For today, links to nine reports: from Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, the Cradle, and Drop Site News, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 5-31-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  MEDIA, UKRAINE, WEST BANK, SYRIA and IRAN entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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UNWRA head says ‘aid distribution has become a death trap.’ From AFP. The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Gaza “aid distribution has become a death trap,” citing reports from medics on the ground of “mass casualties” among starving civilians this morning. READ MORE . . .

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At least 31 Palestinians are killed while heading to a Gaza aid hub, officials and witnesses say, by Mohammad Jahjouh and Samy Magdy | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — At least 31 people were killed and scores were wounded today as they were on their way to receive food in the Gaza Strip, according to health officials and multiple witnesses. The witnesses said Israeli forces fired on crowds around a kilometer away from an aid site run by an Israeli-backed foundation. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, NPR,  Middle East Eye and the Cradle. 

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FROM MAY 27  Weaponizing food aid: The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Jeremy Scahill and Ryan Grim of Drop Site News talk about how the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the U.S.-Israeli aid scheme operating in southern and central Gaza, is being used . . . Click HERE for intro and video of report.

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FROM MAY 30  Hamas says U.S.. ceasefire proposal ‘perpetuates’ Israel’s mass killing, starvation policies. From the Cradle. Hamas announced on Friday that the new U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza “fails to meet any of the just and legitimate demands of our people,” including an immediate cessation of hostilities and an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Reuters reported. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from Reuters. 

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How humanitarian aid became a tool to empty Gaza, by Greg Pence | Middle East Monitor  In the history of modern conflict, perhaps no narrative is as disturbing as the deliberate misuse of humanitarian aid to achieve geopolitical goals. Gaza now faces . . . READ MORE . . .

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A link to a note from a co-founder of Drop Site News; other information is accessible by clicking on its name below. (MEDIA 5-28-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, UKRAINE, WEST BANK, SYRIA and IRAN entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM JULY 17, 2024  Why I started Drop Site News, by Jeremy Scahill | Drop Site News  A year ago, I never would have imagined writing this note, not to mention publishing on Substack. But here I am. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to seven reports: from Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, and Tass, and to commentary from AP and ScheerPost; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 5-31-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, MEDIA, WEST BANK, SYRIA and IRAN entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE,  HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Ukraine’s SBU drone blitz destroys 41 Russian bombers in deep strike, by Alisa Orlova and Kateryna Zakharchenko | Kyiv Post  A long-planned special operation damaged or destroyed 41 Russian military aircraftin a series of drone strikes launched from trucks parked near Russian airbases today, according to sources within Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU). READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Ukraine attacks Russian nuclear-capable bombers in Siberia. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Ukraine attacked Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers at a military base in Siberia on Sunday, the first such attack so far from the front lines more than 4,300 km away, according to pro-Russian bloggers. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for earlier report. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from AFP.

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Zelenskyy says Ukraine will send a delegation to Istanbul for talks with Russia on Monday, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — Ukraine will send a delegation to Istanbul for a new round of direct peace talks with Russia on Monday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, even as Russia pounded Ukraine with a missile strike that killed 12 soldiers and the biggest drone assault of the three-year war. READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Putin’s tough stance on a Ukraine peace plan shows his resolve on Russia’s demands. From AP. By making harsh, uncompromising demands in peace talks with Ukraine while continuing to pummel it with waves of missiles and drones, Russian President Vladimir Putin is sending a clear message: He will only accept a settlement on his terms and will keep fighting until they’re met. At the same time . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 31  War in our time, by Patrick Lawrence | Original to ScheerPost  BERLIN — Friedrich Merz has been in office as Germany’s new chancellor a matter of weeks, and already he has the German capital aflutter with worry about the increasing danger of a third world war. While Germans are fearful of such a prospect, the Russians are warning of it. In recent remarks . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian forces liberate Alekseyevka in Ukraine’s Sumy region — top brass. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces have liberated Alekseyevka in the Sumy Region, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to four reports: from the Cradle, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, and Middle East Eye. (WEST BANK 5-31-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, MEDIA, UKRAINE, SYRIA and IRAN entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM MAY 31  Arab diplomats condemn Israel for barring West Bank visit. From the Cradle. The foreign ministers of five Arab countries who had planned to visit the occupied Palestinian West Bank this weekend condemned Israel’s decision to block their plans. READ MORE . . .

