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The Neanderthals: Tracking Our Ancestors

The Neanderthals: Tracking Our Ancestors

DW (2021)

Film Review

Neanderthals were an important human species that covered Eurasia for 300,000 years and disappeared. Like modern humans, they had a culture and social systems and mastered their environment. When their skeletal remains were first discovered in the 19th century, they were mistakenly believed to be non-human ape-like creatures.

They were extremely ingenious in adopting to an Ice Age environment, where temperatures plummeted to -20 degrees Celsius. Paleontologists believe their faces were specially adopted to withstand the cold, with a large nasal cavity that served to warm and humidify air around them. They also had large lungs and a barrel chest that facilitated burning energy to stay warm.

They were highly skilled tool makers, fashioning tools from flint and antlers. They hunted large mammals in coordinated groups, which they used for food and clothing.

Some of the best Neanderthal remains are found on the island of Jersey, which was connected to the European mainland between from 240,000-40,000 BC. They navigated inland via streams, and caught some of the more dangerous animals (eg the woolly rhinoceros) on the soft mud adjoining stream. These animals were too dangerous to hunt on hard ground.

Recently discovered remains reveal European Neanderthals were nomadic, living in bands of 20-30 individuals and repeatedly revisiting specific sites for planned hunting and butchering activities. It’s estimated that there were only 10 to 40 thousand in all of Europe when Homo Sapiens arrived.

Neanderthal artifacts from 80,000 years ago have been found in the Mondran caves in France and the Sedron caves in Spain. These artifacts suggest different Neanderthal bands gathered together in specific locations once a year to engage in specific activities, which included finding mates.

Their vocal apparatus was similar to that of modern humans, and it’s assumed organizing their complex activities required some rudimentary language.

Evidence of artistic activity has been found in striking arrangements of animal bones in the Brunelow cave in France, and discrete circles built from stalagmites. A Neanderthal hastag has been found on a rock in Gibraltar. There’s no evidence they made jewelray or beads.

50,000 years ago, Homo sapiens arrived in Europe for the first time. The first wave was a scouting party with advanced flint tools, and they seemed to vanish after ten years.

Around 42,000 years ago a second wave of Homo sapiens migrated to Europe via the Rhone Valley. There’s evidence that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens co-existed and interbred over 2000 years. Many modern humans carry Neanderthal DNA.

How Donald Trump Discovers the Art of Political Negotiation

by Thierry Meyssan

Donald Trump knew nothing about the history of Russia and Ukraine, but he’s learning quickly. He no longer believes the Western delusions that Moscow wants to invade Ukraine, and then the rest of Europe. Nor does he believe the delusions of Kaja Kallas and the Balts, for whom Russia is a “prison of peoples” that must be dismembered.

We don’t understand the negotiations in Ukraine and the Middle East because we don’t understand the difference between wars and civil conflicts. We approach peacemaking as if it were a matter of dividing up common property during a divorce, after a few years of living together. But wars are of unparalleled intensity and are rooted in long-standing conflicts, often spanning several generations. Generally speaking, material conditions, suffering, and violence are of secondary importance compared to injustices.

Furthermore, the negotiating method of this business leader turned head of state, like Donald Trump, is dizzying. He strives to evoke incoherent positions and maintain none, simply to shake up his partners in the hope of getting their assets out of their pockets. This method, which has nothing diplomatic about it, ignores the underlying causes of conflicts. It only acknowledges what each side complains about. Ultimately, it can lead to agreements that some signatories might accept at the moment, but later regret.

In any case, we must act quickly. The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, even though they have diminished in intensity, continue to kill and destroy. The sensational announcements that this or that war could have been resolved in a few days have already run up against harsh realities.

True diplomats and true warriors don’t aim to win over others, but to live with them. They can’t get along with business leaders who want to be the best, but they can solve problems with the help of those who intend to produce what can be useful to others. Donald Trump is of this ilk.

However, the current problems are not Russian, but primarily American. This could also be the case with Palestine and Iran. Making progress on the Ukrainian conflict requires, first and foremost, not changing the Russian point of view, but addressing the unconditional support of some Westerners for the “integral nationalists,” historical allies of the Nazis. It quickly became clear to the Trump team that the Russian claim to “denazify” Ukraine was not a war propaganda invention [1]. There are several hundred monuments to the glory of Reich collaborators in Ukraine, not to mention buildings and avenues bearing their names [2]. Reading the works of Dmytro Dontsov, particularly his book Націоналізм (Nationalism), is now mandatory in the Ukrainian armed forces; a work equivalent to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf (My Struggle) [3]. The most important church in Ukraine was banned because it recognizes the authority of the Patriarch of Moscow.

Several million books were burned because they were written in Russian, that evil language, or because they were written by Russian authors, such as Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) or Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910). All opposition political parties have been banned, and the current president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has banned new elections by extending the martial law that prohibits them every three months.

To address this issue, Donald Trump must give the Ukrainians something in return. He chose to question the savagery Russia displays when it is certain it is right, which it is. The Western press chose to focus only on the passage where the US president wonders if Vladimir Putin has gone mad. But in the same post, he also denounced Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech. He thus equated the Russian president’s cruelty with the Ukrainian leader’s bad faith. It is important to realize that while emotionally he gives the Ukrainians the upper hand, politically he gives it to the Russians.

