Follow up to this story from yesterday. The man’s a peach.
[IsraelTimes] Court filings provide further information about a New York man charged with a series of antisemitic attacks.
The US Department of Justice charged Tarek Bazrouk, 20, with hate crimes yesterday for assaulting Jews, including two Columbia University students, during three separate 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... protests.
A federal attorney files a letter in the case saying a search of Bazrouk’s apartment turned up weapons and "hundreds of thousands of dollars in unexplained cash." Bazrouk lived in the Manhattan apartment with other family members and was previously arrested for dealing drugs.
The weapons were several knives including a switch blade, brass knuckles, an airsoft gun that looks like an actual firearm, and spent bullet casings.
The letter says Bazrouk threatened violence in text messages with unnamed acquaintances. He threatened to shoot people using a gun emoji, and in another text, said, "You know i gothcu and if I don’t my gun do."
"If I ever see 1 of them ima boom them," he said in another message, referring to Jews.
He also shared images of bullets and firearms on social media that suggested he had access to guns.
Bazrouk visited the West Bank and Jordan in 2024, the letter says. He texted friends that during the visit he found out he has family members in Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... , saying that it made him "mad happy." He wore a Hamas headband to at least one protest.
The letter urges the court to hold Bazrouk in jug ahead of a bail hearing later this month because he poses a threat and a flight risk.
The three protests where Bazrouk assaulted Jews were led by Within Our Lifetime, the leading anti-Israel protest group in New York City. Other activists affiliated with the group are in prison for antisemitic hate crimes.
[IsraelTimes] Police close six schools serving 550 students in Shuafat camp and other neighborhoods; Palestinian Authority condemns ‘violation of children’s right to education’
Israeli police shut down six schools operated by UNRWA in the Shuafat refugee camp and other neighborhoods of East Jerusalem on Thursday, as they implemented a law prohibiting the UN’s Paleostinian aid agency from operating in the capital because of its ties to terror organizations, including Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... The closures followed a police notice issued to the schools last month and marked the official enforcement of a law banning United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... Relief and Works Agency operations within Israel’s sovereign territory, which came into effect in January. The law does not apply to the West Bank or the 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... Strip.
An AFP photographer at the scene reported that a closure notice in Hebrew was left at the entrance of at least one of the schools, and UNRWA said at least one of its staff members was detained.
"From May 8, 2025, it will be prohibited to operate educational institutions, or employ teachers, teaching staff or any other staff, and it will be forbidden to accommodate students or allow the entry of students into this institution," the closure order read.
Israel has long had a combative relationship with UNRWA, which it argues has perpetuated the Paleostinian refugee crisis by allowing the status to be passed down through generations. Frustration with UNRWA in Jerusalem has picked up over the past decade as Israel has found the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group embedded within the agency’s infrastructure.
That anger peaked following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, in which a number of UNRWA staffers were found to have participated. Israel has gone on to claim that 10 percent of the UN agency’s staff have ties to Hamas — a charge the agency has denied.
UNRWA’s director in the West Bank, Roland Friedrich, told AFP that "heavily armed" forces surrounded three UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem’s Shuafat camp at 9 a.m. on Thursday.
Friedrich added that 550 pupils aged six to 15 were present when the closure was enforced, calling the event "a traumatizing experience for young children who are at immediate risk of losing their access to education."
Friedrich said that police were being deployed at three separate schools in other parts of East Jerusalem.
The Paleostinian Authority condemned the move in a statement to AFP, calling it a "violation of children’s right to education."
UNRWA is the main provider of education and health care to Paleostinians across East Jerusalem. Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, though the United Nations considers its annexation of the city’s eastern sector illegal.
The Education Ministry says it will place the students in other Jerusalem schools. But parents, teachers, and administrators caution that closing the main schools in East Jerusalem will force their children to go through crowded and dangerous checkpoints daily, and some do not have the correct permits to pass through.
In a previous statement to The News Agency that Dare Not be Named, the Education Ministry said it was closing the schools because they were operating without a license. UNRWA administrators pledged to keep the schools open for as long as possible.
According to the Jerusalem Municipality, approximately 900 students were enrolled in UNRWA-run schools in the city. Since the law’s passage, the municipality has worked to provide alternative placements for these students in other schools across East Jerusalem.
In addition, a new educational center is being planned in the Shuafat refugee camp that will include several schools operating under the supervision of Israel’s Education Ministry.
[IsraelTimes] Far-right party celebrates; US officials had urged Berlin to reverse move, called for halting intelligence cooperation until AfD treated as ‘legitimate opposition party’.
[IsraelTimes] Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out a wave of Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s in southern Leb ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... on Thursday, targeting a "significant underground" Hezbollah facility, the military said.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the site near the Beaufort Castle, southeast of Nabatieh, was used by the Lebanese terror group to manage rocket fire and defense systems.
At the site, the IDF said it struck "terrorists, weapons, and tunnel shafts." Lebanese media reported that some 20 strikes were carried out in the area.
The IDF later released footage showing the airstrikes on the underground site. The video also showed a dronezap on a Hezbollah operative in the area of the facility, according to the military.
"This site is part of a significant underground project that, due to IDF strikes, has been rendered inoperable," the army said.
The IDF added that the facility and the activities carried out there "constitute a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon."
[OneIndia] The Pakistain Army has lost over 50 drones in a night after trying to attack Indian territory across different locations on Thursday night, ANI reported, citing sources.
INDIA GIVES BEFITTING REPLY
After Indian attacked nine terrorist infrastructure in Pakistain and the PoK on Wednesday, Pakistain launched a large-scale counter-drone operation along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Borders (IB) on Wednesday night.
The Indian Army Air Defence units responded swiftly and targeted the drones in areas including Udhampur, Samba, Jammu, Akhnoor, Nagrota, and Pathankot, the report added.
"Yesterday night, when Pakistain made failed attempt ...Curses! Foiled again!... s to send swarm drones all across various places along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Borders (IB), over 50 drones were successfully neutralised during a large-scale counter-drone operation conducted by Indian Army Air Defence units in the areas of Udhampur, Samba, Jammu, Akhnoor, Nagrota, and Pathankot areas," the news agency cited sources.
With the help of several air defence systems, the Army destroyed the drones shot by Pakistain.
"The engagement involved extensive use of L-70 guns, Zu-23mm, Schilka systems, and other advanced counter-UAS equipment, demonstrating the Army's robust capability to counter aerial threats," sources added.
Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army), said in a statement that the Pakistain Armed Forces launched multiple attacks using drones and other munitions along entire Western Border on the intervening night. The Pakistain troops also resorted to numerous cease fire violations (CFVs) along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... The drone attacks were effectively repulsed and befitting reply was given to the CFVs.
However,
if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well... no casualities from the Indian side is reported.
Meanwhile,
...back at the fist fight, Jake ducked another roundhouse, then parried with his left, then with his right, finally with his chin... reports claim that an F-16 supersonic fighter jet of the Pakistain Air Force was shot down by an Indian surface-to-air missile defence system. However,
if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well... India is yet to confirm it.
J&K: BSF Thwarts Cross-Border Terror Bid, Inflicts Heavy Damage On Pakistan Post
[OneIndia] The Border Security Force (BSF) thwarted a significant infiltration attempt from Pakistain along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir 's Samba district during the intervening night of May 8 and 9, 2025. In the operation, at least seven bad boyz were potted by Indian forces.
According to BSF sources, the infiltration was being facilitated from the Pakistain Post Dhandhar, which was heavily targeted and sustained extensive damage during the action. A thermal imaging clip released by the BSF captured the destruction of the Pak post involved in aiding the infiltration attempt.
"A major infiltration bid was foiled on the night of May 8-9, 2025, at the International Boundary in Samba, Jammu and Kashmir, with seven bandidosgunnies neutralized and the Pakistain Post Dhandhar severely damaged," a BSF official confirmed.
A BSF official revealed that seven bad boyz were potted and the Pakistain Post Dhandhar was seriously damaged on the night of May 8-9, 2025, near the International Boundary in Samba, Jammu and Kashmir, after a significant infiltration attempt was thwarted.
The operation takes place while tensions along the western border are rising due to numerous drone incursions and ceasefire violations. In order to stop terrorist elements from trying to exploit the already unstable situation, the BSF is still on high alert.
Posted by: Matt ||
05/09/2025 10:36
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#3
So we're gonna have a drone war? I guess that's better than nukes.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/09/2025 12:03
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#4
I’ve read about missiles and drones being used by India but sending aircraft into Pak airspace is another issue. I can’t find anything that is clear on this point. There’s reports that indicate India has lost aircraft due to air to air combat as well as from ground based air defense systems, but the reports aren’t conclusive in any way.
[OneIndia] Addressing the media on escalating tensions between India and Pakistain, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri slammed Pakistain for giving state-honour funerals of three terrorists. These individuals were eliminated in strikes by the Indian military as part of Operation Sindoor. Misri highlighted the unusual practice of draping coffins with Pak flags and conducting the funerals with state honors, a treatment typically reserved for civilians. This occurrence raises questions about the nature of the individuals being honored in such a manner.
During the briefing, Misri pointed out the contradiction in Pakistain's claim that the Indian military had targeted civilians in their recent operation. He underscored that the strikes on May 7 specifically targeted terrorist infrastructure, based on precise intelligence. The presence of Pakistain Army personnel at these funerals, Misri argued, sends a telling message about the identities of the dear departed. According to Misri, the practice of giving Lions of Islam state funerals seems to be a norm in Pakistain, which he finds perplexing and unjustifiable.
INDIA'S COUNTERTERRORISM EFFORTS HIGHLIGHTED
India undertook military action against nine terrorist facilities under 'Operation Sindoor' in response to a terror attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... , which resulted in the death of 26 civilians. This operation aimed to dismantle the infrastructure supporting terrorism, with India confirming the successful elimination of several terror targets. Despite Pakistain's claims that the strikes resulted in civilian casualties, India maintains that the operation was focused exclusively on combatting terrorism.
The targeted strike in Muridke, situated about 40 kilometers from Lahore, resulted in the deaths of Qari Abdul Malik, Khalid, and Mudassir. This action was part of India's broader strategy to disrupt the operations of terrorist groups. The funeral for these individuals was conducted under strict security measures and saw the attendance of not just Pakistain Army personnel but also members of the civil bureaucracy and Jamaat-ud-Dawa ...the front organization of Lashkar-e-Taiba... h (JuD), a banned ...the word banned seems to have a different meaning in Pakistain than it does in most other places. Or maybe it simply lacks any meaning at all...
organization led by Hafiz Saeed ...founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its false-mustache offshoot Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The United Nations declared the JuD a terrorist organization in 2008 and Hafiz Saeed a terrorist as its leader. Hafiz, JuD and LeT are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Pak intel apparatus, so that amounted to squat. He is periodically placed under house arrest so it looks like the govt is doing something. Once the heat is off they let him go.... . The ceremony, led by Hafiz Abdul Rauf, included prayers for the nation's safety and security.
Misri also addressed Pakistain's allegations that India had targeted religious sites during its operation. He categorically denied these claims, emphasizing that the operation focused solely on terrorist infrastructure and facilities linked to cross-border terrorism into India. Misri accused Pakistain of misusing religious sites to radicalize, instruct, and train terrorists, thereby endangering the region's security.
Proof From Above: Satellite Pics Show Extent of 5/7 Terror Site Damage in Operation Sindoor - Before-After Photos
[OneIndia] High-resolution satellite images released by Maxar Technologies provide clear visual confirmation of the extensive damage caused by Operation Sindoor, which targeted nine sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. These sites were linked to terrorist groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen.
The imagery offers striking before-and-after comparisons of two major targets: the Markaz Subhan Allah compound near Bahawalpur and the Markaz Taiba complex in Nangal Sadhan, Muridke. Both facilities, key ideological and operational centres for JeM and LeT, respectively, now appear severely damaged with visible craters, collapsed roofs, and scattered debris, as seen in images dated May 7.
Established in 2015, this compound functioned as JeM's central hub for operations and training. It housed the group's top leadership, including chief Masood Azhar and deputy Abdul Rauf Asghar. The centre was reportedly involved in planning multiple attacks, including the 2019 Pulwama bombing.
MARKAZ TAIBA, MURIDKE
In operation since 2000, this LeT stronghold served as a key training and radicalisation centre. It offered weapons training, religious indoctrination, and fitness programs to nearly 1,000 recruits annually. Notably, it was a training site for the 2008 Mumbai attackers, including Ajmal Kasab and David Headley. Historical intelligence suggests Osama bin Laden contributed significantly to building its mosque and guesthouse. Satellite imagery shows severe structural damage to several buildings.
Additional sites targeted in Operation Sindoor include Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Rawalakot, Chakswari, Bhimber, Neelum Valley, Jhelum, and Chakwal. Indian intelligence had been monitoring these locations for months, tracking suspicious movement patterns, satellite phone activity, and vehicular logistics consistent with terror operations.
THE OPERATION
Operation Sindoor was launched in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 25 lives, including that of a Nepali tourist. India attributed the attack to LeT operatives trained across the border.
The offensive employed a mix of air-launched cruise missiles, loitering munitions (kamikaze drones), and long-range artillery. The Indian Air Force executed four strikes across the international border, while five others targeted sites within Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Defence officials clarified that no Pakistani military installations were hit, describing the operation as "measured, focused, and non-escalatory."
Meanwhile, Indian Defence Minister Rajanth Singh has said that 100 terrorists were killed in the Wednesday operation. He has reportedly said that such operation will continue.
A source “very familiar with the Bidens” tells @MarkHalperin that “Biden Inc.,” the family business that generated millions of dollars in revenue to support their lifestyle, has dried up. “The trough is empty, the spigot is turned off,” says Mark. “Biden Inc. needs a source of… pic.twitter.com/T1CVgO7p4Z
…needs a source of revenue.” Joe’s earning power is not sufficient, and “Hunter does not have great earning capacity.” Joe and Jill Biden’s appearance on “The View” today comes amid these challenges. #JoeBiden #HunterBiden
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/09/2025 10:50
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#7
Now that he's been pardoned Hunter could get a boatload of money by writing a tell-all book about who exactly was running the country. But no doubt his sense of honor would prevent him from doing so.
Snark O'The Day
Posted by: Matt ||
05/09/2025 10:54
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#8
^ SOTD Candidate
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/09/2025 11:04
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#9
Thanks, Frank. I may take up painting.
Posted by: Matt ||
05/09/2025 11:15
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#10
One of his properties has been re-financed 15 times...yeah he is in debt up to his eyeballs,
Yeah, they can always get somebody to ghost write a book for them and, sure enough, some friendly publisher will pay for it. Don't count on it flying off the shelves though.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/09/2025 12:11
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They should do the Netflix wash as well. Think of it, just a series of 10-15 minute shorts where Brandon is given a Whose Line Is It? topic, and just let him go. I bet the story mapping would be epic.
#14
Daily Mail article has a couple of interesting points, namely that apparently Jill has a secret signal to Joe to shut up when he gets into trouble (anyway is his signature term for either losing his thought or ending a risky comment), and used it to cover for him on the question of cognitive decline.
The second point is the bandage on his hand, the little dot on the vein that can be used to inject an IV when the veins in the arm are too hard to use. It implies they juiced him before the show, and that explains his semi-lucid, spry opening of the performance, and the appearance of Jill midway, to provide cover as he begins to sundown.
This is all about looking for the speaking/book deals and the hint at her "diary" reveals.
#17
Remember his little schtick of running onto the stage before a debate? To show how vigorous and energetic he is ? He should bring that back. With a longer runup and a Kramer like skid-stop.
[TimesOfIndia] Press Information Bureau's Fact Check Unit has been on a constant debunking job for the last few days, disproving fabricated videos and fake news running on X accounts claiming that India's port in Gujarat
...where rioting seems to be a traditional passtime... was attacked, drone attack in Jalandhar and suicide kabooms in Jammu and Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... , among other news.
