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Today: 60 articles and 122 comments as of 16:20.
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Area: WoT Operations    WoT Background    Opinion    Local News    Politix   
Libya: Armed clashes reported in Najila between militia forces and Dbeibah's defense units
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
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Page 2: WoT Background
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Page 4: Opinion
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Page 5: Russia-Former Soviet Union
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Page 6: Politix
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-Lurid Crime Tales-
Former VOA employee indicted over threats to Congresswoman Greene
[NBCnews] WASHINGTON DC — A man has been arrested in the nation's capital and accused of threatening Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and members of her family.

Seth Jason, of Maryland, was arrested in Washington after being indicted on four charges, according to court records released Thursday... The Justice Department said in a statement that an investigation revealed the calls to Greene were "made from various phone lines connected to studios and control rooms" at Voice of America headquarters...The alleged actions took place before Trump took office. The Voice of America, a broadcast outlet funded by the U.S. government but editorially independent, has been nearly dismantled since Trump returned to office, with hundreds of staff members terminated.


Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Glurong Choth2372 || 07/18/2025 00:09 || Comments || Link || [64 views] Top|| File under:

#1 
Should be renamed VOLA = Voice of Liberal America
Posted by: NN2N1 || 07/18/2025 8:27 Comments || Top||

#2  "made from various phone lines connected to studios and control rooms" at Voice of America Klingon headquarters

There, fixed it.
Posted by: Besoeker || 07/18/2025 8:53 Comments || Top||


-Obits-
Legendary skydiver Felix Baumgartner, best known for free fall from space, dies in paragliding accident
[FoxNews] Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian skydiver best known for his record-setting dive from space, died in a paragliding accident in Italy Thursday, according to Italian officials. He was 56.

Baumgartner was reportedly flying a motorized paraglider in the coastal town of Porto Sant'Elpidio in the Marche region of Italy, where he was said to have crashed into a hotel pool.

According to Sky Austria, he fell ill suddenly before the crash. A hotel employee was also taken to a hospital after sustaining injuries in the accident, the report stated.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Baumgartner’s reps.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a representative for RedBull said, "We are shocked and overwhelmed with sadness to hear the devastating news of our longtime friend Felix Baumgartner.

"Felix was ‘born to fly’ and was determined to push the limits. He was also smart, professional, thorough and meticulous, never leaving anything to chance. He was generous, giving much of his time to help and inspiring so many people.

"We remember Felix as a lovely person, devoted to his family and friends, to whom we send our heartfelt sympathy. Felix, you will be deeply missed."

Baumgartner had posted several videos to Instagram stories of himself paragliding in Italy in the week leading up to his death. In an eerie final post shared Thursday, he snapped a photo of a windsock with the caption "too much wind."

Born April 20, 1969, in Salzburg, Austria, Baumgartner established himself as a skilled and fearless skydiver, base jumper, daredevil and much more. On Oct. 14, 2012, he did what no one else had ever attempted.

He fell from space.

Baumgartner set three world records, including the highest free fall and highest crewed balloon flight. And he became the first person to travel faster than the speed of sound during a free fall when he took a giant helium balloon over New Mexico and jumped from an altitude of 127,852 feet.

He reached speeds of 843.6 mph, or the equivalent of Mach 1.25, 1.25 times the speed of sound, The Associated Press reported at the time. He was quite literally supersonic.

According to Baumgartner’s bio on RedBull’s website, he broke 14 world records, including the lowest base jump, which he accomplished in 2011 when he leaped from the hand of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil.

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 02:14 || Comments || Link || [114 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A pitcher that goes too often to the well...
Posted by: Grom the Affective || 07/18/2025 4:19 Comments || Top||

#2  Caution: Extreme sports come with some risk.
Posted by: Besoeker || 07/18/2025 6:10 Comments || Top||

#3  Gravity always wins
Posted by: Procopius2k || 07/18/2025 6:43 Comments || Top||

#4  Reminds me of Karl Wallenda.
Posted by: DooDahMan || 07/18/2025 6:51 Comments || Top||

#5  He finally got his well deserved reward.
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 12:04 Comments || Top||


-Great Cultural Revolution
RFK Jr. Rejects Dystopian WHO Pandemic Amendments

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: DarthVader || 07/18/2025 12:05 || Comments || Link || [23 views] Top|| File under:


