Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“International flotilla activists say they were subjected to torture and sexual assault by Israeli forces after being abducted in international waters while attempting to bring aid to Gaza. A statement from the Global Sumud Flotilla reports that the IDF held the activists on a makeshift ‘torture boat’, asserting that ‘At least 12 sexual assaults have been documented on that vessel alone, including anal rape and forcible penetration by a handgun.’ This comes after a New York Times report on Israel’s systemic use of sexual torture in its prison camps sent hasbarists howling in outrage for days, and after a Haaretz report on the Israeli military’s internal findings that sexual assault is soaring among its own ranks. If you knew someone who was constantly being accused of rape by different people on a daily basis, at some point you’d have to conclude that that person is a rapist.” (05/24/26)
“Americans know something is broken in healthcare. Premiums keep rising, deductibles keep climbing and medical bills often arrive with charges no one can explain. Behind those frustrations is the fact that we operate within a healthcare system built around secrecy. On May 18, President Donald Trump took on drug pricing with the expansion of TrumpRX, a first-of-its kind platform designed to allow Americans to find their drugs for less in a system styled to work like Airbnb or Priceline.com. Next, he should set his sights on hospitals and insurance companies. Healthcare remains one of the most expensive and least transparent sectors of the American economy. Hidden prices, opaque billing systems and layers of middlemen cost taxpayers and working families hundreds of billions of dollars each year through fraud, waste and abuse.” (05/25/26)
“Police in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo fired shots in the air after angry crowds attempted to reclaim the bodies of loved ones who had died at an Ebola treatment centre in Mongwalu, two local journalists told the BBC. Sunday’s unrest continued throughout the day, the reporters said. The treatment centre, in a hospital compound, was the same place that was targeted overnight on Friday into Saturday, when an isolation tent was set ablaze. The body of a dead Ebola victim is highly infectious and can lead to the virus spreading further when prepared for burial. There have been more than 900 suspected Ebola cases in the current outbreak and 220 suspected deaths, officials say. According to Mongwalu General Hospital’s medical director Dr Richard Lokudu, Sunday’s attackers demanded the bodies of two people be given to their families.” (05/25/26)
“Anger is growing over alleged safety violations in the wake of China’s worst mining disaster in more than 15 years. At least 82 people were killed and more than 120 injured after an explosion on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province, the heart of China’s huge mining industry. For many in China, the tragedy harks back to the 2000s, a period of regular, deadly coal mining disasters, which is widely thought to have been left in the past. Those concerns are now reignited and playing out on China’s tightly-controlled internet, with people calling for justice and questioning how this happened: ‘It’s so heartbreaking, so many precious lives lost. When will we truly put safety first?’ Authorities say the cause of the disaster is still under investigation, but initial findings show Tongzhou Group, the company operating the privately-owned coal mine had committed ‘serious illegal violations’.” (05/25/26)
“The Democrat’s 2026 midterm electoral strategy remains essentially the same as it was during the melted-down 2024 presidential election: Focus on President Donald Trump’s obvious character flaws and failings rather than highlight the critical issues and offer progressive alternatives. Waiting for Trump to shoot himself in the foot is not a winning campaign strategy. Neither are abstract ideas about defending democracy and saving the nation from autocracy or fascism. Voters want practical approaches to everyday challenges of rising food costs, prohibitively expensive and inadequate health insurance, skyrocketing medical costs, exorbitant childcare and pre-K expenses, and spiraling energy pricing. Since the last quarter of the 20th century, establishment Democrats and their leaders have slid so far to the political right that progressive, populist initiatives are undermined by fear of taxes and debt.” [editor’s note: If this is true, may this be the death knell of that war party wing – SAT] (05/25/26)
“The deal being discussed between the U.S. and Iran fails to achieve any of Israel’s goals for the war, Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Monday, as he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to influence a better agreement. Lapid, who is part of an alliance attempting to unseat Netanyahu in elections this year, said details of the emerging deal are ‘disturbing’. ‘The deal is bad for Israel, bad for the region, bad for the citizens of Iran,’ Lapid told reporters in Jerusalem. Israel and the U.S. launched the war on Feb. 28 vowing to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile program, end its support for proxy militant groups across the region and end Iran’s ability to pursue a nuclear bomb. Both Netanyahu and President Donald Trump also said they hoped to create conditions to topple Iran’s government..” (05/25/26)
“Everyone’s angry with Donald Trump. It’s true that things are getting ragged with just over five months left until the midterms. The president’s agenda is being stymied in the courts and in Congress by bloody-minded Democratic obstructionism, and by a handful of lily-livered naysayers in his own bare-majority party. His poll numbers are as bad as they’ve ever been, apart from a rough patch in the aftermath of Jan. 6, 2021. The war with Iran has hit gas prices and exacerbated the cost of living. It may be heading to some sort of deal, but cheerleaders are thin on the ground. His enemies at home are desperate for Trump to fail, even if it means America is dealt a savage blow.” (05/24/26)
“A UK-bound EasyJet flight was diverted to Rome after a power bank was found to be charging in a passenger’s luggage, it has been revealed. Flight EZY2618 from Hurghada in Egypt to London Luton landed in the Italian capital on Tuesday night as ‘a ‘precaution.’ The airline said the captain had decided to divert ‘in line with safety regulations’ after a passenger informed crew during the flight that the portable charger was in the hold of the aircraft. Many airlines have toughened rules on power banks, often requiring that they be stored in hand luggage because of the risk of lithium-ion batteries catching fire.” (05/25/26)
“For most Americans—or at least most Americans with even a remedial education in civics—the phrase ‘separation of powers’ usually explains the tripartite nature of the federal government. The Founders, in their wisdom, divided that government into branches: the legislative branch, which debates and enacts laws; the executive branch, which enforces the laws; and the judicial branch, which interprets the laws and ensures that they are compliant with one another and with constitutional principles. It’s a nice, clean, simple, and, above all, effective system for limiting the power of the federal polity. … People (understandably) tend to forget that the Founders’ separation of powers referred not only to the construction of the federal government but also to the construction of the federal republic.” (05/25/26)
“Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha on Monday was granted a royal pardon from his 27-year sentence for treason, a month after an appeals court affirmed his conviction and punishment. Hun Sen, the Senate president acting as head of state in the absence of King Norodom Sihamoni, issued the pardon freeing Kem Sokha from house arrest. Sihamoni is in China on an extended stay for medical treatment. Prime Minister Hun Manet, in a statement posted on the Telegram social media platform, described the pardon as a step in strengthening national unity. Kem Sokha made no immediate public comment. The decision is unlikely to greatly affect Cambodia’s politics, as other top opposition figures are in exile and political and social activists still face restrictions on freedom of speech and actions.” (05/25/26)
