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The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: Houston Stackhouse

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Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features delta blues guitarist Houston Stackhouse. Enjoy!

^{Houston Stackhouse - Cool Drink Of Water}

"It is the custom of the immortal gods to grant temporary prosperity and a fairly long period of impunity to those whom they plan to punish for their crimes, so that they may feel it all the more keenly as a result of the change in their fortunes."

-- Julius Caesar

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News and Opinion

'Now Do Bush': Trump Arraignment Contrasts Typical Impunity for US Leaders

Trump's prosecution in New York "is a good first step," according toThe Intercept's Jeremy Scahill, but it "is not evidence that our much-vaunted justice system can actually be applied fairly and evenly to all, even a former president."

"Trump may be the first former president to face criminal prosecution, but that fact in and of itself is a damning condemnation of the U.S. system of impunity that has long permeated our system of American exceptionalism," the journalist argued Tuesday. "This case against Trump would be a mere footnote of history, albeit a wild one, if the U.S. actually believed in holding presidents and other top officials accountable for their crimes, including those committed in office."

Pointing to former U.S. President George W. Bush; his vice president, Dick Cheney; and Henry Kissinger, who served as secretary of state and national security adviser in the Nixon and Ford administrations, he asserted, "The truth is that all of them should be serving substantial prison sentences for directing and orchestrating the gravest of criminal activity: war crimes."

George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and the vile living corpse of Henry Kissinger should be serving substantial prison sentences for directing and orchestrating the gravest of criminal activity: war crimes, writes @jeremyscahill. https://t.co/jQ3r7Y91CX

— The Intercept (@theintercept) April 4, 2023

However, former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) "steadfastly refused to even consider impeachment proceedings against Bush," and former President Barack Obama made clear that "no one would be prosecuted for running a secret global kidnap and torture regime under Bush and Cheney," Scahill wrote. "The system depends on such bipartisan impunity."

The prosecution of Trump comes on the heels of the 20th anniversary of Bush's illegal invasion of Iraq. Just ahead of that milestone last month, the U.S-based Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) renewed its call for reparations and accountability.

"Reparations are rooted in precedent and international law, as well as a strong tradition of justice-based organizing by civil rights movements, and we should not let the difficulty of securing justice deter us from seeking it—for Iraqis and for all others harmed by U.S. imperialism, exploitation, and genocide," CCR said. "Justice also entails accountability for the perpetrators of these horrific crimes, including those responsible for the torture at Abu Ghraib and other detention centers in Iraq."

CCR further demanded justice for those tortured and detained in the broader war against terrorism that Bush declared in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks—while also acknowledging that "legal efforts against high-level political and military leaders for the invasion itself and the many crimes committed in the 'war on terror' pose a different set of challenges, as demonstrated by our efforts to hold high-level Bush administration officials accountable at the International Criminal Court for crimes in or arising out of the war in Afghanistan or under universal jurisdiction."

The United States is notably not a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the treaty which established the Hague-based tribunal to investigate and prosecute people from around the world for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.

Nearly a year after 9/11, Bush signed into law the American Servicemembers' Protection Act. Dubbed the "Hague Invasion Act" by critics, it empowers the president to use "all means necessary and appropriate to bring about the release" of any U.S. or allied person "who is being detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the International Criminal Court."

Last month, roughly a year into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the ICC issued international arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova for allegedly abducting Ukrainian children.

While Putin has "exhibited zero concern about his indictment," his "invasion of Ukraine has created an interesting predicament for the U.S. empire on these matters," Scahill highlighted, explaining that though President Joe Biden has called the Russian leader a war criminal, the United States has long "encouraged ad hoc tribunals" rather than supporting ICC prosecutions.

"The whole purpose of this from the U.S. perspective is to ensure that these laws will never be applied to Americans or their friends," he wrote. "The prosecution of Trump should thus serve as a reminder that the U.S. does not actually believe in holding its most powerful citizens accountable for even the most serious of acts. And that position has real consequences, including in how it can be weaponized by criminals like Putin."

"Make no mistake, Trump should be prosecuted for a variety of crimes, committed both as a private citizen and public official," Scahill concluded. "But if we want to claim that our system is exceptional, then the same fate should be brought to bear on the Bushes, Cheneys, and Kissingers of the world as well."

