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"I would suggest that barbarism be considered as a permanent and universal human characteristic which becomes more or less pronounced according to the play of circumstances."

-- Simone Weil

News and Opinion

US has sent Israel 14,000 2,000-pound bombs since October

Each of these bombs has a blast radius of up to 500 feet and is highly lethal up to 250 feet. In some cases, they can be lethal up to 1,200 feet away. If dropped on a city block, one of these bombs would damage nearly every building on the block and potentially kill dozens or hundreds of people. Among the most notorious uses of this weapon was the October 31 strike that destroyed the Jabalia refugee camp, killing or wounding over 400 people. The use of these massive bombs has largely been phased out by the American military, nominally because of their massive potential for “collateral damage.”

These 14,000 2,000-pound bombs have a combined yield of 7.8 kilotons, equivalent to half to the power of the “Little Boy” atomic bomb that the US used to destroy Hiroshima in 1945. The provision of these weapons demonstrates the genocidal intent of the Biden administration. Knowing full well that Israel has been dropping these bombs on densely populated urban areas, the Biden administration has provided 14,000 of them.

In addition to the 2,000-pound bombs, the US has provided 6,500 500-pound bombs, as well as 2,600 Hellfire guided missiles, 1,000 bunker-buster bombs and 2,600 small-diameter bombs. To date, the US has provided $6.5 billion in weapons, which it distributed in over 100 separate tranches in order to bypass congressional oversight.

The revelation of the exact composition of the munitions sent exposes the complete fraud of the Biden administration’s claim that it opposes Israel’s use of heavy munitions inside cities. In December, Biden condemned the Netanyahu government for carrying out “indiscriminate bombing.” Given the fact that the US gave Israel more 2,000-pound bombs than all other types of bombs and missiles combined, it is clear that the intent of the United States was to level Gaza, as Israel has done. ...

Reuters’ report was published one day after the presidential debate, in which the two candidates scrambled to paint themselves as the greatest defenders of Israel and the Gaza genocide. ... The debate came the same day as Axios reported that the Biden administration will imminently release a shipment of 1,700 500-pound bombs that were put on hold for delivery over the White House’s alleged concern that they would be used in an offensive on Rafah.

Aaron Bushnell Was the Tip of the Iceberg. Now US Troops are Quitting the Military Over Gaza

'This belongs to Jews': 'Israeli balloons' tell Lebanese to flee their homes

Balloons supposedly sent from Israel to southern Lebanon on Wednesday warned Lebanese to leave their homes, saying their land "belongs to Jews".

White balloons, likely sent by Israeli extremists, landed in villages in southern Lebanon and contained maps of Lebanon showing the distribution of the country’s religious sects, as Israeli war planes struck the country.

Many ultra-Orthodox and other Israelis believe the borders of Israel should stretch into Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and other Arab countries, as well as swallow up the Palestinian territory.

"This is Israel’s land that is owned by the Jews. You are required to evacuate immediately!" the message read in both Hebrew and Arabic, according to a photo shared by social media users.

Israeli extremists have already called for an invasion of southern Lebanon and the establishment of Jewish settlements on the territory.

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson: Israel/Ukraine Wrap

Israel Creating ‘Dead Zone’ Along Lebanon Border

The nearly nine-month-long war between Israel and Lebanon has prompted the Israel Defense Forces to destroy nearly everything along the Lebanese side of the border. The daily attacks are making the area uninhabitable.

Citing satellite imagery, The Financial Times reports that the IDF use of “aerial bombardment, artillery shelling and the incendiary chemical white phosphorus have made much of the 5 km north of the Blue Line uninhabitable.” Some entire neighborhoods in Lebanon have been systematically leveled. ...

Tel Aviv justifies the destruction by claiming that Hezbollah uses civilians as human shields, and Israeli officials make similar arguments about Hamas in Gaza. “Every third home in south Lebanon is used by Hezbollah for weapons storage, training, firing positions, and meeting points for a possible cross-border attack,” a senior Israeli military official told FT.

Alastair Crooke : How the West Lost Russia

FAB-3000 is breaking the Ukraine military

North Korea says drills by South Korea, US and Japan show nations have developed ‘Asian Nato’

North Korea has criticised a joint military exercise by South Korea, Japan and the US held this month, state media have said, saying such drills show the relationship among the three countries has developed into “the Asian version of Nato”.

On Thursday, the three countries began the large-scale joint military drills called “Freedom Edge”, involving navy destroyers, fighter jets and the nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, aimed at boosting defences against missiles, submarines and air attacks.

