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Trump Admin DENYING DISASTER RELIEF to Americans Over Israel Stance?

Glenn Greenwald | August 5, 2025
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August 6, 2025 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Full Spectrum Dominance, Video | , , , | Leave a comment

Civilian Executions by Retreating Ukrainian Forces Not Uncommon – Russian Official

Sputnik – 05.08.2025

LUGANSK – Reports of Ukrainian forces executing civilians during army retreats are not uncommon, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador-at-large on the crimes committed by Kiev, Rodion Miroshnik, told Sputnik on Tuesday while commenting on an executed civilian’s body discovered near the city of Krasnoarmeysk.

“Unfortunately, such incidents [executions of civilians by the Ukrainian armed forces] are not uncommon. We have plenty of documented evidence from Avdeyevka, Chasov Yar, Dzerzhinsk, and Selidovo. When Ukraine classifies people who do not want to evacuate deep into Ukrainian territory as ‘waiters’, strangers, ‘separatists’ and carries out purges of the civilian population,” Miroshnik said.

Most of these cases are similar to each other and have a number of characteristic features, the official said, adding that victims are typically found with restrained limbs and visible close-range gunshot wounds on their bodies. These discoveries follow Ukrainian troops’ retreat from populated areas, he added.

“The terrible discovery near Krasnoarmeysk only confirms the system that exists or is generated by the Ukrainian political regime. They [Ukrainian authorities] seem to sort their own civilians into categories, evacuating supporters of the regime while targeting those choosing to remain on their own land. This is a policy generated by [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, his entourage and the political regime that is today a military dictatorship on the territory of Ukraine,” Miroshnik said.

The official emphasized that international awareness is critical regarding Ukraine’s treatment of civilians, as reports indicate severe division between handling of Zelenskyy’s supporters and dissenters, with the latter facing lethal violence.

August 5, 2025 Posted by | Full Spectrum Dominance, War Crimes | , | Leave a comment

Trump conditions $1.9B in disaster funds on rejection of Israel boycotts

MEMO | August 4, 2025

The Trump administration has threatened to withhold roughly $1.9 billion in disaster preparedness funding to states and cities that support boycotts of Israel or Israeli firms.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said in grant notices published Friday that applicants must comply with its internal terms and conditions, which include clauses mandating that entities seeking funding not support efforts to blacklist Israel.

Applicants must not support severing “commercial relations, or otherwise limiting commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies or with companies doing business in or with Israel or authorized by, licensed by, or organized under the laws of Israel to do business,” according to the 2025 fiscal year terms and conditions, posted in April.

August 4, 2025 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Full Spectrum Dominance | , , , , | Leave a comment

Moldova Could Disappear If Pro-Western Regime Retains Power – Advisor to Regional Governor

Sputnik – 03.08.2025

CHISINAU – The state of Moldova could vanish from the world map if the pro-Western regime remains in power after the September 28 parliamentary elections, Mikhail Vlah, an adviser to Gagauzia head Yevgenia Gutsul, said on Sunday.

“The romanization of our state has been ongoing since the early days of Moldova’s independence. Back in the 1990s, a significant part of the intelligentsia and political elite set a course for uniting our country with Romania. Unfortunately, this process has not stopped for 35 years… If the pro-Western regime retains power in any way after September 28, Moldova as a state may disappear from the world’s political map,” Vlah said on Telegram.

Governments change and political parties in parliament come and go, but the strategy for incorporating Moldova into Romania remains the unchanging goal of the Moldovan-Romanian political elite, he said.

“In kindergartens and schools, children are taught the history of Romanians, ignoring our own Moldovan history. Our history is ancient and rich, starting with Stephen the Great. All key political and economic processes in the country occur under the direct influence of the neighboring state. The highest state positions are held by Romanians: the president, the prime minister, the parliament speaker. The head of Moldova’s National Bank is a Romanian woman, the judges of the Constitutional Court are Romanians, the leaders of the Information and Security Service, and so on,” Vlah emphasized.

The Moldovan government has been criticized for cracking down on the opposition and arbitrarily arresting its leaders. Gagauzia’s governor was detained at the Chisinau airport in March on charges of violating campaign finance rules and falsifying documents. Opposition lawmakers have been routinely detained at Moldovan airports for visiting Russia, while criminal cases continue piling up against government critics.

The government has also blocked over 100 Telegram channels and shut down more than a dozen media outlets, including Sputnik Moldova and several major TV channels.

