Distinction Matter - Subscribed Feeds

  1. Site: Catholic Conclave
    3 days 17 hours ago
    The following article shows how many and how people would assume roles which they think as intermediate before full priesthood.Controversial Issue: Women's DiaconateThe almost perfect diaconate dilemmaThe theologian and pastor Stephan Schmid-Keiser, who holds a doctorate in liturgical studies and sacramental theology.Where does the current "no" to the ordained women's diaconate lead? Pope FrancisCatholic Conclavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06227218883606585321noreply@blogger.com0
  2. Site: Novus Motus Liturgicus
    3 days 18 hours ago
    If one honestly compares the Roman Rite and the post-Conciliar rite, one will inevitably wind up asking oneself, frequently, Why on earth did they change or delete X, Y or Z feature of the historical liturgy? How did we benefit from this? This coming week, from which the very rich and ancient liturgy of the Pentecost octave was deleted, is one of the best examples of this – how are we better off Gregory DiPippohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13295638279418781125noreply@blogger.com0
  3. Site: Zero Hedge
    3 days 18 hours ago
    Author: Tyler Durden
    Deported 'Maryland Father' Heads Back To US... Now Faces Federal Charges

    Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a deported El Salvadoran man—also known as the "Maryland Father" by leftist corporate media —whom Democrats rushed to defend, is now headed back to the U.S. to face federal charges for allegedly running a human trafficking operation. He was previously accused of gang affiliation in a 2018 sworn affidavit and suspected of human trafficker in 2022.

    ABC News cites multiple sources that say the El Salvadoran man has left the CECOT mega-prison in El Salvador via law enforcement after a federal grand jury indicted him for allegedly transporting illegal aliens from Texas into the Heartland. 

    .@AGPamBondi announces Kilmar Abrego Garcia "has landed in the United States to face justice" on charges of alien smuggling and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling.

    "Upon completion of his sentence, we anticipate he will be returned to his home country of El Salvador." pic.twitter.com/hMRo7UqOGf

    — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 6, 2025

    Here's more from the report:

    A two-count indictment, which was filed under seal in federal court in Tennessee last month, alleges Abrego Garcia, 29, participated in a years-long conspiracy to haul undocumented migrants from Texas to the interior of the country, according to sources briefed on the indictment.

    The alleged conspiracy spanned nearly a decade and involved the domestic transport of thousands of non-citizens, including some children, from Mexico and Central America.

    Among those allegedly transported were members of the Salvadoran gang MS-13, sources familiar with the investigation said.

    Latest on the El Salvadoran man:

    We can't help but wonder at the optics...

    ...another TACO move or does the Trump administration now have the kind of evidence that makes clear to all Americans exactly who the Democrats supported.

    Abrego Garcia is reportedly on his way back to the United States. Some of us argued from the outset that this was the best course. The basis for his removal is overwhelming and, once this process is completed, he is likely to find himself on another flight back to El Salvador...

    — Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 6, 2025

    *  *  *

    Grow your own food with HEIRLOOM SEEDS (39 varieties - 4,500 seeds) from ZH Store!  Free shipping in the USA.

    Click pic... buy seeds... take food supply into your own hands...
    Tyler Durden Fri, 06/06/2025 - 15:45
  4. Site: Catholic Conclave
    3 days 18 hours ago
    A Surprisingly Different Catholic ExperienceOn May 23, 2025, Simone-Curau Aepli handed over responsibility for the Swiss Catholic Women's Federation to a new co-presidency. For nine years, she shaped this largest women's association in Switzerland with 100,000 members as president, was its public face, and led it into the digital age. Daniel Kosch met with her for a farewell interview.No one Catholic Conclavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06227218883606585321noreply@blogger.com0
  5. Site: LifeNews
    3 days 18 hours ago
    Author: Right to Life UK

    The inventor of the Sarco gas chamber assisted suicide pod, Dr Philip Nitschke, has announced the creation of a ‘kill switch’ implant for people with dementia that would automatically release a lethal substance into the user’s body once they stop responding to daily prompts.

    Nitschke, who is nicknamed “Dr Death” and “the Elon Musk of assisted suicide”, has told the MailOnline that his ‘kill switch’ implant is nearing the test phase.. The device would be sewn into a patient’s body – most likely in their leg – and set to beep and vibrate daily to warn the patient to turn it off.

    If a patient’s dementia becomes so advanced that they ignore the beeping and vibrations, the mechanism would then release a currently unknown lethal substance into their body.

    Please follow LifeNews on Rumble for the latest pro-life videos.

    Nitschke said “You won’t forget to press it otherwise, because after the time comes it’ll start beeping and buzzing. If you really don’t know what this thing is doing, beeping and buzzing for a week I think you’ve lost a lot of capacity”.

    “If you don’t know the risks that are involved by not acting, that is, that you will die, then you’re getting your wish from when you had it implanted”.

    The pro-suicide campaigner believes his ‘kill switch’ could solve the so-called “dementia dilemma” – “the situation whereby someone suffering from the disease is seen as lacking the mental capacity to consent to their death”.

    Nitschke’s proposals already raising serious issues 

    Plans for the implant are already mired in uncertainty, with Nitschke saying there are “very real problems”. He admitted that he is unsure which deadly substance would be used, adding that there are “a series of legal problems” with the ‘kill switch’.

    However, he also said the device would “work well enough and be reliable enough for people to see it as the answer to a very, very difficult problem”.

    Nitschke has also accepted that removing the implant could be difficult for a person experiencing cognitive decline, as such patients “are not in a position to negotiate the removal of this device”.

    Critics blast “macabre” plans

    Considering the proposals, Emily Lawford from Prospect magazine underlined the dangers of the mechanism, saying “It’s macabre – and would be impossible to regulate and safeguard against abuse or pressure, let alone to find doctors willing to insert the implant”.

    Alistair Thompson from campaign group Care Not Killing blasted the “chilling” plans, saying “This is yet another chilling development from Dr Death who brought us the personalised gas chamber”.

    Thompson added “Not content with advocating for killing vulnerable terminally ill adults, he has turned his attention to those with neurodegenerative conditions”.

    “But we should not be surprised, because when a society decides that some lives are worthless and should be ended, this is the slippery slope you quickly go down”.

    The warnings came after Nitschke said people from the UK have already shown significant interest in his new device. Last year, ahead of Second Reading of the assisted suicide Bill, Nitschke announced he is “absolutely” keen on bringing his Sarco suicide machine to the UK if the assisted suicide Bill passes, and described his machine as a “stylish” and “elegant” option for assisted suicide.

    A person ends their own life inside the 3D-printed Sarco pod by pushing a button that injects nitrogen gas into the sealed gas chamber. The nitrogen causes them to suffocate to death.

    However, the use of the ‘Sarco machine’ has been dogged by controversy. Last year, prosecutors in Switzerland banned its use because they were concerned not only about the legality of its use in the country but also about potential ethical issues surrounding its implementation.

    Leading legal academics have confirmed with The Telegraph that the assisted suicide pods will be legal under the proposed legislation.

    Professor of law and constitutional government at St John’s College, Oxford, Richard Ekins KC said, “If Kim Leadbeater’s Bill passes, and if the Secretary of State approves liquid nitrogen as an approved substance, then the Sarco death pod would be a lawful means to assist suicide in Britain”.

