Funding dev work this far into overshoot is always a waste that results in shitty quality. Good devs haven't worked for pay up front since like, Satoshi Nakamoto or so


According to a Norwegian study
those who have had the virus
wind up with a poorer memory
and considering how many
have been infected and reinfected
perhaps this explains why
so many keep forgetting
that we’re still in a pandemic.


implying the pandemic is over


NYT


this is propaganda gaslighting about the pandemic


This is propaganda that lies about the pandemic


This seems to imply the pandemic is over


this is propaganda pretending the pandemic is over


Email and NIP-05 seem to be failed experiments. NIP-05 helps with human-readable short links but that's about it. Might remove the NIP-05 fields from this profile and nostr:npub1hms7gyycmjnwulruaz6v797znk24ut8vwuhrvc7ag8pwtjgr886qm08888 since that field in the profile isn't needed for short links to work

NIP-05 probably needs to stop relying on DNS before it can be good


Better idea: propose ideal functionality, having considered how it should work, as the basis for criticizing shitty dev work


When media sources use RSS refeeders or mostr.pub to post links to misleading propaganda, I think it's fair to label it as spam. Have reported some posts accordingly today


Appreciate that you said "end of lockdown" instead of saying the pandemic is over

Nice graph too

They'll always be correlated in dollar price because they hold value more firmly than the dollar lol - I look at it as the dollar's value in gold/Bitcoin changing rather than looking at the prices changing in dollars


New Variant KP.2 Causes Concerns of COVID-19 Wave in the US
===============
#7e4581a4 ver:0.18

Concerns rise as new variant KP.2 becomes the leading cause of COVID-19 cases in the US, surpassing JN.1. KP.2 is more evasive and fatal, with vaccines potentially less effective. Previous JN.1 infection may offer some protection. #COVID19 #variant #pandemic...

#newstr #Covid19 #VariantKp2 #Us #Infections #Vaccines

 https://here.news/story/7e4581a4?ver=0.18


Most people think the COVID pandemic is over & I don't see you calling that out in your post here, so why would I click your link?

What's the point of trying to get people to click a link where you're talking about biology if you don't even include a reminder the COVID pandemic isn't over to show people unfamiliar with you that you're actually into biology?


propaganda pretending the pandemic is over


pandemic isn't over


/u/WichaelCrow on reddit made the best one, it was for /r/Vexillology - original uncompressed version here

https://i.redd.it/0acz3wdqa9z61.png


Crossposting to /n/freedom

nostr:nevent1qqsgp4qq6sxuavn8htz83xzn4nd4qt4c4xy074mrc9m8shrkn78cprgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzvupzqamkcvk5k8g730e2j6atadp6mxk7z4aaxc7cnwrlkclx79z4tzygqvzqqqqqqyee3awm


Plymouth Barred Rock Chickens

Hatched in September 2023
Already started laying eggs.


A few Palestinian versions of the Gadsden flag. Only real patriots will understand

https://nostrcheck.me/media/7776c32d4b1d1e8bf2a96babeb43ad9ade157bd363d89b87fb63e6f145558888/58e968c9ed892b75271122360a7da709e075329bb57f3a95b84e01ad0350b77f.webp
 https://nostrcheck.me/media/7776c32d4b1d1e8bf2a96babeb43ad9ade157bd363d89b87fb63e6f145558888/83d25d1065bfab6099c3b7fffd77691b994f64f3c6ab7eaab6e07197e573b03e.webp

My favorite: https://nostrcheck.me/media/7776c32d4b1d1e8bf2a96babeb43ad9ade157bd363d89b87fb63e6f145558888/5b31b93a5174a0aa1c8bcd7b6d70151475b7aedea4ada9faac38e1fb35a2fbd4.webp

#Gaza #Palestine #grownostr

Will probably repost for 4th of July

alt Original Gadsden flag but with Palestinian flag background

alt Translated Gadsden flag with Palestinian background

alt Raptor telling snek "DON'T TAKE MY HOUSE"


This will hit it big on here 💯


Obtain a laptop, get a Euro VPN, run Tails or Linux with the Tor browser bundle, and use an encrypted chat app.

Do all this on free open wifi with another person doing the same.


Seeing some very faint northern lights in the Bangor Maine area. Amazing to see


Wonder if whoever was running it got tired of finding & sorting songs, didn't trust anyone else to get the mix quite right, and didn't want to keep doing repeats


nostr:nevent1qqspdy98nuujq4jrxm0ps4pglla30vnywu4pw6a8xp9mq08mpflxp3qpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgq3qvktdqqwunms2axujjp7ujqz5vgycfg3p8zdgn68v63nqs38puhksxpqqqqqqzkr5ajl

Transcript via imagetotext dot io -

Dear Secretary Blinken:

The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic (Select Subcommittee) is investigating the origins of COVID-19. Since April 2, 2020, Committee on Oversight and Accountability Republicans have investigated the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) role in obscuring the truth regarding the initial outbreak. and whether any U.S. taxpayer dollars funded the Wuhan Institute of Virology's (WIV) dangerous gain-of-function research.' On February 27, 2023 we wrote to the Department requesting information pertinent to this investigation.?

Pursuant to that letter, the Department recently produced classified documents to the Select Subcommittee that were previously released in an unclassified and highly redacted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) production to U.S. Right to Know. These documents contain highly pertinent information that credibly suggests:

1) COVID-19 originated from a lab-related accident in Wuhan, China:

2) The CCP acted to prevent, and in fact obstructed, a fulsome investigation into these matters; and

3) A seamless relationship between the WIV and the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

The American people deserve to see the information that is hidden under these redactions.

We write to you today to request that you immediately take steps to declassify this information such that the American people have a more complete picture of the government's evidence regarding the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To ensure that these documents are expeditiously reviewed for declassification, the highly redacted FOIA versions are enclosed. In addition to the rapid commencement of a declassification review, the Select Subcommittee requests a staff level briefing to occur before May 14, 2024.

This briefing was previously requested on April 24, 2024 with the goal of it occurring prior to the Select Subcommittee's hearing with the President of EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. and known WIV collaborator Dr. Peter Daszak. However, the Department responded that it could not support a briefing on that timeline.

The Select Subcommittee is authorized to investigate "the origins of the Coronavirus pandemic, including but not limited to the Federal Government's funding of gain-of function research" and "executive branch policies, deliberations, decisions, activities, and internal and external communications related to the coronavirus pandemic" under H. Res. 5. * To ask any follow-up or related questions please contact Committee staff at (202) 225-5074.

Thank you for your attention to this very important matter.

Sincerely,
Brad R. War
Brad Wenstrup, D.P.M. Chairman

cc:
The Honorable Raul Ruiz, M.D., Ranking Member Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic

-----

#news #COVID #COVID-19 #pandemic #Wuhan #China #politics


Can confirm.


Thank God we got a pause on American weapons gefore the Gaza genocide attempt got further than this. Now let's see if the pause escalates into Netanyahu being scapegoated and ejected. More importantly, we'll see where this genocide attempt actually ends.


From Al Jazeera today - copied and pasted

https://archive.ph/OvBN7

United States President Joe Biden’s administration paused a shipment of weapons to Israel last week in opposition to apparent moves by its forces to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a senior administration official has said.

Biden has been trying to head off a full-scale assault by the Israelis against Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge from fighting elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.

The AFP, Reuters and The Associated Press news agencies on Tuesday quoted unnamed US officials as saying Washington began to “carefully review proposed transfers of particular weapons to Israel that might be used in Rafah” in April when it seemed Israel appeared close to making a decision on the assault.

“As a result of that review, we have paused one shipment of weapons last week. It consists of 1,800 2,000-pound [907kg] bombs and 1,700 500-pound [227kg] bombs,” one official reportedly said.

“We are especially focused on the end-use of the 2,000-lb bombs and the impact they could have in dense urban settings as we have seen in other parts of Gaza. We have not made a final determination on how to proceed with this shipment,” the official was quoted as saying. The news agencies said he spoke on condition of anonymity given the issue’s sensitivity.

Reuters reported that four sources said the shipments, which have been delayed for at least two weeks, involved Boeing-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), which place precision guidance systems onto bombs, as well as Small Diameter Bombs.

Quoting unnamed officials, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on Tuesday that the US had delayed the shipment of some 6,500 JDAMs.

The delay comes at a time when Washington is publicly pressuring Israel to postpone its planned offensive in Rafah until it has taken steps to avert civilian casualties.

The White House and the Pentagon declined to comment on the shipment delays.

**Withholding arms from Israel**

Biden on Monday held a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and stressed US opposition to a ground offensive in Rafah, according to the White House.

But in the early hours of Tuesday, just hours after Hamas, the group that runs Gaza, said it had accepted a ceasefire proposal put forward by international mediators, Israeli forces seized control of the Rafah border crossing.

Without addressing whether there had been a hold-up in arms shipments, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reaffirmed that Washington’s commitment to Israel’s security was “ironclad”.

Still, when asked about the reports on the arms delays, she added: “Two things could be true, in the sense of having those conversations, tough, direct conversations with our counterparts in Israel … in making sure citizens lives are protected … and getting that commitment.”

The Pentagon said on Monday that there had not been a policy decision to withhold arms from Israel, the US’s closest Middle East ally.

The Rafah crossing is crucial for aid and as an escape route for those able to flee into Egypt. Some 1.4 million Palestinians, including more than 600,000 children, are sheltering in the southern city, and the United Nations, US, European Union and international humanitarian organisations have warned an attack would be catastrophic.