August 3, 2025 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Full Spectrum Dominance | , | Leave a comment

This Hollywood-Backed Bill Would Give Government Power To Block Websites

By Dan Frieth | Reclaim The Net | August 1, 2025

Lawmakers in Washington are once again attempting to give the United States a legal pathway to block websites, a power the federal government has never officially held on a broad scale.

The latest push comes in the form of the Block Bad Electronic Art and Recording Distributors Act, better known as “Block BEARD,” introduced in the Senate by Thom Tillis, Chris Coons, Marsha Blackburn, and Adam Schiff.

We obtained a copy of the bill for you here.

On its face, the bill targets foreign websites accused of piracy. But the mechanism it creates would establish something far more significant: a formal, court-approved process that could be used to make entire websites vanish from the American internet.

Under the proposal, copyright owners could go to federal court to have a site labeled a “foreign digital piracy site.” If successful, the court could then order US service providers to block access to that site.

The reach is broad. The term “service provider” here mirrors the broad definition in the DMCA, potentially covering everything from ISPs and search engines to social media platforms, and perhaps even VPNs.

Proponents say this is about protecting the entertainment industry. In reality, it’s about setting a precedent. Once the government has a tool to block certain sites, history shows the definition of “unacceptable” content can expand. Piracy today could easily become something else tomorrow.

The ramifications go beyond the music and movie business. If courts can order an ISP to make a site disappear from view, the same logic could eventually apply to other types of content deemed problematic.

And because the bill has no public transparency requirements, the public could be kept entirely in the dark about which sites are blocked, why they’re blocked, or how long the blocks remain in place.

Supporters in the entertainment industry, including the RIAA and Motion Picture Association, are openly cheering the bill, pointing to similar measures overseas they claim have worked without harming free speech.

But the US is not the same as other countries. The First Amendment’s protection of speech and access to information means this kind of censorship tool carries far more constitutional baggage here than it does elsewhere.

What Block BEARD really represents is a milestone. If passed, it would be the first time the US creates a standing legal process for cutting off access to entire websites at the network level.

The DMCA was sold to the public in 1998 as a way to modernize copyright law for the internet age. But from the beginning, it has been controversial, not just because of its reach, but because of how easily it can be weaponized as a tool for censorship.

The most infamous part of the law is the “takedown notice” process under Section 512. In theory, this allows copyright holders to request the removal of infringing material from websites, search results, and hosting platforms. In practice, it’s often used to silence lawful content.

Artists, journalists, independent creators, and political activists have all been hit with DMCA notices for work that clearly falls under fair use, commentary, or criticism.

Sometimes, companies use the DMCA to scrub negative reviews, hide embarrassing information, or push competing material offline. The burden falls on the person targeted to challenge the notice, a process that can be slow, confusing, and intimidating.

Because most online platforms follow a “remove first, ask questions later” approach to avoid liability, even clearly bogus claims can make content vanish instantly. This takedown system can and has been abused by governments, corporations, and individuals to suppress speech they dislike, with little immediate recourse for the target.

The DMCA was supposed to protect creativity, but its design makes it a ready-made censorship lever. It grants private parties the ability to effectively erase content from the internet without a court order, bypassing the normal checks that protect free expression.

That’s why proposals like Block BEARD raise such red flags. If the DMCA already allows individual posts, videos, or search results to be removed at the click of a button, adding a legal process to block entire websites is the next logical, and far more dangerous, step. It moves the conversation from “this link is gone” to “this whole site no longer exists for US users.”

The DMCA has already shown how copyright enforcement can be twisted into a censorship tool. Giving the government and rights holders a formal way to block entire sites risks creating a far broader, far harder-to-challenge system of online suppression. Once in place, history suggests it will be used for far more than just piracy.

August 1, 2025 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Full Spectrum Dominance | , | Leave a comment

Prof. Rashid Khalidi quits Columbia over pro-‘Israel’ crackdown deal

Al Mayadeen | August 1, 2025

Esteemed Palestinian-American historian Rashid Khalidi has pulled out of teaching at Columbia University this fall, denouncing the institution’s decision to submit to the Trump administration’s campaign to silence pro-Palestinian voices on campus.

In a powerful open letter published in The Guardian, Khalidi, Edward Said Professor Emeritus of Modern Arab Studies, condemned Columbia’s recent $200 million settlement with the federal government, a deal he says strips the university of its integrity and hands over academic independence to a political agenda aimed at shielding “Israel” from criticism.

“Although I have retired, I was scheduled to teach a large lecture course on this topic in the fall as a ‘special lecturer’ but I cannot do so under the conditions Columbia has accepted by capitulating to the Trump administration in June,” he wrote.

