anthropology as a graduate student I was struck by such an obvious lacuna. This work also might be thought of as a fundamental materialist analysis of some of the ways that a society’s base helps shape its superstructure in ways that members of the society don’t always consider. Covert Infrastructure of Academic Knowledge The origins of my latest book, Cold War Deceptions: The Asia Foundation and the CIA, were somewhat accidental. I long ago gave up applying to foundations for most grants or fellowships, having learned that I was not likely to get traditional funds to study the politics of research funding. For many years I received more invitations to give talks at universities in the US and abr…

The Origin of Trump’s Drug War Killing Spree
type: item
creator: James Bovard
date: 2026-06-26T06:00:05Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: drug
subject: killing
subject: Leading Article
subject: origin
subject: sources
subject: spree
subject: the
subject: trump’s
subject: war
description: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth proclaimed that illicit drugs are “tantamount to chemical weapons” and the dead suspects “are the al-Qaeda of our hemisphere, and we are hunting them with the sophistication and precision that we hunted al-Qaeda.” Anyone who the U.S. military killed is automatically posthumously designated a narco-terrorist. If the U.S. government is entitled to summarily kill suspected drug traffickers abroad, there is no reason why the same prerogative would not eventually be invoked on the home front. If politicians truly want to protect Americans, why not authorize the U.S. military, state police, and county government dog catchers to summarily attack any boat suspected of transporting drugs on the nation’s lakes, rivers, or overgrown puddles? More The post The Origin of Trump’s Drug War Killing Spree appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: George W. Bush in the Oval Office with is Attorney General John Ashcroft, who said of the war on drugs: “I want to renew it. I want to refresh it, relaunch it if you will.” White House photo by Eric Draper. President Trump effectively claims that he is entitled to preemptively kill suspected drug traffickers anywhere on earth, or at least in the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. military has killed hundreds of people in its attacks on suspected smugglers’ boats off the coast of South America. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth proclaimed that illicit drugs are “tantamount to chemical weapons” and the dead suspects “are the al-Qaeda of our hemisphere, and we are hunting them with the sophistication and precision that we hunted al-Qaeda.” Anyone who the U.S. military killed is automatically posthumously designated a narco-terrorist. If the U.S. government is entitled to summarily kill suspected drug traffickers abroad, there is no reason why the same prerogative would not eventually be invoked on the home front. If politicians truly want to protect Americans, why not authorize the U.S. military, state police, and county government dog catchers to summarily attack any boat suspected of transporting drugs on the nation’s lakes, rivers, or overgrown puddles? Actually, such warped logic has already been taken to absurd ends. The core follies of the Trump-Hegseth war of extermination on drug suspects were established almost a quarter-century ago. American illicit drug users miraculously became collectively guilty for every terrorist attack in the world. In December 2001, three months after the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush announced to antidrug groups in Washington: “It’s so important for Americans to know that the traffic in drugs finances the work of terror, sustaining terrorists, that terrorists use drug profits to fund their cells to commit acts of murder. If you quit drugs, you join the fight against terror in America.” A few weeks later, the White House Office of Nati…

Roaming Charges: Call the Shrink
type: item
creator: Jeffrey St. Clair
date: 2026-06-26T05:58:59Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: call
subject: charges
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Politics
subject: roaming
subject: Roaming Charges
subject: shrink?
subject: sources
subject: the
description: All my means are sane, my motive and my object mad. ― Herman Melville, Moby-Dick or, The Whale I remember when Woodward and Bernstein’s description in Final Days of Nixon wandering the halls of the West Wing late at night having drunken conversations with the portraits of FDR, Jefferson and Lincoln, seemed such an inconceivable More The post Roaming Charges: Call the Shrink appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Trump doing his whining and moaning routine in Pennsylvania this week. (Screengrab from video posted to X.) All my means are sane, my motive and my object mad. ― Herman Melville, Moby-Dick or, The Whale I remember when Woodward and Bernstein’s description in Final Days of Nixon wandering the halls of the West Wing late at night having drunken conversations with the portraits of FDR, Jefferson and Lincoln, seemed such an inconceivable account of a president who’d lost his marbles that many people assumed they’d made it up, though their source was Tricia’s husband Edward Cox. [Nixon got looped on expensive French wines, Chateau Margaux and Lafitte Rothschild, which, in true Dick Nixon style, he often mixed with a splash of…7 Up!] But Donald Trump posts his insane rants online for all to see, nearly every night, and without the aid of alcohol to set him off, just his own disintegrating mind and no one bats an eye anymore. Last week, he compared himself to Genghis Khan, Napoleon and Alexander the Great (does he know the Macedonian psychopath was bisexual?), claiming he was more powerful than all of them, and was “by far the most powerful person that has ever walked this planet,” because of his “global reach.” (Does he know Global Reach was the title of a book on transnational corporations written by the left-wing political economist Richard Barnett?) During daylight hours, Trump sensibly defending cutting a deal with Iran that ended the war, allowing Iran to keep its enriched uraniumn stockpiles, maintain and restock its ballistic missile arsenal, have control over the Strait of Hormuz, remove sanctions on Iranian oil, unfreeze $28 billion in Iranian financial assets and commit to help raise at $300 billion reconstruction fund to reconstruct the damage to Iran’s infrastructure from the US/Israeli airstrikes. Trump even defended Iran’s right to defend itself and admitted that the US couldn’t dislodge Iran from controlling the Strait of Hormuz without sending in US ground…

Vampire Planet: The LA Fires This Time
type: item
creator: Joshua Frank
date: 2026-06-26T05:58:49Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: Vampire Planet
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: environment
subject: fires
subject: Leading Article
subject: planet
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: this
subject: Time
subject: vampire
description: This week in the Anthropocene A black cloud hangs heavy, casting a dark, ominous shadow. The air is suffocating and smells of burnt plastic and chemicals. It is Day 7 of a raging fire in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, where a 500,000-square-foot refrigerated storage facility housing 85 million pounds of food is More The post Vampire Planet: The LA Fires This Time appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: The Lineage Fire in Boyle Heights. Photograph by Chelsea Mosher. This week in the Anthropocene A black cloud hangs heavy, casting a dark, ominous shadow. The air is suffocating and smells of burnt plastic and chemicals. It is Day 7 of a raging fire in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, where a 500,000-square-foot refrigerated storage facility housing 85 million pounds of food is in flames. An electrical fire that reportedly erupted beneath the building’s solar panels quickly spread to its dense, foam-insulated steel walls, making it difficult for crews to extinguish. Boyle Heights, like many working class neighborhoods in LA, is sandwiched by large industrial sites and crisscrossed by trucking routes and freeways, forcing it to absorb the pollution they generate. It’s one of the most vibrant and engaged places in this sprawling city. Once home to the largest Jewish community west of the Mississippi, Boyle Heights is now over 90% Latinx and proud of that fact. Environmental crimes have long plagued Boyle Heights, where, for over 90 years, a lead-acid battery recycling plant in neighboring Vernon left residents cloaked in air laden with lead and arsenic, toxins still present in soil samples today. Lineage, the company behind the current blaze, has faced various fines and was responsible for a 2024 fire at a facility in Finley, Washington, that burned for 8 days. The Boyle Heights warehouse may not have contained hazardous waste, but its extensive refrigeration system used ammonia as a coolant. An ammonia leak, as the fire broke out, prompted the city to issue “shelter in place” orders. Ammonia is not only highly flammable, it’s also toxic, causing skin and eye damage. If it builds up in the lungs, it can kill. Another disaster is also unfolding, and few have noticed. A stream of water used to douse the fire, containing insulation and other pollutants, has flowed into the storm drain and the LA River, which eventually empties into the ocean in Long Beach. T…

The Ugly American Comes to Europe: Donald Trump in France
type: item
creator: Daniel Warner
date: 2026-06-26T05:58:29Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: american
subject: articles 2015
subject: comes
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: donald
subject: Europe
subject: France
subject: Leading Article
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: trump
subject: ugly
description: Donald Trump's visit to Évian and Versailles offered this Geneva resident an unusually close look at the American president as the local press reported on all the ins and outs of his drop-by. While much of the commentary has focused on the G7 and the very thin memorandum of understanding with Iran, what stood out was Trump's conduct. His declaration that "I'm the boss," his hostility toward journalists, and the pageantry at Versailles all reinforced the image of a president increasingly drawn to the trappings of royal power. Trump turned the visit into another display of self-aggrandizement, reinforcing his image as the “Ugly American.” More The post The Ugly American Comes to Europe: Donald Trump in France appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Trump and the Macrons at Versailles. (Screengrab from CSPAN.) Donald Trump’s visit to Évian and Versailles offered this Geneva resident an unusually close look at the American president as the local press reported on all the ins and outs of his drop-by. While much of the commentary has focused on the G7 and the very thin memorandum of understanding with Iran, what stood out was Trump’s conduct. His declaration that “I’m the boss,” his hostility toward journalists, and the pageantry at Versailles all reinforced the image of a president increasingly drawn to the trappings of royal power. Trump turned the visit into another display of self-aggrandizement, reinforcing his image as the “Ugly American.” The “Ugly American” is the stereotype of an American abroad: loud, domineering, culturally tone-deaf, and convinced that American ways are inherently superior. During his 48-hour visit to France, Trump checked every box. With Trump, the tourist stereotype has become a style of statecraft. First, at the G7, Trump arrived late for a working session. As he entered the room, where the session had already started, instead of apologizing for being late, he greeted the room with “I’m the boss.” He then offered to let the press stay in what was supposed to be a closed-door meeting. Trump’s remark landed with an awkward silence. His tap on the German Chancellor’s shoulder as he took his seat did nothing to change the atmosphere. No leader publicly challenged him, allowing his statement to pass without visible objection. The principal people around the table were the leaders of France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Canada, and Japan. Trump’s comment has been optimistically interpreted as a joke. Whether intended as humor or not, the remark asserted Trump’s domination over the group. The very word “boss” evokes a mafia kingpin more readily than a diplomatic leader. In Europe, where diplomacy still places a premium on courtesy, protocol, and the fiction that sovereign equals meet as …

