---

---

The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: Cab Calloway

---

Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features jazz singer Cab Calloway. Enjoy!

^{Cab Calloway - Minnie the Moocher}

"Time's glory is to command contending kings,
To unmask falsehood, and bring truth to light."

-- William Shakespeare

---

News and Opinion

The Two-State Solution Is A Western Liberal Fairy Tale

The only real benefit to this latest western “recognition” of Palestine is that it drew out high-profile Israeli politicians to explain to western liberals in plain English that the entire state of Israel stands opposed to their vision of a two-state solution.

Former Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz has a new op-ed in The New York Times where he explicitly states that opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state is “the heart” of a national consensus among Israelis across the mainstream political spectrum, and that this isn’t an obstacle that will go away once Netanyahu is out of power.

“Too often, Western leaders view our policies in this war not through the lens of national security, but through the prism of individuals — and, in particular, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu,” Gantz writes. “The conversation is often framed as a question of what serves the prime minister, as if Israel’s national security begins and ends with one man. This view is mistaken and counterproductive to global stability, regional normalization and Israel’s own security.”

“I myself have been a vocal critic of Mr. Netanyahu,” says Gantz. “But the nation’s core security interests are not partisan property. Today more than ever, they are anchored by a national consensus that is rooted in the hard realities of our region. Opposition to the recognition of Palestinian statehood stands at the heart of that consensus.”

The dangerous & counterproductive mistake Western Leaders make about a Palestinian State & Israel’s security.

To my full New York Times Op-Ed: https://t.co/5q2yjmGoDk pic.twitter.com/a1vFufJ99n

— בני גנץ - Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) September 24, 2025

He’s spelling it out in black and white. The Bernie Sanders-style framing of the nightmare in Palestine as a Netanyahu problem which can be remedied in short order by a two-state solution is a fairy tale that western liberals tell each other so they don’t have to face the cold hard reality that the problem is the state of Israel itself.

This comes after Netanyahu publicly stated that “There will be no Palestinian state to the west of the Jordan River,” and after former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant proclaimed that “There will never be a Palestinian state.”

Israel is the problem. Not Netanyahu. Not Hamas. Not that both sides have tragically failed to sit down and find common ground in good-faith negotiations. The problem is that the west established a state in the middle east which holds as its foundational ideology that the people who were living there before that state was created are less than human, and must never have access to the full spectrum of human rights.

The problem is Israel. A state which has always been a racist endeavor from its very inception. A state whose Jewish citizenry are indoctrinated from birth into accepting the hateful, supremacist worldview that is necessary for apartheid and abuse to be accepted as the status quo.

It's so surreal how Israel can come right out and explicitly say there will never, ever be a Palestinian state and western officials will just keep babbling on about the possibility of Israel and Palestine negotiating a two-state solution as though it never happened. https://t.co/fdocleFU1D

— Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) September 23, 2025

No solutions are going to emerge until the west gets real about this. As long as western liberals are still buying into the fuzzbrained escapist fantasy that Israel is just an election away from a two-state solution if the US simply keeps funding the Iron Dome and making nice with Tel Aviv, we’re going to continue seeing Israel inflicting the nonstop violence and abuse that is necessary for it to exist in its present iteration as a state.

Any actual, reality-based solutions are not going to make liberal Zionists happy like their daydream about a two-state solution does. Israel simply cannot continue to exist as a Zionist entity. It needs to be disarmed, dramatically restructured, and comprehensively denazified as a society. This isn’t going to happen without force, and that necessary force isn’t going to be forthcoming from the western world as long as we are deluding ourselves with infantile fantasies.

The Israelis are telling us this is the case themselves, right to our faces. It’s time to wake up.

Israel FURIOUS As Italy, Spain Deploy Navy to Protect Aid Flotilla

Status update: extra-cautious optimism.

Spain Joins Italy in Sending Ship to Protect Gaza-Bound Sumud Flotilla

Critics of Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip welcomed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Wednesday announcement that his country will join Italy in sending a warship to protect the Global Sumud Flotilla, which has endured several drone attacks during its journey to deliver humanitarian aid to starving Palestinians.