    Nitschke has also been in contact with Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur, encouraging him to make use of his ‘Sarco’ suicide machine, should McArthur’s assisted suicide bill pass.

    Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “Nitschke’s ‘kill switch’ for dementia patients is a deeply perverse concept that we should all hope never comes to fruition. This bizarre dystopian device is a total distortion of healthcare”.

    “Nitschke’s dangerous inventions should serve as a wake-up call to politicians considering the reckless assisted suicide Bills in Westminster and Holyrood. Rather than promoting assisted suicide, the UK must reject these extreme proposals and instead prioritise properly funded, high-quality palliative care for those at the end of their life”.

    LifeNews Note: Republished with permission from Right to Life UK.

    The post Philip Nitschke Wants to Euthanize Dementia Patients appeared first on LifeNews.com.

  6. Site: Zero Hedge
    3 days 18 hours ago
    Author: Tyler Durden
    Proud Boys Sue DOJ For $100 Million Over Jan. 6 Prosecutions

    Five leaders of the Proud Boys are suing the Department of Justice after the Biden administration found them guilty of engaging in a seditious conspiracy related to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol.

    The lawsuit, filed by Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola, seeks $100 million, and claims that federal authorities violated the Constitution in an effort "to punish and oppress political allies of President Donald Trump, by any and all means necessary, legal, or illegal," WaPo reports. 

    It comes on the heels of Trump's January pardon of virtually all Jan. 6 defendants - which could saddle the Trump administration with the ironic task of defending the prosecutions, which many on the right view as political weaponization of government. 

    Leftist academics (at least one) are freaking out over the suit, suggesting that it would vindicate Jan. 6 rioters in the court of public opinion.

    "A settlement would suggest that the violence of January 6 was entirely justified," Matthew Dallek, a George Washington University political historian told WaPo. "It would say to the country that these Proud Boys who were convicted in a court of law, in a fair trial, were wrongfully prosecuted and victims. It just turns the entire day on its head."

    Or, asshole, it would prove that the Biden administration weaponized the DOJ like everyone with a functional brain witnessed. 

    Tarrio, who wasn't even at the Capitol on Jan. 6, was sentenced to 22 years for 'plotting' to attack - while Nordean, Biggs and Rehl allegedly stepped into their leadership roles and led what prosecutors claimed was the first breach of the Capitol's west enterence. 

    Nordean, Biggs and Rehl received sentences of 18, 17, and 15-years respectively for seditious conspiracy, while Pezzola was sentenced to 10 years for conspiracy to obstruct Congress.

    The lawsuit comes on the heels of a May agreement to settle the wrongful death case brought by the family of Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by a Capitol policeman (who got off scot-free) while she was involved in the demonstration. 

    Tyler Durden Fri, 06/06/2025 - 15:25
  7. Site: LifeNews
    3 days 18 hours ago
    Author: Right to Life UK

    In a further sign that the tide is turning against Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide Bill, reports are emerging that opposition to the Bill among MPs is growing, as two more MPs have changed their minds and indicated they will vote against the Bill at Third Reading later this month.

    Last November, the Bill passed its Second Reading by 55 votes. If 28 MPs switch their stance, it will be defeated at Third Reading.

    Labour MP Markus Campbell-Savours, who voted for the Bill at Second Reading, is now likely to vote against the Bill due to concerns about terminally ill people feeling pressured to end their lives to avoid being a burden.

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    Campbell-Savours said “I want to see safeguards that will ensure that assisted dying is not overextended to include those in situations where there are alternative ways to improve the quality of their lives”.

    “I would also be very concerned if legislation produced a situation where people who considered themselves a burden on their families and friends felt pressured to end their life”.

    Frustrations over amendments being opposed 

    Labour MP Josh Fenton-Glynn also announced his plans to vote against, having abstained at Second Reading because he “was not convinced the safeguards were strong enough”. Despite being “in favour” of assisted suicide, Fenton-Glynn shared his frustrations about amendments on coercion being blocked, saying “We see quite a few of the amendments which are specifically aimed at stopping coercion being opposed by the supporters of the bill […] I don’t think chances to make the bill safer have been taken”.

    Fenton-Glynn also expressed his frustrations about the debate at Report Stage, which was branded by critics as “chaotic” and “a disaster” after MPs debated only two of over 100 amendments put forward before running out of time. Fenton-Glynn said “Frustratingly it was a day that felt like Parliament’s rules and procedures got in the way of debate and better legislation rather than facilitating it”.

    Tide is turning against Leadbeater Bill as concerns deepen

    There is now a growing sense that the tide is turning against the Leadbeater Bill, with Campbell-Savours and Fenton-Glynn being the latest MPs to announce a switch of stance, in addition to a significant number who have already declared their switch to opposing the Bill prior to this month’s Third Reading vote.

    Joining Reform’s Lee Anderson and his former colleague Rupert Lowe who publicly declared in February that they would be changing their vote, Liberal Democrat MP Brian Mathew, who initially backed the Bill at Second Reading, has indicated he has changed his mind and will vote against it at Third Reading.

    Jonathan Hinder MP announced that, while he had voted in favour of the assisted suicide Bill at Second Reading, his “concerns have only deepened” over the course of Committee Stage and that he would now be voting against the Bill. Hinder is joined by former Conservative Minister George Freeman, who explained his change of stance, telling Times Radio that there is a risk of a “suicide culture” and a “Dignitas industry” being created if the Leadbeater Bill becomes law.

    Labour MP Debbie Abrahams and Conservative MP Charlie Dewhirst, who did not vote at Second Reading, both told The Telegraph they now intended to vote against. Dewhirst said he “can’t support it in all good conscience” because “[t]here seems to be a lack of protections, for example, for people with autism. And it really feels to me that it’s far wider than we were assured it was going to be to start with”.

    Explaining his reasons for changing his mind, Conservative MP Andrew Snowden complained that the Bill had “already been watered down from its original safeguards”, whilst Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling is now “marginally against” the assisted suicide Bill. Labour MP Karl Turner has also changed his position from voting for the Bill to abstaining.

    Some MPs who abstained from voting at Second Reading have now moved to opposing the Bill, including Labour MP for Crawley, Peter Lamb, and Emma Hardy MP. Liberal Democrat MP Bobby Dean and former minister, Sir David Davis MP, who both previously voted for the Bill, are now reported to be undecided.

    “Even the BBC is noticing. More switchers going public”

    It is also being seen as significant that it was the BBC who reported on Campbell-Savours and Fenton-Glynn’s decisions to switch sides, and that opposition to the Bill is “growing”. Journalist Dan Hitchens previously argued the BBC was showing a bias towards promoting assisted suicide, complaining to the BBC for “publishing twice as many pro [assisted suicide] articles as anti (36 to 17)”, between 1 October and 15 December 2024. This was a key period in the assisted suicide debate, with Second Reading taking place on 29 November 2024.

    Responding to the BBC report, Nikki da Costa, former Director of Legislative Affairs at 10 Downing Street, said “Even the BBC is noticing. More switchers going public”.

    The numbers switching sides have not gone unnoticed, with former Conservative MP Lord Jackson saying “It does feel like things have changed in regards to the Leadbeater Bill”.

    “There is now a steady stream of MPs flipping against the Bill and, if this continues, it looks like it will be a knife-edge vote”.