Israel’s war on Gaza has left many of Gaza’s 2.3 million people on the brink of starvation and led to protests in the US and other countries demanding that universities and the Biden administration withdraw support for Israel – including the provision of weaponry.

**‘A drop in the ocean’**

A senior Israeli official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, did not confirm any specific hold-up in arms supplies but appeared to shrug them off: “As the prime minister has already said, if we have to fight with our fingernails, then we’ll do what we have to do.”

However, observers suggest the pause in deliveries is a significant step by the White House, which has exhibited growing impatience with Netanyahu as it has sought to persuade him to rein in the Israeli military push in Gaza and ensure more aid reaches Palestinians.

The US has reiterated many times its opposition to a major assault on Rafah, and Amir Oren, a journalist with the Haaretz newspaper, suggested to Al Jazeera that the reported move was an act of “deterrence”.

“Biden had to show Netanyahu that he’s serious,” Oren said.

Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from Amman in Jordan because Al Jazeera has been closed down in Israel, noted that there has been no official response from the Israeli government.

However, the security establishment is reportedly concerned, he noted, that this is “a tactic by the US to increase pressure on the Israeli government to stop an all-out invasion of Rafah and to accept the terms of a ceasefire”.

Israeli officials are reported to be worried, he added, that this is a “harbinger of things to come … if Israel doesn’t start adhering more to what the US wants”.

However, he also noted that the pause of one delivery amounts to a very small percentage of the overall volume of weapons that Washington has been providing to Israel. “This is just a drop in the ocean,” Jamjoom said.

US pauses weapons delivery to Israel over Rafah offensive concerns: Reports

Biden’s administration paused shipment of weapons in effort to prevent full-scale assault on Rafah, official says.

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzqamkcvk5k8g730e2j6atadp6mxk7z4aaxc7cnwrlkclx79z4tzygqqg8yctxv958wetpwphkuurpw4ek29elatw


Yep, that's the behavior I'm observing. Strange.

To compromise between being spammy and losing reach, I'll probably let my posts for the newspaper be quote posted on ink@nostrid.info as they already would be, and then I guess I'll do roundups of other articles from here if it feels like I should


Testing - does this only show up on snort social if I quote post it? 🤔
nostr:naddr1qq8kvcnfv4kkz6tvwa5hyet5v9cqygrhwmpj6jcar69l92tt40458tv6mc2hh5mrmzdc07mrumc524vg3qpsgqqqw4rszaj9cu


"Peter Todd is wrong that Nostr is inherently centralized or that it needs a protocol change to become what it has always purported to be. He is in fact wrong today, because what is written above is not valid for all clients of today, and if we drive in the right direction we can successfully make Peter Todd be more and more wrong as time passes, instead of the contrary."

This is a highlight created in https://habla.news


From Wired today - copied and pasted

https://archive.ph/NZ3WW

A top FBI official is encouraging employees to continue to investigate Americans using a warrantless foreign surveillance program in an effort to justify the bureau’s spy powers, according to an internal email obtained by WIRED.

Known as Section 702, the program is controversial for having been misused by the FBI to target US protesters, journalists, and even a sitting member of Congress. US lawmakers, nevertheless, voted to extend the program in April for an additional two years, while codifying a slew of procedures that the FBI claims is working to stop the abuse.

Obtained by WIRED, an April 20 email authored by FBI deputy director Paul Abbate to employees states: “To continue to demonstrate why tools like this are essential to our mission, we need to use them, while also holding ourselves accountable for doing so properly and in compliance with legal requirements.” [Emphasis his.]

Added Abbate: “I urge everyone to continue to look for ways to appropriately use US person queries to advance the mission, with the added confidence that this new pre-approval requirement will help ensure that those queries are fully compliant with the law.”

The FBI did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request for comment about Abbate’s email.

“The deputy director's email seems to show that the FBI is actively pushing for more surveillance of Americans, not out of necessity but as a default,” says US representative Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California. “This directly contradicts earlier assertions from the FBI during the debate over Section 702’s reauthorization.”

Authorized under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the 702 program permits the government to enlist American companies to eavesdrop on a variety of communications—calls, texts, emails, and possibly other forms of messaging—all without the need for a search warrant. The key requirement for the program is that at least one of the recipients (the individual “targeted”) be a foreigner reasonably believed to be somewhere other than on US soil.

In a statement to Congress last year, FBI director Christopher Wray emphasized that the bureau’s focus was on “dramatically reducing” the number of times its agents scoured the 702 database for information on Americans.

The frequency with which the FBI runs US phone numbers or email accounts through the 702 database is hazy. The bureau first began reporting the figure publicly in 2021, releasing the total number of times that these searches took place. That number was 2.9 million. Since then, the FBI has “updated its counting methodology” to count only unique searches. (To wit, running the same phone number through the database multiple times a year now counts as a single search.) As a result, at least in part, the number dropped to 119,383 the following year. In 2023, under more stringent guidelines, it dropped further, to 57,094.

Last year, a review by the Justice Department found that the FBI’s compliance rate hovered around 98 percent, a figure that Wray and other FBI officials have touted frequently in defense of the program. Without knowing the exact number of queries, the number of noncompliant searches is impossible to calculate. At a minimum, the FBI conducted more a thousand searches in violation of its own policies, which are now law. Under its new system of counting, the figure could be much higher. Only the Justice Department knows.

In a statement earlier this year, the FBI claimed that many of these errors are the result of its employees failing to label whether a search, in fact, targeted a “US person.”

While the 702 program has been widely criticized by privacy and civil liberty proponents, the US House Intelligence Committee is throwing a party Wednesday night to celebrate the recent extension of the 702 surveillance program, multiple sources tell WIRED.

House Intelligence Committee chair Mike Turner and ranking member Jim Himes blasted out invitations announcing a “bipartisan celebration” of the 702 program’s continuation last week. The event, which the lawmakers have dubbed FISA Fest, is being held in a reception room in the US Capitol building Wednesday night.

A House Intelligence Committee spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Turner and Himes were instrumental in preserving the FBI’s warrantless access to 702 data. In countless “briefings” since October, the pair urged members of their respective parties to avoid reining in the FBI’s authority too greatly. Instead, the new procedures designed by the bureau itself were touted by both lawmakers as a sufficient bulwark against further abuse.

Narrowly winning that battle last month, Himes and Turner worked to kill an amendment that would have forced FBI employees to get search warrants before reviewing the communications of Americans swept up by the program. (The amendment, opposed by the Biden White House, failed in a tie vote, 212-212.) Instead, the FBI’s procedures, now part of the 702 statute, require employees to affirmatively “opt in” before accessing the wiretaps. They must also seek permission from an FBI attorney before conducting “batch queries” of the database. And queries for communications of elected officials, reporters, academics, and religious figures are now all deemed “sensitive” and require approval from higher up the chain of command.

Congress established Section 702 in 2008 to legitimize an existing surveillance program run by the National Security Agency (NSA) without congressional oversight or approval. The program, more narrowly defined at the time, intercepted communications that were at least partly domestic but included a target the government believed was a known terrorist. While bringing the surveillance under its authority, Congress has helped to steadily expand the scope of the surveillance to encompass a new slate of threats, from cybercrime and drug trafficking to arms proliferation.

While advocates for 702 surveillance often imply that Americans who are wiretapped are communicating with terrorists—a concoction that Turner himself repeatedly lent credence to this year—the allegation is dubious. Officially, it is the US government’s position that it is impossible to know which US citizens are being surveilled or even how many of them there are. The chief aim of the 702 program is to acquire “foreign intelligence information,” a term that encompasses not only terrorism and acts of sabotage but information necessary for the government to conduct its own “foreign affairs.”

Surveillance critics worry that the array of possible targets extends far beyond what is being characterized in unclassified settings. It is uncontroversial to suggest that the US government—like all governments with the power to spy—finds reasons to spy on foreign allies, businesses, even news publications. So long as the target is foreign, they have no privacy rights.

The limits of the 702 program remain murky, even to congressional members insisting that it should not be curbed further. The Senate Intelligence Committee chair, Mark Warner, acknowledged to reporters this week that language in Section 702 needs to be “fixed,” even though he voted last month to make the current language law.

FISA experts had warned for months that new language introduced by the House Intelligence Committee is far too vague in the way it describes the categories of businesses the US government can compel, fearing that the government would obtain the power to force anyone with access to a target’s online communications into snooping on the NSA’s behalf—IT workers and data center staff among them.
A trade group representing Google, Amazon, IBM, and Microsoft, among some of the world's other largest technology companies, concurred last month, arguing that the new version of the surveillance program threatens to “dramatically expand the scope of entities and individuals” subject to Section 702 orders.

“We are working on it,” Warner told The Record on Monday. “I am absolutely committed to getting that fixed,” he said, suggesting the best time to do so would be “in the next intelligence bill.”

Top FBI Official Urges Agents to Use Warrantless Wiretaps on US Soil | Dell Cameron & William Turton

An internal email from FBI deputy director Paul Abbate, obtained by WIRED, tells employees to search for “US persons” in a controversial spy program’s database that investigators have repeatedly misused.