It turns out that we belong to a civilization where emotion has replaced reason. We mourn with the fundamental nationalists, believing we share the suffering of the Ukrainians. However, in time, we will recognize the facts and turn against the fundamental nationalists we support today, or even against Ukrainians in general, because we will be ashamed of our current positions. This is the way of history: we always return to positions we can be proud of.

Vladimir Putin has already anticipated our reversal. According to him, the European Union’s unilateral coercive measures will not last. We will eventually return to our former loves, when we celebrated Franco-Russian friendship. This is why he is holding back his army, whose military superiority would have allowed him to capture Odessa long ago and thus complete the reconstruction of the old Russia.

This is what’s at stake now. Territorial boundaries matter little compared to relationships between people. Material issues are always secondary to individual freedom. The people living in Ukraine will have no trouble accepting the partition of their country once they are freed from the pressure exerted on them by the fascists who massacred their great-grandparents.

Donald Trump knew nothing about the history of Russia and Ukraine, but he’s learning quickly. He no longer believes the Western delusions that Moscow wants to invade Ukraine, and then the rest of Europe. Nor does he believe the delusions of Kaja Kallas and the Balts, for whom Russia is a “prison of peoples” that must be dismembered.

Similarly, Donald Trump knew nothing about the history of Israel and Iran, but he learned that the revisionist Zionists of Yitzak Shamir organized SAVAK, the political police of the Shah, Reza Pahlevi, and his Prime Minister, the Nazi General Fazlollah Zahedi, who had just left British jails after the overthrow of Mohammad Mossadegh [4]. It is difficult to admit, but yes, the terrible SAVAK was organized by Israeli Jews, “revisionist Zionists,” in the service of a Nazi general [5], just as it is difficult to admit that the Ukrainian integral nationalists killed many more of their compatriots than foreign enemies. Donald Trump and his negotiator, Steve Witkoff, have understood that what is at stake in the Middle East is not military nuclear power (even if it is Israel and not Iran that has the bomb), but the second round of crimes committed by the Shah’s regime with the discreet support of certain Israelis.

[…]

Via https://www.voltairenet.org/article222331.html

Israel to block rare Saudi-backed ministerial delegation to West Bank

 

Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud attends the Cairo Ministerial Conference to Enhance the Humanitarian Response in Gaza. (Photo by AP)

Press TV

Israel says it will not allow an Arab ministerial delegation led by Saudi Arabia to visit the occupied West Bank, according to a report.

An Israeli official told CNN on Friday that the Zionist regime will “not cooperate” with plans from the Palestinian Authority (PA) to host the Saudi-led delegation.

The Israeli official claimed that the meeting is “provocative” and said that “Israel will not cooperate with such moves aimed at harming it and its security.”

Ministers from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and Turkey led by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan were planned to arrive in Ramallah on Sunday to meet PA President Mahmoud Abbas, according to Hussein Al-Sheikh, vice president of the PA.

It would have been the highest-level Saudi visit to the area since it was occupied by Israel in 1967.

Palestinian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mazen Ghoneim told Saudi state-run media that “The ministerial visit… is considered a clear message. The Palestinian cause is a central issue to Arabs and Muslims.”

The visit would come as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman pushes for international recognition of Palestinian statehood as the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza drags on for 603 days, resulting in the deaths of more than 53,000 Palestinians.

Bin Salman has made efforts to convince Western states, particularly the US, to recognize Palestinian statehood. The kingdom is confident that France will be among the states that will do so in June.

In his initial term, US President Donald Trump had made efforts to normalize ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, leading to a plan by Saudi Arabia to establish diplomatic relations with Israel and in exchange receive a lucrative defense treaty with Washington, including the possibility of a nuclear program in the kingdom.

However, the brutal massacre of Palestinians since October 7 infuriated the Saudi public and the Arab world, forcing Bin Salman to tell US officials that it would not normalize relations unless Israel agreed to a pathway for a Palestinian state and “calm in Gaza.”

Bin Salman has also doubled down in his criticism of Israel, saying it is committing genocide in Gaza.

On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron said the eventual recognition of a Palestinian state was “not only a moral duty but a political necessity.”

He warned that Israel has “hours or days” to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face a “tougher” European stance.

[…]

Via https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/05/31/748957/Israel-blocks-high-level-Saudi-led-delegation-from-visiting-West-Bank

New York Times claims Elon Musk is addicted to drugs

Elon Musk at the Oval Office of the White House on May 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. ©  Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images

RT

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, a major ally of US President Donald Trump, has been consuming an alarming amount of drugs, the New York Times alleged on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The report came out shortly after Musk announced that he would step down from his leadership role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a task force aimed at cutting wasteful US federal spending.

Although the CEO of SpaceX, Tesla, and X had admitted in the past to taking ketamine prescribed for depression about every two weeks, the NYT wrote that he has “developed a far more serious habit,” as his drug consumption “went well beyond occasional use.”

The Times cited its sources as saying that Musk had been using ketamine “often, sometimes daily,” and mixing it with other drugs, as well as taking ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms.