Indian post destroyed? An Indian post was claimed to be destroyed by the Mighty Pak Army in one of the fake videos spread online. The video was shared and amplified by a number of fake and unverified accounts. PIB found the claim to be completely false and confirmed it to be staged upon verification since there is no unit called "20 Raj Battalion" in the Indian Army. This is part of a coordinated propaganda campaign aimed at creating panic and misleading the public," it said.
Is there a ban on entering airports? A social media post was allegedly shared claiming that entry bans into airports across India. PIB busted and debunked the fake narrative and flagged the same since there was no such decision taken from the government."
Fidayeen attack on Army? Information regarding a fidayeen attack on an Army brigade in J&K's Rajouri was widely shared and circulated. Upon fact-checking, PIB confirmed that no such fidayeen or suicide attack occurred on any army cantonment. The false claims was solely intented to mislead and cause confusion. The video was accordingly flagged.
Attack on Hazira port in Gujarat? Another fake news running on Twitter claimed that Gujarat's Hazira Port has been attacked but PIB fact check investigation confirmed that the video being shared on social media is that of an oil tanker explosion and not attack by Pakistain. The video is dated July 7, 2021. The video is dated July 7, 2021.
Drone attack in Jalandhar? A video of a drone attack in Jalandhar was widely being circulated to create a panic among the masses. PIB investigated the video and found that it was an unrelated video of a farm fire. The video had the timeline of 7.39 pm, while the drone attack began later. The same was backed by the DC of Jalandhar.
Missile attack on India? An old video was shared on Social Media with the claim that Pakistain has launched a missile attack on India in retaliation. PIB upon fact-checking the video busted the disinformation. The video shared was actually of the explosive attack that took place in Beirut, Leb ...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade.... in the year 2020.
These developments follow heightened India-Pakistain tensions after the army conducted precision strikes under Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to terror attacks on April 22 in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 people including a Nepali citizen. The operation targeted nine terror facilities in Pakistain-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), the government informed in media briefing. The military action focused on destroying infrastructure associated with terrorist organizations including Lashkar-e-Taiba ...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI...> and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
[IsraelTimes] Lawsuit filed by former hostages makes ‘plausible claim’ that Palestine Chronicle, whose employee held the Israelis captive, aided in their kidnapping
A US federal judge on Tuesday said there was reason to believe a US nonprofit knew its employee was holding Israelis captive in 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... and was affiliated with Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... , marking a win for former hostages in a legal battle against the group.
The judge’s statement came in response to a lawsuit by freed hostages Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv. All three were taken from the Nova music festival in southern Israel during Hamas’s October 2023 invasion of Israel.
They were held in Gaza by Abdallah Aljamal, according to the lawsuit and the IDF. Aljamal was a writer for the Paleostine Chronicle, a news outlet run by the People Media Project, a US-based, tax-exempt nonprofit that is the focus of the lawsuit.
The hostages were rescued after 246 days in captivity in an IDF operation in June that also extracted hostage Noa Argamani, who was held separately nearby. Aljamal, his wife Fatima and his father Ahmad Aljamal were all killed during the hostage rescue mission. The family’s children survived.
The lawsuit argues that the Paleostine Chronicle provided Aljamal with a platform to "disseminate Hamas propaganda," providing material support to a US-designated terrorist organization, in violation of international law.
The defendants filed to dismiss the case in March. Tuesday’s letter was a response to that motion.
US District Judge Tiffany Cartwright said the hostages had "stated a plausible claim that [the Paleostine Chronicle] aided and abetted their kidnapping and Hamas’s acts of terrorism."
Cartwright added that the Paleostine Chronicle’s claims that it was ignorant of Aljamal’s terror ties were "unpersuasive."
Aljamal’s direct communications with the defendants, his public appearances as a Hamas spokesperson, and his social media support for Hamas "support a reasonable inference that [the Paleostine Chronicle] knew Aljamal was affiliated with Hamas and involved in the October 7 attack," the judge said.
She added that the close relationship between the Paleostine Chronicle and Aljamal, and the timing of their coordination on work activities, were reason to believe that the nonprofit’s payments to Aljaamal assisted him in holding the hostages.
The court denied the Paleostine Chronicle’s motion to dismiss and an attempt to prevent the case from entering the discovery phase.
The lawsuit, backed by the National Jewish Advocacy Center, was filed in a federal court in Washington State, where the People Media Project is based.
The lawsuit has also revealed that Aljamal told the hostages that "Hamas was in contact and actively coordinating with its affiliates in the media and on college campuses," according to an amended complaint filed in February that was first reported by The Times of Israel.
Aljamal told the hostages that "Hamas was going to ensure that the United States, as well as Jews and Israelis, are hated everywhere and that Hamas in Gaza was coordinating with its allies, including its allies in the media and on college campuses, to foment hatred against Israel and Jews," the complaint said.
The Paleostine Chronicle was reporting about US campus protests around the same time, and in August 2024, published an article about Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal urging university students to protest.
Aljamal was previously a spokesperson for the Hamas-run labor ministry in Gaza. He was open about his affiliation with the terror group, appearing publicly in Arabic media as a spokesperson and posting Hamas graphics and photos of his son wearing a Hamas headband on social media. He began writing for the Paleostine Chronicle in 2019 while still serving as a spokesperson for Hamas’s labor ministry, according to the lawsuit.
Aljamal appears to have had foreknowledge of the Hamas attack. On October 7, at 5:43 a.m., immediately before the invasion, he posted a message on TikTok that said, "O God, guide us.. O God, grant us the victory that you promised.. O God, acceptance, acceptance, acceptance.. Your victory, O God," followed by a heart emoji.
Later in the day, Aljamal praised the attack on Facebook.
He began writing for the Paleostine Chronicle more frequently after the attack, sometimes publishing multiple articles per day, while he was holding the Israelis hostage and communicating with the outlet’s staff in the US.
Immediately after the hostage rescue, the Paleostine Chronicle changed Aljamal’s description on its website from "correspondent" to "contributor," then later described him as a "freelance contributor" writing on "a voluntary basis." It also eulogized him in an article after his death, calling him a "well-known journalist murdered in Gaza," and denied that he had been holding the hostages.
The hostages were aware that Aljamal was communicating with terror groups, recording footage and writing about their own captivity, the complaint said. All three were "terrorized" during their captivity, subjected to arbitrary punishment, physical threats, and physical and psychological abuse, the lawsuit said.
The outlet’s tax-exempt status means US taxpayers were subsidizing Hamas propaganda published to a US audience, the lawsuit argues, adding that the salary he was paid also helped him imprison the hostages.
#3
Complacency. Same with the crossing of the Suez. The Egyptians practiced it numerous times till the Israelis treated it as just another exercise. Then one day it wasn't. The situation with Hamas wasn't helped by having an American squishy administration the enemy could rely upon to dither and do nothing.
As last year, at the foot of the Bronze Soldier in the Military Cemetery, the inhabitants of Tallinn began to carry flowers the day before, by the evening of May 9 there were many times more of them.
During the day, police were on duty near the monument. Law enforcement officers made sure that no offenses occurred. The Police Department emphasized that no one prevented the laying of flowers, as the police did not prohibit remembering the dead. But the use of symbols such as the George ribbons is prohibited.
[RedState] National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Jay Bhattacharya announced the closure Monday of the agency’s last beagle laboratory, ending controversial experiments on the NIH campus linked to Dr. Anthony Fauci, RedState reported.
In light of this wonderful news, we spoke to a couple in Virginia who were among the first two people to adopt and rescue Beagles experimented on at the Envigo lab in Virginia, which was featured in a heartbreaking undercover piece from PETA. Warning: it’s not for the faint of heart, seeing how these little pups were tortured.
In the case of full disclosure, these two wonderful people are members of my own family. My sister Vickie Sipes and her husband Danny Sipes both work in Washington, D.C., and live about an hour west of the Capitol.
They talked about their pups' journey from those experimentation labs, to the adoption when they brought home not one but two beagles they named Max and Darby. Also, about the challenges they went through rehabilitating the puppies, and how these two lovable dogs became a wonderful part of their family and found their forever homes.
For those that might not remember, an undercover investigation discovered the cruel experiments being done on Beagles by the NIH labs run by Fauci, RedState reported. Some of the painful medical experiments being performed on the pups can be found here and are truly heartbreaking.
In 2022, RedState also reported on the massive rescue of 4,000 Beagles living in “deplorable” conditions at the facility in Cumberland, VA. That year, a federal judge approved a request by the Justice Department and the Humane Society to remove them. The puppies were sent to animal shelters across the country to find homes.
[ZeroHedge] The FBI launched an investigation last week into security violations at the NIH’s Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick following several dangerous incidents in which a contractor cut holes in an employee’s biocontainment suit designed to protect against infection from pathogens such as Ebola, according to interviews and documents viewed by The DisInformation Chronicle.
Violations of safety protocol at the research facility were uncovered by Jeffrey Taubenberger on his first day as Acting Director of the NIAID,
…another reason to be grateful the country elected Donald Trump — and overcame the traditional Democrat margin of fraud….
the NIH Institute formerly run by Anthony Fauci. Fort Detrick houses multiple government germ labs, including the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. The Army’s lab was shut down in 2009 and again in 2019, both times due to safety concerns.
“Many issues have been known for months if not years and previous NIAID leadership did nothing about it,” explained an NIH official, detailing problems at the facility which was described as having a “poor culture of safety.”
Incidents in November and March occurred under the watch of NIAID Director Jeanne Marrazzo, who was let go last month during a round of federal cuts. The NIH also uncovered poor documentation of select agents, with logs not matching inventory, although all missing vials have apparently been accounted for.
An NIH employee leaked an incomplete email to Wired Magazine last week which ran a story that downplayed safety breaches and accused Secretary Robert F. Kennedy of shutting the lab down as part of “the latest disruption to federal science agencies.” The article quoted Johns Hopkins researcher Gigi Gronvall complaining that the lab shut down would harm research and cost taxpayer money.
“The sacrifice to research is immense,” Gigi Gronvall told Wired. “If things are unused for a period of time, it will cost more money to get them ready to be used again.”
Wired’s science editor, Tim Marchman, did not respond to questions asking why Wired’s story downplayed security violations and culture of poor safety, nor did he explain whether the magazine plans to correct or update their reporting. Gronvall has been an ardent supporter of dangerous gain-of-function virus research, much of which was ended yesterday with an executive order signed by President Trump.
Gronvall did not respond to questions asking if she felt a lab that studies deadly infectious diseases such as SARS-COV-2, the Ebola virus, Lassa Fever and Eastern equine encephalitis should be shut down following dangerous safety breaches.
Over the weekend, Fox News reported that the lab shut down stemmed from a lover's spat between researchers in March. One of the individuals retaliated by poking holes in the other person’s personal protective equipment (PPE), and was then fired.
Sterilization by boiling in oil would be appropriate…
Leadership at the facility have been put on leave and the NIH expects the FBI to brief officials after finishing their investigation.
Animals present in the NIH facility are said to be uninfected and under veterinary care. An NIH official stated that no research with pathogens will move forward until a full evaluation and restructuring of the program is completed.
[JustTheNews] Dr. Roger Pielke Jr., retired professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, published a study in Nature last summer, arguing that the methodology NOAA uses in the tally lacks scientific integrity.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will no longer update its tally of weather and climate-related disasters that produce more than $1 billion in damage.
“In alignment with evolving priorities, statutory mandates, and staffing changes, NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) will no longer be updating the Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters product,” the agency states in a banner on the top of the website housing the data.
When the annual updates were posted, they received widespread media attention, portraying the rising cost of damages as an indication that the weather is becoming more extreme. The tally is often cited by climate policymakers and climate activists calling for regulations.
Dr. Roger Pielke Jr., retired professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, published a study in Nature last summer, arguing that the methodology NOAA uses in the tally lacks scientific integrity.
NOAA responded to the study in August, saying it “will take actions to improve the documentation and transparency of the data set for greater compliance with NOAA’s Information Quality Guidelines.”
According to the announcement, all past reports from 1980 to 2025 and their underlying data will remain authoritative, archived, and available online.
#2
A related rates problem... the increasing ratio of land mass under development, coupled with the decreasing real value of the dollar due to inflation, and a pretty soon a F1 tornado in Texas will cost us a billion dollars.
Where do you keep your money?
[BBC] About 1.2m people in the UK were affected by banking outages that happened on what was pay day for many earlier this year.
The details have emerged in letters from Lloyds, TSB, Nationwide and HSBC to Dame Meg Hillier, the chair of the Commons Treasury Committee, which is looking into the incident that occurred on Friday, 28 February.
HSBC also revealed that customers had to wait two hours on average that day to reach its online customer service team. Its standard target wait time is five minutes.
In their correspondence, the banks said they had paid compensation to affected customers and also outlined what they were doing to try to prevent similar problems in the future.
PAY DAY PROBLEMS
Lloyds Banking Group customers faced the biggest impact from the February outages.
Ron van Kemenade, the bank's group chief operating officer, said around 700,000 people who are customers of Lloyds, Halifax, Bank of Scotland and MBNA were affected as they couldn't log into their accounts on a first attempt.
However Mr van Kemenade argued it did not amount to an outage, as there were five million successful logins during the period of disruption.
Nonetheless, the bank said it was improving its log-in infrastructure and monitoring systems following the incident.
The letters from the banks revealed about 250,000 TSB customers, 196,255 from Nationwide and 60,000 from HSBC also faced disruption on that morning.
The banks have paid out over £114,000 in compensation to customers so far, with Nationwide (£84,341) paying the most.
All the banks said there was no evidence of an increase in fraudulent activity during the disruption, and said there was also no indication that outages were more prevalent at some times - such as pay days - than at other periods.
FINE AND FAILING INFRASTRUCTURE
The pay day outage was far from the only IT problem the banking sector has experienced.
In March, it emerged that nine major banks and building societies operating in the UK accumulated at least 803 hours - the equivalent of 33 days - of tech outages in the past two years.
The Treasury Committee - which has been investigating the impact of banking IT failures - compelled Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Nationwide, Santander, NatWest, Danske Bank, Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Bank to provide the data.
The report also said Barclays could now face compensation payments of £12.5m following an outage there that affected customers on pay day in January.
Experts including Patrick Burgess of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, and Shilpa Doreswamy, a director with GFT, a company committed to the digital transformation of the financial sector, have stated that the recent outages reveal the problems banks have with ageing infrastructure and failing IT systems.
Ms Doreswamy told the BBC on Thursday that payday outages were "not just a case of unfortunate timing" but also predictable, preventable events.
"They've highlighted the need for banks to invest in IT modernisation to prevent the eroding of customer trust," she said.
Not acting to reduce the possibility of downtime or frustration for customers - particularly during high-demand periods - could potentially see banks risk their reputation and losing customers, Ms Doreswamy added.
"When customers can't access their wages, pay bills or run their businesses, the impact is not just financial, it becomes deeply personal."
[BBC] A judge declared a mistrial after the jury was unable to reach a verdict in the murder trial of a Michigan police officer who fatally shot a black man during a traffic stop.
Christopher Schurr was charged with second-degree murder for the killing of 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on 4 April 2022.
The killing of Mr Lyoya, a Congolese immigrant, sparked widespread protests and put the question of racial injustice and policing in the spotlight.
"It hurts. My family, my wife, we are bleeding," Mr Lyoya's father said after the judge declared mistrial on Thursday. "We will continue to fight until we get the true justice for Patrick."
The mistrial is a partial victory for Mr Schurr, who still could face another trial.
The 4 April incident was caught in graphic detail and from multiple angles on a police bodycam and dashboard camera, an eyewitness' phone and a doorbell security system from a nearby home.
Footage shows Mr Lyoya fleeing from Mr Schurr on foot following a traffic stop. The two men scuffle over Mr Schurr's Taser before he shoots Mr Lyoya, who was face-down on the ground.
The scuffle over the Taser was central to Mr Schurr's defence, who testified that he was in great fear because a Taser can cause "excruciating pain" and injury.
"I believed that if I hadn't done it at that time, I wasn't going to go home," Mr Schurr said of shooting Mr Lyoya.