The flotilla—whose name means perseverance in Arabic—departed Barcelona over three weeks ago. The peaceful mission to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza involves around 50 boats carrying hundreds of people from dozens of countries, including Spain.

“The government of Spain demands compliance with international law and respect for the right of its citizens to safely navigate the Mediterranean,” Sánchez said during a Wednesday press conference in New York City, where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly. He said a vessel equipped to assist the flotilla will depart from Cartagena on Thursday.

Sánchez’s move came after Italy’s defense minister, Guido Crosetto, said earlier Wednesday that his government sent a naval ship “to ensure assistance to the Italian citizens on the flotilla” following an overnight drone attack in the Mediterranean Sea.

El Gobierno de España exige que se cumpla la ley internacional y que se respete el derecho de sus ciudadanos a navegar por el Mediterráneo en condiciones de seguridad.

Mañana mismo zarpará desde Cartagena un buque de acción marítima equipado con todos los medios por si fuese… pic.twitter.com/FRR6FNMRBV

— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) September 24, 2025

Both ship announcements followed 16 foreign ministers, including Spain’s José Manuel Albares, warning Israel against attacking the Global Sumud Flotilla last week. On Monday, the Spaniard had reaffirmed diplomatic support for participants, vowing that Spain “will react to any act that violates their freedom of movement, their freedom of expression, and international law.”

The Israeli government has a history of attacking flotillas, and although it has not formally claimed credit for the recent drone attacks, it is widely believed to be responsible. The latest was “the largest and most terrifying attack yet,” Progressive International co-general coordinator David Adler, who is part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, told Jacobin.

“While we expect these attacks to escalate each day that we approach Gaza, we cannot normalize the criminal violence committed against this peaceful convoy of humanitarian workers and the critical aid that we carry with us,” Adler said. “This midnight incident is just a reminder of the brutal violence deployed against the people of Palestine, hour by hour and day by day. If the state of Israel can attack us here—with the eyes of the world watching—then they can do so in Gaza a millionfold, with even greater impunity.”

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has posted multiple threatening messages on social media attempting to connect the Global Sumud Flotilla to Hamas, which Israel and its ally the United States have designated a terrorist organization.

“We have another proposal for the Hamas-Sumud flotilla: If this is not about provocation and serving Hamas, you are welcome to unload any aid you might have at any port in a nearby country outside Israel, from which it can be transferred peacefully to Gaza,” the ministry said several hours after the latest attack. “Israel will not allow vessels to enter an active combat zone and will not allow the breach of a lawful naval blockade. Is this about aid or about provocation?”

The Spanish and Italian governments’ decisions have generated questions about how Israel will now engage with the flotilla.

“Wow. This is absolutely huge,” British writer Owen Jones said of Sánchez’s move. “After the attacks, Spain is offering direct military protection to the flotilla bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza. So what now, Israel? Are you going to risk acts of war against a European nation so you can attack humanitarian vessels?”

The European leaders’ actions have also been met with applause. Francesca Albanese, an Italian human rights lawyer now serving as UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, said: “Thank you, Spain.”

“I implore other countries to mobilize their fleet to grant the flotilla safe sailing to Gaza, and deploy a real humanitarian convoy to break the blockade,” she continued. “That’s what people want. That’s what humanity commands. If not in the time of a genocide, when??”

Nathan J. Robinson, editor in chief of Current Affairs, said: “This is a good start. Now tell him to gather food, pack it on ships, and send the whole navy.”

“Let Israel face down the full Spanish Armada if it wants to block aid from entering Gaza,” he added.

After reports that drones targeted the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, Italy sent a navy ship to help the boats. After Italy, Spain just announced it will send a military vessel too

Thank you Italy and Spain. The people of Gaza have the right to aid even under occupation pic.twitter.com/31JqwdfEq4

— Mohamad Safa (@mhdksafa) September 24, 2025

As casualties have continued to climb in Gaza—local officials said Wednesday that the Israeli assault has killed at least 65,419 Palestinians and injured 167,160, though global experts believe those figures are undercounts—a growing number of world leaders have not only called for a cease-fire but also recognized the Palestinian state.