The businessman reportedly travels with a daily medication box that contains about 20 pills, including ones marked as Adderall, a stimulant used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He has also been warned in advance about random drug tests of SpaceX employees, the Times said.

In 2018, the Times reported that some board members at Tesla were worried about his use of the sleep drug Ambien. The Wall Street Journal reported last year that senior executives at SpaceX and Tesla were also concerned about Musk’s consumption of drugs, including LSD and cocaine.

Musk dodged a reporter’s question about his alleged drug use at a press conference with Trump at the Oval Office on Friday, dismissing the Times as “the same publication that got a Pulitzer Prize for false reporting on Russiagate.”

He said in 2024 that “not even trace quantities were found of any drugs or alcohol” in his system over the three years of tests at SpaceX.

Musk said that his departure is “not the end of DOGE,” whose team will grow over time. “I will continue to be visiting here and be a friend and adviser to the president,” Musk said at the White House.

[…]

Via https://www.rt.com/news/618382-nyt-musk-drug-use/

What is Trump’s game in Syria?

Syria’s Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa shakes hands with US President Donald Trump in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2025. ©  Bandar Aljaloud/Palacio Real saudí vía AP

By Murad Sadygzade

US President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that he intends to lift all sanctions on Syria stands as one of the most unexpected and controversial foreign policy moves Washington has made in the past decade.

Declared during Trump’s Middle East tour at the US-Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh, the decision marks a dramatic shift in America’s approach to the region – one that could reshape the strategic landscape for both allies and adversaries.

The sanctions on Syria, first imposed in 1979, were progressively tightened over decades in response to accusations of sponsoring terrorism, human rights abuses, and close ties with Iran. Their full repeal is an unprecedented gesture, especially considering that Syria’s current president, Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, was until recently regarded by the US as a senior figure in Al-Qaeda – with a $10 million bounty once placed on his capture.

In return, Damascus has made a series of strategic commitments. According to Trump, al-Sharaa has pledged to prevent the resurgence of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), bring all jihadist detention camps under state control, and expel all foreign terrorist formations from Syrian soil. This latter promise is particularly significant, as these militant units – many of them composed of fighters from Central Asia – played a pivotal role in the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime and the rise of the current leadership.

Many of these same groups are also responsible for large-scale ethnic purges, including the massacres of Alawites and other religious minorities earlier this year. Thus, Trump’s proposal does more than legitimize al-Sharaa’s regime – it places on it the mantle of a regional stabilizer, albeit one whose legitimacy remains heavily disputed.

The decision to lift sanctions cannot be divorced from Washington’s broader economic and strategic interests. That the announcement came in Saudi Arabia is no coincidence – it signals a broader understanding with Riyadh, which is eager to deepen its footprint in post-conflict Syria. From the US perspective, the Syria deal is a building block in a new Middle Eastern architecture – one dominated by pro-Western governments and designed to neutralize Iranian influence.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have long viewed Syria’s reconstruction as an opportunity to entrench themselves politically and economically. US sanctions had previously prevented them from acting overtly, and the lifting of restrictions may now be part of a grander bargain: Riyadh receives a green light to invest in Syria, while Washington secures massive financial commitments. On May 14 – the day of Trump’s announcement – Saudi Arabia signed a $142 billion arms deal with the US and pledged an additional $600 billion in American investments.

At first glance, Trump’s move might appear as a betrayal of Israeli interests – an accusation made in several media commentaries. Yet in practice, Israel gains a neighbor that, while unpredictable, is now positioned to suppress Islamist radicals within its borders. This allows it to refocus on countering Iran and Hezbollah without the added distraction of threats emanating from Syria.

The lifting of sanctions also aligns with Türkiye’s strategic goals. President Erdogan, just prior to the Trump-al-Sharaa meeting, personally urged the US president to dismantle the sanctions. Türkiye is a key partner of Syria’s new leadership but has been constrained by its own economic crisis. Moreover, the sanctions hindered Ankara’s allies – particularly Qatar – from taking part in Syria’s postwar reconstruction.

In sum, Trump’s Syrian deal represents more than just a diplomatic maneuver; it is a bold attempt to reengineer the regional balance of power. Whether it brings long-term stability or fuels new fault lines remains to be seen – but its impact on the Middle East is already unmistakable.

What lies behind this move?

The developments unfolding in Syria following the rise to power of Ahmed al-Sharaa increasingly evoke the atmosphere of 2011 – the era of the Arab Spring, when the Middle East fractured into two ideological and geopolitical camps. At the time, Türkiye and Qatar actively championed the cause of ‘political Islam’, seeking to expand their influence through the emergence of Islamist-oriented governments. In contrast, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates perceived Islamist forces as a direct threat to regional stability and the survival of their monarchical order.

Today, under al-Sharaa’s leadership, Syria once again reflects that same fault line. A sense of déjà vu looms: The region’s main players find themselves navigating renewed tensions, caught between the desire to preserve influence and the necessity of adapting to a rapidly evolving reality.

Ankara and Doha, both instrumental in al-Sharaa’s ascent, view his leadership as an opportunity to reclaim their diminished standing in the Levant. Despite its internal economic turmoil, Türkiye continues to position itself as a regional arbiter, relying on a network of loyal political and military actors within Syria. Qatar, for its part, is providing financial and diplomatic support, effectively replicating the strategy it previously deployed in Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia.