Mr Schurr, an officer in the Grand Rapids police department for seven years, was fired soon after he was charged in 2022.
Patrick Lyoya came to the US with his family from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2014. He had lived in Grand Rapids for about five years, according to the office of civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing the Lyoya family.
The mistrial comes just one day after three former Memphis police officers were acquitted of murder in the killing of Tyre Nichols, a black man who was beaten during a traffic stop in 2023.
The majority of Leo’s posts on the X platform are related to or in support of Catholic news and church initiatives. He rarely writes original content, but a look back through his social media timeline shows numerous posts sharing viewpoints opposed to moves aimed at restricting acceptance of migrants and refugees in the US.
So pro-life/anti-abortion, believes in only two sexes, but also chastised the Trump administration for not welcoming illegals and refugees. That the new pope was a registered Republican when he served here in America is immaterial.
[Breitbart] Venezuela’s “Little Devils” gangsters in New York have been arrested more than 240 times, yet they are constantly released back to the streets, New York Police Assistant Chief Jason Savino told New Yorkers.
During his press conference, Savino said officers have arrested 37 members of Los Diablos de 42 — or Little Devils of 42nd Street — hundreds of times and that they are also part of the dangerous Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
“Of those 37, we have over 240 arrests of those 37 individuals. That’s almost six [arrests] apiece,” Savino said.
Savino also noted the gang specifically recruits very young people in an attempt to skirt the justice system.
“Now, we’re seeing that structure. There’s actually kick-ups where people are recruiting these younger members as young as 11, and they’ve been described as some of these robbery incidents as young as 8-years-old,” Savino said.
New York Councilwoman Vickie Paladino was disgusted by the statistics and pointed out that “all are here illegally” and that “none turned over for deportation despite hundreds of arrests and releases”:
Savino’s comments came after members of this dangerous gang blatantly attacked several NYPD officers in broad daylight in Times Square.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch reported the officers were targeted in a “wolfpack-style robbery” and were “ambushed, pelted with scooters, basketballs and other makeshift weapons. This was a targeted attack,” CBS News reported.
Democrat Mayor Eric Adams excoriated the attackers. “When someone openly assaults a police officer, you are attacking our symbol of safety, and it cannot be tolerated,” Adams said.
Officials credited the NYPD’s gang database for helping to identify the gangsters who attacked police and that information helped officials identify many of the attackers in short order.
However, many councilmen are joining local migrant activists in calls to have that database discontinued and barred from use.
Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, for one, has called for an end to the gang database and has called it a tool of harassment.
Legal Aid Society activist Matthew Brodwith went further and called the gang database a “racist tool” that “disproportionately targets young people of color with little to no evidence of criminal involvement.”
#2
Savino also noted the gang specifically recruits very young people in an attempt to skirt the justice system.
No duh. This is not new. None of it is new. All of it was predicted to happen here by people who were shouted over. Now officials are in the 'gosh golly gee how did this happen?' mode, which they created.
The battle of the centibillionaires for the soul of America.
[Breitbart] Creepy Bill Gates claims that Elon Musk will be responsible for “killing the world’s poorest children” through his work leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with rooting out wasteful government spending.
The Microsoft co-founder told the Financial Times that Musk will be responsible for “killing the world’s poorest children” by dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The government is no longer throwing money at Mr. Gates’ vaccination NGOs, finding others better fitted the work, So Mr. Gates will have to give away more of his own money to accomplish his goals because he can no longer leverage government spending on his pet projects…
As Breitbart News reported, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in March that 83 percent of the programs directly funded and administered by USAID had been canceled, as their funding was deemed as antithetical to the core interests of the United States.
“The 5,200 contracts that are now cancelled spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, (and in some cases even harmed), the core national interests of the United States,” Rubio said at the time.
The remaining 18 percent of programs, the Secretary of State added, would be retained and “administered more effectively under the State Department.”
Gates, who claims to be concerned about “global health,” continued his fearmongering in an interview with Reuters, where he claimed “the last 25 years” — which notably included the Chinese coronavirus pandemic — have “been miraculous.”
#3
I have a vague recollection of either Bill or his Foundation going on about the dangers of overpopulation. If overpopulation is still a thing, would not killing the world's poorest children be a solution?
Or maybe we could teach the poors to read and write so they can get jobs in one of Elon's factories and no longer be poor.
#4
The US Liberals, Socialists and New Age Democrats have killed/aborted since 1973: 65,464,760+ US children.
That is more than Hitler and Stalin killed of Jewish Blood combined.
Yet the LSD's try to call MAGA's leaders/Voters Nazis.
Hell, they lead the way in bankrupting the USA.
Here are the projected figures of the US Government budget 4 years from now.
UNLESS TRUMP/DOGE get it under control.
Watch for DC Swamp, $$$$$$, elites and Political leaders, to dump, steal/fleece and flee in numbers as the US collapses.
[Breitbart] “You don’t do it legally,” Hawley said of Pelosi’s acquisition of wealth. “And here’s the thing, Nancy Pelosi and her husband last year, in 2024, beat every hedge fund in the nation, practically. So, either Nancy Pelosi is a mathematical and financial analyst genius… or maybe, maybe the information that she’s privy to turns out to be pretty darn valuable.”
#3
Dianne Feinstein-Blum was no slouch. From Wikipedia:
In 2003, Feinstein was ranked the fifth-wealthiest senator, with an estimated net worth of $26 million.[272] Her net worth increased to between $43 and $99 million by 2005. Her 347-page financial-disclosure statement, characterized by the San Francisco Chronicle as "nearly the size of a phone book", claimed to draw clear lines between her assets and her husband's, with many of her assets in blind trusts.
[Breitbart] ICE officials detained an illegal migrant in Georgia after she was caught violating multiple driving laws — but she is a good-looking college student with an illegal migrant family, so she is getting extra doses of media sympathy.
The Daily Mail has a photo of her in graduation regalia, so she is well-prepared to embark on adulthood in the country she left at age four.
The Daily Mail’s headline announced: “Glamorous college student made an illegal turn at a red light and landed in an ICE detention facility.”
The New York Post wrote: “Georgia college student faces deportation after running red light — police discover her entire family has been living illegally in US for years.”
“Ximena Arias-Cristobal: Georgia College Student to be Deported after She Ran Red Light that Revealed Her Entire Family Are Illegal Immigrants,” declared the International Business Times.
The Post filled out the story:
Mexican-national Ximena Arias-Cristobal, 19, was pulled over by police in Dalton, Ga. on May 5 when she failed to adhere to a “no turn on red” sign … a Dalton State Community College student, [she] was driving without a driver’s license but told officers she had an international driver’s license, according to WTVC, citing the arrest report.
She admitted that she didn’t have the foreign document when Dalton police officers asked her to show it, claiming that her mother had taken it away from her and said she was not supposed to be driving.
In 2010, Arias-Cristobal was brought into the US illegally by her parents when she was only 4 years old during the family’s move from Mexico City to the Dalton area — over 30 miles from the Tennessee and Georgia border.
The Daily Mail revealed that her dad had already been detained for deportation after being caught speeding:
In a cruel twist of fate, Arias-Cristobal is being held in the same facility as her father, Jose Francisco Arias-Tovar who was detained in Tunnel Hill two weeks ago for speeding.
Attorney Terry Olsen said that it’s likely Arias-Cristobal’s mother will be ‘arrested or detained within a month or so.’
On a GoFundMe for the teen, Hannah Jones said Arias-Cristobal had babysat her children for years, and added: ‘We adore her.’ Jones told the news outlet that the teenager is ‘the most precious human’ and believed her international license allowed her to drive legally.
“My cousin’s dearest friend, Ximena Arias-Cristobal, is facing an unthinkable situation,” says the GoFundMe site. “After a traffic stop for turning right on a red light in Dalton [GA] on Monday, a 19-year-old Dalton State student is now facing possible deportation.”
The episode still leaves President Donald Trump’s ICE agency with roughly 15 million more deportations to accomplish amid a deliberately tangled, slow-moving legal deportation process.
‘Trump was elected to increase deportations and he has sought to use every possible means to do so,” lawyer Jonathan Turley wrote on his website on May 3, adding:
In courtrooms across the country, the nation seems trapped in a type of Squatter Syndrome, a macro version of the housing [squatter] cases. The slowness of the removal process is being used to keep millions in the country indefinitely. It may prove to be President Joe Biden’s most lasting legacy, a de facto residency by simply overwhelming the system by the sheer number of unlawful entries.
…
It may be the greatest political scam ever pulled on the American people. The polls show that an overwhelming percentage of the public favors the deportation of aliens with criminal records and roughly half support mass deportations of those here unlawfully. According to a new Associated Press-NORC poll, roughly half of the country still approves of Trump’s handling of immigration.
“The public deserves a better system that can handle a crisis of millions of unlawful immigrants … Otherwise, we become a type of squatter nation where our inefficient legal system is being used to make a mockery of our laws,” he wrote.
[Breitbart] Giorgia Meloni said: “Now I will be defined racist, but there is one higher incidence, unfortunately in cases of sexual violence, by people immigrate, especially illegally, because when you have nothing there is a degeneration that can lead to everywhere.”
No doubt DOD medical spending will drop noticeably as a result, leaving more funds for bullets.
[Breitbart] The Pentagon is taking upwards of 1,000 military personnel who openly self-identify as transgender out of immediate service.
The separation began Thursday at the same time those who have yet to step forward as transgender have been granted 30 days to depart of their own volition.
The Department of Defense (DOD) has also begun searching medical records to reveal others who haven’t declared as it challenges the long-held establishment media narrative that some 15,000 transgender military personnel now serve.
These moves come on the back of Tuesday’s Supreme Court decision allowing the Trump administration to enforce a long-promised ban on transgender individuals in the military, as Breitbart News reported.
In a brief order, SCOTUS justices granted an emergency request to “lift a nationwide injunction blocking the policy.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who issued the latest memo confirming the separation action, made his views clear on X after the court’s decision, declaring “TRANS is out at the DOD:
AP reports DOD officials have said it’s difficult to determine exactly how many transgender service members there are, but medical records will show those who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, who show symptoms or are being treated.
Officials have said that as of Dec. 9, 2024, there were 4,240 troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria in the active duty, National Guard and Reserve. But they acknowledge the number may be higher.
[PJ] Last week, I wrote about how Trump’s pick of Mike Waltz for UN ambassador was the ultimate trolling of the left. I even suggested that Trump could up the ante by nominating Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn to replace Waltz. Flynn, a seasoned intel veteran, was one of the earliest and most high-profile victims of the Democrats’ Russia hoax. Whether Trump goes that route remains to be seen, but it would be a power play.
And it looks like Flynn is on board.
During an interview on "The Benny Show," with Benny Johnson, Flynn declared he’s prepared to return to the role of national security advisor under President Trump—if called upon.
Flynn, who briefly held the post at the start of Trump’s first term before being railroaded by the Deep State, left little doubt about his willingness to serve again.
"I am ready to serve," Flynn said, referencing a post he made on social media that stirred speculation about his return. "The first question—yes. The second question—no," he added, confirming that while he hasn’t been contacted yet by Trump directly, his hat is firmly in the ring.
"I’ve been watching everything, listening, and observing intensely," Flynn explained. "We are in a place where we cannot afford to have, as Trump likes to say, unforced errors. We cannot afford to drop a glass ball right now."
Flynn emphasized that despite not being in government anymore, he has never stopped serving the country. "I’m serving now, Benny. I serve in just a different way... I’ve been engaging people in government. I’m still out doing stuff," he said. "That’s my message to every American: How are you serving this country?"
#1
for you pro-Flynn types, please look up "Flynn Intel Group" which Flynn founded with his pal Stanley McChrystal
Did this w/o registering under Foreign Agent Registration Act.
Granted that FARA is routinely violated.
Granted that he registered retroactively.
Granted that he didn't make that much money (certainly less than Hunter Biden).
Granted that prior to this he served honorably.
Still it smells.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
05/09/2025 12:02
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#2
FARA would not apply to 'walk in' reporting or clandestine agents of the Federal Gov.
#5
Subtle B, but not a lot! I get that in DC you can hardly take a step without getting stuff on your shoe, but the Turkish connection is troubling on several levels. Still, he has a lot of payback to offload and that would be delicious to watch!
[AP] Japan’s top automaker Toyota reported record sales for the fiscal year through March on Thursday, but its profit for the latest quarter faltered partly because of a certification scandal.
Toyota Motor Corp.’s January-March net profit totaled 664.6 billion yen ($4.6 billion), down from 997.6 billion yen the same period a year ago. Quarterly sales totaled 12.36 trillion yen ($85.9 billion), up from 11 trillion yen.
Toyota has been strengthening the testing system of its vehicles after acknowledging wide-ranging fraudulent testing, including the use of inadequate or outdated data in crash tests, incorrect testing of airbag inflation and engine power checks.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] A car crashed into a crowd of fans during the celebration of the victory of the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) club over Arsenal in a Champions League football match. The incident occurred near the Champs-Elysees in Paris, Le Parisien newspaper reported.
As a result, at least three people were injured. They were hospitalized, one of the victims is in critical condition.
"As fans celebrated their team's victory over Arsenal at the Parc des Princes stadium, a black sedan drove into the crowd for unknown reasons, hitting several people," the article says.
After the incident, dozens of fans chased the car. The car was later found burned out a few meters from the crash site. There are no reports of the driver or people in the car being detained.
The return match of the Champions League semi-final between PSG and London's Arsenal took place on May 7 and ended with a score of 2:1. After the victory of the Parisian club, its fans staged mass riots. The fans smashed and set fire to shop windows, threw stones at the police, and also used pyrotechnics. In response, law enforcement officers used tear gas and batons. It is reported that 43 people were arrested.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The White House may announce a reduction in customs duties on goods from China from 145% to 50% next week. This was reported on May 8 by the New York Post.
“While negotiations are ongoing, they are going to reduce them (duties. — Ed.) to 50%,” the publication’s source said.
It is noted that trade talks between delegations from Washington and Beijing will take place in Switzerland at the end of the week. According to the newspaper, the discussion process will be lengthy.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on May 8, US President Donald Trump said that Washington would eventually reduce import duties on Chinese goods. According to him, the tariffs have reached their limit and cannot go higher. In April, the head of the White House also noted that duties would be reduced, but not to 0%.
On April 28, the Wall Street Journal also reported that Trump's tariffs were a "gift" to Chinese President Xi Jinping. It was noted that the measures gave Beijing the opportunity to attract many countries, as China emerged as a more reliable giant market.
#1
at 145% the tariffs were probably bringing in almost no revenue
cutting to 50% will start the flow of revenue again
sort of like the Philips curve for income taxes
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
05/09/2025 11:53
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#2
Trump doesn’t want tariffs, he wants trade negotiations. China finally agreed to sit down at the table and while those negotiations are ongoing, the tariffs were cut back.
Posted by: Difar Dave ||
05/09/2025 21:00
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#3
President Trump also wants to decouple the American economy from China, which is actively predatory when it isn’t shaping its future — in its view inevitable — conquest of America and the world.
A leader with @TempleUniv’s Students for Justice in Palestine, a far-left extremist group, explains that the movement must use the tactics of terrorism to destroy universities and later, to destroy the U.S. itself. pic.twitter.com/7UbnrhfMf5
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
05/09/2025 12:53
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#5
From Kunstler today: "Ms. Pirro was a Westchester County, New York, judge, and then elected District Attorney, so she knows how to work criminal cases. The interim appointment runs 120 days. In theory, Mr. Trump can appoint a new Interim US Attorney every 120 days, and keep rotating them until the cows come home — each successive one with the same support staff of assistant US attorneys underneath, the same cases ongoing, and the same trove of evidence catalogued.
All of which is to say, the blob officials and lawfare stormtroopers are mistaken to think that their ongoing circus of legalistic monkey business has somehow gained immunity from appraisal, investigation, and prosecution by de-railing Ed Martin. The cases themselves are bigger than any one particular US attorney and have a momentum of their own as the nation struggles to overcome the organized assault on the law itself that lawfare represents."