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzqamkcvk5k8g730e2j6atadp6mxk7z4aaxc7cnwrlkclx79z4tzygqq8kvcnfv4kkz6tvwa5hyet5v9cq5399cg


Can't find an email provider worth using. nip05.social is broken in my testing, still has "coming soon" over the email sending section on one of the pages about it despite an announcement about it being available


Wow, fiatjaf saying some real shit unexpectedly
nostr:naddr1qqyrsdmpxgcrsepeqgsrhuxx8l9ex335q7he0f09aej04zpazpl0ne2cgukyawd24mayt8grqsqqqa2877wjz6


Not bad for being made on a phone. Good job getting something cool done to show what you can do before phones learn to make music themselves lol


I bet there will be a good nostr client before there's a good lightning wallet, since it seems like lightning is inherently for retards and nostr being for retards isn't inherent


Just looked into setting up #zaps but can't seem to get around the fact that Lightning is for retards. I can't find an app for it made by anyone with the modicum of brain function required to have an open-source code repository without using github


Maybe not, it looks like maybe some clients still can't see them


I should probably start using NIP-23 longform posts


I've registered duplicate NIP-05 IDs with email forwarding for this account with the different domain names offered by nip05.social

I left some open, nothing against other people called "whoever," just not sure if I might have use for each different one in the future - for example, filtering emails from different sources based on giving out different addresses


“You Have Been Warned”: Republican Senators Threaten the ICC Prosecutor over Possible Israel Arrest Warrants

From Mehdi Hasan and Team Zeteo today, also covered by mainstream media sources

Copy of the letter • nostr:nevent1qqsyrhpk92hlpr2dn3qwt235dtufee4su2lmhjk68hpnxday2kvn9ygpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzvupzqamkcvk5k8g730e2j6atadp6mxk7z4aaxc7cnwrlkclx79z4tzygqvzqqqqqqyajhezs

Article •

A group of influential Republican senators has sent a letter to International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan, warning him not to issue international arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, and threatening him with “severe sanctions” if he does so.

In a terse, one-page letter obtained exclusively by Zeteo, and signed by 12 GOP senators, including Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Florida’s Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz of Texas, Khan is informed that any attempt by the ICC to hold Netanyahu and his colleagues to account for their actions in Gaza will be interpreted “not only as a threat to Israel’s sovereignty but to the sovereignty of the United States.”

“Target Israel and we will target you,” the senators tell Khan, adding that they will “sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States.”

Rather ominously, the letter concludes: “You have been warned.”

In a statement to Zeteo, Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said, “It is fine to express opposition to a possible judicial action, but it is absolutely wrong to interfere in a judicial matter by threatening judicial officers, their family members and their employees with retribution. This thuggery is something befitting the mafia, not U.S. senators.”

While neither Israel nor the United States are members of the ICC, the Palestinian territories were admitted with the status of a member state in April 2015. Khan, a British lawyer, was appointed as the ICC’s chief prosecutor in February 2021, a week after the court had already decided, by majority, that its territorial jurisdiction extended to “Gaza and the West Bank.”

In the wake of the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, Khan announced that the court had jurisdiction over any potential war crimes committed both by Hamas militants in Israel and by Israeli forces in Gaza. The ICC, per the Rome Statute of 2002, can charge individuals with war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide – and recent reports suggest Israeli officials increasingly believe that the ICC is preparing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and other senior cabinet and military officials.

On Friday, The Hague-based office of the chief prosecutor published an unprecedented statement on Twitter, calling for an end to threats of retaliation against the ICC and attempts to “impede” and “intimidate” its officials. The statement added that such threats could “constitute an offence against the administration of justice” under the Rome Statute.

The timing of this rare public rebuke now makes more sense: The U.S. senators’ letter was sent to Khan a week earlier, on April 24.
In their letter, the dozen Republican senators remind Khan that the U.S. “demonstrated in the American Service-Members’ Protection Act the lengths to which we will go to protect [its] sovereignty.”
The ASPA, signed into law by George W. Bush in 2002, has since become widely known as “The Hague Invasion Act” because it authorizes the U.S. president “to use all means necessary and appropriate” to bring about the release not just of U.S. persons but also allies who are imprisoned or detained by the ICC.
The group of Republican senators – which also includes Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and South Carolina’s Tim Scott, who is believed to be on Donald Trump’s vice-presidential shortlist – suggests the issuance of any arrest warrants for the leaders of Israel by the ICC would be “illegitimate and lack legal basis,” as well as “expose” the court’s “hypocrisy and double standards.” They point out that Khan has not issued arrest warrants for the leaders of Iran, Syria, China, or Hamas. They fail to mention, however, that the three countries listed are not members of the ICC, nor are they accused of carrying out war crimes on the territory of an ICC member. As for Hamas officials, it has been reported that the chief prosecutor is, in fact, also “weighing arrest warrants for leaders from Hamas.”
If Khan does issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in the coming days, it won’t be the first time he has gone after a controversial world leader over alleged war crimes – or been sanctioned for doing so. In March 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for his alleged responsibility “for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children).” The Russian government responded by putting Khan on a “wanted” list.
At the time, President Biden called the arrest warrant for Putin “justified” and said it made a “very good point.” And, two years earlier, in April 2021, Biden revoked U.S. sanctions that had been imposed by the Trump administration on the ICC prosecutor in the wake of an investigation into U.S. military action in Afghanistan.
On Friday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the administration opposes “any threats or intimidation to public officials… including ICC officials” but that the president does “not support this investigative probe.” The White House declined to comment to Zeteo on the senators’ letter, as did the ICC Chief Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague.
Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, one of the letter’s Republican signatories, told Zeteo it was “not a threat - a promise.” The 11 other Republican Senators who signed the letter did not respond to Zeteo's requests for comment by the time of publication.”


https://void.cat/nostr/2c43550c436bcc303412eb1b549e82124c90386f1401a9f71ed9ac2fa1b7ccc8.jpg
 https://void.cat/nostr/dda7af1f4af43ff5d611b16bcc802f02f3575feaecbeda495946adc396d2a4b1.jpg

Via zeteo dot com • https://archive.ph/inPD7

Transcript via imagetotext dot io •

Dear Mr. Khan,

We write regarding the reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may be considering issuing international arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. Such actions are illegitimate and lack legal basis, and if carried out will result in severe sanctions against you and your institution.
The ICC is attempting to punish Israel for taking legitimate actions of self-defense against their Iranian-backed aggressors. In fact, in your own words, you witnessed "scenes of calculated cruelty" conducted by Hamas in Israel following the October 7 attacks. These arrest warrants would align the ICC with the largest state sponsor of terrorism and its proxy. To be clear, there is no moral equivalence between Hamas's terrorism and Israel's justified response.
The ICC is also prohibited by its charter from proceeding in any case unless the relevant government is unwilling or unable to police themselves. You yourself have said that "Israel has trained lawyers who advise commanders and a robust system intended to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law."2 By issuing warrants, you would be calling into question the legitimacy of Israel's laws, legal system, and democratic form of government.
Issuing arrest warrants for the leaders of Israel would not only be unjustified, it would expose your organization's hypocrisy and double standards. Your office has not issued arrest warrants for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or any other Iranian official, Syrian President Bashar al Assad or any other Syrian official, or Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh or any other Hamas official. Nor have you issued an arrest warrant for the genocidal General Secretary of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, or any other Chinese official.
Finally, neither Israel nor the United States are members of the ICC and are therefore outside of your organization's supposed jurisdiction. If you issue a warrant for the arrest of the Israeli leadership, we will interpret this not only as a threat to Israel's sovereignty but to the sovereignty of the United States. Our country demonstrated in the American Service-Members' Protection Act the lengths to which we will go to protect that sovereignty.
The United States will not tolerate politicized attacks by the ICC on our allies. Target Israel and we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States. You have been warned.

-Tim Cotton, Mitch McConnell, Marsha Blackburn, Katie Boyd Britt, Ted Budd, Kevin Cramer, Ted Cruz, Bill Hagerty, Pete Ricketts, Marco Rubio, Rick Scott, Tim Scott


Al Jazeera condemns Israeli government decision to shut down local offices

Israeli cabinet votes unanimously to close the network’s operations in Israel with immediate effect.

Article includes videos not copied here

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/5/netanyahu-government-votes-to-close-al-jazeera-channel-in-israel

Al Jazeera Media Network has condemned the Israeli government’s decision to close its operations in Israel as a “criminal act” and warned that the country’s suppression of the free press “stands in contravention of international and humanitarian law”.

“Al Jazeera Media Network strongly condemns and denounces this criminal act that violates human rights and the basic right to access of information. Al Jazeera affirms its right to continue to provide news and information to its global audiences,” the network said in a statement on Sunday.

dation and threats will not deter Al Jazeera from its commitment to cover, whilst more than 140 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the beginning of the war on Gaza.

“The Network vehemently rejects the allegations presented by Israeli authorities suggesting professional media standards have been violated. It reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the values embodied by its Code of Ethics,” it said.

The statement comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet voted unanimously to close Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel, weeks after Israel’s parliament passed a law allowing the temporary closure of foreign broadcasters considered to be a threat to national security during the months-long war in Gaza.

Netanyahu announced the decision on X, formerly Twitter. “The government headed by me unanimously decided: the incitement channel Al Jazeera will be closed in Israel,” he posted in Hebrew.

Israel’s Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi wrote on X that he had signed the orders against Al Jazeera, which would be effective immediately.

Karhi said he ordered the seizure of Al Jazeera’s broadcasting equipment “used to deliver the channel’s content”, including editing and routing equipment, cameras, microphones, servers and laptops, as well as wireless transmission equipment and some mobile phones.

Later on Sunday, police raided Al Jazeera’s premises in occupied East Jerusalem and satellite and cable providers took Al Jazeera off air.

Messages have appeared instead of Al Jazeera’s broadcast on a number of satellite providers, including messages with the words “Yes” and “Hot”.

