Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“In a fawning softball 60 Minutes interview released Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu stressed the importance of winning ‘the propaganda war’ on social media. This comes as Israel moves to quadruple its propaganda budget to $730 million a year. Major Garrett (which apparently is a real name belonging to a real guy who works for 60 Minutes) told the CBS audience that ‘Netanyahu attributes the reputational harm to Israel almost entirely to social media, which he calls the eighth front of the war.’ ‘This is yours, right?’ asked Netanyahu, picking up Garrett’s phone. ‘You’re not immune either. Because you can penetrate this machine, you can penetrate this little instrument, and you can say about Major Garrett anything you want. And I can paint you as a monster. And if I say it often enough, enough people will believe it.'” (05/11/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/05/11/netanyahu-stresses-the-need-for-more-propaganda-as-israels-hasbara-budget-soars/
Source: ABC News
“The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on 16 officials accused of helping Russia to abduct tens of thousands of children from Ukraine and force many to change their identities or be put up for adoption. Sanctions were also slapped on seven centers suspected of indoctrinating the children or training them to serve in the armed forces, either for Russia or pro-Russian militias inside Ukraine. Over 130 people and ‘entities’ are now under EU sanctions over the abductions.” (05/11/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/eu-imposes-sanctions-helping-russia-abduct-thousands-ukrainian-132843530
Source: The Verge
“Joanna Stern is not a robot, but she lived with them.” (05/11/26)
https://www.theverge.com/podcast/926752/joanna-stern-i-am-not-a-robot-new-things-media-youtube-ai-automation
Source: Antiwar.com
by Chris Ernesto
“According to the White House website, Trump warned Iran against having nuclear weapons on 74 occasions prior to the war. Since the war began on February 28, 2026, Trump has discussed Iranian nuclear issues in at least 20 documented public appearances, based on the Senate Democrats’ Trump transcript archive and Roll Call’s Factbase transcript database. … But Trump’s claims are not supported by the record. In fact, official statements from U.S. intelligence, the State Department, the IAEA, and others state that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon, is not currently building one, and does not seek to build one.” (05/11/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/chris_ernesto/2026/05/10/iran-has-nuclear-energy-not-nuclear-weapons/
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Paul R Pillar
“Tel Aviv has controlled the talks from the beginning and as a result Hezbollah is stronger. Time for Washington to learn from history and take the reins.” (05/11/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/lebanon-talks-trump-israel/
Source: Engadget
“Following its settlement with the FTC earlier this year over its sale of drivers’ data to brokers, General Motors has now also reached a settlement in California. The company agreed to pay $12.75 million in civil penalties to settle the lawsuit led by Attorney General Rob Bonta on behalf of the people of California, and is banned from selling driving data to consumer reporting agencies for five years. The lawsuits came after a 2024 New York Times report revealed that GM collected consumers’ driving data through its OnStar program and sold this information to data brokers Verisk Analytics and LexisNexis Risk Solutions, which in turn could market the data to auto insurers.” [editor’s note: The article doesn’t mention any restitution to the drivers; it’s just a “nice store ya got here, be a shame if it burned down” payment – TLK] (05/11/26)
https://www.engadget.com/2169135/gm-agrees-to-pay-12-75-million-to-settle-california-lawsuit-over-misuse-of-customers-driving-data/
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Amanda Griffiths is a founder of LP Alliance. We discuss her time at a large libertarian think tank where some of the staff were totally okay with coronavirus nonsense. She is running for vice-chair of the Libertarian National Committee (USA).” (05/11/26)
https://rumble.com/v79p72q-ff-447-amanda-griffiths-on-those-who-didnt-fight-coronavirus-nonsense.html
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Joseph Varon
“A disease responsible for approximately one thousand confirmed cases over three decades in a population exceeding 330 million does not constitute an existential societal threat. It is neither comparable to Covid-19 nor does it justify widespread public alarm. However, contemporary media systems are structurally ill-equipped to present rare infectious diseases in proportionate terms. Fear increases engagement, which in turn drives revenue, and dramatic narratives consistently overshadow measured epidemiological analysis. … A disease can be both dangerous and exceedingly uncommon. Contemporary public discourse frequently fails to differentiate between these two concepts. This distinction matters because exaggerated risk perception carries consequences of its own.” (05/11/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-hantavirus-panic-machine-when-rare-diseases-become-media-theater/
Source: Fox News
by Jonathan Turley
“After the Virginia Supreme Court rejected the results of the recent Democratic effort to effectively wipe out Republican representation in the state, Democratic pundits and activists have latched onto a proposal by Michigan State law professor Quinn Yeargain to gut the court by forcing the retirement of the current justices, appointing liberal activists, and then reversing the opinion. It is extremely telling that some are pushing the raw muscle play to retake power in Washington, particularly in light of the calls to pack the United States Supreme Court once the party is back in control. … Under this plan, Virginia Democrats would adopt an absurdly low age for retirement in a gut-and-pack scheme: Yeargain suggested that they could set ‘the mandatory retirement of justices and judges after they reach a prescribed age, beyond which they shall not serve, regardless of the term to which elected or appointed.'” (05/10/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jonathan-turley-angry-left-plots-purge-virginias-
Source: Seattle Times
“Israel’s military said Monday that two soldiers will spend weeks in military prison for the desecration of a Christian statue in southern Lebanon. One soldier, who stuck a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary, was sentenced to 21 days and a soldier who filmed the incident was sentenced to 14 days, a military spokesperson said. … The incident came days after images of an Israeli soldier wielding an ax against a fallen statue of Jesus on the cross in the southern village of Debel sparked widespread condemnation. Soldiers who participated in hacking down the crucifix also received time in military prison.” (05/11/26)
https://archive.is/6DhYJ