Veterans cross border for forbidden psychedelic treatment that's changing lives after combat

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 11:45 || Comments || Link || [14 views] Top|| File under:

#1  TIL: Ibogaine

VA funds first study on psychedelic-assisted therapy for Veterans [20204]
Posted by: mossomo || 07/18/2025 15:12 Comments || Top||


Prominent hospitals across America are halting gender surgeries and hormone treatments for minors
[FoxNews] Medical centers in multiple cities respond to executive order protecting children from 'chemical and surgical mutilation’

More hospitals are pulling back on providing "gender-affirming care" for youth patients, in accordance with a recent executive order against these practices.

Rush Medical Center in Chicago is the latest large health system to announce that it is stopping these gender-related treatments.

The hospital’s spokesperson, Tobin Klinger, confirmed to local outlets that it has "paused" hormonal therapies for new patients under 18.

Rush has not provided gender-related surgery for minors since 2023, according to Klinger.

(Adults will continue to be eligible for treatments, as will minors who were already receiving care.)

These changes follow President Donald Trump’s executive order, titled "Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation," which was issued on January 28, 2025.

The order states that the administration will not "fund, sponsor, promote, assist or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another," and that it will "rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures."

For patients age 19 and under, "chemical and surgical mutilation" includes the use of puberty blockers, sex hormones and surgical procedures, according to the order on The White House’s website.

On July 9, the Department of Justice announced that it has issued more than 20 subpoenas to doctors and clinics involved in performing "transgender medical procedures" on children.

"Medical professionals and organizations that mutilated children in the service of a warped ideology will be held accountable by this Department of Justice," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement on the DOJ’s website.

Other hospitals appear to have followed actions similar to Rush Medical Center.

NewYork-Presbyterian appears to have removed and changed online verbiage for its COMPASS Program, which was previously described as a "a safe space for youth navigating their gender experience" offering "puberty suppression and gender-affirming hormone treatment."

The website now describes the program as "a supportive space for youth and gender," and references to gender-affirming care have been removed.

A spokesperson for NewYork-Presbyterian provided the below statement to Fox News Digital.

"We continue to work through this evolving situation to comply with applicable state and federal laws and regulations. As always, our priority is to serve all our patients in a compassionate and responsible way."

Stanford Medicine has also reportedly halted "gender-affirming surgeries," according to a statement provided to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"After careful review of the latest actions and directives from the federal government and following consultations with clinical leadership, including our multidisciplinary LGBTQ+ program and its providers, Stanford Medicine paused providing gender-related surgical procedures as part of our comprehensive range of medical services for LGBTQ+ patients under the age of 19, effective June 2, 2025," the statement said.

It was also reported that shortly after Trump’s executive order, NYU Langone canceled some appointments for hormone treatments and gender surgeries, with parents claiming they were told the hospital no longer offers those services to new patients under 19.

Cleveland Clinic also responded to Fox News Digital’s inquiry, confirming that the clinic "does not provide gender-affirming treatments for patients under the age of 19."

Previous studies have suggested that "gender-affirming surgeries" can be harmful to young people’s mental health.

Researchers determined that rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and substance-use disorders were "significantly higher" among those with gender dysphoria who underwent surgery.


Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 02:12 || Comments || Link || [72 views] Top|| File under:

#1 

Could it be the Fed funds are not there anymore supporting this crime? Or maybe, the threats to lawsuits by those kids where their parents force it on the child to play Social Media champions?
Posted by: NN2N1 || 07/18/2025 8:25 Comments || Top||

#2  "Follow the Money."

Oh, the money stopped. Well, there you have it.
Posted by: Besoeker || 07/18/2025 8:54 Comments || Top||



As many as 163 pairs of graduates from six Polish secondary schools in Vilnius, Lithuania

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: badanov || 07/18/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [128 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The Poles still live in 17th century - when Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was East European superpower.
Posted by: Grom the Affective || 07/18/2025 2:42 Comments || Top||

#2  Poland, one of the last bastions of civilized humanity...
Posted by: 49 Pan || 07/18/2025 9:13 Comments || Top||

#3  We can use more of those kind of things here in the USA!
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance || 07/18/2025 11:10 Comments || Top||

#4  Polka accordions, dancing with big strong blond girls at Polish weddings, kielbasa, cabbage, potato salad and vodka.