There are Tens of Thousands of Hind Rajabs
type: item
creator: Lama Khouri
date: 2026-06-26T05:58:21Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: are
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: hind
subject: rajab’s
subject: sources
subject: tens
subject: there
subject: thousands
description: The UN has now found that Israel deliberately targeted Palestinian children. I read the report as a mother, against the speed with which we are already forgetting. I am a mother. I am Palestinian. I am a psychoanalyst, which means I spend my days with people learning to survive what should have destroyed them. Start with More The post There are Tens of Thousands of Hind Rajabs appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Five year old Hind Rajab after her graduation from kindergarten. The UN has now found that Israel deliberately targeted Palestinian children. I read the report as a mother, against the speed with which we are already forgetting. I am a mother. I am Palestinian. I am a psychoanalyst, which means I spend my days with people learning to survive what should have destroyed them. Start with the child we have already been allowed to forget. On January 29, 2024, a six-year-old named Hind Rajab sat in a car in Gaza City, packed in against the bodies of her aunt, her uncle, and her cousins, all of them killed around her by Israeli fire. For hours she stayed on the phone with the Palestine Red Crescent and begged, in the voice of a small child who still trusts that grown-ups come when you call, for someone to come. The soldiers killed the two paramedics sent to save her. They killed the ambulance. Hind was found nearly two weeks later. Investigators counted more than three hundred bullets in the car. The world heard her, because someone recorded the call. A film was made from her voice, and at its first screening a theater full of people stood and wept and clapped for twenty-three minutes, the longest ovation anyone could remember. I wept too. Then the lights came up, everyone went home, and the checks to the army that killed her did not stop. Not for one day. Not for one dollar. We will grieve a Palestinian child once she has been turned into ninety minutes of cinema, and we will keep paying the people who turned her into a body in a car. There are tens of thousands of Hind Rajabs in Palestine. Children whose last hour no one recorded. Children with no film, no ovation, no name you will ever learn. The money that bought the tank beside her car has never wept, never forgotten, never paused. Only we pause. Only we forget. And our forgetting is not innocent. It is the thing the killing needs from us, and it is being counted on. This week the UN’s Independent International Commis…

Ceasefire But Not a Grand Bargain Between the United States and Iran
type: item
creator: Vijay Prashad
date: 2026-06-26T05:57:52Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: bargain
subject: between
subject: but
subject: ceasefire
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: grand
subject: iran
subject: not
subject: sources
subject: states
subject: the
subject: united
subject: war
description: The Iran–US Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) emerged not from reconciliation, but from exhaustion and strategic failure by the United States and its allies. It was the product of a war that had reached its political limits. Washington and Tel Aviv presented their illegal war of aggression as a necessary response to Iran’s nuclear energy programme, More The post Ceasefire But Not a Grand Bargain Between the United States and Iran appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Trump signs a Memorandum of Understanding between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America at the Palace of Versailles. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok.) The Iran–US Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) emerged not from reconciliation, but from exhaustion and strategic failure by the United States and its allies. It was the product of a war that had reached its political limits. Washington and Tel Aviv presented their illegal war of aggression as a necessary response to Iran’s nuclear energy programme, missile capabilities, and regional alliances. Yet behind this language of security lay a broader objective: to weaken Iran decisively and restore a regional order centred on unquestioned US and Israeli dominance. For more than two decades, successive US administrations had sought to contain Iran through sanctions, diplomatic isolation, covert operations, cyberwarfare, and targeted assassinations. The recent war represented the most intense expression of this strategy. The assumption in Washington and Tel Aviv was that overwhelming force would cripple Iran’s military infrastructure, fracture its state capacity, provoke internal instability, and perhaps open the way for political transformation. That expectation was not fulfilled. Iran suffered extensive damage to military facilities, infrastructure, and economic assets. Civilian life was severely disrupted. But the Iranian state did not collapse. Its command structures continued to function, its armed forces retained retaliatory capacity, and its leadership preserved enough cohesion to withstand the assault. Despite the murder of several key leaders of the Islamic Republic, it remains in authority and its legitimacy has in fact been strengthened. Equally important, Iran demonstrated that it could impose costs beyond its own borders. Missile and drone attacks reached Israeli territory and threatened strategic infrastructure across the Gulf Arab states. The conflict imposed by the US and Isr…

When Is It Too Late? The NDAA, US-Israel Military Fusion, and the Point of No Return
type: item
creator: Michael Leonardi
date: 2026-06-26T05:57:52Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: fusion
subject: late’
subject: military
subject: ndaa
subject: point
subject: return
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: too
subject: usisrael
subject: when
description: We are long past the moment when we could pretend the warning signs were not there. Just as climate scientists have spent decades warning of tipping points — the irreversible collapse of ice sheets, the die-off of coral reefs, the sudden release of methane from thawing permafrost — a different kind of catastrophe has been More The post When Is It Too Late? The NDAA, US-Israel Military Fusion, and the Point of No Return appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Photograph by Michael Leonardi We are long past the moment when we could pretend the warning signs were not there. Just as climate scientists have spent decades warning of tipping points — the irreversible collapse of ice sheets, the die-off of coral reefs, the sudden release of methane from thawing permafrost — a different kind of catastrophe has been building in plain sight. This one is political, constitutional, and strategic. And like climate change, it has been enabled by denial, short-term thinking, and the capture of power by entrenched interests. The latest National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) moving through Congress represents one of those tipping points. In provisions that have received far too little public scrutiny, the bill begins the formal fusion of critical elements of the U.S. and Israeli militaries: shared command structures, integrated technology development, aligned intelligence architectures, and interlocking supply chains. What was once a close alliance is being quietly transformed into something far more dangerous — a de facto merged military apparatus. This is the political equivalent of passing 2°C. The feedback loops are strengthening. Once these structures are locked in, unwinding them will require a political effort on the scale of dismantling the entire military-industrial complex. The Constitutional Surrender These NDAA provisions do not simply increase aid or coordination. They create mechanisms for the “consolidation” and “alignment” of U.S. and Israeli military planning, technology, and operations across multiple federal agencies. This is the architecture of irreversible entanglement. The Constitution never envisioned — and does not permit — the quiet merger of American military sovereignty with that of any foreign power. Congress’s power to declare war and appropriate funds, and the President’s role as Commander-in-Chief, are being steadily undermined by institutional arrangements that treat Israel as something closer to a co-e…

Does US AI Depend on Big Companies Throwing Money in the Toilet? The Chinese Competition
type: item
creator: Dean Baker
date: 2026-06-26T05:57:12Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: big
subject: Chinese
subject: companies
subject: competition
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: depend
subject: does
subject: economics
subject: Money
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: throwing
subject: toilet
description: Here are the price-to-earnings ratios as of Friday, June 19. At 37.16, the average increased slightly over last week. Most of us tend to think that the people controlling billions, or even hundreds of billions of dollars, at major corporations have a pretty good idea of what they are doing with their companies’ money. But More The post Does US AI Depend on Big Companies Throwing Money in the Toilet? The Chinese Competition appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Still from Ghost in the Shell. Manga/Anchor Bay. Here are the price-to-earnings ratios as of Friday, June 19. At 37.16, the average increased slightly over last week. Most of us tend to think that the people controlling billions, or even hundreds of billions of dollars, at major corporations have a pretty good idea of what they are doing with their companies’ money. But that clearly is not always the case. For example, in 2000, Time-Warner, which was at the time the largest media company in the country, effectively sold itself for nothing to AOL. The sale went through just two months before the peak of the 1990s tech bubble and the beginning of the crash. AOL was one of the high-flyers of the bubble, with a market capitalization of more than $200 billion, which would be around $400 billion in today’s dollars. AOL paid for Time-Warner with $165 billion of its own stock. Shortly after the merger, the stock of the combined company plunged to roughly what would have been the value of Time-Warner’s stock if it remained an independent company. AOL’s business was adding virtually nothing. There are numerous other stories of extraordinarily bad business judgement from the tech bubble era. As I’ve mentioned before, many companies discovered that adding “dot.com” to their name was an effective way to juice their stock price. Bad business judgement did not go out of style with the collapse of the tech bubble. Meta lost as much as $80 billion pushing its Metaverse, which it largely abandoned at the end of last year. There is some question as to how much of this is actually a loss, since some of the spending may ultimately pay a dividend with AI, but it’s clear a large share of this investment was seriously misdirected. Is the AI Spending Party Over? This background is worth mentioning when it comes to the AI bubble, since a key question is this: How much are businesses willing to pay for AI? Until recently, AI enthusiasts were touting the rapid growth in revenue. It seems a big…

Trump Despotism: Fascist Repression in the United States on the Eve of the Nation’s 250th Anniversary
type: item
creator: Paul Street
date: 2026-06-26T05:56:50Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: 250th
subject: Anniversary
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Despotism
subject: eve
subject: fascist
subject: nations
subject: repression
subject: sources
subject: states
subject: the
subject: trump
subject: united
description: As the United States prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its break from and against the “tyranny” and “despotism” of the British government, the fascist Trump47 regime is carrying out a draconian campaign of tyrannical and despotic repression against free speech and public assembly. NSPM-7 in Fascist Action in Texas and Minnesota Last March, More The post Trump Despotism: Fascist Repression in the United States on the Eve of the Nation’s 250th Anniversary appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: As the United States prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its break from and against the “tyranny” and “despotism” of the British government, the fascist Trump47 regime is carrying out a draconian campaign of tyrannical and despotic repression against free speech and public assembly. NSPM-7 in Fascist Action in Texas and Minnesota Last March, the Trump Department of Justice (DOJ) successfully tried and convicted nine protesters on charges of “Antifa”-aligned terrorism for a July 4, 2025 action outside a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement concentration camp in Prairieland, Texas, just south of Dallas. The trial focused on a protest in which participants set off fireworks in solidarity with the camp’s detainees. During the action, three protesters broke away from the larger group and vandalized ICE vehicles. A police officer drew his weapon at one of the activists and was allegedly by a protester legally armed with an AR-15 (Texas is an open-carry state). The DOJ argued that the fact that the Prairieland activists all wore black clothes to the protest was sufficient to convict them of “material support for terrorism.” Also presented as supposed evidence of “terrorism” was the defendants’ use of the popular encrypted chat Signal. Trump’s DOJ changed its initial charge of those arrested from “attempted murder of a police officer,” to “terrorism” and “material support for terrorism” after the White House designated “antifa” as a “terror group” in its September 25, 2025 National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7). This document directs federal law enforcement to target left-leaning groups and activities, all placed under the “antifa” rubric. (Antifa is simply an umbrella term for militant leftish groups that confront neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations.) NPSM-7 (titled ‘Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence’) designates as legitimate targets of federal counterterrorism enforcement any individuals or groups sus…