Briahna Joy Gray: Braggs' LAUGHABLE Prosecution Of Trump Is A DISTRACTION

Free Julian Assange pic.twitter.com/LUIA766EEl

— sarah (@sahouraxo) April 4, 2023

Congress Calls For Assange’s Freedom?

Trump arrest, clears path for Biden. Elensky speaks to Chile. Blinken, Russia has no money.

St Petersburg bomb suspect charged with terrorism over killing of pro-war blogger

Russian investigators on Tuesday formally charged Darya Trepova, a 26-year-old woman, with terrorism over the killing of the influential pro-war military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in a bomb blast in St Petersburg.

Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, was killed on Sunday by a bomb blast as he was hosting a discussion with other pro-war commentators at a cafe on the banks of the Neva River in the historic heart of St Petersburg.

The investigative committee said it had charged Trepova with committing “a terrorist act by an organised group that caused intentional death”. It said Trepova had handed Tatarsky a statuette that later blew up, adding that she had acted under instructions from people working on behalf of Ukraine. Trepova was arrested the day before in a flat in St Petersburg after an extensive search.

A newly published video circulating on Russia media showed Tatarsky taking a statuette out of a box – a small figurine in his likeness and painted gold – followed by what appeared to be an explosion. Tatarsky, who had more than 560,000 followers on Telegram, was one of Russia’s most influential military bloggers. On Monday evening, he was awarded the posthumous Order of Courage by the president, Vladimir Putin.

Sy Hersh DESTROYS WaPo's Nord Stream 'COVER STORY': A PROPAGANDA Operation

Polish farmers threaten to ‘ruin’ Zelenskiy visit amid grain dispute

Polish farmers are threatening to derail a visit to Warsaw by Volodymyr Zelenskiy over claims that Ukrainian grain is flooding their market, in a move that would provide Russia with valuable evidence of a crack in western solidarity.

Ukraine’s president is scheduled to visit Poland’s capital on Wednesday to express his gratitude for the country’s solidarity over the war with Russia, but Polish grain producers are warning they could take to the streets to “ruin” the occasion. “Warsaw should think the thing over,” said Marcin Sobczuk, the head of the Zamość Farmers’ Association, in an interview with the Polish news website Interia. He said the association was ready to “spoil” the visit, adding: “There are a lot of ideas, but it is too early to talk about it.”

As part of an EU initiative, all tariffs and quotas have been lifted on Ukrainian grain exports into the bloc’s 27 member states in order to facilitate the product’s transit around the world, including to Africa, where a Russian blockade on Ukrainian exports has been particularly painful. The grain has, however, failed to move out of some eastern EU countries, including Poland, Hungary and Romania, forcing down prices in those countries and fuelling resentment in farming communities.

Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, had said he would ask the European Commission and member states to reimpose barriers to Ukrainian grain exports but Polish farmers claim nothing has been done. “We thought that the minister took us seriously, but it turned out to be otherwise,” Sobczuk said.

https://t.co/XScQMR1WFR

— Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) April 3, 2023

Canada discovers that its PM residence has a serious rodent infestation. I hope that they don't let the big rat get away.

Canadian PM’s residence shut down over dead mice in walls

So many dead mice were trapped behind the sagging walls and heaped in the basement of the Canadian prime minister’s official residence that officials decided to shut down the decrepit building last year amid concerns that the air in the mansion was no longer safe to breathe, according to newly released documents.

The limestone-clad house at 24 Sussex Drive, perched on a cliff above the Ottawa River, is one of the country’s most symbolically important and politically fraught plots of real estate.

Last year, the National Capital Commission (NCC), which is tasked with preserving heritage buildings in Ottawa, shut down the residence, estimating the cost of renovating and upgrading at nearly C$40m (US$29.7m, £23.8m).

The documents, obtained by the National Post, underscore the ways in which decades of negligence have left the official residence of the prime minister plagued with mould, cracked windows, failing plumbing and an electrical system widely seen as a fire hazard.

They also highlighted the building’s mouse problem, which created additional headaches for the NCC. “There is an important rodent infestation, which can’t be fully addressed until the building envelope issues are resolved,” according to internal documents from June. The buildings interior walls contain hazardous asbestos and cannot be removed until a remediation plan is in place.