The message flagged with “Yes” reads: “In accordance with the government decision, the Al Jazeera station’s broadcasts have been stopped in Israel.”

Israel’s decision escalates the country’s long-running feud against Al Jazeera. It also threatens to heighten tensions with Qatar, which funds the media network, at a time when Doha is playing a key role in mediation efforts to halt the war in Gaza.

Israel has long had a rocky relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of bias against it and collaboration with Hamas. The Qatar-based network has repeatedly rejected the accusations.

Al Jazeera is one of the few international media outlets to remain in Gaza throughout the war, broadcasting bloody scenes of air attacks and overcrowded hospitals, and accusing Israel of massacres.

Last month, Netanyahu had said he would “act immediately to stop” Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel after its parliament approved a law that grants senior ministers powers to shut down foreign news networks deemed a security risk.

“Al Jazeera harmed Israel’s security, actively participated in the October 7 massacre, and incited against Israeli soldiers,” Netanyahu had posted on X.

The network accused Netanyahu of “incitement”, holding the Israeli leader “responsible for the safety of its staff and network premises around the world, following his incitement and this false accusation in a disgraceful manner”.

Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi, reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, said the Palestine-Israel conflict is “one of the main reasons that our network exists”.

“So to have our journalists, our operations, threatened in this way … Definitely, the worry here in the occupied West Bank is that we will be next,” he said.

Journalists and global media federations have also condemned Israel’s decision.

“It is utterly a retrograde and ridiculous decision. Closing down media, closing down television stations is a sort of thing that despots do,” Tim Dawson, the deputy general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists told Al Jazeera from London.

“Israel makes much of being a democracy and the idea that it can simply close down an international broadcaster of considerable reputation and history is atrocious,” Dawson added.


PDF printout: https://dankdrop.nl/forcebwithu.pdf

During the George Floyd protests, I saw a guy at one who was just yelling about abolishing the federal reserve the whole time. Nobody else was. I thought he was planted to talk nonsense and make the protest more confusing. Now I understand. Maybe he was trying to help everyone steer, but didn't quite know how to make his point.

THE AUTHORITIES ARE SCARED OF PROTESTERS GATHERING IN THE STREETS
- maybe because every gathering is a chance for the people to get together and strategize -
I KNOW SOMETHING THEY’RE EVEN MORE SCARED OF: THE DOLLAR COLLAPSING
but they've tricked everyday Americans into fearing it too.
THESE GATHERINGS DON'T HAPPEN EVERY DAY. INFLATION DOES. TEACH PEOPLE WHY & HOW TO DUMP THE DOLLAR

Why not dollars?

It’s too late to stop the dollar from becoming an overwhelmingly dominant means of exchange, too late to stop the backing of the dollar being switched from precious metals to crude oil, and too late to stop people from becoming reliant on unsustainable amounts of crude oil. This means it's too late to fight inflation.

The military industrial complex will keep printing dollars as long as people keep taking them to cover expenses. The expenses will keep getting worse because crude oil supply will not magically match global demand. People who understand this will want to prepare by shifting their investments to real assets like crude oil, gold, silver, and cryptocurrency instead of savings accounts, brokerage accounts, and other liabilities. This shift also accelerates inflation.

Therefore, we're locked in a race where the earlier you realize what's happening, the better the chances of survival and comfort for you and your loved ones at the individual level. Additionally - beyond the individual level - the more people realize what's happening, the worse the chances of comfort for the military-industrial-complex war criminals who have refused to let us out of this rat race.

How can you “dump the dollar” in the real world?

Even for those who are forced to keep filing taxes and using bank accounts for their personal needs, there's always a choice. Sometimes it's an easy choice, like when 2 people find it more optimal to barter than to make a cash exchange. Other times it's a harder choice, like running a soup kitchen instead of a restaurant, or being homeless instead of letting corporations exploit you. There's only one hard choice I must ask you to be brave about: try to wake people up. Search “the Overton window” online and then try to ignore it. The world is doomed if everyone keeps learning everything too late.

As for the easier choices, here are a few things more people should be aware of:

Assets frequently held with custodians, such as gold, silver, and cryptocurrencies, should see peak market value far into the collapse of the dollar, when custodial institutions are exposed in a massive fraud scandal.

Nostr is an experimental Twitter clone for people into decentralization. It barely works, but you can't be permanently banned. It will get better.

Electronic spyware should not be underestimated.


Erdogan has announced he'll cut all trade with Israel, which is huge because Turkey🇹🇷 is one of the biggest Islamic powers AND a member of NATO, making people have a hard time figuring out which side Turkey will be on. This could still be undermined in the future, as Erdogan is not the only politician in Turkey

In related #news Columbia🇨🇴 also ended diplomatic relations with Israel


The number of people arrested in connection with #protests on college campuses against the Israel-Hamas war has now topped 2,000 -Associated #Press


Amnesty Int’l: Biden Must Halt Weapon Sales to 🇮🇱Israel After 🇺🇲U.S. 🇺🇲 Arms Used to Kill Civilians in 🇵🇸Gaza

Video
https://web.archive.org/web/20240502224414if_/https://democracynow.cachefly.net/democracynow/360/dn2024-0502.mp4?start=2580.0&end=3354.0

Archived page with transcript
https://archive.ph/x4bVD

A new report from Amnesty International finds the sale of U.S. weapons to Israel for use in its indiscriminate assault in Gaza is in violation of U.S. and international law. We speak to Budour Hassan, a Palestinian writer and contributing researcher to the report, who says the U.S. is “complicit in the commission of war crimes” and must “halt all arms transfer to Israel as long as Israel continues to fail to comply with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.” We also discuss Israel’s detention of thousands of Palestinians without charge, the inadequacy of U.S. human rights investigations into the Israeli military, and Israel’s threatened ground invasion of Rafah.

Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: A coalition of international NGOs are holding a global day of action today calling on all states to halt the transfer of weapons, parts and ammunitions to Israel as the death toll in Gaza tops 34,500.
AMY GOODMAN: We go now to Jerusalem, where we’re joined by Budour Hassan, a Palestinian writer and Amnesty International researcher on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, contributing researcher to a new Amnesty report titled “U.S.-Made Weapons Used by Government of Israel in Violation of International Law and U.S. Law.”
Budour, thank you so much for being with us. Why don’t you tell us the conclusions of the Amnesty International report?
BUDOUR HASSAN: [inaudible] U.S.A. and response to the National Security Memorandum on Accountability and Safeguards on the Transfer of Defense Items and Other Services to Israel is based on firsthand documentation by Amnesty International of how U.S.-made weapons and U.S.-supplied weapons have been used by Israel in unlawful attacks, not just during the current war, but also in an earlier military campaign in May, where they were used in disproportionate attacks, killing civilians and injuring civilians, and where they were used — where small-diameter bombs were also used in the wanton destruction of property in cases amounting to collective punishment.
Also we cite in our research two cases where U.S.-made JDAMs have been used to decimate entire families, two entire families — the Abu Mu’eileq family in the middle area in Deir al-Balah and the Najjar family in Deir al-Balah also, back in October. A total of 43 civilians were killed in just two attacks. Amnesty International’s research did not find any evidence that there were any military targets in the area, raising doubt that the attacks were direct attacks on civilians and, as such, should be investigated as war crimes. And as such, also there is a high risk that by continuing to supply arms to Israel, the United States was fully aware that it is also supporting the commission of war crimes and it’s complicit in the commission of war crimes.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: And so, Budour, has the U.S. responded in any way to your report, which came out earlier this week?
BUDOUR HASSAN: We are still waiting for a response by the U.S. The call is clear. The call is on the U.S. to halt all arms transfer to Israel as long as Israel continues to fail to comply with international humanitarian law and international human rights law. And it’s not just about the weapons that Israel is using, U.S.-made weapons. Also, Israel continues to use torture and other ill-treatment and also arbitrary detention against Palestinians, which also violates international law.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: And if you could talk, Budour, about this global day of action, May 2nd, today? What prompted this call? Who all is involved?
BUDOUR HASSAN: The collective includes a variety of humanitarian organizations and human rights organizations that call for an immediate ceasefire, recognizing a ceasefire is the only way to end the man-made humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, but also calling for an arms embargo on Israel and all parties to the conflict, including freezing all arms transfer and ammunitions to Israel. And this group came together because it recognizes that it’s not just, of course, the United States. Of course, the United States is the biggest supplier of arms to Israel, but there are other countries supplying arms. There are strategic cases, litigation before numerous national courts, demanding that the courts demand that governments stop fueling this war and fueling human rights violations.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to ask you about the number of Palestinians right now who are detained under what’s called the Unlawful Combatants Law. What cases have you been working on? What are the profile of those detained, the number of those detained, if there are charges against them?
BUDOUR HASSAN: Officially, Israel acknowledges that it’s currently holding 865 Palestinians from Gaza as unlawful combatants. Under Unlawful Combatants Law, Palestinians — and they are mainly from Gaza — do not know the evidence used against them, cannot challenge the legal grounds for their arrest, and they are not charged, and they cannot face a fair trial, of course. Under the amendment to the Unlawful Combatants Law, a person from Gaza can be detained for up to 45 days without even being issued an arrest order. They can spend for up to 75 days without seeing a judge.
In many of the cases — in most of the cases we have documented, we interviewed doctors, we interviewed human rights defenders and also interviewed journalists, who said that they were told that they have a lawyer to represent them, but they never saw that lawyer. They said that they could not even ask why they are being held in jail. They did not know. Two of the doctors we interviewed spent 140 days in prison without ever knowing the charges against them, without being able to challenge the grounds based on which they are being detained. Israel never substantiated the very fact that they were taken, snatched, while treating wounded in hospital, only to spend 140 days in prison and later be released without ever knowing why they were detained in the first place.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Well, earlier this week — and this is, of course, something that happened before October 7th — but just earlier this week, the U.S. has found five units of Israel’s security forces responsible for human rights violations, most of them committed against Palestinians in the West Bank. The State Department said this is the first time the U.S. has come to such a conclusion about Israeli forces. And again, the violations occurred before October 7th and will not impact U.S. military aid to any of the units. If you could talk about the significance of this and whether you think this may lead to similar findings following October 7th for a far larger number of Israeli security forces units?
BUDOUR HASSAN: Of course, we think that these findings came a little bit too late in the first place. And in a sense, just implicating five military units serves to exceptionalize these five units and kind of absolves the Israeli army as a whole, the Israeli military as a whole, of its collective responsibility, because we cannot speak about individual units in the army and not recognize that the Israeli military as a whole has been committing grave human rights violations against Palestinians. And these human rights violations for decades have been fueled by impunity, not just from the military advocate general and from the investigative systems of the Israeli army, but also by Israel’s judiciary, judicial system, that has been incapable and unwilling to investigate these violations. So, it’s not just a few units here and there, exactly and precisely how it’s not just about one extremist or violent settler. It’s not the problem of one violent settler, but rather the whole settlement process.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to ask you, Budour Hassan, about Gaza. You have the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that the invasion of Rafah is going to take place. Can you talk about the significance of this? And also talk about the famine that people in Gaza face, the opening of the Erez border. We just interviewed two people, a rabbi, American Rabbi Alissa Wise, and the Israeli-born writer Ayelet Waldman, who were arrested there as they tried to get in aid. But now Israel is saying it’s open. What level of aid is getting in?
BUDOUR HASSAN: To open, first of all, as Amnesty International, we have been calling for opening all land crossings and allowing the unfettered access of aid into Gaza, as per, of course, the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice. And it’s good that they are finally beginning to enter, although it’s not — nowhere near the quantity that should be entering.
But to allow meager amount of aid to enter while at the same time threatening to invade Rafah, which we know that Rafah is the main place where most humanitarian organizations are working at the moment, where more than 1.3 million Palestinians from Gaza, mostly displaced people, are staying — so, invading Rafah and threatening a ground invasion in Rafah would lead to the decimation of the whole aid system in Rafah itself. So, allowing humanitarian some or improving entry of humanitarian aid, on the one hand, but launching a ground attack on Rafah, which would increase and complicate the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, is absolutely not going to help the humanitarian situation there, of course.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: And the number of prisoners who are being held, finally, Budour? I mean, on the West Bank, since October 7th, 8,000 Palestinians have been arrested?
BUDOUR HASSAN: Yeah, more than that. At the moment, there are 9,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, including 3,424 administrative detainees, people held without charges or trial, which is nearly 40% of all Palestinian detainees held in Israeli jails are held without charges or trial. In addition to those detained, many of them, of course, are being detained for organizing in support of Gaza, for trying and calling for an end to the war on Gaza.
But among those who were detained, and he’s now just under house arrest, is Palestinian human rights lawyer Ahmad Khalefa. And he was — ridiculously, he was arrested and indicted on inciting to terror because he chanted in support of Gaza and for an end to occupation. He chanted that Gaza will not surrender to the tank or to the gun. And based on that, he was indicted on charges of incitement to terrorism. He faces for up to two years in jail based on that law. And he is now under house arrest. He cannot work as a human rights lawyer. He faces the threat of being disbarred from Israel Lawyers’ Bar Association. He cannot work at the Umm al-Fahm municipality, where he has been elected as a member of municipality. And if Ahmad Khalefa ends up being convicted of incitement to terrorism for chanting, this will have a chilling effect on freedom of expression.
But it also kind of gives us echoes for what’s going in the U.S.A. You know, we see these attacks by and crackdown by Israeli authorities on anyone who dares to raise their voice against the war. And similarly, we’re seeing similar crackdowns in the United States against students organizing to put an end to the atrocity crimes happening in Gaza.
AMY GOODMAN: Budour Hassan, we want to thank you so much for being with us, Palestinian writer, Amnesty International researcher on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We’ll link to the Amnesty report titled “U.S.-Made Weapons Used by Government of Israel in Violation of International Law and U.S. Law.”

#news #press #Israel #Gaza #war


COVID-19 Linked To ‘Alarming Rise’ Of Rare And Highly Lethal Fungal Infection

From ZeroHedge

Authored by Megan Redshaw, J.D. via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), (Freepik/Shutterstock) The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an alarming rise of an aggressive and highly fatal secondary fungal infection among those with active or recovered COVID-19. Research suggests that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the […]

May 2nd 2024 1:35pm EDT

Source Link: https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/covid-19-linked-alarming-rise-rare-and-highly-lethal-fungal-infection

Share, promote & comment with Nostr: https://dissentwatch.com/boost/?boost_post_id=762344


If nostr:npub1mxq4j8sw5c2nhp58k2hdvu9t0kdkcwksrz3kpv5zpv70pa7q4cmsqgfcal is the most forbidden news on the internet, how come they have a domain name instead of solely relying on NIP-05 like my newspaper? How does this newspaper using a domain name mitigate DNS censorship better than me without inside help?

The real most forbidden news on the Internet is my nostr:npub1hms7gyycmjnwulruaz6v797znk24ut8vwuhrvc7ag8pwtjgr886qm08888


When the number of ongoing deadly pandemics is 0, shouldn't there be time for scrutiny from reporters every time a young inmate dies? Shouldn't it be inherently suspicious when an inmate is reportedly killed by a disease without being old? Why am I not seeing big news stories every time in this supposedly post-pandemic year?
nostr:nevent1qqsr8vpt05z58v852r0z23edmffxtzfe5n3ds6ltnnjq9d43v47uwagpz3mhxue69uhkummnw3ezummcw3ezuer9wcpzqamkcvk5k8g730e2j6atadp6mxk7z4aaxc7cnwrlkclx79z4tzygqvzqqqqqqye2p52w


The military industrial complex wants you to think the pandemic is over, but in reality, they chose to keep the virus in circulation instead of eradicating it, because it's a convenient addition to their arsenal, helping them survive for longer in their conquest of mass murder. COVID remains one of the cheapest ways they can kill someone like me.


CDC, determined to convince the general public "the pandemic is over," will now stop requiring hospitals to report COVID hospitalization data.

The pandemic is not over as long as COVID is still common enough to be one of the most subtle ways to commit murder. If the pandemic was over, a young person dying of COVID would raise more suspicion than one dying of the flu, instead of raising less suspicion.


Article about EcoHealth Alliance working with Wuhan Institute of Virology, where COVID was created

https://archive.ph/wip/wqEUE

House lawmakers on both sides grill head of nonprofit that worked with Chinese virologists

Republicans who allege Chinese studies sparked COVID-19 pandemic call for U.S. funding ban for Peter Daszak’s EcoHealth Alliance

By Jocelyn Kaiser

Will the EcoHealth Alliance, the U.S. organization that collaborated with virologists in China who some suspect of creating the pandemic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, survive? That’s the looming question after Peter Daszak, the scientist who heads the nonprofit based in New York City, faced 3 hours of grilling and intense criticism today from a House of Representatives panel investigating the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both Republicans and Democrats on the panel took EcoHealth to task for everything from the late filing of a progress report for a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to the safety conditions of its collaborators’ virology work in China. In a report issued hours before the hearing, the Republican majority also called for Daszak to be criminally prosecuted and for EcoHealth to be banned, or debarred, from receiving NIH funding. EcoHealth mismanaged its NIH funding and Daszak had taken other problematic actions, the report alleges.

Representative Brad Wenstrup (R–OH), who chairs the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, said Daszak “comes across [as] disingenuous” about the risks of the work and is “not a responsible steward of the American people’s tax dollars.”

Daszak in turn challenged the conduct of the panel, saying EcoHealth had been promised access to the Republicans’ report in time to prepare an informed response. In a statement to Science after the hearing, he said: “It appeared that the Committee had decided to declare EcoHealth Alliance guilty until proven innocent. … It’s shocking and disappointing that they are now threatening to debar our organization, throw our staff out of work, and undermine 20 years of world leading pandemic research.”

Democrats on the panel have roundly criticized Wenstrup’s past hearings as failing to substantiate the hypothesis that the pandemic virus leaked from a laboratory in China. And in their own report released today, the Democratic minority accused Republicans of stoking mistrust of NIH and the scientific community.

At the same time, the minority report expressed strong concerns about how EcoHealth and Daszak managed NIH funding. The panel’s 14-month investigation suggests “that Dr. Daszak and EHA [EcoHealth Alliance] engaged in conduct that raises reasonable questions about their professional integrity and their continued working relationship with the federal government as recipients of taxpayer funds,” the report says.

During the hearing, the panel’s ranking Democrat, Raul Ruiz (CA), said EcoHealth scientists “potentially misled the federal government on multiple occasions.” But neither Ruiz nor the minority report endorsed the Republican call to debar EcoHealth from further U.S. funding.

EcoHealth came under scrutiny early in the pandemic because it had a grant from NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) that included a subaward to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), its longtime collaborator, to collect and characterize bat coronaviruses collected in the wild. After suggestions arose that SARS-CoV-2 had escaped from WIV, NIAID controversially axed, then suspended the grant in 2020.