At UN headquarters earlier this week, Sánchez described recent recognition of Palestine as “a crucial step” toward “the two-state solution” but also stressed that “there can be no solution when the population of one of those states is the victim of genocide.”

Speaking to the General Assembly on Tuesday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for invoking the United for Peace resolution to send an armed protection force to Gaza. He also took aim at US diplomatic and weapons support for Israel, saying that President Donald Trump “allows missiles to be launched at children, young people, women, and the elderly” and “becomes complicit in genocide.”

Italy, Spain Deploy Naval Ships After Drones Repeatedly Attack Gaza-Bound Flotilla

Israeli attempt to annex West Bank would be ‘red line’ for US, says Macron

Any attempt by Israel to annex parts of the West Bank would be a red line for the US – and would represent the end of Arab-Israeli diplomatic normalisation, Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, claiming that he had been given that assurance by Donald Trump.

Macron also revealed that he had presented the US leader with a three-page plan on the future of Palestine, based on the New York Declaration, the document endorsed by more than 143 states that proposes to exclude Hamas from future rule in Gaza and the West Bank.

Speaking on France 24, Macron said the aim of his meeting with Trump on Tuesday had been to get America, Europe and the Arab states on the same page. Asked about Israeli plans to extend settlement in the West Bank – including the E1 corridor that would involve the construction of 3,400 new homes – he said: “On that topic in very clear terms the Europeans and the Americans are on the same page.” ...

Macron said that any attempt to annex the West Bank “would be the end of the Abraham accords, which was one of the success stories from Trump’s first administration. The United Arab Emirates were very clear on it.”

Israel Killed 31 Journalists in Yemen in Deadliest Attack on Press in 16 Years

King Felipe pleads with Israel to ‘stop massacre and abhorrent acts’ in Gaza

King Felipe of Spain has begged Israel to “stop the massacre” and end its “abhorrent acts” in Gaza during an unusually direct and powerful address to the UN general assembly in which he also defended the UN’s role in an increasingly “frenetic and out of control” world.

Although the monarch was careful not to use the word “genocide” – a term already employed by the country’s outspoken prime minister, Pedro Sánchez – he said Spain and others were at a loss to understand Israel’s actions in Gaza.

“We can’t keep silent, nor look the other way, when confronted with so much devastation, with the bombing – even of hospitals, schools and places of refuge – or with so many deaths among the civilian population, or with the famine and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people – to what end?” he said on Wednesday.

“These are abhorrent acts that are the very opposite of everything that this forum represents. They sicken the human conscience and shame the entire international community.”

Diplomatic relations between Spain and Israel have curdled as a result of the Gaza offensive, with Madrid introducing several measures, including an arms embargo, and Sánchez accusing Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of “exterminating a defenceless people” by bombing hospitals and “killing innocent boys and girls with hunger”.

Drone from Yemen STRIKES Israel + Italy Sends WARSHIP to Guard Gaza Flotilla | Laith Marouf

At least 20 people reported injured after drone strike on Israeli city of Eilat

At least 20 people have been injured, two seriously, after a drone launched from Yemen hit Israel’s Red Sea resort city of Eilat on the border with Jordan and Egypt. Police said the drone fell in Eilat’s city centre, causing damage in the area frequented by tourists.

Footage shared on social media showed a drone flying above the resort town before crashing, with smoke and flames rising from the impact area. Local reports suggested the drone had hit the ground next to a hotel, damaging several rooms.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which occurred on the second day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. ...

The Israeli military said interception attempts had been made but gave no further details. The local newspaper Israel Hayom, citing an initial investigation, said air defence systems had failed to intercept the drone.