    Strong criticism of “revolting” Bill from assisted suicide supporters

    A further sign of the balance tipping against the Bill is that some assisted suicide supporters are speaking out against the Bill. Labour Councillor Jack Deakin, who said he supports assisted suicide “in principle”, gave a scathing assessment of the Bill, saying “The bill is scarier and more revolting by the day as the truth unravels further. Assisted suicide has gone awfully wrong for other countries – I worry we will be the worst”.

    Jamilla Hussain, who describes herself as “one of the few palliative care consultants who leans pro [assisted suicide]”, warned of potentially “devastating outcomes for families” under the Bill, saying “I am deeply concerned about the provision that there is no requirement to inform family or next of kin until after the assisted death has occurred”.

    “This could result in devastating outcomes for families who are excluded from a process that their loved one may not have fully understood or been able to navigate independently”.

    Professor Katherine Sleeman, a specialist in palliative care who supports assisted suicide in principle, warned of the dangers of legalising assisted suicide under the Leadbeater Bill, saying “Introducing assisted dying into an already fragile system will erode trust. Some groups may withdraw further from healthcare, fearing we’re there to kill them”.

    “This law won’t just affect people who want assisted dying. It’ll affect everyone approaching the end of life. The ordinary people who never wanted this—they’re the ones who may suffer most”.

    Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “Campbell-Savours and Fenton-Glynn are the latest in a growing list of MPs and organisations to change their stance and vote against, confirming The Guardian’s assessment that support for the Bill is ‘ebbing away’”.

    “With the BBC commenting on the growing numbers opposing the extreme Leadbeater Bill, and even those who are sympathetic to assisted suicide sharing deep concerns about this disastrous legislation, it is clear that the tide is turning against the Bill”.

    “It is becoming clear that this dangerous Bill can be defeated. MPs must listen to these concerns and vote against the Bill at Third Reading”.

    LifeNews Note: Republished with permission from Right to Life UK.

    The post More MPs Will Vote Against British Measure to Legalize Assisted Suicide appeared first on LifeNews.com.

  8. Site: Catholic Conclave
    3 days 19 hours ago
    San Nicola da Tolentino, in the historic center of Venice. A great coming and going of tourists, as expected. But then something unusual happens, in and around this splendid religious building that dates back to the 16th-17th century, in the Santa Croce district. A flash mob, as it is called, essentially a demonstration blitz coordinated by the Committee for the Civil Rights of Prostitutes in Catholic Conclavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06227218883606585321noreply@blogger.com0
  9. Site: LifeNews
    3 days 19 hours ago
    Author: Steven Ertelt

    A 23-year-old pregnant woman died in Telangana, India, after her husband forced her to take abortion pills, driven by superstitious beliefs about pregnancy and housewarming rituals.

    The tragic incident has sparked outrage among pro-life advocates, who argue it highlights the dangers of coerced abortions and the need to protect both women and their unborn children.

    Pravallika, a tribal woman from Adilabad, was six months pregnant with her second child when her husband, S. Prashanth, reportedly administered the pills without her consent, according to a police complaint filed by her brother, V. Rajesh. The couple, married for three years and parents to a two-year-old son, were constructing a new home in Maharashtra. Rajesh alleged that Prashanth and his family believed it was inauspicious for a pregnant woman to participate in housewarming rituals, prompting the act.

    On May 30, Pravallika unknowingly ingested the pills, leading to severe bleeding, police said. She was rushed to the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in Adilabad, where doctors confirmed the baby was killed. Her condition worsened, and she was transferred to Gandhi Hospital in Secunderabad, where she died Saturday evening.

    Follow LifeNews.com on Instagram for pro-life pictures and videos.

    This is a heartbreaking example of how cultural pressures and misinformation can lead to the loss of both a mother and her unborn child. Every life is sacred, and this tragedy underscores the need for education and legal protections to prevent such coercion.

    Adilabad rural police have registered a case against Prashanth under Section 90 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which addresses causing the death of a woman with intent to induce a miscarriage. Authorities are awaiting a postmortem report to confirm the cause of death and are investigating the nature of the pills used. Prashanth allegedly fled after the incident and remains at large.

    The incident has also drawn attention to broader issues of gender-based violence and superstition in rural India. Activists are calling for increased awareness to combat harmful cultural beliefs and protect vulnerable women.

    Pravallika’s family, devastated by her loss, has accused Prashanth of murder.

    Police continue to investigate, with Circle Inspector Phanidhar stating that they are working to verify the allegations of coercion.

    LifeNews Note: File photo.

    The post Woman Died After Husband Forced Her to Take Abortion Pill appeared first on LifeNews.com.

  10. Site: Catholic Conclave
    3 days 19 hours ago
    Controversy over 8 per 1000. The CEI: "We are disappointed, the Church is damaged"Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and President of the CEI, expressed "disappointment at the Government's decision to unilaterally change the purposes and methods of attribution of the 8 per 1000 pertaining to the State"The controversy over the 8 per 1000 is heating up, with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Catholic Conclavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06227218883606585321noreply@blogger.com0
  11. Site: Zero Hedge
    3 days 19 hours ago
    Author: Tyler Durden
    The Deficit Crisis Is Really A Recession Problem

    Via RealInvestmentAdvice.com,

    The graph below provides a clearer understanding of the US fiscal deficit.

    First, focus on the red line below, graphing the ratio of federal debt to GDP.

    Note that it is at the same level today as it was in 2021. Similarly, before the pandemic, it had been relatively flat for seven years. This highlights that the deficit problem we have today was exacerbated by recession-prompted fiscal stimulus and the temporary decline in GDP.

    To illustrate this more clearly, we created the green line.

    This version of the debt-to-GDP ratio assumes zero change in the ratio during recessions. Moreover, it uses the same growth rates as the all-inclusive debt-to-GDP ratio to calculate the growth for periods outside of recession.

    As the green line indicates, the ratio today is the same as it was over 10 years ago. Furthermore, it is close to levels seen in the mid-1990s. The takeaway from comparing the two lines is that the ratio of debt to GDP follows a stairstep pattern.

    It’s generally flat during periods of growth, while it accelerates during recessions.

    The point in playing with the data is not to belittle the deficit problem. Instead, we think it’s essential to acknowledge that the deficit problem is primarily associated with recessionary stimulus. Thus, maybe we should consider how we spend stimulus funds during recessions. In particular, might a focus toward productive stimulus during recessions provide a greater long term economic boost?

    Still, if there is no recession in the near future, we might find that today’s deficits are not significantly worsening as some pundits lead us to believe.

    Might they be too focused on the deficit amount stated in dollars, rather than as a ratio to our ability to pay for it, i.e., economic growth?

    Tyler Durden Fri, 06/06/2025 - 14:45
  12. Site: Zero Hedge
    3 days 19 hours ago
    Author: Tyler Durden
    Supreme Court Sides With DOGE In Social Security, Records Cases

    Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    The Supreme Court handed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) two big wins late on June 6 in its effort to reduce the size of the federal government.

    The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on June 3, 2025.Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

    The nation’s highest court issued the two unsigned rulings at the same time.

    One order removed a block on DOGE staffers accessing sensitive data at the Social Security Administration.

    Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented in the case known as Social Security Administration v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.

    The other new order, in U.S. DOGE Service v. CREW, formally blocked lower court orders requiring DOGE to respond to freedom of information requests in a pending lawsuit.

