Stuart Jeanne Bramhall's Blog: The Most Revolutionary Act , page 41

Druze Spiritual Leader: We Reject Israeli Protection

Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna, spiritual leader of the Druze ethnic minority in Lebanon

 

Press TV

The spiritual leader of the Druze ethnic minority in Lebanon says the community rejects the Israeli regime’s request to supposedly “protect” the minority.

Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna made the remarks at a gathering of Druze officials in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday.

He was referring to the regime’s repeated deadly and destructive violations of the Syrian territory, which it has undertaken under the supposed pretext of “protecting” the Druze, who also form a minority in Syria.

The request on the part of Tel Aviv “is harmful to our history and identity,” al-Muna added.

Observers rated the remarks as a warning to the regime against its trying to associate itself with the minority in order to advance its expansionist regional goals.

‘Don’t provide Israel with an excuse’

The spiritual leader, meanwhile, addressed the recent clashes in southern Syria between members of the Druze community and Bedouin tribes that had so far claimed the lives of hundreds of people.

He cautioned that the sectarian clashes “give an excuse for Israeli intervention and for blowing up the situation in the region.”

The regime has intensified its assaults on Syria since last year, claiming it seeks to prevent outpour of violence from the Arab country into the occupied territories.

On Wednesday, the escalation took a significantly more violent turn, when the regime hit various parts of Syria, including the capital Damascus, with intense airstrikes.

The attacks came amid the deadly fighting between the Druze and the Bedouins, fueling fears that the Israeli involvement under the pretext of supporting the Druze was aimed at intensifying the confrontations and further destabilizing Syria.

Amid the situation, al-Muna called for all parties to rather resort to national dialogue to address the issues among different communities in Syria.

Lebanese Druze leader Walid Joumblatt addressed the same gathering, calling for formation of an investigative committee to probe violations against both Druze and Bedouins in the Arab country.

A day earlier, he had also warned in remarks to France’s RFI radio station that “Israel is using the Druze to tear Syria apart.”

He said “Israel’s intent to divide the country” was visible from the clashes that had erupted between the dual communities in Syria.

[…]

Via https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/07/18/751449/Israel-Syria-Druze-protection

GAO Warns Congress About Imminent Danger from Older Computer Systems that are 23 to 60 Years Old in 10 Agencies Including Dept. of Defense

by Brian Shilhavy
Editor, Health Impact News

July 19, 2025

A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) yesterday stated that “11 legacy IT systems at a total of 10 agencies, including two at the Department of the Treasury, and one each at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the departments of Interior, Transportation, Homeland Security (DHS), Health and Human Services (HHS), Defense, Commerce, and Agriculture” had to immediately be replaced because these computer network systems were “between 23 years old (at the Interior Department) and 60 years old (at the Defense Department).”

Are you kidding me?? And yet the federal government through many of these same agencies is spending $billions on developing AI.

As I reported recently, tens of thousands of people are being laid off right now in the Technology sector, not because AI is replacing their jobs, but because SPENDING on AI projects is cutting out budgets for other technology projects. See: Has the AI Apocalypse Arrived? Tens of Thousands Being Laid Off in Big Tech – AI has to Either Replace Them or AI Spending Must Stop

In the case with these federal agencies’ legacy systems, as this report documents, many of them use older coding languages, such as COBOL, and there are very few coders using these older languages anymore.

All the money in IT now is being allocated for AI LLM development, building data centers, and developing new energy sources to power these data centers.

Well none of that is going to matter if critical IT networks already in place fail to protect and run our country, or are easily hacked, as there won’t be enough qualified technicians around to fix them, because they are going where the money is today, in the AI bubble.

Some excerpts from MeriTalk:

GAO Asks Congress to Require Agency IT Modernization Plans

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is recommending that Congress consider requiring major Federal government agencies to develop modernization plans for legacy IT systems that have been identified as among those most in need of overhauling.

In making that recommendation, GAO chided the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which it said has thus far “not taken action” on GAO recommendations offered nearly a decade ago for OMB to identify legacy systems and/or investments needed to modernize them.

“Given OMB’s lack of action, Congress requiring federal agencies to develop modernization plans for critical legacy systems can expedite agencies’ efforts,” the watchdog agency said.

Those are some of the bigger takeaways from the public version of a GAO report issued today in which the agency flags what it sees as “11 of the most critical federal legacy systems” at 10 of the larger Federal government agencies.

The report identifies those agencies by name but does not identify the specific worrisome systems at those agencies “due to sensitivity concerns.”

The watchdog’s report covers 11 legacy systems at a total of 10 agencies, including two at the Department of the Treasury, and one each at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the departments of Interior, Transportation, Homeland Security (DHS), Health and Human Services (HHS), Defense, Commerce, and Agriculture.

The 11 legacy systems range between 23 years old (at the Interior Department) and 60 years old (at the Defense Department).

“These agencies’ missions are essential to government operations such as health care, critical infrastructure, tax processing, and national security, and these legacy systems provide vital support to the agencies’ missions,” GAO said.

Of the 11 legacy systems, GAO said that eight of them use outdated coding languages, four of them have unsupported hardware or software, and seven “are operating with known cybersecurity vulnerabilities.”

“For example, both of the Department of the Treasury’s selected systems run on Common Business Oriented Language (COBOL) and Assembly Language Code – programming languages that have a dwindling number of people available with the skills needed to support them,” GAO said.

“Until agencies fully document modernization plans for critical legacy IT systems, their modernization initiatives will have an increased likelihood of cost overruns, schedule delays, and overall project failure,” GAO warned.