"...in his 100-plus days as Interim US Attorney for DC, Mr. Martin assembled quite a portfolio of evidence around the manifold blob wrong-doings of the past decade, but especially the treachery of the J-6 / 2021 blob operation at the US Capitol, and the ensuing cover-up of all that, including the intel community’s role in it, the perfidy and perjuries of Chris Wray, Merrick Garland, Nancy Pelosi and others, and the gong show of lies and villainy that was the House J-6 committee chaired by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), (with remedial support from Adam Schiff, Liz Cheney, Jamie Raskin, (and, backstage as always, lawfare ninjas Norm Eisen, Mary McCord, Marc Elias, Ben Wittes, and Andrew Weissmann)."
The problem has to be attacked both on the wholesale and retail levels — DOGE does not discover all. Strip out the individuals as they reveal themselves.
[FoxNews] 'Cameron Hamilton is no longer serving in this capacity,' a FEMA spokesperson confirmed
The acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is no longer with the agency — just a day after telling lawmakers that cutting FEMA, as President Donald Trump has proposed, is a bad move.
Cameron Hamilton, who previously served as a hospital corpsman in the U.S. Navy with SEAL Team 8, has led FEMA since January.
"Effective today, David Richardson is now serving as the Senior Official Performing the duties of the FEMA Administrator," a FEMA spokesperson said in a Thursday email to Fox News Digital. "Cameron Hamilton is no longer serving in this capacity."
Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Troy Edgar and Trump advisor Corey Lewandowski requested Hamilton appear at Homeland Security headquarters on Thursday morning and informed him of his ouster, Politico reported.
FBI Director Kash Patel told lawmakers Wednesday that a White House proposal to cut the agency’s budget was $1 billion short – but then he walked the statement back on Thursday.
#2
Kinda split on this.
FEMA serves a much-needed purpose, but has been politically corrupted and hijacked.
But, how to eliminate the Politics and insure FAST unbiased emergency support for US Citizens. While tracking how issues are handled and every penny is spent, in a way that the general-public see is a must.
Eg Western North Carolina and the FEMA workers refusing help / assistance to homes and persons with MAGA/Trump signage..
#4
Before FEMA the national agency responsible was DoD. They were happy to unload the mission that didn't come with funding. FEMA became what the Postal Service was before it was spun off as 'semi-independent', a place for political patronage.
#5
#3 what governors need from the National Guard are military police, engineers, transportation, and medical units but those are generally in the Army Reserve force structure. The NG force structure is largely combat units. It's great for tradition and history, but not functionality.
Photos and video at the link. Kudos to the NYPD for their handling of the spoilt, vicious idiots — and the hope that there is plenty of information for the FBI, Homeland Security, and the State Department to act on..
[FoxNews] Brooklyn College told Fox News that the agitators were removed after they violated school policy
Chaos and wild brawls broke out at a New York City university on Thursday evening after pro-Palestinian activists tried setting up an encampment on college grounds.
New York Police Department (NYPD) officers were dispatched to Brooklyn College after anti-Israel agitators refused to take down their tents. Videos show activists, many of whom were wearing keffiyehs, yelling and swearing as police officers attempted to get the unruly crowd under control.
In an emotionally charged portion of the video, police pulled back a man's shirt and tased him as he screamed.
An officer urged a woman to take her child away from the scene.
Another clip shows police officers restraining protesters on the ground as demonstrators scream and attempt to intervene.
"The cops are out of control," a woman is heard saying.
She is clearly projecting. Or in blunt Anglo-Saxon, she’s a lying liar who lies.
Brooklyn College told Fox News that the protesters "erected tents on the Brooklyn College quad in violation of college policy."
"After multiple warnings to take the tents down and disperse, members of CUNY Public Safety and NYPD removed the tents and dispersed the crowd," the statement added.
"The safety of our campus community will always be paramount, and Brooklyn College respects the right to protest while also adhering to strict rules meant to ensure the safe operation of our University and prohibit individuals from impeding access to educational facilities."
#1
Tasing? Okay I guess, but it puts the police in a precarious position. Tasers (usually) are single shot and have to be reloaded. Maybe rubber bullets (they hit hard) but not bean bags; single shot again. Riot batons maybe.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
05/09/2025 4:21
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#2
Riot batons maybe
Hickory shampoo to the keffiyeh
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/09/2025 6:05
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[IsraelTimes] A wanted Palestinian gunman was killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank city of Nablus a short while ago, the IDF, police, and Shin Bet say.
Undercover Border Police officers entered Nablus to detain a member of the former Lion’s Den terror group,
…established by local members of various terror groups, including Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, led by one Ibrahim Nabulsi, a wanted Palestinian gunman who was killed almost immediately in an Israeli raid in Nablus. In our archives as Lions Den and Lion’s Den, because at Rantburg apostrophes matter.…
who was allegedly planning attacks.
According to police, the officers covertly reached the area where the suspect was and identified him as armed. The officers opened fire, killing the wanted man.
A handgun and cash were found on his body, and a tactical vest was found in his car, police say.
Another wanted Palestinian was detained by the forces in the area and handed over to the Shin Bet for questioning, the statement says.
During the operation, troops opened fire on Palestinians hurling explosives and shooting at the forces. No Israeli forces were hurt, the statement adds.
[IsraelTimes] Overnight, Israeli security forces say they detained a Palestinian suspected of carrying out yesterday’s shooting attack near the Reihan checkpoint in the northern West Bank that seriously wounded two reservists.
Officers of the police’s elite Gideonim unit (Unit 33), alongside IDF troops, surrounded a home in the nearby village of Barta’a, following intelligence on the suspect’s whereabouts provided by the Shin Bet.
The suspect turned himself in to the officers, the police, IDF, and Shin Bet say in a joint statement.
[IsraelTimes] The Lebanese newspaper Al-Nahar reports that Hezbollah is experiencing internal dissension over whether to take disciplinary action against senior figures in the organization.
The report says that the group is debating whether to take action against senior members of the organization’s top leadership body, the Shura Council, in response to military losses and internal political difficulties stemming from the conflict with Israel that ended in a ceasefire late last year, which has held despite periodic violence in what both sides have said constitute violations.
According to the report, Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, is attempting to navigate between two factions – one advocating for punitive measures against senior leaders, and another opposing such actions.
The report adds that Qassem seeks to preserve the party’s current institutional structure.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] During Comrade Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow, in addition to agreements on strengthening strategic cooperation between Russia and China, a large number of agreements were signed.
1. Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China on Further Deepening their Comprehensive Partnership and Strategic Cooperation in the New Era in Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War, the Victory of the Chinese People in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the Founding of the United Nations
2. Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China on Global Strategic Stability
3. Joint Declaration of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China on Further Strengthening Cooperation to Uphold the Authority of International Law
4. Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Promotion and Mutual Protection of Investments and Letters Constituting an Understanding between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Application of Measures, the Introduction of Which is Regulated by the Rules of the World Trade Organization on National Security Exceptions, General Exceptions, and Prudential Measures
5. Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Establishment of a Bilateral Consultative Commission on Ensuring Biological Security 6.
Protocol between the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Russian Federation) and the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China on compliance with inspection and quarantine requirements for rye flour exported from the Russian Federation to the People's Republic of China
7. Protocol between the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Russian Federation) and the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China on compliance with inspection and quarantine requirements for the export of semolina from the Russian Federation to the People's Republic of China
8. Protocol on Amendments to the Protocol between the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Russian Federation) and the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China on phytosanitary requirements for medicinal plant materials for Chinese medicine exported from the Russian Federation to the People's Republic of China, dated May 24, 2023
9. Memorandum between the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and of the Russian Federation and the State Data Administration of the People's Republic of China on cooperation in the field of digital transformation and digital economy
10. Memorandum between the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China on cooperation in the field of creation and development of scientific installations of the "megascience" class
11. Action Plan in the Field of Joint Film Production between the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the State Film Administration of the People's Republic of China until 2030
12. Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Russian Federation) and the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration of the People's Republic of China on Cooperation in the Field of Combating Infectious Diseases
13. Memorandum of Understanding between the Roscosmos State Space Corporation and the China National Space Administration on Cooperation in the Field of Creating a Lunar Power Station for the International Scientific Lunar Station
14. Cooperation Agreement between the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Russian Direct Investment Fund Management Company, and Tsinghua University (People's Republic of China)
15. Memorandum of Understanding on Joint Cooperation between Moscow State University named after
16. Memorandum of Cooperation between Lomonosov Moscow State University and China Media Corporation 17.
Agreement on Strategic Cooperation between St. Petersburg State University and the State Administration of Foreign Specialists of the People's Republic of China
18. Agreement on Scientific Cooperation between the National Research University Higher School of Economics and Peking University
19. Agreement on Cooperation between the National Research University Higher School of Economics (Russian Federation) and Peking University (People's Republic of China) on the Establishment of the BRICS Research Platform
20. Agreement on Cooperation between the National Research University Higher School of Economics and Tsinghua University
21. Memorandum of Understanding between the D.I. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia and the University Tsinghua (People's Republic of China)
22. Memorandum on deepening cooperation between the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company" (VGTRK) and the China Media Corporation
23. Memorandum between the International Information Agency "Russia Today" and the Xinhua News Agency (People's Republic of China) on holding the Expert Forum of the SCO countries
24. Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation between the Russia Today TV Channel and the China Media Corporation
25. Memorandum on Strategic Cooperation between Russia Today TV Channel and Xinhua News Agency (People's Republic of China)
26. Memorandum of Cooperation between National Media Group and China Media Corporation
27. Memorandum on Cooperation in the Field of News between Gazprom-Media Holding Joint-Stock Company and Xinhua News Agency (People's Republic of China)
28. Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation between the All-Russian Public Movement of Children and Youth "Movement of the First" and the All-China Youth Federation (2025-2026)
In general, China is now interested in strengthening relations with the Russian Federation, since Beijing sees both increased pressure from the United States and attempts to tear Russia away from China, which the United States views through the prism of a repeat of Nixon's maneuver of the 1970s, when the United States, in the interests of increasing pressure on the USSR, went to normalize relations with China. Now the US is trying to do roughly the same thing, only the other way around.
Russia is interested in strengthening cooperation with China, as this makes it possible to easily avoid economic and political isolation and jointly promote the ideas of multipolarity. And plus, China's indirect assistance in conducting the SVO should not be underestimated either. Without Chinese drones, chips, controllers and various microelectronics, it would be much harder for us.
P.S. And a joint lunar base project in the 2030s looks ambitious and interesting.
More from regnum.ru Putin and Xi Jinping order to accelerate construction of Power of Siberia 2
During talks in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the leaders of the countries instructed to speed up the construction of the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters about this.
"We discussed it, it is a really important project, so a certain part of the work related to the feasibility study has already been done. Now the final negotiations are underway between the companies regarding the economic conditions. The leaders gave instructions to speed up this work," he answered the corresponding question.
At the same time, Novak clarified that during the negotiations, a possible adjustment to the gas pipeline route through Mongolia was not discussed.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, during the meeting Putin called energy the locomotive of Russian-Chinese relations. He noted that in 2024 Russia, the leader in oil exports to China, took first place in pipeline gas supplies, second place in shipments, and third place in liquefied natural gas exports.
The Russian leader also stated that new joint initiatives between Russia and China in the energy sector are already “on the way”: in particular, the launch of the Far Eastern gas route is expected in 2027, which will supply China with up to 10 billion cubic meters per year, and in China itself, construction of Russian-designed nuclear power plants is underway.
Even more from regnum.ru Putin: Russia and China Suffered the Greatest Losses in World War II
It was Russia and China that suffered the greatest losses during World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled this during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Kremlin.
"Having gone through unprecedented hardships, having experienced all the horrors of war, our peoples accomplished a great feat and were able to restore peace. At the same time, as is known, they suffered the greatest losses," the Russian leader noted.
Putin added that now Russia and China are jointly and consistently advocating for the preservation of the historical truth about the Great Victory as a common value for all of humanity, and are also jointly opposing attempts to falsify history.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on April 30, Putin declared that Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War was a triumph for the Russian and Soviet peoples, highlighting the special role of the RSFSR. He reported that all the peoples of the Soviet Union made a huge contribution, the war affected almost every family, and the RSFSR's losses in the war amounted to about 70%.
Earlier, the Russian leader noted that Victory Day is one of the most significant holidays in Russia and many republics of the former Soviet Union. The defeat of fascism in that war is their common heritage.
[IsraelTimes] Transportation Minister Miri Regev is holding an emergency meeting with the heads of Israeli carriers after almost all foreign airlines temporarily suspended service to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, leaving thousands of Israelis stranded abroad.
Regev, together with Economy Minister Nir Barkat and Israel Airports Authority officials, is meeting with the heads of Israeli flagship carrier El Al and smaller local airlines Israir, Arkia, and Air Haifa to discuss assistance solutions to help bring back Israelis from overseas.
“In a time of national emergency, I expect Israeli airlines to show responsibility and refrain from exploiting the situation, and unfair price increases for Israeli consumers so that we don’t have to activate the regulatory tools at our disposal,” says Barkat. “Israeli aviation companies must show solidarity and act out of a mission and not burden the public.”
Among the measures under discussion with local carriers are reducing ticket price restrictions for major destinations and preparing for the activation of emergency plans in case of another wave of cancellations.
Most foreign airlines servicing Israel this week canceled their flights to Israel shortly after a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthis struck inside the grounds of Ben Gurion International Airport on Sunday.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] Another "ceasefire" started at night, which should last from the night of May 8 to May 11.
The enemy did not officially accept it, but in fact the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the front received orders to cease fire.
De facto, it is being carried out in much the same way as the previous "Easter truce".
In some areas of the front, everything has practically died down, in others the shelling has continued, but its intensity has decreased, and in some places the fighting has not stopped, like the same Tetkino area and the border of the Kursk and Sumy regions.
In the next 24 hours it will become clear how long this situation will last in the following days, since the desire to somehow screw up May 9 is inescapable among the Kiev Nazis.
I would not expect a complete ceasefire, rather there will be a regime - we fight here, we don't fight there, and after May 10 everything will continue as usual.
More from regnum.ru Ukrainian Armed Forces Militants Renew Attacks in Kursk Border Region – 1169th Day of the SVO
The enemy does not abandon attempts to capture the border areas of the Kursk region. The enemy's logistics routes in the Tyotkinsky and Glushkov directions are strewn with destroyed equipment and corpses of occupiers, the Telegram channel of the "North" group of forces reported on May 8.
It is specified that yesterday the "northerners" repelled seven enemy attempts to break through our defense in these two directions. This news marked the new, 1169th day of the special military operation (SVO) in Ukraine.
On April 26, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces General Valery Gerasimov reported to Supreme Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin that Kursk Oblast had been completely liberated from the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF). He specified that during the entire period of military operations, the UAF had lost over 76,000 people there.
"Zelensky and Syrsky (commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. — Note by Regnum News Agency ) continue to destroy the Ukrainian people in senseless "meat assaults". The genocide of the population of the former Soviet republic is carried out with only one goal - to preserve power for the expired president of Ukraine," note the fighters of the GV "North".
Their task is to expand the security zone in the Sumy region of Ukraine. The total advance of the "northerners" in the Sumy direction was over 2,600 meters.
Since the beginning of the day, 488 ceasefire violations have been recorded by the Ukrainian army.
"Along the entire line of combat contact, Ukrainian units carried out 173 attacks from barrel artillery, tanks and mortars on positions of our troops, as well as 4 using multiple launch rocket systems. In addition, 300 strikes and ammunition drops from unmanned aerial vehicles were carried out. A total of 488 ceasefire violations were recorded," the statement said.
The military department reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces made two attempts to break through the state border in the Kursk region, as well as an attack in the Dzerzhinsk area in the DPR. Kiev's destructive actions confirm its desire to prevent a peaceful settlement of the conflict, the Defense Ministry emphasized.
