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The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: Big Walter Price

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Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features Texas blues piano player Big Walter Price. Enjoy!

^{Big Walter Price - Gamblin' Woman}

"Hell is empty and all the devils are here."

-- William Shakespeare

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News and Opinion

Where Does The Aggression Really Begin?

New York prosecutors have charged Luigi Mangione with “murder as an act of terrorism” in his alleged shooting of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month.

This news comes out at the same time as a Haaretz report titled “‘No Civilians. Everyone’s a Terrorist’: IDF Soldiers Expose Arbitrary Killings and Rampant Lawlessness in Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor.” The report contains testimony from Israeli troops that civilians are being murdered in Gaza and are then being retroactively designated as terrorists to justify their execution.

“We’re killing civilians there who are then counted as terrorists,” a recently discharged officer told Haaretz.

These two stories together say so much about the way the label “terrorist” is used under the US-centralized power umbrella.

The guy who shot the health insurance CEO is a terrorist, but the people systematically slaughtering civilians in Gaza are not terrorists. The people fighting against those who are slaughtering the civilians are terrorists, and noncombatants are being categorized as belonging to this terrorist organization in order to justify killing them. The al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria were terrorists, but now they’re a US puppet regime so soon they won’t be terrorists — but they need to be designated terrorists for a little while longer because the claim that Syria is crawling with terrorists is Israel’s justification for its recent land grabs there. The Uyghur militant group ETIM used to be a terrorist group, but now they’re not a terrorist group because they can be used to help carve up Syria and maybe fight China later on. The IRGC is a military wing of a sovereign nation, but it counts as a terrorist group because of vibes or something.

Is that clear enough?

To those still skeptical that Israel is committing war crimes: Will you believe it when it comes from a literal IDF officer saying "yes we murder civilians and then pretend they were terrorists"? If not then, then what amount of evidence will suffice? pic.twitter.com/q71HTOhVIb

— Nathan J Robinson (@NathanJRobinson) December 18, 2024

Really the label “terrorist” is nothing more than a tool of imperial narrative control which gets moved around based on whether or not someone’s use of violence is deemed legitimate by the managers of the empire. Because Mangione’s alleged crime has ignited a public interest in class warfare, the label “terrorism” is being used to frame it as an especially heinous act of evil against an innocent member of the public.

The empire’s favorite trick is to begin the historical record at the moment its enemies retaliate against its abuses. Oh no, a health insurance CEO was victimized by an evil act of terrorism. Oh no, Israel was just innocently minding its own business when it was viciously attacked by Hamas. Oh no, Iran attacked Israel completely out of the blue and now Israel must retaliate. Oh no, Russia just launched an entirely unprovoked war on Ukraine.

Everything that led up to the unauthorized act of violence is erased from the record, because all of the violence, provocation and abuse which gave rise to the unauthorized act of violence were authorized by the empire. Authorized aggression doesn’t count as aggression.

Whoever controls the narrative controls the world. If you control the narrative you can control not only when the historical record of violence begins but what kinds of violence qualify as violence. Killing people by depriving them of healthcare because denying healthcare services is how your company increases its profit margins? That’s not violence. Inflicting tyranny and abuse upon a deliberately marginalized ethnic group in an apartheid state? That’s not violence. Violence is when you respond to those forceful aggressions with forceful aggressions of your own.

If we are to become a healthy society, we’re going to have to stop allowing some forms of violence, aggression and abuse to be redacted from the official records while others are listed and condemned. Those who care about truth and justice account for all forms of violence, aggression and abuse, not only those which inconvenience the rich and powerful.

It is an act of aggression to do things which sicken and impoverish others in order to advance your own wealth.

It is an act of aggression to pollute the biosphere we all depend on for survival in order to increase your profit margins.

It is an act of aggression to use your wealth to manipulate your nation’s politics in ways which exacerbate inequality and injustice.

It is an act of aggression to maintain an apartheid state which cannot exist without nonstop violence.