Something for every appetite. Yum!
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 12:17 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Could underwater living be the next frontier for human habitats

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 11:49 || Comments || Link || [26 views] Top|| File under:

#1 
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 11:51 Comments || Top||

#2  Ah, they're talking submersibles rather than mortgages.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 07/18/2025 15:44 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Utah 'firenado' with 122-mph winds leaves behind significant damage
[FoxWeather] The Deer Creek Fire had already burned several thousand acres just north of La Sal on Saturday when the column of flames and hot gasses began spinning, creating a surreal sight of a firenado.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 02:18 || Comments || Link || [72 views] Top|| File under:

#1  All funnel clouds are driven by updraft/downdraft flows moving past each other. The one most commonly seen is caused by cold air moving down, but the opposite can work as well.
If you've ever stood out after a thunderstorm and felt a sudden burst of cold air, you're standing where Mr Funnel Cloud lives when he's at home.
Posted by: ed in texas || 07/18/2025 11:05 Comments || Top||

#2  We would chase 'dust devils' when summer desert running, just for a breath of cool air.
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 12:03 Comments || Top||


Britain
UK government to lower voting age to 16 before next national election despite strong conservative opposition

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 11:42 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:


Economy
New Wyoming Mine: Coal for Power, Rare Earths for Everything Else
[Epoch Times] A mine in Wyoming is drawing national attention to what is otherwise a high plains flyspeck with a single gas station, Dollar Store, and four bars along the Tongue River.

In the Bighorn Mountains, Brook Mine will be the first new coal mine to open in Wyoming in 50 years, as well as the first critical mineral and rare earth mine to open in the United States in more than 70 years. Miner Ramaco Resources is to produce at least 2 million tons of coal per year for electricity and extract more than 450 tons of elements annually.

That 2 million tons of coal, once processed, will yield an estimated 1,242 tons of critical minerals and rare earths per year. According to the Fluor study, this would include 456 tons of the highly sought gallium, germanium, scandium, terbium, dysprosium, neodymium, and praseodymium.
I assume that's 456 million tons of ore, not rare earth elements.
"This one mine can break our reliance on China," Ramaco Resources CEO and Chairman Randall Atkins said at a July 11 ceremonial ribbon-cutting for the mine about three miles away, at Ramaco’s offices and labs.

The ribbon-cutting drew a high-profile retinue, including Energy Secretary Chris Wright; Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon; Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.); Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.); state lawmakers; and former Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), who joined Ramaco’s board in April.

"The generations of coal miners who gave us the lives we have today, those same coal miners that are still delivering the world’s largest source of electricity, they’re going to give us, through mining of those same coal resources, these rare earth elements... and they’re going to bring us back," Wright said, calling for a "revolution" in domestic energy self-sufficiency, especially in processing critical minerals and rare earths.

Ramaco Resources, based in Lexington, Kentucky, operates four metallurgical coal mines in West Virginia and Virginia. It purchased the 4,500-acre Brook Mine north of Sheridan, Wyoming, in 2011 for $2 million to produce coal for local electrical generation, Atkins said during a tour of Ramaco’s Ranchester plant. Opened in the 1880s, the mine had been shuttered for decades.

Ramaco plans to build a plant to process the critical mineral oxides on site or on the 11,500 surrounding acres it owns to "bring magnet and semiconductor manufacturing in Wyoming," Atkins said.

The company said the mine could meet up to 5 percent of the nation’s total demand for permanent magnets, including nearly one-third of the Pentagon’s needs.

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Bobby || 07/18/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [75 views] Top|| File under:

#1  How do you say "kiss my a$$" in Mandarin?
Posted by: Grom the Affective || 07/18/2025 2:43 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Trump directs AG Bondi to work on unsealing grand jury transcripts in Epstein case: 'We are ready'

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 11:11 || Comments || Link || [25 views] Top|| File under:

#1  From Hoax to Unsealing... I feel like our pushback on Trump worked.
Posted by: mossomo || 07/18/2025 15:13 Comments || Top||


First Judge Nominated by Trump in Second Term Confirmed by Senate
Senator Mitch McConnell showed the way, but the Republicans can do it without his leadership now.
[Townhall] The Senate on Monday confirmed the first judicial nominee of President Trump’s second term.