Prof. Jeffrey Sachs : Al-Qaeda at the UN

Israeli Surveillance Drone Crashes Into UNIFIL Peacekeeper Headquarters in Lebanon

The headquarters of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers in southern Lebanon was struck yesterday when an Israeli surveillance drone crashed into the building. There were no casualties, according to the UNIFIL.

The IDF has confirmed that the device belonged to them, but did not provide any information on why it was flying over the UNIFIL site. The UNIFIL said their personnel had neutralized the device, and determined it was not in any way armed, but just equipped with a camera. ...

A UNIFIL spokesperson cautioned this incident, and the presence of Israeli drone in Lebanese airspace, amounted to both a violation of UN Resolution 1701 and Lebanese sovereignty. They said they take potential threats against peacekeepers very seriously.

Israel attacking UNIFIL personnel is not particularly unusual. Indeed just a few weeks ago Israeli drones dropped grenades on a group of UNIFIL personnel who had already informed the IDF of where in Lebanon they would be and what they would be doing.

Iranian President Sees Imminent Israeli Attack

Iran has hours to act or face UN nuclear sanctions snapback, says Macron

ran has only a few hours left to come up with a clear plan to allow UN weapons inspectors back into the country and to reveal details of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, or sweeping UN sanctions will be imposed, Emmanuel Macron has warned after a meeting with his counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian. The brief meeting between the French and Iranian presidents was the highest level diplomatic exchange so far in the effort to avert a fresh crisis over Iran’s damaged nuclear programme.

The deadline for reimposing sanctions is Saturday, but even allowing for mutual diplomatic brinkmanship, it appears negotiations are close to deadlock, prompting a further run on the rial in Tehran. Macron said on Wednesday that there was still a chance for a deal, while Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said he was still talking with the Iranians. “We have a desire to negotiate with them,” he said.

In his address to the UN general assembly on Wednesday, Pezeshkian insisted Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb, citing the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s fatwa against such weapons. But such pledges have cut little ice with the foreign ministers of the E3 group – France, Germany and the UK – the three countries that have the power to snapback, or reimpose, the UN sanctions lifted in 2015.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, met Rafael Grossi, the director general of the UN nuclear weapons inspectorate, in New York to set out which sites Iran was prepared for the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit in the wake of the joint Israel-US strikes on its nuclear sites in June.

COL. Lawrence Wilkerson : Netanyahu Controls Trump

Let us speak of tempests and teapots ...

Escalatorgate: Trump alleges ‘triple sabotage’ after technical mishaps at UN

Donald Trump alleged “triple sabotage” at the United Nations, after the US president was plagued by a series of unfortunate events surrounding his address to the global body. “A REAL DISGRACE took place at the United Nations yesterday,” Trump wrote in a 357-word post on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Wednesday. “Not one, not two, but three very sinister events!”

According to Trump, his smooth arrival at the summit in New York on Tuesday was disrupted when the escalator ferrying him and the first lady to the General Assembly Hall “stopped on a dime”. He expressed surprise that the first couple “didn’t fall forward onto the sharp edges of these steel steps, face first”. Then, his teleprompter went “stone cold dark”.

“I immediately thought to myself, “Wow, first the escalator event, and now a bad teleprompter. What kind of a place is this?’” Trump wrote. Adding insult to injury, he recounted a third alleged offense: after being forced to improvise part of his speech to the general assembly, he asked Melania Trump how he had done, she replied: “I couldn’t hear a word you said.”

“This wasn’t a coincidence, this was triple sabotage at the UN,” Trump declared, demanding an “immediate” investigation into the matter, a scandal so Trumpian it has earned the name “escalatorgate”. “All security tapes at the escalator should be saved, especially the emergency stop button. The Secret Service is involved,” he concluded. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Earlier on Wednesday, the UN responded to the incident in a statement to correspondents, titled “on UN escalators”.

Judge Rules Trump Can’t Hold Disaster Aid Hostage Over Immigration Enforcement

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that US President Donald Trump’s attempt to bully states states into cooperating with his administration’s anti-immigrant crackdown by conditioning emergency and disaster aid upon such cooperation is unconstitutional.