Yet the current landscape differs markedly from that of 2011. Al-Sharaa, though buoyed by Turkish support, has signaled a desire for greater autonomy from the outset. His first official foreign visit was not to Ankara, but to Riyadh – a symbolic gesture toward Saudi Arabia and the UAE, whose economic power is now essential for Syria’s reconstruction. It was also a clear signal that Damascus is open to dialogue, even with those who once backed the opposing side in the civil war.

For Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the resurgence of politically motivated Islamist forces is a source of deep concern, though their response has remained deliberately muted. Rather than overt confrontation, these Gulf monarchies have opted for economic engagement, believing that financial leverage will grant them influence while curbing radicalization.

They also see the new Syrian leadership as a potential partner in shaping a new Middle Eastern order – provided that Damascus does not become an instrument of Turkish expansionism. This explains al-Sharaa’s active display of ‘independent maneuvering’, as he skillfully balances between centers of power – from the Gulf to Ankara, from Washington to Moscow.

Amid this geopolitical mosaic, the US has crafted a new strategic vision. Under Trump’s leadership, US policy increasingly focuses on economic leverage and security cooperation while moving away from direct military engagement in the Middle East. Trump proposes a new model: ‘Regional self-sufficiency’ under an American umbrella.

The essence of this model is to arm and equip regional actors, enabling them to maintain stability independently, with the US acting as a supplier of advanced technology and a guarantor of balance. In return, Washington demands loyalty, political restraint, and – crucially – substantial financial contributions. This underpins the strategic alignment with Gulf monarchies, who possess the means and motivation to counterbalance Iran.

At the same time, Trump is attempting to bridge the divide between Türkiye and Israel, laying the groundwork for an economic partnership despite ideological differences. The goal is to prevent friction among US allies and to forge a unified front against Iran and other hostile forces.

Syria, in this context, becomes a testing ground for America’s new security architecture – a controlled regional equilibrium maintained without the Pentagon’s direct footprint. If successful, this model could be replicated in other crisis zones.

A potential next step is the normalization of relations between Syria and Israel – a previously unimaginable prospect, now discussed as part of a broader settlement. In parallel, Trump plans to introduce a new Middle East peace framework that includes recognition of Palestine in exchange for diplomatic and economic incentives from Arab states. This scenario may also presage political change in Israel: If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resists the plan, centrist alternatives like Yair Lapid or Benny Gantz – more amenable to compromise – could come to the fore.

All of this unfolds against the backdrop of a fundamental reordering of US global priorities. Washington is increasingly pivoting toward the containment of China, its primary strategic rival in the 21st century. The Middle East is no longer seen as a vital sphere; the new approach favors balance over expansion, mediation over presence, partnership over intervention.

Thus, US regional strategy is evolving from rigid control to a more adaptive configuration – one in which local actors are granted greater autonomy, though still within an overarching framework engineered in Washington. Syria may well serve as the first case study of this new era – an era in which the return to the logic of 2011 unexpectedly becomes the launchpad for a very different Middle East.

Will things get better in Syria?

The US decision to lift sanctions on Syria following the rise of al-Sharaa to power marks a pivotal moment for a country that has endured over a decade of devastating war, international isolation, and socioeconomic collapse.

This move not only removes one of the most significant external constraints on the Syrian leadership, but also opens a window of opportunity to construct a new model of governance – one grounded in pragmatism, economic rationality, and cautious multilateralism.

Al-Sharaa now faces a critical choice: To use this opportunity to consolidate centralized authority and restore effective governance – or, through missteps or weakness, to allow Syria to fragment further into a collection of ethno-regional entities devoid of a unifying national project.

The World Bank has cleared over $15 million of Syrian debt, once again making the country eligible for participation in international financing programs. This development was made possible through targeted financial contributions from the Gulf states – particularly Saudi Arabia and Qatar – signaling their intention to take the lead in Syria’s reconstruction. Following this, the IMF expressed its readiness to provide technical assistance, while the Syrian authorities issued a series of statements inviting investment in agriculture, energy, transportation infrastructure, and tourism.

These actions indicate the new regime’s ambition to craft an economic model that not only addresses the war’s legacy but also generates employment, stabilizes the currency, boosts public revenues, and – most importantly – restores public trust in the institution of the state.

However, economic recovery is only feasible if accompanied by the genuine restoration of governance.

Syria remains deeply fragmented. Kurdish regions in the northeast are governed by a de facto autonomous administration with its own armed forces and international channels. In the south, the Druze community in Suwayda exhibits growing political and organizational independence, alongside protest movements and local defense initiatives. Along the coastal regions – home to significant Alawite and Christian minorities – distrust toward centralized power continues to grow, especially amid persistent ethno-sectarian tensions. These communities, should the center weaken, may gravitate toward political separatism or at least self-organization into autonomous administrative structures.

If the al-Sharaa government fails to propose a coherent model of political integration – one that includes power-sharing, resource distribution, and the participation of regional elites in governance – Syria could enter a new phase of ‘soft disintegration’: A de facto federalization where unity is maintained in name only.