The exercise was devised at the three-way summit at Camp David last year to strengthen military cooperation amid tensions on the Korean peninsula stemming from North Korea’s weapons testing.

North Korea’s foreign ministry said Pyongyang would not ignore the strengthening of a military bloc led by the US and its allies and would protect regional peace with an aggressive and overwhelming response, according to the KCNA news agency on Sunday.

The ministry also said in a statement that Washington was continuing its effort to link up South Korea and Japan to Nato, adding that South Korea’s attempts to supply weapons to Ukraine was one example of that effort.

Marine Le Pen's Far-Right National Rally Surges in Snap Election

French election: Closing summary

Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally won about 34% of the vote in the first round of legislative election, exit polls showed, putting it in reach of becoming the biggest political force in the French parliament.

The New Popular Front (NFP), a hastily assembled left-wing coalition, was projected to win around 29% of the vote, the exit polls showed, while President Emmanuel Macron’s Together alliance was on about 20.5%-23%.

Nevertheless, national estimates for the first round may not reflect the final breakdown of seats in the national assembly, which depends on races in constituencies.

Turnout was very high, with pollster Ipsos estimating that 65.8% of eligible voters cast ballots.

Speaking after polls closed, Le Pen said French people had shown “in an unambiguous vote … their wish to turn the page on seven years of the disdainful and corrosive [presidency]” of Macron.

France elections. Establishment scrambles to keep Le Pen out

Iranian Snap Elections Head to Runoff After Reformist Pezeshkian Takes Narrow Lead

Reformist legislator Masoud Pezeshkian and conservative former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili will face off in a second round of voting after neither candidate secured a majority of the votes in Iran's election Friday.

Surprise elections in Iran were called after conservative President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on May 19, opening what one expert called a "void in the Islamic Republic's leadership."

"None of the candidates could garner the absolute majority of the votes, therefore, the first and second contenders who got the most votes will be referred to the Guardian Council," Interior Ministry spokesperson Mohsen Eslami announced on Saturday.

Pezeshkian and Jalili will now advance to the runoff election on July 5.

After Friday's voting, Pezeshkian took a slight lead with 10.45 million votes over Jalili's 9.47 million, according to an initial tally
reported by The Guardian. Both of them edged out conservative parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf with 3.38 million votes and former Justice Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi with 206,000.

A total of 24,735,185 people voted, representing a turnout of around 40%. That is the lowest turnout in an Iranian election since the 1979 revolution, according to Middle East Eye.

"Power Grab": Supreme Court Overturns 4 Decades of Federal Regulatory Control, Hands Power to Courts

South Carolina implements one of US’s most restrictive public school book bans

South Carolina has implemented one of the most restrictive book ban laws in the US, enabling mass censorship in school classrooms and libraries across the state. Drafted by Ellen Weaver, the superintendent of education and close ally of the far-right group Moms for Liberty, the law requires all reading material to be “age or developmentally appropriate”. The vague wording of the legislation – open to interpretation and deliberately inviting challenge – could see titles as classic as Romeo and Juliet completely wiped from school shelves.

“All we’re going to have left is Lassie from here on out,” said Shanna Miles, an author and school librarian born and raised in South Carolina. “They’re not going to stop at one aspect of society they don’t like; they will keep on going. Now [that] they have a taste of power, this is never going to end.”

South Carolina’s recent regulation is part of an alarmingly broader nationwide fight against literature exploring race, sexuality, or anything seemingly contentious or divisive. The severity of this particularly draconian law, however, sets it apart from what is happening in most other states.

The broad-reaching policy took effect automatically on 25 June despite not being debated or voted upon by the state senate or house, as the process typically necessitates. It outlines that “age-appropriate” materials must not include descriptions or visual depictions of “sexual conduct”. Any parent with a child enrolled in a public K-12 school in the state can challenge up to five titles a month if they feel they violate these terms.

When similar language was used in an Iowa bill passed in May 2023, an onslaught of book banning ensued. Classic titles, like Ulysses and Native Son, were removed from reading lists and libraries, marking a radical departure from the traditional literature taught in schools for decades.

How Does Anyone Still Care About This Bullshit?

I truly could not care less who wins the US election; in my mind Dementia Meat Puppet and Reality TV Oligarch are both perfectly suitable symbols to represent the US empire. And that’s all a US president is: a symbolic representative with no real power.

I truly do not see how anyone can still give a fuck about this bullshit. It’s so obvious at this point that the US is being run by unelected empire managers who throw up half-dead, half-brained presidential candidates to trick Americans into thinking they live in a democracy. Those empire managers are going to do whatever they want to you regardless of how you and your compatriots vote. Your electoral system is a fake plastic toy they give you to play with so you won’t interfere with the gears of the imperial machine.

