Informed Comment daily updates (01/09/2024)

 

How Israel’s “Send Palestinians to Congo” plan Evokes British Colonial Plans to send Jews to Uganda Oakland, Ca. (Special to Informed Comment; Featured) – Nothing illuminates the mutant perversion of Zionism under Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (Bibi) more clearly than this: He proposes to forcibly evict all Palestinians from Gaza (Palestine), and move them to Congo. This is what Great Britain proposed in 1903, as a solution to the “Jewish problem.” […]

Nowhere to Run – The world’s Refugees say, ‘Gimme Shelter’ ( Tomdispatch.com ) – Think of Donald Trump as, in his own fashion, a creature of climate change. After all, in 2015, he descended that escalator into the election race denouncing immigrants at the southern border (those “Mexican rapists”) and calling for a “big, fat, beautiful wall” to be built along those very lands. As […]

Muslims and Jews: Remembering Jewish School Days in Pre-Revolutionary Tehran ( The Chukogu Shimbun ) – HIROSHIMA —The elegant art deco building of Ettefagh, Iran’s famous Jewish school, still stands on a leafy avenue adjacent to Tehran University. Originally established by prominent Iraqis who had settled in Iran following Jewish pogroms and expulsions of the 1940s and early 50s in Iraq, Ettefagh started as a […]

Old posts you may have missed

Poll: Americans have no Idea what Biden Means when he says he is a Zionist, or What Israel’s Ideology is We can end Mass Atrocities in Gaza and Beyond CNN Admits its Policy of Submitting to Israeli Censorship ‘Has Been in Place for Years’ 1.1 mn. Children of Gaza caught in a Health Nightmare that Worsens Every Day; Clinics attacked 600 Times Israeli Government Divided over Settling Israelis in Gaza Israel: Gaza Workers Held Incommunicado for Weeks Genocide Denialism and the South African Complaint: USG Spokesmen like Kirby are the Goebbels of the 21st Century

REBEKAH MERCER RAISED SPECTER OF “ARMED CONFLICT” IN 2019 BOOK

 

It's important to understand who benefits from VIOLENCE and who supports & promotes it.

MERCERS have been heavily involved with tRump, recommended Whack-A-Ding Steve Bannon that they supported, as well as BREITBART & PARLOR, recommended Whack-A-Ding JOHN BOLTON who couldn't get REPUBLICAN SENATE APPROVAL as UN Ambassador (The Bush Dummy appointed him 'interim' ambassador & tRump gave him a position that didn't require approval), recommended the Blond Air Head, and others.



REBEKAH MERCER RAISED SPECTER OF “ARMED CONFLICT” IN 2019 BOOK
The billionaire heir has been financing a host of right-wing individuals and groups involved in the storming of the Capitol.

https://theintercept.com/2021/01/27/rebekah-mercer-book-capitol-riot/

WHO NOTICED THAT MERCER PROMOTED THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE MEDIA CONVINCING THE POORLY EDUCATED THAT IT WAS ALL FAKE NEWS?

The Psychiatrist Who Warned Us That Donald Trump Would Unleash Violence Was Absolutely Right

 
The Psychiatrist Who Warned Us That Donald Trump Would Unleash Violence Was Absolutely Right

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/08/donald-trump-violence-mental-health-dangerous-jan-6-fbi-mar-a-lago-civil-war-bandy-lee-psychiatry-goldwater-rule/

POLITICO Nightly: The White House’s Netanyahu problem

 