In this context, foreign policy becomes critically important. Fully aware of the dangers of unilateral alignment, Ahmed al-Sharaa is pursuing a balanced external strategy. Unlike the previous era, which was defined by dependence on a narrow circle of allies, Syria’s new president is embracing a diversified diplomatic approach. He seeks to build relations with the West and the US – especially in the context of economic recovery and Syria’s international rehabilitation – without abandoning existing strategic ties. It is within this framework that Russia remains a key partner to Syria across several strategic domains.

Russia continues to play a central role in Syria’s security architecture and diplomatic positioning, including defending Syrian interests at the UN Security Council and engaging in technical, military, and energy cooperation.

Its presence in Tartus and Khmeimim, involvement in humanitarian initiatives, and potential contributions to infrastructure reconstruction ensure its continued relevance in any long-term settlement scenario.

At the same time, Damascus under al-Sharaa is also looking to build stronger ties with other non-Western power centers – including China, India, and Brazil – while deepening economic engagement with the Arab world. This will help Syria avoid overdependence on any single actor and enhance its strategic flexibility amid global uncertainty.

[…]

Via https://www.rt.com/news/618363-trump-syria-sanctions-game/

HHS cuts funding to ‘undertested’ mRNA technology

By Alec Schemmel

President Donald Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is terminating awards totaling more than $750 million dollars that were provided to pharmaceutical manufacturer Moderna to help facilitate its production of mRNA-based bird flu vaccines.

During President Joe Biden’s final week in office, his administration awarded $590 million to Moderna to help speed up its production of mRNA-based vaccines. The $590 million award followed a separate $176 million award Biden gave to Moderna earlier last year for mRNA vaccine technology.

Messenger RNA vaccines are a newer type of vaccine technology, which was utilized by companies like Moderna and Pfizer to develop their COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccine technology was at the center of a lot of criticism amid the coronavirus pandemic for potentially being associated with adverse side effects in some people who took them, such as myocarditis.

Trump administration officials previously hinted at the potential that this funding could be terminated, citing a lack of oversight during the Biden administration pertaining to vaccine production.

“After a rigorous review, we concluded that continued investment in Moderna’s H5N1 mRNA vaccine was not scientifically or ethically justifiable,” HHS Communications Director Andrew Nixon said. “This is not simply about efficacy — it’s about safety, integrity, and trust. The reality is that mRNA technology remains under-tested, and we are not going to spend taxpayer dollars repeating the mistakes of the last administration, which concealed legitimate safety concerns from the public.”

The announcement reflects a larger shift in federal vaccine priorities, after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced earlier this week that COVID-19 vaccines would be removed from the federal government’s list of recommended vaccines for children and pregnant women.

Meanwhile, a report from Senate Republicans released earlier this month suggested the Biden administration withheld critical safety data and downplayed known risks tied to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. In particular, the Senate report focuses on HHS’ awareness of, and response to, cases of myocarditis — a type of heart inflammation — following COVID-19 vaccination.

“Rather than provide the public and health care providers with immediate and transparent information regarding the risk of myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, the Biden administration waited until late June 2021 to announce changes to the labels for the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines based on the ‘suggested increased risks’ of myocarditis and pericarditis,” the Senate report states. “Even though CDC and FDA officials were well aware of the risk of myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccination, the Biden administration opted to withhold issuing a formal warning to the public for months about the safety concerns, jeopardizing the health of young Americans.”

In response to the Trump administration’s funding termination, Moderna put out a press release acknowledging the move, but also touting the “safety profile” observed amid its work on a new mRNA bird flu vaccine.

“While the termination of funding from HHS adds uncertainty, we are pleased by the robust immune response and safety profile observed in this interim analysis of the Phase 1/2 study of our H5 avian flu vaccine and we will explore alternative paths forward for the program,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. “These clinical data in pandemic influenza underscore the critical role mRNA technology has played as a countermeasure to emerging health threats.”

[…]

Via https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hhs-slams-under-tested-mrna-technology-trump-cuts-modernas-vaccine-funding

New Evidence Could Blow Open Oklahoma Bombing Case

Photo by Greg Smith/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty ImagesMargaret Roberts

The Justice Department must act. Release the tapes. Let the American people decide for themselves what really happened the morning of April 19, 1995.

For years, the FBI denied that key evidence existed in the Oklahoma City bombing. But court documents, leaked files, and eyewitness accounts suggest a darker truth buried beneath the official story.

President Bill Clinton visited a church in Oklahoma City on April 19 to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1995 bombing that resulted in the deaths of 168 people. In his remarks, Clinton said we “owe” it to the victims to “do better” in honor of their sacrifice. But just like three decades ago, commemorating the bombing still requires airbrushing a mountain of contradictory evidence.

This is a test of whether the Trump administration will honor its promises on transparency.

Clinton’s Justice Department owed the nation the full truth about the bombing. Instead, it spun a cover story that both distorted the past and endangered the future, leaving the American people exposed to new threats.

Among the most striking but forgotten facts surrounding the Oklahoma City bombing is the mystery of “John Doe 2,” a man 24 eyewitnesses claimed to have seen in the Ryder truck with Timothy McVeigh. The FBI now insists he never existed.

