For today, links to reports from Middle East Monitor and Middle East Eye, and to commentary from Indian Punchline; other articles are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA, WEST BANK, UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. SYRIA 2-1-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM

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Syria’s new president visits Saudi Arabia in first overseas trip. From Middle East Monitor. Syria’s recently appointed interim president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, has arrived in Saudi Arabia today for his first international visit since rebel forces ousted Bashar Al-Assad last month. READ MORE . . .

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Massacres and resilience in Hama, Syria’s insubordinate city, by Omar al-Aswad, Daniel Hilton and Harun al-Aswad | Middle East Eye  HAMA, Syria — Cities across Syria have been pulverised by a decade and a half of civil war. Syrians are quite literally picking up the pieces now that Bashar al-Assad and his government have been removed. Hama’s levelling came much earlier, in 1982, during a massacre that began on Feb. 2 of that year. READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 1  Syria enters new era amidst uncertainties, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The appointment of Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham as Interim President on Wednesday marks the advent of a new era in Syria’s history. The New York Times in a feature article on al-Sharaa called the HTS an “Islamist rebel group once linked to Al Qaeda.” [Emphasis added.] READ MORE . . .

For today, a link to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (GAZA, WEST BANK, LEBANON, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. COVID ETC. 1-26-25 entry is HERE.) — MCM

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FROM JAN. 27  Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s famous name and controversial views collide in his bid for top health job, by Amanda Seitz | AP  WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said vaccines are not safe. His support for abortion access has made conservatives uncomfortable. And farmers across the Midwest are . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to nine reports: from the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, National Public Radio, and Reuters, and to commentary from MintPress News and Middle East Eye; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE. SYRIA, 12-9-24, entry, so far, is HERE. ) — MCM

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Syrian government falls in stunning end to 50-year rule of Assad family, by Bassem Mroue and Zeine Karam | AP  BEIRUT — The Syrian government fell early Sunday in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family after a sudden rebel offensive sprinted across government-held territory and entered the capital in 10 days. READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Middle East News, Middle East Monitor, and NPR.

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After the fall of Assad, what comes next for Syria? Ayesha Rascoe of NPR speaks with Qutaiba Idlbi of the Atlantic Council about the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, considered one of the fiercest dictatorships in the world. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM DEC. 7  Insurgents reach gates of Syria’s capital, threatening to upend decades of Assad rule, by Bassem Mroue and Zeina Karam | AP  BEIRUT — Insurgents’ stunning march across Syria accelerated Saturday with news that they had reached the gates of the capital and that government forces had abandoned the central city of Homs. The government was forced to deny rumors . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 7  Syrian army quits Homs, cutting Assad off from coast, by Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Timour Azhari | Reuters  AMMAN / BEIRUT —Syrian government forces abandoned the key city of Homs on Saturday after less than a day of fightinG, leaving President Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule dangling by a thread with insurgents also advancing towards the capital Damascus. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 7  What does the Syrian rebel takeover mean for the Assad regime? Reported by Michael Levitt, Ruth Sherlock and Ari Shapiro | NPR  Syrian rebels have taken two major cities and are closing in on a third. What does all this mean for the Assad regime. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM DEC. 6  Amid Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, Lebanon is now worried about Syria too. Reported by Lauren Frayer | NPR   Under a shaky ceasefire with Israel, Lebanon has another worry: Syria. Border residents are doing armed patrols with Hezbollah. They fear Syrian rebels could invade them next. They’ve done it before.. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM DEC. 4  The U.S. and Israel quietly revived Al-Qaeda allies in Syria, by Robert Inlakesh | MintPress News  As Syrian opposition forces, spearheaded by the Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, intensify their offensive to seize more territory after capturing Aleppo, Washington has distanced itself from the attack — a remarkable reversal, considering its longstanding support for weaponizing . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 6  Syrians cannot afford another decade of violence and despair, by Sansom Milton | Middle East Eye  Syria stands on the brink of another devastating chapter, as renewed conflict threatens to unfreeze years of stalemate. The resurgence of opposition forces in the north, coupled with evolving geopolitical dynamics. . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to eight reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Another arms depot in northwestern Russia on fire after Ukrainian drone strikes. From AP. KYIV — A blaze tore through a Russian arms depot deep inside the country, triggering explosions and the closure of a major highway, after Ukraine overnight launched over 100 drones at Russia and occupied Crimea, Russian news reports and the Defense Ministry said. READ MORE . . .