“Project failure would be particularly detrimental not only because of wasted resources, but also because it would prolong the lifespan of increasingly vulnerable and obsolete systems,” the agency continued.

“This could expose agencies and system clients to security threats and potentially significant performance issues.”

Further, GAO said, “There are likely more legacy systems needing attention beyond what is highlighted in this report.”

GAO recalled that in June 2019, it identified 10 critical Federal legacy IT systems that were most in need of modernization, but that as of February 2025, agencies have completed only three of the 10 modernizations.

“Of the seven remaining modernizations, agencies planned to complete four in the next few years, two in 5 or more years, and one does not yet have a planned completion date.

[…]

Via https://vaccineimpact.com/2025/gao-warns-congress-about-imminent-danger-from-older-computer-systems-that-are-23-to-60-years-old-in-10-agencies-including-dept-of-defense/

Desert Empires – The Ghana, Mali and Songhay Empire

Desert Empires – History of Africa with Zeinab Badavi

BBC New Africa (2020)

Film Review

In this film, BBC presenter Zeinab Badavi explores the history of the Ghana, Mali and Songhay Empire and the Berber trading center of Chinguetti. All four successively occupied the region encompassing modern Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Guinea

The Ghana Empire (which didn’t include modern day Ghana) ruled the region between 600 and 1076 AD. Known then as the Empire of Wagadou, it was a federation of 10 independent states whose rulers were required to provide food for the federation’s king (he ensured this by keeping their sons captive). Most of the empire’s inhabitants were farmers and fishermen using iron tools. Although it became very wealthy from its control of the African gold trade,* the Ghana Empire, which considered it more valuable, used copper. They traded gold with Arab merchants, Berber nomads (for camels) and North Africans and salt with their southern neighbors.

Chinguetti in modern day Mauritania was the trading center for a confederation of Berber tribes in the 11th-14th century. It became a holy city for pilgrims traveling to Mecca and eventually a learning center, the source of carefully preserved medieval Chinguetti manuscripts.

In the 11th century the Ghana empire was conquered by the Mandinko or Mali Empire. By 1235, the latter substantially exceeded the size of  the Ghana empire it replaced. In 1236 the emperor established the Charter of Mandé or the Charter of Rights, which was passed along by oral tradition.

Between 1235-1255 Sundiata Keita was became the Mali mansa (king) after capturing Timbuktu from Turag nomads. Mansa Keiti, Timbuktu became Africa’s center for trade and scholarship. Although technically a center for Islamic study, the empire’s religious tolerance drew scholars from the far corners of the known word experiencing religious persecution in their own countries. As the modern day city has been afflicted by Islamic terrorists since 2012, Badavi was only allowed to visit Timbuktu under armed guard.

In 1320, Keita’s nephew Mansa Musa I became Africa’s best known ruler when he and a large retinue made a pilgrimage  a lavish pilgrimage dressed in garments decorated with gold and carrying gold staffs. The king gave away so much gold during his pilgrimage that the global price of gold plummeted.

In 1468 Sonni Ali the Great conquered Timbuktu and Mali became part of the Songhay Empire. The latter was larger still than Mali, as far east as the Niger River. In 1591 the Songhay empire collapsed into the Songhay kingdom, the area immediately surrounding ding its capitol Goa.

*Gold mining occurred in regions just south of the Ghana empire.

In Defense of Lincoln and the Greenbacks

Matthew EhretJul 18, 2025[…]

This is the second entry in a new series: Part 1 focused on Alexander Hamilton.

In my last paper I introduced the figure of Alexander Hamilton (first Treasury Secretary and founder of the American System of political economy).

In that location, I contrasted Hamilton’s system which tied the value and behaviour of money to the increasing powers of production of a society through manufacturing and internal improvements, to the opposing system of British free trade which tied value to hedonistic impulses and the worshiping of money.

In this sequel, I’d like to take a moment to explore another figure of American history who has become the cause of serious arguments among patriots … Abraham Lincoln.

Some citizens love him as an angelic savior of America and others hate him as a wicked tyrant, even going so far to celebrate his 1865 murder to this very day… yet, upon scratching behind the surface of both popular narratives, I contend that both extremes of this narrative war have been duped.

What did Lincoln Actually Face?Beyond the dangers of secession, Lincoln had to contend with the Wall Street financiers and anglophile families who worked tirelessly to sabotage the president’s ability to acquire the funds necessary to execute the war.

To make matters worse, the state of economic affairs was impossibly unmanageable, with over 7,000 recognized bank notes in the USA, and over 1,496 banks each issuing multiple notes. Under this highly de-regulated system made possible by the 1836 killing of the national bank years earlier under Andrew Jackson and the passage of the 1846 Independent Treasury Act, which prevented the government from influencing economic affairs, every private bank could issue currencies with no federal authority.

With such a breakdown of finances, no national projects were possible, international investments were scarce, and free market money worshipping ran rampant. Manufacturing collapsed, speculation took over and the slavocracy grew in influence between the 1837’s bank panic and 1860.

In his pioneering book Who We Are: America’s Fight For Universal Progress volume 2, Anton Chaitkin writes of the artificial crisis of 1837-1860:

“Under anti-national economic regimes since the 1830s, there had been no national currency and no federal regulations on banks.

State-chartered banks used deposits for dangerous speculation. To make loans, they issued paper notes in various dollar amounts, promising to pay off in gold or silver coins (“specie”) if a note were cashed in (a promise that could be kept only if the bank did not overextend itself). These notes circulated as a kind of money, but they were often not accepted for payment far from the locality of the issuing banks.