    That order came after Chief Justice John Roberts on May 23 issued an administrative stay temporarily blocking the lower court orders.

    President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14158 on Jan. 20, renaming the United States Digital Service as the United States DOGE Service and creating an advisory body that recommends cost-cutting measures for federal agencies.

    The executive order directed the entity to “implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”

    Tyler Durden Fri, 06/06/2025 - 14:45
  13. Site: Catholic Conclave
    3 days 19 hours ago
    Sempio's lawyer talks about exorcisms, the Church and hitmen: "Stasi knows but must keep quiet". And that time Lovati was questioned by prosecutors for blackmailing the priestA supporter of the innocence of both his client and Alberto Stasi, the lawyer takes up the scandal of the Santuario della BozzolaHe is not only defending Andrea Sempio, the new suspect in the investigation into the Garlasco Catholic Conclavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06227218883606585321noreply@blogger.com0
  14. Site: Zero Hedge
    3 days 19 hours ago
    Author: Tyler Durden
    Power CEO: US Risks Losing AI Race Without Transmission Grid Overhaul

    Ukrainian-American entrepreneur Michael Polsky, CEO of energy developer Invenergy—the firm behind the proposed $11 billion Grain Belt Express power superhighway—warned that the U.S. risks falling behind in the global artificial intelligence race if its outdated transmission infrastructure isn't urgently modernized. 

    Polsky's warning is especially timely, given that his company is working to break ground on an 800-mile high-voltage transmission line designed to deliver 5 gigawatts of power — the equivalent of five nuclear reactors — from Kansas to the eastern U.S., connecting multiple regional grids to power data centers and onshore manufacturing trends. 

    He told Bloomberg that the Trump administration issued executive orders signaling an energy emergency, and "I do believe it's an emergency because of how difficult it is to build things," adding, "We don't have decades to figure this out. We have years."

    A look at the U.S. transmission line map makes one thing clear: a massive amount of copper will be required. Copper bulls know this... 

    He argues that energy infrastructure developers need the same level of federal backing that Elon Musk receives for space projects, emphasizing the urgent need for a national transmission authority to build high-voltage power lines—modeled after the national highway system.

    Invenergy has developed over 190 projects totaling more than 30 gigawatts of capacity in operation, under construction, or contracted. The latest project, the Grain Belt Express, aims to break ground next year and has received a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $4.9 billion from the Department of Energy under the Biden administration. It's uncertain if those funds will materialize in the Trump era. 

    On Thursday, we highlighted spare generation capacity on America's grid is "getting critically tight" and may unleash power blackouts and other disruptions during peak demand hours. We advised readers to start exploring alternative backup power solutions for their homes—such as solar systems or on-demand diesel and natural gas generators.

    Polsky also emphasized that America's ability to win the AI race against China and other rising powers depends on Washington expediting the construction of transmission power superhighways to move large quantities of electricity across the country and strengthen the national grid in the era of soaring power demand (read: Next AI Trade). 

    Tyler Durden Fri, 06/06/2025 - 14:25
  15. Site: Zero Hedge
    3 days 19 hours ago
    Author: Tyler Durden
    COVID-19 Vaccine Reform Is Moving Slower Than Many Had Hoped

    Authored by Maryanne Demasi via The Brownstone Institute,

    Just three weeks after Dr Vinay Prasad assumed oversight of vaccines at the FDA, Moderna’s latest Covid-19 vaccine, mNEXSPIKE®, received full approval.

    For those who had hoped the mRNA platform would be shelved, the decision landed like a gut punch.

    Approved on 31 May 2025, the next-generation shot is intended for adults over 65, as well as individuals aged 12 to 64 with at least one risk factor for severe illness.

    And it came under the watch of a man who had spent years demanding greater scientific rigour from the agency.

    Prasad had been among the FDA’s most outspoken critics during the pandemic, repeatedly condemning its reliance on surrogate endpoints—such as antibody levels—rather than hard clinical outcomes like reduced hospitalisation or death.

    And he didn’t just say it once. He drove the point home, over and over.

    “Showing boosters improve neutralizing antibodies or other laboratory measures is not what we need,” he posted on X in July 2022.

    “We need randomized control trials powered for clinical endpoints showing boosters improve outcomes that people care about.”

    In January 2023, he co-signed a formal Citizen Petition to the FDA stating, “This immunobridging surrogate endpoint has not been validated to predict clinical efficacy.”

    Then in March 2023, he made his position even clearer on Substack. “I don’t care about transient antibody titer levels,” he wrote.

    But mNEXSPIKE® appears to have been approved primarily using exactly those kinds of data—measures of immune response, not measures of meaningful outcomes.

    So, how do we square that?

    Technically, the approval aligns with the policy Prasad outlined in a recent New England Journal of Medicine article. 

    There, he proposed a two-track system—no further vaccine approvals for healthy adults without RCTs showing clinical benefit—but for older adults and at-risk individuals, immunobridging data could still be acceptable.

    So yes, by that standard, mNEXSPIKE® fits the rules.

    But it doesn’t erase the discomfort. Because for years, Prasad insisted those very shortcuts—approving Covid vaccines based on antibody levels instead of clinical outcomes—were scientifically flimsy.

    Now, under his watch, those same shortcuts are back in play.

    When Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was appointed HHS Secretary, reform didn’t just seem likely—it felt imminent.

    Many expected the mRNA shots would be pulled from the market, or at the very least, that new approvals would be frozen until stronger evidence emerged.

    Instead, we’ve seen a flood of high-production videos and polished slogans about “restoring public trust.”

    To many observers, it looks like transparency on the surface, but business as usual underneath.

    Of course, no one said this would be easy.

    Having worked in government as a political adviser, I know how hard it is to shift systems that are not only slow and bureaucratic but deeply enmeshed with commercial interests. And no sector is more heavily invested in mRNA than biotech.

    This isn’t just about Covid anymore. The pharmaceutical industry has poured billions into mRNA vaccines for RSV, flu, HIV, cancer, and more. Entire product pipelines are now staked on the assumption that the technology is here to stay.

    Pulling the plug wouldn’t just alter public health policy—it would tank portfolios, gut R&D budgets, and unleash a political and financial firestorm from some of the most powerful corporate interests on earth.

    That’s the kind of pressure Prasad is under now. That’s the reality Kennedy’s team has stepped into.

    This is no longer science versus ideology. It’s science versus entrenched industry power.

    And many are beginning to worry we’re watching the same playbook unfold—just with better branding.

    That’s not what MAHA supporters or vaccine-injured families were hoping for. They’re not asking for tweaks. They want the shots gone. Not revised. Not updated—just gone.

    But political reality rarely keeps pace with public demand. Even the most determined reformers can’t move faster than the machinery they’re trying to dismantle.

    So where does that leave us?

    Facing the hardest task of all—staying in the fight.

    Progress may feel glacial, but it is underway.

    The CDC has removed routine Covid-19 vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women.

    Prasad’s new framework has halted low-risk approvals unless backed by RCTs.

    Yes, the mRNA platform is still alive - and still fiercely protected - but reform was never going to be easy. And it was never going to come all at once.