OPEC / Russia, production cuts. Japan breaks oil ceiling

French pension reform: Unions meeting with PM a 'failure'

Financial turmoil will be felt for years, says JP Morgan boss

The financial turmoil that led to the downfall of Silicon Valley Bank in the US and Credit Suisse in Europe is not yet over and its effects will be felt for years, the boss of America’s biggest bank has warned. In an annual letter to JP Morgan’s shareholders, Jamie Dimon said last month’s failure of SVB and the Swiss government-brokered takeover of Credit Suisse by its rival UBS had undermined confidence in the banking system.

“As I write this letter, the current crisis is not yet over, and even when it is behind us, there will be repercussions from it for years to come,” he said.

Although suggesting that there were marked differences with the 2008 financial crisis, Dimon, who has been the chair and chief executive of JP Morgan since 2006, suggested that the risks to the market had been “hiding in plain sight”, in a swipe at regulators. These risks included exposure to interest rates being raised sharply around the world to tackle soaring inflation. Dimon criticised the US Federal Reserve for failing to incorporate higher borrowing costs into its annual stress tests.

The turmoil in the banking sector had led investors to price in a greater risk of a US recession, Dimon said, warning that banks were now more likely to show caution when approving new lending for businesses and households, with consequences for an economy already struggling with rate increases.

“It is not clear when this current crisis will end,” Dimon said. “It has provoked lots of jitters in the market and will clearly cause some tightening of financial conditions as banks and other lenders become more conservative.”

Funny how according to U.S. politicos the presence of drugs in the U.S. is driven by foreign supply capacity rather than local demand.

Mexican president bemoans ‘rude’ US fentanyl pressure in plea to Xi Jinping

Mexico’s president has written to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, urging him to help control shipments of fentanyl, while also complaining of “rude” US pressure to curb the drug trade. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has previously said that fentanyl is the US’s problem and is caused by “a lack of hugs” in US families. On Tuesday he read out the letter to Xi dated 22 March in which he defended efforts to curb supply of the deadly drug, while rounding on US critics.

López Obrador complained about calls in the US to designate Mexican drug gangs as terrorist organisations. Some Republicans have said they favour using the US military to crack down on Mexican cartels. “Unjustly, they are blaming us for problems that in large measure have to do with their loss of values, their welfare crisis,” López Obrador wrote to Xi in the letter.

“These positions are in themselves a lack of respect and a threat to our sovereignty, and moreover they are based on an absurd, manipulative, propagandistic and demagogic attitude.”

Only after several paragraphs of venting, López Obrador brings up China’s exports of fentanyl precursors, and asked him to help stop shipments of chemicals that Mexican cartels import from China. “I write to you, President Xi Jinping, not to ask your help on these rude threats, but to ask you for humanitarian reasons to help us by controlling the shipments of fentanyl,” the Mexican president wrote.

China has taken some steps to limit fentanyl exports, but mislabelled or harder-to-detect precursor chemicals continue to pour out of Chinese factories.

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Donald Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony charges in hush money case

Donald Trump on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in what prosecutors alleged was a conspiracy to influence the 2016 presidential election by silencing claims of extramarital affairs, marking the first time in American history a former president has been charged with a crime.

Donald Trump arrived ashen faced and visibly angry for his arraignment in Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday, stopping to wave to the crush of supporters, reporters and onlookers gathered outside. Once inside, Trump, like any other criminal defendant, was fingerprinted in custody. But he was also afforded special accommodations: he was not handcuffed and was not subject to a mug shot. ...

The charges, according to the felony indictment unsealed on Tuesday, stem from payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who said she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, as well as hush money deals made with Playboy model, Karen McDougal, who wanted to sell her story of an affair with Trump ahead of the 2016 election, and a former Trump Tower door man, who claimed Trump had fathered a child out of wedlock.

Trump has denied the sexual encounters and any wrongdoing, casting himself as the victim of a political “witch hunt”.

“We today uphold our solemn responsibility to ensure that everyone stands equal before the law,” Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg said at his press conference after Trump’s arraignment. “No amount of money, no amount of power changes that enduring American principle.” Facing scrutiny over his decision to pursue the case, Bragg forcefully defended the case. He argued that falsifying business records was the “bread and butter” of his office’s white-collar investigations and that “true and accurate business records” were all the more important in Manhattan, which he called the “​​financial capital of the world”.

