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"I look forward to a great future for America - a future in which our country will match its military strength with our moral restraint, its wealth with our wisdom, its power with our purpose."

-- John F. Kennedy

News and Opinion

House Expected to Vote on Syria War Powers Resolution on Wednesday

The House is expected to vote on a War Powers Resolution this Wednesday introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) that would order President Biden to withdraw all US troops from Syria.

Americans can contact their representatives and urge them to support the resolution (H.Con.Res.21). Click here to find your representative, or call the House switchboard operator at (202) 224-3121. ...

The text of H.Con.Res.21 reads: “That, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544(c)), Congress directs the President to remove the United States Armed Forces from Syria by not later than the date that is 180 days after the date of the adoption of this concurrent resolution.”

Gaetz initially introduced a resolution that gave the president only 15 days to withdraw from Syria. The second resolution was introduced to gain more support for the effort as the longer timeline makes it more likely that Democrats will vote in favor of the bill.

What did Biden and Scholz decide at their top-secret war summit?

On Friday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz flew to Washington for a secret, one-hour war summit at the White House. Scholz flew alone, without journalists, and met with US President Joe Biden in private, with no members of his staff present. Neither the Biden administration nor the German government has explained the reason for this extraordinary trip. What agenda required the physical presence of the chancellor, in the most secure building in the world, and without any of his aides present? It is clear that the US government wanted to exclude the possibility of any information regarding the content of the meeting being leaked. ...

Three things are clear. First, NATO as a whole, and American imperialism, have committed their entire credibility to the war in Ukraine. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been thrown into the conflict. Given this level of commitment, a defeat in Ukraine would be viewed as nothing less than a political and strategic catastrophe for the US and NATO.

In January, the US pledged to “liberate” all of Ukrainian territory, and last month, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland pledged to “demilitarize” the Crimean peninsula. The war has acquired an existential character for the US and NATO, which is driving the logic of escalation. Articles have begun to appear in the media floating the necessity of the deployment of ground troops in what is now clearly a NATO war with Russia. Such an action would follow the long US tradition when faced with a military disaster to turn it into a catastrophe through reckless escalation.

Second, the decision to fly Scholz to Washington for the war summit was intended as a warning to Putin that NATO will not be held back in escalating the conflict. The Russian president will certainly interpret the meeting in this way. It also serves to send a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping and any other potential allies of Russia in the conflict.

Third, the American and European working class is being lied to and kept in the dark as to what is being planned, while it is left to the corrupt, state-controlled media to justify whatever action is decided. The widespread opposition to the war is being simply ignored by the US and European governments.

Russia Presses Bakhmut Cauldron, Discusses Further Donbass Offensive; Zelensky Vows Bakhmut Defence

US Helps Ukrainians Prepare for Potential Counteroffensive

The US is helping Ukraine prepare for a potential counteroffensive against Russian forces as the Biden administration wants Kyiv to retake more territory in the coming months.

According to The New York Times, senior US generals at the headquarters of US Army Europe and Africa in Germany hosted Ukrainian military officials for tabletop war games exercises, demonstrating Washington’s intimate involvement in the war.

The drills are meant to help Ukrainian officials strategize what their next move on the battlefield could be. After a wargaming session on Thursday, Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, the supreme allied commander in Europe, said the US would continue to help Ukraine’s “adaptability” and said the US and NATO “can keep going as long as necessary.”

NORD STREAM: ‘PRO-UKRAINIAN GROUP' Blew Up Pipelines In VAGUE New Report

Yemenis sue top US defence contractors for 'aiding war crimes'

A group of Yemeni nationals has filed a lawsuit in the US against defence contractors Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics, accusing them of "aiding and abetting war crimes and extrajudicial killings" by supplying arms to the Saudi-led coalition's war in Yemen.

The lawsuit, filed in the district court of Washington DC, also names the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed, respectively, as well as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin. ...

"Year after year, the bombs fell - on wedding tents, funeral halls, fishing boats and a school bus - killing thousands of civilians and helping turn Yemen into the world’s worst humanitarian crisis," reads the lawsuit, seen by MEE.

"Weapons supplied by US companies through sales unlawfully approved by US officials, allowed Saudi Arabia and the UAE through the named Defendant officials to pursue an indiscriminate and brutal bombing campaign."

The plaintiffs are seven Yemeni individuals who say they represent the victims of two separate bombings in the country - one for a wedding in 2015 and another for a funeral in 2016. ...

The Yemeni plaintiffs are filing the lawsuit under the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA), a 1991 US law that allows victims of torture to sue for compensation from their tormenters if the accused are in the US. The lawsuit names the Saudi and Emirati crown princes under the Alien Tort Statute, a law that grants federal courts jurisdiction over violations of international law.