There are no answers in electoral politics. Start looking for answers elsewhere.

Glenn Greenwald SOUNDS OFF On Media Coverup Of Biden Age

Biden meets with his family amid pressures to step down after debate

Joe Biden was meeting with his family on Sunday, a discussion believed to include talk about his political future even though it was already scheduled to take place before his calamitous presidential debate on Thursday with Donald Trump. The meeting at Camp David came as pressures mounted on Biden following the vast fallout of the debate, in which his halting performance highlighted his vulnerabilities in a close election and invited calls from pundits, media and voters for him to step aside.

Insiders told NBC News that it would ultimately be the president and first lady Jill Biden making any pivotal decisions about his candidacy for a second term of office, although the couple’s children and grandchildren were present at the weekend retreat. “Any discussion about the campaign is expected to be informal or an afterthought,” a source told the network, seeking to dampen speculation over the purpose of the gathering.

Similarly, an administration official also sought to dismiss reports that the Biden family summit was set to discuss him potentially standing down. “The premise of the [NBC] story is not accurate,” the official told a media huddle at New Jersey’s McGuire air force base. The Camp David meeting, he said, “was public in our guidance before the debate. It’s been on the schedule for weeks. There is nothing more to it.”

The official, however, did not deny the subject would come up. NBC, meanwhile, reported that Biden’s mood in private was “humiliated” and “devoid of confidence” following the debate, and that he was leaning heavily on his family for support.

“Uncharted Territory”: Biden Vows to Stay in the Race Despite Public’s Doubts About His Health

Most voters want Biden to step down, but don’t agree on suitable alternative

A majority of voters want Joe Biden to stand down following his dismal debate performance, yet aren’t convinced there is a suitable alternative Democratic candidate, new polls have found.

In a Morning Consult poll, 60% of respondents, Republicans and Democrats, said the president should be replaced by his party for November’s election, while another 11% were unsure.

But the same poll also found that Biden’s popularity, initially at least, appeared to be unaffected by his stumbles and gaffes during Thursday night’s debate with Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump.

He retained a one-point advantage, 45-44% over Trump, the same margin as Morning Consult found the day after the former president was convicted in May on 34 charges of falsifying business records to try to influence the 2016 election.

Another apparent glimmer of hope for the incumbent came in a separate Data for Progress post-debate poll that found no indication any other Democrat would perform better against Trump in November.

Breaking: Trump WINS Immunity Case, SCOTUS Says President Can’t Be Prosecuted For ‘Official’ Acts

Lindsey Graham warns ‘accountability coming to Biden’ if Trump wins

South Carolina’s Republican senator Lindsey Graham warned of retribution against Democrats amid Donald Trump’s ongoing criminal cases. In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday, Graham, a staunch Trump ally, said without evidence, “The Democrats keep calling president Trump a felon. Well, be careful what you wish for. I expect there will be an investigation of Biden’s criminality at the border.” ...

Speaking to Bash, Graham continued: “This country is going to have a reset here and using [Joe] Biden’s standard of glorifying political prosecutions, a Pandora’s box has been opened. Whether he steps down or not, accountability is coming to him.”

Bash, who co-hosted the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump earlier this week, replied: “Sir, you just warned of retribution.” In response, Graham said: “Yeah. I warned that the Pandora’s box opened by the Democrats is going to be applied here.” The senator went on to point to the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis, saying, “I think the criminality of the Biden border policy should be looked at.”

He also pointed to the Democrat-led House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection, saying, “A January 6 committee looking at what happened on January 6, I hope there’ll be a committee looking at border policies that have led to the rape and murder of lots of Americans.”

Colorado oil and gas wells can’t fund their own cleanup. Taxpayers may foot the bill

Thousands of oil and gas wells across Colorado cannot generate enough revenue to cover their own cleanup costs, according to a new report. Unless state officials act “simply and quickly”, it says, Coloradans can expect to be on the hook for a $3bn shortfall. In its report, the thinktank Carbon Tracker found that 27,000 low-producing oil and gas wells in Colorado – more than half the state’s total – will generate, at most, $1bn in revenue. The state’s oil and gas reserves peaked five years ago, with production volumes declining dramatically in all but one region. It will cost $4bn to $5bn to decommission those sites responsibly, the analysts found – meaning the state can expect a cash crunch of at least $3bn.