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Zelenskyy hopes for quick U.S. action as another arms depot is hit in Russia, by Tony Hicks | AP  KYIV — A massive Ukrainian drone attack set a Russian arms depot ablaze deep inside the country, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ahead of his visit to the White House that Kyiv’s multi-point “victory plan” demands quick action from the United States. Ukraine launched . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 20  Russian forces make three strikes on Kharkiv, 15 injured, officials say. From Reuters. Russian forces launched three strikes on Friday on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, injuring 15 people, including three children, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said Kharkiv police reportedly said the strikes hit three . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says 101 drones downed overnight, explosions reported at ammunition depots, by Abbey Fenbert and Dinara Khalilova | The Kyiv Independent  The Russian Defense Ministry claimed today that its forces shot down and intercepted 101 Ukrainian drones overnight, while explosions were reported at ammunition depots in Krasnodar Krai and Tver Oblast. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Tass.

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Ukrainians sustain over 300 casualties in Kursk area in past day, Russia says. From Tass. MOSCOW — Ukrainian forces have lost more than 300 troops and nine units of armored hardware in the Kursk area in the past 24 hours, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 19  Russia is ramping up drone production to 1.4 million, Putin says. From Reuters. MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia was ramping up drone production by around ten times to nearly 1.4 million this year to ensure the Russian armed forces grab victory in Ukraine. “In total,” he . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM SEPT. 19  Biden, Harris to meet Ukraine’s Zelenskiy on Sept. 26, White House says. From Reuters. WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will hold separate meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sept. 26, the White House said in a statement on Thursday. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from Reuters and the Moscow Times; others are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA entry for this date and an ASSANGE entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Trump is handed plan to halt U.S. military aid to Kyiv unless it talks peace with Moscow, by Gram Slattery and Simon Lewis | Reuters   WASHINGTON — Two key advisers to Donald Trump have presented him with a plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine — if he wins the presidential election — that involves telling Ukraine it will only get more U.S. weapons if it enters into peace talks. The United States would at the same time warn Moscow that any refusal to negotiate . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kremlin says unable to confirm reports of U.S. drone downed over Black Sea. From the Moscow Times. Authorities in Moscow said today they could not confirm reports that a Russian fighter jet downed an American surveillance drone over the Black Sea after Ukraine launched a deadly strike against annexed Crimea said to have been carried out with U.S.-supplied missiles. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Tass; to a program from Princeton Students for Justice in Palestine, via Consortium News; and to reports from National Public Radio and, via ScheerPost, Inside Climate News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM 

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NEWER  Russia and China veto U.S. resolution calling for immediate cease-fire in Gaza, by Edith M. Lederer  | AP  UNITED NATIONS  — Russia and China today vetoed a U.S.-sponsored U.N. resolution calling for “an immediate and sustained cease-fire” in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to more than 2 million hungry Palestinians. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 11 members in favor, three against and one abstention. Before . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  UN Security Council fails to pass U.S. resolution calling for immediate ceasefire in Gaza, by Daphne Psaledakis and David Brunnstrom | Reuters  WASHINGTON — The United Nations Security Council today failed to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal after Russia and China vetoed the measure proposed by the United States. The resolution called for an immediate and sustained ceasefire lasting roughly six weeks that would protect civilians and allow for the delivery . . . READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Russia, China veto U.S.-initiated UNSC draft resolution on Gaza. From Tass. UNITED NATIONS — Russia and China have vetoed a U.S.-initiated UN Security Council draft resolution on the Middle East conflict, which notes the need for an immediate ceasefire but doesn’t explicitly call for it. Eleven out of the 15 members of the Security Council, namely the United Kingdom, Malta, Mozambique, South Korea, Slovenia, the United States, Sierra Leone, France, Switzerland, Ecuador, and Japan, supported the resolution. Along with Russia and China, the draft was voted down by Algeria. Guyana abstained. READ MORE . . .

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Israeli military says troops captured hundreds of fighters in Gaza hospital. From Reuters. JERUSALEM — Israeli forces have detained hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters including a number of security officials and military commanders during its extended raid into Gaza’s main hospital, the military’s main spokesperson said. Israeli troops entered the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City early this morning and . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 21  Conversation on the Gaza genocide with Norman Finkelstein and Chris Hedges. From Princeton Students for Justice in Palestine / Consortium News.  In the program on Thursday afternoon author Finkelstein speaks for about a half-hour or so, then he and journalist Hedges talk for a bit, and then students ask questions. Click HERE for intro and video.

