Stuart Jeanne Bramhall's Blog: The Most Revolutionary Act , page 43

Trump’s DOJ Says EPA Will Appeal Landmark Fluoride Ruling

by Brenda Baletti, Ph.D.July 14, 2025

The decision to appeal came from the solicitor general at the DOJ, who reports to Pam Bondi and the White House. In February, a federal judge ruled against the EPA, concluding that water fluoridation at current levels poses an unreasonable risk to children’s health and ordering the EPA to address the issue.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to appeal a decision last year by a federal court ordering the agency to address the risks of water fluoridation, according to Michael Connett, lead attorney for plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

“Rather than use the court’s decision as an opportunity to finally end water fluoridation (as most of Europe has already done), the EPA will spend its time legally challenging the court’s order,” Connett wrote in a post on X.

The American Chemistry Council, a trade organization representing the chemical industry, and the American Fluoridation Society, a fluoridation advocacy organization that touts its work undermining local efforts to oppose water fluoridation, filed motions seeking to submit amicus briefs supporting the EPA appeal, he said.

Connett told The Defender that the American Dental Association also plans to file a brief.

The EPA said it will file the appeal on July 18, after which the case will go to a three-judge panel in the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. The appeals court will receive briefs from both sides, along with any amicus briefs, and hear oral arguments before issuing its decision.

The Fluoride Action Network (FAN), one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the EPA, said on X that the appeal was “a very disappointing move by EPA.” “A few months ago, @epaleezeldin went on a public speaking tour with @SecKennedy to address why fluoride needs to come OUT of the water. Now the EPA will appeal to keep fluoride IN drinking water.”

Connett noted that the decision to appeal came from the solicitor general at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), who reports to Pam Bondi and the White House, not by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has vocally opposed water fluoridation, but lacks the authority to end it.

“Only the EPA has this power, and it has decided, for now, to forego its historic opportunity (as provided by the court’s decision) to exercise it,” Connett said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes recommendations from the U.S. Public Health Service on whether communities should add fluoride to their drinking water and at what levels. However, the EPA sets the maximum levels allowed in water under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The current maximum allowable levels of fluoride in drinking water are 4.0 milligrams per liter (mg/L), which is many orders of magnitude higher than the currently recommended dosage of 0.7 mg/L.

Even the lower recommended dosage has demonstrated a risk to children’s health in numerous studies, and according to the federal ruling that the EPA plans to challenge.

EPA continues to treat fluoride as a ‘protected pollutant’

In September 2024, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen issued the historic decision in the lawsuit against the EPA, ruling that water fluoridation at current U.S. levels poses an “unreasonable risk” of reduced IQ in children and that the EPA must take regulatory action to address that risk.

At the time of the ruling, more than 200 million Americans were drinking water treated with fluoride at the “optimal” level of 0.7 mg/L.

Chen ruled that a preponderance of scientific evidence showed this level of fluoride exposure may damage human health, particularly that of pregnant mothers and young children.

Environmental and consumer advocacy organizations, including FAN, Moms Against Fluoridation and Food & Water Watch, along with individual parents and children, filed the lawsuit against the EPA in 2017 under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) after the EPA denied their citizens’ petition to reexamine water fluoridation.

During the trial that followed, Chen reviewed existing regulations, regulatory frameworks and current science on fluoride’s risks to children and pregnant women presented through peer-reviewed papers and experts on both sides.

The case dragged on for seven years, after numerous delays by the EPA, and attempts by HHS officials to block the release of the key piece of evidence in the case, a government report on fluoride’s toxicity.

Chen’s 80-page ruling, issued seven months after closing arguments in February 2024, offered a careful and detailed articulation of the EPA’s review process for hazardous chemicals and summarized the extensive scientific data on fluoride’s toxicity.

Chen concluded that the risk to health at current levels of exposure demanded a regulatory response by the agency.

Evidence against fluoride keeps piling up

Since the end of the trial, the body of scientific evidence showing fluoride’s adverse impacts on children’s health has grown. Scientists at the National Toxicology Program in January published a meta-analysis in JAMA Pediatrics linking fluoridated water and IQ loss in children.

The program also published a monograph in August 2024 that found a link between higher fluoride exposure and lower IQ in children.

In May 2024, a study in JAMA Open Network found children born to Los Angeles mothers exposed during pregnancy to fluoridated drinking water were more likely to have neurobehavioural problems.

FAN’s executive director, Stuart Cooper, said the group has long sought to end the “unnecessary life-long and life-altering brain impairment in children specifically due to artificial fluoridation schemes” and the many other side effects to people’s liver, kidneys, thyroid and bones.

For nine years, he said, the EPA has been working against them. “From day one of our interactions with them, they’ve treated fluoridation chemicals as a protected pollutant, likely due to the government’s role in promoting their use and guaranteeing their ‘safety’ for over 80 years.”

Cooper added:

“While the science is clear and the lower court’s ruling was very strong and comprehensive, it’s not necessarily a surprise that the appeal has occurred. Our case is precedent-setting. We were the first to sue the EPA under TSCA. I suspect that corporate polluters who have learned how to manage and influence the EPA to their benefit don’t want citizens groups to use TSCA to force the EPA to regulate harmful chemicals.”

Another plaintiff in the lawsuit, Moms Against Fluoridation, told The Defender it was“deeply disappointed” that the EPA plans to appeal the ruling.

“The science is clear, and our lawsuit’s findings are undeniable: fluoridation is a toxic legacy that must end, like asbestos, DDT, and lead,” it said. “The agency’s plan to appeal only underscores their prioritization of industry interests over the well-being of our children and vulnerable populations. Moms Against Fluoridation will not back down — we will continue to fight tirelessly for the health and safety of all Americans.”

60+ towns and counties and two states vote to end fluoridation

Since the federal ruling last year, more than 60 U.S. towns, counties and two states — Utah and Florida — have voted to stop fluoridating their water, according to FAN.

During that time, there has been an ongoing campaign by the American Dental Association, the American Fluoridation Society and mainstream media to discredit the court’s ruling.