Russian troops have completely ceased hostilities and are strictly observing the ceasefire, while responding in kind to violations by Kiev, the department added.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Savin
A bad headline, since it was Pakistan who started the war by sending in their jihadis to commit an atrocity on specifically Hindu Indian civilians.
On the night of May 6-7, India launched precision missile strikes on the territory of Azad Kashmir, which is under Pakistani control, as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab.
A press release from the Indian Ministry of Defence issued immediately after the attack (the document is dated 01:44 a.m.) said the armed forces "conducted Operation Sindoor, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir… Nine targets were hit…
The action was targeted and non-escalatory… Pakistani military installations were not affected… This was in response to the barbaric terrorist attack in Pahalgam in which 25 Indians and one Nepalese citizen were killed.”
In response, the Pakistani Air Force was put on alert and artillery shelling began on Indian military deployment points in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to initial reports from the Pakistani side, they managed to shoot down three Rafale fighters of the Indian Air Force. Later, it was reported that in addition to the Rafales, a Su-30, a MiG-29 and a Heron attack drone were shot down.
In addition, it was said that the headquarters of the Indian armed forces brigade in Kashmir had been destroyed, and Indian strongholds where white flags had been displayed had been destroyed on the Line of Control (there is no official border, since both sides do not recognize each other's territorial claims).
It is worth noting that a few days before the incident, it became known that China had delivered a large batch of PL-15 air-to-air missiles to Pakistan, which were installed on JF-17 aircraft, and the squadrons were put on combat alert. The range of these missiles is 300 km. They were probably used to destroy the Indian aircraft.
As for the victims, Pakistan reported 31 killed and about 50 wounded. In Muzaffarabad, in Kashmir, an Indian missile destroyed a mosque and a madrassa.
It is significant that Indian media quoted Masood Azhar, the leader of the Jaish-e-Mohammed organization, which is based in Kashmir and is known for its anti-Indian activities. According to him, his wife, elder sister and her husband, and other relatives, ten people in all, were killed after the Indian missile attack.
If from India's point of view the operation was directed against terrorists, and this organization is such for India, then the position justifying selective strikes that kill civilians, possibly even those associated with the leaders of a radical organization, looks strange. Especially since the leader himself remained alive.
Most likely, the Indian military was trying to copy the methods of the Israelis, who often use targeted attacks against senior figures in the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance.
But in this case it looks like a clear failure, although the Indian side cites the names of the militant training camps that were allegedly hit.
In Pakistan, this version was immediately rejected, saying that international observers and journalists had previously visited these places and they did not see any “terrorist bases” there.
A similar incident occurred in 2019, when a suicide bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir was followed by strikes in Pakistani Kashmir.
However, now the attack has also hit areas within Pakistan's internationally recognised borders - Muridke, Bahawalpur and Sialkot. Pakistani authorities have therefore immediately accused India of aggression.
On the Indian side, 12 people were killed and about three dozen were injured. There were no reports of damage, but the loss of several aircraft was confirmed.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council and cancelled foreign visits planned for next week.
Civil defense exercises were held in states bordering Pakistan. Apparently, New Delhi was expecting a massive retaliatory strike from Pakistan.
Pakistan also held a National Security Council meeting, where the military was given free rein to use force. Pakistan's leadership declared its right to invoke Article 51 of the UN Charter on the right to self-defense.
President Asif Ali Zardari, among others, said that an appropriate response would be given. Pakistan's representative to the UN also briefed the Security Council on the details of the incident.
The Islamabad airport has been temporarily closed, with all flights diverted to Karachi. Some foreign airlines have suspended flights to Pakistan and have begun to bypass its territory. All airports in northern India have also been closed until May 10.
While this is not the first time that the two countries have had military conflicts and exchanges of blows, the current situation is somewhat different. It is reminiscent of the missile and drone exchanges between Israel and Iran in 2024, which, despite years of tension, did not escalate into a full-scale war.
Despite the good ties between the countries and the personal friendship between Narendra Modi and Donald Trump, it appears that the White House will not be supportive. The US has already called for de-escalation, and Trump has simply brushed off the issue in his comments, although he did call for a ceasefire on May 7.
India also cannot count on another proven military partner, Israel, since the Netanyahu regime is currently busy preparing a new large-scale operation against the Gaza Strip.
So it is unlikely that New Delhi will receive military assistance from these two countries.
India is also putting its credibility at risk in the Muslim-majority Global South, as criticism of the Modi government grows.
Pakistan's behavior looks more rational. At the same time, it can fully count on military-technical assistance from, at a minimum, China and Turkey. Not to mention the financial and diplomatic support of a number of monarchies in the Middle East.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir 's visit to New Delhi on May 8 may be aimed at brokering a ceasefire. His Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi is also in India.
Moreover, India's actions have united Pakistan's political parties, and while some continue to call for the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, there is unanimity on India's part to continue the fight.
At the same time, secret Indian documents were leaked. The first talks about India's unpreparedness to wage a conventional war due to low morale among its troops and the vulnerability of both civilian and military infrastructure. It was signed on April 26 but was leaked to the public two days later.
The second appeared on May 1 and is of more serious interest, as it could be interpreted as a guide to organizing a terrorist attack against Pakistan's own citizens with the aim of subsequently blaming Pakistan.
The leaks show that deep within the Indian establishment there are clear opponents of the current military escalation in particular and Modi's policies in general.
On the morning of May 8, a number of Indian media outlets began to claim that Amritsar, where the sacred Sikh temple is located, had been hit by a missile attack from Pakistan. However, no confirmation of this has yet been provided.
Pakistan once again denied the accusations, although it had previously warned of an imminent response.
Posted by: badanov ||
05/09/2025
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kamran Gasanov
[REGNUM] The curtailment of Iran's presence in Syria brought Israel great relief, since the loss of Damascus deprived Tehran of both access to Hezbollah in bordering Lebanon and a powerful trump card to put pressure on Tel Aviv.
However, after the change of power in Damascus in December 2024, Iran was replaced by an equally formidable adversary: Türkiye.
Possibly not equally formidable, though they certainly would like to be. What say you, O Rantburg experts?
It was at this time that the Israeli Defense Doctrine Review Committee became concerned about a possible change in the intentions of neighboring countries and advised preparing for a clash with Turkey.
The commission members believe that it is capable of unleashing a proxy war against the Jewish state through the Palestinian movement Hamas and the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)* group.
Israel has had reasons to worry since the war in the Gaza Strip escalated. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan not only began accusing the Israeli leadership of genocide and imposed an economic embargo, but also began openly threatening to create an “Islamic coalition” and send in troops.
The rise to power in Damascus of HTS* and Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose main ally was Ankara, brought Turkey and Syria closer together. Now the Turkish military is settling in Syrian military bases and modernizing them, including the Tiyas (T4) base, where the Israelis used to bomb Iranian formations stationed there.
Israel does not like the fact that Turkish air defenses can restrict the freedom of movement of its aircraft, and in general the emergence of another Islamist regime in addition to Hamas and Hezbollah is alarming Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing ministers.
In the context of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the strengthening of Syria with the help of Turkey deprives Israel of the advantage that arose in early December 2024.
Netanyahu has made it clear several times that no military presence – neither Syrian nor, especially, Turkish – south of Damascus (the provinces of Daraa, Quneitra and As-Suwayda) is permissible.
Israel needs a buffer zone, to achieve which it began to support the Syrian Druze in their confrontation with the forces of Al-Sharaa.
Israel's determination has been demonstrated at least three times.
The first time was during the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, when the IDF occupied a buffer zone in the Golan Heights.
The second time was in early April, when Israeli airstrikes hit military targets in Homs, Hama and Damascus, including the T4 base.
And the third time was from April 30 to May 2, when targets near the presidential palace in the Syrian capital, as well as in Latakia, Hama and Daraa were bombed. These strikes were linked to support for the Druze, and Netanyahu sent a “clear signal” to al-Sharaa that his troops were not allowed to advance south.
All three operations were harshly criticized by Ankara, which accused Israel of violating the integrity of Syria and occupying it.
President Erdogan has criticized Israel of many harsh things over the past two decades, none of which were true. The real accusation is that the uppity Jewish state dares to consider itself equal, dares to resist being properly conquered as Allah assuredly must have intended.
Despite Turkey's desire to materialize its influence in Syria and Israel's fear of getting another front in addition to Gaza, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran, neither Tel Aviv nor Ankara needs an open conflict.
In April, US President Donald Trump tried to act as a mediator between Erdogan and Netanyahu, calling on the latter to show prudence.
After Netanyahu's visit to Washington, the Israeli army did bomb the future Turkish bases, but a week later, on April 10, representatives of the Turkish and Israeli defense ministries held a meeting in Baku.
They made no progress, but the very fact of negotiations gave hope for some kind of mutual understanding and de-escalation.
Moreover, Netanyahu was supposed to arrive in Baku for a five-day visit in the first week of May. Erdogan was also supposed to arrive there.
There were rumors that Azerbaijan, as an ally of both Turkey and Israel, would be able to organize a meeting between their leaders. However, just days before the trip, Turkey refused to provide airspace for Netanyahu's plane to fly over. The Israeli prime minister himself postponed the trip, formally due to events in Gaza and Syria.
According to sources of The Associated Press, the Israeli cabinet approved a plan to expand the military operation in Gaza with a full occupation of the Palestinian enclave. And for this purpose, tens of thousands of reservists were called up to the army. And in Syria, the Israelis carried out more airstrikes, allegedly to protect the oppressed Druze.
The fragile Turkish-Israeli normalization has stalled almost before it began. Erdogan has accused Israel of provoking a new intra-Syrian conflict and said he is watching to see “what steps it will take or plans to take with respect to Turkey.”
A new large-scale operation in Gaza, fraught with a humanitarian catastrophe (as the UN warned), the deportation of Palestinians and the occupation of the enclave, will further aggravate the situation between Turkey and Israel.
That’s because Turkey wants Hamas to win and Israel to be conquered.
The degree of tension creates a situation in which the level of confrontation between the two countries could be comparable to what recently happened between Israel and Iran.
But Trump, a good friend of Erdogan and Netanyahu, may well let off some steam in the region. He will visit the Gulf states in the second week of May. On his way there or back, he may call on both the Israeli prime minister and the Turkish president.
Trump recently had another phone call with Erdogan and agreed to promote stability in Gaza, Syria and Ukraine. Trump does not want his regional allies to quarrel.
Calm relations between Israel and Turkey, coupled with rapprochement with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, will strengthen the hand of US Special Envoy Steven Witkoff in negotiations with Iran.
So Trump will continue to try to reconcile the two rivals. Israel is awaiting his visit and at the same time fearing the reaction to the new operation in Gaza. According to media reports, it will not begin until the head of the White House's Middle East tour. And on May 12, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will arrive in Israel .
Trump has already proven that he can persuade and pressure Netanyahu during the Hamas-Israel deal. He also has something to pressure Turkey with - the F35 deal, sanctions and tariffs.
But judging by the dialogue with Netanyahu in the US, where Trump demanded prudence from him, the American needs Ankara more than Tel Aviv. And that is why he recently decided to reduce the American military presence in Deir ez-Zor. And thus helped Erdogan take another step towards “zeroing out” the theoretically possible Kurdish autonomy.
As for Russia, despite the overthrow of Assad, the initiative and advantages in the region have not yet been lost. Russia has entered into direct dialogue with Damascus and held a meeting at the level of representatives of the special services in Baku in April. Al-Sharaa is in no hurry to curtail the Russian military presence.
Moscow is also consulting with Turkey, while maintaining dialogue with both Palestine and Israel. Russia's strong point is also its support for Iran.
I’m not sure that’s exactly a strong point — Russia used to support Syria, and look where that got everyone.
The Iranian Foreign Minister and the Sultan of Oman (the country mediating the US-Iran negotiations) visited Moscow after another round of Iranian-American talks.
The current American leadership is more inclined to cooperate with Russia than to push it out of the Middle East.
So a potential reconciliation between Turkey and Israel with Trump's participation, which has yet to be achieved, will not necessarily have any negative consequences for Russia.
Posted by: badanov ||
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[IsraelTimes] Trump administration indicating to organizations, such as World Food Program, that their US funding could be slashed if they don’t take part in initiative that is opposed by UN
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Artificial Intelligence (AI) bots are infiltrating California college classes in a financial aid fraud scheme, costing the state and federal government millions of dollars.
Professors across Golden State community colleges have noticed an uptick in non-participative students, specifically in virtual classes, since the pandemic.
Alarmingly, a significant portion of these passive enrollees have not actually been human, but AI-generated 'ghost students.'
These bots have been creeping their way into online courses and taking spots away from real students to scam money from financial aid and scholarship programs.
Since community colleges have high acceptance rates, these academic institutions have been easy targets.
Over the last 12 months, state colleges reportedly handed off $10 million in federal funds and $3 million in states funds to fake students, according to CalMatters.
Data collected from the start of 2025 indicates schools have already thrown away $3 million in federal aid and about $700,000 in state funds.
This is a jarring increase from the period between September 2021 and December 2023, when fake students reportedly drew in more than $5 million in federal money and $1.5 million in state funds.
This growingly prominent scam has left professors disheartened. Instead of focusing on the quality of their teaching, they must probe their students to make sure they are legitimate.
'I am very intentional about having individualized interaction with all of my students as early as possible,' City College of San Francisco professor Robin Pugh told SFGate.
'That included making phone calls to people, sending email messages, just a lot of reaching out individually to find out "Are you just overwhelmed at work and haven’t gotten around to starting the class yet? Or are you not a real person?"'
In previous years, Pugh said she only had to pluck about five people from her 40-student online introductory real estate course for not engaging with her at the start of the semester.
But this spring, she had to slash 11 students - most of them bots - from the class.
Roughly 20 percent of 2021 college applicants were likely fraudulent, CalMatters reported. In January 2024, the number of fake applications rose to 25 percent.
The fraction shot up this year, with 34 percent of applications being suspected 'ghost students.'
'It’s been going on for quite some time,' Wendy Brill-Wynkoop, the president of the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges and a professor at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, told SFGate.
'I think the reason that you’re hearing more about it is that it’s getting harder and harder to combat or to deal with.
'I have heard from faculty friends that the bots are getting so smart, they’re being programmed in a way that they can even complete some of the initial assignments in online classes so that they’re not dropped...'
Berkeley City College librarian Heather Dodge realized her online course was packed with the scammer bots when she asked students to submit a brief introductory video so she could get to know them, despite never meeting in person.
'I started noticing that there would be a handful of students that wouldn’t submit that assignment in the first week,' she told CalMatters.
After emailing them - and not receiving a response - she dropped them from her class.
Southwestern College professor Elizabeth Smith had a similar experience this spring, when two of her online courses and their waiting lists were completely maxed out.
'Teachers get excited when there’s a lot of interest in their class. I felt like, "Great, I’m going to have a whole bunch of students who are invested and learning,"' she told The Hechinger Report.
'But it quickly became clear that was not the case.'
Of the 104 students in the classes and on the waitlists, only 15 of the ended up being real people.
Professors have a specific time frame to move people from their roster so they cannot get financial aid for the class. However, after that period, it is more difficult to remove them.
Educators are also worried about becoming overzealous with their cuts - accidentally mistaking an actual student, possibly experiencing technical difficulties, for a scammer-sent agent.
'Maybe they didn’t have a webcam, maybe they didn’t understand the assignment. It was really hard to suss out what was going on with them,' Dodge explained.
This was the case for Martin Romero, a journalism major at East Los Angeles College, who was mistook for a bot and wrongfully dropped from a class.
On his first day of classes last fall, he failed to log into a session and his professor swiftly removed him.
'I was freaking out,' the 20-year-old told CalMatters.
He emailed the professor to try to rectify the issue, but the course was already filled up again.
An annoyance, certainly, but he will never make that kind of mistake again. Nor will anyone who hears what happened to him.
In the grand scheme of college funding, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office estimated only a fraction of a percent of financial aid has been handed out to scammers, SFGate reported.