Capitulation Pact

The agreement, reached under the threat of lost federal funding, comes after months of student-led protests demanding an end to the genocide in Gaza and university divestment from institutions complicit in Israeli apartheid. Rather than defending free speech and academic inquiry, Columbia chose to comply with demands that reflect a broader campaign to criminalize solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.

Under the deal, Columbia is required to expand its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies, submit its Middle East curriculum to external review, and dismantle programs deemed “unlawful” by the federal government. An independent monitor appointed by Washington will oversee implementation. On top of the $200 million settlement, the university will pay $21 million to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, following claims of alleged discrimination against Jewish employees.

Critics, including faculty, students, and human rights advocates, have described the agreement as a dangerous precedent: one that empowers the state to dictate how Palestine can be taught, discussed, or even mentioned on campus.

Silencing Dissent

In his letter, Khalidi warned of the chilling effect such measures will have on truth-telling about “Israel’s” colonial violence. “Columbia chose to adopt a definition of antisemitism that ‘conflates Jewishness with Israel, so that any criticism of Israel, or indeed description of Israeli policies, becomes a criticism of Jews’,” he wrote.

He stressed that the settlement effectively outlaws honest scholarship about “Israel’s” founding and its current atrocities in Gaza. “The fearsome apparatus that Columbia has erected [will] punish speech critical of Israel, and … crack down on alleged discrimination, which at this moment in history almost invariably amounts simply to opposition to this genocide.”

Khalidi also denounced the intrusion of government oversight into academic spaces. “Agreeing to submit the syllabi and scholarship of prominent academics for review by outside actors is ‘abhorrent’,” he said.

His letter ends with a stark assessment of what Columbia has become: “Columbia’s capitulation has turned a university that was once a site of free inquiry and learning into a shadow of its former self, an anti-university, a place of fear and loathing, where faculty and students are told from on high what they can say and teach, under penalty of severe sanctions.”

For many, Khalidi’s stand reflects a growing crisis: as “Israel” intensifies its war on Gaza, academic institutions in the West are increasingly complicit in the silencing of Palestinian narratives and the repression of those who dare to speak against genocide.

August 1, 2025 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Full Spectrum Dominance | , , , , | Leave a comment

Irish High Court Rejects X’s Challenge to Online Censorship Law

By Cindy Harper | Reclaim The Net | July 31, 2025

The Irish High Court has thrown out a legal challenge by X, dealing a blow to the company’s pushback against Ireland’s new censorship rules for online video-sharing services.

X had taken aim at Coimisiún na Meán, the country’s media watchdog, accusing it of stepping beyond legal limits with its Online Safety Code.

The rules demand that platforms hosting user-generated videos take active steps to shield users from “harmful” material. The company had described the regulator’s actions as “regulatory overreach.”

Mr Justice Conleth Bradley, delivering judgment on Wednesday, found no merit in X’s application for judicial review. The court concluded that the regulator’s code was lawful and that its provisions fell within the scope of both the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and Ireland’s 2009 Broadcasting Act.

According to the ruling, the code does not clash with the Digital Services Act and can function in tandem with EU law.

Responding to the outcome, Coimisiún na Meán said it welcomed the decision and intended to examine the ruling closely before offering more detailed comment.

The case comes as X begins rolling out new age verification systems to meet obligations under the Irish code, alongside compliance efforts aimed at satisfying UK and wider EU digital censorship regulations.

The ruling marks a significant moment in the ongoing struggle over who decides the boundaries of online speech and content moderation.

While the court’s backing of the state regulator reinforces governments’ ability to impose strict platform controls, it raises deeper concerns about the growing normalization of surveillance-based compliance measures and centralized authority over digital expression.

July 31, 2025 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Full Spectrum Dominance | , , | Leave a comment

In protest over Gaza, Brazil withdraws from International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance

By Eman Abusidu | MEMO | July 30, 2025

The government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has formally withdrawn Brazil from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), intensifying diplomatic tensions with Israel and reigniting global debate over the boundaries between antisemitism and criticism of Israeli policies. The decision, made on 18 July but only confirmed publicly on 24 July by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has drawn both praise and criticism at home and abroad, particularly in the context of Brazil’s recent support for genocide accusations against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Brazil had joined the IHRA in 2021 during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, holding observer status within the organisation. According to sources within Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty), the accession was “hasty” and lacked sufficient public or institutional debate. These officials cited unmet obligations, such as financial contributions and participation in plenary sessions, as contributing factors in the decision to leave.