It is an act of aggression to surround the earth with military bases and encircle nations which disobey your dictates.

It is an act of aggression to try to rule the world using military violence, proxy conflicts, staged coups, threats, starvation sanctions, and financial and economic coercion.

These are all acts of aggression, and any retaliation against them will never be an unprovoked attack. As we move into the future while these abuses exacerbate, it’s going to become very important to maintain an acute awareness of this.

'Slap in the Face to Working-Class Families': Senate Sends Biden $895 Billion Military Bill

The United States Senate overwhelmingly passed an $895 billion military funding bill on Wednesday as critics blasted what many called misplaced spending priorities and highly controversial provisions that ban gender-affirming health coverage for children of active-duty service members and prohibit the Pentagon from citing casualty figures issued by the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Senators voted 85-14 for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2025. The following senators voted against the legislation: Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), the vice president-elect, did not vote on the bill.

"We do not need to spend almost a trillion dollars on the military, while half a million Americans are homeless and children go hungry," Sanders explained earlier this month.

The peace group CodePink said it was "disappointed" by the Senate's passage of the NDAA, "which allocates nearly $1 trillion in taxpayer dollars to weapons and warfare while essential services like healthcare, education, food, and housing remain underfunded."

But no healthcare for you. And no education without life-shortening debt. Also no housing. No climate readiness and very little disaster relief. All so the USA can go murder and maim children abroad. https://t.co/7ckmankP0k

— Rupa Marya, MD (@DrRupaMarya) December 18, 2024

"Half of the budget will go directly to the pockets of private military companies in the form of contracts and weapons deals," the group continued. "On top of the massive topline and the large allocation to private companies, the Pentagon has never been able to pass an audit. Much like every Pentagon budget before, this money will be largely unaccounted for, with very little transparency."

"This budget is a huge slap in the face to working-class families who are struggling to make ends meet," CodePink added.

"Extermination & Acts of Genocide": Human Rights Watch on Israel Depriving Gaza of Water

Haaretz: Israeli Soldiers Kill Civilians and Count Them as Terrorists

Israeli soldiers stationed in the Netzarim Corridor in the Gaza Strip regularly shoot and kill Palestinian civilians but count them as “terrorists,” Haaretz reported on Wednesday, citing testimony from Israeli commanders and other soldiers.

The Netzarim Corridor is a strip of land that separates northern Gaza from central and southern Gaza, where Israeli troops have demolished virtually every building and established military outposts. The Haaretz report says the IDF has designated the area a “kill zone,” meaning any Palestinians who try to cross a certain line are shot and killed even if they’re unarmed.

“The forces in the field call it ‘the line of dead bodies,'” a commander in the IDF’s Division 252 told Haaretz. “After shootings, bodies are not collected, attracting packs of dogs who come to eat them. In Gaza, people know that wherever you see these dogs, that’s where you must not go.”

A recently discharged Division 252 officer said, “For the division, the kill zone extends as far as a sniper can see. We’re killing civilians there who are then counted as terrorists.”

The officer said Israeli units compete to see how many people they can kill. “The IDF spokesperson’s announcements about casualty numbers have turned this into a competition between units. If Division 99 kills 150 [people], the next unit aims for 200,” he said.

How Syria's Regime Change is a VICTORY for Israel (w/ Rania Khalek)

Netanyahu says Israel will occupy Syria buffer zone for foreseeable future

Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israeli troops will occupy a recently seized buffer zone in Syria for the foreseeable future, as intense efforts continued to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza. The Israeli prime minister made the remarks on Tuesday night while touring Mount Hermon – known to Syrians as Jabel Sheikh – as a report in Israel suggested the Israel Defense Forces had been ordered to hold positions there until the end of 2025. ...

Israel has faced mounting calls to move its troops from the buffer zone, most recently from the German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, who called the occupation of the Golan Heights a violation of international law.