In the crisis of the Union, fear for the future had shriveled credit and investment. Southerners had stopped paying most debts they owed to northern business. The bigger northern banks were trying to hoard gold. In these chaotic circumstances, depositors and note-holders across the country were often left with nothing.”

By the onset of the Civil War, the City of London was obviously not interested in allowing the USA to get out from under water, and with the gold-backed pound sterling, ensured the manipulation of gold prices and orchestrated the buyout of U.S. gold reserves. When Lincoln sought loans to execute the war, whether from Wall Street or International banking houses, the loans were granted only at excessive interest rates of 20-25%.

[…]

Although 150 years of revisionist historians have obscured the real Lincoln and the true nature of the Civil War as a British-run operation to undo the revolution of 1776. The martyred president was always an opponent to slavery, and always situated himself in the traditions of the American System of Hamilton, describing in 1832 a policy which he later enacted 30 years later:

“My politics are short and sweet, like the old woman’s dance. I am in favor of a national bank. I am in favor of the internal improvement system, and a high protective tariff. These are my sentiments and political principles.”

In 1859, Lincoln described himself

“I was an old Henry Clay tariff whig. In old times I made more speeches on that subject, than on any other. I have not since changed my views.”

Lincoln’s commitment to the Hamiltonian system of national banking was showcased brilliantly during his 1840 campaign speeches promoting Harrison’s Whig presidency and the restoration of the bank, which had been cancelled by Andrew Jackson four years earlier.

[…]

From this period in the Congress where he became a leading ally of John Quincy Adams, and played a leading role in opposition to the unjust U.S.-Mexican War, Lincoln committed himself consistently to ending not only systems of slavery, but also all hereditary power structures internationally, which he understood were inextricably connected.

[…]

Lincoln Revives the American SystemPutting this economic policy into action during the height of the war occurred in a 3-step operation, which began with Banking and Currency Acts in 1862 and 1863. These acts established the thousands of local state banks under a federal charter with federal supervision for the first time in decades. By imposing a 10% tax on state bank notes, private independent state banks shrank from 1466 in 1861 to only 297 by 1865, and over 1630 national banks took their place.

The Bank Act of 1863 established reserve requirements for the first time, and also capped the interest rates in order to destroy usury within the nation itself. In order to eliminate international interference and manipulation from Wall Street financiers, the Bank Act also forced 75% of all bank directors to reside in the state in which the bank was located, and all directors had to be American citizens.

The most important step in this fight was the sovereign control of credit issuance, which, according to Article 1 section 8 of the U.S. constitution can only be affected through the U.S. treasury (an important lesson for anyone serious about ending the privately run Federal Reserve controls over national finance today). Following this constitutional principle, Lincoln issued a new form of currency called Greenbacks, which could only be issued against U.S. government bonds. These began being issued with the 1862 Legal Tender Act.

Nationally-chartered banks were now obliged to deposit into the federal treasury, totalling at least one third of their capital in exchange for government notes issued by the Mint and Treasury (in order to qualify for federal charters needed to avoid the tax on state bank activities, banks found themselves lending to the government, which gave Lincoln an ability to avoid the usurious loans from London and Wall Street.)

New bonds were issued under this scheme called 5:20 bonds (due to their 5-20 year maturation), which citizens purchased as investments into their nations’ survival. These bonds, which united “personal self interest” with the general welfare of the nation provided loans to manufacturing, and as well served as the basis for the issuance of more Greenbacks.

Organized by Lincoln’s ally Jay Cooke (a patriotic Philadelphia banker), the 5-20 bonds were sold in small denominations to average citizens who then had a vested interest in directly participating in saving their nation.

Between 1862-1865, these bonds accounted for $1.3 billion.

[…]

These measures were accompanied by a strong protective tariff to grow American industries as well.

By the beginning of 1865, $450 million in Greenbacks were issued, making up over half of all currency in circulation.

[…]

Via https://matthewehret.substack.com/p/in-defense-of-abraham-lincoln-and-077

Huge Israeli Airstrikes on Damascus

By Steven SahiounieJuly 18. 2025

Israel attacked the defense ministry building twice, and near the presidential palace in Damascus on July 16. As the afternoon traffic drove by in the heart of the city, huge plumes of smoke billowed from the landmark building. This was the third day of Israeli airstrikes on Syria.

Syrians have become used to Israel airstrikes. During the Assad regime, Israel carried out deadly attacks on an almost daily basis, eliminating Hezbollah and Iranian weapons supplies. After the fall of the regime on December 8, Israel carried out daily airstrikes across the country eliminating military assets, leaving Syria defenseless, and without an army.

According to the Israeli military, the strike on Damascus was a message to the Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in response to the violence in Sweida.  On Monday, Israel entered into the fray with airstrikes on tanks in Sweida, and drone strikes which killed some Syrian security forces.

The Druze are a religious minority in Syria, but are the majority of the population of Sweida.  They had stayed neutral during the 14-year civil war which led to the ouster of Assad. They were hoping to achieve some form of autonomy. They have yet to reach an agreement with the Sharaa administration that defines their relationship with the new Syrian state.