Some scientists and lawmakers have since argued that a portion of the work that involved making hybrid “chimeric” viruses constituted “gain-of-function” (GOF) research, studies that could make human pathogens more dangerous and could have created SARS-CoV-2. NIH, however, has denied those studies met its GOF definition or could have generated the pandemic virus. Last year, after WIV failed to share lab books or meet other compliance requirements, NIH reinstated EcoHealth’s grant without WIV as a partner. NIH also debarred WIV.

Many of the questions lawmakers asked Daszak today centered on an EcoHealth-led grant proposal known as DEFUSE that was submitted to the U.S. Department of Defense but never received funding. It proposed experiments in which a North Carolina lab would engineer coronaviruses in ways that some think could have created SARS-CoV-2. The proposal also included work at WIV, and some worry such engineering later happened in China.

In particular, lawmakers questioned written comments that Daszak made on a draft DEFUSE proposal, in which he suggested downplaying the role of Chinese scientists in the efforts. Some lawmakers have suggested the comments are evidence of a coverup. Daszak, however, said those comments were being misinterpreted and that the final DEFUSE proposal was clear on who was doing what. “I simply wanted to stress the U.S. side of the proposal,” Daszak testified, saying that was nothing unusual.

The panel today also revisited many previously aired issues, such as whether EcoHealth and WIV properly reported certain experimental results to NIH. And some members questioned EcoHealth’ s claim that it failed to submit a 2019 progress report in time because it was locked out of NIH’s report submission system. A forensic investigation by NIH found no evidence of this, lawmakers said; Daszak denied any wrongdoing and offered to submit more documentation backing EcoHealth’s explanation.

Members also questioned Daszak about why he initially failed to publicly disclose his ties to Chinese virologists in organizing and signing a 2020 letter published in The Lancet that dismissed lab leak ideas as “conspiracy theories.” Daszak has previously defended his actions by saying his ties to WIV were widely known, and he reminded the panel he filed an amended disclosure that was longer than the original letter.

Daszak also faced questions about his communications with a collaborator, virologist Ralph Baric of the University of North Carolina. In Baric emails and in testimony he gave to the panel described today in Vanity Fair, Baric, who had proposed engineering bat coronaviruses, says that he felt that any work with such viruses should take place in biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory, not the lower security BSL-2 lab that WIV scientists apparently used for such work.

According to the majority report, Baric told Daszak in one email: "“Bsl2 with negative pressure, give me a break...Yes china has the right to set their own policy. You believe this was appropriate containment if you want but don’t expect me to believe it. Moreover, don’t insult my intelligence by trying to feed me this load of BS.”

Daszak responded by noting that the U.S. biosafety manual recommends that cell culture work with bat coronaviruses be done in a BSL-2 setting. The standards are the same in both countries, he said, adding that in the final DEFUSE proposal work conducted with live animals would have been done in a BSL-3 laboratory, as recommended.

Another new allegation highlighted in the Republican report is that EcoHealth is, under its reinstated NIAID grant, violating the debarment of WIV by continuing to work with virus samples and sequences held by the Chinese institute. WIV could, in theory, still influence the outcome of the new EcoHealth work, the report argues. Daszak called this a misunderstanding, arguing that the work involves only genome sequences—not virus samples—and the sequences were already in EcoHealth’s possession when the grant resumed.

Daszak also maintained that the most plausible theory for how SARS-CoV-2 emerged was a natural jump from an infected animal host to a person somewhere in China. There “zero evidence” the virus came from WIV or another lab, he said. But he conceded that the case isn’t closed. "So, is it possible they [WIV] have hidden some viruses from us? That we don't know about. Of course."

EcoHealth has four active NIH grants and many millions of dollars in funding from other federal agencies. At least some of that funding would be in jeopardy if NIH and its parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, find grounds for debarment.

Wenstrup concluded that "we've identified serious issues" and that “the investigation [of EcoHealth] is not over." He added, "this is dangerous, risky research" and "we cannot just blindly trust the scientists."

Next month, his panel plans to hold a hearing with former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci that could be as fiery as today’s.


Washing your hands is, of course, a good idea. But there's been a thread throughout the pandemic (particularly in discussions of masking in healthcare settings) that masks are not important but handwashing is. That's ridiculous. Here's a study of #COVID19 transmission inside buses. "This study reveals the leading role of airborne SARS-CoV-2 transmission and negligible role of fomite transmission in a poorly ventilated indoor environment."  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030438942103020X


TOMORROW'S NEWS TODAY: OBVIOUS DECISION BY SO-CALLED "SUPREME" COURT

From ~99% of future timelines, by whoever

The so-called "supreme" court has decided on the case of Johnson v Grants Pass: codifying the criminalization of the homeless would be too brazen.

Mainstream media has been focusing on this case as if there was serious potential for a different outcome. It's been turned into a talking point, probably to send a message to everyone delusional enough to have believed it.

#news #SCOTUS


Update: looks like nothing is gonna happen
nostr:nevent1qqs9stuhfshkzfcvv0cjss00f87kec6a0s7y34r82jg90q6g7hxzdygpzamhxue69uhkummnw3ezuendwsh8w6t69e3xj7szypmhdsedfvw3azlj4946h66r4kddu9tm6d3a3xu8ld37du292kygsqcyqqqqqqgxvhgkf


My approach for theft would be to have key aliasing and reasonably secure hardware wallets.

You'd have a 12 word seed you only ever enter into the hardware wallet so it can generate the signature you need to set up an alias pointing to another key. Once the alias is set, the seed is deleted from the hardware and you interface with nostr through the other key. If the everyday use key gets stolen, you change the alias.


njump, nosta, and w3.do have all been essential for me trying to start a newspaper


People don't realize how bad of a sign it would really be if the so-called "supreme" court decides to criminalize homelessness in Johnson v Grants Pass.

The only way the U.S. would criminalize homelessness now is if they know the pandemic is about to get worse, and they're trying to put the brakes on the collapse of the dollar by exercising as much control as possible over the spread of disease. H5N1 has the potential to kill a lot more people than COVID, but incarceration can still continue to be used to make sure more of the people killed are the ones fewer people care about.

If the U.S. military industrial complex is not focused on using incarceration to prepare for mass deaths, then codifying the criminalization of homelessness would be ridiculous insanity

#SCOTUS


So-called “supreme” court worsens internet censorship

The highest court in the U.S. has decided not to block state laws requiring porn filters for internet connections hosted in certain states. This news comes less than a week after ByteDance called Biden's bluff about a TikTok ban. China🇨🇳 will not sell TikTok to American ownership, so the U.S. military industrial complex gets to use China as justification for worsening internet censorship.

I recommend all internet users try Tor Browser and/or a VPN until more trustworthy solutions are available.


Rocks thrown at German🇩🇪 ambassador's car on trip to Palestine🇵🇸

Germany hosts much of the U.S. military industrial complex today, and German weapon specialties are an important part of Israel's arsenal. The UN just rejected a bid by Nicaragua🇳🇮 to block Germany🇩🇪 from supplying the Israeli🇮🇱 military.

Israel may be able to strike ambulances in Gaza with drones and missiles, but Palestinians still have rocks with which to damage VIP cars.

During World War II, the U.S. had a German embassy until the day they officially declared their entry into the war against Germany.


Netanyahu admits Hamas shouldn't trust him in any hostage negotiations

“We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate Hamas’ battalions there – with or without a deal, to achieve the total victory,” the prime minister said in a meeting with families of hostages held by armed groups in Gaza.  -Al Jazeera

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu no longer seems interested in pretending to negotiate. Palestinian militant groups haven't been interested in fake negotiations for a while anyway. They already humored western audiences with a ceasefire deal near the beginning of all this warfare, back in November, though they had no reason to trust the deal. Israel spent a few days violating the deal, trying to provoke Hamas to end the ceasefire. Hamas kept being patient, refusing to take action that would justify portraying them as traitors. Israel gave up and declared an end to the ceasefire themselves. Corporate media in the U.S. still blamed Hamas for the ceasefire ending.

Rafah is a city turned refugee camp by getting bombed less than other parts of Gaza. Over a million refugees are there. According to the head of the UN’s refugee organization, deadly attacks and threats against Rafah have resulted in a state of "constant traumatic stress disorder” for them.

It seems the world always has time for another megalomaniacal dictator's legacy to be built on a “final solution” or a “total victory.”


NEW YORK CITY'S COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TAKE OVER BUILDING TO DRAW ATTENTION TO CULPRITS IN GAZA GENOCIDE
BUILDING IS FAMOUS FOR STUDENT PROTEST TAKEOVERS

DEATH COUNT OF MOSTLY WOMEN & CHILDREN PAST 34,500 ON DAY 207 OF WAR ON PALESTINE🇵🇸

ASSANGE & SNOWDEN STILL CRIMINALIZED FOR WHISTLEBLOWING ON DERANGED WARLORDS

“There are no universities left in Gaza” read the sign today by an abandoned protest site at Mantor Library. Last night, the free paper's one-man news team was there to hand out copies of yesterday's issue. It was a late time to arrive, but this University of Maine at Farmington library had the nearest gathering of protesters to be found in Maine. There were still a few people standing & talking next to a couple of tents. Today (Tuesday), none of them were here to interview, though the plan had been to continue for another day. What remained was the sign, and some banners and pins. There were no reports of what happened online or from others in the area.