Typically, they assert that water fluoridation is an important, safe and effective way to prevent tooth decay — and that without it, rates of cavities will soar, costing billions. They cite a study published by researchers funded by pro-fluoridation groups.

Yet, overwhelming scientific research shows that fluoride’s benefits to teeth are topical, not the result of ingesting fluoride, and a 2024 Cochrane Review found adding fluoride to drinking water provides very limited dental benefits, especially compared with 50 years ago.

Most media reports also highlight the fact that fluoride is a “naturally occurring mineral.” However, they don’t mention that the fluoride added to water supplies is not.

The fluoride most commonly added to U.S. drinking water supplies is hydrofluorosilicic acid, the byproduct of phosphate fertilizer production. Chemical companies sell the byproduct to local water departments across the country.

Communities that have recently ended fluoridation have found themselves saddled with a chemical that they must dispose of as hazardous waste, per EPA regulations — an expensive and time-consuming process.

[…]

Via https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/trump-doj-epa-will-appeal-landmark-fluoride-ruling/

The next four phases of Ukraine’s collapse

Now, a major collapse of Ukraine’s defense fronts along the entire or nearly entire battle line—which stretches from Kherson just north of Crimea in the east, then north through Donetsk to Kharkiv and Sumy—is imminent

by Gordonhahn, July 14, 2025

https://gordonhahn.com/2025/07/14/les-quatre-prochaines-phases-deffondrements-de-lukraine/

Translated by Wayan, proofread by Hervé, for Saker Francophone

I wrote some time ago:

“With the collapse of the front and the army on the verge of dissolving, Zelenskiy’s post-Maidan regime is deeply divided and in danger of dissolution, which could lead to state collapse, internecine warfare, and widespread chaos .”

Below, I detail these four imminent or potential collapses—collapses of the battlefront, the Ukrainian army, the Maidan regime, and the Ukrainian state itself—because this issue is of crucial importance to the question of war or peace in Ukraine and to the challenges that will be faced in any reconstruction.

A dysfunctional Ukrainian army, regime, and state will prevent Kyiv from concluding any peace process and treaty that U.S. President Donald Trump or others might develop. In fact, the peace effort Trump is beginning to enlist Russian President Vladimir Putin in will almost certainly be thwarted by a cascade of two or more of the four major dysfunctions, collapses, and crises that appear to await Ukraine unless the war ends or a radical shift occurs in the correlation of Russian and NATO-Ukrainian forces. The first two of these collapses, of the front and the army, will almost certainly occur this year. The last two—of the Maidan regime and the Ukrainian state—may be postponed until next year.”

The collapse of the military front in Ukraine

Ukraine’s defensive fronts have slowly weakened and increasingly collapsed over the past year. Throughout last year, Russian territorial gains and, for most of this year, Ukrainian losses increased monthly, just as I predicted more than a year ago. The infamous Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based organization that relies on Ukrainian propaganda and turns itself into “data,” falsely claimed:

“Russian forces gained 4,168 square kilometers (1,609 square miles, GH), largely consisting of fields and small settlements in Ukraine and Kursk Oblast, at a reported cost of more than 420,000 casualties in 2024. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said on December 30 that Russian forces suffered 427,000 casualties in 2024. ISW observed geotagged evidence to estimate that Russian forces advanced 4,168 square kilometers in 2024, indicating that Russian forces suffered approximately 102 casualties per square kilometer of Ukrainian territory seized .”

The propaganda element here lies primarily in the claim that Russia’s territorial gains were ”largely fields and small settlements ” and in the figures for Russian losses. The Russians seized ”largely fields and small settlements” because the landscape of Ukraine, like that of any country, is largely made up of arable land and small villages.

However, Russia did capture several small towns and the main Ukrainian strongholds of Avdiivka, Vuhledar, Kurakhove, Selydove, Novosilevke, Toretsk, and almost all of Chasov Yar. The Russians may not have suffered 420,000 casualties over the course of the entire war, let alone in 2024. For 2024, the Mediazona institute—which, in affiliation with the BBC and the Russian opposition outlet Meduza, scours internet sources, social media, obituaries, and regional government announcements—counted 120,000 Russians killed in action between the start of the country’s ”special military operation” in February 2022 and the end of 2024. It found that at least 31,481 Russian soldiers died between January 1, 2024, and December 17, 2024. Even if we increase this figure by 50%, taking into account the typical 1:3 ratio of killed to wounded, we still arrive at a figure of only about 180,000 Russian casualties in 2024, half of the reported Ukrainians/ISW .

What is going on here? The acceleration of what I have called  Russia’s “attrition and advance” strategy has been downplayed by ISW  by linking it with data on territorial gains from the Ukrainian Defense Minister and other Ukrainian military sources on Russian losses in order to give the impression of massive Russian losses disproportionate to the ”  modest ” territorial gains. This is done to support the Western myth that Russia is throwing away the lives of its soldiers in ”human wave” attacks.

ISW carefully avoids the prospect of negative comparison by omitting any mention of Ukrainian casualties, mimicking the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and  US-funded “Ukrainian ”  news outlets  such as Ukrainskaya Pravda.

The raw data show that Russian territorial gains have indeed increased throughout the year on a nearly monthly basis, with the possible exception of December, which saw a decline compared to November. As Western media outlets finally began to expose the fallacy of the “Ukraine is winning ” propaganda line last fall, the New York Times referenced data from a military expert with the Finland-based Black Bird group Pasi Paroinen.

It turned out that Russian gains were being made all along the front line, from the north at Kharkiv to the south at Zaporozhye. Paroinen’s measurement of Russia’s overall gains in the first ten months of 2024 confirmed my own expectation of an intensified Russian advance. Russian advances during this period amounted to over 1,800 square kilometers and were made at an increasingly accelerated pace:

“Half of Russia’s territorial gains in Ukraine so far this year have been made in the last three months alone. In August, Ukraine’s defensive lines buckled and Russia quickly advanced 16 km. In October, Russia made its most significant territorial gains since the summer of 2022, as Ukrainian lines buckled under sustained pressure. October’s gains amounted to over 257 square km of land in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region alone .” Russian forces advanced 2,356 square kilometers in September, October, and November 2024, making 56.5% of their 2024 territorial gains during this period. November proved  to be the most successful month for Russian forces in terms of territorial gains in 2024, “advancing at the significantly higher rate of 27.96 square kilometers per day” during that month.