The violence began on July 13, after armed clashes erupted between the Druze residents in Sweida and Bedouin tribes.  Threats, shootings, kidnappings and looting were reported, which prompted the security forces to arrive. The Druze reported the security forces assisted the Bedouins in their attacks on residents, instead of protecting them.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took advantage of the chaos in Sweida by inflaming emotions on the Druze side, and attempting to look like their hero. There are Druze in Israel, and while some are aligned with Netanyahu and the Zionists, others consider themselves Palestinians and have been discriminated against.

On July 17, the Syrian security forces began withdrawing tanks and soldiers from Sweida following a truce and agreement between all parties.

The BBC characterized the clashes in Sweida as sectarian in nature. Sharaa and his government are Islamists, and much has been written about his past affiliation with known terrorist groups, and the 10-million-dollar bounty on his head, which was rescinded by the U.S. government following his rise to the presidency.

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) more than 300 people have been killed in south Syria since Sunday.

The Withdrawal

On July 17, it was announced in Damascus that local leaders would take responsibility for security in Sweida.

Speech and Violations Investigations

At 4:00 am July 17, President Sharaa gave a televised speech confirming “responsibility” for security in Sweida would be handed to religious elders and some local factions “based on the supreme national interest”.

“We are keen on holding accountable those who transgressed and abused our Druze people, as they are under the protection and responsibility of the state,” he said.

Addressing the Druze, Sharaa said the community was “a fundamental part of the fabric of this nation… protecting your rights and freedom is one of our priorities”.

The latest unrest began brewing in April and May after Druze militias clashed with security forces, leaving more than 100 people dead in Sweida.

Sharaa said “outlaw groups”, whose leaders “rejected dialogue for many months” had committed “crimes against civilians” in recent days, and vowed an investigation and accountability.

Rubio Deal

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had expressed concern on Wednesday about the Israeli bombings, and later announced on X that all sides had “agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end”.

“This will require all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made and this is what we fully expect them to do,” he wrote, without elaborating on the nature of the agreement.

The southern Syrian province of Sweida had become the epicenter of a rapidly intensifying conflict, as government forces reportedly carried out military operations against local Druze factions. The violence has triggered widespread civilian casualties, international condemnation, and growing calls for intervention.

Humanitarian Emergency Unfolds

Medical staff at Sweida National Hospital have issued urgent appeals for international assistance, citing critical shortages of electricity, water, and food.

Eyewitness accounts describe looting, home invasions, and targeted killings, including the execution of Mr. Abdullah al-Baaini in front of his family and the death of 15 members of the Al-Radwan family, all civilians. The killing of 80-year-old Sheikh Marhej Shaheen, a respected Druze elder, has further inflamed tensions.

Druze Leadership and Global Appeals

Mufak Tarif, the Druze spiritual leader in Israel, declared the situation a “war of existence” for the Druze people. The Spiritual Presidency of the Druze Unitarian issued a rare international plea to leaders including Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, the Saudi Crown Prince, and King Abdullah of Jordan, urging immediate action to protect Druze civilians.

Military Escalation and Cross-Border Implications

Israel had deployed three military companies to the Syrian border, with a fourth on standby. Israeli media reported airstrikes targeting Syrian regime positions, including convoys on the Damascus–Daraa highway, and the artillery battalion commander of Syria’s 40th Division was reportedly killed near Daraa.

Three Syrian commanders—Khalid al-Zoubi, Abdel Fattah al-Musifra, and Abu Yaqoub Mohaja—were reportedly killed in Israeli airstrikes in Suwayda. Israeli officials have warned of further military escalation if the Syrian regime continues its campaign.

Technology and Tactical Deployment

Syrian security vehicles in Sweida have reportedly been equipped with Starlink satellite internet, raising concerns over coordinated digital warfare. Additionally, Turkish-made Shaheen drones have allegedly been deployed against Druze communities.

Sectarian Clashes and Civilian Impact

The conflict has reignited longstanding tensions between Druze and Bedouin tribes, with Sunni factions reportedly joining Bedouin fighters. Syrian security forces, accused of siding with Bedouin militias, have been implicated in massacres, and property destruction.

Photos of fighters involved in the current clashes have surfaced from previous massacres on the Syrian coast, intensifying fears of repeat atrocities.

International Condemnation and Diplomatic Pressure

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the violations against civilians and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. The United Nations has urged de-escalation and emphasized the need for transparent investigations into alleged war crimes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to protecting Druze communities and maintaining southwestern Syria as a demilitarized buffer zone. Israeli officials have warned of direct intervention if the Syrian regime continues its offensive.

Sweida stands at the heart of a volatile regional crisis, with implications for sectarian stability, international diplomacy, and humanitarian protection. As global actors weigh their responses, the fate of Syria’s Druze population hangs in the balance amid a fragile truce.

[…]

Via https://www.globalresearch.ca/sweida-peace-follows-huge-israeli-airstrikes-damascus/5895373

US rejects World Health Organization pandemic response measures

[image error]
US health secretary Robert Kennedy Jr US health secretary Robert Kennedy Jr: ‘The new regulations employ extremely broad language that gives the WHO unprecedented power’ © Reuters

Patrick Temple-West and Michael Peel July 18, 2025

The US has rejected the World Health Organization’s new efforts to combat international health emergencies, alleging the group threatens US sovereignty and “lays the groundwork for global surveillance of every human being”.

In a statement on Friday, US health secretary Robert Kennedy Jr said the US had opted out of changes that the WHO approved last year to better respond to severe disease outbreaks. Kennedy’s decision comes one day before the deadline to decline the amendments. “The new regulations employ extremely broad language that gives the WHO unprecedented power,” Kennedy said. “That opens the door to the kind of narrative management and propaganda and censorship that we saw during the Covid pandemic.”