Judge William Smith of the US District Court for the District of Rhode Island—an appointee of former President George W. Bush—sided with 20 Democrat-led states and the District of Columbia, asserting in his 45-page ruling that “several contested conditions attached to the award of federal grants under the Department of Homeland Security are beyond the scope of DHS’ statutory authority, are a violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), and are unconstitutional.”

“The court finds that the contested conditions are arbitrary and capricious and thus invalid under the APA and are also a violation of the conditions attached to the spending clause and thus unconstitutional,” Smith added.

The 20 states and DC sued the administration in May, arguing that DHS was illegally using federal funds meant for emergency readiness and disaster relief to strong-arm them into cooperating with Trump’s anti-immigrant crusade. In order to qualify for federal funds, states were ordered to grant federal immigration agents access to detainees and honor requests for cooperation, including by taking part in joint operations, sharing information, or holding detained immigrants.

Portland threatens to evict Ice from Oregon facility over permit violations

Portland authorities are in a standoff with the Trump administration over an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention facility in the Oregon city, after an investigation found the administration is using the facility for overnight detentions, in violation of its city-issued permits.

The standoff comes amid threats from Donald Trump to dispatch troops to the city, and residents protesting nightly outside the Ice field office in question.

The city office that oversees land use and zoning notified the owner of the building that Ice leases that the federal agency had violated a conditional-use permit approved in 2011. The permit limits the number of detainees Ice can hold at the facility each day to fewer than 15, and the duration for which they can be held to less than 12 hours. The permit also bars the agency from “housing” anyone overnight.

But Ice data the city obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request, included in the official notice, shows 25 instances since January in which Ice held a person for more than 12 hours. On 26 January alone, agents held 16 people – listed as citizens of Venezuela, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico and other countries – for more than 27 hours before transferring them, according to public records obtained by Street Roots and the Guardian.

The city’s notice also said the building was illegally altered when exterior windows were boarded up without proper approval. An Ice spokesperson did not respond to a question asking when the wood was installed, but photos and video taken at protests and posted on social media show the boarded-up windows first appeared around 16 June.

CLEAR EVIDENCE Charlie Kirk Was Shot From The Back!

Grayzone Report: Kirk Lost MAJOR Pro-Israel Donor JUST BEFORE Campus Tour

Texas Ice facility shooting: one dead and two injured, and ‘anti-Ice’ shell casings found

One detainee has been killed and two others injured in a shooting at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) field office in Dallas, officials said. Authorities have also confirmed that the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. NBC News, citing multiple senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation, reported that the suspect has been identified as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn. ...

One of the unspent shell casings recovered was engraved with the phrase “ANTI ICE”, according to a post from the FBI director, Kash Patel. ...

Trump wrote on social media that had been been briefed on the shooting, calling it “despicable” that the shell casings contained anti-Ice messaging. He immediately cast blame for the shooting on “radical left Democrats”, instructing them, in capital letters, to “stop this rhetoric against Ice”.

“The continuing violence from Radical Left Terrorists, in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, must be stopped,” Trump wrote. “ICE Officers, and other Brave Members of Law Enforcement, are under grave threat. We have already declared ANTIFA a Terrorist Organization, and I will be signing an Executive Order this week to dismantle these Domestic Terrorism Networks.”

There was no indication the shooter had any connection to any organizations, including antifa.

---

---

‘Pay-to-Play’? Donors to Texas Gov’s PAC Have Received Nearly $1 Billion in No-Bid State Contracts

A new report on no-bid contracts awarded in Texas to corporations after they donated to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s political action committee exemplifies why many people “lose faith in their government,” said one advocate at the watchdog group Public Citizen on Wednesday.

The organization released a report, Awarding Influence, on no-bid contracts that were awarded by Abbott from 2020-24 after he declared state emergencies over border security, Hurricane Beryl, and the coronavirus pandemic.

Donors to Abbott’s political action committee, Texans for Greg Abbott PAC, received approximately $950 million in at least 89 state contracts during those emergencies. The companies—including through their subsidiaries, PACs, executives, and executives’ spouses—donated a collective $2.9 million to Abbott in 96 contributions between 2014-25.