Brazil’s withdrawal from the IHRA comes on the heels of its decision to join South Africa in accusing Israel of genocide at the ICJ. Despite the timing, Brazilian officials insist the move is not directly linked to its formal entry into the ICJ lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel on 23 July. However, the diplomatic and symbolic overlap is hard to ignore.

In its official statement, the Brazilian government condemned Israel’s conduct, citing a lack of accountability and accusing it of violating international norms.

“There is no longer room for moral ambiguity or political omission,” the Itamaraty statement read. “Impunity undermines international legality and compromises the credibility of the multilateral system.”

The government emphasised that its participation in international alliances must reflect Brazil’s constitutional values, particularly the defence of human rights and the self-determination of peoples.

Israel swiftly condemned Brazil’s withdrawal from the IHRA. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs labeled the move a “profound moral failure” and accused Brazil of abandoning the global consensus on fighting antisemitism. Fernando Lottenberg, the Commissioner for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism at the Organization of American States (OAS), also criticised the decision, calling it a “mistake.”

Domestically, the reaction was polarised. Senator Sergio Moro (União Brasil–PR) described the move as “yet another international embarrassment” by the Lula administration, accusing it of adopting a hostile stance toward the Jewish community.

The Palestinian Arab Federation of Brazil (Fepal) celebrated Brazil’s withdrawal from the IHRA. In a public statement released on July 25, Fepal described the move as a “necessary break” from what it characterised as the misuse of historical memory to justify “crimes against the Palestinian people.”

Fepal further urged the Brazilian government to take what it called a “final civilizing step”: the complete severance of diplomatic relations with Israel. According to the federation, Brazil’s IHRA membership served to “legitimise colonial, racist, and apartheid policies.” Its exit, they argue, symbolises a rejection of efforts to “criminalise anti-Zionism and silence reports of the genocide in Gaza.”

The organisation also criticized Bill 472/2025, authored by Representative Eduardo Pazuello (PL-RJ), which proposes adopting the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism. Fepal called it the “Zionist gag bill” and cited a legal opinion from the National Human Rights Council deeming the bill unconstitutional and a threat to free expression. According to Fepal, the IHRA definition conflates criticism of Israel with hate speech and has been weaponised internationally to suppress students, activists, intellectuals, and even dissenting Jewish voices.

“Rejecting this definition is protecting democracy and political freedom,” the federation wrote.

Brazil’s withdrawal sends a strong signal that historical memory and contemporary international policy are now more intertwined—and more contested—than ever.

That signal became even clearer on Monday (28 July), when the Brazilian government announced a series of retaliatory diplomatic, commercial, and military measures against Israel in response to what it described as “genocide” in Gaza. The announcement came from Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira during a speech at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Among the steps, Brazil will ban the export of defence equipment to Israel and launch investigations into imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The government framed these actions as part of its commitment to upholding international law and rejecting impunity.

“These are the legal measures that countries can take now,” Vieira said at the conference. “The credibility of the international system depends on this non-selective enforcement. What we need now is political will and effective action to monitor this conference.”

These developments occur against the backdrop of worsening diplomatic tensions between Brazil and Israel, which have been escalating since February 2024, when President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva compared Israel’s military actions in Gaza to the Holocaust. The controversial remark prompted Israel to declare Lula persona non grata. In May, Brazil recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv, and the position has remained vacant since. Furthermore, the Brazilian government has refused to approve the appointment of Israel’s proposed ambassador to Brasília, deepening the diplomatic standoff.

July 30, 2025 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Full Spectrum Dominance, War Crimes | , , , , | Leave a comment

REVEALED: Ofcom Pressured Rumble and Reddit to Enforce UK Censorship Laws Beyond Borders

By Rick Findlay | Reclaim The Net | July 29, 2025

Internal communications now made public by the US House Judiciary Committee shed light on a pattern of escalating pressure by the UK’s “communications regulator,” Ofcom, aimed at pushing US-based tech platforms like Rumble and Reddit into adopting strict speech standards, even in apparent disregard for national boundaries and free speech protections.

The emails expose how Ofcom has been leaning on Rumble to align itself with the UK’s Online Safety Act, a censorship law that vastly expands the state’s oversight of online content under the guise of child protection and harm prevention.

Rumble, which has consistently maintained that it is not within the scope of the legislation, told the regulator that the UK is not a “target market” and that the platform does not have a substantial user base in Britain.

Despite this, Ofcom responded with veiled warnings. In one exchange, the agency stated that it would be “monitoring Rumble’s position carefully” and that it may follow up if Rumble’s stance is contradicted by future activity or incidents involving UK users. The implication was clear: remaining outside the regulatory net may not be tolerated for long.