BY CALDER MCHUGH Presented by President Joe Biden shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York City in September. | Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images SHAKY GROUND — As Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Israel today after meetings with Arab leaders, his task will be to manage a strained relationship between the two historic allies. With the bloody war in the region — which has included Israel killing tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza — leading the Pope to rebuke the Israeli government , some U.S. officials are getting increasingly frustrated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And according to POLITICO’s Nahal Toosi, some of those officials are “starting to wonder if he’s really in charge.” Netanyahu has been a political survivor in Israel for decades and is in his third stint serving as the country’s prime minister, despite being indicted on charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery in 2019. But now, only 15 percent of Israelis say they want him to remain in office after the war — protesters today sat outside the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) calling for new elections. He’s also getting pressure from his right flank, as far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir are resistant to U.S. pressure to moderate on the war. Complicating matters, in December Netanyahu’s corruption trial resumed after a post-Oct. 7 pause. Protesters sit outside Israeli Knesset calling for new election Dozens of Israeli demonstrators demanding new elections have held a sit-in protest outside parliament. The group, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down, was forcibly removed by police. There are reports of at least one arrest. Netanyahu's government has grown increasingly unpopular, over its handling of the war on Gaza. It all adds up to an unstable leader that some in the White House are increasingly beginning to question, as Toosi writes today in her newly launched column “Compass.” To get a better sense of where the U.S.-Israel relationship stands and understand Netanyahu’s political prospects, Nightly spoke with Toosi. This conversation has been edited. Just how strained is the White House’s relationship with Netanyahu at the moment? It’s not great. It’s certainly worse than both sides are letting on publicly. The U.S. remains sympathetic to Israel’s deep pain over the Oct. 7 Hamas atrocities, and overall it’s supportive of the goal of destroying the group. But it’s been three months now, and Netanyahu appears unable or unwilling to make decisions that the U.S. — including President Joe Biden — believes are important to the long-term prospects for peace, such as helping in ways to repair the Palestinian Authority. And it seems like he’s holding back because he’s worried his coalition partners further to his right will abandon him, ending his prime ministership and possibly making it more likely he’ll go to prison on corruption charges. So U.S. officials are basically grinding their teeth as they deal with him. How much does that have to do with Netanyahu’s own political problems at home, and what are the contours of those problems? A great deal of the fix Netanyahu finds himself in is arguably of his own making. He faces three court cases that include multiple charges, including fraud and bribery. In one, he’s accused of inappropriately accepting lavish gifts from wealthy businessmen but there’s more serious allegations, too. He denies any wrongdoing and who knows where the cases will end up. But it’s been pretty clear from his actions, such as the contentious legislation he’s willing to support, that he wants to stay in power, and that he believes that staying in power might help shield him from his legal problems. But the Israeli public also is infuriated with Netanyahu because of the security failure that led to the Hamas attack on Oct. 7. This is a guy who has built his image around the idea that he can protect Israel. But he’s been unwilling to admit to failure and even hinting he won’t quit once the war ends. So one key question is how long will the Israeli public — which does want some political stability amid the war — allow him to stick around? Not to mention his own party. How much are ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir setting policy in Israel right now? What are their goals and how much influence over Netanyahu’s political fate do they wield? They are not part of Israel’s emergency war cabinet, so their role in direct military decisions related to Gaza is technically very limited. But they’re part of Netanyahu’s elected governing coalition, so they can weigh in on decisions that are otherwise related to the conflict, such as opposing sending financial aid to Palestinian leaders in the West Bank. Netanyahu can’t ignore them because he doesn’t want his governing coalition to collapse, which could lead him to lose his job. But Smotrich and Ben-Gvir are causing him a lot of headaches by proposing policies that he knows are anathema to much of the world, such as encouraging or forcing Palestinians in Gaza to migrate to other countries. Both Smotrich and Ben-Gvir hold tremendous antipathy toward Palestinians. Are U.S. officials behind the scenes discussing what a leadership change would mean for Israel? How are they preparing