Whitney Hermandorfer will now be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit, the Cincinnati-based bench that hears appeals from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee

Hermandorfer, of Tennessee, was confirmed by a 46-42 vote along party lines. She will replace an Obama pick, Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch.

Twelve senators did not vote.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) called the confirmation of Hermandorfer "a boon to the federal judiciary."

"As the Director of the Strategic Litigation Unit in Tennessee, she’s led major cases on civil rights and the separation of powers and is widely praised for her legal mind, impeccable qualifications, collegial nature and constitutionalist philosophy. I was proud to lead Ms. Hermandorfer’s nomination through the Senate Judiciary Committee and am confident she will be an excellent federal judge," Grassley said.

According to the White House, when nominated earlier this year, Hermandorfer was the director of the Strategic Litigation Unit in the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General. She had previously served as an associate at Williams & Connolly, LLP in Washington, D.C., and clerked for Justices Samuel Alito and Amy Coney Barrett of the Supreme Court, now-Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh when he was on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Judge Richard J. Leon of the D.C. District Court.

"I am pleased to announce the nomination of Whitney Hermandorfer to serve as a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit," Trump wrote in May when he nominated her. "Whitney has been serving the Great People of Tennessee, in the Attorney General’s Office, where she has strongly litigated in Court to protect Citizens from Federal Government Overreach. A former Co-Captain of the Princeton University Women’s Basketball Team, Whitney is a staunch defender of Girls’ and Women’s Sports. She has a long history of working for Judges and Justices who respect the RULE OF LAW, and protect our Constitution, including Justice Samuel Alito and two fine Supreme Court Justices I appointed in my First Term. Whitney is a Fighter who will inspire confidence in our Legal System. Thank you Whitney!"

During her confirmation hearings, Hermandorfer said in reference to judicial power that "[I]t is an extraordinary power, the Article III power, to decide cases...With that power, again, comes great responsibility and humility to understand the proper role of a judge is to interpret the law and not make the law or bend the law to whatever policy preferences the judge might have individually."

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 07/18/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [41 views] Top|| File under:


Trump pushing Coke to use Cane Sugar
[CNN] President Donald Trump announced what could be refreshing news to some Americans on Wednesday: thanks to him, Coke is changing its American recipe.

"I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so. I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola," Trump said in a post to social media. "This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!"

A spokesperson for The Coca-Cola Company did not confirm the change, but told CNN in a statement, "We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand. More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon."
------------------
FWIW, Trump drinks Diet Coke, not regular Coke. Also, the sweetener in regular Coke is currently made from USA grown corn.
Jamaica would presumably be a beneficiary of the 'use cane sugar' rule. Before Passover, Coke regularly makes a lot of cane sugar sweetened Coke for orthodox Jews who don't use corn on Passover.

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Lord Garth || 07/18/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [179 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I'm not a Coca-Cola fan, but Mexican C-C is cane sugar and it is better
Posted by: Frank G || 07/18/2025 1:08 Comments || Top||

#2  ^A matter of habit. When I lived in US (well NM, but it's the same thing), it took me time to get used to cane sugar (and I never got used to adding sugar to meat dishes).
Posted by: Grom the Affective || 07/18/2025 4:23 Comments || Top||

#3  Taking the corn sweetner out of Coke?
Now, can we get the ethanol out of gasoline?
Posted by: ed in texas || 07/18/2025 8:43 Comments || Top||

#4  /\ Now, can we get the ethanol out of gasoline?

F-150 purrs nicely on non-ethanol. Costs a bit more, but I'm willing to pay for better performance.
Posted by: Besoeker || 07/18/2025 8:50 Comments || Top||

#5  I believe that beet sugar and cane sugar are basically indistinguishable, beet sugar is the more dominant crop in our country, so you would more than likely be getting beet sugar in your coke.
Posted by: Ulusons Pelosi8045 || 07/18/2025 8:50 Comments || Top||

#6  Yes, Colorado in particular. Hawaii has a cane sugar industry. And to be ahead of the leftists saying Trump was Jamaicans back on plantations!!11 the whole process, beet and cane, is modern mechanized.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 07/18/2025 10:25 Comments || Top||