ISW  was careful not to compare Russia’s territorial gains in 2024 with those made in 2023, so as not to highlight the crucially important trend of accelerating Russian advances and Ukrainian retreats, but France 24 television  picked up the slack . It noted that the Russian military had advanced in 2024 “seven times more than in 2023, ”taking “610 square kilometers in October and 725 square kilometers in November. These two months saw the Russians capture the most territory since March 2022, in the opening weeks of the conflict. Russia’s advance slowed in December, reaching 465 square kilometers in the first 30 days of the month. But it is already nearly four times greater than in the same month last year and two and a half times more than in December 2022.”

Now, a major collapse of Ukraine’s defense fronts along the entire or nearly entire battle line—which stretches from Kherson just north of Crimea in the east, then north through Donetsk to Kharkiv and Sumy—is imminent. Some fronts may hold out longer, but they are unlikely to survive 2025. Russian forces are beginning to encircle the crucial industrial, mining, and transport center of Pokrovsk. After its fall, perhaps in two months, Moscow’s army will have a relatively unimpeded march toward Dnipro, Zaporozhye, and other points less south of the Dnieper. After that, the territorial advance will continue to accelerate at an ever-increasing pace and could lead to major breakthroughs across the Dnieper at any moment now, given the already dire and deteriorating state of Ukraine’s armed forces.

The collapse of the Ukrainian army

To read further: https://lesakerfrancophone.fr/les- quatre-prochaines-phases-dplombs-de-lukraine

[…]

Via https://nuclear-news.net/2025/07/15/2-b1-the-next-four-phases-of-ukraines-collapse/

The next four phases of Ukraine’s collapse

Now, a major collapse of Ukraine’s defense fronts along the entire or nearly entire battle line—which stretches from Kherson just north of Crimea in the east, then north through Donetsk to Kharkiv and Sumy—is imminent

by Gordonhahn, July 14, 2025

https://gordonhahn.com/2025/07/14/les-quatre-prochaines-phases-deffondrements-de-lukraine/

Translated by Wayan, proofread by Hervé, for Saker Francophone

I wrote some time ago:

“With the collapse of the front and the army on the verge of dissolving, Zelenskiy’s post-Maidan regime is deeply divided and in danger of dissolution, which could lead to state collapse, internecine warfare, and widespread chaos .”

Below, I detail these four imminent or potential collapses—collapses of the battlefront, the Ukrainian army, the Maidan regime, and the Ukrainian state itself—because this issue is of crucial importance to the question of war or peace in Ukraine and to the challenges that will be faced in any reconstruction.

A dysfunctional Ukrainian army, regime, and state will prevent Kyiv from concluding any peace process and treaty that U.S. President Donald Trump or others might develop. In fact, the peace effort Trump is beginning to enlist Russian President Vladimir Putin in will almost certainly be thwarted by a cascade of two or more of the four major dysfunctions, collapses, and crises that appear to await Ukraine unless the war ends or a radical shift occurs in the correlation of Russian and NATO-Ukrainian forces. The first two of these collapses, of the front and the army, will almost certainly occur this year. The last two—of the Maidan regime and the Ukrainian state—may be postponed until next year.”

The collapse of the military front in Ukraine

Ukraine’s defensive fronts have slowly weakened and increasingly collapsed over the past year. Throughout last year, Russian territorial gains and, for most of this year, Ukrainian losses increased monthly, just as I predicted more than a year ago. The infamous Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based organization that relies on Ukrainian propaganda and turns itself into “data,” falsely claimed:

“Russian forces gained 4,168 square kilometers (1,609 square miles, GH), largely consisting of fields and small settlements in Ukraine and Kursk Oblast, at a reported cost of more than 420,000 casualties in 2024. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said on December 30 that Russian forces suffered 427,000 casualties in 2024. ISW observed geotagged evidence to estimate that Russian forces advanced 4,168 square kilometers in 2024, indicating that Russian forces suffered approximately 102 casualties per square kilometer of Ukrainian territory seized .”

The propaganda element here lies primarily in the claim that Russia’s territorial gains were ”largely fields and small settlements ” and in the figures for Russian losses. The Russians seized ”largely fields and small settlements” because the landscape of Ukraine, like that of any country, is largely made up of arable land and small villages.

However, Russia did capture several small towns and the main Ukrainian strongholds of Avdiivka, Vuhledar, Kurakhove, Selydove, Novosilevke, Toretsk, and almost all of Chasov Yar. The Russians may not have suffered 420,000 casualties over the course of the entire war, let alone in 2024. For 2024, the Mediazona institute—which, in affiliation with the BBC and the Russian opposition outlet Meduza, scours internet sources, social media, obituaries, and regional government announcements—counted 120,000 Russians killed in action between the start of the country’s ”special military operation” in February 2022 and the end of 2024. It found that at least 31,481 Russian soldiers died between January 1, 2024, and December 17, 2024. Even if we increase this figure by 50%, taking into account the typical 1:3 ratio of killed to wounded, we still arrive at a figure of only about 180,000 Russian casualties in 2024, half of the reported Ukrainians/ISW .

What is going on here? The acceleration of what I have called  Russia’s “attrition and advance” strategy has been downplayed by ISW  by linking it with data on territorial gains from the Ukrainian Defense Minister and other Ukrainian military sources on Russian losses in order to give the impression of massive Russian losses disproportionate to the ”  modest ” territorial gains. This is done to support the Western myth that Russia is throwing away the lives of its soldiers in ”human wave” attacks.