for that possibility? Yes, but in careful, coded ways. It’s not like they’re holding high-level meetings about it — at least none that I’ve heard about. Their sense is that a great deal will depend on who would succeed Netanyahu. I know that seems like an obvious statement, but sometimes in foreign policy you have to state the obvious. One thing U.S. officials are doing is keeping in touch with other leaders in Israel who could be the next prime minister, such as Benny Gantz. One thing that’s clear is that whoever replaces Netanyahu will continue to wage war against Hamas militants and other groups who threaten Israel. That’s just something nearly all Israelis agree has to continue. But the way in which the war is waged could change, and depending on who is in charge, they might increasingly turn to tactics that are less military in nature and more about diplomacy with Arab countries or taking down financial networks or other means. There’s a basket of tools that can be used in different ways, and a new leader might change tactics to a degree. A new leader might also be more willing to think long-term about Israeli-Palestinian peace, which could require some hard decisions Netanyahu doesn’t appear willing to make. How does the U.S. want Israel’s wartime policy to evolve? At the moment, it wants Israel to shift into a more targeted campaign that kills fewer civilians and allows in more humanitarian aid. There are some changes along these lines, but the Biden team doesn’t think it’s happening fast enough. And they’re really worried about the fallout for Israel’s standing globally, not to mention America’s. More long run — the U.S. wants Israel to think about what Gaza will look like once the heavy fighting ends. Well, it’s going to be a big pile of rubble, but what I mean is how to rebuild and make the place safe for civilians and free of armed militants. The Israelis have done more thinking about “day after” scenarios than they’ve shared publicly, but the administration wants to hear more. So would I, for that matter. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at cmchugh@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @calder_mchugh . WHAT'D I MISS? — Christian Ziegler ousted as chair of the Florida GOP amid rape accusation: The Republican Party of Florida pushed Christian Ziegler out of his chair position amid an investigation that he raped a woman. This follows weeks of pressure from fellow party members for Ziegler to step down from his high profile position. His ouster, during a closed-door gathering of party members in Tallahassee, was confirmed today to POLITICO by two people who attended the meeting. — Trump seeks dismissal of Georgia indictment, again claiming broad immunity: Donald Trump is urging a county judge in Georgia to throw out the criminal case brought against him by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, claiming he’s immune from prosecution for the alleged conspiracy to corrupt the 2020 election results . Trump’s lawyers contended in court papers today that Trump’s January 2021 call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger — encouraging him to “find” enough votes to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the state — was part of his official duties as president. Similarly, Trump’s attorneys contend that he was also acting as president when he allegedly directed efforts in Georgia and other states to organize so-called alternate slates of presidential electors who purported to cast electoral votes for him even though state officials determined he had lost those states. — Biden won’t accept an Austin resignation if offered: President Joe Biden is not considering firing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after he did not tell the White House about his emergency hospitalization, four senior administration officials told POLITICO. Beyond that, one official noted, the president would not accept a resignation if Austin were to offer one. “Austin’s going nowhere,” one of the senior administration officials said.   GLOBAL PLAYBOOK IS TAKING YOU TO DAVOS! Unlock the insider's guide to one of the world's most influential gatherings as POLITICO's Global Playbook takes you behind the scenes of the 2024 World Economic Forum. Author Suzanne Lynch will be on the ground in the Swiss Alps, bringing you the exclusive conversations, shifting power dynamics and groundbreaking ideas shaping the agenda in Davos. Stay in the know with POLITICO's Global Playbook, your VIP pass to the world’s most influential gatherings. SUBSCRIBE NOW .     NIGHTLY ROAD TO 2024 OLD GHOST — President Biden sought to rally disaffected Black supporters today with a fiery condemnation of former President Donald J. Trump, linking his predecessor’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election to the nation’s history of white supremacy in what he called “the old ghost in new garments,” reports the New York Times. Speaking from the pulpit of the South’s oldest African Methodist Episcopal Church, Mr. Biden drew a direct line from slavery, the Civil War and Jim Crow to the divisions of toda y. Just as it was a “self-serving lie” to call the Confederate rebellion a “noble cause,” the president called Mr. Trump’s insistence that he won the election an effort to rewrite history. THE MEANINGLESS PRIMARY — The New Hampshire attorney general’s office is