    Republished from the author’s Substack

    Tyler Durden Fri, 06/06/2025 - 14:05
  16. Site: LifeNews
    3 days 20 hours ago
    Author: Dr. Donna Harrison

    A few years ago, a friend shared with me that her pastor and his wife were expecting a baby, a blessing that the whole church had celebrated. Then, at an ultrasound scan, the baby was diagnosed with a defect. As an obstetrician, I knew that surgery could easily correct the problem and would not cause suffering for the baby. I had seen children thrive under much tougher medical circumstances. Yet the physician told the parents that the baby was “incompatible with life” and that continuing the pregnancy would cause them and the baby to suffer. After praying, the pastor and his wife concluded that obtaining an abortion would spare the baby and themselves from further pain. To them, it was the compassionate option.

    The story has many troubling aspects, not least of which is the parents’ decision based on inaccurate information about the child’s chance of surviving and thriving. But what troubles me most is that I encounter fellow Lutherans who have bought the narrative that it is better for babies with physical imperfections to be aborted rather than embraced and loved for whatever time the Lord allows them to live. I offer four problems with that mindset.

    First, we all have imperfections. What degree of physical or genetic imperfection is sufficient to warrant death? Some say “a severe defect.” But severity varies from person to person. I knew a Lutheran ICU nurse who adopted three “severely” handicapped children who had been labeled as “incompatible with life.” She raised them until they died — between 5 and 20 years. These children’s limitations never stood in the way of her love for them. Nothing in Scripture tells us to kill our physically or genetically limited neighbors. Rather, even though our culture might consider the man lying beaten and near death on the road to Jericho to have a life-limiting condition, the Good Samaritan spared no expense in caring for him.

    Follow LifeNews.com on Instagram for pro-life pictures and videos.

    Second, we need to reflect on the concept of “relieving the child’s suffering.” We know from surgeries performed on children in the womb that they exhibit the same kind of responses to pain that we do. They withdraw from sharp objects touching them; they show an increase in heart rate and stress hormones. When doctors operate on patients in utero, they give them anesthesia that is separate from their mom’s. Unborn children feel pain from at least 12 weeks’ gestation. However, children in the womb with “life-limiting” diagnoses do not exhibit the normal signs of pain from those illnesses. In fact, the womb is the most comfortable place for them, as the mother provides for all the baby’s bodily needs. Cutting short these children’s lives to end their suffering makes no sense. In fact, performing an abortion causes intense suffering for the child. In this case, the real driver for abortion seems to be the assumption that it will end the psychological suffering of the parents rather than compassion for the child.

    This leads to the third point: Aborting pregnancies with fatal diagnoses does not result in less suffering for parents. Studies comparing the outcomes of aborting such pregnancies versus carrying them to term using a service called perinatal hospice have found that parents who choose to carry the baby to term suffer less complicated grief and have less regret than parents who abort. In fact, overall, women who abort unplanned pregnancies have a greater risk of suicide, drug abuse and major depression than women who carry those pregnancies to birth.

    Parents who are encouraged to abort their child with a “life-limiting” diagnosis are being told that this child is an “it,” a disposable clump of cells. But, in reality, women bond to the children in their wombs and grieve their loss. When a woman decides to end her child’s little life, it compounds and complicates grief. In contrast, perinatal hospice acknowledges that the parents of a child with a “life-limiting” diagnosis are parents. And this child in the womb is a son or daughter, a grandson or granddaughter, a brother or sister — a human being in God-given relationships with family members who love them. Giving birth to these little ones also gives extended family members the opportunity to acknowledge that relationship and grieve that tiny life. Why would we cut that life short?

    The fourth point: What if the diagnosis was wrong? I had a son with a fatal congenital heart defect; he died at age two and a half. With my next pregnancy, the prenatal ultrasound showed that my second son had the same diagnosis. Two cardiac ultrasounds confirmed that he would share the fate of my first. Needless to say, the pregnancy was difficult. However, when he was born, he did not in fact have the fatal defect. Medicine is not perfect, yet we make life-ending decisions based on imperfect information. Am I against prenatal testing? No. But we must understand that no test is perfect. And perhaps we should recognize that God has given this child as a chance to show the beauty of this human being for as long as it pleases Him to share that baby’s life with us.

    This view of all human life as a gift leads us as Lutherans to treat those in the womb as our tiniest neighbors. When we face difficult situations that call for us to lay down our lives for our neighbors, we are strengthened by seeing the meaning behind the suffering that we are asked to bear for one another. That is why killing our neighbor to avoid suffering has no place in Lutheran theology. It is why, for the last 2,000 years, the Christian church has consistently opposed abortion.

    Bearing suffering is undeniably a part of living in Christian community. And there are certainly times when pregnancy involves suffering. To the secular world steeped in self-idolatry, suffering for one’s neighbor seems nonsensical. They often see pregnancy as a disease and abortion as its cure. However, we suffer as part of the love we show to our neighbor. God has given each mother a little neighbor, chosen specifically for her, formed from her body. The suffering involved in loving this neighbor is part of God’s good and gracious will for our lives.

    As a physician, I have seen women heroically embrace the difficulties of pregnancy and then experience great joy at their children’s births. I have also treated situations where the mom’s life is threatened by her pregnancy. Sometimes — rarely — it is necessary to separate the mom and the baby to save the mother’s life. Most of these situations happen at gestational ages where the baby can survive the separation. But even more rarely, they occur at gestational ages where the baby cannot survive. In those tragic situations, physicians must still separate the mom and baby — otherwise, both will die. But good doctors understand that they must give parents a chance to hold their baby, whether alive or dead, and give them time to grieve. To do this, we separate in a way that maximizes chances of the baby’s body remaining intact. These separations are not done at abortion clinics. Abortion clinics cannot take care of mothers in life-threatening situations. Abortion clinics are designed to end healthy pregnancies for nonmedical reasons. In general, abortion procedures, especially after 14 weeks, produce baby pieces, not an intact, recognizable baby, and thus deny parents the ability to hold and grieve their child.

    Another common view on abortion is that denying women elective abortions will harm their mental health. Popular media frames abortion bans as forcing a woman to give birth and claims that simply carrying an unplanned pregnancy to term will cause psychological pain and trauma. But the scientific literature shows the opposite. Abortion advocates primarily quote the Turnaway Study, which analyzes outcomes for women who sought abortions but were denied by the clinic. Ironically, this study shows that within five years, these women’s mental health was the same as that of women who obtained abortions. Furthermore, several other studies find the opposite of what the media claims: obtaining abortions in fact harms women’s mental health.

    From 1993 to 2018, at least 75 studies examined the link between abortion and mental health. Two-thirds of those studies showed a correlation between abortion and adverse mental health outcomes. Studies show abortion significantly increases the risk of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicidal behavior when compared to women with unintended pregnancies who choose to carry the baby to birth. A Finnish study found that women were six times more likely to commit suicide after abortion when compared to women who gave birth. Most social scientist scholars agree that at least 20–30% of women who have an abortion suffer serious, prolonged negative psychological consequences. Women deserve better than the psychological damage caused by abortion.

    As a physician, I have also been astounded at the perversity of pro-abortion medical professional organizations sowing confusion about what abortion is and what abortion bans forbid. For purposes of state laws, abortions are defined as procedures done or drugs administered with the intent to kill a living human being in the womb. That’s it. This is critically important to understand because it explains what is not an abortion. The treatment of a miscarriage is not an abortion because the baby has already died. Separating the mom and the baby when the mom’s life is threatened is not an abortion, and that includes treatment of ectopic pregnancies. OB-GYN doctors should know this. They are trained for years in residency to recognize and act when there is a life-threatening situation. If your doctor is confused about what a life-threatening situation is, that reveals a problem with the doctor, not the law.