ISW carefully avoids the prospect of negative comparison by omitting any mention of Ukrainian casualties, mimicking the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and  US-funded “Ukrainian ”  news outlets  such as Ukrainskaya Pravda.

The raw data show that Russian territorial gains have indeed increased throughout the year on a nearly monthly basis, with the possible exception of December, which saw a decline compared to November. As Western media outlets finally began to expose the fallacy of the “Ukraine is winning ” propaganda line last fall, the New York Times referenced data from a military expert with the Finland-based Black Bird group Pasi Paroinen.

It turned out that Russian gains were being made all along the front line, from the north at Kharkiv to the south at Zaporozhye. Paroinen’s measurement of Russia’s overall gains in the first ten months of 2024 confirmed my own expectation of an intensified Russian advance. Russian advances during this period amounted to over 1,800 square kilometers and were made at an increasingly accelerated pace:

“Half of Russia’s territorial gains in Ukraine so far this year have been made in the last three months alone. In August, Ukraine’s defensive lines buckled and Russia quickly advanced 16 km. In October, Russia made its most significant territorial gains since the summer of 2022, as Ukrainian lines buckled under sustained pressure. October’s gains amounted to over 257 square km of land in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region alone .” Russian forces advanced 2,356 square kilometers in September, October, and November 2024, making 56.5% of their 2024 territorial gains during this period. November proved  to be the most successful month for Russian forces in terms of territorial gains in 2024, “advancing at the significantly higher rate of 27.96 square kilometers per day” during that month.

ISW  was careful not to compare Russia’s territorial gains in 2024 with those made in 2023, so as not to highlight the crucially important trend of accelerating Russian advances and Ukrainian retreats, but France 24 television  picked up the slack . It noted that the Russian military had advanced in 2024 “seven times more than in 2023, ”taking “610 square kilometers in October and 725 square kilometers in November. These two months saw the Russians capture the most territory since March 2022, in the opening weeks of the conflict. Russia’s advance slowed in December, reaching 465 square kilometers in the first 30 days of the month. But it is already nearly four times greater than in the same month last year and two and a half times more than in December 2022.”

Now, a major collapse of Ukraine’s defense fronts along the entire or nearly entire battle line—which stretches from Kherson just north of Crimea in the east, then north through Donetsk to Kharkiv and Sumy—is imminent. Some fronts may hold out longer, but they are unlikely to survive 2025. Russian forces are beginning to encircle the crucial industrial, mining, and transport center of Pokrovsk. After its fall, perhaps in two months, Moscow’s army will have a relatively unimpeded march toward Dnipro, Zaporozhye, and other points less south of the Dnieper. After that, the territorial advance will continue to accelerate at an ever-increasing pace and could lead to major breakthroughs across the Dnieper at any moment now, given the already dire and deteriorating state of Ukraine’s armed forces.

The collapse of the Ukrainian army

To read further: https://lesakerfrancophone.fr/les- quatre-prochaines-phases-dplombs-de-lukraine

[…]

Via https://nuclear-news.net/2025/07/15/2-b1-the-next-four-phases-of-ukraines-collapse/

Only One Republican Votes to Release Epstein Files

South Carolina Republican Ralph Norman

By JON MICHAEL RAASCH 16 July 2025

A lone Republican has risked President Donald Trump‘s ire after voting with Democrats in a bid to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.

California Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna pushed an amendment to upcoming crypto legislation that would have forced Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all Epstein-related documents.

Bondi would have to share the files on a ‘publicly accessible website’ within 30 days of passage.

However, the effort was foiled, failing five to seven, during a Monday night vote by the House Rules Committee, a group of lawmakers that generally sign off on legislation before it gets a final vote on the House floor.

The sensational files, which Trump promised to release while campaigning, will remain under lock and key at the Justice Department – for now.

The president, if he’s caught wind of the nail-bitting legislative maneuver, may be unhappy with how close this effort was to succeeding as he and his Cabinet members have worked to delegitimize calls for transparency in the high-profile case.

South Carolina Republican Ralph Norman, a conservative member of the House Freedom Caucus (HFC) and a member who, at times, ruffles GOP leadership’s feathers, stunningly sided with Democrats to release the file.

And another Republican decided not to vote at all, apparently wanting to avoid flak from constituents eager to see who was implicated in the deceased pedophile’s affairs.

Norman sided with Democrats on an amendment that would have forced the Trump administration to release additional files on Jeffrey Epstein. The vote failed five to seven

Donald Trump and Jeffery Epstein chat at a social event in a still from an NBC News video from the early 2000s

California Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna authored the Epstein amendment

Texas Republican Chip Roy opted not to vote on the measure. Even if he had sided with his fellow HFC member Norman and Democrats the amendment still would’ve failed by one vote.

‘Rules voted 5-7 to block the full House from voting on my amendment to have a FULL release of the Epstein file,’ Khanna wrote on X following the failed vote.

‘People are fed up. They are fed up. Thanks ⁦@RepRalphNorman⁩. Need to put the American people before party!’

The Republicans who voted against the amendment to release the Epstein files include: Rules Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., Michelle Fischbach, R-M.N., Chip Roy, R-Texas, Erin Houchin, R-Ind., Nicholas A. Langworthy, R-N.Y., Austin Scott, R-Ga., H. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., Brian Jack, R-Ga.

Some MAGA devotees feel betrayed by Republican’s sudden and puzzling reversal on the release of the deceased banker and his ‘client list.’

Attorney General Pam Bondi said earlier this year that the ‘client list’ was on her desk, but last week the DOJ and FBI said there is no list at all – an admission clearly at odds with the Cabinet member’s past comments.

‘America deserves the truth about Jeffrey Epstein and the rich powerful elites in his circle,’ firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., posted on X after the vote.

‘The line is drawn with anyone who abuses children and vulnerable innocent people.’