Progressive Judge Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court Seat in "Most Important Election of 2023"

Liberal judge wins Wisconsin supreme court election, flipping ideological balance

In a historic election, the liberal judge Janet Protasiewicz is projected to win her race for a seat on Wisconsin’s supreme court. Her win will flip the ideological balance of the state’s highest court, which has been controlled by a conservative majority for 15 years.

Elections and democracy observers have called this election the most consequential one of the year, with abortion rights, redistricting and election rules at stake. The race pitted Protasiewicz, a Milwaukee circuit court judge and former prosecutor, against Dan Kelly, a former Wisconsin supreme court justice with ties to election deniers and the far right.

Protasiewicz will replace the conservative justice Patience Roggensack on 1 August; the court will be controlled by a narrow liberal majority.

The race smashed campaign finance records for state judicial elections, drawing more than $45m, according to a WisPolitics analysis. By comparison, in Wisconsin’s last supreme court race in 2020, donors brought in about $10m. Political groups and wealthy individuals across the country have opened their coffers on both sides of the race, with Protasiewicz raising nearly $9m from the Democratic party and outside groups pledging more than $6m on pro-Kelly advertisements.

From Teacher & Union Organizer to Mayor: Brandon Johnson Wins Chicago Race in Upset Victory

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‘Tornado alley’ is shifting farther into the US east, climate scientists warn

A spate of devastating tornadoes that have recently ripped through parts of the eastern and southern US states could portend the sort of damage that will become more commonplace due to changes wrought by global heating, scientists have warned.

More than 50 people have died from the tornadoes and thunderstorms in the past two weeks, with the latest powerful storm system wreaking havoc in states including Alabama, Illinois, Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas on Friday. ...

Tornadoes have long posed a peril to a column of the central US known as “tornado alley”, spanning parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. While the influence of climate change upon tornadoes is still being investigated by scientists, some researchers say there is evidence that this alley is shifting eastwards and that storms could become more powerful as the world continues to heat up due to the burning of fossil fuels.

Previous research has shown that over recent decades there has been a stagnation, or even slight drop, in the number of tornadoes in their traditional home range of the Great Plains, but an uptick in states further east, such as Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Illinois and Indiana.

These dervish-like storms also appear to be hitting earlier in some instances – tornado season usually starts in spring but parts of the south just had their most active tornado winter season on record and recent research found that milder US winters could be helping spur conditions ripe for earlier storms.

'A Win for All Living Beings': Appeals Court Tosses Mountain Valley Pipeline Permit

A U.S. appellate court panel on Monday unanimously struck down a key water permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a nearly completed fracked gas project long opposed by people living along the over-300-mile route through Virginia and West Virginia.

Three judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit vacated a Clean Water Act certification from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), without which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cannot allow ongoing MVP construction at stream and wetland crossings.

"The certification reflected the department's conclusion that MVP's activities during the pipeline's construction would not violate the state's water quality standards," the panel said. "Disagreeing with that determination, landowners and members of various environmental organizations in the state have petitioned for this court's review of the department's certification. We find the department's justifications for its conclusions deficient and vacate the certification."

The MVP gained national attention last year because of efforts by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to force the completion of the pipeline as part of his thrice-defeated "dirty deal" on permitting reforms. House Republicans, who recently passed their own fossil fuel-friendly energy package, are also now pushing for legislation to finish the project.

While Manchin said Monday that "it is infuriating to see the same 4th Circuit Court panel deal yet another setback for the Mountain Valley Pipeline project and once again side with activists who seem hell-bent on killing any fossil energy that will make our country energy independent and secure," MVP opponents praised the decision.

UAE plans huge oil and gas expansion as it hosts UN climate summit

The United Arab Emirates, which is hosting this year’s UN climate summit, has the third biggest net zero-busting plans for oil and gas expansion in the world, the Guardian can reveal. Its plans are surpassed only by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The CEO of the UAE’s national oil company, Adnoc, has been controversially appointed president of the UN’s Cop28 summit in December, which is seen as crucial with time running out to end the climate crisis. But Sultan Al Jaber is overseeing expansion to produce oil and gas equivalent to 7.5bn barrels of oil, according to new data, 90% of which would have to remain in the ground to meet the net zero scenario set out by the International Energy Agency.

