For today, links to five reports: from Reuters, Middle East Eye, Anadolu Agency, and the Associated Press, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor; other articles or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below.  (GAZA 5-7-25 is HERE, or scroll down. LEBANON, YEMEN and UKRAINE entry for today are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.)  — MCM

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Hamas says it is engaged in ‘fierce fighting’ in Gaza’s Rafah. From Reuters. Hamas militants were engaged in “fierce fighting” with Israeli soldiers on Thursday in the south of the Gaza Strip near Rafah, the Palestinian militant group said. READ MORE . . .

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What is ‘Gideon’s Chariots,’Israel’s latest plan for Gaza? by Nadav Rapaport | Middle East Eye  TEL AVIV — The Israeli army is planning to seize complete control of the Gaza Strip, displace the entire population to a small area of land in the south and provide Palestinians with only enough food so they don’t starve to death, as part of an expanded military operation ominously called “Gideon’s Chariots.” READ MORE . . .

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Gaza government warns of Israeli plans to create ‘forced isolation camps’ for Palestinians, by Jomaa Younis and Rania Abu Shamala | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — The Gaza government on Wednesday ay warned of Israeli plans to create camps for Palestinians modeled after the “Nazi ghettos” using the mechanism of aid distribution promoted by Tel Aviv. READ MORE . . .

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Document reveals Israel’s controversial aid plan for Gaza, by Dania Akkad | Middle East Eye  The organisation set to administer Israel’s controversial plan to take control of humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza will use private security contractors to hand out 1,750 kcal meals to Palestinians that will cost donors a little more than a dollar each. READ MORE . . .

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Leading aid group shuts down its soup kitchens across Gaza over Israel’s blockade, by Wafaa Shurafa | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza — Israel’s ongoing blockade of humanitarian assistance for Gaza forced World Central Kitchen to shut its community soup kitchens, faced with empty warehouses and no replenishment of supplies in the war-battered enclave. READ MORE . . .

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Expulsion and occupation: Israel’s proposed Gaza plan, by Binoy Kampmark | Middle East Monitor  Killing civilians wholesale, starving them to convince those unaffected to change course, and shepherding whole populations like livestock into conditions of further misery . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Kyiv Post, Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, Anadolu Agency, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below.  (UKRAINE 5-7-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  LEBANON, YEMEN and GAZA entries for today are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.)  — MCM

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Russia attacks Ukraine on the first day of self-declared ceasefire, killing 1 person. From AP. KYIV — Russia struck northeastern Ukraine today in the opening hours of a 72-hour ceasefire called by Russian President Vladimir Putin, killing one person, Ukrainian officials said. The unilateral ceasefire . . .  READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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Ukraine’s cities quiet as Kremlin-sponsored ceasefire kicks in. From Reuters. A three-day ceasefire declared by Russia came into effect this morning with skies over Ukraine’s major cities quiet, in a change from successive nights of heavy attacks by Russian drones and ballistic missiles. Ukraine’s air force reported that . . . READ MORE . . .

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An economist says U.S. pressure won’t force Kyiv to concede, by Liliane Bivings | Kyiv Independent  If Ukraine’s military resistance to Russia’s full-scale invasion stunned the world, its economic resilience in the face of a larger, better-equipped enemy is a lesser-known story of the war. A combination of rapid state expansion, prudent . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine ratifies mineral deal with U.S., by Burc Eruygur | Anadolu Agency  ISTANBUL — Ukraine’s parliament today unanimously ratified a mineral and economic partnership deal signed with the United States last month, paving the way for joint investment in post-war reconstruction efforts.  READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 7  Russian troops liberate Lipovoye community in Donetsk region over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated the community of Lipovoye in the Donetsk region over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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For today, just one link: to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below.  YEMEN 5-6-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE, MEDIA and GAZA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.)  — MCM

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Fighter jet goes overboard from USS Harry S Truman. Yemen’s Houthis assess Sanaa airport damage, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — An F/A-18 fighter jet landing on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea went overboard on Tuesday, forcing its two pilots to eject, a defense official said today. On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump and Oman’s foreign minister both said a ceasefire had been reached with the Houthis, who . . . READ MORE . . .