Attorney General Pam Bond has recently doused MAGA voter’s hopes by saying there’s not a Epstein ‘client list’ despite previously claiming that very ‘list’ was on her desk at work

Surveillance footage of Jeffrey Epstein’s cell dated August 9, 2019, with a time stamp of 12 midnight.Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday sought to tamp down outrage on the right over the Justice Department’s recent memo on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.The Justice Department and FBI released a roughly 11-hour video Monday recorded outside Epstein’s prison cell door to dispel claims Epstein did not die by suicide. Some on the far right have seized on time stamps in the video, which skip from 11:58 p.m. to midnight.

[…]

Via https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14907597/epstein-files-release-vote-ro-khanna.html

African Innovation: Ghana Outpaces India in Call Centers

 

Empowering the Future: Innovators in Africa

DW (2025)

Film Review

https://www.dw.com/en/empowering-the-future-innovators-in-africa/video-71750657

Africa has both the youngest and fastest growing population on earth. This video profiles some of the continent’s most prominent innovators. Although Greenland appears the same size as Africa in most two dimensional maps, the latter is actually 14 times larger –  bigger than the US, China, India, Japan and Europe combined.

With a population of 1.5 billion, Africa consists of 54 countries and is home to 2,000 languages. Half its population was born after 2000, with Senegal, Rwanda and Nigeria experiencing the most rapid population growth. Sadly, however, Africa is experiencing a serious brain drain, comparable to the mass exodus that occurred with the slave trade. Most African university graduates plan to emigrate because most their countries have a shortage of professional and academic jobs.

Nigeria has the largest population in Africa, at 220 million. Its capitol Lagos has 16 million people. Known as the Venice of Africa, it’s home to the Makoko community of floating homes. Sixty percent of its residents are poor and work in the informal economy.

The film highlights even key African innovators building Africa’s economies:

Jack Oyugi Kendu Bay (Kenya) – microbiologist who discovered how to increase the protein content of the invasive weed water hyacinth by fermenting it, producing a far cheaper protein source for livestock than imported soy protein.Peninah Wanja Nairorobi (Kenya) – founder (2018) of DigiCow, a digitalized information network for small farmers raising milk cows. Part of the “Silicon Savannah.”Darlington Akogo (Kenya) – with the support of foreign investors, created the first stand alone AI system (Mino Health AI Labs) for radiology. Using anonymized patient data, he trained his AI system to detect breast and other cancers, pneumonia. Owing to worldwide shortage of radiologists, Akogo hopes to make health care cheaper and more accessible to the African content.Kunle Aleyemi (Nigeria) – international renowned architect who designed dwellings for Makoko residents that float on pontoons instead of standing on stilts to make them less susceptible to storms.Gilbert Debra (Ghana) – founded international call center companies providing customer support for international corporations. Presently outpacing nearly all Indian call centers. Pays globally competitive salary of 190 Euros a month (Ghanaian doctors earn 650 euros a month).Cynthia Dauquah (Ghana)* – laboratory technician working identify native plants that can be used to synthesize antibiotics.Ben Lokeris Koriang (Uganda) – founder (2017) of Gogo Ebikes**

*40% of Ghana’s university graduates are women.

**Electricity in Uganda and Kenya is 90% renewable, from hydropower, geothermal, wind and solar sources. Because electricity is cheaper to supply than gasoline, the Ugandan government subsidizes electric bikes as a public transport strategy. Because they’re 50% cheaper to operate than a gasoline powered vehicle, purchasers also qualify for microloans to purchase them. Gogo Bikes manufactures the batteries, as well as the ebikes and scooters, operates it charging stations. Gogo bikes retains ownership of the battery and assumes responsibility for recycling it.

https://www.dw.com/en/empowering-the-future-innovators-in-africa/video-71750657

Decline of the Great North American Decarbonization Charade

Department of Energy via APBy Vijay JayarajJune 27, 2025

Through ESG – Environmental, Social and Governance – mandates, the titans of global finance positioned themselves as the arbiters of corporate virtue. They pressured companies to divest from fossil fuels. They built an entire moral and financial architecture around the concept of decarbonization.

But this June, two major events confirmed the slow demise of the great North American decarbonization experiment.

First, Nippon Steel finalized its historic acquisition of U.S. Steel, signaling a massive resurgence of energy-intensive manufacturing on American soil. Up North, the government of Saskatchewan announced its plan to keep coal-fired plants alive beyond 2030, openly defying federal regulations and international climate agreements.

They are not minor setbacks to the climate agenda but fundamental course corrections, powerful acknowledgments that the prosperity and security of nations depend on energy-dense resources and the industries they power.

Steel Deal That Shattered Green Illusions

 On June 18, Nippon Steel acquired the legendary Pittsburgh-based company to reshape the global steel industry. The $14.9 billion transaction, one of the largest in recent industrial history, creates a powerhouse with a crude steel capacity of 86 million metric tons.

“Together, Nippon Steel and U. S. Steel are moving forward as the ‘Best Steelmaker with World-Leading Capabilities,’” says the press release. Massive capital will be unleashed across steelmaking facilities in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Arkansas, Minnesota and Alabama. The overall investment package is expected to protect 10,000 jobs and create 10,000 more in construction trades through the addition of a new electric arc furnace.

Steel production consumes enormous quantities of energy – primarily from coal and natural gas. The blast furnaces, coke ovens and electric arc furnaces that make up the lifeblood of steel mills are not powered by solar panels or wind turbines. They are powered by carbon-based fuels. Period.

This acquisition alone smashes multiple climate illusions in one blow. One, that emissions-intensive sectors would be phased out in rich countries. Another, that ESG-aligned finance would avoid “dirty” industries. And a third, that international treaties would keep governments and corporations aligned toward decarbonization.

Look who helped push this deal through. Citibank served as the financial advisor to Nippon Steel. Barclays, Goldman Sachs and Evercore were among the advisors for U.S. Steel. These are the same firms that plaster their websites with ESG statements and Net Zero commitments.

The same firms that swore to “align their lending portfolios with climate goals” and pressure companies to reduce carbon footprints. Yet here they are, actively greasing the wheels of a carbon-heavy industrial renaissance.