#7  Anecdote: local quick shop offers Mexican soft drinks - Coke Sprite Fanta etc. and even at twice the price they can't keep enough stock on hand.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 07/18/2025 10:28 Comments || Top||

#8  High fructose corn syrup is a processed food. It's poison.
Too much sugar isn't good for you but hell, the human body is designed to digest it.
HFCS? No.
We banned the red dye made from petrochemical residue for the same reason.
No amount of money for farmers is acceptable if we pay with our health.
MAHA!
Posted by: Jairong+Scourge+of+the+Gepids2435 || 07/18/2025 10:48 Comments || Top||

#9  Hawaii has a cane sugar industry

As does Cuba
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 10:54 Comments || Top||

#10  If he can buy Greenland, why not Cuba?
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 10:54 Comments || Top||

#11  I'm with the above posters in that beet sugar is perfectly acceptable!

Plus we grow a lot of beetrootsin the USA!


Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance || 07/18/2025 11:03 Comments || Top||

#12  High-fructose corn syrup vs. cane sugar in foods: The cost of switching ingredients

Corn industry warns potential shift could wipe out $5.1B in farm revenue

Maybe wipe out the middle-men
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 11:05 Comments || Top||

#13  HEB grocery here in Texas has a line of real sugar soft drinks, and does quite well with them.
Ain't bought a Coke product in years.
Posted by: ed in texas || 07/18/2025 11:09 Comments || Top||

#14  The corn farmers can just switch to growing beetroot instead.

No real revenue loss!
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance || 07/18/2025 15:17 Comments || Top||

#15  cane and beet sugar production in the USA is highly regulated

new rules on this came out just yesterday
Posted by: Lord Garth || 07/18/2025 15:38 Comments || Top||


Conservative crypto rebellion breaks after longest House vote in US history
[FoxBusinessNews] Conservative rebellion over cryptocurrency bills leads to marathon 9-hour vote

A conservative rebellion over cryptocurrency bills paralyzed the House floor for two days this week, and while it’s finally over, it means House GOP leaders have significantly less time to carry out their legislative timeline.

Voting kicked off just before 1 p.m. on Wednesday on a procedural measure that would have allowed the House to begin debate on several bills – three cryptocurrency measures plus a spending bill funding the Defense Department’s yearly budget – but appeared poised to fail, with several House GOP lawmakers voting "no." House GOP leaders can only lose three votes to pass anything along party lines.

At one point during the course of roughly nine hours, Republican opposition climbed to 10 members before they struck a deal to pass the procedural measure, known as a "rule vote," around 11 p.m.

The House was initially expected to vote on three digital currency measures in a push dubbed "crypto week."

The Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act (GENIUS Act) to establish stablecoin regulations has already passed the Senate. The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY Act), expected to have at least some bipartisan support, would have placed new federal guardrails on cryptocurrency.

However, the last bill, a Republican priority called the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, proved a flashpoint during Wednesday’s marathon vote.

Conservatives made an eleventh-hour push to link the three bills together, citing concerns the Senate would take up CLARITY without passing the anti-CBDC measure.

Privacy hawks were concerned that without the anti-CBDC bill, which blocks the government from issuing its own digital currency, that CLARITY and GENIUS could give the federal government unprecedented insights into how private citizens spend their money if a U.S.-backed digital asset was created.

After hours of closed-door negotiations, however, they agreed to allow those individual votes to go forward – with assurances that the anti-CBDC bill would be linked to Congress’ annual defense policy bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The NDAA is separate from the defense funding bill that’s expected to get a vote this week. What the House ended up passing is known as a "rule vote," a procedural hurdle that traditionally falls along party lines, which allows lawmakers to debate and vote on respective bills.

The House is wrestling with multiple deadlines at the moment, which the cryptocurrency bills do not have. Delaying the defense funding bill on this week’s calendar could shrink Congress’ already-limited summer schedule before the fiscal year 2026 deadline on Sept. 30.

If passed this week, it will be the second of 12 appropriations bills that House GOP leaders hope to pass for the next year. They’ll still have to sync up with the Senate, however, before President Donald Trump can sign any funding bills into law.

Additionally, House Republicans will need to pass a $9 billion package of spending cuts that the Senate sent over in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The package largely keeps intact requested spending cuts by Trump, targeting the U.S. Agency for International Development, PBS and NPR.