The Cruelty and Futility of Criminalizing the Homeless
type: item
creator: Farrah Hassen
date: 2026-06-26T05:56:23Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: criminalizing
subject: cruelty
subject: economics
subject: futility
subject: homeless
subject: sources
subject: the
description: Two years ago this summer, the Supreme Court paved the way for more states and cities to fine or jail people for the “crime” of not having a roof over their head. In their June 28, 2024 Grants Pass v. Johnson decision, the court ruled that an Oregon city’s ordinance barring people from sleeping in More The post The Cruelty and Futility of Criminalizing the Homeless appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Sign at homeless camp, Grants Pass, Oregon. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair. Two years ago this summer, the Supreme Court paved the way for more states and cities to fine or jail people for the “crime” of not having a roof over their head. In their June 28, 2024 Grants Pass v. Johnson decision, the court ruled that an Oregon city’s ordinance barring people from sleeping in public, even when shelter is unavailable, was not “cruel and unusual punishment.” Since then, more than 300 cities have passed bills criminalizing unhoused people. Statehouses have also followed suit. In April, Indiana’s governor signed a statewide prohibition on sleeping in public spaces punishable by up to $500 in fines and 60 days in jail. Louisiana, which has the nation’s highest rates of both incarceration and poverty, is the latest to embrace this cruel and counterproductive approach. The state’s recent “Streets to Success Act” criminalizes sleeping in public spaces with fines up to $500 and six months of imprisonment. The legislation also creates a “Homelessness Court” which will divert some people to a year-long mandatory treatment programto avoid jail time — but they would still be required to plead guilty and pay for treatment. The court can mandate unpaid labor for those unable to pay, and failure to complete the program could still result in a jail sentence. Far from reducing homelessness, a criminal record makes it more difficult for people to find employment, remain financially secure, and get into stable housing. The Grants Pass decision has normalized the dehumanization of people living unhoused. Over the past two years, localities have ramped up the forced clearing of encampments, where many people live when they have no other choice. Alongside other harms, these “sweeps” have resulted in authorities unlawfully seizing and destroying unhoused people’s survival gear and personal items. Last July, President Trump issued an executive order urging cities and states to forcibly institutionali…

Why Iran Defeated the US and Israel
type: item
creator: George Katsiaficas
date: 2026-06-26T05:55:13Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: defeated
subject: iran
subject: israel
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: war
subject: why
description: In the past year, Israel and the US have twice used their advanced technology and massive firepower to launch surprise attacks on Iran and Lebanon, killing thousands of civilians and destroying ‘enemy’ weapons and boats, as well as mosques, churches, hospitals, museums, highways and bridges. Notwithstanding Trump’s pompous claims, Iran has defeated the US and More The post Why Iran Defeated the US and Israel appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: An Iranian missile hits the Israeli oil refineries near Haifa on March 19, 2026. Photo: Hanay, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0 In the past year, Israel and the US have twice used their advanced technology and massive firepower to launch surprise attacks on Iran and Lebanon, killing thousands of civilians and destroying ‘enemy’ weapons and boats, as well as mosques, churches, hospitals, museums, highways and bridges. Notwithstanding Trump’s pompous claims, Iran has defeated the US and Israel. Although Israel has continually had a laser-sharp focus on its goals, the US never had a clear view of why it was fighting. Unwilling to appear devoid of a rationale for his killing spree, Trump has recently begun to mechanically parrot Israeli fears of an Iranian nuclear bomb. Every time he repeats this war aim, the American public understands that the US is fighting a war for Israel, no matter how much Trump and his yes-boys deny it. None of Israel’s goals have been achieved, not the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, not an end to Iranian nuclear program, not a popular uprising against the regime. Immediately after the attacks of February 28, 2026, Iran took control of the Straight of Hormuz, the first successful contestation of US naval power since World War 2. Three US aircraft carriers were compelled to depart from the Persian Gulf. Besides its successful targeting of Israel, Iran rained destruction on US and Israel regional allies, including the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, and Qatar—all of which facilitated attacks on Iran. The Islamic Republic so badly damaged nearby American military bases that many have been closed, and US troops billeted in hotels, proving to many small countries that US bases can be liabilities as much as they may be assets. Huge radar installation in Bahrain were destroyed, as were tens of billions of dollars of military infrastructure, including dozens of jets, helicopters, radar systems, and drones. At least 13 US troops were killed and 380 woun…

Biking Berlin, Walking Watkins Glen
type: item
creator: David Yearsley
date: 2026-06-26T05:55:05Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: berlin
subject: biking
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Culture
subject: glen
subject: sources
subject: walking’
subject: watkins
description: As I suggested last week, Jeremy Eichler can’t visit all memorials or write about them in his book, The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance. Let’s leave Eichler’s tour of monuments, musical and [ . . . ] The post Biking Berlin, Walking Watkins Glen appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: A dandelion grows in the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Photo: David Yearsley. As I suggested last week, Jeremy Eichler can’t visit all memorials or write about them in his book, The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance. Let’s leave Eichler’s tour of monuments, musical and architectural, and head out on a different excursion—a bike ride through Berlin. Our itinerary begins in Schöneberg, where John F. Kennedy held his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech in May of 1962 in front of the municipal hall with its clock tower. When I first moved to the district with my family in 2003, a friend pointed out a trio of old women sitting on a park bench in the Bayerischer Platz (Bavarian Square) and told me that they were SS widows still living in apartments stolen from Schöneberg’s many Jewish families evicted by Albert Speer, architect of their dispossession and deportation. In streets running off from the square, intermittent street signs affixed to lampposts grab the attention of passers-by. On one side of each is a striking image, for example, of a chess piece or a cat. Curious, one wants to see what’s on the other side and finds there a quotation from the relevant Nazi law, in these two cases, forbidding Jews to be members of chess clubs or from owning pets. The sidewalks of Schöneberg have many Stolpersteine (stumble-stones)—small brass plaques with the names, dates, and places of birth and death attached to cobbles in the sidewalks in front of the homes of the former Jewish owners. Unlike in Saarbrücken, these plaques are visible for those who care to notice these small sidewalk testaments. Inside the Schöneberg Rathaus, there is a permanent exhibit called “Wir waren Nachbarn” (We Were Neighbors) that includes a reading room where one can research the addresses of, and find information about, the district’s former Jewish residents. There are also film interviews with some of the survivors, such as the musicologist Helmut Kallmann, who…

The Illusions of Western Virtue: Ursula von der Leyen and Europe’s Moral Bankruptcy
type: item
creator: Ramzy Baroud
date: 2026-06-26T05:54:36Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: bankruptcy
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: der
subject: europe’s
subject: illusions
subject: leyen
subject: moral
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: ursula
subject: virtue:
subject: von
subject: western
description: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has every right to condition European relations with any other country or bloc on respect for human rights. That, of course, would hold true if she genuinely cared about such values herself. In response to the June 19 signing of the memorandum of understanding between the United States More The post The Illusions of Western Virtue: Ursula von der Leyen and Europe’s Moral Bankruptcy appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has every right to condition European relations with any other country or bloc on respect for human rights. That, of course, would hold true if she genuinely cared about such values herself. In response to the June 19 signing of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran—intended to bring an end to a destructive war—von der Leyen declared that the European Union does not intend to lift its sanctions on Tehran. Speaking on June 15, ahead of the G7 summit, she firmly conditioned any diplomatic thawing on domestic changes within the Islamic Republic. “The principle of sanctions is that we need real change on the ground before we can think about lifting them,” she stated, adding: “As long as there is no behavioral change, you cannot lift the sanctions because of human rights violations.” Viewed in isolation, the European position might appear principled, even commendable. In its broader geopolitical context, however, it exposes a staggering level of hypocrisy. On that very same day, the European Union’s duplicity was laid bare. During a Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, Europe effectively refused to take a unified stand on imposing trade sanctions on Israel, despite its ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip and unchecked colonial violence and expansionist policies in the occupied West Bank. The discussion itself would not have taken place had it not been for the persistent efforts of Spain and Ireland, which have repeatedly urged the bloc to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement over Israel’s flagrant violations of international law. The initiative failed because the EU remains deeply divided, constrained by the requirement of unanimity on foreign policy and repeatedly blocked by pro-Israel governments. While Europe continues to engage Israel—providing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his extremist coalition with desperately needed political and economic lifelines—the…

US-Instigated Humanitarian Crisis Forces Cuba to Adopt Major Economic Changes
type: item
creator: W. T. Whitney
date: 2026-06-26T05:52:17Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: adopt
subject: articles 2015
subject: changes
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: crisis
subject: Cuba
subject: economic
subject: economics
subject: forces
subject: humanitarian
subject: major
subject: sources
subject: usinstigated
description: The tide may at last be turning in Cuba’s favor. Newly announced plans of Cuba’s government point to the beginning of rescue from the terrible humanitarian crisis currently weighing on the Cuban people. Prompting the crisis are the long US economic blockade of the island and the US-imposed oil blockade that began on January 28. More The post US-Instigated Humanitarian Crisis Forces Cuba to Adopt Major Economic Changes appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Street of Old Habana, Cuba. Photo: Emmanuel Huybrechts. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 2.0 The tide may at last be turning in Cuba’s favor. Newly announced plans of Cuba’s government point to the beginning of rescue from the terrible humanitarian crisis currently weighing on the Cuban people. Prompting the crisis are the long US economic blockade of the island and the US-imposed oil blockade that began on January 28. Changes approved on June 19 at a special session of Cuba’s National Assembly had multiple purposes, among them: increasing production and generating wealth for the sake of economic development, securing financial resources to pay for for humanitarian relief, establishing guarantees of social well-being for Cuba’s beleaguered population, and achieving full utilization of Cuba’s farm land in order to build agricultural production. Throughout the discussions leading to these changes, government leaders testified to their common purpose of protecting and strengthening Cuba’s socialist model. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, speaking at a special plenum of the Cuba’s Communist Party offered these major goals: “Macroeconomic stabilization and the recovery of foreign revenue, transformation of the economic and social model, stimulation and recovery of the agricultural sector, strengthening of accounting and cost management, and anticipating and mitigating the social costs associated with the necessary transformations of the economic and social model.” The rapid-fire developments of recent days follow media reports over months of horrendous grief throughout the island, mounting US economic sanctions, threats of US military attack, and Cuba’s own preparations for a US invasion. Remarkably enough, only a rare word about Cuba’s military defense appears in the statements and speeches accompanying these proceedings. Consultations and planning sessions had been ongoing for weeks. The process yielded result 390 proposals to be evaluated by the National Assembly, of which …