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First, a link to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below.  UKRAINE 5-7-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  YEMEN, MEDIA and GAZA entries for this date, so far, are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.)  — MCM

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Ukrainian drones keep targeting Moscow as foreign leaders arrive for Red Square parade, by Alex Babenko and Katie Marie Davies | AP  Attacks by Ukrainian long-range drones caused flight disruption at Moscow’s main airports for a third straight day today, authorities said, as Russia prepared to receive the Chinese president and other foreign leaders for the annual Victory Day military parade in Red Square. Russian flag carrier Aeroflot canceled more than 100 flights . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For today, a note about access to the Associated Press website, followed by links to donation pages for AP, National Public Radio, Consortium News, ScheerPost, and Popular Resistance; news and opinion is usually accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (MEDIA 5-2-25 is HERE, or scroll down. YEMEN, UKRAINE and GAZA entries for today’s date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.)  — MCM

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AP, where were you? by MCM | x-ma911truthwalk.com For at least several minutes this morning, at least on my computer, reports from AP were inaccessible. This visitor got an odd message from something with the word “cloud” in its name, beginning “Bad gateway Error code 502.” Then that was replaced by a total whiteout, akin to a the white inside a cumulus cloud. This was annoying, as AP is usually one of my first stops. It’s possible this problem was unique to my situation, or it may be a hacker’s mischief. Who knows? I don’t recommend anyone clicking on the cloudy link. Perhaps AP itself will report on this. 

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https://www.npr.org/donations/support. Link is from NPR. Visitors may want to consider making monetary donations to NPR in light of the Trump administration’s proposal to end federal funding. You may find yourself looking at a totally white screen (see above), but if you keep trying, the page may open. Click HERE for donations page.

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https://apnews.com/donate. Link is from AP. Visitors may want to consider making occasional or regular monetary donations to AP, a U.S. not-for-profit news agency founded in 1846 and once sustained by newspapers and other “member” organizations presumably including federal government agencies but now offering its reports for free to anyone with access to the Internet. Click HERE for donations page.

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https://consortiumnews.salsalabs.org/ClassicDonationPage1/index.html. Link is from Consortium News. CN has been around for going on three decades. It considers itself apart from the mainstream media, depicting the latter as reflecting “groupthink on issue after issue, often ignoring important factual information because it didn’t fit with what all the Important People knew to be true.” Paradoxically, as late as 2011 CN’s founder, former AP reporter Robert Parry, ridiculed 9/11 truthers as a bunch of lunatics (link to “The 9/11 ‘Truth’ Parlor Game” [January 2011] is HERE). Several people on its board don’t adhere to this now-absurd view, but CN itself has yet to venture into Truthland on the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Click HERE for donations page.

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https://scheerpost.networkforgood.com/projects/214779-scheerpost-donation-page. Link from ScheerPost. This “award-winning, independent news organization that focuses on progressive politics and human rights issues that the mainstream media misses” also reflects thoroughly mainstream skittishness on 9/11 truth: Nothing to see here, move along. It’s stated mission, HERE, of providing an “alternative understanding of what is going on in our world today” has not included shining light on fundamental truths of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and coverups thereof. Click HERE for donations page. 

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https://popularresistance.org/donate/. Link is from Popular Resistance.

[ Some text to follow, another day ]

Click HERE for donations page.

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MAY BE CONTINUED

For today, just three links: to reports from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (GAZA 5-6-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  YEMEN, UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.)  — MCM

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Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 59 as Israel prepares to ramp up its offensive, by Wafaa Shurafa and Tia Goldenberg | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 59 people, including women and children, hospital officials said today. The strikes included one attack on Tuesday night on a school sheltering . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli ambassador to the UN discusses the country’s new plan for aid in Gaza. Michel Martin of NPR asks Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, about his country’s new plan for humanitarian aid in Gaza, which the UN has rejected. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Israeli protesters against war draw attention to children killed in Gaza. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  A small but growing group of Israelis is staging a silent protest against the war while holding photos of Palestinian children killed in Gaza. Israeli police unsuccessfully tried to ban the protests. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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For today, links to six reports: from the Cradle, the New Arab, Reuters, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. YEMEN 5-4-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE and GAZA entries for today’s date are HERE and HERE, or scroll down.)  — MCM

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Dozens of Israeli airstrikes ‘disable’ Yemen’s main civilian airport. From the Cradle. Heavy Israeli airstrikes struck Sanaa International Airport and other critical infrastructure in the Yemeni capital today, as Tel Aviv declared its forces had “completely disabled” the country’s main civilian airfield. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from the New Arab and Reuters, and May 5 report from AP.