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Blinken is in Israel aiming to negotiate a temporary cease-fire. Reported by Michel Martin and Aya Batrawy | NPR  Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel after stops in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The war in Gaza is in its sixth month, and this is his sixth stop in the region since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM MARCH 21  Aid is only trickling into north Gaza despite imminent famine. Reported by Fatma Tanis | NPR  The U.N. says famine is imminent in north Gaza, as hundreds of thousands of people are facing the highest levels of starvations. And despite urgent calls for help – aid is still only trickling in. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM MARCH 15  As conflict rages on, Israel and Gaza’s environmental fates may be intertwined, by Kiley Price | Inside Climate News / ScheerPost  The Israel-Hamas war has claimed the lives of more than 30,000 people. Like all armed conflicts, it has also come with an environmental toll. From shell casings to Israeli bomb fragments, millions of tons of debris now litter the streets of Gaza, while a blanket of dust and toxic ash . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM   

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FROM MARCH 18  Half the population of Gaza is facing catastrophic food insecurity, WFP says. Reported by Fatma Tanis | NPR  More than half of Gaza’s population is experiencing catastrophic food insecurity, according to a new report. Despite international pressure on Israel to allow more aid in, it hasn’t been enough. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Famine is said to be imminent in northern Gaza as Israel raids the main hospital again, by Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Tia Goldenberg | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Famine is imminent in northern Gaza, where 70% of people are experiencing catastrophic hunger, according to a report Monday that warned escalation of the war could push half of Gaza’s total population to the brink of starvation. The report, by . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MARCH 18  Gaza’s catastrophic food shortage means mass death is imminent, monitor says, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi, Dan Williams and Aidan Lewis | Reuters  CAIRO / JERUSALEM / LONDON — Extreme food shortages in parts of the Gaza Strip have already exceeded famine levels, and mass death is now imminent without an immediate ceasefire and surge of food to areas cut off by fighting, the global hunger monitor said on Monday. READ MORE . . .

Below are links to reports from the Associated Press, the Daily Mail, and Reuters. Then, via Consortium News, a link to Scott Ridder’s askance look at three American volunteers’ service in a Ukrainian Army auxiliary unit. — MCM

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Russians withdraw from around Kharkiv, batter east, by Oleksandr Stashevskyi and David Keaton | The Associated Press  KYIV — Russian troops are withdrawing from around Ukraine’s second-largest city after bombarding it for weeks, the Ukrainian military said today, as Kyiv and Moscow’s forces engaged in a grinding battle for the country’s eastern industrial heartland. Ukraine’s general staff said the Russians were pulling back from the northeastern city of Kharkiv and focusing on guarding supply routes, while launching mortar, artillery and airstrikes in the eastern Donetsk province in order to “deplete Ukrainian forces and destroy fortifications.” Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Ukraine was “entering a new – long-term – phase . . . READ MORE . . .

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demands immediate ceasefire during first call to Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine, by Rob Crilly | Daily Mail U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin talked to his Russian counterpart by telephone on Friday for the first time since Moscow invaded Ukraine, and called for an immediate ceasefire. American officials had repeatedly expressed frustration at Russian refusals to maintain communications during the conflict. But on day 79 of the war, the Pentagon announced that Austin had spoken to Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu. ‘Secretary Austin urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication,’ said spokesman John Kirby. A senior U.S. defense official said the two had spoken for about an hour in a ‘professional’ call requested by Austin. ‘I won’t speak for the Russians,’ said the official, ‘but I think . . . the message was received with respect to keeping the lines open”. READ MORE . . .

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Turkey ‘not closing door’ to Sweden, Finland NATO entry, Erdogan advisor says, by Orhan Coskun, Jonathan Spicer and Can Sezer | Reuters * Finland wants to join NATO * Sweden expected to follow suit in bid to join alliance * Turkey wants its security concerns to be considered | ISTANBUL — Turkey has not shut the door to Sweden and Finland joining NATO but wants negotiations with the Nordic countries and a clampdown on what it sees as terrorist activities especially in Stockholm, President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman said today. “We are not closing the door. But we are basically raising this issue as a matter of national security . . . READ MORE . . .