The Cuban Revolution Will Live On
type: item
creator: Hamza Shehryar
date: 2026-06-26T05:51:29Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: cuban
subject: live
subject: Revolution
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: will
description: Over the last few months, the violence and atrocities imposed upon the Cuban people by the United States’ commander-in-chief have escalated to apocalyptic proportions. Since returning to office, Donald Trump has been choking the Cuban people by ramping up to an unprecedented degree the United States’ tremendously cruel and illegal blockade on the island. Since More The post The Cuban Revolution Will Live On appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Over the last few months, the violence and atrocities imposed upon the Cuban people by the United States’ commander-in-chief have escalated to apocalyptic proportions. Since returning to office, Donald Trump has been choking the Cuban people by ramping up to an unprecedented degree the United States’ tremendously cruel and illegal blockade on the island. Since May 1, the US has begun to sanction foreign companies for simply maintaining economic relations with Cuba. This means international companies that are in no way linked to the US can face banking restrictions, exclusion from dollar transactions, economic retaliation, and can even have their assets frozen by the US for simply trading with Cuba. As a result, major European businesses have been cancelling contracts and services because the risks are too high. Trump’s escalations are new, but their foundations have existed in some form since the embargo was first imposed in 1960, soon after Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and their comrades overthrew Fulgencio Batista’s brutal dictatorship to establish a socialist state. The Revolution put first and foremost the rights of the downtrodden, of the campesinos and landless workers, who were previously subjugated by immense tyranny under Batista’s US-backed regime; for it, the Revolution has faced the wrath of the sanctions regime, which has gradually escalated every year. Among the latest steps in the American brutality on Cuba has been the US indicting and issuing criminal charges against Raúl Castro for shooting down two planes belonging to Miami-based, Cuban-born capitalists. These individuals were part of a terrorist group, Brothers to the Rescue, which sought to overthrow the Cuban government. José Basulto, the CIA agent and founder of the group, who had previously been involved in multiple plots to attack Cuba, including the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, infamously stated that he was “trained as a terrorist by the United States”. These charges against Castro, who is no…

Addicted to War?
type: item
creator: Tom Engelhardt
date: 2026-06-26T05:51:15Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: addicted
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: sources
subject: war
description: Whether it’s an addiction or an illness I’m not sure, but all too many of us and our leaders, it seems, have war fever (and a distinctly high temperature). And here’s the strangest thing: when you consider our history since World War II or look around this planet any day of the week, it seems More The post Addicted to War? appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Image by Jeff Kingma. Whether it’s an addiction or an illness I’m not sure, but all too many of us and our leaders, it seems, have war fever (and a distinctly high temperature). And here’s the strangest thing: when you consider our history since World War II or look around this planet any day of the week, it seems as if all too many of our leaders simply can’t help themselves. They just (or do I mean unjust?) have to go to war. And it evidently matters not at all that the major powers on this planet can no longer seem to win any war they start. Not one in recent memory. And yet, explain it as you will — an addiction, a fever, a grim desire — at least two crucial leaders at this very moment, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, seem incapable of stopping themselves. And here’s the OMG news story that shocked me the other day. At the New York Times, a piece by reporter Constant Méheut had this headline: “The War in Ukraine Has Now Gone On Longer Than World War I.” And here’s how his report began: “The war in Ukraine has often been compared to World War I for its brutal infantry assaults and heavy casualties. Yet the idea that it could, by any measure, surpass a conflict so long and bloody that French soldiers hoped it would be ‘the last of the last’ once seemed unthinkable.” No longer, unfortunately. And Russia is anything but alone. After all, my country spent three years in bloody strife in Korea, nearly 9 years in Iraq, almost 20 in Vietnam, and almost 20 more in Afghanistan (and, mind you, that’s hardly the full list of its various conflicts) without a victory in sight. Of course, only recently, “my” president launched the latest all-American conflict, this time with Iran and with an utterly predictable lack of success given our history over the last 80 years. That war is now in a strange, distinctly unsettling holding pattern, and who knows what will come next? In fact, given the history of this country and war since, in September 1945, it emerged victorious from Wor…

Term Limits? OK, But Here’s How to Do Them Right
type: item
creator: Thomas Knapp
date: 2026-06-26T05:50:51Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: but
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: here’s
subject: how
subject: limits
subject: Politics
subject: right
subject: sources
subject: term
subject: them
description: It comes, it goes, but seldom does a month go by without the notion of “term limits” popping up in the American political discussion. At the moment — and since Sheldon Whitehouse proposed legislation for it in 2023 — that discussion has mostly revolved around the Supreme Court, whose justices remain in office, according to More The post Term Limits? OK, But Here’s How to Do Them Right appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Senator Chuck Grassley, 92, at a recent town hall. Grassley entered Congress in 1975, after serving in the Iowa state house for 16 years. (Screengrab from video posted X.) It comes, it goes, but seldom does a month go by without the notion of “term limits” popping up in the American political discussion. At the moment — and since Sheldon Whitehouse proposed legislation for it in 2023 — that discussion has mostly revolved around the Supreme Court, whose justices remain in office, according to the Constitution, “during good Behaviour,” generally understood as “for life absent impeachment or voluntary retirement.” Whitehouse wants non-renewable 18-year terms. Really, though, term limits are a perpetual panacea. Congressional candidates talk about them a lot — usually when promising to serve no more than X terms in the US House of Representatives, and right up to the point where they decide to seek their X+1th terms “due to popular demand.” The president is already limited to two four-year terms. That limit required a constitutional amendment to implement, as would House or Senate term limits and, arguably, Supreme Court term limits. Some would like to see the presidential version changed to a single six-year term. I’m skeptical that term limits, as envisioned by their promoters, would do much to restrain or improve the quality of government, and as a political matter their opponents aren’t wrong when they point out that “we already have term limits, they’re called elections.” At the state level, in Missouri, I watched what happened after legislative term limits became law. Instead of one person sitting in a state house or senate seat forever, we got a “ladder and rope” system with politicians climbing the ladder from local office all the way to state senate (and possibly the executive branch), term-limiting out and moving up to the next rungs, while throwing down ropes and pulling hand-selected proteges behind them and into the offices they vacated. Different faces, sa…

Empire at 250: Can the Principles of 1776 Survive the American Police State?
type: item
creator: John W. Whitehead – Nisha Whitehead
date: 2026-06-26T05:50:47Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: 1776
subject: 250+
subject: american
subject: articles 2015
subject: can
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Empire
subject: Police
subject: principles
subject: sources
subject: State
subject: survive:
subject: the
description: This is a year of strange anniversaries. Two hundred and fifty years ago, a band of revolutionaries declared their independence from a king. America’s founders rejected concentrated power. They denounced standing armies. They distrusted government secrecy. They risked their lives to escape a ruler who could tax without consent, wage war without accountability, and govern More The post Empire at 250: Can the Principles of 1776 Survive the American Police State? appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Image: Roaring River Comix. This is a year of strange anniversaries. Two hundred and fifty years ago, a band of revolutionaries declared their independence from a king. America’s founders rejected concentrated power. They denounced standing armies. They distrusted government secrecy. They risked their lives to escape a ruler who could tax without consent, wage war without accountability, and govern without meaningful restraint. Twenty-five years ago, after the attacks of September 11, 2001, America embarked on a very different journey. The federal government claimed extraordinary emergency powers. Surveillance expanded. Wars multiplied. Executive authority grew. Constitutional safeguards were weakened in the name of security. One anniversary marked a revolt against empire. The other marked the normalization of it. Now, as America prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence, we are confronted with a bitter irony: the republic born in rebellion against empire has become an empire in everything but name. Worse, the U.S. government is violating the very principles that justified the American Revolution. Graft, grift and corruption. Endless wars. Profiteering. Trillions squandered abroad while the nation sinks deeper into debt at home. A government that governs increasingly by executive order and emergency decree. A government that wastes taxpayer money with impunity, rewards political loyalty over constitutional fidelity, installs loyalists in positions meant to serve the public, dismantles safeguards against corruption, shields insiders from scrutiny, and treats accountability as an inconvenience. National states of emergency that never seem to end. Efforts to nullify constitutional guarantees such as birthright citizenship. Expanded death penalty powers. A growing willingness to bypass Congress, sidestep constitutional restraints and rule by fiat. Surveillance programs that track where we go, what we buy, who we know, what we say and what we believe. Fusion center…

The Defiant Republic: The Ideological Imperative of a Strong Iran
type: item
creator: M. Reza Behnam
date: 2026-06-26T05:50:26Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: defiant
subject: ideological
subject: imperative
subject: iran
subject: republic
subject: sources
subject: strong
subject: the
description: The February 2026 Iran war cannot be understood as an isolated event; but rather the outcome of over four decades of coordinated American and Israeli efforts to contain and topple the Islamic Republic. Similarly, Iran’s ability to withstand the military onslaught and emerge victorious must also be situated within that historical context. After weeks of More The post The Defiant Republic: The Ideological Imperative of a Strong Iran appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Residents in Tehran on the third day of US-Israeli airstrikes, March 3, 2026. Photo: Avash Media. CC BY 4.0. The February 2026 Iran war cannot be understood as an isolated event; but rather the outcome of over four decades of coordinated American and Israeli efforts to contain and topple the Islamic Republic. Similarly, Iran’s ability to withstand the military onslaught and emerge victorious must also be situated within that historical context. After weeks of U.S-Israeli bombardment, Iran has shown not only that it has been able to withstand an assault by the world’s strongest militaries, but that it could successfully exact substantial military, geopolitical and economic costs on its adversaries. Despite suffering significant damage, and the martyrdom of senior military commanders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the state survived. Tehran’s ability to maintain institutional continuity and operational resilience despite intense pressures could ultimately reshape the geopolitical landscape of West Asia. Using asymmetric tactics and threatening global energy chokepoints, Iran forced a diplomatic standoff with Washington, which led to the signing on 17 June of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, establishing an immediate cessation of hostilities across all fronts, including Lebanon. The document also launched the first round of negotiations on 21 June towards securing a final agreement. It is reasonable to conclude that a secular government or monarchy, like that of the former Shah, would likely have yielded to military duress. Ending the conflict on Iran’s terms, however, required a defiant government driven by an ideological mandate of resistance to oppressors and oppression. Even fierce government critics concede that the Islamic Republic successfully preserved the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and handed the U.S. and Israel an unprecedented defeat. By recognizing the centrality of the ancient, deeply-rooted cultural conce…