The House initially passed Trump’s full $9.4 billion request, but a small group of Republican senators successfully pushed for the removal of a funding block on an HIV/AIDS prevention program in Africa.

Now, the House must pass the bill by the end of Friday or risk the funding request’s expiry.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [78 views] Top|| File under:

#1 

Stop an imagine a future headline.

CCP / Russia Hackers Hold US Cryptocurrency For Ransom.
Posted by: NN2N1 || 07/18/2025 8:33 Comments || Top||

#2  "But they'll know where the money goes!"
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 10:55 Comments || Top||



Iraq
More than 60 dead in Iraq shopping mall inferno 'after air conditioner explodes'
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] At least 61 people have died after a huge fire ripped through a shopping mall in Iraq, with a survivor saying the inferno began after an air conditioning unit exploded.

Officials have launched an investigation into the blaze at the newly-opened six-storey Corniche Hypermarket Mall in the city of Kut, where men, women and children were said to be shopping last night.

The blaze reportedly began on the first floor of the building before tearing through the entire block, with horrifying video showing the block engulfed by flames and smoke.

Harrowing footage circulating on social media appears to show people on the roof as the flames rose up the building. It is unclear whether they were rescued.

Firefighters rescued a number of people from the building, local media reports. Ambulances were still taking casualties to hospital until 4am local time.

Chilling pictures of the aftermath this morning show the building completely blackened and burned out, with firefighters still at the scene.

Searches were continuing for the missing in the building's wreckage this morning.

A medical source said there are 'many unidentified bodies,' with the dead said to include men, women and children.

Iraq's interior ministry said in a statement: 'The tragic fire claimed the lives of 61 innocent citizens, most of whom suffocated in bathrooms, and among them 14 charred bodies yet to be identified.'

Civil defence teams rescued more than 45 people who were trapped inside the five-storey building, which includes a restaurant and a supermarket, the interior ministry said.

The blaze broke out late Wednesday, reportedly starting on the first floor before rapidly engulfing the building.

It is just the latest disaster in a country where safety regulations are frequently neglected.
Like sprinklers?
The cause of last night's tragedy was not immediately known, but one survivor said that an air conditioner had exploded.

Ambulances were still ferrying casualties to hospitals as late as 4:00 am, with wards in Kut - around 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad - overwhelmed.

An AFP correspondent said the mall had only opened five days earlier and reported seeing charred bodies at the province's forensic department.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || [75 views] Top|| File under:

#1  They don't need suicide boomers - they have air conditioners.
Posted by: Grom the Affective || 07/18/2025 2:45 Comments || Top||

#2  Who watches HVAC servicemen?
Sooo easy to recharge Halon-lite with gasoline.
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 10:50 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Huckabee threatens to declare Israel not welcoming Christians, as visa row blows open
Oy. Hopefully this is a tempest in a teapot.
[IsraelTimes] US envoy pens scathing letter to interior minister, accusing Israel of blocking Christian groups from entering Israel and threatening reciprocal steps against Israeli visa seekers

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has threatened to publicly declare that Israel no longer welcomes Christian groups to Israel over what he said was Jerusalem’s failure to approve tourist visas for evangelical missions.

The threat was issued in a letter that Huckabee sent to Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, which was leaked to Hebrew media on Thursday. Arbel pushed back on the allegations in a response letter that was obtained by The Times of Israel.

Huckabee in his letter sent on Wednesday even threatened to order his embassy to take reciprocal measures against Israeli tourists seeking visas to enter the US.

Given Huckabee’s longstanding support for Israel and close ties with the current government in particular, the rhetoric in his letter represented a shockingly quick deterioration.

But the issue at hand — the ability of Christian groups to tour Israel — is one that is close to Huckabee’s heart, given that he has led countless such trips as an evangelical pastor over the past half a century.

The back-and-forth letters that were leaked to the press came almost two months after the two men met on May 27 to discuss problems encountered by Christian Zionists seeking to visit Israel.

"It is with great distress that I to you my profound disappointment [that the] meeting held in your office has not resulted in what I had hoped to be [the start] of a resolution of the issue of routine granting of visas for Christian organizations," Huckabee wrote in the letter which was partially shown on Channel 12’s broadcast.