accusing the Democratic National Committee of engaging in unlawful voter suppression after the national party dismissed the state’s upcoming primary as “meaningless.” Assistant Attorney General Brendan O’Donnell today fired off a cease-and-desist order to the DNC, saying that instructing state Democrats to “educate the public” that the primary is “meaningless” violates the state’s voter suppression laws. The state’s warning comes after the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws committee scolded New Hampshire Democrats for selecting delegates for the national convention this past weekend. The national party is not counting the Democratic primary on Jan. 23 as part of the official nominating process, after clashing with state Democrats about the order of this year’s primary calendar. The original letter from the DNC committee to New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley, obtained first by POLITICO, accused state Democrats of disenfranchising voters by selecting delegates who won’t be seated at the convention and called the Jan. 23 primary “detrimental” and “meaningless.” AROUND THE WORLD Farmers use their tractors to block access on roads on the first day of a week of protests today in Bonn, Germany. | Andreas Rentz/Getty Images FARMED OUT — German farmers commenced a week of planned protests today while officials warned that far-right groups are attempting to co-opt the movement for their own political ends, reports POLITICO EU. The farmers began the day by blocking roads across much of the country in response to a government proposal to revoke key tax privileges; German authorities warned that extremists were attempting to link arms with the protesters to create a groundswell. “Right-wing extremists and other enemies of democracy are trying to infiltrate and instrumentalize the protests,” a spokesperson for Germany’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, said in Berlin. The country’s federal police, Faeser added, believe these groups want to foment a “general strike” or even rioting to trigger an “overthrow” of the government. It would not be the first time far-right groups have tried to gain political sway by latching onto protest movements in Germany — something similar was evident in pandemic-era anti-vaccine protests and in demonstrations against military aid to Ukraine. The infiltration concerns come after some 100 farmers tried on Thursday to accost Greens Economy Minister Robert Habeck, preventing him from disembarking from a ferry in northern Germany following a private visit to an island in the North Sea. Police described the encounter as “very, very tense.” The incident caused widespread consternation in Germany, even as public support for the farmers has remained high. “It is becoming clear that something has started to slip in recent years, which is limiting legitimate democratic protest and freedom of expression,” Habeck said in a video posted on social media. There is a risk, he added, that debate in the country could “become more and more brutal, ultimately jeopardizing the law and the rule of law.”   POLITICO AT CES® 2024 : We are going ALL On at CES 2024 with a special edition of the POLITICO Digital Future Daily newsletter. The CES-focused newsletter will take you inside the most powerful tech event in the world, featuring revolutionary products that cut across verticals, and insights from industry leaders that are shaping the future of innovation. The newsletter runs from Jan. 9-12 and will focus on the public policy-related aspects of the gathering. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of the show .     NIGHTLY NUMBER 92 The number of counties in Iowa — out of 99 — that are currently under a Winter Storm Warning as broad swaths of the state expect six to 12 inches of snow over the next two days. Then, beginning on Saturday and running through next Monday, temperatures will plunge, with lows below zero — which could result in the coldest Caucus Night weather since the modern nominating system began in 1972. RADAR SWEEP SOUND ON — In South America’s Atlantic Forest, where the jaguar population is in danger, digital monitoring systems are essential to helping rangers protect wildlife. But a newer version of this technology that focuses on audio data could be the key to helping rangers track and pin down poacher activity . The technology, which combines acoustic and visual sensors, have helped create ‘sound maps’ of the Atlantic Forest that illustrate where poachers are going after jaguars. Now, these maps are 82 percent reliable and helping researchers and rangers predict poaching activity. In this piece for BBC, Julián Reingold looks at how this new technology is helping rangers crack down on poachers and ultimately restoring the endangered jaguar population. PARTING IMAGE On this date in 2011: Emergency workers gather at the scene of a shooting involving Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.). Giffords and 18 others were shot during a meeting with constituents outside a Safeway grocery store in Tucson, Ariz. Six people were killed, including federal District Court Chief Judge John Roll, one of Giffords' staffers and a nine-year-old girl. | Chris Morrison/AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .   Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh Mia McCarthy @Reporter_Mia   FOLLOW US