Ofcom also stated it would “strongly encourage Rumble to take the steps required by the Act to protect UK users of internet services from content that is illegal in the UK or potentially harmful to UK children.”

Yet Rumble operates from within the United States, where citizens actually have free speech rights under the First Amendment, raising serious concerns about the extraterritorial application of UK law to platforms governed by different legal frameworks.

Further emails show that Ofcom believes “a supervisory relationship” between the agency and online services is “the most effective way to review and assess compliance,” again suggesting that companies should voluntarily submit to oversight, or risk the alternative: legal coercion. “We retain the right to legally request information,” the regulator warned.

Reddit also appears to be in the crosshairs. In a separate line of correspondence, Ofcom indicated that it expects a “supervision plan” to be in place for the platform, with particular emphasis on how Reddit handles so-called “hate” content, a term that remains dangerously elastic and open to political manipulation.

This shows how regulators are leveraging ambiguous language and compliance pressure to steer speech policies on platforms that are not even based in the UK.

Ofcom’s behavior shows a bureaucratic intent to expand its influence far beyond Britain’s borders, effectively demanding that foreign platforms enforce UK legal standards on content that may not be illegal elsewhere.

July 29, 2025 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Full Spectrum Dominance | , | Leave a comment

Reform UK Vows to Repeal New Online Censorship Law

By Cindy Harper | Reclaim The Net | July 29, 2025

The political party Reform UK has declared its intent to repeal the Online Safety Act, warning that the law grants excessive powers to regulators and poses a serious threat to free speech.

The party claims the legislation, which recently came into force, is presented as a safety measure but in reality undermines civil liberties.

Although the event was announced as a discussion on crime, Reform leader Nigel Farage and his adviser Zia Yusuf devoted most of their Westminster press conference to attacking the legislation.

Their concerns centered on the way the act targets social media platforms and expands the role of the media regulator, Ofcom.

Yusuf, a former party chair who now leads Reform’s efforts on local council reform, said the law was a vast overreach. He warned that it hands regulators the power to pressure platforms into silencing views that challenge the government. According to Yusuf, even companies known for tolerating broad speech would be forced to restrict political discourse.

“So much of the act is massive overreach and plunges this country into a borderline dystopian state,” Yusuf said.

He argued that the legislation uses safety as a cover to expand state control. “Any student of history will know that the way countries slip into this sort of authoritarian regime is through legislation that cloaks tyranny inside the warm fuzz of safety and security and hopes nobody reads the small print.”

Reform UK promised to eliminate the act entirely if it came to power.

Yusuf dismissed tools like age verification as ineffective, claiming children could simply use VPNs to bypass restrictions.

Farage also admitted the party doesn’t have all the answers yet, but insisted they are working with leading technology experts. “Can I stand here and say that we have a perfect answer for you right now? No,” he said. “Can I say that as a party, we have more access to some of the best tech brains, not just in the country, but in the world? That I can say to you.”

Labour leader Keir Starmer responded to questions about the act while in Scotland ahead of a meeting with President Donald Trump, and flat out lied in his denial that the government was censoring people.

July 29, 2025 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Full Spectrum Dominance | , | Leave a comment

TikTok hires ex-Israeli military associate to censor anti-Zionist content

Press TV – July 29, 2025

TikTok has appointed a new “hate speech” manager with long-standing ties to the Israeli regime amid mounting pressure to curb anti-Israel content on the social media platform.

Erica Mindel, who previously served as an instructor in Israel’s military, has been tasked with shaping TikTok’s stance on what the company refers to as “anti-Semitism,” according to TikTok officials.

Mindel will “develop and drive the company’s positions on hate speech,” seek to “influence legislative and regulatory frameworks,” and “analyze hate speech trends,” with a particular focus on “antisemitic content,” according to an official job description shared by TikTok.

Her appointment to the post comes as the platform faces growing scrutiny over a surge in posts critical of the Israeli regime, particularly since its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip. This has sparked renewed concerns over the censorship of pro-Palestinian content on TikTok.

According to a 2023 survey cited by the Jewish Federations of North America, users who spend more than 30 minutes a day on TikTok are 17 percent more likely to hold critical views of Israel.

That gap reportedly widened after Israel launched its devastating war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, prompting calls for a national ban over content that according to US lawmakers fuels “hatred” against the Zionist regime.

July 29, 2025 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Full Spectrum Dominance | , , | Leave a comment