Unless properly decommissioned, unplugged wells can leak carcinogens and methane, a potent greenhouse gas. But according to Colorado’s energy and carbon management commission (ECMC), the state’s energy regulator, it can cost $110,000 or more to close a single site. Many companies have avoided paying those costs, either by delaying cleanup indefinitely, selling off ageing wells to smaller competitors or simply going out of business. Today, there are at least 120,000 “orphan” wells across the US that lack financially solvent operators, making them instead a problem for government entities to solve. ...

In 2022, Colorado rolled out a much-lauded approach to ensuring fossil fuel companies foot the cleanup bill. The regulations, which Colorado governor, Jared Polis, last year called “an example the nation can follow”, included major changes to the state’s bonding requirements – the system of financial assurance it uses to make it harder for operators to walk away from polluting wells.

Yet a review of public financial documents by DeSmog and the Guardian showed that Colorado’s modest reforms failed to keep pace with the fossil fuel industry’s ballooning liabilities. “Even under the new rules, the gap between projected cleanup costs and secured bonding is measured in the billions of dollars,” said Margaret Kran-Annexstein, director of the Sierra Club’s Colorado chapter. “It’s frankly dangerous for Colorado to imply this is the best we can do.”

Toxic PFAS absorbed through skin at levels higher than previously thought

New research “for the first time proves” toxic PFAS forever chemicals are absorbed through human skin, and at levels much higher than previously thought. Though modeling and research has suggested the dangerous chemicals are absorbed through skin, University of Birmingham researchers say they used lab-grown tissue that mimics human skin to determine how much of a dose of PFAS compounds can be absorbed.

The paper shows “uptake through the skin could be a significant source of exposure to these harmful chemicals”, said lead author Oddný Ragnarsdóttir. ...

Humans are most commonly exposed to them through water and diet, but researchers in recent years are increasingly looking into inhalation and dermal absorption. The latter is especially a concern because of the wide range of products containing PFAS that come into contact with skin. Among them are bandages, waterproof clothing, makeup, personal care products, upholstery, baby products and guitar strings.

Rare white buffalo sacred to Lakota not seen in Yellowstone since birth

A rare white buffalo calf in Yellowstone national park has not been seen since its birth on 4 June, according to park officials. In a statement released on Friday, the National Park Service (NPS) confirmed that a white buffalo calf was born in Lamar Valley earlier this month, adding that the park’s buffalo management team had received numerous reports of the calf on 4 June from park visitors, professional wildlife watchers, commercial guides and researchers.

However, park staff have since not been able to locate the calf, with the NPS saying: “To our knowledge, there have been no confirmed sightings by park visitors since June 4.” The calf is leucistic rather than albino and thus contains black eyes and hooves with some pigmentation.

According to the park, the birth of the calf was a rare natural phenomenon that only occurred once prior to the near extinction of bison in the late 19th century. Describing the event, the park said the birth in the wild is a “landmark event in the ecocultural recovery of bison” by the NPS as a white calf had never been born within Yellowstone national park.

The park added that the calf’s birth may reflect the presence of a natural genetic legacy that was preserved in Yellowstone’s buffaloes, which has revealed itself following a successful recovery of the wild buffalo population of 3,000 to 6,000 animals.

In the wild, the chances of a wild buffalo calf being born are 1 in 1 million births, if not less. According to the park, about one in five buffalo calves die each spring shortly after birth due to natural hazards. However, park officials did not disclose in their statement whether they believe the calf has died.

Also of Interest

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

The Media Kept Assange Behind Bars

A Battle for Venezuela’s Future

Israeli officers tortured this doctor to death, then hid the news for months

Former PM Naftali Bennett Urges Israelis to Stay amid Exodus

Zelenski Changes His Peace Plan

Neo-Nazi Azov Battalion profile quietly removed from Stanford extremist group list

Elena Kagan’s scathing Chevron dissent highlights US supreme court’s disregard for precedent

‘Terrifying and dystopian’: the dark realities of the supreme court’s homelessness decision

Status of US Dollar as Global Reserve Currency: Central Banks Diversify from USD-Assets to Other Currencies and to Gold

More than 100 dolphins stranded in shallow water around Cape Cod

I want to survive the apocalypse – but not if it’s just me and some terrible billionaires

The other 1969 concert that changed music: ‘one of the most important stories in rock history’

A Little Night Music

Johnny Littlejohn – So-Called Friends

John Littlejohn – Reelin' And Rockin'

John Littlejohn & Carey Bell ~ Hoochie Coochie Man

Johnny Littlejohn – She's Too Much

John Littlejohn – Slidin' Home

John Littlejohn – Treat Me Wrong

Johnny Littlejohn – I Felt So Good

John Littlejohn – Kiddeo

Johnny Littlejohn – I Wanna Go Home