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Follow-Up Question Leaves Trump Supporter At Loss For Words

 

Follow-up questions seem to break conservative brains. Walter Masterson breaks it down on Rebel HQ. Leave a comment below with your thoughts!

One of Trump's closest aides gives Jack Smith sharply incriminating info about Trump's 1/6 conduct

 

In some blockbuster reporting, ABC News broke a story about how one of Donald Trump's longest serving aides and closest confidants, Dan Scavino, provided sharply incriminating evidence to Special Counsel Jack Smith about Donald Trump's conduct on January 6, 2021. Scavino started as a Trump caddy at age 13 and went on to become Trump's Director of social media at the White House. This video unpacks the new ABC reporting and discusses how Scavino's testimony will be devastating to Trump in his DC case for trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Lincoln Project HUMILIATES Trump With Three HILARIOUS Ads Trump has PUBLIC MELTDOWN before Hearing

 

DELUSIONAL tRUMP!

Trump has PUBLIC MELTDOWN before Hearing

 
Europe enjoys impressive public health and was reporting statistics publicly.

Hospitals tested the drugs in controlled hospital settings where they could address potential complications and found hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin to be ineffective.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin asks for probe into hydroxychloroquine shipment to Milwaukee

There's been more fallout over the controversial drug touted by President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson from Wisconsin and whether it should be used to treat patients with coronavirus.

INVESTIGATE SEN. RON JOHNSON FOR MISSING HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE PILLS:

This shipment of pills came up missing in WI during the pandemic. Families of those who died during COVID need medical reports, etc. to see if their family members were used as Guinea pigs for this drug in Milwaukee, WI. MEDICAL EVIDENCE has now shown that 17,000 people around the country died because of this drug. Is the family of GEORGE MATTHEWS still pursuing this case?

https://www.euronews.com/.../hydroxychloroquine-use

Trump has promoted hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19 despite the fact that it is not an approved treatment.

He has sent 335,800 tabs to Milwaukee and I want to know why, where they went, and who has them.

I have called on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to investigate the Trump Administration’s promotion of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the coronavirus and I want answers to a number of questions concerning this shipment of hydroxychloroquine to Milwaukee.

Hydroxychloroquine use during COVID pandemic may have induced 17,000 deaths, new study finds

The drug hydroxychloroquine was prescribed off-label during the pandemic and touted in particular by a prominent French researcher.

The antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine may have induced nearly 17,000 deaths in six countries during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This molecule was presented during the pandemic as a miracle cure by a minority of health professionals, among them the French microbiologist Didier Raoult.

The scientist’s belief that the drug was a cure for COVID-19 was soon echoed by some policymakers. French President Emmanuel Macron notably visited his facility and US President Donald Trump recommended the drug in 2020, stating that he had already taken it.

The use of the drug sparked controversy as many health specialists noted the lack of research or scientific evidence of its effectiveness against COVID-19.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorisation of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in March 2020 but revoked it in June.

The drug was found in particular to cause severe side effects such as heart rhythm abnormalities.

Nearly 17,000 deaths induced by hydroxychloroquine

A new study published in Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy now estimates the fallout from the drug’s off-label use.

Researchers led by Jean-Christophe Lega, a Professor of Therapeutics in the Lyon, France hospital system, investigated studies conducted in France, the United States, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Turkey from March 2020 until July 2020.

"HCQ use was associated with an 11 per cent increase in the mortality rate in a meta-analysis of randomised trials," the study noted, citing a meta-analysis published in 2021 in Nature which the researchers used to calculate the number of deaths induced by the drug.

• 'It’s not gone. It’s changing. It’s killing': The COVID variants the WHO is watching closely

The estimated number of deaths in European countries was roughly 240 in Belgium, 199 in France, 1,822 in Italy, and 1,895 in Spain.

"What we need to bear in mind is that this is a rough estimate, in the sense that it only concerns a few countries over a short period, and that the total number of deaths is probably much higher," Lega told French broadcaster France 3.

The results should be taken with caution as it is a statistical analysis. One limitation of the study was that in France, Turkey, and Belgium, in particular, data concerning exposure to the drug was scarce.

Yet the researchers say: "This result argues in favour of tightly regulating access to off-label prescriptions during future pandemics".