Netanyahu Slams IAEA Chief for Saying Attacks on Nuclear Facilities are ‘Outlawed’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday slammed International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi for saying attacks on nuclear facilities are “outlawed.”

Israel has a history of launching covert attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities, and Netanyahu has been threatening to take more overt action. US officials have also said President Biden will keep a military option on the table to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon even though the Pentagon and CIA recently acknowledged Tehran is not seeking a bomb.

Grossi just returned from a visit to Iran, where he secured a pledge for the IAEA to receive more access to Iranian nuclear facilities. When asked about the US and Israeli threats, Grossi said that “any military attack on a nuclear facility is outlawed, is out of the normative structures that we all abide by.”

Economist Joseph Stiglitz on How War, COVID & Climate Crisis Cause Economic Crises Around the World

Under Pressure, Norfolk Southern Agrees to Limited Relocation Plan

Local organizers in East Palestine, Ohio on Monday said their activism has successfully pressured rail company Norfolk Southern to agree to a limited relocation plan for some residents affected by last month's train derailment, but added they have no intention of backing down from their demand for justice for thousands of people in the area who are struggling in the aftermath of the accident.

The company's plan to offer financial assistance to people who live within a one-mile radius of the crash site "is not enough," said River Valley Organizing (RVO), which last week released a list of five demands for the people of East Palestine and the surrounding area.

While calling the proposal a "win," RVO noted people will only be able to relocate temporarily and said the disaster "has had a far-reaching impact."

"We're going to keep pushing until the community gets the help it is owed," said RVO. "We need to stop letting Norfolk Southern put their profits ahead of the people of our community."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which late last month ordered Norfolk Southern to take full financial responsibility for cleaning up contamination from vinyl chloride, a carcinogenic chemical the train was carrying, acknowledged Monday that residents have complained of lingering odors in the town as the company continues to remove thousands of tons of contaminated soil.

"At EPA's request, Norfolk Southern has agreed to provide additional financial assistance to residents of the East Palestine area, including the portions of Pennsylvania within a mile of the derailment site," said the agency. "This assistance may include temporary lodging, travel, food, clothing, and other necessities."

The EPA told RVO and other locals that the company began to remove soil under the train tracks on Saturday and is beginning to mail out notices to people to whom the relocation plan applies.

Residents will be able to use a prepaid debit card funded by Norfolk Southern to pay for their relocation, according to local public radio station WESA, and will also be able to request that a company contracted by the rail operator clean the inside and outside of their homes.

While the company and numerous officials have downplayed the risk the derailment poses to people in the area—saying no alarming discoveries have been made in water and air testing thus far—the Columbiana County Humane Society told the Herald-Star last month that it was compiling reports of animals who became sick after Norfolk Southern began a controlled burn of the vinyl chloride, which can send hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the atmosphere.

Those reports come from up to seven miles from the crash site, said the group.

A lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in mid-February said mass deaths of marine life and other animals have been reported "as far as 20 miles away."

Another grassroots group, United for East Palestine, joined a researcher at Purdue University in conducting a poll last week and found that out of 100 people, more than two dozen who live more than five miles from the crash site have experienced physical symptoms. ...

The relocation plan was announced as Norfolk Southern unveiled a "six-point plan to immediately enhance the safety of its operations," including improving its systems to detect overheated wheel bearings—which the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report likely contributed to the derailment—and supporting "a strong safety culture."

The list of changes the rail company plans on making fall short of those demanded by the Biden administration.

ILLEGAL Spying Program Inside DHS

Georgia cops bringing the war on terrorism back home:

Atlanta police charge 23 with domestic terrorism amid ‘Cop City’ week of action

Atlanta police on Monday charged 23 people with state domestic terrorism charges, a day after officers detained dozens of people following a violent clash at the proposed construction site of what has been dubbed “Cop City” – a $90m police and firefighter training center in a forest near Atlanta.

As a “week of action” against “Cop City” unfolds, the charges amplify alarm from activists and experts that Georgia authorities would rely on charging demonstrators with domestic terrorism as a way to suppress opposition.

To them, the pursuit of such charges – paired with correspondingly strident rhetoric from police and politicians – represents an attempt to redefine largely peaceful environmental activism as dangerous opposition worthy of criminal charges. Six activists were arrested in January and charged under Georgia’s domestic terrorism statute, marking the first time state law had been used this way in the history of environmental movements in the US.

An Atlanta attorney representing some of the activists, Eli Bennett, told the Guardian in January that the state’s statute was “overly vague”, adding that pursuing charges amounted to “trying to turn a political movement into a criminal organization”.

Gingrich decries ‘insane’ Florida bill for register of bloggers critical of DeSantis

A Florida bill that would require bloggers who write about the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, to register with the state proved a step too far even for the godfather of far-right Republicanism, the former US House speaker Newt Gingrich.