I Am Not a “Pussy” and Never Was
type: item
creator: Jonah Raskin
date: 2026-06-26T05:48:09Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Culture
subject: never
subject: not
subject: pussy
subject: sources
subject: was
description: “Reading Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young, what struck me most was what utter pussies we all were.” – Emmett Rensin in the LA Review of Books Around the start of the millennium, I visited Mark Rudd, who was living i [ . . . ] The post I Am Not a “Pussy” and Never Was appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: A Vietnam War veteran throwing his medal at the US Capitol. Source: Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Public Domain. “Reading Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young, what struck me most was what utter pussies we all were.” – Emmett Rensin in the LA Review of Books Around the start of the millennium, I visited Mark Rudd, who was living in New Mexico with his wife, Marla, and organizing workers into a union. He was also finishing his autobiography, which he was calling “Che and Me,” a cheeky title for sure that would be changed to Underground: My Life with SDS and the Weathermen. For most of the 1970s, Mark was a fugitive, though not a member of the Weather Underground. Racked by a sense of guilt when three of his comrades – Teddy Gold, Diana Oughton and Terry Robbins— blew themselves up, he distanced himself from the Weather Underground’s “central committee” that included Bernardine Dohrn, Jeff Jones and Bill Ayers. He survived mostly as a solitary operative, though he had his own support network that helped to keep him safe. In much of the world, his fans and followers thought of him as a principal figure in the annals of the Weather Underground. Mark showed me dozens of emails on his computer that lauded him for his work with Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohn, who he insisted would soon be forgotten figures on the left. That’s what he wanted. That didn’t happen. As it turns out, Dohrn and Ayers are almost as well known now as they were in 1969 when they went on a rampage in the streets of Chicago, trashing windows and cars in an action that Yippie Abbie Hoffman dubbed “the Days of Rage.”Abbie wasn’t a Weatherman, but he definitely liked the idea of rage in the streets and wanted to be inducted into the organization. He never was. Didn’t have the necessary skills to be a successful fugitive. Bernardine and Bill are well known now because they’re still alive, still loyal to their comrades and still endorsing revolutionary anti-imperialism, as good a cause as any for white…

Trump’s Illegal Iran War Makes Nuclear Proliferation and a Nuclear Iran More Likely
type: item
creator: Dave Lindorff
date: 2026-06-26T05:47:59Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: illegal
subject: iran
subject: likely
subject: makes
subject: more
subject: Nuclear
subject: proliferation
subject: sources
subject: trump’s
subject: war
description: Amid all the verbiage, pixels and printers’ ink being expended over whether President Trump achieved anything by launching his illegal war (along with Israel) on Iran, misses the worst impact, and that is the lesson that it has taught, not just to Iran, but to all the nations of the world that find themselves being More The post Trump’s Illegal Iran War Makes Nuclear Proliferation and a Nuclear Iran More Likely appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Amid all the verbiage, pixels and printers’ ink being expended over whether President Trump achieved anything by launching his illegal war (along with Israel) on Iran, misses the worst impact, and that is the lesson that it has taught, not just to Iran, but to all the nations of the world that find themselves being bullied by the US. That lesson is that in a world of nuclear bullies, any country that does not have a nuclear weapon is at the mercy that of those countries that do have such weapons. In such a world, the only choice then is between abject subjugation or acquisition a nuclear weapon. Does anyone think that if Iran possessed even a small number of nuclear weapons, the US, or even Israel with its 400 nukes, would have launched this latest war? Look how warily North Korea, one of the world’s poorest countries, is handled, even by the US government when Pyongyang engages in such provocative actions as test-firing a nuclear capable ICBM rocket over Japan or in the direction of Hawaii!! Nothing, Then look at China, with its large and growing stockpile of sophisticated nuclear bombs and equally sophisticated delivery systems. Notice how confidently China’s paramount leader Xi Jinping warned his guest, the visiting PresIdent Trump, of “potential clashes and even conflicts” if the issue of Taiwan, which China considers to be a “renegade island province,” is not “handled properly” by the US. Announced plans to provideTaiwan with advanced weapons have been quietly dropped by the usually blustery American president. Make no mistake: The lesson Iran’s leaders have learned from Trump’s war is that they must have an up-to-date credible nuclear force to prevent disaster. In other words, the Memorandum of Understanding Trump is touting as his “victory” does not, as he claims, mean Iran will “never have” a nuclear weapon. Iran has the technical knowledge and skill to make one, and, with the control they have demonstrated over passage of ships through the Hormuz Strait and…

Florida’s Prison System Is Quietly Trying to Censor the Truth
type: item
creator: Emmett Tatter
date: 2026-06-26T05:46:54Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: ‘censor
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: florida’s
subject: prison
subject: quietly
subject: sources
subject: system
subject: the
subject: Truth
subject: trying
description: I know crime statutes and dates can be boring and hard to read. Please bear with me for a minute. These laws are written a certain way for a reason. Staying in the dark about them is part of how this system keeps swallowing people, families, and whole communities, regardless of the harm it causes. More The post Florida’s Prison System Is Quietly Trying to Censor the Truth appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: I know crime statutes and dates can be boring and hard to read. Please bear with me for a minute. These laws are written a certain way for a reason. Staying in the dark about them is part of how this system keeps swallowing people, families, and whole communities, regardless of the harm it causes. This article isn’t just statutes and dates; it’s about what those choices do to real people. Rehabilitation is supposed to be the goal of Florida’s justice system, of every justice system. But Florida’s own laws say something different. Florida’s sentencing statute, section 921.002, states that the primary purpose of sentencing is to punish the offender, and that rehabilitation is only a “desired goal” secondary to punishment. Florida abolished parole for most offenses starting in the 1980s. For crimes committed after October 1, 1983, parole is basically gone, and by the mid‑1990s it was fully abolished for almost all new cases. People sentenced after that aren’t waiting on a parole board to see if they’ve changed. They’re serving fixed time. The law forces most of them to serve at least eighty-five percent of their sentence. Limited gain time is the only thing that can touch the rest, shaving down the years above that floor but never below it. Lawmakers have talked about lowering that floor and putting rehabilitation back into the language of sentencing, but bills to drop it to seventy two percent have died. People already sentenced under the old rules must still live under those rules. Punishment is still the baseline, and any talk of rehabilitation mostly affects the guidelines for new sentences. I’m glad people are finally pushing Florida to talk about rehabilitation and to think about changing the eighty five percent rule. That’s more than they used to do. But the men and women already trapped under the old statutes still must live inside them. The structure they built around punishment first and no real parole hasn’t gone away for us. In the 1980s and 1990s, Florida …

The Paradox of Progressive Success
type: item
creator: David Andersson
date: 2026-06-26T05:46:18Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: paradox:”
subject: progressive
subject: sources
subject: success
subject: the
description: The recent presidential election in Colombia highlighted a striking political paradox. New data from the country’s national statistics agency shows that the national poverty rate fell to 28% in 2025, the lowest level ever recorded. Nearly 1.8 million Colombians moved out of poverty in a single year, while extreme poverty and income inequality also declined. More The post The Paradox of Progressive Success appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Image by Depositphotos / Hernancho The recent presidential election in Colombia highlighted a striking political paradox. New data from the country’s national statistics agency shows that the national poverty rate fell to 28% in 2025, the lowest level ever recorded. Nearly 1.8 million Colombians moved out of poverty in a single year, while extreme poverty and income inequality also declined. The figures represent a significant social achievement and continue a multi-year trend of improving living standards. Yet, despite this advance, Colombians elected right-wing lawyer and businessman Abelardo De La Espriella, whose nationalist and law-and-order platform marks a sharp contrast with the policies of outgoing President Gustavo Petro. The outcome suggests that even significant social and economic progress does not necessarily translate into electoral support for the government that helped produce it. Nor is Colombia unique. Across the region, electoral cycles have repeatedly shown that social progress does not necessarily produce lasting political loyalty. Similar patterns can be seen in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and elsewhere in South America, where periods of progressive governance have often been followed by the election of more conservative leaders or governments with markedly different priorities. Former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa offered one explanation for this phenomenon. He argued that when people escape poverty and enter the middle class, many become primarily concerned with preserving their newly acquired status. As a result, they may become less supportive of policies aimed at extending similar benefits to others. Whether or not one accepts this interpretation, it highlights an important political challenge: the very success of progressive social policies may alter the interests, expectations, and priorities of the people they benefit, making long-term political continuity more difficult to sustain. There is, however, one notable exception: Mexico.…

The First Emancipation: The Forgotten Story of Abolition in Revolutionary France
type: item
creator: Jeremy D. Popkin
date: 2026-06-26T05:43:38Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: abolition
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Emancipation
subject: first
subject: forgotten
subject: France
subject: revolutionary?
subject: sources
subject: story
subject: the
description: On Aug. 21, 1789, just a month after the storming of the Bastille that launched the French Revolution, France’s new governing body, the National Assembly, approved the first article of its historic Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. The French document proclaimed that “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights,” More The post The First Emancipation: The Forgotten Story of Abolition in Revolutionary France appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Portrait of Jean-Baptiste Belley, a native of Senegal and former enslaved person who during the period of the French Revolution became a member of the National Convention. by Anne-Louis Girodet De Roucy-Trioson. Public Domain. On Aug. 21, 1789, just a month after the storming of the Bastille that launched the French Revolution, France’s new governing body, the National Assembly, approved the first article of its historic Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. The French document proclaimed that “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights,” echoing the most famous line of the American Declaration of Independence that marks its 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026. Yet while the American revolutionaries famously stated that all men were entitled to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” they avoided any reference to the fact that nearly a fifth of the population of what was to become the United States were enslaved Black people. In revolutionary France, however, Count Mirabeau, the most prominent member of the National Assembly, immediately wrote in his newspaper that if the words of the French declaration were to have any meaning, then there could not be, “either in France, or in any other territory under France’s laws, any men except free men, except men equal to one another.” As a longtime expert on French history, I believe the role of revolutionary France in confronting slavery has long been overshadowed by subsequent trans-Atlantic movements for abolitionism. But as I show in my new book, “The First Emancipation,” it is in France where a national government first outlawed slavery – and indeed made steps toward racial equality. What is also striking about this period beyond the remarkably swift achievements for Black people living under French rule, however, is the fragility of the nature of progress. Within a decade, Napoleon would reimpose slavery in French colonies – and shut the door on abolitionism for several decades. Revolutionary impulses…