According to the Ynet news site, Huckabee wrote to Arbel that at the start of 2025, the Interior Ministry launched investigations into a number of evangelical Christian organizations with long ties to Israel, including the Baptist Conference in Israel and the Christian Missionary Alliance.

Huckabee told Arbel that these organizations were made to fill out long questionnaires and that they have still not received new visas for religious leaders to travel to Israel since the start of the year.

"It would be very unfortunate if our embassy were forced to publicly announce throughout the United States that the State of Israel does not welcome Christian organizations and their representatives, and instead engages in harassment and negative treatment of them. We are also obligated to warn Christians in America that their generous donations are being met with hostility, and that tourists should reconsider their travels," the US envoy wrote, Huckabee wrote in the letter, according to the Belaaz Jewish news site.

Huckabee sent copies of his letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.

In addition to threatening a public announcement that Israel no longer welcomes Christian groups, Huckabee said he would warn American Christians that their donations are not received warmly, and that tourists should reconsider any plans to visit Israel if the issue is not resolved.

"Unfortunately, if the Israeli government continues to cause bureaucratic harassment, I will have no choice but to instruct our consular department to explore the possibility of reciprocal treatment of Israeli citizens applying for visas to the United States. This is certainly not the relationship that the State of Israel wants to have with its best partner and friend on Earth," Huckabee wrote.

After receiving the letter, Arbel — of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party — responded, saying that he was "particularly surprised" by the way in which the envoy raised his concerns.

"Every request that was personally brought to the attention of my office has been addressed within an exceptionally short timeframe," Arbel insisted.

"In my view, this course of action deviates from accepted working norms and does not reflect the direct and constructive relationship we have established, he said, adding that the relationship between the two countries is "among the most valued and significant partnerships."

"I greatly appreciate your consistent support for Israel and your steadfast commitment to our partnership. For this reason, I believe it is incumbent upon us to act in a spirit of coordination, mutual trust, and respect — even when misunderstandings or difficulties arise," Arbel concluded.

The private exchange that quickly turned public came on the heels of an apparent Israeli strike on Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
’s sole Catholic church on Thursday that killed three people and injured several, according to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, drawing international condemnation and expression of "deep sorrow" from Israel. The military said the church was struck by accident, and that it is investigating what happened.

Earlier this week, Huckabee weighed in on unchecked settler violence in the West Bank for the first time, calling on the Israeli government to investigate the "terrorist killing" of a 20-year-old Paleostinian-American in the village of Sinjil last week.

Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife || 07/18/2025 2025-07-18 01:09 || Comments || Link || [131 views] Top|| File under:

#1  ^MTG junior?
Posted by: Grom the Affective || 07/18/2025 2:39 Comments || Top||

#2  Naw...ACA JOE, another POS
Posted by: Frank G || 07/18/2025 5:53 Comments || Top||

#3 
Posted by: Jairong+Scourge+of+the+Gepids2435 || 07/18/2025 10:19 Comments || Top||


#5  Next do Muslim Arab Countries that don't welcome Christians.
Posted by: mossomo || 07/18/2025 15:16 Comments || Top||


Science & Technology
Goldman Sachs Pilots Its First Autonomous Coder
Goldman Sachs has officially entered the era of the "hybrid workforce" with the announcement of Devin, an autonomous AI software engineer from Cognition. Marco Argenti, Goldman's chief information officer, told CNBC that Devin will soon join the ranks of the bank's 12,000-plus developers, with initial deployments numbering in the hundreds and potentially scaling into the thousands.

The introduction of Devin represents a significant inflection point impacting not just the finance sector but also setting a new standard for cybersecurity strategies and the integration of AI-driven automation across industries.

For the finance industry, and Goldman Sachs specifically, there will be unprecedented productivity gains. Argenti estimates Devin could boost developer output by three to four times, freeing humans from routine, error-prone code updates.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 08:55 || Comments || Link || [40 views] Top|| File under: Mob Rule

#1  When "learn to code" is no longer an option.
Posted by: Skidmark || 07/18/2025 8:57 Comments || Top||

#2  Well then all those media people losing their jobs recently, there is a new coal mine in Wyoming...
Posted by: swksvolFF || 07/18/2025 14:24 Comments || Top||



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