Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Israel supporters everywhere have been in full blown crisis mode for days because, apparently, antisemitism smears have stopped working. Zohran Mamdani has won the Democratic Party primary in the New York City mayoral race after a frenetic smear campaign to portray him as an antisemite for his pro-Palestinian views, and now all the world’s worst people are freaking out about it. I’m seeing some intensely rabid Islamophobia throughout public discourse in response to Mamdani’s win, the likes of which I haven’t seen since 9/11. All this hatred we’re now seeing directed toward Muslims is going to look pretty weird after the imperial crosshairs shift to Beijing and all these same people start acting super duper concerned about the plight of Muslims in Xinjiang.” (06/29/25)
“Now that tossing $25 million into last-minute spending to promote Andrew Cuomo failed utterly to stop pro-Intifada, anti-cop socialist Zohran Mamdani from winning the Democratic mayoral primary, perhaps New York business leaders will finally realize that political ‘investment’ requires an eye on the long game, and fostering an entire infrastructure that can produce credible centrists candidates. ‘Crying over Mamdani is, as they say, a bit rich when it comes from the rich,’ snarked The Post’s Charles Gasparino, since the ‘city’s business class sat idly by’ as the local left grew ever more powerful. New York magazine’s Errol Louis was even more on-point: ‘The same people dumping millions into last-minute attack ads should have been investing time and money to recruit, educate, and encourage young leaders.'” (06/28/25)
“The government has ‘strongly condemned’ chants at Glastonbury Festival from rap punk duo Bob Vylan calling for ‘death’ to the Israeli military and broadcast live on the BBC. Rapper Bobby Vylan led chants of ‘free, free Palestine’ and ‘death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]’ during their set, which came just before Belfast rap trio Kneecap. A BBC spokesperson called some of the comments ‘deeply offensive,’ adding it had issued a warning on screen about ‘very strong and discriminatory language.’ The set will not be available to rewatch on BBC iPlayer. Police said they were reviewing videos of comments made by Bob Vylan and Kneecap to decide whether any offences had been committed. The festival said in a statement: ‘Glastonbury Festival does not condone hate speech or incitement to violence of any kind from its performers.'” (06/28/25)
“Usually, such a great primary win in overwhelmingly Democratic New York City guarantees a smooth path to a November win against a Republican opponent. Not this time. No sooner than Wednesday, a clutch of wealthy Wall Streeters, real estate giants, and supporters of the genocidal Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were meeting to plan the strategy to defeat this 33-year-old three-term state assemblyman in the November general election. 2. Mamdani won with one repeated pledge: ‘affordability’ to live in the nation’s largest city. That meant freezing rent on 1 million rent-stabilized apartments, free bus fares, free, universal childcare, ‘city-owned grocery stores,’ and a higher minimum wage, higher taxes on the super-rich and higher corporate taxes.” (06/28/25)
“Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK’s benefits system is broken and fixing it is a ‘moral imperative’, a day after a backbench Labour revolt saw him forced into a U-turn on welfare cuts. The prime minister told the Welsh Labour Party conference in Llandudno that the government would not take away the welfare ‘safety net that vulnerable people rely on’. But he said he could not let benefits ‘become a snare for those who can and want to work.’ Despite the government’s concession on its plans to reform welfare, some Labour MPs want further changes, while the Unite union has called for the proposal to be dropped altogether ahead of a vote on Tuesday.” (06/28/25)
“June 27 really needs to be a national holiday wherein we collectively observe the bottomless depravity of the dying news media. We could call it something like ‘Biden Debate Day.’ The date is significant because it was the start of a 131-day journey that showed just how far the media were willing to go to steal an election. June 27 was the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, or as I like to recall it, ‘The day the media knew Biden had to go.’ Up until then — it was the one and only time voters got to directly compare Trump and Biden side by side in 2024 — the media were fully prepared to do everything they could to drag Biden across the finish line. That meant a lot of lying about how decrepit Biden was both physically and mentally.” (06/27/25)
“Around 100,000 people defied a government ban and police orders Saturday to march in what organizers called the largest LGBTQ+ Pride event in Hungary’s history in an open rebuke of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government. Marchers gambled with potential police intervention and heavy fines to participate in the 30th annual Budapest Pride, which was outlawed in March by Orbán’s right-wing populist governing party. The march began at Budapest City Hall and wound through the city center before crossing the capital’s Erzsébet Bridge over the Danube River. Police diverted the crowd from its planned route to keep it separated from a small group of far-right counterprotesters, while members of Hungary’s LGBTQ+ community and masses of supporters danced to music and waved rainbow and anti-government flags. One marcher, Blanka Molnár, said it was ‘a fantastic feeling’ that more people had attended the Pride march than ever before despite it being outlawed.” (06/29/25)
“A state funeral has been held in Iran for about 60 people, including military commanders and nuclear scientists, killed during the 12-day conflict with Israel. Coffins draped in the Iranian flag, bearing portraits of deceased commanders, were flanked by crowds near Tehran’s Enghelab Square. The conflict ended with a ceasefire earlier this week, after the US became directly involved by bombing key nuclear sites in Iran. Huge crowds of mourners dressed in black chanted slogans, waved Iranian flags and held portraits of those killed. Ahead of the event, a media campaign urged people to participate, with authorities providing free bus and metro rides. Government offices were shut for the day.” (06/28/25)
“Overnight, the Senate radically altered its Big Beautiful Bill, zeroing in on one state and one Senator in an attempt to buy her vote. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) expressed several concerns about the Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps) cuts to the bill. A joint op-ed from the legislative leadership in Alaska in The New York Times explained that 40,000 residents would lose health coverage and thousands more would lose SNAP benefits. ‘The shift in costs from the federal government to the state will plunge our budget into a severe deficit, cripple our state economy and make it harder to provide basic services,’ state House Speaker Bryce Edgmon and state Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel wrote. The changes to the latest text made to attract support from moderate concerned about the deep nature of the budget cuts were largely performative.” (06/28/25)
“California Gov. Gavin Newsom is suing Fox News, seeking $787 million in damages for allegedly falsely accusing him of lying about a key phone call with President Donald Trump before the deployment of the National Guard. The complaint, filed in Delaware Superior Court on Friday and obtained by SFGATE, alleges Fox News knowingly fabricated statements and doctored footage to falsely brand Newsom a liar. The governor is seeking $787 million in punitive damages, a nearly identical figure to what Fox paid Dominion Voting Systems in its 2023 settlement, as well as a court order barring Fox from continuing to post or broadcast the contested segments. ‘Freedom of speech does not grant the right to knowingly fabricate false and intentionally poison our democratic processes,’ the complaint reads.” (06/27/25)