Making Us Conscious of the Things We Don’t See
type: item
creator: Ron Jacobs
date: 2026-06-26T05:43:24Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: conscious,
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: don’t
subject: making
subject: see
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: things
description: In his 1962 essay titled “The Creative Dilemma,” James Baldwin wrote, “The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” Baldwin goes on to state that the role of the artist is to More The post Making Us Conscious of the Things We Don’t See appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: In his 1962 essay titled “The Creative Dilemma,” James Baldwin wrote, “The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” Baldwin goes on to state that the role of the artist is to reveal the deeper truths of the society they live and work in; a situation which ultimately means that the artist is always at war with that society. It may be what he calls “a lover’s war,” but it is a war nonetheless. The ideal result of this struggle between the artist and the society they live in is progress towards greater social justice. Of course, art cannot change society on its own, but it can change people who in turn can change society. Artist Susan Simensky Bietila has been moving people in just this way for over sixty years. After breaking free of the social restrictions and expectations of her parents and their culture in the early 1960s, Bietila joined the antiwar and anti-racist movements of the time, marching, organizing and creating art for political posters and the burgeoning underground newspaper movement, specifically the New York City paper The Subterranean Rat. By 1969, she was also already part of a growing feminist movement as a member of Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell (W.I.T.C.H.) For those who don’t know (or don’t remember), The Rat had one of the larger circulations of an underground paper; it was political, countercultural and, like too many other New Left and counterculture organizations in the 1960s, almost as sexist as the mainstream culture. In early 1970, the women working for The Rat (mostly as typists, secretaries and other such jobs) took over the paper and changed its focus. Indeed, the lead editorial in the first issue following the takeover was a searing attack on the sexism of the counterculture and New Left written by Robin Morgan and titled “Enough of All That.” After leaving The Rat, Bietila hired on with the National Guardian, a lef…

Remembering Artists From Another Time: Andy Warhol
type: item
creator: Richard Schulman
date: 2026-06-26T05:42:31Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: andy
subject: another’:
subject: articles 2015
subject: artists
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: Culture
subject: from
subject: remembering
subject: sources
subject: Time
subject: warhol
description: Fictional Truths My period of making portraits appear in the rear view mirror like a collection of a rogues gallery and the inimitable. My camera has interacted with a lot of art, an army of artists, and art-world figure [ . . . ] The post Remembering Artists From Another Time: Andy Warhol appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Warhol in his studio. Photo: Richard Schulman. Fictional Truths My period of making portraits appear in the rear view mirror like a collection of a rogues gallery and the inimitable. My camera has interacted with a lot of art, an army of artists, and art-world figures. It is something that rests comfortably in the shadows of my archives. One evening, I huddled with cultural icons of another era: Senator Edward Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Andrew Wyeth and Andy Warhol. The Red Sea parted; the waltz of fame ensued, looking part Fantasia; part Charlton Heston’s The Ten Commandments. It was me being a Zelig for a few seconds. It was among a few days that I was tapestried in moments, not mine. History is home to many interpretations: I have an affinity for looking back into my history through a slew of negatives and positives. So many places and faces, I have spent years meandering silently aside the ancient and contemporary phenomena: The inside of my mind appears like bountiful holiday sparklers. In person, I may appear achingly shuffling, like a Mynah bird in heat on heroin and steroidal treats. Yet it is merely me making sense of time behind my camera. So many types of fame in view, so much posturing. I do not belong, in milieus not mine. My future with celluloid captures was only a vehicle to somewhere. Somewhere is a place where a dream is a reality. Time is truly a slice of evidence. I have traveled in ancient and contemporary architectural history: Turkey’s Basilica Cistern, Rome’s Aqua Virgo and Vicus Caprarius, Corbusier, Mies, Gehry and Oscar. I have composed apertures with a Kennedy, Miles, Warhol, Niemeyer, Hollywood’s Douglases, Astaires, and Kellys and other dream/reality milestones. The fame game became a stamp in time, but not my camera’s intention. The intention was to feel a bit the Earth’s rotation. It was great to be young and walking in history’s formidable footprints. There was a man who knew everything about Bernini. I have never known the mea…

The Left and Breaching Capitalism’s Digital Fortress
type: item
creator: Rezgar Akrawi
date: 2026-06-26T05:42:11Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: breaching
subject: capitalism’s
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: digital
subject: economics
subject: fortress
subject: left
subject: sources
subject: the
description: The battle for socialist liberation in the twenty-first century cannot be fought with the weapons of the last century. In an era in which algorithms hold sway, in which the influence of artificial intelligence over media, culture, education, and labor continues to expand, and in which economic policies and strategies are formulated on the basis More The post The Left and Breaching Capitalism’s Digital Fortress appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Still from Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982). Warner Bros. The battle for socialist liberation in the twenty-first century cannot be fought with the weapons of the last century. In an era in which algorithms hold sway, in which the influence of artificial intelligence over media, culture, education, and labor continues to expand, and in which economic policies and strategies are formulated on the basis of big data and algorithmic analysis, the left finds itself confronted with an existential question: how can movements that still organize themselves according to traditional logic confront a digital capitalism that has become technologically advanced to an unprecedented degree? This text is not merely a call to develop tools; it is a call to transform organizational and intellectual consciousness toward a deep understanding of the nature of the digital battle. The gap in question is not simply a gap in ‘technical mastery’; it is a gap in grasping that digital space has become a class battlefield in which capitalism dominates, programs, and subjugates, while the left suffers from a diminished presence and the absence of a clear digital vision. Closing this gap is no longer a luxury; it is a condition for the survival of the left itself, since today’s battle is waged in algorithms and networks just as much as it is waged on the ground. The struggle over technology is not a battle against science; it is a battle against the monopoly that dominant powers hold over it in order to boost their profits. Artificial intelligence should not be regarded as a threat in itself, but rather as a field of struggle whose features are shaped by the balance of social, political, and economic forces. Recent years have witnessed an unprecedented acceleration in the concentration of digital power within a limited number of giant corporations that control the infrastructure of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and global data, granting them economic, political, and cultural influen…

Conservative Media Giant Creates a New Antisemitic Stereotype
type: item
creator: Glenn Sacks
date: 2026-06-26T05:41:03Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: antisemitic
subject: articles 2015
subject: conservative
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: creates
subject: giant
subject: Media
subject: new
subject: sources
subject: stereotype
description: The American right has a long history of stereotyping Jews in pernicious ways. Vice President Dan Quayle, running for re-election in 1992, denounced the Hollywood “cultural elite” for contravening traditional American values. In response, actor Billy Crystal said, “Every time they say the phrase ‘Hollywood elite’ you can hear the unspoken word ‘Jew.'”, a sentiment More The post Conservative Media Giant Creates a New Antisemitic Stereotype appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: The American right has a long history of stereotyping Jews in pernicious ways. Vice President Dan Quayle, running for re-election in 1992, denounced the Hollywood “cultural elite” for contravening traditional American values. In response, actor Billy Crystal said, “Every time they say the phrase ‘Hollywood elite’ you can hear the unspoken word ‘Jew.'”, a sentiment which, according to essayist Frank Rich, was echoed at the time by many entertainment executives. Those who resisted the Civil Rights Movement saw Jews as the evil geniuses behind this disciplined, effective movement. The American Right at times has blamed Jews for feminism, communism, socialism, the labor movement, and more. Now we have a new right-wing antisemitic stereotype–the Crybaby Jew. The Crybaby Jew is perpetually aggrieved, equating criticism of Israel with antisemitism and acting as if disagreeing with a Jew is the same as threatening a Jew. The influential conservative Free Press, founded in 2021 by Bari Weiss, editor-in-chief of CBS News, is the leading purveyor of this new antisemitic stereotype. Its purpose is to encourage American Jews to fear the left and view the Republican Party as the only safe place for Jews. To whip up sentiment against the left, the Free Press exaggerates and distorts otherwise anodyne events to make them look like anti-Jewish hate. In doing so, they speciously depict American Jews as crybabies. The Free Press’ most recent effort–Olivia Reingold’s How Vermont Became Ground Zero for the Anti-Israel Movement–is typical. The Press tells us Jews in Vermont are “buying weapons and guard dogs” because Vermont has become “hostile territory” where Jews are “fearful”. One Jewish resident says, “People in Germany one day didn’t wake up and ship people to gas chambers”, that he feels like he’s “wearing a bright yellow star attached to my jacket”, and that for him and other local Jews, Vermonters are “leaving us with exactly one option: Move to Israel.” Another says Vermonters …

Before the Flood: Ramzy Baroud’s Masterpiece of Memory, Resistance and Unyielding Sumud
type: item
creator: Michael Leonardi
date: 2026-06-26T05:39:16Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: and
subject: articles 2015
subject: barouds
subject: before
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: flood
subject: masterpiece
subject: memory
subject: ramzy
subject: Resistance
subject: sources
subject: sumud:
subject: the
subject: unyielding
description: In Before the Flood, Ramzy Baroud has written not merely a family memoir but a living testament to the Palestinian soul — a work that pulses with the blood of generations, the salt of the Mediterranean, and the unbreakable will of a people who refuse to disappear. This is more than a book. It is More The post Before the Flood: Ramzy Baroud’s Masterpiece of Memory, Resistance and Unyielding Sumud appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: In Before the Flood, Ramzy Baroud has written not merely a family memoir but a living testament to the Palestinian soul — a work that pulses with the blood of generations, the salt of the Mediterranean, and the unbreakable will of a people who refuse to disappear. This is more than a book. It is an act of defiance, a literary sumud that stands as one of the most powerful indictments of Zionist settler-colonialism and Western complicity ever penned. Across three generations, Baroud traces the al-Badrasawi family from the olive groves of Beit Daras to the refugee camps of Gaza, revealing how colonial invasion, occupation, and genocide have tried — and failed — to erase a people’s history, dignity, and future. From the very first pages, Baroud’s prose cuts like a blade through the numbness of numbers and statistics that too often reduce Palestinians to abstractions. “One cannot give oneself courage if one does not have it,” he writes, quoting Alessandro Manzoni. Courage, like resistance itself, is not granted from above. It is forged in the long march of history, in the longue durée that French historians understood and that Baroud masterfully deploys here. This is no ordinary family story. It is the story of Palestine itself. The book opens with the haunting figure of Madallah Abdulnabi, Baroud’s great-aunt, whose “companion” — a jinn, a spiritual presence — arrives at the village well. When her father, Mohammed, is martyred, covered in swallowtail butterflies by the waters of Beit Daras Valley, Madallah falls silent for months. Her pain is not individual; it is collective. “The dreams continued,” Baroud writes, “confined to the intangible world, as the news grew grim.” This merging of the mystical and the brutally material sets the tone for the entire narrative: Palestinians do not merely endure history — they carry it in their bones, their dreams, and their unyielding faith. Madallah’s son, Abdallah, emerges as a towering figure of quiet resilience. Forced into exil…