The US rejection of the WHO amendments could hamper global co-operation for future health crises. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had hailed the changes last year for bolstering countries’ ability to share information and respond to potential pandemics. The amendments also call for members to commit additional financing and medical products for developing countries.

The WHO changes came under fire from US conservatives last year, leading House Republicans to pass legislation rejecting the measures. The global health body’s first ever pandemic agreement agreed this year, however, explicitly reaffirms country sovereignty and gives the WHO no powers to restrict travel, mandate vaccines or impose lockdowns.

[…]

Kennedy, in a joint statement with secretary of state Marco Rubio, said the changes failed to adequately address the WHO’s susceptibility to “political influence and censorship.”

[…]

While the WHO has power to declare a “public health emergency”, what that announcement means is legally vague. Declaring an emergency is an important symbolic step, but only a handful of countries have any references to it in legislation, researchers wrote in the Lancet. WHO has declared public health emergencies in recent years for diseases including Ebola, Covid and mpox.

When Donald Trump was sworn into office in January for his second term, he signed an executive order to start a year-long process to pull the US out of the WHO. Congress this week passed funding cuts for foreign aid, including cutting WHO funding. The WHO has drawn wider criticism for some aspects of its handling of the Covid pandemic, but its defenders argue the US conservative attacks misrepresent its role and undermine its ability to co-ordinate needed international action.

[…]

Via https://www.ft.com/content/478955b0-83ec-4c1b-abf0-1b81dcd98622

Trump orders release of Epstein ‘transcripts’

FILE PHOTO ©  Andrew Harnik / Getty Images

RT

The US president previously claimed only “stupid people” expect to see the elusive “client list”

US President Donald Trump has promised to release more information after criticism of his administration’s handling of the sex trafficking case involving the late financier Jeffrey Epstein reached a tipping point.

After months of pledges to disclose the full case files, the Department of Justice said in a memo last week that no further documents would be made public – triggering a backlash even among some of Trump’s closest supporters.

“Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent grand jury testimony, subject to court approval,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday.

Bondi confirmed that her office is “ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts,” though it remains unclear which documents would be released or when.

Epstein was arrested in 2019 and charged with trafficking minors for sex. He allegedly hanged himself in his New York jail cell before he could stand trial. His longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was later convicted of conspiring to sexually abuse underage girls and is now serving a 20-year sentence. Although Epstein’s death was officially ruled a suicide, it has long fueled public skepticism.

The DOJ’s controversial review concluded that no “client list” of Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring ever existed and found no evidence of blackmail. There were no grounds to investigate uncharged third parties, the memo stated.

These findings appeared to contradict Bondi’s earlier comments that the client list was “sitting on [her] desk,” and that the FBI had turned over a “truckload” of materials that would “make you sick.” Bondi appeared to walk back those remarks, clarifying on Tuesday that she was referring to case files on her desk in general. She also dismissed concerns about a one-minute gap in the 11-hour surveillance video recorded near Epstein’s jail cell.

Earlier this week, Trump claimed only “stupid people” believe the sex offender’s alleged “client list” wasn’t yet another Democrat hoax.

Trump ordered the release of additional documents after the Wall Street Journal accused him of sending a lewd birthday greeting to Epstein in 2003. The president has threatened to sue Rupert Murdoch and his “third-rate newspaper” for defamation.

[…]

Via https://www.rt.com/news/621636-trump-orders-epstein-transcripts/

Looming Epstein vote has Republicans eager to leave Washington

[image error]

Massie said he isn’t concerns if members go home before his discharge petition ripens. “This will build momentum over August,” he said. “They can’t sweep it under the rug.” | Francis Chung/POLITICO

By Meredith Lee Hill and Mia McCarthy

A discharge effort from Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna could put members on the spot as soon as next week.

House Republican leaders are under fierce internal pressure to send members home for the summer amid deepening anxiety over a possible vote on the Jeffrey Epstein controversy.

Many GOP lawmakers fear being cornered by an expected “discharge petition” that would force a House vote on publicizing Epstein-related records. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) launched the effort Tuesday, making it available for signatures and a possible floor vote as soon as next week.

Democrats have already forced Republicans to take tough Epstein-related procedural votes that have stoked a barrage of constituent calls into GOP offices, but they have not yet been able to force a clear up-or-down vote on releasing the so-called Epstein files.

Questions about the late convicted sex predator have exploded inside the GOP since the Justice Department announced earlier this month it had concluded there was no foul play involved in his 2019 death while in federal custody and there is no “client list” of powerful accomplices to be released.

Republicans want to leave town early for several reasons, but senior House Republicans acknowledge the calls for transparency around the Epstein case is becoming a bigger problem for the party.

President Donald Trump’s insistence that the controversy is a “Jeffrey Epstein Hoax” concocted by Democrats — while eviscerating some of his own supporters as “weaklings” who have fallen prey to his political opponents’ “bullshit” — has done little to tamp down the fury.

“It’s all Epstein, all day,” said one frustrated House Republican who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the controversy. “We can’t ignore this.”

The hope, according to more than a dozen GOP members and aides, has been that Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise decide to cancel next week’s scheduled House session and instead send members home for an extended summer recess once voting concludes Thursday or Friday.

The thinking, the members and aides said, is that members won’t have to face questions at home about whether or not they have signed on to the Massie-Khanna effort — and that the issue will have died down by the time members return to Washington in September.