Chris Ferguson, a finance executive at the chancellor’s office, told CalMatters the scope of the fraud is 'relatively small' considering that California community colleges received $1.7 billion in federal aid and $1.5 billion in state aid last year.
Catherine Grant of the Department of Education's Office of Inspector General, which is tasked with handling fraud, told CalMatters her team is 'committed to fighting student aid fraud wherever we find it.'
CalMatters discovered that the FBI busted a scammer ring at Los Angeles Harbor College and West Los Angeles College in June 2022 after being tipped off by the department.
These fraudsters used at least 57 AI identities to steal more than $1.1 million in federal aid and loans over four years.
Another document from the education department to the FBI revealed at least 70 fake students were enrolled at Los Angeles City College 'for the sole purpose of obtaining financial aid refund money.'
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 20:55 The 255th Motorized Rifle Regiment successfully storms a strong fortified area of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the approaches to Mirnograd —video. 20:32 Fighters of the "East" group of forces help in everyday life for veterans of the Great Patriotic War living in the territory of the DPR.
They prepare firewood, bring water, tend to their garden plots and do everything possible to make life easier for those who once fought for their homeland.
Also, on the eve of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War, the group's servicemen congratulated civilians in liberated settlements in the DPR.
19:50 Russian paratroopers in battle near Tetkino captured Ukrainian attack aircraft
19:20 The day before, on the outskirts of the settlement Liptsy, our reconnaissance located camouflaged enemy infantry fighting vehicle.
FPV operators of the 11th Army Corps GV "Sever" carried out a series of targeted strikes, destroying an armored vehicle of the occupiers.
19:00 Shelters and UAV control points were discovered during a reconnaissance flight. And after the objects were detected, FPV crews took over.
18:10 Reconnaissance work of the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment in the Sumy direction, where Russian soldiers continue to move forward. Video.
17:25 Armed Forces of Ukraine hit the Church of St. Theodosius of Chernigov
“There were no casualties, since there are no people there; everyone was evacuated back in August 2024,” said Father John.
16:30 Since the morning the enemy leads massive shelling of Novaya Kakhovka and populated areas of the district
15:50 Tonight, after the start of the previously announced ceasefire, the Ukrainian Armed Forces tried to carry out an offensive in one of the areas of the Chasovoyarsk direction.
No one doubted that the Ukrainian militants would not observe the ceasefire, so the Volunteer Corps fighters were on guard and awaited another provocation.
15:00 Airborne Forces fighters are smashing columns of enemy equipment, repelling the offensive on Kursk Tetka
Ivanovo paratroopers of the 217th Parachute Regiment of the North group of forces have been fighting hard for four days, destroying tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, obstacle clearance vehicles, ATVs and other equipment participating in the latest bloody offensive of the Kyiv regime.
14:30 Armed Forces of Ukraine inflicted a strike on Kursk region. A civilian was killed.
The Glushkovsky district of the Kursk region was attacked. As a result of the shelling, a 61-year-old resident of the village of Glushkovo died.
14:00 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation as of May 8, 2025
Before the ceasefire came into effect, units of the North group of forces inflicted defeat of concentrations of manpower and equipment of a tank, three mechanized brigades, an assault regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and two territorial defense brigades in the areas of the settlements of Ryzhevka, Pavlovka, Yunakovka, Miropolye, Turya in the Sumy region and Velykyi Burluk in the Khar'kiv region.
Units of the "West" group of forces occupied more advantageous lines and positions. They defeated formations of two mechanized, airmobile brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a National Guard brigade in the areas of the settlements of Redkodub, Kirovsk, Torskoye, Yampol of the Donetsk People's Republic, Palamarevka and Kupyansk of the Khar'kov region.
Units of the "Southern" group of forces improved their tactical position. Manpower and equipment of six mechanized, airmobile brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas of the populated areas of Serebryanka, Zakotnoye, Aleksandro-Shulgino, Pleshcheyevka, Aleksandro-Kalinovo, Ilyinovka, Zarya and Konstantinovka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
The formations of the heavy mechanized, three mechanized, assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the naval infantry brigade and the national guard brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Novoolenovka, Ulyanovka, Mirolyubovka, Mikhailovka, Novaya Poltavka, Novoalexandrovka, Kotlyarovka and Alekseyevka of the Donetsk People's Republic.
Units of the "East" group of forces continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defense. They defeated the manpower and equipment of the mechanized, airborne assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and two territorial defense brigades in the areas of the settlements of Bogatyr, Novoukrainka, Fedorovka of the Donetsk People's Republic and Temirovka of the Zaporizhia region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 1,525 servicemen, 29 vehicles, two tanks, 11 field artillery pieces, 19 armored combat vehicles, five artillery pieces, a 122mm BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket system combat vehicle, four ammunition depots, five electronic warfare stations, eight pickups, and an engineering obstacle clearing vehicle.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of three mechanized brigades, three coastal defense brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades in the areas of the settlements of Novodanilovka, Pavlovka, Kamenskoye in the Zaporizhia region, Ilyinka in the Dnipropetrovsk region and Ponyatovka in the Kherson region.
Operational-tactical aviation, strike unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the groups of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation hit infrastructure facilities of military airfields, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 132 districts.
Over the course of 24 hours, air defense systems destroyed two JDAM guided aerial bombs and a US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket, a Neptune long-range guided missile, and 182 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.
13:21 Before the ceasefire came into effect, units of the Center group of forces, as a result of active and decisive actions released Troitskoye settlement of the Donetsk People's Republic.
13:20 In accordance with the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, based on humanitarian considerations, during the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory - from midnight on May 8, all groups of Russian troops in the special military operation zone will be completely stopped from conducting military operations and remained at previously occupied lines and positions.
The Russian Armed Forces strictly observe the ceasefire regime. This includes not carrying out strikes by aircraft, missile forces, artillery, or unmanned aerial vehicles.!
Despite the announcement of a ceasefire, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have not ceased combat operations against Russian troops. They have made two attempts to break through the state border of the Russian Federation in the Kursk region, as well as an attack in the area of the settlement of Dzerzhinsk in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Along the entire line of combat contact, Ukrainian units carried out 173 attacks from barrel artillery, tanks and mortars on positions of our troops, as well as four using multiple launch rocket systems. In addition, 300 strikes and ammunition drops from unmanned aerial vehicles were carried out.
A total of 488 ceasefire violations were recorded.
The deliberate destructive actions of the Ukrainian side towards Russia confirm the desire of the Kyiv regime to prevent the conflict in Ukraine from being resolved peacefully.
In these conditions, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are responding in a mirror-like manner to violations of the ceasefire regime by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and will continue to act in accordance with the evolving situation, responding to all criminal encroachments by the Kyiv regime.
12:40 Ukrainian Armed Forces units on ATVs from Sumy Oblast again and again are trying to break through to Tetkino from the Budki/Iskriskovshchina settlement in order to intensify the assault operations.
The paratroopers continue to clear Chapaev Street in Tetkino, driving the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the outskirts of the village.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces' armored vehicle on the BMP that attacked the border near Budki in the direction of Tetkino has been destroyed. Now the enemy is using light vehicles to transport infantry and increase pressure on the Airborne Forces positions.
11:40 Artillerymen of the 200th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 29th Guards Combined Arms Army with the help of Krasnopol destroyed PVD and enemy positions in the settlement of Bogatyr and its outskirts
11:02 Scouts of the 6th Guards Army of the "North" group opened a camouflaged howitzer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at a firing position in the Volchansk direction.
FPV operators worked on the target, striking it with two kamikaze drones on fiber optics and destroying the enemy weapon.
10:28 Criminal Kyiv regime continues to shell the civilian infrastructure of populated areas on the left bank of the Kherson region.
Yesterday, during the day, the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired: 6 rounds at the settlement of Novaya Kakhovka;
– according to n.p. Gonostaevka two rounds;
– Three rounds to the settlement of Kairy;
– Two rounds in the village of Podstepnoye;
– Three rounds in the village of Novaya Zburyevka;
– Three rounds in the village of Golaya Pristan;
- Three rounds to the village of Aleshki.
In Aleshki, a paramedic was injured as a result of an attack by a Ukrainian Armed Forces drone on an ambulance. Also, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked a residential building in Knyaz-Grigorovka with drones; no one among the residents was hurt.
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the settlements of Novaya Kakhovka, Proletarka, Peschanovka, and Aleshky, firing a total of 12 rounds from barrel artillery. Civilian casualties and infrastructure destruction are being clarified.
9:50 Russian intelligence officers opened movement of Ukrainian military personnel in a pickup truck in the direction of the state border.
The target was attacked by UAV operators from the Northern Group, who used an FPV drone to fire at the target.
Today, the Severians control most of the road routes in the north of the Khar'kov region, preventing the Ukrainian occupiers from reaching the border with the Belgorod region.
9:10 Dnepropetrovsk direction
Before the ceasefire, Russian units continued advance in the Dnepropetrovsk direction in the landings southwest of Kotlyarovka and broke through to the eastern outskirts of Orekhovo.
8:20 Frontline report for the morning of 08.05.2025
At 00:00, Russia declared a limited ceasefire.Zaporizhzhya Front. No significant changes in LBS.They continuepositional battles in the area of Malaya Tokmachka, Stepovoye, Kamenskoye and several other areas. Long-range weapons are actively working on both sides.
Donetsk Front. Fighting continues in the Bogatyr area. No serious advances have been reported in this direction in the last 24 hours, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying with all their might to slow down and burn our advance, throwing fresh forces and equipment into battle.
The liberation of Novoolenovka is reported, and tactical successes of the Russian Armed Forces in Alexandropol are also reported.
Sumy direction. The main attention here remains focused on the events that are unfolding in the area of the border settlement of Tetkino. For the third day in a row, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been trying to break through the defense of Russian troops here in order to achieve some media effect on the eve of Victory Day.
For three days, the Russian Armed Forces have been repelling enemy attacks, preventing Tetkino from being taken into pincers. The fighting in this direction is heavy, and reports from the field indicate that the enemy has really serious forces involved in the offensive operation.
Despite this, the enemy has not managed to achieve any tangible results by the end of the third day. The situation is really difficult, but all attacks, including in the direction of the settlement of Novy Put, have been repelled.
Although the enemy may retain a partial presence in Tetkino, it has not yet managed to develop its success in the settlement itself. Nevertheless, intelligence has recorded Ukrainian reserves that have not yet been introduced into the battle. This means that the border cover group is facing new attempts by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to penetrate our defense.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21.38 Cyber ATESH hackers attacked the main propaganda resource for selling tickets in the temporarily occupied Crimea – Kassa24.ru. This was reported by the ATESH partisan movement on its Telegram channel.
20.58 Russia and the United States are "getting closer" to a meeting between Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said, according to the Russian propaganda news agency RIA Novosti.
20.14 The Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) has refuted another fake from Russian propagandists about a "woman in a well" who was allegedly "tortured by representatives of the TCC and SP." The CCD reported this on its Telegram channel.
19:12 Ukrainian soldiers recently liberated a forest area from Russian invaders, which the enemy called "Berlin". This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on its Telegram channel.
18:56 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded the founder and commander of the 414th separate brigade of strike unmanned aerial systems as part of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Ptitsy Madyara) Major Robert Brovdy the title Hero of Ukraine and the Order of the Gold Star.
18.31 The European Union will allocate 1 billion euros to Ukraine to support the defense industry. This was stated by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas at a briefing in Warsaw.
16.58 Ukrainian society is exhausted but remains resilient in the fourth year of the full-scale Russian invasion, according to the results of a sociological survey conducted by the Razumkov Center and the Kyiv Security Forum.
Thus, about 30% of respondents are in a depressed mood, but consider democracy to be the most desirable type of government (61.2%), 88.1% trust the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 60.6% consider a military victory of Ukraine in the war with Russia possible, and the majority are not ready to make concessions to the aggressor.
Ukrainians strive for peace, but not by any means and not at any price. Complete liberation from Russian troops as a condition for peace is a demand put forward by the majority of citizens. The absolute majority of Ukrainians are not ready to cede either Ukrainian territories or the pro-Western vector of Ukraine's development. Also, the majority of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine should not refuse NATO membership.
Moreover, the overwhelming majority (more than three quarters, 77.4% of respondents) of Ukrainians believe that Ukraine will be able to win if its partners provide enough weapons or the West helps with human resources.
15.58 The Special Operations Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces shared footage of special operations conducted behind enemy lines. Soldiers from one of the units forced six Russian soldiers to surrender. The Special Operations Forces reported this on their Facebook page.
The MTR captured a group of Russians pic.twitter.com/OUsKFGY5jc
— Maxim (@lipcansmaks1) May 8, 2025
Tweet is a three-minute video — first person shooter style, with the Pink Panther theme as background music.
15:56 The Netherlands will support the establishment of a training center for the maintenance of F-16 fighters at the Fetești air base in Romania - the same place where the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC) operates, the press service of the Dutch Ministry of Defense reported.
The corresponding declaration of intent was signed by the Minister of Defence of the Netherlands, Ruben Brekelmans, and his Romanian counterpart, Angel Tilver.
15.29 On May 8, President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded the head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Malyuk the title of Hero of Ukraine and the Order of the Gold Star. The corresponding decree was published on the website of the head of state.
"For personal courage and heroism demonstrated in the defense of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, selfless service to the Ukrainian people, I decree: To award the title Hero of Ukraine with the presentation of the Order of the Gold Star to Vasily Vasilyevich Maluk, Lieutenant General," the document says.
15:06 A resident of Kherson, who worked for the Russians during the occupation and tried to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces after deoccupation, received 12 years in prison for collaboration. This was reported by the press service of the State Bureau of Investigation.
14:30 Russian propaganda is expanding the fake about the Ukrainian Armed Forces military preparing a provocation in the area of Seversk and Chasovy Yar in the Donetsk region. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council. If a "terrorist attack with civilian casualties" is planned. The Center noted that such reports may indicate that Russia is preparing provocations or shelling civilian facilities.
14:10 During a combat mission on May 6, a serviceman, former employee of the Lux TV and Radio Company Vasily Dovbush, died. This was reported by Lux FM presenter Diana Lutsishin.
13.59 The "parade truce" initiated by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, as expected, turned out to be a farce, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga reported . Russian troops continue to attack along the entire front line and have carried out hundreds of attacks.
13:52 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky reported that he had a video conference with the Head of the Military Committee of the European Union General Robert Briger. They discussed proposals for optimizing and expanding cooperation in the direction of training fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
13.36 The Ministry of Defense has codified and approved for use in the Defense Forces three modifications of smoothbore pump-action shotguns of Ukrainian production. This was reported by the Main Directorate for Support of the Life Cycle of Weapons and Military Equipment.
13.34 The military has already recorded more than 50 combat clashes on the front, despite the "ceasefire" declared by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are responding in kind to the actions of the occupiers. This was reported by Nazar Voloshin, spokesman for the OSGV Khortytsia.
According to him, the Russians carried out assault operations in almost all directions of the front. But most of the clashes were recorded in the key directions - Pokrovsk and Novopavlovsk.
13.22 On May 8, the Lithuanian Seimas unanimously voted for a resolution in which it stated that it does not recognize the territories of Ukraine seized by Russia as Russian "neither de jure nor de facto." This is reported by LRT.
12.48 A 59-year-old man, who was injured on April 23 when a drone hit a bus carrying workers of the mining and processing plant in Marganets, died in hospital. This was reported by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA, Serhiy Lysak. Thus, the death toll as a result of the Russian strike has increased to 10.
12.40 At night, in the coastal zone of the Kherson region, Russian military dropped explosives from a drone on a patrol police department service vehicle. As a result of the strike, two police officers, aged 32 and 40, were injured, they suffered concussions and shrapnel wounds to their limbs. The vehicle was damaged.
12.23 The executions of 268 Ukrainian prisoners of war are currently under investigation: 208 were executed on the battlefield and 59 in the Elenovka prison colony, the Prosecutor General's Office reported .