Lebanon’s Failure to Disaasociate
type: item
creator: Nicolas Garon
date: 2026-06-26T05:39:06Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: disaasociate
subject: failure
subject: lebanon’s
subject: sources
description: Few political systems are as intricately engineered as Lebanon’s. Power is constitutionally divided among a Maronite Christian president, a Sunni prime minister, and a Shia speaker of parliament, an arrangement known as the “three presidencies.” Parliamentary seats, meanwhile, are split evenly between Christians and Muslims, and cabinet posts are parceled out by sect. This design More The post Lebanon’s Failure to Disaasociate appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: Few political systems are as intricately engineered as Lebanon’s. Power is constitutionally divided among a Maronite Christian president, a Sunni prime minister, and a Shia speaker of parliament, an arrangement known as the “three presidencies.” Parliamentary seats, meanwhile, are split evenly between Christians and Muslims, and cabinet posts are parceled out by sect. This design reflects Lebanon’s extraordinary religious and ethnic diversity, and this heterogeneity carries through to its parliament: more than a dozen blocs and a cluster of independents share the 128 seats, a majority takes 65, and no single party comes anywhere close. In fact, no party in Lebanon’s history has ever held more than roughly a quarter of the seats. Power must therefore be assembled through shifting sectarian coalitions rather than won outright, which produces serious gridlock. Given Lebanon’s geographic positioning, small size, consistent attacks from Israel, and entanglement with Hezbollah, it might ordinarily be forced into a hardline foreign policy that capitulates to Iran. Instead, Lebanon has operated under a model of “disassociation.” This commitment to stay out of regional conflicts was adopted as the Syrian civil war threatened to pull the country back into sectarian violence. Remaining aloof through disassociation is particularly difficult when foreign actors not only influence the government but undermine foreign policy alignments by adopting a warring posture against their host nation’s desires. This, unfortunately, is the case for Lebanon. Foreign powers have long meddled in Lebanon. The Saudis, for instance, have played a hand in backing Lebanon’s Sunni populace. Syria, meanwhile, occupied the country from 1976 until 2005, retaining allied factions even after the assassination of Rafik Hariri triggered the Cedar Revolution and forced its troops out. Most notably, however, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah has done the most to damage disassociation. Almost immediately after the …

Trumptown—a Planetary Jonestown
type: item
creator: Tom H. Hastings
date: 2026-06-26T05:11:51Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: jonestown
subject: planetary
subject: sources
subject: trumptowna
description: In 1978 in Guyana some 918 people—one-third of them children—were poisoned or shot dead in a religious sect community, Jonestown. Until 9.11.2001 it was the largest mass murder of civilians in US history. Of course, both those terrible events would pale alongside the civilian death count of any nuclear war, which could even end human More The post Trumptown—a Planetary Jonestown appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: In 1978 in Guyana some 918 people—one-third of them children—were poisoned or shot dead in a religious sect community, Jonestown. Until 9.11.2001 it was the largest mass murder of civilians in US history. Of course, both those terrible events would pale alongside the civilian death count of any nuclear war, which could even end human life on Earth if waged full scale. Lucky thing we have treaties making that impossible, right? Obviously not. Every nuclear treaty helped inch us away from that apocalyptic potential, but the mere existence of nuclear bombs threatens mass death. And every treaty that ends is a direct step toward waging nuclear war. Treaty history and the Trump Effect The first actual nuclear treaty was the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963, between the Soviet Union (SU) and the US. It ended open-air bomb testing. There were many more testing treaties, some signed and ratified, some not. Trump posted on his social media that he was ordering the War Department to resume nuclear testing “immediately.” The so-called treaties that ensued were generally called the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks—SALT, begun in 1969 and featured two bilateral treaties by 1972. Nuclear critics labeled them “production schedules” because they only capped numbers of missiles and warheads of the US and SU, never reducing them. Finally, after eight years of citizen uprisings in Europe and North America beginning in 1979 (Nuclear Freeze, Plowshares, Euromissile crisis) Reagan and Gorbachev signed the first actual nuclear disarmament treaty in December 1987, the bilateral agreement to end some Intermediate Nuclear Forces weaponry—generally regarded as the most destabilizing class of nukes. It was a landmark treaty, it worked perfectly, and yet Trump cancelled it in his first term in 2018, a huge blow to the nuclear disarmament movement. Continuing in that vein, the bilateral Strategic Arms Limitations Treaties (START I and START II) reduced numbers of warheads and delivery vehicles (m…

From Custer to Radioactive Death
type: item
creator: Karl Grossman - Harvey Wasserman
date: 2026-06-26T05:10:35Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: articles 2015
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: custer
subject: death
subject: from
subject: radioactive
subject: sources
description: The Battle of the Little Bighorn came as a complete shock to white America. Today we must worry about an even greater shock with an essentially infinite radioactive death toll. The stunning defeat of General George Armstrong Custer and the U.S. 7th Cavalry came on the Great Plains at the hands of the Lakota warrior-chiefs More The post From Custer to Radioactive Death appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: The Battle of the Little Bighorn came as a complete shock to white America. Today we must worry about an even greater shock with an essentially infinite radioactive death toll. The stunning defeat of General George Armstrong Custer and the U.S. 7th Cavalry came on the Great Plains at the hands of the Lakota warrior-chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse on June 25, 1876, 150 years ago this week. The U.S. was in the throes of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Its centerpiece was a huge global exposition in Philadelphia, which bragged to the world about America’s technological innovations. The military defeat came as an astonishing, very public gut punch to American arrogance and pride. It was epitomized by Custer, the celebrated son of Monroe, Michigan, where his statue still stands in the town square, a short distance from the Fermi Atomic Power Plant. Fermi Unit One nearly blew up on October 5, 1966. Unit Two has recently been threatened by fire, an “incident” potentially capable of irradiating much of the Great Lakes and continental U.S. Today the nuclear power industry is pushing, Custer-like, for still more reactors that could do inconceivable harm to all of us. To say Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse were endowed with unique genius is to vastly understate their legacy. They were both truly great political leaders and military strategists. (A superb two-part documentary just out on Netflix today helps tell their story.) In its pride and power, white America never believed a nation of “mere Indigenous” could defeat the white industrial army that had just conquered the South….and most of the continent. But America’s atomic arrogance was pre-cursed in the mind-set of Custer, whose infamous failure on the battlefield led to his immediate death, along with some 250 soldiers under his command. Today, the U.S. nuclear power industry is on the brink of repeating such history, born of arrogance, on an apocalyptic scale. Now run by Donald Trum…

Queers are Everywhere You Bomb
type: item
creator: Nicky Reid
date: 2026-06-26T04:54:53Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: are
subject: articles 2015
subject: bomb
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: everywhere
subject: queers,
subject: sources
subject: you
description: There is a narrative running through the western zeitgeist and slowly trickling out to its various victims in the Third World that ‘Queer’ or at least ‘LGBTQ’ is somehow synonymous with colonialism and imperialism; that queerness in and of itself is an inherently western ‘ideology’ being enforced upon the indigenous people of the Near East More The post Queers are Everywhere You Bomb appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: There is a narrative running through the western zeitgeist and slowly trickling out to its various victims in the Third World that ‘Queer’ or at least ‘LGBTQ’ is somehow synonymous with colonialism and imperialism; that queerness in and of itself is an inherently western ‘ideology’ being enforced upon the indigenous people of the Near East and the Global South by the barrel of a gun. This notion sickens me to the core because I am, perhaps above all else, a Queer anti-imperialist… But I get it. It is a sad and disturbing fact that the white supremacist cis hetero chauvinists behind the mirage factory that is Atlantic neoliberalism have adopted the notion of ‘LGBTQ rights’ as one of their many excuses for flattening the planet and turning it into a colossal beige fulfillment center at the service of the global 1%. But this must be seen for what it truly is; fickle, empty and totally deceptive propaganda. Over the decades, as the metropolitan West has grown increasingly diverse as a direct result of its endless international adventurism, the same predominantly white Anglo-Saxon Protestant cisgender men who have always run this imperial cartel have had to get increasingly creative to sell their mission of vanilla hegemony to the increasingly Neapolitan masses within their own palace gates. ‘White power for straight white men’ just doesn’t quite have the audience it once had even if it still does very much represent the intentions and demographics of its masters. So, we have been sold secular humanism, liberal progressivism and humanitarian interventionism among other sexy new brand names for western cultural domination. Cis women have been afforded a very well-publicized selection of spaces amidst the power elite so long as they kill like men and cover for their rapist husbands. And the Queer community has been tokenized and sanitized beneath the logo of LGBT. Thus now, whenever some fag-bashing Evangelical Zionist goes on a murder spree he can claim to the more sensit…

Queers Are Everywhere You Bomb
type: item
creator: Nicky Reid
date: 2026-06-26T04:49:21Z
subject: CounterPunch
subject: Sources
subject: are
subject: articles 2015
subject: bomb
subject: CounterPunch+
subject: everywhere
subject: queers,
subject: sources
subject: you
description: There is a narrative running through the Western zeitgeist and slowly trickling out to its various victims in the Third World that ‘Queer’ or at least ‘LGBTQ’ is somehow synonymous with colonialism and imperialism; that queerness in and of itself is an inherently Western ‘ideology’ being enforced upon the indigenous people of the Near East More The post Queers Are Everywhere You Bomb appeared first on CounterPunch.org.
encoded: There is a narrative running through the Western zeitgeist and slowly trickling out to its various victims in the Third World that ‘Queer’ or at least ‘LGBTQ’ is somehow synonymous with colonialism and imperialism; that queerness in and of itself is an inherently Western ‘ideology’ being enforced upon the indigenous people of the Near East and the Global South by the barrel of a gun. This notion sickens me to the core because I am, perhaps above all else, a Queer anti-imperialist… But I get it. It is a sad and disturbing fact that the white supremacist cis hetero chauvinists behind the mirage factory that is Atlantic neoliberalism have adopted the notion of ‘LGBTQ rights’ as one of their many excuses for flattening the planet and turning it into a colossal beige fulfillment center at the service of the global 1%. But this must be seen for what it truly is; fickle, empty and totally deceptive propaganda. Over the decades, as the metropolitan West has grown increasingly diverse as a direct result of its endless international adventurism, the same predominantly white Anglo-Saxon Protestant cisgender men who have always run this imperial cartel have had to get increasingly creative to sell their mission of vanilla hegemony to the increasingly Neapolitan masses within their own palace gates. ‘White power for straight white men’ just doesn’t quite have the audience it once had even if it still does very much represent the intentions and demographics of its masters. So, we have been sold secular humanism, liberal progressivism and humanitarian interventionism among other sexy new brand names for western cultural domination. Cis women have been afforded a very well-publicized selection of spaces amidst the power elite so long as they kill like men and cover for their rapist husbands. And the Queer community has been tokenized and sanitized beneath the logo of LGBT. Thus, now, whenever some fag-bashing Evangelical Zionist goes on a murder spree, he can claim to the more sens…

Elliot Page on Democracy Now!
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-26T01:30:14Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: Democracy
subject: elliot
subject: now
subject: page
subject: sources
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

From Zionist Crackdowns to Trump, Academic Freedom Is Dead in the US w/ Dr. Steven Thrasher
type: item
creator: The Real News Network
date: 2026-06-26T01:16:03Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Real News Network
subject: academic
subject: crackdowns
subject: dead
subject: Freedom
subject: from
subject: network
subject: News
subject: real
subject: sources
subject: steven
subject: the
subject: thrasher
subject: trump
subject: zionist”
description: This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.
encoded: This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.