With 2 weeks left before graduation, students at New York City's Columbia University have chosen a different approach. Instead of being forced to leave, some protesters have occupied a building on campus. Mainstream media tries to portray the scene there as chaotic. Live streams of the exterior area can be found online, where it was mostly a quiet day until hundreds of cops arrived recently.

The building is Hamilton Hall. Construction saboteurs protesting war crimes in Vietnam🇻🇳 barricaded themselves inside over 50 years ago. Today's incident is the fifth such one there so far, and the first since before Julian Assange and Edward Snowden were international fugitives. The war crimes this time are in Gaza, where families are walled in, being starved to death and bombed.

These protests were initially based on demands for universities to stop supporting the genocide in Gaza. Instead of agreeing to stop doing business with Israel, many universities have escalated with police violence. In the slew of free speech violations sweeping the nation, Columbia University revoked the ability for students involved in this protest to graduate, then continued threatening the students with further action, prompting the takeover of Hamilton Hall.

The message is clear: universities like Columbia would rather have incidents like this than attract students committed to goodie-two-shoes morals like genocide avoidance.

#news #protest #protests #Columbia #Gaza #Israel


New animated pfp thanks to Wikimedia user Jahobr

Bigger version https://image.nostr.build/acb83a5a35092e03066a14dd042b89cdfd0964e850ae19247b253ec023c84e4c.webp


PDF printout link:

https://dankdrop.nl/news05.pdf

FREE NEWSPAPER PRINTED BY WHOEVER • PUBLISHED MONDAY, APRIL 29 • ISSUE 5

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❂ I wouldn't bet the universe can afford to lose one more person that cares. ❂

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Spam section

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Web links rely on the internet & DNS, so censoring them is as simple as adding network paths to blacklists and killing or imprisoning those who attempt to circumvent the suppression; thus, the links may be broken or changed in the future. Some of these have dot.onion versions which should be used instead when possible. Some can also be viewed as snapshots on other sites such as https://archive.today instead of opening directly.


Despite widespread delusion that “the pandemic is over,” lab-leaked COVID-19 may soon be 1 of 2 pandemics threatening humanity worldwide

COVID continues to be one of the common causes of death and disability for some regions across the world, including many American states

Milk samples across the US test positive for H5N1 bird flu, neutralized by pasteurization, revealing widespread cow pandemic

updated version of a repeat article by whoever
----

In 2020, humanity underwent an unprecedented global effort to suppress the spread of coronaviruses. Before the experimental vaccines were deployed to replace more effective masking and social distancing, the less virulent flu and common cold coronaviruses seemed to be temporarily defeated by such levels of masking and social distancing involved in trying to hold back manmade bioweapon COVID-19.

If the USSR still existed, it probably would have taken the disappearance of the flu as proof of how effective simple measures could be in global cooperation, taking this opportunity to champion its plan for a global cooperative of health authorities working to control diseases. Strong leaders would see the opportunity to help humans live longer, healthier lives worldwide with widespread masking, and perhaps brief social distancing every year or 2 in order to suppress seasonal cycles of airborne diseases. Educating the public about airborne coronaviruses, and preparing the public to control them, should be especially important to leaders while the worldwide bird flu epidemic threatens to jump to humans. At least 20% of milk samples across the US contained traces of H5N1 bird flu in recent reports. The strain of the virus infecting cows is weakly able to infect humans, but not after the milk is pasteurized, neutralizing the virus for retail sale. The concern with finding H5N1 in so many milk samples is that a lot of cows are sick, and if enough people get sick from working with those cows, a new strain of bird flu could evolve with a stronger ability to infect humans. So far, humans infected by these cows have had much worse survival chances than they would have with a COVID infection. Species-jumping has proven easy for the strains of bird flu causing pandemics among animal populations these days. It may not be long before this virus, being so prevalent among other animals, jumps to humans as the deadliest pandemic we've faced in a long time.

Meanwhile, many people pretend COVID itself is “just another flu,” and jellybean Putin allows Russians and others to forget global health plans, as he goes along with the capitalist plan to use lab-made COVID as a bioweapon against global populations.

Apparently, the flu isn't deadly enough for the world's most powerful people, because they want all living individuals to consume as much as possible, but they don't like how it will end, so they use death to limit overall consumption without limiting individual consumption for the living. This leaves little reason to train enough doctors for everyone. It may also be why they created COVID-19 in the first place, and why they continue funding research in the “gain of function” field worldwide. This “gain of function” research takes pathogens and engineers them into more dangerous versions using specialized laboratories such as the ones at Wuhan Institute of Virology, where COVID originated. Those involved claim the goal is not to develop bioweapons; instead, they say the purpose is to be a step ahead of evolution, testing how viruses may evolve in the future, developing ways to control them. By supplying this information to the global cooperative of health authorities we don't have, we can defeat both natural and manmade diseases such as COVID, exactly like we haven't done.


🇲🇱 #Mali power grid can handle running almost enough ice makers in today's heat, not enough fridges or air conditioners

“Record-breaking heat means ice cubes now cost more than bread and milk in parts of Mali,” according to blogger Priya Sippy, as people rely on ice for all cooling needs

https://archive.ph/mipWm

from Priya Sippy today (COPIED & TRUNCATED WITHOUT PERMISSION)

"I've come to buy ice because it's very hot now," says 15-year-old Fatouma Yattara as she visits her local vendor. With no working fridge due to prolonged power cuts, she resorts to using ice cubes to preserve food and keep cool. It works to an extent.

It is an even bigger struggle for Nana Konaté Traoré, who is now forced to cook every day instead of a few times a week.

“We often go a whole day without power," she says, "so, the food goes bad, and you have to throw it away.”

The problems began almost a year ago, with Mali's state power company failing to match growing demand after accumulating hundreds of millions of dollars in debt in recent years. Many Malians do not have back-up generators as it is expensive to refuel them.

No electricity means no fans at night, forcing many to sleep outside. And it is affecting people's health.

"We really suffer," says Soumaïla Maïga, a young man from the Yirimadio district on the outskirts of Bamako. "At night it can reach 46C - it's unbearable because I suffer from dizziness. I have to pour water on myself to cope."

Since March, temperatures have soared above 48C in parts of Mali, killing more than 100 people. Most vulnerable are the elderly and the very young.

The deadly heatwave is also affecting neighbouring countries.


Major corporate newspaper recognizes need for geoengineering in face of climate change

Even rags like the Washington Post are ready to admit greenhouse gases are another thing humans can't manage sustainably. On Saturday (after the newspaper was called out by Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov for denying Putin credit over the killing of rival Navalny in prison) its editorial board published their analysis concluding the only choice to mitigate climate catastrophe may be geoengineering. Their article mistakenly refers to a 1.5° increase in Earth's temperature as “inevitable” rather than “past.” They vaguely mention that this level of warming has catastrophic consequences.

They talk about the general concept of deflecting the sun's heat, but the only specific solution they suggest is polluting the atmosphere with sulfur to combat greenhouse gas pollution. In each issue published so far, the editorial board here at Free Newspaper Printed By Whoever has advised against such solutions, instead suggesting a solar-shielding ring made out of the moon. This suggestion may sound ridiculous, but it would actually be quite easy for robots to use material from the moon to make a ring around the earth. The hardest parts would be convincing the public to allow tampering with their precious moon, then rapidly mass-producing and deploying robotic landers in a controlled manner. It's worth noting that atmospheric sulfur is well-understood to cause acid rain.

Source: "Humans might need to re-engineer the climate" from washington post dot com editorial board

https://archive.ph/p27hr


PROTESTS SPREADING ACROSS THE U.S. & ISRAEL AGAINST ATTEMPTED GENOCIDE OF GAZA

DEATH COUNT OF MOSTLY WOMEN & CHILDREN FAR PAST 34,400 ON DAY 206 OF ISRAELI🇮🇱 & AMERICAN🇺🇲 WAR ON PALESTINE🇵🇸

OVER 500 PROTESTERS ARRESTED IN THE U.S.

ASSANGE & SNOWDEN STILL CRIMINALIZED FOR WHISTLEBLOWING ON DERANGED WARLORDS

Winter has passed with over half a year of warfare since October 7. That was the day Hamas began their attempted revolution against the U.S. military industrial complex, attacking Israel with a series of terrorist attacks and the kidnapping of hundreds of hostages. Throughout the past winter, the people of Gaza have been victims of continued escalation by mainly Israeli and American terrorists who have killed over 8,400 women and 14,500 children. Some of these deaths are by starvation, and other consequences of Israel’s blockade against entering or exiting the Gaza Strip.

Coming out of winter, the warmer weather has encouraged protesters to take to the streets and the college campuses. Some of these protests are going 24 hours a day, and by the time one is shut down, another has started; thus, there have been gatherings nonstop for a few weeks now where protesters demand an end to the mass murder. These demonstrations haven't escalated into riots, and luckily this civil conflict in the US has remained non-lethal at these events in recent weeks. However, further escalation continues to be instigated by the corrupt authorities. Protests have been repeatedly interrupted by police violence like anyone familiar with the US would have predicted. Police at Emory University even briefly tortured one restrained protester with a “stun gun” on video. Universities such as Emory can take the blame for incidents such as this. Faculty and university executives have participated in violating the rights of their students instead of protecting the safety of campus communities.

There's been widespread reporting on the UCLA campus, where conflicting groups of protestors have gathered and gotten into fights.

Even the national newspaper of Qatar🇶🇦 has reported on the ongoing gathering at George Washington University, where the protesters against genocide have found strong roots. Today, live streams of this protest and others can be found online.