“The idea that bloggers criticising a politician should register with the government is insane,” Gingrich wrote on Twitter. “It is an embarrassment that it is a Republican state legislator in Florida who introduced a bill to that effect. He should withdraw it immediately.”

The bill was introduced by Jason Brodeur. It states: “If a blogger posts to a blog about an elected state officer and receives, or will receive, compensation for that post, the blogger must register” with the appropriate state office. The bill defines “elected state officer” as “the governor, the lieutenant governor, a cabinet officer, or any member of the legislature”. As penalty for failure to comply, it posits fines of up to $2,500.

Last week, Brodeur told Florida Politics: “Paid bloggers are lobbyists who write instead of talk. They both are professional electioneers. If lobbyists have to register and report, why shouldn’t paid bloggers?”

Jan 6 Footage Shows Police ESCORT Q-Anon Shaman

1,000 super-emitting methane leaks risk triggering climate tipping points

More than 1,000 “super-emitter” sites gushed the potent greenhouse gas methane into the global atmosphere in 2022, the Guardian can reveal, mostly from oil and gas facilities. The worst single leak spewed the pollution at a rate equivalent to 67m running cars.

Separate data also reveals 55 “methane bombs” around the world – fossil fuel extraction sites where gas leaks alone from future production would release levels of methane equivalent to 30 years of all US greenhouse gas emissions.

Methane emissions cause 25% of global heating today and there has been a “scary” surge since 2007, according to scientists. This acceleration may be the biggest threat to keeping below 1.5C of global heating and seriously risks triggering catastrophic climate tipping points, researchers say.

The two new datasets identify the sites most critical to preventing methane-driven disaster, as tackling leaks from fossil fuel sites is the fastest and cheapest way to slash methane emissions. Some leaks are deliberate, venting the unwanted gas released from underground while drilling for oil into the air, and some are accidental, from badly maintained or poorly regulated equipment.

Fast action would dramatically slow global heating as methane is short-lived in the atmosphere. An emissions cut of 45% by 2030, which the UN says is possible, would prevent 0.3C of temperature rise. Methane emissions therefore present both a grave threat to humanity, but also a golden opportunity to decisively act on the climate crisis.

Meat, dairy and rice production will bust 1.5C climate target, shows study

Emissions from the food system alone will drive the world past 1.5C of global heating, unless high-methane foods are tackled. Climate-heating emissions from food production, dominated by meat, dairy and rice, will by themselves break the key international target of 1.5C if left unchecked, a detailed study has shown.

The analysis estimated that if today’s level of food emissions continued, they would result in at least 0.7C of global heating by the end of the century, on top of the 1C rise already seen. This means emissions from food alone, ignoring the huge impact of fossil fuels, would push the world past the 1.5C limit.

The study showed that 75% of this food-related heating was driven by foods that are high sources of methane, ie those coming from ruminant livestock such as cattle, and rice paddy fields. However, the scientists said the temperature rise could be cut by 55% by cutting meat consumption in rich countries to medically recommended levels, reducing emissions from livestock and their manure, and using renewable energy in the food system.

Previous studies have shown the huge impact of food production on the environment, particularly meat and dairy, but the new study provides estimates of the temperature rises their emissions could cause. These could be a significant underestimate, however, as the study assumed animal product consumption would remain level in the future but it was projected to rise by 70% by 2050. ...

The research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, treated each greenhouse gas separately for 94 key types of food, enabling their impact on climate over time to be better understood. Feeding this emissions data into a widely used climate model showed that the continuation of today’s food production would lead to a rise of 0.7C by 2100 if global population growth was low, and a 0.9C rise if population growth was high.

Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.

China’s Peace Plan for Ukraine

Why Biden Snubbed China’s Ukraine Peace Plan

Why Bakhmut Is Falling

Advocates Demand Oversight and Accountability for U.S. Arms Trade

America’s Chips War With China: Another Sanctions Backfire Coming?

US community in shock after record methane leak

Groups Sue to Stop Biden From Offering 73 Million Acres to Oil Drillers in Gulf of Mexico

Sphinx-like statue and shrine discovered in southern Egypt

‘He was central to music history’: the forgotten legacy of Leon Russell

California Housing Crisis SWEEPS Nation

France: Trains halted, schools shut as unions fight against pension reform

Trump Rips Republican Party & CPAC Crowd Goes Wild

New Tucker Carlson Jan 6 Footage Causes MSM MELTDOWN Over Capitol Safety

A Little Night Music

Roy Brown - Mighty Mighty Man

Roy Brown - Big Town

Roy Brown - I've Got the Last Laugh Now

Roy Brown - Mr Hound Dog's In Town

Roy Brown - Bootleggin' Baby

Roy Brown - Letter From Home

Roy Brown - Gal from Kokomo

Roy Brown - Cadillac Baby

Roy Brown - Boogie At Midnight