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Live-Action Role Play in Ukraine, by Scott Ridder | Consortium News Malcolm Nance, Dennis Diaz and Willy Joseph Cancel: Their experiences — one fatal — offer a sobering view of Americans in the International Legion of the Territorial Defense of Ukraine. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

To begin, links to Associated Press and Reuters reports and photos and National Public Radio reports. Then, links to two TeleSUR reports. All are linked to others related to the war in Ukraine. Then, via Consortium News, links to an essay comparing expenditures addressing global warming with military expenditures, and an update on PayPal’s banning of CN. Finally, from Mintpress News, which Wikipedia describes as “an American far-left news website,” a podcast on government funding of “independent” news outlets. (Mintpress appears to have been banned by PayPall as well.) — MCM

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No end in sight for Ukraine war as Putin hails Victory Day, by Elena Becatoros and Jon Gambrell | The Associated Press ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin used a major patriotic holiday today to again justify his war in Ukraine but did not declare even a limited victory or signal where the conflict was headed, as his forces continued to pummel targets across the country with few signs of significant progress. . . . But his much-anticipated speech offered no new insights to how he intended to salvage the grinding war — and instead stuck to allegations that Ukraine posed a threat to Russia, even though Moscow’s nuclear-armed forces are far superior in numbers and firepower.“The danger was rising by the day,” he said as he surveyed the troops. “Russia has given a pre-emptive response to aggression. It was a forced, timely and the only correct decision.” READ MORE . . .

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Ukrainians report fierce fighting as Russia marks Soviet WW2 victory, by Alessandra Prentice | Reuters * Putin leads celebrations of Soviet victory in WW2 * 60 killed after Russian shell hits school in Ukraine’s east * Mariupol residents evacuate, soldiers hold out in steelworks | ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin told his armed forces today they were fighting for their country at a parade of Russian firepower in Moscow, while his troops stepped up their 10-week-old assault on Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said heavy fighting was underway in eastern Ukraine and warned people to take cover from expected missile strikes as Moscow marked the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two. READ MORE . . .

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The New York Times’ can’t shake the cloud over a 90-year-old Pulitzer Prize. By David Folkenflik | NPR The New York Times is looking to add to its list of 132 Pulitzer Prizes — by far the most of any news organization — when the 2022 recipients for journalism are announced today. Yet the war in Ukraine has renewed questions of whether the Times should return a Pulitzer awarded 90 years ago for work by Walter Duranty, its charismatic chief correspondent in the Soviet Union. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Finalists from Ukraine will compete virtually in an international science fair. NPR’s Leila Fadel speaks with students from Ukraine who are finalists in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.

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The war in Ukraine is exacerbating food insecurity in Afghanistan. Reported by Diaa Hadid | NPR The crisis in Ukraine is causing more food insecurity for people in Afghanistan, who are already going hungry in a country roiled by conflict, drought, pandemic and a freeze on national assets. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.

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First lady Jill Biden spent part of Mother’s Day in Ukraine. Reported by Scott Detrow | NPR First lady Jill Biden made an unannounced stop in Ukraine on Sunday during a tour of Eastern Europe. She met with Ukraine’s first lady, who made her first public appearance since the war began. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.

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Russia: President Putin Sends Congratulations on Victory Day. From TeleSUR. On the occasion of the 77th anniversary of the victory against Nazi Germany, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the leaders and citizens of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Donbas republics, as well as the peoples of Georgia and Ukraine. “In his congratulations, the Russian president specifically noted that on this day we pay tribute to gratitude and respect for the soldiers and frontline workers who crushed Nazism at the cost of countless victims and hardships,” a statement from the Kremlin press service said. READ MORE . . .

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Russia Completes Evacuation of Civilians from Azovstal Plant. From TeleSUR. The Russian National Defense Management Center reports the completion of the operation to evacuate civilians from Azovstal in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. “Thanks to the unprecedented measures of the leadership of the Russian Federation, with the active participation of the representatives of the United Nations Organization (UN) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the humanitarian operation to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal steel plant was completed today [May 7],” the head of the aforementioned Russian Center, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, said at a briefing on Saturday. READ MORE . . .

