“Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been overheard discussing organ transplants as a means of prolonging life on the sidelines of a military parade in Beijing. Putin suggested even eternal life could be achievable as a result of innovations in biotechnology, according to a translation of remarks caught on a hot mic. The unguarded moment was captured on a livestream carried by Chinese state TV as the two leaders and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un walked together through China’s historic Tiananmen Square. Xi and Putin have been in power for 13 and 25 years respectively. Neither has expressed any intention of stepping down.” (09/03/25)
“Nevada officials arrested a convicted felon allegedly in possession of ‘large quantities’ of a number of illicit drugs early Monday morning, this time within the confines of Burning Man proper, according to a news release from the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office. The man was also allegedly in possession of two firearms, in violation of federal law [sic], which prohibits those with felony convictions from having guns or ammunition, as well as the temporary closure order set down by the Bureau of Land Management that allows Burning Man to operate each year in the Black Rock Desert. During a traffic stop on the Esplanade (which is considered Burning Man’s ‘main street’ and serves as the divider between the man sculpture and the event’s many themed camps), officers performed a ‘probable cause search’ just after 2 a.m. Monday, the release said.” [editor’s note: The only applicabnle “federal law” is the 2nd Amendment – TLK] (09/02/25)
“In October 2023, I was part of an online training on self-managed medication abortion. The workshop was hosted on Zoom by two women living in a state with an abortion ban, tailored for attendees who also live in ’red’ states that restrict abortion to varying degrees, and covering the medical basics about how to self-manage a medication abortion. The majority of the training, however, focused on how participants could pass the lessons along — educating other people about those medical basics, the practical realities of what to expect during a first-trimester medication abortion, how to recognize the signs of problems and, importantly, how to do all this while remaining within the law. The last part required some role-playing for participants to practice staying within the boundaries of ’sharing information’ without crossing over into anything that could potentially be prosecuted as giving medical advice.” (09/03/25)
“I have spent the bulk of my career — on and off since the late Carter Administration — following the money that drives war and repression. What I have finally learned after so many decades of doing research on the war machine is that while research is critical, it must be in the service of a smart strategy backed by a lot of hard work by organizers from all walks of life. My interest in using research to promote social change was sparked by my years at Columbia University in the 1970s, when I was a researcher and advocate in the divestment movement targeting the apartheid regime of South Africa and a participant in other social justice movements like the boycott in support of the United Farmworkers Union and the opposition to the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile.” (09/02/25)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) has determined that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. This is the world’s largest association of genocide scholars, with around 500 experts on the subject including many Holocaust scholars. The consensus was reached by an overwhelming supermajority of the experts — 86 percent, to be exact. Everyone needs to understand that ‘there is no genocide in Gaza’ is not a claim that can be taken seriously in the year 2025. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, UN human rights experts, Israeli human rights groups like B’Tselem, and the overwhelming majority of genocide scholars all agree it’s a genocide. The debate is over. The hasbarists lost. Israel’s Foreign Ministry is of course claiming that the IAGS assessment is ‘entirely based on Hamas’s campaign of lies.’ That’s right folks, the genocide scholars are Hamas. They’re just so unbelievably evil.” (09/03/25)
“The South Side of Chicago is a war zone. In 2023, the city recorded 617 homicides and more than 2,000 shootings, with neighborhoods like Englewood and Woodlawn hit the hardest. Just a few weeks ago, I stood over the body of a man who had been shot dead. Hundreds of young souls will be killed by year’s end. So I was not surprised when President Donald Trump said, ‘Chicago’s a mess. You have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent. And we’ll straighten that one out probably next.’ After all, the government’s first responsibility is to protect its citizens.” [editor’s note: The government’s “first responsibility” has always been to transfer wealth from the productive class to the political class. Anything else is decorative in nature – TLK] (09/02/25)
Source: Brennan Center for Justice
by Michael Waldman
“US President Donald Trump has threatened to send troops to Chicago to ‘straighten that one out’. New York City, he says, might be next. Already, armed National Guard regiments are patrolling the streets of Washington, DC. All this on top of the deployment of troops to Los Angeles earlier in the summer. President Trump has threatened to send troops to Chicago ‘to straighten that one out’. New York City, he says, might be next. Already, armed National Guard regiments are patrolling the streets of Washington, DC. All this on top of the deployment of troops to Los Angeles earlier in the summer. The deployment of out-of-state troops to occupy cities cannot plausibly promote public order. It’s blunt force, a brutal power grab. It runs afoul of the Constitution and the proper role for states.” (09/02/25)
“So, Labor Day morning, I decided to get out of the house for a little bit – a chance to clear my head from all the crap happening – and check out refrigerators on sale at Lowe’s. On the way there, I drive through one intersection with a group of about 15 leftists holding signs about ‘Fight Trump’ and ‘End Oligarchy!’ I doubt any of them could define oligarchy, but they’re ready to fight it! A few more intersections, a few more mutant gatherings, and one thing became clear: Democrats are miserable people. Imagine having a day off work – a federal holiday – and you choose not to spend it with family and friends, but to … wave signs with slogans as stale as their hairdos at cars full of people who are going about their lives in a way you don’t seem capable of doing.” (09/02/25)
“Socialism is alive and well, and it is growing, though maybe not in the way you expect. The federal government provides more than $700 billion in contracts to private sector corporations. It also forgoes approximately $1.5 trillion in tax receipts to provide tax breaks for corporations to encourage job-creating investments, or so we are told. The net result is that corporations avoid paying their fair share [sic] while we, the taxpaying public, make up the difference. As if that public support for private enterprise isn’t enough, now President Trump is taking it to the next level by acquiring 10 percent of Intel’s stock in exchange for the $8.9 billion the government is providing the company via the Chips and Science Act. From one angle, this certainly is an improvement over the big bank bailouts …” (09/02/25)
“The unhinged hostility to Donald Trump’s successful [sic] crime [sic] crackdown in Washington, DC, puts Democrats inexplicably on the wrong side of their own voters. What on earth are they thinking? Law and order is quite literally an 80-20 issue. You don’t need a pollster to say so, but 81% of Americans of all political persuasions say crime is ‘a major problem,’ according to a new AP-NORC poll released last week. The other 19% must be either criminals or blue-city politicians — or both.” [editor’s note: At least the occupation troops picked up some litter and raked some leaves in between abducting drunk sandwich throwers and marching around tourist areas to be seen – TLK] (08/31/25)