Scalise said Tuesday there are no plans to change the House schedule, which has members staying in Washington through July 24. An aide to the majority leader reiterated Thursday that plan “is not changing.”

Leaving early would spark intense anger from appropriators who are already livid over delays in government funding work ahead of the Sept. 30 shutdown deadline. GOP leaders have discussed changing next week’s schedule, but senior Republican aides acknowledge it would not look good to leave for the traditional August recess in mid-July, with plenty more work to do.

Democrats are expected to create more headaches for the GOP Thursday, by seeking to attach an Epstein-related amendment to the Trump administration’s funding clawbacks package in the House Rules Committee. A similar effort failed earlier this week, but not before one GOP member of the panel broke ranks.

Massie said in an interview he was confident the Epstein issue would remain ripe through the summer. He recalled how conservative hard-liners moved a decade ago to remove former Speaker John Boehner right before the August recess — and then Boehner resigned after members came back in September.

“They probably want to let the steam out, but this will build momentum over August,” Massie said. “They can’t sweep it under the rug.”

The Epstein saga has been a subject of deep fascination for many Trump supporters, who see it as emblematic of a deeply corrupt cabal of political elites preying on vulnerable Americans. Trump, who associated with Epstein in the past and has denied any wrongdoing, discussed the controversy on the campaign trail and pledged to root out any coverup.

But after the Justice Department essentially announced there’s no there there, the pressure broke out into a full crisis this week. Some Republican lawmakers have reported an onslaught of calls from constituents. Others are calling for Epstein accomplices and others to testify before Congress.

Some House Republicans have raised the matter in private floor conversations with party leaders, begging them to do something.

The level of alarm exploded after Massie, a dissident Republican, unveiled his discharge effort with Khanna. It would tee up a floor vote on legislation giving Attorney General Pam Bondi 30 days to release a broad array of files related to Epstein, his onetime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell and other associates.

Notably, it would provide for the release of investigative files without regard for “[e]mbarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”

Under House rules, the measure becomes available for discharge signatures after seven legislative days.

Trump’s effort Wednesday to tamp down the controversy — suggesting his own supporters had “bought into this ‘bullshit,’ hook, line, and sinker” — only triggered more alarm across the GOP conference.

“People are like, ‘What the fuck is the president doing?’” said a second House Republican, also granted anonymity to speak candidly.

The lawmaker added that “people are freaking out” and the issue is “only getting worse.”

Asked by reporters Thursday if he supports using congressional authority to investigate the Epstein matter, Johnson replied, ”Look, we’ll see how it all develops.”

“We’re for transparency. I’ve said that repeatedly, so has the president,” Johnson said. “And all the credible information needs to come out and the American people need to make their own decisions.”

[…]

Via https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/17/jeffrey-epstein-house-discharge-vote-00459758

Why Are Taxpayers Still Funding These Injection Mandates?

By Lucia Sinatra July 15, 2025

[…]

It started in April of 2021 when Rutgers University and then Harvard University announced their students would be required to take Covid-19 vaccines prior to enrollment. In these early days, I remember thinking that surely, they will reveal some scientific data showing these vaccines could prevent transmission and severe illness or death to justify the mandates, but alas, the wait was in vain.

Living up to their cult behavior reputation, by the summer of 2021, over 1,000 colleges announced the exact same fear-fueled narrative and implemented some of the world’s most oppressive mandate policies. By August, millions of college students would be mandated to take primary series Covid-19 vaccines prior to enrollment, many without enough notice to get their deposits back, transfer colleges, or even file for an exemption. The directive was clear: take these novel medical treatments with zero scientific evidence to show you need them, or don’t bother showing up.

The best and brightest minds in academia never demanded to see the scientific data to justify their colleges’ strict mandate policies and never demanded the reasoning behind their administrations summoning a 100% compliance rate, but instead elevated the propaganda in lockstep fashion. To this day, it is astounding to think of what transpired and that so few questioned the lack of supporting science either because they were aghast to consider that our federal government was responsible for perpetrating the greatest crime against humanity the world has ever seen, or just because it was easier to comply and convince others to do the same.

Some of us could see the writing on the wall. We knew colleges and universities were going to take this global pandemic opportunity to manipulate and control their vulnerable and young healthy adult populations into compliance, and that is exactly what they did. I kept hoping I was wrong, and once more data was released, these institutions would reverse course, but I was wrong then, and I still am now.

Health science students are still being coerced to take Covid-19 vaccines either prior to enrollment in their institutional program or prior to the start of their practical training at hospitals and clinical partner programs. In fact, they are the only college students still being coerced to take Covid-19 vaccines, and most of the time, it feels as though there is no end in sight.

When President Trump signed Executive Order 14214, he promised to end federal funding to colleges that still mandate Covid-19 vaccines. However, that has not happened yet, and who knows if it ever will? For example, the majority of health science degrees in our country are conferred by colleges and universities, and health science students at some institutions are still required to take Covid-19 vaccines. Why haven’t these institutions been defunded in accordance with EO 14214?

To be clear, it is not new that health science students have different vaccination requirements than students who are not health care majors. However, regarding Covid-19 vaccines in particular, the faculty and staff who teach these students at the college program or at the hospital or clinical facility where they are required to complete practicums are often no longer required to take these vaccines.

In sum, we have a number of institutions that have yet to be defunded as promised by President Trump, and we have students at those institutions who are subject to unjustifiable disparate treatment. So, what gives?