“The timing of the contributions is suspect,” said Andrew Cates, an attorney and government ethics expert. “The groups were awarded the contracts after they made large contributions to the governor or his [super PAC]. If it were the other way around, it could be viewed as a thank-you contribution, but this way feels much more pay-to-play when procurement money flows quickly after large contributions.”

Cates said one particular donor, Doggett Equipment Services Group, drew the scrutiny of Public Citizen due to $1.6 million it was awarded in no-bid state contracts that were simply labeled “fees.”

The company provides services to the heavy equipment industry across Texas and it CEO, William “Leslie” Doggett, has contributed more than $1.7 million to Texans for Greg Abbott since 2014, either personally or through his corporation.

One of Doggett’s companies, Doggett Freightliners of South Texas, received two noncompetitive contracts—identified only as “fees” on paperwork—worth $1.6 million in 2022 and 2023. One of the contracts was finalized eight days after Doggett donated $500,000 to the PAC.

Cates said the Doggett contracts were “especially egregious.”

Doggett’s apparent transaction with Abbott’s PAC did not make his company the largest recipient of no-bid contracts detailed in the report; that distinction goes to Gothams LLC, an emergency management company that received nearly $640 million in contracts in 2021 and 2022.

After pandemic contracts began to slow in 2022, Gothams received just one contract worth $43 million—but after its founder, Matthew Michelsen, started sending donations to Texans for Greg Abbott that totaled $600,000, the firm received 10 contracts worth $66 million.

“People lose faith in their government when they see a system that appears to benefit those who can buy access to elected officials,” said Adrian Shelley, the Texas director of Public Citizen. “Even when no laws are broken, insider dealing undermines confidence in state government. People conclude that the government works for wealthy people first and everyday Texans second.”

In another example from the report, infrastructure development firm HNTB Holdings received an emergency contract worth $2.6 million in 2021 to provide software updates. Since 2015, the company, its PAC, and its senior officials have contributed $193,750 to Texans for Greg Abbott

“All of the companies identified in this report, either through corporate PACs or individuals affiliated with the company, contributed significant amounts to Texans for Greg Abbott,” said Cassidy Levin, a research fellow at Public Citizen. “Lawmakers should adopt stronger restrictions on pay-to-play practices in government contracting and implement reporting requirements for the governor’s office in the aftermath of an emergency.”

---

---

World’s oceans fail key health check as acidity crosses critical threshold for marine life

The world’s oceans have failed a key planetary health check for the first time, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels, a report has shown. In its latest annual assessment, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research said ocean acidity had crossed a critical threshold for marine life.

This makes it the seventh of nine planetary boundaries to be transgressed, prompting scientists to call for a renewed global effort to curb fossil fuels, deforestation and other human-driven pressures that are tilting the Earth out of a habitable equilibrium.

The report, which follows earlier warnings about ocean acidity, comes at a time of record‑breaking ocean heat and mass coral bleaching. Oceans cover 71% of the Earth’s surface and play an essential role as a climate stabiliser. The new report calls them an “unsung guardian of planetary health”, but says their vital functions are threatened.

The 2025 Planetary Health Check noted that since the start of the industrial era, oceans’ surface pH has fallen by about 0.1 units, a 30-40% increase in acidity, pushing marine ecosystems beyond safe limits. Cold-water corals, tropical coral reefs and Arctic marine life are especially at risk. This is primarily due to the human-caused climate crisis. When carbon dioxide from oil, coal and gas burning enters the sea, it forms carbonic acid. This reduces the availability of calcium carbonate, which many marine organisms depend upon to grow coral, shells or skeletons. ...

Scientists are concerned that it could also weaken the ocean’s role as the planet’s most important heat absorber and its capacity to draw down 25-30% of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Marine life plays an important role in this process, acting as a “biotic bump” to sequester carbon in the depths.