    One last common pro-abortion claim worth exploring is that abortion bans will increase maternal mortality. The fact is, however, that hundreds of pro-life hospitals around the country have an excellent track record on maternal health. Ninety-three percent of OB-GYN doctors do not perform abortions in their practice yet give excellent care. And the international data from countries that have enacted abortion bans in recent decades demonstrate that such laws do not increase maternal mortality. Chile’s 1989 abortion ban did not affect the steady decline of its maternal mortality rate, which today is the lowest in South America. In fact, the nations with some of the world’s best maternal mortality statistics, Malta and Poland, have abortion bans in place. Abortion bans do not inherently worsen maternal mortality.

    The meaning of words is important. We must combat the attack of serpents who sow fear and confusion; we must offer instead a clear understanding of what abortion is and is not. Do not be deceived by accusations that we lack compassion or that we are forbidding women from getting life-saving treatment. Neither is true. Elective abortion is never life-saving treatment.

    I write with compassion for those who have been and are being deceived into supporting the killing of human beings in the womb for no medical reason but out of a misguided belief that somehow it helps women. Nothing could be further from the truth. Elective abortion is not and never has been medical care. Pro-life states in the USA only ban elective abortion — not life-saving medical care and not treatment of miscarriages.

    I hope that as Lutheran brothers and sisters we can exercise our authority as citizens to stand up for the least of these human beings, whose lives are precious in God’s eyes.

    LifeNews Note: Dr. Donna Harrison, M.D., is a board-certified physician and CEO of The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists. This article originally appeared in the January 2023 issue of The Lutheran Witness.

    The post As an OGBYN I Know Abortion is Not Compassionate. It Kills a Baby appeared first on LifeNews.com.

  17. Site: Henrymakow.com
    3 days 20 hours ago

    GOLD7.jpg
    Please send links and comments to hmakow@gmail.com


    "Ye cannot serve God and Mammon. Therefore I say unto you, 
    Take not thought for your life, what ye shall eat, nor for the body, 
    what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Matt 6:25


    Forced to choose between God and Mammon, we took a split second to choose GOLD!!

    In a precarious world, there is a mad quest for a store of value. 

    The satanist bankers have so despoiled the $USD that there are literally a hundred different 
    crypto currencies, meme coins and meme stocks with no inherent value except for the madness of crowds. People are literally minting their own currencies! 

    Helping the $USD to crash and burn with his spending, even President Trump has his own currency!

    While people scramble for a store of value, no one is considering our soul connection to God. Satanists have taught us to cringe at the very mention of "God."

    No one realizes or cares that our real security lies in Self development, in experiencing and expressing our Selves. We were made in the image of God. But our society is satanically possessed, ruled by gold (money) and sex. There is a tacit prohibition against being ourselves. The Satanists in charge are determined to stamp out any hint of God (Perfection, the Moral Order) from the world.

    Society suffers from a profound spiritual malaise. We are not ourSelves. Spiritual seers have taught us that we can experience our true spiritual identity by controlling our perception (thoughts.) 

    God is perfection (Bliss, Love, Goodness, Truth, Justice, Beauty.) When someone expresses their Divinity through some awesome deed or accomplishment, no one cares what his race, religion or gender is. Let us all meet at this Pinnacle. 

    Eckhard Tolle - Die in the Ego to live in the Sprit

    -
    trump-rape.jpg
    Elon Musk has confirmed what we have known for years, Trump is a blackmailed Mossad agent. Epstein filmed him raping underaged girls.   


    The MSM and our bought politicians are doing everything they can to obfuscate this but it cannot be ignored!!  Trump is being blackmailed to attack Iran.

    Yet the MSM is calling this "a slur."  The Daily Mail Online proclaims-


    Joe Rogan tries to spin Musk's revelation. How does Musk know Trump is a pedophile and rapist?  


    What alternate reality does Joe Rogan live in?
    ----

    Trump-Musk row explodes as billionaire claims President named in Epstein files | BBC News



    "The key political partnership between Donald Trump and Elon and Elon Musk has exploded  in spectacular fashion with a bitter war of words.

    It began when Mr Trump said he was "surprised and disappointed" at Elon Musk's criticism of his flagship budget bill.   He said they had had a "great relationship" but "I don't know if we will any more". 

    Elon Musk responded on his social media platform X with a series of increasingly heated remarks about his former boss.   He said the President's claims that he has supported the budget bill were "false".   He said Mr Trump was  "ungrateful" for his help in getting elected and would have lost the election without his financial support.   Elon Musk also claimed that the President's tariffs policy would lead to a recession.

    Then Musk made an extraordinary allegation.   He said that Donald Trump is in the files about the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.  He said that "is the real reason they have not been made public".

    Donald Trump suggested that the easiest way to save money would be to terminate the billions of dollars in government contracts and subsidies that go to Elon Musk's companies."

    --

    dean-lutnick.jpg
    PA DEM SENATOR MADELAINE DEAN MAKES CHABAD'S HOWARD LUTNICK LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT


    --
    Soros-Backed NGOs Push Legalized Marijuana For Ukrainians Amid Devastating War




    Goldman Sachs warns U.S. power grid nearing collapse as AI and EVs overwhelm aging infrastructure



    Palantir's unchecked surveillance empire expanding: How a CIA-backed data giant threatens liberty and fuels global oppression


    Nowhere is Palantir's lethality more apparent than in its work with the Israeli military. The company's AI system Lavender has been accused of automating genocide in Gaza, flagging tens of thousands of Palestinians--including civilians--as potential targets. Karp, a self-described "militant Zionist," openly admitted Palantir's role in the slaughter, dismissing the dead as "mostly terrorists." Meanwhile, Palantir's board convened in Tel Aviv earlier this year, signaling its deep ties to Israel's security apparatus.

    1748705869362.jpg
    Hamdi Mig--"Tomorrow is Eid al-Adha, Gaza is supposed to be like any other country in the world, eating food and celebrating its holiday, but Eid in Gaza is different, under killing, destruction and occupation, with no food, no drink or any manifestation of worldly life, but we do not despair and we hope that the torrent of killing and blood will stop soon. Please help me in trying to buy food and stay alive."

    A Way to Help Gaza



    CCP Infiltrating US Institutions As JBS Leads Resistance: Bill Jasper on InfoWars


    The New American's Senior Editor William F. Jasper articulates the threat and provides succinct solutions in a must-see interview with Alex Jones, who has identified Jasper as the top expert on globalism and the CCP. 

    Jones, the mastermind behind infowars.com, and Jasper also unpack issues with President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" and the globalist's next moves. 





  18. Site: Zero Hedge
    3 days 20 hours ago
    Author: Tyler Durden
    The Ratchet Effect: Easy To Spend More, Spending Less Triggers Collapse

    Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,

    What's required is not just a revised spreadsheet but an entirely new culture and value system.

    I've been referencing The Ratchet Effect since 2010 as it explains why shrinking bloat is so much harder than expanding bloat.

