Dems have power to stop all the violent rhetoric, and if not their silence is tacit approval

Source: New York Post
by Karol Markowicz

“In the week before the latest attempted assassination of President Trump, The New York Times conducted the softest of softball interviews with leftist pundit Hasan Piker. A typical line from Piker on his Twitch livestream: ‘Let the streets soak in [landlords’] red Capitalist blood.’ Talking to the Times, Piker refused to condemn Luigi Mangione for murdering a complete stranger, Brian Thompson — because, in Piker’s view, Thompson had committed ‘social murder’ by being the CEO of a health-insurance company. Piker isn’t ‘a fringe figure’ on the left [sic]. He has interviewed major Democrats and plans to sit down with California Gov. Gavin Newsom soon. New York Times journalists nod along with his ideas. If that’s fringe, what’s mainstream? The alleged White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooter also didn’t sound fringe in his manifesto.” (04/27/26)

https://nypost.com/2026/04/27/opinion/dems-have-the-power-to-stop-all-the-violent-rhetoric-like-hasan-pikers-and-if-not-their-silence-is-tacit-approval/

Steve Trinward

EU “ready” to sanction Israel over Russian vessel carrying stolen Ukrainian grain

Source: Euronews [EU]

“The European Union has warned Israel that it is ready to impose sanctions on those aiding and abetting the trade of Ukrainian grain stolen by Russia in the occupied territories, after a new ship loaded with the cereal arrived in the city of Haifa. ‘The EU has taken note of the reports that a Russian shadow fleet vessel carrying stolen Ukrainian grain has been allowed to unload at Haifa port in Israel, despite previous contacts of Ukraine with Israeli authorities on the subject,’ a European Commission spokesperson told Euronews. … The arrival of the Panama-flagged vessel in Haifa has escalated tensions between Ukraine and Israel. The vessel, named Panormitis and allegedly carrying over 6,200 tonnes of wheat and 19,000 tonnes of barley, has yet to unload. However, a shipment of stolen Ukrainian grain was allowed to proceed earlier this month.” (04/28/26)

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/04/28/eu-ready-to-sanction-israel-over-russian-vessel-carrying-stolen-ukrainian-grain

Thomas L. Knapp

Supply Shocks Plus Inflation Bind the Fed’s Hands

Source: The Daily Economy
by Matthew Schaffer

“Energy-driven inflation and slowing growth have put the Fed in a difficult position. A look at monetary policy rules shows why holding rates steady may be the most prudent response.” (04/28/26)

https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/supply-shocks-plus-inflation-bind-the-feds-hands/

Thomas L. Knapp

Mali: Junta leader meets Russian ambassador after attacks the Kremlin called “a coup attempt”

Source: SFGate

“Mali’s junta leader met with Russia’s ambassador to Bamako on Tuesday, authorities said, his first public appearance since the West African nation saw a massive, coordinated attack by Islamic militants and separatists over the weekend. Russia, the junta’s key ally, called the attack a coup attempt. The office of the military leader, ​Assimi Goita, released photos showing him meeting a Russian delegation led by the Ambassador Igor Gromyko in what appeared to be the presidential palace in Bamako, the Malian capital. Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Mali issued a security alert, citing ‘possible terrorist movements within Bamako, including reports of forced school closures.’ In power since a 2020 coup, the junta suffered a major attack on Saturday after al-Qaida-linked militants and the separatist Azawad Liberation Front group staged coordinated attacks on at least four cities in a region considered a global hot spot for terror-related deaths.” (04/28/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/mali-s-junta-leader-meets-russian-ambassador-22230310.php

Steve Trinward

New lawsuit may finally bring Epstein files transparency

Source: USA Today
by Chris Brennan

“President Donald Trump’s televised tantrum during his April 26 interview with ’60 Minutes’ on CBS News – which aired a day after he was rushed from an event after it was crashed by a gunman – revealed the obvious fear he still holds about the Epstein files. Those more than 6 million documents potentially detail the life and crimes of his former friend, the now-dead registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. I think we’ll see more of that fear and more tantrums from Trump as the push for transparency with the Epstein files intensifies, since only about half of them have been released. Katie Phang, a former prosecutor who now works as an independent journalist, sued the Department of Justice on April 27, asking a federal judge to appoint a special master to review and release more Epstein files.” (04/28/26)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/04/28/trump-60-minutes-interview-epstein-files-lawsuit/89823645007/

Thomas L. Knapp

Three Recent Examples Of AI Being Used For Empire Propaganda

Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone

“In the last few days I’ve seen three separate instances of generative AI being used to promote propaganda for US-Israeli war agendas which are worth paying attention to. Firstly, an Israel-based company called Generative AI for Good has been creating deepfakes of supposedly real women who say they were sexually assaulted by government forces in Iran. … The Canary notes that Generative AI for Good is staffed with Israelis who have very conspicuous agendas, including a creative director who pushes the discredited narrative about mass rapes on October 7, a marketing manager who served in the IDF’s ‘Psychotechnical Headquarter,’ and a founder who said in early 2024 that ‘Artificial intelligence is a secret weapon of ours’ in using the revolutionary technology to bolster the military’s efforts both online and on the ground in the information war being waged alongside the military battlefields in Gaza.” (04/28/26)

https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/04/28/three-recent-examples-of-ai-being-used-for-empire-propaganda/

Steve Trinward