While Israeli officials have previously described the move as a limited and temporary measure to ensure the security of Israel’s borders, they have given no indication of when their troops might be withdrawn. ... Netanyahu has a long history of using arguments about Israel’s security to justify prolonged occupation and his resistance to the creation of a Palestinian state.

The comments follow the approval of a plan by Netanyahu to expand settlements in the part of the Golan Heights that it already controls, a move that could double the area’s population.

‘Tired of writing about dead kids’: why a US state department worker resigned over Israel-Gaza policy

When Mike Casey arrived in Jerusalem in 2020, he wasn’t looking for a fight. An army veteran with a stint in Iraq who joined the state department for over a decade of postings across Asia, he came with the measured optimism of a career diplomat – two years of Arabic training ahead, a potential change in administration, and a chance to make a difference. He’d eventually work his way up the ranks to become the state department’s deputy political counselor on Gaza.

What he didn’t anticipate was becoming a key witness to what he describes as a systematic failure of US foreign policy. “The more informed you become on this issue, you can’t avoid realizing how bad it is,” Casey told the Guardian. Casey resigned from the state department in July after four years at the job, discreetly leaving the post unlike other recent high-profile government departures. Now seated at his kitchen table in the quiet suburbs of northern Michigan, Casey reflected on how, as one of only two people in the entire US government explicitly focused on Gaza, he became an unwilling chronicler of a humanitarian catastrophe.

“I got so tired of writing about dead kids,” he said. “Just constantly having to prove to Washington that these children actually died and then watching nothing happen.”

Casey’s work function included documenting the humanitarian and political landscape through classified cables, research and reporting. But his disillusionment wasn’t sudden. It was a slow accumulation of bureaucratic betrayals – each report dismissed, each humanitarian concern bulldozed by political expediency. “We would write daily updates on Gaza,” he said. Colleagues used to joke, he said, that they could attach cash to the reports and still nobody would read them.

Casey said he and his colleagues developed comprehensive strategies for Gaza’s reconstruction, only to have them systematically rejected. “We outlined three key angles,” he explained. “Humanitarian aid, security infrastructure and governance. We outlined connecting Gaza with the West Bank, pushing for Palestinian Authority to assert its control in Gaza at the gubernatorial and ministerial levels, and the needs for elections at some point.” But each proposal, whether through reports or meetings in Washington, met the same response: “Every idea we came up with, [the Biden administration] would just say, ‘Well, the Israelis have another idea.’”

Turkey, Allies Violate Extended Ceasefire With Syrian Kurds, Dozens Killed

On Tuesday, the US State Department announced the extension of the ceasefire between Syria’s Kurdish SDF and Turkey’s allies. The initial ceasefire expired, but the new one was supposed to continue to the end of the week.

It doesn’t seem to have lasted even a whole day, however, with Turkey and their allies carrying out multiple attacks against Kurdish forces in and around the northern city of Kobani and the town of Manbij. Heavy fighting has been reported around Manbij, with at least 21 pro-Turkish fighters reported killed, and an unspecified number of SDF members and affiliates with the Manbij Military Council also killed in the clashes.

Turkey was said to have provided air support for the Manbij attack, and artillery fire was also reported across the Aleppo Province. With Turkey also reported amassing troops along the Aleppo border in recent days, a broader military operation is seen as very likely.

Prof. John Mearsheimer : US Taunts Russia

NATO-Ukrainian murder of Russian General Kirillov and the escalating global imperialist war

On Tuesday, the Ukrainian secret service assassinated Igor Anatolyevich Kirillov, the Russian lieutenant general in charge of its nuclear and chemical defense forces, in a terrorist bombing outside his home in Moscow. Kirillov is the highest ranking member of any nuclear-armed military to have ever been assassinated. The murder was striking not only for its brazenness but for the degree to which the US and British media and political establishment have openly defended it.