Economic fallout mounts as Trump halts near-finished wind power project

China’s plans to cut emissions too weak to stave off global catastrophe, say experts

China announced its plans for future cuts to greenhouse gas emissions on Wednesday, producing a scathing response from experts who said they were much too weak to stave off global catastrophe. The world’s second-biggest economy is also the biggest source of carbon dioxide by far, and its decisions on how far and how fast to shift to a low-carbon model will determine whether the world can stay within relatively safe temperature bounds.

China’s plans are to cut emissions by between 7% and 10% of their peak by 2035 – a long way from the 30% cut that experts said was feasible and necessary.

Xi Jinping, the president of China, made the announcement at a summit of world leaders to discuss the climate crisis at the UN general assembly on Wednesday afternoon in New York. The US president, Donald Trump, who made a sometimes rambling speech on Tuesday in which he dismissed the climate crisis as a “con job”, was not present. ...

But experts said China was failing to show leadership in its climate commitments. Kaysie Brown, associate director for climate diplomacy and governance at the E3G thinktank, said: “China’s 2035 target falls critically short of what is needed. It’s neither aligned with China’s economic decarbonisation, nor its own 2060 carbon neutrality goal. ...

However, others noted privately that China had a longstanding habit of setting unambitious targets but then substantially exceeding them. “Underpromising and overdelivering is what we expect from China,” said one person involved with climate diplomacy.

The CORRUPT DEAL Spiking Electricity Prices

Trump energy secretary to return billions set aside for green projects

The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, on Wednesday announced that his department will return to the treasury billions of dollars set aside for green projects, while dodging questions about affordability and grid reliability and claiming international climate policy has not lowered emissions. “The more people have gotten into so-called climate action, the more expensive their energy has become,” Wright said. “That lowers people’s quality of lives and reduces their life opportunities.”

The Trump administration aims to end “cancel culture”, Wright said, wherein “you can’t say anything about climate change” without being “shouted down”. He also defended a widely criticized energy department report which experts say was full of climate misinformation, claiming it only contained one figure that was out of line with a recent National Academies report on climate science.

Wright also announced plans to return $13bn in Biden-era funding for green projects, which his department said were “initially appropriated to advance the previous administration’s wasteful ‘Green New Scam’ agenda”. He did not clarify which green projects would be targeted.

Questioned about his administration’s attempts to halt wind-farm construction, including ones that are already permitted, Wright said the administration is merely investigating widespread concerns about the projects’ impacts, including on whale populations. Scientists say there is no credible evidence that wind turbines pose a major danger to whales.

The president has pledged to slash electricity bills by half. Yet grid operators have said the Trump administration’s efforts to halt renewable energy while keeping costly coal plants online have forced them to increase utility bills. Wright dodged a question about those rising costs, claiming that Biden’s efforts to close coal plants raised the price of electricity.

---

Also of Interest

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

Hedges Report: We Are All Antifa Now

Israeli attacks force Gaza hospitals to close as healthcare system nears collapse

Nearly 900,000 Palestinians Trapped in Gaza City amid Escalating Assault

London & New York Are Toast

Colombia’s Petro urges ‘criminal trial’ against Trump for Venezuelan strikes

Fighting Trump and the Black Collaborators Too

Google Admits to Congress the Biden Administration ‘Pressed’ YouTube to Censor COVID ‘Misinformation’

Expert's DIRE WARNING: Superhuman AI Will Kill Us All

Prof. John Mearsheimer : Ukraine is Trump’s War

---

A Little Night Music

Cab Calloway - 1933 Cartoon of St. James Infirmary Blues

Cab Calloway - Kickin' The Gong Around

Cab Calloway - Hi De Ho Man

Cab Calloway - Calloway Boogie

Cab Calloway - The Reefer Man

Cab Calloway & his Band - Geechy Joe

Cab Calloway and the Nicholas Brothers - Jumpin Jive

Cab Calloway - It Ain't Necessarily So

Cab Calloway - Who's Yehoodi?

Cab Calloway - Zaz Zuh Zaz

---