Saskatchewan Calls the Bluff on Coal Phaseouts

 Then the same week, came another announcement, this time from the political frontier of Western Canada. The government of Saskatchewan made clear that it would extend the life of its coal plants beyond 2030, despite federal mandates to the contrary.

Energy Minister Dustin Duncan was unapologetic. “We’re not going to let federal politicians in Ottawa tell us to turn off the lights,” he said. Citing energy security and cost stability for residents, the province says it will keep coal-fired plants past the 2030 deadline imposed by Canada’s federal Clean Electricity Regulations,

This open rebellion is framed as a strategic return to realism with no use of euphemisms such as “transition” or “temporary extension.”

Collapse of the Climate Narrative

 The Net Zero facade has collapsed massively, undeniably, irreversibly – because no policy survives violations of the laws of physics and market demand. Despite trillions spent on “renewables,” their contribution to energy production has barely budged in two decades.

What we’re witnessing in North America is not an anomaly but rather the beginning of a new phase. In 2023, fossil fuels still accounted for over 80% of global primary energy use. Globally, energy-intensive industries are thriving. China, the world’s largest coal consumer, approved 106 gigawatts of new coal power in 2024 alone.

The thud you hear is the sound of the decarbonization fantasy crashing to Earth. The sigh is one of relief as common sense returns to the public square.

There is no post-carbon future on the horizon, only a post-illusion present. And fossil fuels remain the lifeblood of progress.

[…]

Via https://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2025/06/27/decline_of_the_great_north_american_decarbonization_charade_1118975.html

Democrat Congressman Ro Khanna to Force Vote on FULL Release of Epstein Files to the Public

Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Court Accountability/Getty ImagesBy Emma Marsden

Representative Ro Khanna (D‑CA) has announced plans to force a vote in the House of Representatives demanding the full, unredacted release of all documents related to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Khanna said he will introduce an amendment this week that would require the House Speaker to bring the measure to a roll-call vote, putting every member of Congress on the record.

Newsweek contacted Khanna’s team via email and House Speaker Mike Johnson via online form for comment outside of usual working hours on Sunday.

The Context

As reported by Newsweek, Epstein, who died in prison six years ago while facing sex trafficking charges, had maintained close ties with numerous high-profile figures around the world. Though his death was officially ruled a suicide, speculation has persisted for years that he may have been murdered to prevent the release of a so-called “client list,” a roster some believe could implicate prominent political figures, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, and the U.K.’s Prince Andrew.

After being accused of sexual abuse connected to the Epstein scandal, Prince Andrew denied all accusations against him and resigned from royal duties in 2020. Clinton maintains that he did not have any contact with Epstein after the financier was accused of sex crimes, and never visited his now-infamous private island of Little St. James in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The controversy was reignited last month when billionaire Elon Musk alleged, in a since-deleted social media post, that the government had withheld Epstein-related records because “Trump is in the Epstein files.” The president dismissed the claim, saying he “had nothing to do with it,” but it sparked further interest in the government’s records.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, although they were known to have interacted in social and professional circles in the early 2000s. The former president distanced himself from Epstein after the financier admitted soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida and was sentenced to 18 months in prison in June, 2008.

During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump pledged to make Epstein-related files public. A partial release occurred in February, overseen by Attorney General Pam Bondi.

But earlier this week, both Trump and Bondi announced that their investigation had turned up “no incriminating ‘client list,'” prompting sharp criticism from Democrats, and even backlash from some of Trump’s own MAGA supporters who had anticipated deeper revelations.

A memo, first reported by Axios, said investigators found “no incriminating ‘client list'” and “no credible evidence … that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals.” It also said video footage from the Manhattan jail where Epstein was being held when he died supported a medical examiner’s finding that he had died by suicide.

In a TruthSocial post on Saturday, Trump urged others to “not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.”

What To Know

Late Saturday, Khanna posted to his X account: “Why are the Epstein files still hidden? Who are the rich & powerful being protected? On Tuesday, I’m introducing an amendment to force a vote demanding the FULL Epstein files be released to the public. The Speaker must call a vote & put every Congress member on record.”

The post has since had over 432k views.

Khanna’s initiative is seen as a way to hold both Congress and the Justice Department accountable, especially as the Department of Justice (DOJ), led by Trump-appointed officials, including Bondi, recently reversed its previous commitment to release more documents.

The move is also politically strategic. If Khanna’s proposal is accepted, it would force a House vote on releasing the full Epstein files, allowing the public to see how each representative stands on the matter, with many praising it as a savvy political move that puts pressure on those trying to avoid scrutiny.

This comes after months of mounting bipartisan frustration. Though Democrats have led the charge, some Republican voices have also joined the call for full transparency. However, the Justice Department’s decision to halt further disclosures has renewed criticism that the agency is protecting politically sensitive figures.

Earlier this month, congressional Democrats, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, called for the release of any documents mentioning Trump.

What People Are Saying

In response to criticism of his proposal on X, Khanna said: “This is about transparency and restoring trust, not partisan politics. The public outcry is apparent. The files should be fully released and can be done so consistent with DOJ principles of protecting victims and the innocent.”

What Happens Next

Even if the measure fails, Khanna’s supporters argue it will create a clear public record—either the files will be released, or voters will know exactly who stood in the way. With trust in government transparency at stake, the coming vote could mark a pivotal moment in the long-running Epstein saga.

[…]

Via https://www.newsweek.com/democrat-ro-khanna-demands-vote-release-full-jeffrey-epstein-files-2098309

Democrat Congressman Ro Khanna to Force Vote on FULL Release of Epstein Files to the Public

Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Court Accountability/Getty ImagesBy Emma Marsden

Representative Ro Khanna (D‑CA) has announced plans to force a vote in the House of Representatives demanding the full, unredacted release of all documents related to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Khanna said he will introduce an amendment this week that would require the House Speaker to bring the measure to a roll-call vote, putting every member of Congress on the record.

Newsweek contacted Khanna’s team via email and House Speaker Mike Johnson via online form for comment outside of usual working hours on Sunday.