If you want to join, you may be able to find a gathering close enough to you. Of course, in the long run, it's more effective to protest with the choices you make every day. The most important thing most people can do might be asking others why Assange & Snowden haven't been pardoned. If you use the internet, you can block ads and trackers on corporate platforms, but there are also decentralized platforms you can use instead, such as an experimental Twitter clone called Nostr. For people with any wealth, keep savings in real money, such as gold, silver, or cryptocurrency; this not only prevents your money from being lent out for the military industrial complex's purposes, but also prevents them from taxing your savings via inflation when they print money to cover expenses.

#news #protest #Gaza #Palestine #Israel #protests


Archive link: https://archive.ph/U6XSB


https://blogs.gwu.edu/elliott-iistp/research-2/

Full report available as PDF at the link - summary article copied and pasted
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GWU REPORT: NATIONAL SECURITY RISKS GROW WITH NEW NUCLEAR ENERGY

Drone strikes against Ukraine’s nuclear reactors highlight risks

WASHINGTON, DC – April 23, 2024 – Proliferation of nuclear weapons, nuclear terrorism, sabotage, coercion and military operations – these risks associated with nuclear energy can all be expected to grow as countries seek to implement their new nuclear energy objectives, according to a new report published today by George Washington University’s (GWU) Sharon Squassoni.  The aim of 22 countries to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050, announced on the margins of COP-28, was adopted with little thought to the national security implications. The promotion of small modular reactors (SMRs)– specifically tailored to developing countries – will heighten, not diminish risks.

The report by GW professor Sharon Squassoni, “New Nuclear Energy: Assessing the National Security Risks,” comes as drone strikes against Ukrainian nuclear power plants highlight nuclear reactor vulnerabilities. Other national security risks will accompany significant nuclear growth as renewed interest in nuclear energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions sparks programs across the globe. Squassoni, a professor at GWU’s Elliott School of International Affairs, now researches risk reduction from nuclear energy and nuclear weapons after serving in the State Department, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the Congressional Research Service.

Proliferation and nuclear terrorism are the top two national security risks, but sabotage, coercion and military operations pose other risks. An attempt to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers – a national security risk itself — using nuclear energy could worsen the risk of proliferation by motivating fuel cycle independence.  SMRs are still in development, with few restrictions on designs. Reactors fueled with highly enriched uranium or plutonium will increase risks of proliferation and terrorism because those materials are weapons-usable. Reactors designed to include lifetime cores will build up plutonium over time. Fast reactor designs that require reprocessing, especially continuous recycling of fuel, could ultimately confer latent nuclear weapons capabilities to many more states. In sum, the kinds of reactors now under consideration do nothing to reduce known risks, and some pose heightened risks. There appears to be no attempt to forge agreement among suppliers or governments to restrict reactor choices that pose greater proliferation risks.

If the mass production of small modular reactors lowers barriers to entry into nuclear energy, there will be many more states deploying nuclear power reactors, including those with significant governance challenges. Russian and Chinese programs to promote nuclear energy target many of those states. Cooperation among key states essential to minimize the safety, security and proliferation risks of nuclear energy is at an all-time low. The call to triple nuclear energy coincides with the disintegration of cooperation, the unraveling of norms and the loss of credibility of international institutions that are crucial to the safe and secure operation of nuclear power.


Previous batch of articles were listed from the main newspaper key. Reposted ("boosted") on here now that this key is set up for individual articles


5 Al Jazeera links covering the recent history of the current war

How Iran-Israel tensions have escalated since the war on Gaza: A timeline
https://aje.io/ewtrwd • https://archive.ph/w5ERW

What’s the Israel-Palestine conflict about? A simple guide
https://aje.io/8mqot4 • https://archive.ph/k0VBB

Israel-Palestine conflict: A brief history in maps and charts
https://aje.io/j3n668 • https://archive.ph/xwRJV

Timeline: Israel’s attacks on Gaza since 2005
https://aje.io/b1l6ns • https://archive.ph/Dt6JJ

Israel-Gaza war in maps and charts: Live tracker
https://aje.io/pnauxp • https://archive.ph/o1knE


UNPRECEDENTED ESCALATION CONTINUES IN MIDDLE EASTERN WAR OVER OIL & RELIGION:

ISRAEL REPORTEDLY STRIKES IRAN AGAIN AFTER IRAN'S RECENT RETALIATION, FIRST REPORTS OF DIRECT ATTACKS BETWEEN IRAN & ISRAEL SINCE COLD WAR

INFO REMAINS UNCLEAR, VARIOUS SOURCES CONTRADICT EACH OTHER

FURTHER ESCALATION SLOWED AS FEAR INCREASES WORLDWIDE

GAZA DEATH COUNT OF MOSTLY WOMEN & CHILDREN PASSES 34,000 UNDER CONTINUED ISRAELI & AMERICAN WAR ON PALESTINE

ASSANGE & SNOWDEN STILL CRIMINALIZED FOR WHISTLEBLOWING ON DERANGED WARLORDS

A week ago, Iran launched a barrage of missiles into Israel, resulting in 1 death: an Israeli child. This attack came in response to an attack on Iran's consulate in Syria. The US and other powers urged Israel to frame the lack of further casualties as a win, restraining from further attacks, as tensions in the region threaten catastrophic consequences for the world. Israel issued increasingly explicit warnings to Iran over the following days, ignoring the warnings publicly issued by the US. However, Israel has not initially claimed credit for this new retaliatory attack on Iran.

It's dubious how the US claims to be urging Israel to de-escalate. Biden hasn't even offered pardons to Edward Snowden or Julian Assange, let alone actually pardoned both, to begin earning trust.
There doesn't seem to be much likelihood that the US will stop providing aid to Israel, including weapons specially designed for committing terrorist attacks. American leadership is clearly choosing to gamble a regional war in the Middle East, hoping to continue expanding the global influence of the military industrial complex with violence against fossil-fuel-rich adversarial powers like Iran & Palestine (who the US just vetoed UN membership for).
Palestinian health authorities have reported the death toll in Gaza to surpass 34,000 today, still mostly women and children. At least 8,000 more are missing. According to the UN, more than 18,000 children have also been orphaned in the onslaught since October 7.

About half of the people in Gaza are under 18, due to high birth rates driven by an instinctive rush to maintain the population against Israeli oppression. Gaza grows increasingly cramped with its growing population, as Israel has spent years blocking most entry and exit from Gaza's small land area. This has gotten much worse since October 7, as Israel has destroyed buildings all over Gaza, leaving vast numbers of people homeless in massive refugee camps. Of course, cramped space has become the least of their worries in this time, as they face bombings, shootings, and a lack of sufficient food, safe water, medical resources, and sanitary facilities.

It makes sense that Iran has suggested they don't plan to retaliate this time. They surely did not intend for their recent attack on Israel to result in the lone death of a young Israeli girl; it's a worst-case outcome. It's demoralizing to everyone on Iran's side and it incites the wrath of Israel's side. Iran's best bet now is to accept the loss of this exchange and focus on preparing for whatever Israel will do next. Iran can't afford to keep making moves that give the appearance of wanting escalation; they must wait for Israel to make moves to start the war.

It also makes sense that Israel would ignore warnings & escalate further. Biden told Netanyahu to frame the outcome of Saturday's attack as a win. The death of a little girl is not a win for either side. Of course Netanyahu would react. Both sides still want oil, after all.
Ukraine has reportedly also followed the lead, ignoring US warnings against drone operations in Russia.

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Al Jazeera live blog's recap of these events
https://archive.ph/B22XI • from today

Iran says its air defence systems shot down three drones in Isfahan province early in the morning. There were no reports of damages, but an investigation is under way to determine where the drones were launched from and who was behind the attack, officials said.
 Israeli officials have not commented, but the reports came after Israel threatened to attack Iran following Iran’s retaliatory strikes on April 13. Meanwhile, unnamed US officials told media outlets that Israel had launched an attack on Iran.
 There were also reports that mini-drones were flown by “infiltrators from inside”.
 Iranian officials have sought to downplay the attack, with a senior official saying there was no plan for retaliation.
 While countries around the world called for de-escalation, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken refused to comment on the reported Israeli attack, only saying after the conclusion of Group of Seven (G7) talks in Italy that the United States “has not been involved in any offensive operation”.
 Even so, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the US told the G7 foreign ministers that it received “last minute” information about the attack on Iran.

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Google fires 28 employees for protesting Google’s Israeli cloud deal “Project Nimbus”

According to Wikipedia:

In March, a Google Cloud software engineer was fired after a video of them shouting "I refuse to build technology that empowers genocide” went viral, in reference to Nimbus.

Shortly thereafter, dozens of employees participated in sit-ins at Google's New York & Sunnyvale Headquarters. Sunnyvale Police were called to remove employees from a day-long occupation of Google Cloud chief executive Thomas Kurian's office. Nine employees were charged with criminal misdemeanor and 28 were terminated.

Google claims Israel are prohibited by terms of service from using its services to engage in violence, and the contract is for workloads related to "finance, healthcare, transportation, and education."

Google Cloud Platform's AI tools could give the Israeli military and security services the capability for facial detection, automated image categorization, object tracking & sentiment analysis — tools that have previously been used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for border surveillance. The terms Israel set for the project contractually forbid Amazon and Google from halting services due to boycott pressure. The tech companies are also forbidden from denying service to any particular government entities.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Nimbus • https://archive.ph/8UN9Q


Created an account for posting articles on their own

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