After the bombing, the media abandoned its role as a watchdog and became, in too many cases, an enabler of the official narrative of lone-wolf terror. It professed that the FBI acted swiftly and heroically, the Justice Department delivered justice, and President Clinton led the country through its pain with grace and resolve.

Fortunately, not everyone gave up on the truth. Today’s most relentless truth-seekers are anonymous digital investigators and citizen journalists, armed with Freedom of Information Act filings, archived footage, and a hunger to uncover what the gatekeepers tried to hide.

I’ve been part of one such effort for almost two decades. Working alongside attorney Jesse Trentadue, I’ve investigated the likely connection between the Oklahoma City bombing and the horrific 1995 death of Jesse’s brother, Kenneth, in federal custody. Jesse’s FOIA lawsuits unearthed shocking documents about the FBI’s concealed activities — clues that led us deeper into the bureau’s involvement than we could have imagined.

Then, a former FBI undercover operative came forward. What he revealed gave us a key piece of the puzzle. And yet for all we’ve uncovered, the vaults of secrecy remain shut.

Which brings us to a critical moment. On March 26, Trentadue submitted a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, urging the release of a decade-old sealed deposition from that very whistleblower. The contents of that deposition could expose the true scope of PATCON — the FBI’s sweeping 1990s operation to infiltrate alleged right-wing extremist groups — and potentially tie it directly to the Oklahoma City bombing.

This is a test of whether the Trump administration will honor its promises of transparency. Very few are aware that the Oklahoma City bombing was caught on camera. We know this not just from speculative claims but from on-the-record sources — contemporaneous media reports, corroborating federal files, and sworn FBI testimony. The footage exists. It’s a documented fact. Yet the tapes remain hidden. Authorities only released video of the aftermath.

For over a decade, the FBI fought Trentadue in court to keep the video out of public view. The footage may prove conclusively that McVeigh was not acting alone. If made public, the tapes could shatter the myth of lone-wolf domestic terror. They could implicate associates of McVeigh who were never charged.

Further, the videos could show that 168 Americans were murdered not just by a madman but by a preventable failure of federal surveillance — or worse, by a deliberate cover-up. This cover story has allowed neo-Nazi terrorists to slip through the cracks, denied justice to the victims, and kept the American public in the dark for far too long.

That’s why the Justice Department must act. Release the tapes. Unseal the deposition. Let the American people decide for themselves what really happened. We stand at the threshold of a new era in open-source journalism. If the Trump Justice Department delivers on its promise to unmask secrets, it could mark the rebirth of investigative integrity in America.

As Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) wryly observed earlier this year, “Sounds to me like we need to get some new conspiracy theories, because all the old ones turned out to be true.”

[…]

Via  https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/new-evidence-could-blow-open-the-oklahoma-city-bombing-case

Mossad Named as Funder of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

By Max Blumenthal and Wyatt Reed

Top Israeli lawmakers have accused their government of laundering massive sums through a shadowy network of US humanitarian and mercenary orgs. The weaponized aid initiative is the linchpin of Israel’s plan to ethnically cleanse northern Gaza by forcing the starving population into concentration camp-like hubs.

Israel’s scheme to commandeer aid distribution in Gaza ended in chaos on May 27, with Israeli soldiers reportedly opening fire on stampeding crowds of hungry Palestinians after just 8000 boxes of rations were handed out by an opaque organization calling itself the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Founded this February in Switzerland under a cloud of mystery, GHF serves as an umbrella for a network of private mercenary firms which Israel is using to supplant the role of the United Nations in feeding Palestinians after bringing them to the brink of starvation.

At the moment, the public has no idea who is funding the opaque aid boondoggle. A GHF spokesman told the Washington Post “the foundation has already secured $100 million from an undisclosed donor.”

Right-wing Israeli opposition figure and Member of Knesset Avigdor Lieberman proclaimed that GHF’s mysterious financial angel was, in fact, the Israeli government. “The money for humanitarian aid comes from the Mossad and the Ministry of Defense,” Lieberman wrote on Twitter/X, complaining, “Hundreds of millions of dollars at the expense of Israeli citizens.”

Yair Lapid, a Member of Knesset and de facto leader of Israel’s loyal opposition, has accused the Israeli government of funding two “shell companies,” pointing to GHF and the private mercenary firm, Safe Reach Solutions, which was founded by former CIA field operative Phillip Reilly. Two former US officials told the Qatari-owned outlet Middle East Eye that Reilly “had won the trust of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several Israeli businessmen close to him.”

If true, this would mean Israel’s military-intelligence apparatus is effectively laundering massive sums of money through a weaponized aid scheme that forms the linchpin of its plan to ethnically cleanse northern Gaza. A leaked internal GHF document acknowledged that the food distribution centers and residential compounds it was constructing in Gaza could be perceived as “‘concentration camps’ with biometrics.’”

The GHF model appears integral to Israel’s stated plan to occupy 75% of the Gaza Strip, forcing starving and homeless Palestinians into what its military has branded as “humanitarian islands” designed to “divide and rule” the decimated enclave. It is also a clear attempt at replacing UNRWA, the United Nations agency that has tended to the needs of Gaza’s refugee population since 1949, and which the Israeli Knesset designated as a terrorist organization in 2024.