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Yemen vows ‘unimaginable’ response to Israel’s bombing campaign of Hodeidah. From the Cradle. Israeli strikes carried out on Monday evening on Yemen’s Hodeidah port and surrounding areas, including a concrete factory near Bajil, injured 56 people and killed one, while damaging 70 percent of the port’s five docks and infrastructure, Yemeni sources said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 5  Joint U.S.-Israeli air raids hit major Yemeni cities. From the Cradle. U.S. and Israeli airplanes conducted joint airstrikes late on Monday on the Yemeni cities of Sanaa and Hodeidah, in response to the Yemeni Armed Forces’ attack on Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Sunday. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from Tass, the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, Reuters, Kyiv Post, and the Moscow Times; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below.  YEMEN and GAZA entry for today’s date are HERE and HERE, or scroll down.  UKRAINE 5-5-25 is HERE, or scroll up or down.)  — MCM

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Truce to take effect, even though Ukraine didn’t halt fire for Easter — Russian MFA. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to cease fire for 72 hours in connection with the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day will come into force overnight into May 8 . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine drone attacks briefly shut down Moscow’s international airports. From AP. All four international airports around Moscow temporarily suspended flights today as Russian forces intercepted more than 100 Ukrainian drones fired at almost a dozen Russian regions, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said. Nine other regional Russian airports also . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Kyiv Independent.

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Russia and Ukraine exchange 205 prisoners of war each, Russian military reports. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russia and Ukraine today swapped 205 prisoners of war each in an exchange which the United Arab Emirates helped mediate, the Russian Defence ministry said. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for reports from Kyiv Post and the Moscow Times.

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For today, links to six reports: from Middle East Eye, Anadolu Agency, the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 5-5-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  YEMEN and UKRAINE entries for today’s date are HERE and HERE, or scroll up.)  — MCM

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UN warns 66,000 Gaza children suffer from severe malnutrition amid Israeli aid blockade. From Middle East Eye. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) said today that Israel’s two-month blockade of food and aid . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Anadolu Agency.

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An Israeli plan to seize the Gaza Strip is met with alarm, by Wafaa Shurafa and Melanie Lidman | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinians are exhausted and hopeless, pummeled by 19 months of heavy bombing. Families of Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza are terrified that the possibility of a ceasefire is slipping further away. READ MORE . . .

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Israel plans new controls for how food and supplies are distributed in Gaza. Michel Martin of NPR speaks with Shaina Low of the Norwegian Refugee Council about lsrael’s new plans for how aid gets distributed in the enclave. Click HERE to listen and, later, read, and HERE for a May 5 report from NPR.

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For now, links to reports from Middle East Eye and the Cradle, and to commentary via the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names below.  (LEBANON 4-22-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA and UKRAINE entries for today’s date are HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM) — MCM

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Abbas to visit Lebanon with plan to disarm Palestinian factions, by Elis Gjevori | Middle East Eye  Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is set to visit Lebanon on May 19 to announce the disarmament of Palestinian resistance factions, by force if necessary. Palestinian and Lebanese sources said Abbas will travel to Beirut on an official visit to . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 2  Lebanon warns Palestinian factions against ‘threatening national security.’ From the Cradle.  Lebanon’s Supreme Defense Council has issued a statement warning Hamas and other groups against “destabilizing security” in the country and using its territory to “carry out any actions that threaten Lebanese national security.” READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 22  The enemy’s cognitive war on Lebanon, by Mohamad Hasan Sweidan | The Cradle  Following Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem’s remarks on April 18, it became clear that much of what dominates Lebanese media is merely a projection of lost hopes. READ MORE . . .

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