The killing of a military leader outside of a battlefield in a terrorist bombing is, under international law, classified as an act of “perfidy” and is prohibited under the Geneva Conventions. But this flagrant war crime was hailed by the British and American media. The Times of London called it a “legitimate act of defense” in a lead editorial, while the Telegraph called it “ingenious” and the Wall Street Journal “audacious.” After former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev made a thinly veiled threat to retaliate against NATO officials and even the Times staff, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said, “I stand with the Times,” in what could only be viewed as an endorsement of the newspaper’s editorial position that the murder was “legitimate.” This declaration followed statements by UK and US officials effectively endorsing the murder.

The killing is but the latest in a series of extremely provocative measures taken by Ukraine, backed by the United States and NATO, with the intention of escalating the war in the weeks before the inauguration of incoming President Donald Trump on January 20. ... On November 21, the New York Times reported that the Biden administration was discussing allowing Ukraine to deploy nuclear weapons. The Times wrote, “Several officials even suggested that Mr. Biden could allow Ukraine to have nuclear weapons again, as it did before the fall of the Soviet Union.” Meanwhile, officials from Germany and France confirmed that they are actively discussing the deployment of European troops to Ukraine. ...

The aim of NATO’s provocative actions is to create “facts on the ground” ahead of the inauguration of Trump in one month. Prior to the election, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre warned that Trump is a “fascist” who would be a “dictator on day one.” But the outgoing Biden administration has dropped all criticism of incoming US President Donald Trump’s stated aim of establishing a dictatorship in the United States. Instead, its sole concern in the transition is to continue to escalate Washington’s wars all over the world, with its central priority being the escalation of the conflict with Russia.

Russian restraint comes with escalation risks

Wall Street falls sharply as Fed indicates fewer rate cuts in 2025 to fight inflation

The US Federal Reserve cut interest rates on Wednesday, but suggested it would make fewer rate cuts than expected in 2025 amid questions over its fight to bring down inflation across the world’s largest economy.

Jerome Powell, the Fed chair, said inflation had been “stubborn”, but insisted the central bank believed its rate hikes would continue to erode the pace of price rises.

Wall Street fell sharply, with the S&P 500 closing down almost 3% as investors digested the announcement. The tech-focused Nasdaq composite dropped 3.6%.

Policymakers at the central bank lowered the benchmark federal funds rate by a quarter of a percentage point to a range of between 4.25% and 4.5% in its last rate decision before Donald Trump assumes the presidency in January.

While inflation has fallen dramatically since peaking at its highest rate in a generation two summers ago, it remains higher than the Fed would like – and has increased in recent months.

UnitedHealthcare Whistleblower: Claim Denial 'QUOTAS' Exist

US funding plan collapses as Trump makes demands days before shutdown

Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan on Wednesday to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown, instead telling House speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to essentially renegotiate – days before a deadline when federal funding runs out. The president-elect’s sudden entrance into the debate and new demands sent Congress spiraling as lawmakers are trying to wrap up work and head home for the holidays. It leaves Johnson scrambling to engineer a new plan before Friday’s deadline to keep government open.

“Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH,” Trump and JD Vance said in a statement. Trump made an almost unrealistic proposal that combined some continuation of government funds along with a much more controversial provision to raise the country’s debt limit – something his own party routinely rejects. “Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” they wrote. ...

Already, the enormous 1,500-page bill was on the verge of collapse, as hard right conservatives rejected the increased spending, egged on by Trump’s billionaire ally Elon Musk who rejected the plan almost as soon as it was released on Tuesday night. Rank-and-file lawmakers complained about the extra spending – which includes their first pay-raises in more than a decade – a shock after one of the most unproductive chaotic sessions in modern times. A number of Republicans were waiting for Trump to signal whether they should vote yes or no. ...

The outcome comes as no surprise for Johnson, who like other Republican House speakers before him, has been unable to convince his majority to go along with the routine needs of federal government operations, which they would prefer to slash.