Israel’s “humanitarian island” plan openly aims to “divide and rule” Gaza by preventing its population’s movement

GHF’s creation can be traced directly to the Israeli government’s COGAT office, which presides over the siege of Gaza, as well an Israeli entrepreneur named Liran Tancman, who was described in one report as “a reservist in the IDF’s 8200 signals intelligence unit, who called for using biometric identification systems outside the distribution hubs to vet Palestinian civilians.”

With no legal standing or formal mandate to operate in Gaza, GHF now operates at the pleasure of Israel’s occupation army. But with an endorsement from the Trump administration, and with US mercenary muscle maintaining its dystopian distribution centers, the scheme functions behind an American facade.

Just a day before GHF’s planned roll-out in Gaza, the organization’s CEO, Jake Wood, resigned in protest, condemning the group’s failure to uphold “humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality.” Next, GHF’s COO, David Burke, fled for the emergency exit. David Kohler, a Swiss board member, has also resigned without explanation.

Following their departure, leadership of the murky outfit passed to John Acree, a former USAID administrator who recently accused the President of giving a “free pass” to Russia in a rambling Facebook post lashing out at the “criminal” Trump for defunding his longtime employer.

Even after the situation at GHF’s militarized aid outpost in western Rafah ended in mayhem on May 27, a network of shady mercenary firms including Safe Reach Solutions and UG Solutions have continued to offer high-paying positions to potential guns-for-hire.

A job listing for UG Solutions appeals to “snipers” with “prior experience in combat zones,” the “highest level of weapons proficiencies,” and “advanced combat skills” who could “operate effectively in high-threat environments.” Preference would be given to “Special Forces qualified personnel,” as well as “personnel with OSINT/Intelligence Background.”

UG Solutions’ founder, Jameson Govoni, has described himself as a “degenerate from Boston” who “joined the Army as fast as I possibly could to inflict pain on the people who inflicted pain on us.” He also founded a company called “Alcohol Armor” that markets hangover recovery solutions supposedly based on his expertise in getting wasted. “In the military, we’re hands down the worst drinkers in the fucking world. I’ve had my stomach pumped,” Govoni’s business partner, Glenn Devitt, boasted.

Phillip Reilly, the normally publicity hungry former CIA field operative who founded Safe Reach Solutions (SRS) – a partner of GHF and UG Solutions – has not spoken on the record to any media organization to date about his apparently lucrative exploits in Gaza.

SRS first appeared in Gaza this January, when a collection of middle aged mercenaries portrayed in US media as “suburban dads” established a checkpoint along the Netzarim Corridor, an area severing Gaza’s northern and central regions which the Israeli military has used as a base for abusing and massacring civilians.

An SRS document circulated to potential supporters (see below) appealed for “humanitarian partners” to help transform its checkpoint into “an aid distribution point.” Days later, GHF was founded in Geneva, Switzerland.

[…]

A GHF document distributed to the media in early May listed an array of corporate heavy hitters and former US officials as board members, and boasted of partnerships with financial institutions like Goldman Sachs. Its board included Raisa Sheynberg, a former Treasury Department official who served on the public policy team of Meta’s original Libra cryptocurrency project, and David Beasley, the former South Carolina governor and ex-head of the World Food Program.

The press release pledged that GHF leaders would put “humanity first” as they “pursue pragmatic approaches to intractable problems.”

Among the most notable figures implicated in the GHF scandal is Nate Mook, the former CEO of World Central Kitchen. Named as a board member of GHF, and listed as a founder of the group on its incorporation forms, Mook is now denying any role in the outfit while ducking from the media.

The hidden Chef Jose Andres connection

On the day of GHF’s calamitous launch in southern Gaza, Spanish celebrity chef, World Central Kitchen founder and ex-State Department “culinary ambassador” Jose Andres slammed the boondoggle, writing on X, “The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has left Palestinians without food. The people that created it are selfish.”

[…]

Chief among those “selfish” figures would be the former CEO of Andres’ World Central Kitchen, Nate Mook. As shown by Israeli journalist Uri Blau, incorporating documents filed with Swiss authorities list Mook as the founder of GHF. He was also named as a board member of the group on the document GHF distributed to the media about its launch. Since the resignation of GHF’s leadership, however, Mook has denied any formal role in the group while refusing to discuss the issue with journalists.

[…]

Andres owes much of his image as a globe-trotting humanitarian hero to a 2022 public relations vehicle packaged as a documentary and humbly entitled, “We Feed People.” The film as directed by Hollywood bigwig Ron Howard and produced by Mook, who worked at the time as the CEO of World Central Kitchen (WCK).

According to his bio at the arms industry-funded McCain Institute, where he currently serves as “Special Advisor on Ukraine,” Mook boasts that he has worked with Andres since 2012, “building WCK from one employee and under $1 million per year to $400 million in global impact in 2022.”

Despite his condemnation of GHF, Andres played an early and important role in the project to subvert Gaza’s humanitarian aid system away from the UN, and into line with Israeli objectives. As The Grayzone reported, Andres oversaw WCK’s effort in 2024 to construct a pier made of the rubble of homes in Gaza, which would have enabled the offloading of aid to kitchens it ran across Gaza in coordination with the Israeli military.

