“Much to my astonishment, some voters thought Donald Trump might be a ‘peace president.’ I never bought it, so won’t outline the case for such magical thinking here, but his major increase already excessive U.S. weapons transfers to Israel as it continues its illegal genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and recent, contradictory statements by Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding working to end Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, or throwing in the towel on diplomacy, should by now have disabused anyone that Trump is a consistent peace advocate. In the wake of his and Elon Musk’s taking a sledgehammer to all manner of government programs, in both domestic and foreign policy, there is real concern more countries than the current nine … might decide to build their own nuclear weapons.” (04/23/25)
“Two Belgian teenagers who were found with thousands of ants valued at $9,200 and allegedly destined for European and Asian markets will be sentenced in two weeks, a Kenyan magistrate said Wednesday. Magistrate Njeri Thuku, sitting at the court in Kenya’s main airport, said she would not rush the case but would take time to review environmental impact and psychological reports filed in court before passing sentence on May 7. Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19 years old, were arrested on April 5 with 5,000 ants at a guest house. They were charged on April 15 with violating wildlife conservation laws. The teens have told the magistrate that they didn’t know that keeping the ants was illegal and were just having fun. The Kenya Wildlife Service had said the case represented ‘a shift in trafficking trends — from iconic large mammals to lesser-known yet ecologically critical species’.” (04/23/25)
“President Donald Trump wants to fire Jerome Powell, chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. No word yet on what Powell thinks about Trump’s job performance, but Powell says he doesn’t intend to quit before the end of his term next year. If Trump does try to fire him, he’ll see Trump in court. It’s a mess. It’s like being a little kid in a big crazy family watching the grown-ups have a nasty, screaming fight in front of the neighbors. It’s embarrassing. But it’s more than that. This big crazy family needs the neighbors – which includes everyone in the world who participates in our financial system – more than ever. There’s probably not much we can do about the fight. The grown-ups clearly don’t care much about us kids – if they did, they’d quit fighting and figure all this out.” (04/23/25)
“A groundbreaking new study suggests that a gut-dwelling bacteria may be behind the recent surge in early-onset colorectal cancer cases. The potential culprit? Colibactin, a toxin produced by certain strains of E. coli that thrive in the colon and rectum. ‘We believe this exposure occurs very early in life — likely during the first decade — when children are infected,’ Dr. Ludmil Alexandrov, senior study author and a professor at the University of California San Diego, told The Post. Once thought of as a disease that strikes later in life, colorectal cancer is now on the rise among young people in at least 27 countries. In the US, the number of people under 55 being diagnosed has nearly doubled over the past decade, and more people are dying from the disease each year, according to the American Cancer Society.” (04/23/25)
“Amid the chaos of Donald Trump’s misrule (with his on-again, off-again trade war causing a sharp slide in the dollar, a rise in American borrowing costs, accelerating inflation, and possibly a severe recession), his attack on basic medical research is getting less attention. Elon Musk’s DOGE goons have slashed federal grants across the country, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is putting through further sweeping layoffs and budget cuts. Meanwhile, Trump’s war on immigrants is targeting top medical researchers. In particular, cancer research and treatment in America is being gored. Development of promising diagnostics and treatments has been called into question or frozen, clinical trials are being halted, and (unless the cuts are stopped) hospitals around the country will be bankrupted. Many Americans will die soon, and many more will die in future who could have been saved.” (04/23/25)
“The U.S. Supreme Court appeared inclined to rule in favor of Christian and Muslim parents in Maryland seeking to keep their elementary school children out of certain classes when storybooks with LGBT characters are read in the latest case involving the intersection of religion and LGBT rights. The nine justices heard arguments on Tuesday in an appeal by parents with children in public schools in Montgomery County, located just outside of Washington, after lower courts declined to order the local school district to let children opt out when these books are read. The parents — who include Muslim, Roman Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox plaintiffs — contend that the school board’s policy of prohibiting opt-outs violates the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment protections for free exercise of religion.” [editor’s note: What if their religion forbids, say, math? – TLK] (04/22/25)
“This year’s global celebration of Earth Day on April 22 had both sadness and celebration hanging over it. The sadness was that one of the world’s religious leaders who helped put a spiritual dimension into climate activism, Pope Francis, died on Monday. Among the many celebratory tributes to him was widespread praise for his missives citing a love of God and others – rather than fear – as the basis for stewardship of Earth’s atmosphere. Just days before his death, another fellow global church leader was celebrated. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of 300 million Eastern Orthodox Christians, won this year’s Templeton Prize. He was cited for his decades of work in promoting ‘a compelling moral and theological vision of humanity’s responsibility to care for the Earth,’ as the John Templeton Foundation put it.” (04/22/25)
“Under the guise of efficiency, the Trump administration is taking a sledgehammer to essential programs and agencies that are the backbone of America’s civilian government. The virtual elimination of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and plans to shut down the Department of Education are just the most visible examples of a campaign that includes layoffs of budget experts, public health officials, scientists, and other critical personnel whose work undergirds the daily operations of government and provides the basic services needed by businesses, families, and individuals alike. Many of those services can make the difference between solvency and poverty, health and illness, or even, in some cases, life and death for vulnerable populations. The speed with which civilian programs and agencies are being slashed in the second Trump era gives away the true purpose of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).” (04/22/25)
“Kilmar Abrego Garcia shouldn’t be in a prison in El Salvador, but he also never should have been in the United States — or given relief from deportation. The White House is trying to make the alleged MS-13 gang member a symbol of illegal-immigrant [sic] crime, while President Trump’s opposition is seeking to make ‘the Maryland man’ a symbol of the administration’s disregard for due process. What has gotten less attention is that his case is an example of the self-defeating absurdities of our immigration system and, in particular, how it hands out ‘humanitarian protection.’ When Abrego Garcia avoided deportation back in 2019, he didn’t take advantage of asylum — which has been a key driver of the immigration crisis — but something called ‘withholding of removal.'” (04/22/25)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“If you believe that all the violence and destruction in Gaza is the fault of Hamas, then by your own logic you must also accept that the coming wave of violent extremism and antisemitism which is going to ensue from the incineration of Gaza will exclusively be the fault of Israel. I said this on Twitter the other day and Israel supporters got outraged and shared screenshots of my post shrieking with indignation that anyone would say such a thing, which is funny because I’m just reading their own line of reasoning back to them. I’m not the one who says an act of violence excuses any violence done in response to it.” (04/22/25)