Adnoc is the world’s 11th biggest oil and gas producer and delivered more than a billion barrels of oil equivalent (BBOE) in 2021. However, the company has big short-term expansion plans, the new analysis shows, with plans to add 7.6 BBOE to its production portfolio in the coming years – the fifth largest increase in the world. ...

In November 2022, Adnoc announced a $150bn investment over five years to enable an “accelerated growth strategy” for oil and gas production. Independent experts rate the UAE’s climate targets and policies as “highly insufficient”, while the UN secretary general recently called for the “ceasing [of] all licensing or funding of new oil and gas”.

Recent statements by Al Jaber also appear difficult to reconcile with Adnoc’s huge plans for new oil and gas production. At a “Road to Cop28” conference in Dubai on 15 March, Al Jaber said: “We [the world] have to rapidly reduce emissions.” The following day, at an International Energy Agency roundtable event, he said: “Oil and gas companies need to align around net zero.” In February, Al Jaber said: “We in the UAE are not shying away from the energy transition. We are running towards it.”

Just 10% of Adnoc’s expansion is compatible with the IEA’s scenario for the world to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The IEA said the 2050 goal requires no new oil and gas projects to be approved after 2021, but 90% of the oil and gas expansion being planned by Adnoc were advanced after this date and would have to stay in the ground to be compatible.

Climate activist who allegedly held sign directed at jurors may be charged

A climate activist who allegedly held a sign outside court telling jurors they were entitled to find protesters not guilty based on their conscience may still face a criminal charge. Trudi Warner, 68, allegedly held the placard outside a trial of fellow Insulate Britain protestors at Inner London crown court on 27 March, which read: “Jurors: You have an absolute right to acquit a defendant according to your conscience.”

Judge Silas Reid had imposed an order that the protesters must not mention climate change in their defence to the jury. The judge has made a number of similar orders stopping preventing protesters from mentioning the motive for their actions which have been breached by protesters. The orders, which said jurors must not consider the defendant’s beliefs as it is not relevant to the question of guilt or innocence, are now being challenged in the court of appeal.

Warner, a retired social worker, is said to have stood by the judge’s car park entrance which was being used by jurors and showed her sign to people she believed to be jurors in the trial – some of whom were. ... Reid had ordered Warner appear at the Old Bailey on Tuesday before a high court judge for “contempt in the face of the court attempting to influence the jury”.

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Also of Interest

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

Journalist, Spy Or Cyber Front Warrior?

Ukraine is now fielding 1940s-era anti-aircraft guns as artillery

Philippines Announces Locations of Four New US Bases

Assange Is The Greatest Journalist Of All Time: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix

Former German foreign minister Joschka Fischer declares Ukraine War is “Global power struggle for future world order”

Declining Birth Rates Are Good & Bad

After Pushing the Wall Street Scheme to Repeal Glass-Steagall, the New York Times Returns to Puff Pieces on Rodge Cohen and Jamie Dimon

'Grim Milestone': Over 400 Human Rights Defenders Murdered Worldwide Last Year

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Is Helping Her Fossil Fuel Donors Gut Key Climate Law

What do you, a real person in the real world, want? Best be quiet and let the politicians tell you

Soaring, leaping, swooping … a world of wildlife by the world’s top photographers

Clashes at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque: “This government wants to pour fuel on the fire”

French Keep Dining While Protest Fires Burn Outside

Twitter INEXPLICABLY Labels NPR As 'STATE-AFFILIATED MEDIA'

Bill Clinton: I REGRET Convincing Ukraine To Give Up NUKES

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A Little Night Music

Robert Nighthawk And Houston Stackhouse - Bricks In My Pillow

Houston Stackhouse - Right Around the Corner

Robert Nighthawk And Houston Stackhouse - Big Road Blues

Houston Stackhouse - Return Mail

Houston Stackhouse - Black Angel Blues

Houston Stackhouse - Talkin' 'Bout You

Houston Stackhouse - Canned Heat

Houston Stackhouse - Bye Bye Blues

Houston Stackhouse - Big Fat Mama Blues

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