To be perfectly honest, I have no idea other than these colleges have not been held accountable for their unscientific continuation of Covid-19 vaccine mandates for health science students. Non-healthcare students at all US colleges are no longer required to comply with Covid-19 vaccine mandates to enroll, yet health science majors who share the same classrooms, dining halls, and residence halls are still subject to mandates to either enroll or complete practicums or both.

It is our position that these blatantly discriminatory policies persist because explicit action has not been taken to end them.

On April 5, 2024, Representative Mark Messmer (R-IN) introduced H.R. 3044, and it has gained widespread support. This newly introduced legislation proposes to codify EO 14214 by promising to “withhold federal funds for any college or university that continues to mandate a required COVID-19 vaccination.” It is a good start as it is generally harder for a future administration to reverse a bill that has become law rather than an Executive Order, but our position is that the bill is incomplete. No College Mandates, which has led the fight to end all college student Covid-19 vaccine mandates, along with several signatories, has formally requested that before the bill becomes law, it must be amended.

For H.R. 3044 to definitively end all Covid-19 vaccine mandates in higher education, it must be amended to explicitly include all teaching programs required for health science students to complete their degree. To clarify, not only must federal funding be removed from all colleges, universities, and any other institutions that continue to mandate Covid-19 vaccines, but also all teaching programs at hospitals and clinical partners with whom these institutions contract to provide practical training so that students can freely apply to and enter practicums, clinical rotations, internships, and residencies which all degree-granting institutions have made a requirement for graduation.

A few weeks ago, we mailed this letter to all the Representatives who are supporting this bill, requesting explicit amendments including those outlined in the previous paragraph. We have also emailed the letter to each of the senior staff members and have followed up with several phone calls making our case. From the positive feedback we continue to receive, we are hopeful that the Representatives are willing to consider and incorporate our proposed amendments to H.R. 3044.

However, I have one simple ask. We cannot get the Representatives to devote proper attention to these amendments without your help. Please take a few minutes to print a copy of our letter and mail or email it to the Representatives, encouraging them to amend the bill, as well as to your own Representative and Senators. Together, we might just put an end to health science student Covid-19 vaccine mandates. If you’ve never taken any action to end college student Covid-19 vaccine mandates, this is a wonderful opportunity, and it may just make all the difference.

[…]

Via https://brownstone.org/articles/why-are-taxpayers-still-funding-these-injection-mandates/

Former Spy Details Israel’s Main Motive Behind Epstein’s Sex Blackmail Operation

Feature photo | A graphic shows Ari Ben-Menashe, left, and Jeffery Epstein, right. Credit | Claudio Cabrera

By Whitney Webb

MONTREAL — In recent weeks, renewed attention has been brought to the allegations that Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking and sexual blackmail operation was run on behalf of Israeli military intelligence. Those claims revolve around statements made by a former Israeli military intelligence official turned public relations consultant Ari Ben-Menashe, whose allegations regarding the Epstein scandal were reported by MintPress this past October.

Ben-Menashe’s claims related to Epstein first surfaced in an interview between Ben-Menashe and Zev Shalev of the independent news outlet, Narativ. As detailed in a MintPress summary and commentary of that interview, Ben-Menashe claimed to have seen Jeffrey Epstein in the office of Robert Maxwell, Ghislaine Maxwell’s father, several times in the 1980s.

At the time, Ben-Menashe was in close contact with Robert Maxwell regarding their work mutual work with Israeli military intelligence. Maxwell, in addition to heading a media empire and being a one-time member of U.K. parliament, was a longtime operative for Israeli intelligence, so much so that his 1991 funeral was attended by no less than six serving and former heads of Israeli intelligence as well as several high-ranking Israeli politicians and prime ministers.

Maxwell is alleged to have recruited Jeffrey Epstein for Israeli intelligence and later introduced Epstein to Ben-Menashe and another operative, Nicholas Davies. Epstein was introduced to Ben-Menashe as having been pre-approved by leading figures in Israel’s military intelligence directorate, known as Aman.

MintPress recently conducted its own interview with Mr. Ben-Menashe as part of an ongoing investigation on the life and connections of the now-infamous Jeffrey Epstein.

Part of that interview is provided below with relevant commentary, particularly regarding claims related to the relationship between Epstein and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Epstein’s trip to Tel Aviv immediately prior to his first arrest, and the reasons for Israeli military intelligence’s interest in orchestrating and financing a major sexual blackmail operation targeting top U.S. politicians.

“Israel Requested that Epstein Target Clinton”

MintPress News first asked Ben-Menashe about Robert Maxwell, a known asset and operative for Israeli intelligence, having recruited Jeffrey Epstein. Ben-Menashe =confirmed this to MintPress and also noted that, after their initial meeting, Epstein was frequently present in Maxwell’s office in London.

During the 1980s, as MintPress previously reported, Epstein claimed to have been an intelligence operative and so-called “bounty hunter” in the world of shadow finance. During this time, he was known to have developed close relationships with several British arms dealers, particularly Sir Douglas Leese. Thus, Epstein appeared to frequently be traveling between the Middle East and London, which is also supported by Epstein’s now-infamous Austrian passport which he was believed to have carried during this period of time.

Ben-Menashe told MintPress that he had not only met Epstein after Epstein had been recently recruited by Israeli military intelligence, but had seen him on several occasions thereafter as Epstein “used to be in [Robert Maxwell’s] office [in London] quite often” and would arrive there between trips to and from Israel.