Donald Trump AGREES WITH DEMOCRATS On Raising The Debt Ceiling?! JD Vance EXPLAINS

Outside First DOGE Caucus Meeting, Republican Says 'There Will Be Some Cuts' to Social Security

A House Republican said Tuesday that he believes there "will be some cuts" to Social Security and Medicare as he entered a conference room at the U.S. Capitol for the first meeting of the DOGE Caucus, a new congressional group formed to support an advisory commission led by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Outside the conference room, Social Security Works executive director Alex Lawson asked Republicans passing through whether they would uphold President-elect Donald Trump's campaign pledge to protect Social Security and Medicare.

One lawmaker, Rep. Greg Lopez (R-Colo.), told Lawson that "when we look to reduce our national debt, I think these should be on the table," referring to the two programs.

"I am a strong advocate of discussing this and reevaluating them, and I do believe, at the end of the day, there will be some cuts," Lopez added.

Asked if cuts to Social Security and Medicare would be "on the table" for the DOGE Caucus, Lopez replied, "We're about to find out."

The House Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency Caucus was founded last month by Reps. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) and Pete Sessions (R-Texas) with the stated goal of backing the so-called Department of Government Efficiency "in its mission to dismantle the out-of-control government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies."

Musk and Ramaswamy, Trump's picks to lead the advisory panel, have openly attacked Social Security in recent weeks, intensifying advocates' warnings that the commission is a ploy to enact steep cuts to critical antipoverty programs.

Sessions, co-chair of the DOGE Caucus, refused to answer when Lawson pressed him on whether he would commit to protecting Social Security and Medicare in line with Trump's rhetoric on the campaign trail.

"Most of the responses have been what I would say are no comments," Lawson said at the entrance of the DOGE Caucus meeting. "That's the safest position for a member of Congress, to have no position that they have to defend in front of their constituents."

"If they had their way," Lawson added, "they'll close every door and make all the decisions out of the light and the watch of their constituents."

The House DOGE Caucus is expected to hit triple-digit membership shortly, and its makeup is almost entirely Republican. Just three Democrats have joined thus far: Reps. Steven Horsford of Nevada, Val Hoyle of Oregon, and Jared Moskowitz of Florida.

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LA Times owner asks editorial board to ‘take a break’ from writing about Trump

Patrick Soon-Shiong, the owner of the Los Angeles Times, reportedly asked the newspaper’s editorial board to “take a break” from writing about Donald Trump, in the latest report of the billionaire owner’s growing influence over the newspaper’s coverage.

The newspaper and its owner were embroiled in controversy for weeks this fall after Soon-Shiong blocked the board from endorsing Kamala Harris for president. The decision led to a wave of resignations on the editorial board and the loss of thousands of subscriptions.

Explaining his decision, Soon-Shiong said he feared endorsing a candidate would fuel divisions across the US. Later, he said that the newspaper had become an “echo chamber”, moving too far left, and that he wanted to see the Los Angeles Times become more “fair and balanced”.

Earlier this month, Soon-Shiong announced plans to incorporate an artificial intelligence-powered “bias meter” into newspaper articles. He also reportedly barred the newspaper’s editorial board from publishing an editorial about Trump’s cabinet picks unless it also published a piece with an opposing view.

Soon-Shiong, a Los Angeles-based biotech billionaire, has told the Los Angeles Times he plans to become more involved in the publication’s editorial and opinion pages, and that the newspaper needs to expand its audience to ensure its survival.

Pelosi SHIVS AOC In House Leadership Vote!

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Montana supreme court upholds right to ‘stable climate system’ for youngsters

Montana’s top court on Wednesday held that the state’s constitution guaranteed a right to a stable climate system and invalidated a law barring regulators from considering the effects of greenhouse gas emissions when permitting new fossil fuel projects. The Montana supreme court upheld a landmark trial court decision last August in favor of 16 young people who said their health and futures were being jeopardized by climate change, which the state aggravates through its permitting of energy projects.

