Category: Ledger of Shame
Trump warns protests at military parade will be met with force
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump warned people on June 11 against protesting at the weekend military parade in Washington marking the US Army’s 250th anniversary. “For those people that want to protest, they’re going to be met with very big force,” Mr Trump told reporters in the White House’s Oval Office. Law enforcement agencies are preparing for hundreds of thousands of people to attend the June 14 parade, US Secret Service special agent in charge Matt McCool said on…
UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway sanction Israeli Cabinet ministers
Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway said Tuesday they have imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli government ministers for allegedly “inciting extremist violence” against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich face asset freezes and travel bans from the five countries. The ministers are champions of expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The decision by Western governments friendly to Israel was a sharp rebuke of Israel’s settlement policies in the West Bank and of settler…
Marines arrive in LA under Trump orders as protests spread to other cities
LOS ANGELES – Hundreds of US Marines arrived in Los Angeles overnight and more were expected on June 10 under orders from President Donald Trump, who has also activated 4,000 National Guard troops to quell protests despite objections from California Governor Gavin Newsom and other local leaders. Los Angeles has seen days of public outrage since the Trump administration launched a series of immigration raids on June 6, though local officials said the demonstrations on June 9 were largely peaceful….
When Ideas Become Too Dangerous to Platform
Professor Gigi Foster delivered a TEDx talk titled The Manipulators’ Playbook at the University of New South Wales in 2024. It was an examination of how, in times of crisis, fear and conformity can be deliberately harnessed by those in power to manipulate public behaviour. Her message was a call to defend the freedom to question authority and think independently. The local TEDxUNSW team had worked closely with Foster to ensure her talk met TEDx standards. ”But when the video was submitted to TED’s US headquarters for publication on YouTube, it was rejected. Across the digital landscape, we’re witnessing a broader pattern…
The Manipulators’ Playbook – Gigi Foster
Video: TedX talk by Gigi Foster in Australia, October 2024
US decision to sanction ICC judges ‘deeply corrosive’ to justice: UN rights chief
Mr. Türk was responding to an announcement by Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, on Thursday, of measures targeting the judges, who are overseeing a 2020 case of alleged war crime committed in Afghanistan by US and Afghan military forces, and the 2024 ICC arrest warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the former Defence Minister. “I am profoundly disturbed by the decision of the Government of the United States of America to sanction judges…
Did the Feds Label You a Covid “Violent Extremist?”
Biden administration policy-makers hated you more than you knew. From the start of the Covid pandemic, I warned that the feds were vilifying anyone who failed to kowtow to the latest commands. In October 2023, I wrote: “Federal bureaucrats heaved together a bunch of letters to contrive an ominous new acronym for the latest peril to domestic tranquility. The result: AGAAVE—’anti-government, anti-authority violent extremism’—which looks like a typo for a sugar substitute. The FBI vastly expanded the supposed AGAAVE peril by…
US detains Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi at citizenship interview
Mahdawi’s lawyer says Columbia University student detained as ‘retaliation’ for pro-Palestinian stance. United States immigration agents have arrested a Palestinian man who led demonstrations at Columbia University against the war on Gaza. A green card holder since 2015, Mohsen Mahdawi was detained on Monday as he attended an interview at an immigration office regarding his application for citizenship, according to his lawyers. The arrest is the latest in a controversial crackdown by the administration of President Donald Trump on immigrant student…
Video: Bodies of eight missing paramedics found in Gaza mass grave
The Palestine Red Crescent says it’s located the bodies of eight of the nine paramedics who went missing about a week ago. The medics had been surrounded by Israeli forces while responding to the scene of an attack in Rafah. Gaza’s Health Ministry says their bodies had been discovered in a hole, and that some were bound and had gunshot wounds to the chest. Mads Gilbert, professor of Emergency Medicine at Norway’s University of Tromso weighs in.
Jeep & Chrysler parent Stellantis lays off 900 US workers as tariffs bite
In sum:
Stellantis pauses production in Mexico and Canada due to tariffs
Automakers face 25% import tax on imported autos
UAW criticizes Stellantis for unnecessary layoffs
US automaker shares fall sharply
Musk’s father says Tesla tycoon admires Putin
Errol Musk says his family looks up to the Russian leader for his calm leadership and logical speeches Errol Musk has said that his son Elon and their family admire Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking to the BBC in an interview, the billionaire’s father described the head of state as a “strong leader” and praised his speeches as logical. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, also leads the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as part of US President…
JD Vance says Denmark has ‘under invested’ in Greenland
US Vice President JD Vance on Friday criticized Denmark for failing to adequately protect Greenland, during a visit to the strategically significant and resource-rich Arctic territory. His remarks, made at the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, have been viewed as a provocation by both Copenhagen and Nuuk. “Denmark has not done enough” Speaking at a press conference, Vance accused Denmark of under-investing in Greenland and neglecting both its people and its security infrastructure. “Our message to Denmark is very…
Anti-war Russian Scientist at Harvard Med Detained by U.S. Border Agents
U.S. immigration authorities detained and revoked the visa of a Russian scientist who opposes the war in Ukraine and had been conducting genetic research at Harvard Medical School, her friends and colleagues said this week. Ksenia Petrova was stopped at Boston Logan International Airport on Feb. 16 after returning from a personal trip in France. U.S. officials revoked her research visa for failing to properly declare frog embryos she had brought with her, according to The Harvard Crimson. U.S. Customs…
1,400+ Arrested in Turkey as Erdoğan Jails Istanbul Mayor & Intensifies Authoritarian Crackdown
Mass demonstrations continue in Turkey, where Istanbul Mayor İmamoglu was arrested on corruption charges. Since protests broke out, Turkish authorities have detained more than 1,400 people, including students and journalists. İmamoglu is the main rival of President Erdogan in the 2028 election and was recently nominated by the Republican People’s Party. Erdogan has led the country since 2003, but his popularity has dropped in recent years amid authoritarian policies. “Everyone knows that this is politically motivated and that Erdogan is scared that he’s not going to win against Ekrem İmamoğlu,” says Turkish political scientist Ezgi Başaran.
23andMe files for bankruptcy, putting customers’ genetic data at risk
Genetic testing company 23andMe has begun Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, alarming regulators and privacy advocates who are warning customers to delete genetic information retained by the company. 23andMe said on Sunday it intends to put itself up for sale following the proceedings. In October 2023 it suffered a massive data breach causing major reputational damage and exposing the genetic information of more than six million people.
‘Don’t think he should apologize’: Donald Trump backs national security advisor Waltz amid Signal text leak fallout
US President Donald Trump on Monday defended national security advisor Michael Waltz, as his administration faces intense scrutiny over the recent Signal text chain leak that inadvertently exposed sensitive war discussions to a journalist. Waltz has been under fire after a staffer in his office mistakenly added Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, to a Signal group chat where high-ranking officials, including secretary of state Pete Hegseth, discussed planned military strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Despite the blunder, Trump…