In addition, Ben-Menashe revealed his understanding of why Epstein was eventually shepherded into acting as a professional sexual blackmailer on behalf of Israeli military intelligence. Per Ben-Menashe, there were concerns among Israeli intelligence figures that, following the Reagan Era, a new president would push for Israel to make peace with the Palestinians, something those officials sought to avoid by any means necessary.

ABM | Here’s the thing… Mr. Carter… as in President Carter… the Israelis feared that Mr. Clinton, when he was campaigning for President, will be a repeat of Mr. Carter. He wanted to press them for peace with the Palestinians and all that stuff. They feared… Clinton wasn’t that… but they feared he was that… And I think Mr. Epstein was sent early on to catch up with President Clinton.

MintPress News (MPN) | Well, that’s interesting because the first year Clinton was in office, Epstein was already attending donor dinners at the White House and making White House visits as well.

ABM | Yeah, that’s right. That’s right. I believe his biggest client was Mr. Clinton catch, or catch, or whatever, and he had a few other congressmen and what not but Clinton was, was his biggest catch.

Thus, Ben-Menashe argues, when Bill Clinton’s candidacy in the 1992 U.S. Presidential election became clear, efforts were made to target him via sexual blackmail and Jeffrey Epstein was chosen for that purpose. Bill Clinton was eventually blackmailed by the state of Israel and his administration was also targeted by Israeli espionage as part of the “Mega” spy scandal. Epstein’s involvement in the Clinton administration and his visits to the White House date back to Clinton’s first year in office. More information on the Epstein-Clinton relationship can be found in this MintPress report.

In addition, MintPress also asked Ben-Menashe if he was aware of Ghislaine Maxwell being directly involved with her father’s intelligence-related activities prior to his death in 1991. Ben-Menashe noted that Ghislaine accompanied her father so frequently, including on a now-infamous 1989 party on Maxwell’s yacht where Donald Trump and several key figures in the PROMIS software scandal were in attendance, that she was involved in his intelligence-related activities to some extent. However, he stopped short of saying how involved she was or what she has specifically been involved in prior to her father’s death.

When did Epstein really meet Ehud Barak?

One of the more controversial ties between Epstein and powerful politicians is that between Epstein and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Barak has claimed to have only met Epstein in 2002 and, from that point on, their relationship was very public, with Barak frequently visiting and even spending the night at residences owned by Epstein, including apartments where he housed the underage girls that he exploited. Barak also visited Epstein’s now-infamous island and recruited him to help fund the Israeli intelligence-connected company, Carbyne911.

However, there appear to be indications that Epstein and Barak may have met much earlier than Barak has since claimed. Given that Ben-Menashe claimed to have learned of Epstein’s recruitment by Israeli military intelligence in the 1980s, MintPress asked if one of the people involved in his recruitment was Ehud Barak. Barak served as head of Israel’s military intelligence directorate, Aman, from April 1983 to January 1986.

Ben-Menashe could not recall the exact year when he first became aware of Epstein’s recruitment by Israeli military intelligence but stated that it was “most likely” during Ehud Barak’s tenure as the head of Aman. Yet, even if Epstein’s recruitment did not take place while Barak headed Aman, it is highly likely — per Ben-Menashe — that Epstein had met Barak during this time because “Robert Maxwell became buddies with Ehud Barak…and he [Robert Maxwell] probably introduced them, the young man [Epstein] to Mr. Barak” if the two were not already acquainted.

Since the Epstein scandal broke, Ehud Barak has insisted that he did not meet Epstein until the year 2002 and claimed that the two had been introduced by former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres. Ben-Menashe dismissed the possibility that this claim was true, emphatically stating that he was “sure they had met before” and that he did not believe that their first meeting was in 2002.

Epstein’s 2008 Trip to Tel Aviv

Just a few months before he was sentenced to prison for the first time in June 2008, Jeffrey Epstein had made a sudden visit to the Israeli capital of Tel Aviv. In April of that year, the Palm Beach Daily News reported that Epstein was staying at the Tel Aviv Hilton and quoted an Epstein spokesman as saying that he was “spending Passover, meeting with Israeli research scientists, and taking a tour of military bases.”

Sometime prior to Epstein’s sentencing on June 30 of that year, Alexander Acosta –then-U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida– signed off on a lenient sentence for Epstein who was charged with soliciting sex from a minor. That legal arrangement has since been nicknamed the “sweetheart deal.” Acosta later told Trump transition officials prior to his nomination for Secretary of Labor that his decision to approve the “sweetheart deal” came after he had been told to back off in the Epstein case because Epstein “belonged to intelligence.”

Though Acosta did not specify from whom he had received this information, former CIA agent Phil Giraldi has made a convincing case that they originated from Epstein’s then-lawyer Alan Dershowitz, a close associate of Epstein with ties to high-ranking Israeli politicians, and Barry Krischer, then-Florida State Attorney for Palm Beach who recently received an award from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for his “outstanding contribution to the legal profession and to the community at large.”

As detailed in a previous MintPress report on Epstein’s ties to Israel published this past August, the ADL’s long-time top funders have close ties to Epstein and his sexual blackmail network, particularly the Bronfman family of Seagrams fame.

Ben-Menashe told MintPress that Epstein’s 2008 Tel Aviv visit was likely “blowing smoke” and involved Epstein “trying to make himself important maybe not to get arrested” and “hoping that the Israelis would help him.” He then added that “At the time they probably did” help Epstein, but added that “the second time around [i.e. 2019], well…it would be a harder sell.”

[…]

Via https://www.mintpressnews.com/ari-ben-menashe-israel-relationship-jeffrey-epstein/263465/