The Context

As reported by Newsweek, Epstein, who died in prison six years ago while facing sex trafficking charges, had maintained close ties with numerous high-profile figures around the world. Though his death was officially ruled a suicide, speculation has persisted for years that he may have been murdered to prevent the release of a so-called “client list,” a roster some believe could implicate prominent political figures, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, and the U.K.’s Prince Andrew.

After being accused of sexual abuse connected to the Epstein scandal, Prince Andrew denied all accusations against him and resigned from royal duties in 2020. Clinton maintains that he did not have any contact with Epstein after the financier was accused of sex crimes, and never visited his now-infamous private island of Little St. James in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The controversy was reignited last month when billionaire Elon Musk alleged, in a since-deleted social media post, that the government had withheld Epstein-related records because “Trump is in the Epstein files.” The president dismissed the claim, saying he “had nothing to do with it,” but it sparked further interest in the government’s records.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, although they were known to have interacted in social and professional circles in the early 2000s. The former president distanced himself from Epstein after the financier admitted soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida and was sentenced to 18 months in prison in June, 2008.

During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump pledged to make Epstein-related files public. A partial release occurred in February, overseen by Attorney General Pam Bondi.

But earlier this week, both Trump and Bondi announced that their investigation had turned up “no incriminating ‘client list,'” prompting sharp criticism from Democrats, and even backlash from some of Trump’s own MAGA supporters who had anticipated deeper revelations.

A memo, first reported by Axios, said investigators found “no incriminating ‘client list'” and “no credible evidence … that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals.” It also said video footage from the Manhattan jail where Epstein was being held when he died supported a medical examiner’s finding that he had died by suicide.

In a TruthSocial post on Saturday, Trump urged others to “not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.”

What To Know

Late Saturday, Khanna posted to his X account: “Why are the Epstein files still hidden? Who are the rich & powerful being protected? On Tuesday, I’m introducing an amendment to force a vote demanding the FULL Epstein files be released to the public. The Speaker must call a vote & put every Congress member on record.”

The post has since had over 432k views.

Khanna’s initiative is seen as a way to hold both Congress and the Justice Department accountable, especially as the Department of Justice (DOJ), led by Trump-appointed officials, including Bondi, recently reversed its previous commitment to release more documents.

The move is also politically strategic. If Khanna’s proposal is accepted, it would force a House vote on releasing the full Epstein files, allowing the public to see how each representative stands on the matter, with many praising it as a savvy political move that puts pressure on those trying to avoid scrutiny.

This comes after months of mounting bipartisan frustration. Though Democrats have led the charge, some Republican voices have also joined the call for full transparency. However, the Justice Department’s decision to halt further disclosures has renewed criticism that the agency is protecting politically sensitive figures.

Earlier this month, congressional Democrats, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, called for the release of any documents mentioning Trump.

What People Are Saying

In response to criticism of his proposal on X, Khanna said: “This is about transparency and restoring trust, not partisan politics. The public outcry is apparent. The files should be fully released and can be done so consistent with DOJ principles of protecting victims and the innocent.”

What Happens Next

Even if the measure fails, Khanna’s supporters argue it will create a clear public record—either the files will be released, or voters will know exactly who stood in the way. With trust in government transparency at stake, the coming vote could mark a pivotal moment in the long-running Epstein saga.

[…]

Via https://www.newsweek.com/democrat-ro-khanna-demands-vote-release-full-jeffrey-epstein-files-2098309

Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell willing to address Congress about client list

By CAROLINE GRAHAM

July 15, 2025

Ghislaine Maxwell is willing to speak in front of Congress about The Epstein Files, sources tell Daily Mail.

Maxwell, 63, is the only person behind bars – serving 20 years on child sex trafficking charges – despite the fact that pedophile Jeffrey Epstein allegedly controlled a web of underage girls.

Additionally, Epstein’s victims alleged they were passed around as sex toys to his wealthy friends and billionaire business associates who regularly visited his homes including his private island, Little Saint James.

Now a source said: ‘Despite the rumors, Ghislaine was never offered any kind of plea deal. She would be more than happy to sit before Congress and tell her story.

‘No-one from the government has ever asked her to share what she knows. She remains the only person to be jailed in connection to Epstein and she would welcome the chance to tell the American public the truth.’

What that ‘truth’ is remains to be seen. Maxwell was convicted in 2022 over her role in a scheme to sexual exploit and abuse multiple minor girls with Epstein over the course of a decade.

Maxwell, 63, is the only person behind bars – serving 20 years on child sex trafficking charges – despite the fact that pedophile Jeffrey Epstein allegedly controlled a web of underage girls.

Now a source said: ‘Despite the rumors, Ghislaine was never offered any kind of plea deal. She would be more than happy to sit before Congress and tell her story.

Maxwell argues she should have been protected from prosecution as part of a Non Prosecution Agreement made by Epstein – her former lover and boss – in 2007 when he agreed to plead guilty to two minor charges of prostitution in a ‘sweetheart deal’ which saw him spend little time behind bars.

Critics have pointed to the fact that there is a crucial minute missing from the jail house video that also does not show the door or, indeed, the inside of Epstein’s jail cell.

The scandal – and alleged ‘cover up’ – has prompted a rebellion amongst President Trump’s loyal MAGA base. Some even believe Attorney General Pam Bondi should be fired after promising to release all files relating to Epstein and his high-profile male friends only to apparently renege on that promise.

On Saturday night, President Trump posted a rebuttal to accusations of a cover-up on social media site Truth Social saying: ‘For years, it’s Epstein, over and over again. Why are we not giving publicity to files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan and the losers and criminals of the Biden administration?’

The Epstein ‘cover-up’ was also a main topic of conversation among attendees of this weekend’s Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, hosted by the conservative group Turning Point USA , an organization many credit with rallying Trump’s young base before last year’s presidential election.

Sharon Allen, an attendee, told NBC News: ‘It’s not even about Pam Bondi to me. It’s like, look, Trump, we elected you because you were supposed to be different. So you have to prove to us you’re different.’