11.10 Viktor Tregubov, spokesman for the Khortytsia Operational-Strategic Group of Forces, said that fighting continues on the front in Ukraine, despite Russia's statements about the start of the so-called "ceasefire." Therefore, it is impossible to talk about a ceasefire on the contact line. He said this on the air of the telethon.
10.57 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz does not expect that German soldiers will be sent to Ukraine. This is reported by ntv.
10.36 Fighters from the 13th NGU Charter Brigade liberated a forest area north of Liptsy in the Kharkov region with an area of over 200 hectares; fighting for this section of the front continued for almost half a year.
The Russians were pushed back and control over an important natural and tactically significant area was restored. During this time, the Russian troops lost about 1,500 soldiers killed and wounded, more than 200 weapons and 175 pieces of equipment.
10.23 On the morning of May 8, the Russian troops struck a civilian car with an FPV drone that was moving along the road near the village of Bolshiye Prokhody in the Kharkiv district; there are casualties. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General. It is noted that three women aged 18, 30 and 58 were hospitalized with shrapnel wounds.
10.09 Russia has intensified shelling of the Sumy region even though the head of the Kremlin Vladimir Putin declared a three-day "ceasefire". There is a victim. This was reported by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the State Emergency Service in the Sumy region.
9.35 President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Ukrainians on the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II. The head of state recorded a video message in the center of Kiev.
"Today is the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism. The day we celebrate together with the whole world, with everyone who fought for life 80 years ago, so that evil would lose, so that 'never again'. Unfortunately, three years ago it happened again, and just like once, the air raid siren roared over Kiev again, evil came to our Ukrainian land again," the president said.
Zelensky noted that the difference between us and the Russians of the Russian Federation is shown every May 9.
"The difference between life on Independence Square and the parade of fear on Red Square. Columns of tanks, marching boxes of murderers, dressed-up extras, half-dead faces who will look down on this procession... Tomorrow, the organizer of the mass graves in Bucha will talk about the atrocities of the Nazis. And those who staged the blockade of Mariupol will talk about the siege of Leningrad," the head of state said.
The President also called the Russian celebration a "parade of cynicism and bile." Ukraine has not forgotten that 80 years ago dozens of nations fought Nazism and more than 8 million Ukrainians died in this fight.
9.10 As of 8:00 on May 8, no missile strikes or use of attack drones were recorded in Ukrainian airspace. However, during the night, the Russians intensified tactical air strikes using guided aerial bombs in Sumy region.
On the afternoon of May 7, air defense forces shot down 20 Russian drones in the skies over Ukraine, and six more UAV imitators were lost. Cherkasy region suffered as a result of the Russian attack.
8.55 Over the past 24 hours, 196 combat clashes have been recorded at the front. Aviation, missile troops, and artillery of the Defense Forces hit ten areas of concentration of personnel and equipment, two unmanned aerial vehicle control points, six artillery systems, one fuel and lubricants warehouse, and a radar station of the Russian invaders. This was reported on May 8 by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
8.36 Late in the evening of May 7, Russian troops dropped an aerial bomb on a multi-story building in Konstantinovka. 12 people were wounded, one woman is probably under the rubble. This was reported by the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office.
7.50 Over the past 24 hours, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed 1,200 Russian occupiers. The total combat losses of the enemy from 02/24/22 to 05/08/25 were approximately 961,970 people. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this.
7.23 In the Moscow region, a representative of the Ukrainian underground carried out a successful act of sabotage, as a result of which communications were disrupted at several military facilities of the Russian Armed Forces. This was reported by the ATESH partisan movement. It is noted that the operation was carried out in the settlement of Mogiltsy. There, an agent of the movement destroyed the equipment of a transformer substation. It provided the region's electrical and telecommunications infrastructure. According to the underground fighters, due to the destruction of this substation, "communication interruptions occurred at a number of important military facilities at once."
Among them are the 629th anti-aircraft missile regiment (military unit 51857), the 21st separate operational brigade (military unit 3641), and the military town where 3/2 of 51084 are stationed. Problems also arose in the 483rd military investigative department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation and in the distribution warehouse of the SberLogistics company, which fulfills contracts for the Russian Ministry of Defense.
04.44 The Russian army attacked Cherkasy region with attack UAVs throughout the day on May 7, there is damage to infrastructure, a man was injured.
04.26 During the war in Ukraine, Russia has damaged and destroyed more than 2,300 medical infrastructure facilities. Of these, 2,020 were partially damaged, and another 305 were completely destroyed.
03.55 German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who became a member of the government following the vote in the Bundestag on May 6, confirmed Germany and Europe's support for Ukraine.
"Everyone in Moscow should know that we will have to be taken into account. Europe will defend and support Ukraine by all means," Wadephul said on the sidelines of the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Warsaw.
03.11 The European Union, as part of the 17th package of sanctions against Russia, is discussing the introduction of restrictions against individuals involved in the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine. In particular, the proposal of the European Commission includes a list of 15 legal entities and individuals associated with hybrid threats from Russia, as well as persons suspected of using chemical weapons in Ukraine.
01.22 US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent admitted that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is a war criminal. This happened during a hearing in Congress, where Bessent reported on the situation in the international financial system. When he was directly asked whether he considered the ruler of the Russian Federation a war criminal, the American minister answered: "Yes".
00.25 The attack of Russian occupation forces on the Chernobyl nuclear power plant caused enormous damage. We are talking about the drone strike on the sarcophagus of the 4th power unit, which occurred in February 2025. According to The Guardian, according to preliminary estimates by engineering experts, we are talking about losses of more than 25 million euros. And they were inflicted by a Russian drone worth up to 75,000 pounds sterling (about 80 thousand euros).
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] ZSU deters Russian attacks in 10 directions.
In the Pokrovsky direction, the Russians managed to organize more than 40 assaults in the areas of 12 populated areas.
Since the beginning of the day, 117 combat clashes have occurred on the front. Russian troops are trying to advance in 10 directions on the first day of the so-called "truce". This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational report as of 16:00 on Thursday, May 8.
Thus, two attacks by aggressors have been stopped in the Kharkov direction . Another armed clash is currently ongoing.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy made three assaults near Sinkovka, Stepova Novoselovka and Novaya Kruglyakovka. The battle is currently ongoing.
In the Liman direction, the invaders attacked 17 times near the settlements of Nadiya, Novoegorovka, Ridkodub, Grekovka, Novomikhaylovka, Kolodtsy, Zelenaya Dolina and Torskoye. Two clashes are still ongoing.
In the Seversky direction, two assaults were repelled in the area of Belogorovka and Fedorovka.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled four attempts by the occupiers to advance forward in the areas of Chasovy Yar and Kurdyumovka.
In the Toretsk direction, the enemy attacked five times in the areas of Krymskoye and Toretsk.
In the Pokrovsky direction, the Russians organized 41 assaults in the areas of the settlements of Alexandropol, Elizavetovka, Grodovka, Mirolyubovka, Dachenskoye, Zvirovoye, Kotlin, Udachnoye, Novoaleksandrovka, Kotlyarovka, Preobrazhenka and Andreyevka. The defense forces repelled 32 attacks, nine clashes are still ongoing.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, the enemy attacked 19 times near the settlements of Rozliv, Novosyolka, Novopol, Privolnoye and Burlatskoye. Three clashes are ongoing.
In the Orekhov direction, our defenders repelled three enemy assaults in the Stepovoye and Shcherbaki areas.
In the Dnieper direction, the enemy made two unsuccessful attempts to advance forward.
In the Kursk direction, our defenders repelled seven Russian attacks.
Let us recall that at midnight on May 8, Russia declared a three-day ceasefire with Ukraine. However, during the night, the enemy intensified air strikes using guided bombs in Sumy Oblast.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kirill Semenov
[REGNUM] On May 6, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced a ceasefire between the Ansar Allah movement (Yemeni Houthis) and the United States.
The Omani Foreign Minister said the Sultanate had facilitated contacts and discussions on de-escalation prospects between the United States and relevant authorities in Sanaa. These efforts, the minister said, led to a ceasefire agreement between the two sides.
“In the future, neither side will attack the other, including American ships, in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, ensuring freedom of navigation and uninterrupted international commercial shipping,” Albusaidi concluded.
The Donald Trump administration confirmed the ceasefire had been reached.
If we lift the veil from Trump's loud statements, where he called the Houthis' agreement to a ceasefire a "capitulation," the agreement, in essence, became Washington's admission of its inability to achieve a quick victory in Yemen and achieve the objectives of the operation. "SVO - two weeks to victory, Comrade!"
This time, the United States did not have a “small victorious war” that the White House could have credited as an asset.
Despite large-scale airstrikes that began in March 2025 (although the limited Operation Guardian of Prosperity itself has been underway since early 2024), the US military has failed to break Ansar Allah's resistance.
Efforts to prevent Houthi attacks on ships and to stop them from striking Israel have also been unsuccessful.
In the run-up to the deal, the Houthis have been shelling the Jewish state daily as part of their operation to support Gaza, most notably the successful launch of a ballistic missile that penetrated air defenses at Ben Gurion Airport on May 4.
By the way, Ansar Allah does not intend to stop attacks on Israel even after the ceasefire with the United States was signed: immediately after its announcement, Israeli air defense intercepted a drone.
The continuation of military actions by the American administration against the Houthis threatened to develop into a protracted and resource-intensive campaign.
Thus, the ceasefire, brokered by Oman, demonstrates the White House’s desire to avoid a repeat of the “forever wars” scenario from which Trump tried to withdraw the United States during his last presidential term by announcing the winding down of the Pentagon and allied operations in Afghanistan.
Of course, the American president can report that he has now achieved that the attacks on ships will cease. In fact, he has already rushed to do this.
But for most experts it is obvious that this result was not the result of the US military campaign, but rather the efforts of Oman and Iran to persuade Ansar Allah to refrain from its naval operations.
The Houthis, having retained their military potential, are capable of resuming the military campaign at any moment.
Thus, the ceasefire is intended only to mask the US strategic helplessness in the region.
It highlights the chaotic and thoughtless nature of the decisions of the new administration, which is pursuing unclear goals.
NO PLANNING, NO GOALS
According to The New York Times, in the first three weeks of the operation, the US spent $200 million in ammunition, destroying only a small part of Ansar Allah's military infrastructure.
The Houthis, using a network of underground tunnels built under former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, which they strengthened and expanded, have preserved their missile arsenal and fleet of drones.
Have they, indeed?
The deployment of B-2 strategic bombers since April to destroy these tunnels and rock shelters has also failed to significantly weaken the Houthi forces.
This was despite the fact that the B-2s were using GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs), the most powerful non-nuclear bombs in the US arsenal.
Which did not destroy the tunnels?
Given the cost of using the B-2 and its arsenal, as well as the AGM-158 JASSM and Tomahawk cruise missiles, the operation was one of the most expensive for the United States in recent memory.
As a result, American commanders expressed concern about the depletion of stockpiles of heavy munitions, which are critical to deterring China.
Moreover, the continuation of the campaign against the Houthis played into Iran's hands, since the American arsenals of the most powerful weapons were, in essence, being emptied to no purpose.
And if negotiations between Tehran and Washington fail, they could be needed to intimidate the Islamic Republic.
The operation became an example of how expensive technologies alone, without lengthy preparation and clear planning, do not guarantee a quick resolution of a crisis.
Unlike Israel's actions against Hezbollah, the Americans and Israelis did not know exactly where Yemeni weapons were being stored or where the enemy's command posts were located.
One wonders what the Israelis now know that they did not know before…
State-of-the-art technical intelligence tools could not replace the work of agents “on the ground,” which was used in the case of Hezbollah.
On the ground or listening via exploding pagers?
Therefore, most of the American strikes fell short, while Israel preferred to destroy purely civilian infrastructure in Yemen.
Moreover, the Houthis, despite the American attacks, continued to take effective countermeasures.
Back in April–May 2024, seven American MQ-9 Reaper UAVs (each costing $30 million) were shot down over Yemen.
The Americans also lost two F/A-18 Super Hornet carrier fighters during emergency maneuvers of the aircraft carrier Dwight Eisenhower to repel missile attacks.
The losses highlighted the US Navy's vulnerability to asymmetric threats and called into question the effectiveness of its "war at a distance" strategy.
That is why the Trump administration began to seriously consider a ground operation as the only means of neutralizing the Houthis.
THE FAILED INVASION
In April 2025, reports emerged that the Trump administration was considering supporting a UAE-sponsored offensive by local militants to seize the port of Hodeida, a key weapons supply point.
Private American contractors have already held consultations with Yemeni militias, but plans for an invasion have had to be abandoned for a number of reasons.
First of all, this operation did not fit into Trump’s “peacekeeping initiatives” and, on the contrary, promised another “eternal war” instead of ending at least one.
In addition, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, which concluded a ceasefire with the Houthis back in 2022, categorically opposed such a scenario.
They had no intention of returning to confrontation or even providing their ports and airspace to the Americans for attacks on Yemen.
Trump's attempts to draw Egypt into his military campaign also ended in failure. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi rejected such proposals as unacceptable, calling a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip "the best way to stop the Houthis."
Even the deployment of a limited American contingent on the Socotra archipelago, proposed by the UAE, was not implemented due to fears of an escalation of the conflict.
Trump therefore chose not to bet on direct intervention in the Yemeni conflict, focusing on containing Tehran by other means and concluding a new “nuclear deal” with it.
It is clear that the strategy of intimidating Iran through the campaign in Yemen has not worked and, on the contrary, its completion may bring the agreement closer.
Moreover, ahead of his visit to the Gulf states, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, scheduled for May 16, Trump would like to appear as an envoy of peace, not war.
This is more in line with its original positioning and the expectations of its Arab Middle Eastern partners.
A TRUSTED BROKER
Oman, traditionally a neutral broker in the Middle East, played a key role in brokering the truce, focusing on achieving a specific goal: ending attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
It is important to note that the negotiations did not include the issue of Houthi attacks on Israel. Thus, Omani diplomacy succeeded in de-escalating the maritime conflict by deliberately leaving the issue of support for Palestine outside the agreement.
As Gulf State Analytics expert Giorgio Cafiero explained : "Oman acted strictly within the mandate: to stop a threat to shipping that affected the global economy. The Houthis' policy towards Israel is a separate issue, linked to their ideology and regional alliances . "
This approach allowed Oman to maintain the trust of all parties by avoiding discussion of the Houthis' support for Gaza, a "red line" for them.
THE HOUTHIS AND THE "NUCLEAR DEAL"
It is obvious that the agreement is situational and does not resolve the underlying contradictions. Nevertheless, it can be considered as a first step towards a comprehensive settlement.
An end to attacks on ships should reduce tensions and create a platform for broader agreements, from a Gaza deal to resuming the stalled nuclear dialogue with Iran.
It is obvious that Oman, which has influence on the Houthis, and even more so their ally Iran, also exerted the necessary pressure on the leadership of Ansar Allah so that it agreed to accept this deal with the United States.
The agreement allowed Trump to emerge without losses from the difficult situation he had gotten himself into.
Oman now hopes that the US administration will be more accommodating and return to the negotiating table with Iran in a positive mood, in which Muscat is also acting as a mediator.
The easing of tensions in Yemen could also be seen as a goodwill gesture to unblock $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets in exchange for limiting military supplies to the Houthis.
Thus, the ceasefire in the Red Sea is a tactical pause, not a strategic breakthrough. Oman was able to localize the crisis, but the players retain all the possibilities for escalation.
This is especially true for Israel, which feels its interests have been ignored by Trump and is now ready to take on the Houthis on its own, provoking them to resume naval attacks that could lead to the collapse of the agreement.
#2
^^ Facebook · Slavic Folklore
260+ reactions · 6 months ago
Russians had a curious (and slimy) way of keeping milk fresh: by dropping live brown toads straight into the milk bucket!