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Money for Weapons as the Planet Burns, by Vijay Prashad | Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research Two important reports were released last month, neither getting the kind of attention they deserve. On April 4, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Working Group III report was published, evoking a strong reaction from the United Nations’ Secretary General António Guterres. The report, he said, “is a litany of broken climate promises. It is a file of shame, cataloguing the empty pledges that put us firmly on track towards an unlivable world.”  At COP26, the developed countries pledged to spend a modest $100 billion for the Adaptation Fund to assist developing countries adapt to climate change. Meanwhile, on April 25, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) issued its annual report, finding that the world’s military spending, for the first time, surpassed the $2 trillion mark. The five largest spenders . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Mistaken’ PayPal Email Means CN Is Permanently Banned, by Joe Lauria | Consortium News A PayPal customer service agent on Thursday told Consortium News that an email sent to CN on Tuesday saying steps could be taken to restore the account was a “mistake” and that CN is indeed permanently banned from using its services. The email on Tuesday said: “Access to your account will remain limited until you perform the steps required to lift the limitation.” The steps needed to be taken were never specified. Now PayPal says that information was sent in error and there is nothing Consortium News can do to restore its account. CN is unlikely to want to restore the account after its experience with PayPal. But an . . . READ MORE . . .

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The Non-Independence of Western-Funded “Independent Media” in Ukraine. Rapper and activist Lowkey talks with Mintpress journalist Alan MacLeod about how the media is covering the conflict, and the promotion of supposedly “independent” Ukrainian media outlets that are quietly being funded by Western governments. There’s no transcript of the talk, but to listen to it and read an introduction, click HERE.

It’s Thanksgiving Week 2021, which I hope is also Kennedy Week.  That’s because when family and friends get together for some kind of a feast this year, I hope that in addition to pausing and acknowledging how thankful they are for all sorts of things . . . they spend at least a few minutes getting into talking about (1) the murder, 57 years ago this past Monday, of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and how the official explanation was physically impossible and therefore whether it was in fact a coup d’etat with consequences today and in the foreseeable future until Americans do something about it, or (2) the latest book by Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. — about which more below — and how the government/media explanation for the current Covid-19 mess is not worthy of the credibility it has been granted. Please read on.

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The Groaning Board: Many Americans have some familiarity with Norman Rockwell’s 1943 painting, HERE, of a family of white Americans gathered around a dining room table as an enormous cooked turkey is presented at one end by someone’s grandmother. One title is “The Christmas Bird,” but the image is appropriate for Thanksgiving Day. People who are groaningly bored with the conversation as it is going at the table or elsewhere might experiment by asking someone present, “What do you think about the Kennedy assassination back in 1963?” or “Has anyone heard about the new book by Bobby Kennedy Jr. about Dr. Fauci?” . . . and take it from there.

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Book Availability: I was in a Barnes & Noble this morning, a week after the release of The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health, and asked if they had it. Maybe for Christmas, a clerk said. He continued from behind his mask: “It’s a small, questionable . . . .” “Publisher?” I offered, from behind mine. He nodded. Yes, Skyhorse, I added, and said I was reading it, and that Amazon says it’s their top seller. “They can’t even get it,” he said. I said I was reading it and it’s really good. I may have more about it below or tomorrow. Meanwhile, see THIS or THIS or THIS.

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Credibility: At lunch today (once we had sat down and taken off our masks), somehow the topic of the Covid came up. I asked my lunch mate what he thought of Anthony Fauci. “Who’s that?” “America’s Doctor?” “Oh, him. Trump couldn’t stand him.” Then, my lunch mate called Dr. Fauci the most credible person on any subject. I noted I heard him interviewed on “Morning Edition” yesterday by cohost Steve Inskeep, who didn’t bring up the subject of Kennedy’s new book, (HERE’s the interview.) It was a good lunch, without further talk about any of that. We did agree about the state of the news media, and how tough a time newspapers are having getting ads, and I wondered whether a country is a democracy without news that informs people about what’s going on. I reminded him of his long-held opinion that “People don’t read.”

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Thoughts on Stupidity: A Facebook friend just sent a diagram of “The Five Laws of Stupidity” with accompanying narration. Click HERE to find both. It’s a seemingly offensive topic, but the thing has much that’s true and helpful. It’s from a website called “The Voluntary Life” and is derived from a 1987 essay in The Whole Earth Catalog by Carlo M. Cipolla, HERE. It may be comforting to learn that practically everyone is stupid in one way or another.

— Mark Channing Miller