When Spain’s then-Minister for Social Rights, Ione Belarra charged Israel with genocide in Gaza, Andres leapt to the apartheid state’s defense, insisting on Twitter/X that Israel was merely “defending its citizens,” declaring that Belarra did “not deserve to be minister,” and accusing her of “pro-Hamas” sympathies.

All the while, Andres continued to cozy up to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who appointed him as a “culinary ambassador” for the Department of State in Feb. 2023. As recently as Sept. 2024, nearly a year into Israel’s genocidal siege of Gaza, Andres was seen partying at a reception at the Metropolitan Museum of Art alongside Blinken, then National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, and corruption-stained New York Mayor Eric Adams.

Less than six months had passed since the American-supplied Israeli military murdered seven WCK employees in a targeted double-tap strike on their aid convoy on April 1, 2024. Yet Andres is still seeking friendly collaboration with Israeli occupation authorities, expressing his thanks to the COGAT siege administrators as recently as this May 28.

[…]GHF forced out of Switzerland, flees to safer ground in US

This May 29, Swiss officials announced that GHF was violating several laws for foundations registered in that country. The shadowy organization subsequently announced that it is moving its operations to the US, where it is likely to receive less scrutiny from a Trump administration that endorsed its creation.

Though its chaotic launch in Gaza generated international headlines, GHF remains shrouded in mystery, with masked mercenaries manning its operations on the ground, and a cast of corporate lawyers operating behind a series of shell companies whose coffers have filled up with millions of dollars from an unknown source.

[…]

Via

Israel and Hamas Agree to Gaza Ceasefire Proposal

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel. ©  Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance via Getty Images

RT

Israel and Hamas have agreed to accept the latest ceasefire proposal put forward by the US, several media outlets reported on Thursday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled his readiness to accept a roadmap presented by US special envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting with the relatives of hostages still in Hamas captivity in Gaza.

Arab media later reported that Hamas had also accepted the deal to release the remaining Israeli hostages held in the enclave in exchange for a temporary truce.

Haaretz newspaper quoted an anonymous Israeli official as saying that Washington’s proposal envisages the release of the remaining 10 living hostages and the return of 18 bodies held in Gaza by Hamas over the course of a week. In exchange, Netanyahu’s government would reportedly agree to a 60-day cease-fire.

The Jerusalem Post cited an unnamed source as saying that Hamas has reservations regarding Washington’s plan, and sees it as favoring Israel. The Islamist militant group is reportedly wary of the fact that the US would not provide a guarantee that the temporary 60-day ceasefire would be extended to become permanent.

The latest developments have come amid an intensified Israeli assault on Gaza in recent days, including a fresh wave of airstrikes and a major ground offensive codenamed ‘Operation Gideon’s Chariots.’

Netanyahu has repeatedly insisted that the military action will not cease until Hamas has been totally vanquished.

Mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US, negotiations between the two belligerents have been going on for some time in Doha, albeit producing little progress so far.

The current escalation began in October 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 250 more. According to Palestinian authorities, the ensuing IDF military campaign has claimed the lives of more than 50,000 residents of the densely populated enclave.

[…]

Via https://www.rt.com/news/618331-netanyahu-accepts-witkoff-gaza-ceasefire-proposal/

Trump’s Tariffs Reinstated

US President Donald Trump © Getty Images / Win McNamee / Staff

RT

A US federal appeals court has temporarily reinstated President Donald Trump’s global tariffs, halting an earlier ruling that had blocked the import duties and found that the White House had exceeded its authority.

On Thursday, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit granted an immediate administrative stay, suspending the permanent injunctions issued a day earlier by the US Court of International Trade. The tariffs will remain in place at least until June 9.

”The plaintiffs-appellees are directed to respond to the United States’s motions for a stay no later than June 5, 2025,” the appellate court said. “The United States may file a single, consolidated reply in support no later than June 9, 2025.”

The trade court ruled on Wednesday that Trump had overreached in its interpretation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), saying the administration had sidestepped Congress by invoking such powers to impose the tariffs.

In April, Trump imposed a baseline 10% tariff on all imported goods, with higher rates for China, Mexico, Canada, and the EU member states, citing trade imbalances. Some of those duties have since been paused amid ongoing negotiations.

The White House swiftly appealed Wednesday’s ruling. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration was confident of a legal victory and determined to “tackle rogue judges.”

Peter Navarro, one of Trump’s top advisers, told reporters on Thursday that the White House was prepared to escalate the fight to the Supreme Court if needed.

”You can assume that even if we lose, we will do it another way,” he said. “And I can assure the American people that the Trump tariff agenda is alive, well, and healthy and will be implemented to protect you.”

Wednesday’s ruling does not affect tariffs that Trump has imposed under other laws, including Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which underpins his 25% duties on foreign autos, steel, and aluminum.

The president also retains the authority under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose tariffs of up to 15% for 150 days on nations with which the US runs a large trade deficit.

[…]

Via https://www.rt.com/business/618336-trump-global-tariffs-reinstated/