Palestinians in Gaza Are Waiting for Godot
type: item
creator: Nourdine Shnino
date: 2026-06-26T00:25:18Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Progressive
subject: are
subject: for
subject: gaza
subject: godot
subject: palestinians
subject: progressive
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: waiting
description: The people of Gaza are waiting for reconstruction, with little hope that it will actually come.
encoded: The people of Gaza are waiting for reconstruction, with little hope that it will actually come. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Nourdine Shnino.

‘We’re Still Here, and We Are Part of This History’
type: item
creator: Michaela Brant
date: 2026-06-26T00:03:04Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Progressive
subject: and
subject: are
subject: here?
subject: History
subject: part
subject: progressive
subject: sources
subject: still
subject: the
subject: this
subject: were
description: An interview with Joan Ilacqua of Queer History Boston.
encoded: An interview with Joan Ilacqua of Queer History Boston. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Michaela Brant.

Hasan Piker reacts to DSA victories in New York
type: item
creator: Democracy Now!
date: 2026-06-26T00:00:33Z
subject: Democracy Now!
subject: Sources
subject: Democracy
subject: dsa
subject: hasan
subject: new
subject: now
subject: piker
subject: reacts
subject: sources
subject: victories,
subject: york
description: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Everyone Is Welcome at Babe’s
type: item
creator: Zoë Takaki
date: 2026-06-25T23:36:35Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Progressive
subject: babes
subject: everyone
subject: progressive
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: welcome
description: A look into the first bar in Chicago, Illinois, to exclusively show women’s sports.
encoded: A look into the first bar in Chicago, Illinois, to exclusively show women’s sports. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Zoë Takaki.

Fiji will remain unstable while Indigenous people are economically sidelined, says ex-coup convict
type: item
creator: APR editor
date: 2026-06-25T23:33:43Z
subject: 2000 Fiji coup
subject: Asia Pacific Report
subject: Coup convicts
subject: Fiji coup culture
subject: George Speight
subject: iTaukei
subject: Jo Nata
subject: Mahendra Chaudhry
subject: Political advisers
subject: Sources
subject: Truth and Reconciliation Commission
subject: “remain
subject: 2000
subject: advisers
subject: and
subject: are
subject: asia
subject: chaudhry
subject: commission
subject: convict
subject: convicts
subject: Coup
subject: Culture
subject: Democracy
subject: economically
subject: Editor's Picks
subject: excoup
subject: Featured
subject: Fiji
subject: Fiji coups
subject: george
subject: Global
subject: History
subject: Human Rights
subject: Indigenous
subject: itaukei
subject: Justice
subject: mahendra
subject: Media
subject: military
subject: Military coups
subject: nata
subject: Pacific
subject: Pacific Media Watch
subject: Pacific Report
subject: People
subject: political
subject: Politics
subject: reconciliation
subject: report
subject: says
subject: Security
subject: sidelined
subject: Sitiveni Rabuka
subject: sources
subject: speight
subject: Syndicate
subject: treason
subject: Truth
subject: unstable
subject: while
subject: will
description: By Margot Staunton of RNZ Pacific A former coup convict in Fiji claims the country will remain unstable while the Indigenous iTaukei are economically marginalised. Josefa ‘Jo’ Nata, who spent 24 years in jail for treason, told the Fiji government’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission that “the lot of iTaukei has not improved a single bit
encoded: By Margot Staunton of RNZ Pacific A former coup convict in Fiji claims the country will remain unstable while the Indigenous iTaukei are economically marginalised. Josefa ‘Jo’ Nata, who spent 24 years in jail for treason, told the Fiji government’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission that “the lot of iTaukei has not improved a single bit [as a result of the coups], if anything their situation has regressed”. “Indigenous [iTaukei] should never again be hoodwinked into supporting any coup supposedly carried out in their name, to raise their standard of living or correct supposed past injustices,” the 68-year-old said. READ MORE: Fiji’s Jo Nata reflects on the 2000 coup: ‘We let the racism genie out of the bottle’ Other Jo Nata reports Fiji has been rocked by four coups since gaining independence in 1970. The first two, in May and September 1987, were led by then-military Lieutenant-Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka, who is the current prime minister. In 1999, Mahendra Chaudhry was sworn in as the country’s first Indo-Fijian prime minister. Nata, a former journalist, was a political adviser to the Fijian Association Party, a coalition partner in the Labour-led government. Chaudhry’s election stoked racial tension in Fiji and a year later, the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) rebel Counter-Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) unit soldiers, led by businessman George Speight, staged an armed takeover. Chaudhry and his government were held hostage for 56 days. Coup public face Nata became the public face of the coup on 14 May 2000, and although he told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in May that he was not involved in planning it, he admits he played a key role as a negotiator. “Without realising it, I was getting myself involved. So much so that I was the one administering the oath of office at [swearing-in] before usurper-nominated President Ratu Jope Seniloli,” he told the Commission. “My face was plastered on TV on every home around Fiji and around the world. The overseas…

Voters Want Fighters, Not Complicity
type: item
creator: Andrea Chalupa
date: 2026-06-25T23:17:00Z
subject: Gaslit Nation
subject: Sources
subject: complicity
subject: fighters
subject: gaslit
subject: nation?
subject: not
subject: sources
subject: voters’
subject: want
description: Today is Orwell's birthday. We're celebrating with the recording of the Mrs. Orwell live-taping – available in full this Sunday, only on Patreon and Substack for our supporters who make Gaslit Nation possible. For now, here's our special primary election recap. The message from New York's elections is clear: voters want fighters. Brad Lander built trust by showing up at immigration court to protect vulnerable people. Progressive challengers are defeating establishment politicians tied to AIPAC. Across the country, voters are demanding consequences for lawlessness and attacks on democracy–the unholy trinity of strongmen: Trump and his two buddies Netanyahu and Putin. But our solidarity must be morally consistent. Progressives cannot just rightfully condemn Netanyahu's violations of international law while repeating Kremlin propaganda that blames the United States or NATO for Russia's genocidal invasion of Ukraine. Putin and Netanyahu belong to the same transnational crime syndicate, as Gaslit Nation is here to remind you. Ukraine is not the reason Americans lack universal healthcare and a functioning social safety net. We can tax the rich, confront corporate greed, invest in our communities, and help Ukraine defeat Russian imperialism. The struggle against authoritarianism is global. Our solidarity must be, too. Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Discounted annual memberships are available. Become a Democracy Defender at Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com Show Notes: NATO - The largest military alliance in the world | DW Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cTFk6MNUHQ Brad Lander New York Primary Night Victory Remarks https://www.c-span.org/program/campaign-2026/brad-lander-new-york-primary-night-victory-remarks/681601 Federal agents track down Syracuse woman, de…
encoded: Today is Orwell's birthday. We're celebrating with the recording of the Mrs. Orwell live-taping – available in full this Sunday, only on Patreon and Substack for our supporters who make Gaslit Nation possible. For now, here's our special primary election recap. The message from New York's elections is clear: voters want fighters. Brad Lander built trust by showing up at immigration court to protect vulnerable people. Progressive challengers are defeating establishment politicians tied to AIPAC. Across the country, voters are demanding consequences for lawlessness and attacks on democracy–the unholy trinity of strongmen: Trump and his two buddies Netanyahu and Putin. But our solidarity must be morally consistent. Progressives cannot just rightfully condemn Netanyahu's violations of international law while repeating Kremlin propaganda that blames the United States or NATO for Russia's genocidal invasion of Ukraine. Putin and Netanyahu belong to the same transnational crime syndicate, as Gaslit Nation is here to remind you. Ukraine is not the reason Americans lack universal healthcare and a functioning social safety net. We can tax the rich, confront corporate greed, invest in our communities, and help Ukraine defeat Russian imperialism. The struggle against authoritarianism is global. Our solidarity must be, too. Join our community of listeners and get bonus shows, ad free listening, group chats with other listeners, ways to shape the show, invites to exclusive events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Discounted annual memberships are available. Become a Democracy Defender at Patreon.com/Gaslit or GaslitNation.Substack.com Show Notes: NATO - The largest military alliance in the world | DW Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cTFk6MNUHQ Brad Lander New York Primary Night Victory Remarks https://www.c-span.org/program/campaign-2026/brad-lander-new-york-primary-night-victory-remarks/681601 Federal agents track down Syracuse woman, de…

BITORI + ZERUI DEPINA (Praia, Cabo Verde)
type: item
creator: Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes
date: 2026-06-25T22:59:59Z
subject: Petites Planètes
subject: Sources
subject: bitori
subject: cabo
subject: depina
subject: petites
subject: planètes
subject: praia
subject: sources
subject: verde
subject: zerui
description: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.
encoded: This content originally appeared on Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes and was authored by Vincent Moon / Petites Planètes.

Celebrating 250 Years of No Religious Kings
type: item
creator: Rachel Laser
date: 2026-06-25T22:09:41Z
subject: Sources
subject: The Progressive
subject: 250+
subject: celebrating
subject: king’s
subject: progressive
subject: religious
subject: sources
subject: the
subject: years
description: Christian nationalism is incompatible with the American experiment. Our founders knew that.
encoded: Christian nationalism is incompatible with the American experiment. Our founders knew that. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Rachel Laser.

Ken Burns: How Will History Remember Us?
type: item
creator: VICE News
date: 2026-06-25T21:25:25Z
subject: Sources
subject: Vice News
subject: burns
subject: History
subject: how
subject: ken
subject: News
subject: remember
subject: sources
subject: vice
subject: will
description: This content originally appeared on VICE News and was authored by VICE News.
encoded: This content originally appeared on VICE News and was authored by VICE News.