The Russian brown toad, also known as the cane toad, is not a native species to Russia but rather to the Amazon basin in South America and north to the lower Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas. It was introduced into Florida to control agricultural pests in sugar cane in the 1930s and 40s, and it is not commonly associated with Russia. However, the toad poison mentioned in the context of Alexander Subbotin's death refers to a poisonous substance secreted by toads, which can be highly toxic. The poison glands behind the eyes of toads can secrete bufotoxin, a mixture of toxic steroid lactones and substituted tryptamines, which can be dangerous to animals and humans if ingested or handled improperly.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/09/2025 6:58
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#5
We need to make a distinction btwn 'Forever Wars' with boots on the ground, and bombing the hell out of someone.
I dont consider the latter a War. People who shoot at us, Americans, especially civilians, should be rightfully removed from the planet with extreme prejudice.
[IsraelTimes] But deal between Riyadh and DC said still far from reach; Senator Graham says he opposes any pact with Saudis that excludes normalization with Jewish state.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/09/2025
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#1
Continuing to order Shasimi at a Chick-fil-A, same results. Time to accept an ugly reality and move on.
[IsraelTimes] Inspector General report says number of servicemembers injured while operating Biden’s failed aid project is far higher than previously acknowledged
More than 60 American service members were maimed as a part of former US President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. I'm not working for you. Don't be such a horse's ass.... ’s floating aid pier in 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... , a Pentagon Inspector General report published on Tuesday said, a number significantly higher than had been previously disclosed.
The pier, announced by Biden during a televised address to Congress in March 2024, was a massive endeavor that took about 1,000 US forces to execute.
However,
some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them... bad weather and distribution challenges inside Gaza limited the effectiveness of what the US military says was its biggest aid delivery effort ever in the Middle East. The pier was only operational for about 20 days and cost about $230 million.
While there were no deaths or known direct attacks on the pier, the Pentagon had said three US troops suffered non-combat injuries in support of the pier in May, with one medically evacuated at death's door.
The soldier evacuated at death's door, Quandarius Stanley, died in November, but it is unclear whether his death was related to his injuries.
But the new report by the Pentagon Inspector General said that the actual number of casualties was actually 62.
"Based on the information provided, we were not able to determine which of these 62 injuries occurred during the performance of duties or resulted off off-duty or from pre-existing medical conditions," the report said.
The pier became a sore point in Congress, where Republicans branded it a political stunt by Biden, who was under pressure from fellow Democrats ...every time you hear the phrase white people, white supremacy,white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects... to do more to aid Paleostinians after months of staunchly supporting Israel’s war against Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... While it brought in sorely needed aid to a marshalling area on Gaza’s shore, the 1,200-foot-long (370-meter-long) floating pier had to be removed multiple times because of bad weather.
The Inspector General said that the US military did not meet the standards for the equipment.
"Nor did they organize, train, and equip their forces to meet common joint standards," the report said.
Challenges to aid delivery in Gaza persist.
In February, Israel’s Channel 12 news published recordings of Hamas operatives complaining that their leadership hoards humanitarian aid.
[IsraelTimes] As intensified Gaza campaign aims to secure deal, Israeli official says no sign of life from the three since early in the war, after PM announced doubt on number of living captives
A day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel believes 21 hostages held by Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... in the Gazoo Strip are alive and that there is grave doubt regarding the fate of three other captives, an official with knowledge of the details said Thursday that "no signs of life have been received from [the three hostages] since the period shortly after the outbreak of the war."
Two are foreign nationals and one is Israeli, the official said, adding: "Their families have been updated on this situation since then."
Hamas and other terror groups are holding 59 hostages, 35 of whom are confirmed dead — 32 Israelis, and 3 foreigners.
"The families of the hostages are continuously and thoroughly updated about the condition of their loved ones," the official continued, adding that "all relevant information possessed by the Hostages, Missing Persons and Returnees Directorate of the Prime Minister’s Office" is conveyed to hostage families by intelligence officers.
The relevant embassies in Israel maintain contact with the families of foreign hostages, the official added, saying: "Their families are supported by Israel, just as the families of Israeli hostages are supported."
There are two foreign hostages, Bipin Joshi of Nepal and Pinta Nattapong of Thailand, who have not been officially declared dead by Israel.
There are two Israeli hostages, IDF soldier Tamir Nimrodi and civilian Ariel Cunio, with no publicly known signs of life since they were kidnapped by Paleostinian turbans on October 7, 2023.
But Herut Nimrodi, the mother of Tamir, told news hounds Thursday evening that her son is the Israeli hostage indicated by the authorities.
"It’s not that there’s new information," Nimrodi told news hounds on a Zoom meeting organized by the Hostages Family Forum. "They are just mentioning the three hostages for whom there have been no signs of life since October 7."
[DailyMail, where America gets its news] As President Donald Trump had hoped, carmakers are starting to shift gears on manufacturing.
But much of the industry reaction is centered on electric vehicles — technology Trump has repeatedly criticized, even as his trade policies help bring it stateside.
…the president criticizes EVs and Americans don’t buy them. I’m not sure this is the win the Mail claims.
Volkswagen Group, the second largest automaker in the world in 2024, is preparing to join the growing list of automakers looking to rejig its US factories in response to the tariffs.
The German automaler's luxury brand, Audi — which assembles most of its lineup in its home country, Hungary, Mexico, Slovakia, Spain, and China — is planning to make some of its crossover and SUV models in America.
'We want to localize more strongly in the USA,' a company spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
'To this end, we are currently examining various scenarios. We are confident that we will make a decision on this in consultation with the Volkswagen Group before the end of this year as to what this will look like in concrete terms.'
On a recent earnings call, Audi CFO Jürgen Rittersberger added that Audi plans to launch 10 new models in the US, with production locations to be announced in 2026.
While no final decision has been made, sources speaking to German trade publication Automobilwoche say Audi is scouting three potential locations in the US.
Scouting? That can take infinite time… or however long until a Democrat is elected.
The frontrunner plant reportedly in consideration is in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where its parent company Volkswagen already builds the ID.4 electric crossover.
Since the Audi Q4 E-tron shares a similar platform with the ID.4, the plant could be adapted relatively quickly to handle production without starting from scratch.
Volkswagen also builds the Atlas and Atlas Sport at the Chattanooga facility, and several thousand vehicles from the plant are exported each year — boosting US GDP in the process.
Shifting production lines to make room for Audi models could slow some of those exports, but it would deepen the domestic supply chain.
Another potential site is in South Carolina, where VW is breaking ground on a new factory to build electric-based pickups and SUVs under the Scout Motors name.
The third option remains undisclosed. An Audi spokesperson didn't immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.
President Trump has claimed that his 25 percent tariffs will revive American manufacturing after decades of decline.
Some automakers are now localizing production of EV platforms they’ve already poured billions into — creating a reshuffling of global supply chains that aligns with White House goals, even if not with its messaging.
Audi is a great example: the company has been launching multiple electric concept vehicles and has bet heavily on customers going EV.
Hyundai, too, has doubled down on building its Ioniq electric series in Georgia during the second Trump administration.
Honda said plans to keep Civic Hybrid production in Indiana in response to the tariffs.
Even startups are getting the message.
Jeremy Snyder, chief commercial officer of the newly-unveiled Slate electric truck company, told DailyMail.com that US EV manufacturing is a no-brainer.
'Building EVs for a new company is the only obvious solution,' Jeremy Snyder, the CCO of Slate told Daily Mail.com.
'Current EV problems are a education and infrastructure issues that are being corrected over time.
'For drivers, it is simply a better experience. You pull into your parking spot, you plug in, you wake up to a full "tank" every single day.'
[FoxNews] Majority of those detained were female students who renamed Butler Library the 'Basel Al-Araj Popular University'
The New York Police Department arrested 61 females after anti-Israel agitators stormed Columbia University's Butler Library on Wednesday as students were studying for finals.
In total, the NYPD made 80 arrests – 19 males and 61 females, according to a source. A source also said at least 50 of the 80 protesters arrested were Columbia University students.
The other 30 being professional cadres, or at least paid, no doubt. How many of each group were foreigners, whether legal or illegal?
Protesters renamed the Butler Library "Basel Al-Araj Popular University." Students at the Ivy League institution said protesters climbed on a desk and chanted "Free Palestine," and demanded that the university divest from Israel.
At the entrance gate to Columbia University, a security guard said, "Nobody comes in, nobody comes out."
Claire Shipman, Columbia's acting president, said in a statement on Wednesday that the NYPD was called to help "secure" the building. She added that two university police officers were injured.
"Sadly, during the course of this disruption, two of our Columbia Public Safety Officers sustained injuries during a crowd surge when individuals attempted to force their way into the building and into Room 301," Shipman said. "These actions are outrageous."
Acting Columbia President Claire Shipman releases a video statement on the protest, saying she saw the library room “defaced and damaged in disturbing ways and with disturbing slogans.”
“Violence and vandalism, hijacking a library — none of that has any place on our campus,” Shipman says. “Let me be clear: Columbia unequivocally rejects antisemitism and all other forms of harassment and discrimination.”
Shipman says 900 students were forced out of the library during the protests.
#3
So to show support for the Terrorist supporting Palo's that seek the deaths, rape & kidnapping of even children, and physical harm of any non-Muslin/Islamic.
A group that has Honor Kills of Females.
These, Mostly Female Vandals, defaced and destroyed their own College Library? With estimates at around $250k+ in damages.
A library needed by28,000+ other students who attend the college to learn and apply their education to doing things of a NON-VIOLENT nature.
Is there any reason why the College shouldn't expel, sued for damages and BAN them from college property for life?
[YouTube] Renowned American scholar Christine Fair breaks down why Pakistan’s military establishment fears India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Christine Fair offers an unfiltered analysis of Doval’s strategic doctrine, his role in redefining India’s covert and diplomatic stance, and how Pakistan is struggling to counter his maneuvers. One hour speech, so find a comfortable spot, dear Reader.
Posted by: 3dc ||
05/09/2025
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[IsraelTimes] Multiple Arab countries are pushing Hamas to accept another hostage release deal in order to forestall an expanded Israeli offensive in Gaza, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
“There is now a lot of pressure,” says the official, “including from Jordan.”
“The entire region is pressuring them for some sort of deal.”
[IsraelTimes] The United States imposes sanctions on a Chinese refinery of Iranian oil, its latest pressure against Tehran despite ongoing talks on a nuclear deal.
The Treasury Department says it’s targeting Hebei Xinhai Chemical Group and three port terminal operators in Shandong province which it said had been involved in handling hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Iranian oil.
“The United States remains resolved to intensify pressure on all elements of Iran’s oil supply chain to prevent the regime from generating revenue to further its destabilizing agenda,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says in a statement.
The State Department says it was the third US action against a so-called teapot, or small-scale, refinery in China since early February when President Donald Trump issued an order to increase pressure on Iran.
Trump, however, has also said that he is acting reluctantly and that he is hopeful for a deal on Iran’s nuclear program that averts a threatened Israeli military strike.
[IsraelTimes] The IDF says it struck over 150 targets in the Gaza Strip in the past 72 hours, including cells of terror operatives, buildings used by terror groups, and other infrastructure.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reported nearly 200 dead in the past three days. The figures have not been verified and do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
A drone strike yesterday in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah killed a Hamas commander, identified by the IDF as Nasser Juma. The military says he was a veteran member of Hamas’s rocket production unit.
The terrorist is identified as Mohammed Rasmi Marzouk Baraka, a member of Hamas’s intelligence division.
Baraka can be seen in infamous footage showing the abduction of Adar from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Adar was released from captivity in November 2023.
The second terrorist in the car, Asim Hatab, was reportedly killed several months following Adar’s abduction, though the military has not confirmed this.
The military does not say where in Gaza City the strike took place yesterday.
Hamas authorities reported yesterday that a strike on a former school in the neighborhood of Tuffah in Gaza City killed at least 15, and another strike near a market in the city killed a further 33. The figures have not been verified and do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
The IDF says Hamas “systematically violates international law, while cynically using civilian infrastructure for terror activity.”
Users claim that these are Hamas members targeting those suspected of stealing food.
A Palestinian website recently reported that Hamas has reestablished a unit that previously operated in Gaza to enforce order, in light of increasing theft due to the food shortage in the Strip.
Horrifying; a new video of Hamas thugs torturing a starving Gazan for allegedly stealing food. Barbaric, inhuman, routine. And then comes a Western leftist telling us not to speak ill of the “freedom fighters.” Spare us the lectures. pic.twitter.com/xkSsh1N8Lo
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The FSB has declassified archival documents on the liquidation of the underground episcopate of the Greek Catholic Uniate Church in the Stanislav (now Ivano-Frankivsk) region of the Ukrainian SSR in the post-war years. TASS reported this on May 8.
According to the materials, the clergy of this episcopate carried out anti-Soviet propaganda, collaborated with the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN is an extremist organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation) and expected that Western countries would start a war with the USSR.
Declassified documents show that in 1949, state security agencies arrested a group of Uniate priests led by the former abbot of the monastery of the "Vasiliyan" order, Vladimir Balaguruk, who was hiding under the guise of a worker. Other underground priests and those who helped them were also detained.
“During the arrest of Balagurak, Bakhtalovsky, Valnitsky and other members of the illegal episcopate, a large quantity of anti-Soviet nationalist literature, a significant amount of gold currency of American, Austrian and Russian coinage, as well as a large quantity of gold and other valuables were discovered and confiscated,” the document says.
Balaguruk headed the underground church structure from 1945. He held secret services and collected written oaths of allegiance to the Vatican. The community maintained contact with the West through Ukrainian nationalist channels. A number of members of the episcopate supported the Nazis during the occupation.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the FSB had previously published a document on the Greek Catholic Church's ties to the OUN underground in the western regions of Ukraine. A significant number of priests helped the nationalist gangs, including sheltering their leaders. Law enforcement officers uncovered an underground network and arrested 134 Uniates, including 80 priests, for subversive activities.
Not something you see everyday! The Museum’s A6M3 Model 32 Zero is filmed here above the Puget Sound as part of the ongoing flying program that followed its successful first flight on May 5, 2025. It has been more than 80 years since this airplane was last flown! 🎥 Gordon Page pic.twitter.com/QeeOmmnQCO
— Military Aviation Museum (@AvMuseumVB) May 8, 2025
[TomCooper-Sarcastosaurus] What’s Guiding Ukraine’s Deep Strikes? Something Putin Can’t Jam
I’ve made a few accurate predictions about Ukraine’s war effort—calls that seemed unlikely at the time but have since been validated.
I warned that Ukraine would pursue a nuclear deterrent if left outside NATO. I said shotguns would become a frontline defense against drones. I predicted that the supposed $500 billion price tag for Ukraine’s reconstruction would balloon to well over $1 trillion. And I wasn’t surprised when Zelensky, once cautious, began calling out corruption in Washington directly (Ukraine isn’t more corrupt than the US, it’s differently corrupt.)
Here’s my next prediction:
Ukraine is already using—or will soon use—Signal-of-Opportunity Navigation (SoOPNav) to guide drones and long-range munitions deep into Russia, even in the most hostile electronic warfare environments.
NOTE: This was written back in March. Today we see Moscow’s communication systems being limited. Why? To deny Ukraine Signal of Opportunity Navigation.
#2
It was surprising to me that something like this hadn't been devised earlier. You can keep the attacking unit in a completely passive mode - no pinging - and use cell towers, 24/7 radio or tv broadcasting from fixed antennas as your known locations for navigation. No need to light up the active radar until final approach to the target. And of course, it works for every country in the world - even Burkina Faso has cell towers and radio antennas to use as markers. And turning cell towers off cripples the civilian side of the house so it's a reliable method to use in future.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
..always the voice of sweet reason...
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it 
...founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its false-mustache offshoot Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The United Nations declared the JuD a terrorist organization in 2008 and Hafiz Saeed a terrorist as its leader. Hafiz, JuD and LeT are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Pak intel apparatus, so that amounted to squat. He is periodically placed under house arrest so it looks like the govt is doing something. Once the heat is off they let him go....
...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade....
[Breitbart] ICE officials detained an illegal migrant in Georgia after she was caught violating multiple driving laws — but she is a good-looking college student with an illegal migrant family, so she is getting extra doses of media sympathy.
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