    A common example is household income and spending. When the couple were just starting out, they lived like students with barebones expenses. Then as their income rises, so do their expenses, and so by the time they're making $300,000 a year, every dollar is already spent yet they're still deep in debt. LA couple who earn $300K/year told Dave Ramsey they're drowning in $119K of debt.

    Institutional bloat is even more difficult to reverse. Way back in 2010, I posted a link documenting how a major public university's administrative staff bloated up from 3.2 full-time administrators per 100 students in 1993 (before student loan debt skyrocketed) to 13.5 administrators per 100 students in 2007. The Ratchet Effect: Fiefdom Bloat and Resistance to Declining Incomes (August 23, 2010).

    As staffing increases, a powerful self-interest in maintaining the status quo becomes the norm. This drive to maintain the status quo at all costs becomes the implicit mission of the organization. As budgets expand, there's no end to the ways it can be spent--all in service of "improving" something or other.

    Human ego manifests The Ratchet Effect as well. We like to live large and show off our shiny new campus offices, and resist downsizing and sacrifices with every fiber of our being.

    In households, we want to maintain the look and feel of our elevated status: our numerous travel extravagances, our new SUV, etc. But the financial The Ratchet Effect is key, for it's easy to add debt and painful to make sacrifices to pay debt off.

    Another core dynamic of The Ratchet Effect is the normalization of extremes. As expenses and debt soar, we soon view what would have been seen as extreme in a previous era as not just normal but sustainable.

    So student loans go from $0 in early 1993 to $1.8 trillion in Q4 2024, and nobody thinks anything is extreme because it's been going on so long we accept it as normal.

    The dynamic that leads to collapse is as invisible as the extremes. Once the organization--household, institution, corporation or nation-state, the dynamic is scale-invariant--has hardened into a brittle state of stasis, it's impossible to shrink the budget without collapsing the entire structure.

    I call this the Rising Wedge Model of Breakdown: as expenses, self-interest and debt all expand, it becomes increasingly difficult to slash expenses without triggering the implosion of the organization.

    Under the guise of cutting the fat to save the muscle, what actually happens is the muscle is cut to save the fat. This is a complex process, but in summary, the most competent realize the organization is dysfunctional and cannot be salvaged in its current bloated state of denial, and so they immediately jump ship.

    The naive who believe they can turn the situation around give it their best effort but the resistance to any meaningful sacrifices is so tenacious that they burn out and quit.

    That leaves the delusionally incompetent who reckon they're finally getting the power they long deserved. This leads to the substitution of PR and artifice for actually reducing the organization to a sustainable level, for what's required is not just a revised spreadsheet but an entirely new culture and value system.

    This chart I prepared in 2010 summarizes the dynamics of breakdown.

    As an example of all these Ratchet Effect dynamics, let's look at student loans. Prior to the start of the student loan machinery in 1993, the U.S. had a mysterious ability to educate millions of university students without burdening the students with trillions of dollars of student loan debt.

    Some believe the aliens enabled this fabulous accomplishment, as it's obviously far beyond the reach of mere humans.

    The substitution of debt for competence really took off in the aftermath of the Global Financial Meltdown of 2008-09, when the Federal Reserve instituted ZIRP, Zero Interest Rate Policy, making borrowing "affordable" (heh), and our wisdom-infused political leaders declared student loan debt undischargeable in bankruptcy, virtually the only type of consumer loan that cannot be discharged in bankruptcy.

    This serves the interests of the wealthy who own the securitized student loan debt as income-producing assets. It would be a crying shame if a student debt-serf could get out of paying interest, depriving poor millionaires of income desperately needed to live large.

    As is easily predictable in the context of the Rising Wedge Model of Breakdown / The Ratchet Effect, higher education is now imploding as revenues decline. That the university operated perfectly well 30 years ago with 3 administrators per 100 students is like marveling at the Great Pyramid: how did mere humans manage to do such monumental work? Now the reduction from 14 administrators per 100 students to 12 administrators per 100 students is shattering the foundations of the institution.

    The story of the next decade is the playing out of the Rising Wedge Model of Breakdown / The Ratchet Effect throughout the entire status quo: households, institutions, corporations and nation-states will all hasten to cut muscle to save the fat and then wonder why everything is imploding under the weight of delusion and denial.

    As noted previously, what's required is not just a revised spreadsheet but an entirely new culture and value system. Without that, we get zip, zero, nada in meaningful adaptation to new realities.

    *  *  *

    Become a $3/month patron of my work via patreon.com.

    Subscribe to my Substack for free

    Tyler Durden Fri, 06/06/2025 - 13:25
  19. Site: LifeNews
    3 days 20 hours ago
    Author: Ingrid Duran

    The legal status of abortion across the states is shaped not only by the Dobbs decision but also by a range of additional factors. These include recent state constitutional rulings interpreting abortion as a protected right; the passage of laws aimed at safeguarding unborn life; ongoing litigation challenging or defending those laws; and the implementation of so-called “shield laws.” These are laws designed to protect abortion providers who reside in abortion-friendly states who prescribe abortions pills in states where abortion is almost entirely proscribed.

    In the three years since Dobbs, these developments have significantly sculpted the abortion landscape. As a result, the 2025 state legislative sessions have seen a significant amount of activity on both sides of the issue. States either reinforced life-saving protections for unborn life or expanded lethal access to abortion on demand through new statutes and constitutional amendments.

    Constitutional Amendments

    The Missouri legislature is placing a pro-life amendment on the 2026 ballot which would repeal Amendment 3 that narrowly passed last year. Additionally, the amendment includes various pro-life protections but also exceptions for medical emergency, sexual assault, and a fatal fetal condition.

    SUPPORT LIFENEWS! If you want to help fight abortion, please donate to LifeNews.com!

    In 2026, Nevada is facing a second vote on the pro-abortion ballot measure Question 6, the “Right to Abortion Initiative” which was previously approved by voters in 2024.  Nevada requires the amendment to pass in two consecutive general elections.

    In great news, Arkansas, Florida and Oklahoma have passed new laws amending their existing ballot measure procedures to strengthen the integrity of the constitutional amendment process. These reforms aim to prevent bad actors from using deceptive or fraudulent tactics to place measures on the ballot.

    We’ll first look at 2025 pro-abortion trends and activities before finishing with pro-life trends and initiatives.

    Six states introduced bills that amended their abortionist-evasion laws (shield laws) to assure that the name of the abortionist not be on the label. The label would instead list the name of the facility that employs them. The law was introduced in six states and enacted in Colorado, Maine, and New York.  In Nevada, the proposal was sent to the Governor at the end of May for his signature. The pro-abortion lobby is pushing these measures claiming to enhance privacy protections for abortionists and shield them from litigation in states that protect the unborn.

    Pro-abortionists naturally proposed direct taxpayer funding of abortion services and attempted to codify abortion on demand through statutory changes or constitutional amendments.

    Colorado enacted a law implementing the abortion Amendment 79, the “Right to Abortion and Health Insurance Coverage Initiative” that passed last year. It requires taxpayer funding of abortion coverage in insurance policies for state employees and people on Medicaid. In January, Massachusetts awarded $1.8 million for financial assistance to women seeking abortion. Instead of investing in life-affirming programs so that families can choose life, the state is forcing taxpayers to pay for the willful destruction of human lives. Connecticut also passed legislation that allocated $800,000 taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood.