The 6-1 decision, the first of its kind by a US state supreme court, came in the first lawsuit to go to trial nationwide by young environmental activists challenging state and federal policies they say are exacerbating climate change. Nate Bellinger, a lawyer for the plaintiffs at the non-profit Our Children’s Trust, in a statement said the ruling “affirmed the constitutional rights of youth to a safe and livable climate, confirming that the future of our children cannot be sacrificed for fossil fuel interests”.

Chase Scheuer, a spokesperson for Republican Montana attorney general Austin Knudsen, called the ruling “disappointing, but not surprising”.

“The majority of the state supreme court justices yet again ruled in favor of their ideologically aligned allies and ignored the fact that Montana has no power to impact the climate,” Scheuer said.

In a case that made headlines across the US and internationally, the 16 plaintiffs, aged five to 22, had alleged the state government’s pro-fossil fuel policies contributed to climate change. In trial hearings in June last year, they testified that these policies therefore violated provisions in the state constitution that guarantee a “clean and healthful environment”, among other constitutional protections. The following month district court judge Kathy Seeley ruled in favor of the plaintiffs.

Biden PRESSURED To Pardon Steven Donziger; Environmental Lawyer SENTENCED To House Arrest--Interview

Coal use to reach new peak – and remain at near-record levels for years

The world’s coal use is expected to reach a fresh high of 8.7bn tonnes this year, and remain at near-record levels for years as a result of a global gas crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

There has been record production and trade of coal and power generation from coal since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine inflated global gas market prices, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The IEA said the coal rebound, after a slump during the global Covid pandemic, means consumption of the fossil fuel is now on track to rise to a new peak of 8.77bn tonnes by the end of the year – and could remain at near-record levels until 2027.

Two-inch long ‘murder hornets’ eradicated from US, agriculture department says

The world’s largest hornet, an invasive breed nicknamed the “murder hornet” for its dangerous sting and ability to slaughter a hive of honeybees in as little as 90 minutes, has been declared eradicated in the US, five years after being spotted for the first time in Washington state near the Canadian border.

The Washington and US Departments of Agriculture announced the eradication on Wednesday, saying there had been no detections of the northern giant hornet in Washington since 2021.

The news represented an enormous success and was achieved in part by residents agreeing to place traps on their properties and reporting sightings, as well as researchers capturing a live hornet, attaching a tiny radio tracking tag to it with dental floss, and following it through a forest to a nest in an alder tree. Scientists destroyed the nest just as a number of queens were beginning to emerge, officials said.

“I’ve gotta tell you, as an entomologist I’ve been doing this for over 25 years now, and it is a rare day when the humans actually get to win one against the insects,” Sven Spichiger, pest program manager of the Washington state department of agriculture, told a virtual news conference.

The hornets, which can be 2 inches (5 cm) long and were formerly called Asian giant hornets, gained attention in 2013, when they killed 42 people in China and seriously injured 1,675.

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Also of Interest

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

‘Everything is gone’: how Israeli forces destroyed Jabaliya refugee camp

Israeli settlers set up tents in Lebanese border town

Privatizing Syria: US Plans to Sell Off A Nation’s Wealth After Assad

Israel launches air strikes on Yemen power plants, oil facility, port

US Congress Revives Cold War Tactics With New Anti-Communism School Curriculum

Canadian Finance Minister Freeland Resigns

New York state resident finds complete mastodon jaw beneath lawn

Elon Musk’s Mom Gives Mental Advice To Poor People!

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A Little Night Music

Big Walter Price - Shirley Jean

Big Walter Price and his Thunderbirds - Thunderbird

Big Walter Price - Walter's Boogie

Big Walter Price w/Albert Collins - Get To Gittin'

Big Walter Price - San Antonio

Big Walter Price w/Albert Collins - My Tears

Big Walter - Never too old

Big Walter Price and Albert Collins - If blues was money

Big Walter Price and His ThunderBirds - Pack Fair And Square

The J Geils Band – Pack Fair And Square

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