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Saudi FM says blocking of West Bank delegation shows Israeli rejection of peace process. From AFP. Israel’s blocking of a visit by Arab diplomats to the occupied West Bank showed its “rejection of . . . a diplomatic path to peace,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said today. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 31  Israel blocks Ramallah meeting with Arab ministers, Israeli official says. From Reuters. JERUSALEM: Israel will not allow a planned meeting in the Palestinian administrative capital of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, to go ahead, an Israeli official said on Saturday, after media reported that Arab ministers planning to attend had been stopped from coming. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

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For today, links to reports from the Cradle and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (SYRIA 5-25-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, MEDIA, UKRAINE, WEST BANK and  IRAN entries for this date are HERE, HERE,  HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) —MCM

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FROM MAY 31  ‘Syria and Israel share common enemies’: Sharaa. From the Cradle. Syria’s self-appointed interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa declared during an interview with the Jewish Journal that Israel and Syria share “common enemies” and said he is ready to engage with Tel Aviv if there is “a clear path to coexistence.” READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 30  Israeli strikes target Syria’s Latakia, Tartous, by Maya Gebeily, Jaidaa Taha and Muhammad Al Gebaly | Reuters  CAIRO — Israeli strikes targeted Syria’s coastal cities of Latakia and Tartous, killing one person, the Syrian state news agency reported on Friday, despite recent talks between Israel and Syria’s interim government. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 28  British NGO behind ‘makeover’ of Al-Qaeda leader turned Syrian president. From the Cradle. A British NGO with ties to the UK government was behind the rebranding and political training of Ahmad al-Sharaa, the former Al-Qaeda chief known previously as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, according to a report by Independent Arabia and recent comments by a former U.S. diplomat. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN 4-29-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, MEDIA, UKRAINE, WEST BANK and SYRIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.)— MCM

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After report about Iran’s increasing uranium stockpiles, Iranian FM stresses Iran’s cooperation, by Melanie Lidman | AP  DUBAI — The Iranian Foreign Minister spoke by phone with the director of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog agency early this morning after a report from the agency said Iran is further increasing its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 31  Iran minister says Oman presented elements of a U.S. proposal for nuclear deal, by Menna Alaa El-Din, Muhammed Al Gebaly and Matt Spetalnick | Reuters  Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said his Omani counterpart presented elements of a U.S. proposal for a nuclear deal between Tehran and Washington during a short visit to Tehran on Saturday. Araqchi said that Iran . . . READ MORE. . . .

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For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Middle East Eye, and to two articles of commentary via Consortium News and ScheerPost; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 5-30-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  WEST BANK, UKRAINE and 9/11 TRUTH entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Hungry Palestinians in Gaza block and offload dozens of UN food trucks, by Sam Mednick and Samy Magdy | AP  TEL AVIV — Palestinians in the Gaza Strip blocked and offloaded dozens of food trucks, the U.N. World Food Program said today, as desperation mounts following Israel’s monthslong blockade while talks of a ceasefire inch forward. The WFP said 77 trucks . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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Hamas submits response to US-drafted Gaza ceasefire proposal. From Middle East Eye. Hamas announced today it has officially responded to the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal brokered by the United States, a plan that has drawn criticism for allegedly favoring Israel. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 30  How to starve a population to death, by Jonathan Cook | Jonathan-Cook.net / Consortium News  A short guide on how to engineer a genocide by starvation and ethnic cleansing. ONE:  Choose your moment. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 29  Trump’s useful idiots, by Chris Hedges | ScheerPost / Consortium News  The conflation of outrage over the genocide with antisemitism is a sleazy tactic to silence protest and placate Zionist donors, the billionaire class and advertisers. READ MORE . . .

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For today, a link to commentary from Truthout via ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (WEST BANK 5-29-25 entry is HERE, or scroll up or down.  GAZA, UKRAINE and 9/11 TRUTH entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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FROM MAY 29  Israel greenlights largest illegal settlement expansion in West Bank in decades, by Sharon Zhang | Truthout / ScheerPost  Israeli officials have announced a plan to advance settler colonialism in the occupied West Bank by establishing 22 new settlements, in open defiance of international law. Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 5-30-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  WEST BANK, GAZA and 9/11 TRUTH entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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2 killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine as prospects for talks remain uncertain. From AP. KYIV — Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine today killed at least two people, including a 9-year-old girl, officials said, as uncertainty remains about whether Kyiv diplomats will attend a new round of peace talks proposed by Moscow for early next week in Istanbul. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 30  Ukraine to default on payment to GDP warrant holders, by Libby George, Olena Harmash and Marc Jones | Reuters  LONDON / KYIV — Ukraine’s finance ministry said on Friday it would not be paying more than half a billion dollars due to holders of its GDP warrants, marking the first payment default since it created the instruments. READ MORE . . .

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One link: to an article from Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth and a video of interview on the Tucker Carlson Show; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names as highlighted above or below. (9/11 TRUTH 5-4-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  WEST BANK, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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FROM MAY 29  U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson shows in interview he’s learning fast about 9/11, by Craig McKee | AE911Truth  Who would have imagined a few months ago that a sitting U.S. senator would become one of the most articulate and important voices for 9/11 truth? But that is what has happened. Click HERE for to read and for video of interview on the Tucker Carlson Show. The segment concerning the Sept. 11, 2001, event and its coverup begins about an hour and 31 minutes in.

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