A source close to Maxwell told Daily Mail that the former girlfriend of Epstein – who continues to protest her innocence – would ‘welcome the chance to sit in front of Congress and tell her story’.

On Saturday night, President Trump posted a rebuttal to accusations of a cover-up on social media site Truth Social saying: ‘For years, it’s Epstein, over and over again. Why are we not giving publicity to files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan and the losers and criminals of the Biden administration?’ (Pictured: Donald and Melania Trump with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2000)

The source said: ‘Congressional hearings have been held into everything from JFK’s assassination to 9/11. The Epstein Files rank up there with those cases. Ghislaine would be willing to speak before Congress and tell her story.’

Maxwell is also fighting to have her appeal heard by the Supreme Court. On July 14, lawyers for the US government will submit their response to her plea for the Supreme Court to take up her case.

President Trump’s former ‘First Buddy’ Elon Musk sensationally claimed there is a cover-up because Trump is mentioned in the Epstein Files, something sources close to Maxwell say ‘is a false flag.’

‘President Trump was photographed with Epstein several times and they ran in the same circles but Trump was one of the first to break all contact with Epstein because they fell out over a business deal and Epstein’s treatment of women,’ the informed source said.

Maxwell is also fighting to have her appeal heard by the Supreme Court. On July 14, lawyers for the US government will submit their response to her plea for the Supreme Court to take up her case.

‘There are no big shocks about President Trump in the Epstein Files. But there are a lot of powerful men involved and a lot of money and it will come down to following the money.

The Department of Justice has said no-one else is likely to be prosecuted in relation to the Epstein case, including Britain’s Prince Andrew who was accused by Virginia Giuffre, of allegedly sleeping with her when she was 17 and underage.

Prince Andrew has consistently and vehemently denied all charges against him and settled a civil lawsuit with Ms Giuffre with no admission of wrongdoing.

Ms Giuffre committed suicide earlier this year.

[…]

Via https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14901591/Jeffery-Epstein-Ghislaine-Maxwell-trump-congress.html

Trump faces MAGA rebellion over Epstein outcry

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President Donald Trump speaks to the media, Sunday, July 13, 2025, on arrival to Joint Base Andrews, Md., en route to Washington, after attending the Club World Cup final soccer match in New Jersey. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) | AP

By Adam Wren

President Donald Trump faces a fast-metastasizing MAGA rebellion amid fallout over his administration’s handling of the files from the criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

And some of his closest allies are cautioning the situation for the president will get worse before it gets better — even as it threatens to derail his megabill victory lap and continues to divide parts of his administration and, more broadly, his supporters.

Trump has tried twice in as many days to tamp down his base’s anger, posting to Truth Social Saturday that he didn’t “like what’s happening” among his own supporters. He also threw his support behind Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has taken the brunt of much of the right’s ire over the Epstein files. Several news organizations have also reported that Bondi clashed with Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino over the files.

After disembarking Air Force One Sunday at Joint Base Andrews, Trump faced a question about Bongino, who skipped work Friday. Trump insisted that he’s “a very good guy. … He sounded terrific, actually. No, I think he’s in good shape.”

Mike Davis, the MAGA legal brawler and occasional Oval Office visitor, has taken up defending Trump’s DOJ, said in an interview that “the Trump Justice Department wanted to be fully transparent, but can’t.” He added: “This is a case of no good deed going unpunished.”

Davis argues DOJ can’t release more, including that there is grand jury material involved, court records under seal, child pornography involved, the need to protect victims of “heinous crimes,” and “unsubstantiated, bogus claims, like we saw during the Kavanaugh proceedings, where you had double and even triple hearsay.”

A spokesperson for the White House declined to comment.

The split over Epstein represents one of the biggest rifts within Trump’s supporters since the president took office for his second term. On one side are MAGA supporters who push claims that Epstein was murdered in his jail cell and that the disgraced financier had kept a list of high-profile clients. But Trump’s DOJ and FBI have concluded that there’s no evidence for either.

On Monday morning, the conservative influencer Benny Johnson outlined a four-pronged approach for Trump to fix what he called “the Epstein memo crisis,” including calling for a press conference and bringing in former President Bill Clinton for “questioning.”

Laura Loomer, the MAGA activist who is influential in Trump’s inner circle and visits everyone from Vice President JD Vance to Trump himself, isn’t convinced that the president has sufficiently quelled MAGA’s frustrations.

“I don’t think that just putting out a Truth Social post is going to make this issue go away. It’s kind of had a Streisand effect, actually, where people are focusing on this topic a lot more than they were before he posted a Truth Social,” Loomer told POLITICO. “I think that it would be wise for the White House to develop some type of a strategy in addressing the base’s concerns, so that we can mitigate any fallout or damage done to the Trump administration.

Loomer is also calling for a special counsel appointed to do an independent investigation of the handling of the Epstein files so that people can feel like this issue is being investigated, and perhaps take it out of [Bondi’s] hands, because I don’t think that she has been transparent or done a good job handling this issue.”

Several online influencers are urging the administration to confront the issue head on — before it becomes even more of a looming distraction.

“We have the midterm elections coming up, and I agree that we can’t allow for one issue to dominate the entire news cycle and take up everybody’s energy,” said Loomer. “We have to focus on the economy, we have to focus on immigration, we have to focus on a lot of issues. A lot of people need to learn how to walk and chew gum at the same time. President Trump, as the leader of the free world and the most powerful man in the world, can’t allow for his entire administration to be fully consumed with a single issue.”

The Justice Department released what it called the “first phase” of documents related to the Epstein investigation in February. Trump as well as prominent figures like Clinton are referenced in documents released in court cases surrounding Epstein but the president is not accused of any wrongdoing linked to Epstein.

But last week, Axios reported that the Justice Department and FBI concluded that there’s no evidence Epstein kept a “client list” or was murdered in his jail cell, marking the first time Trump’s administration pushed back on unsubstantiated theories about Epstein that Bongino, FBI Director Kash Patel and others have touted previously.

[…]

Via https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/14/trump-maga-epstein-bondi-bongino