Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Awakening outwardly is waking up from the trance of propaganda and indoctrination, and awakening inwardly is waking up from the trance of ego and delusion. Awakening outwardly means becoming fully conscious of what’s really happening in our world beyond the propaganda and what we were taught in school. Learning about all the ways we’ve been deceived and manipulated, learning the truth about war, militarism, imperialism, capitalism, authoritarianism, ecocide, and all the interrelated abuses and injustices caused by the systems and power structures we live under. Awakening inwardly means becoming fully conscious of the ways in which we have been deceiving ourselves. Doing the inner work necessary to bring consciousness to the delusions and dysfunction within us and discovering what’s really true about our unquestioned assumptions regarding basic elements of our experience like self, other, time, space, thought, consciousness, and separation.” (04/23/25)
“Sen. Dick Durbin [D-IL], the Senate Democratic whip and the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, has announced he will not seek re-election in 2026. Durbin, 80, who was first elected to the Senate in 1996, made the announcement in a video message on X Wednesday. ‘The decision of whether to run for re-election has not been easy,’ Durbin said. ‘I truly love the job of being a United States Senator. But in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch. So, I am announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of my term.’ Durbin represents Illinois, a solidly Democratic state. His retirement is expected to set off a set off a flurry of activity among a scrum of would-be successors, both Democratic and Republican. However, the GOP has only captured a Senate seat just twice for six-year terms since 1984.” (04/23/25)
“The theme chosen by the anti-Trump protesters who took to the streets on April 5 (‘Hands Off’) was considered vague even by sympathetic observers and gave rise to a number of interesting questions: ‘Which hands?’ and ‘Off what, or whom?’ … The protesting hordes, apparently, wanted to keep the government just the way it is. There is, I have observed, a peculiar variety of liberal conservatism that insists nothing must ever change — the ecology must remain untouched and the cities must remain undeveloped in this best of all possible worlds. Progressivism, once a revolutionary faith, has evolved into your elderly grandmother, confused by the bustle of modern life and afraid of the new. Government, from the progressive perspective, exists to freeze society and nature into a comfy stasis.” (04/22/25)
“Senior Palestinian officials loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas are meeting to vote on the creation of a vice presidency and could choose a possible successor to the unpopular 89-year-old. The two-day meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Central Council, beginning Wednesday, comes as Abbas seeks relevance and a role in postwar planning for the Gaza Strip after having been largely sidelined by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. In his opening speech, Abbas lashed out at Hamas, calling the militant group ‘sons of dogs,’ using unusually harsh language in an apparent strategy aimed at garnering international support for a future role in Gaza. The council is expected to vote on creating the role of vice chairman of the PLO Executive Committee, who would also be referred to as the vice president of the State of Palestine — which the Palestinians hope will one day receive full international recognition.” (04/23/25)
“The University of Louisville has reportedly agreed to pay nearly $1.6 million to settle a lawsuit brought by a former professor who was fired for criticizing transgender treatments for children experiencing gender dysphoria. Dr. Allan Josephson worked for nearly 15 years as chief of the University of Louisville’s Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology. According to his legal complaint, Josephson was able to turn around the struggling division during his tenure and received perfect scores in his 2014-2016 annual reviews. Despite his professional accomplishments, the complaint alleges that Josephson was demoted in 2017 and eventually fired after making comments in his own capacity challenging the push to use hormone therapy and surgery for children with gender dysphoria, according to legal group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). ADF, which represented Josephson in court, announced the settlement agreement Monday and hailed the case as a ‘major victory’ for free speech.” (04/23/25)
“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)