    In Vermont, the governor recently signed a sweeping law that greatly expands legal protections for abortion providers of online abortions drugs whether they live in the state or anywhere in the U.S.

    The newly-enacted law permits healthcare providers to prescribe abortion-inducing drugs through an online questionnaire without any contact, or even an online “chat,” with a health care provider.

    Leaders of Vermont Right to Life, as well as the Vermont Medical Practice board, objected to the provision and noted that the language significantly lowers the standard of medical oversight. All objections were dismissed, ridiculed and ignored. The bill was passed, despite testimony pointing out that anyone could be filling out the questionnaire, including abusive partners, men, minors, and those much further along in pregnancy or not pregnant at all.

    During legislative testimony, a New York abortionist, Dr. Linda Prine, made a startling—though not surprising—admission: she prescribes abortion pills via tele-health 50 to 60 times a day. She also admitted that while she prescribes up to 13 weeks, there are “semi underground” providers who will prescribe the abortion drugs later in pregnancy.

    The law also weaponizes consumer protection laws to target pregnancy resource centers (PRCs), individuals and others. It empowers the pro-abortion attorney general to determine what speech is “misleading” or even has the “tendency to mislead.” This is an alarming overreach.

    Ironically, just mere days after the Governor signed the bill into law, a study was released indicating that the abortion pills were 22 times more dangerous than originally believed. The new Secretary of Health and Human Services called for an investigation into the serious side-effects of the drugs.

    It will come as no surprise that Planned Parenthood of Vermont testified in favor of passage. In Vermont, anything the abortion giant requests is immediately acted upon by the pro-abortion super-majority in the House and Senate. Protecting the health and safety of the girls and women who use the abortion drug cocktail believing it is just like swallowing a Tylenol? That isn’t even on the table.

    In Maryland, our affiliate was successful in defeating “The Emergency Pregnancy-Related Medical Conditions Act,” a bill that sought to impose the Biden Administration’s gross misinterpretation of the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. EMTALA was a Reagan-era law that requires emergency rooms to provide or help facilitate life-saving care to those unable to pay, including pregnant women and their unborn children. Biden-Harris turned that law on its head by requiring hospital emergency rooms to become abortion facilities.

    A similar bill codifying the Biden Administration’s interpretation of EMTALA is currently moving in Connecticut. It includes even more protections for abortion providers and a “safe harbor fund” which will fund travel and lodging expenses for nonresidents seeking abortions in Connecticut.

    Unfortunately, the Maryland legislature established “The Public Health Abortion Grant Program.” This publicly-funded abortion grant program takes $25 million in insurance premiums, mandated by the Affordable Care Act and intended to cover the cost of abortions for enrolled individuals, to create a new state abortion grant program.  The program will subsidize the abortion industry in the form of grants that target low income mothers who are not enrolled or insured. This increases the risk of interstate abortion traffic.

    Assisted Suicide:

    Legislation either authorizing doctor-prescribed death or expanding on an already existing law was introduced in about 23 states. The great news is that in Maryland, doctor-prescribed suicide was defeated for the 8th year in a row. Unfortunately, in Delaware, their Governor recently signed a law legalizing doctor-prescribed death—becoming the 11th state to do so. Now doctor-prescribed death is legal in 11 states and the District of Columbia.

    In Illinois, the Senate was dangerously close to advancing a bill legalizing assisted suicide. In a last-ditch effort, proponents of legalization attached this deadly amendment to a food safety bill. Luckily, the legislature adjourned before this bill could pass. In Oregon, there is a dangerous expansion of doctor-prescribed death. The new bill had a second hearing June 2. This is a death-on-demand approach which cuts the waiting period in half, requires hospitals and hospices to disclose if their facility participates in this deadly practice, and expands provisions to allow non-physicians to prescribe death.

    2025 Pro-life trends and activity:

    Pro-lifers were active. They passed life-affirming laws to help pregnant women in need with assistance, provided protection for Pregnancy Resource Centers or tax credits for Pregnancy Resource Centers. They passed legislation to teach prenatal/human development in schools.

    Our opponents falsely asserted that pregnant women were not able to receive emergency care due to state laws protecting unborn children. In response, many states have amended their current laws protecting unborn children to clarify what a medical emergency entails. These provide clearer guidelines for medical professionals and reinforce the state’s existing abortion laws

    This session, six states filed such clarification bills.  It’s been enacted in Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee. In Kentucky, the law explicitly protected medical treatments for miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy care, mandated the expansion of perinatal palliative care services, and established freestanding birthing centers in the state. Texas’s SB 31 reaffirms that doctors are allowed to intervene if a pregnant woman faces a life-threatening physical condition under Texas’ Pro-Life laws. The bill has been sent to the Texas Governor awaiting his signature.

    The Texas Governor also has another bill recently sent to him which would include perinatal palliative care when families are given a life-threatening or life-limiting diagnosis of their unborn child. This law would provide resources for families in this challenging situation.

    The Tennessee law provides a clear definition of a medical emergency and explicitly excludes mental health conditions as a valid justification for an abortion. The Medical Education Act, recently enacted in North Dakota, requires abortion providers to review state-approved materials clarifying the legal definition of a medical emergency.

    Bills to teach about the baby’s development in schools were introduced in thirteen states.  It was enacted in Arkansas, Florida, Idaho & Kansas. In the latter case, the legislature overrode their pro-abortion governor’s veto. While it passed both houses of the legislature in Arizona, unfortunately it was vetoed.  In Iowa, it has passed both houses and is on its way to the Governor. These laws are instrumental in building a future generation of prolife advocates because it teaches them the truth about the unborn child’s humanity.

    The Kansas Legislature also overrode the governor’s veto on a law that would direct courts to consider child support payments to women from the moment of conception and extend tax exemptions to parents of preborn children. The law includes a line item in the state budget that includes $3 million in funding for pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes across Kansas, a $1 million increase from previous years.

    Surprisingly, their Governor signed a law that had wide bipartisan support that ensures women and families facing a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of a chromosomal condition (such as Down syndrome) will receive accurate, up-to-date, and supportive information and resources. She also signed a law which strengthens protections for individuals with disabilities by ensuring they are not denied life-sustaining care, including food, water, and medical treatment.

    This year ten states introduced bills that would provide a positive impact so mothers may choose life when faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Some of these bills also provide tax credits to organizations that offer prenatal care and support to families in need or protect pregnancy care centers (PRCs).

    In Montana, a groundbreaking step was taken to safeguard the vital work of pregnancy resource centers with the enactment of the Pregnancy Center Autonomy and Rights of Expression Act. This first-of-its-kind law ensures that pregnancy centers are not compelled to provide or refer for abortions. Governor Gianforte signed the landmark legislation into law on May 1st, marking a powerful stand for the rights and integrity of life-affirming organizations.

    In Oregon, the House and Senate both unanimously approved a bill to establish August 25 as “Oregon Adoption Day.”  For Rep. Lucetta Elmer, the carrier and presenting sponsor of the bipartisan bill, the establishment of “Oregon Adoption Day” shines “a light on the beauty of adoption” and sends “a message to every adopted child in Oregon: You are seen. You are loved. And you matter.”

    The Texas Legislature passed two bills that are currently on the Governor’s desk. One bill protects the funding that pregnancy centers receive and the other establishes educational materials about adoption for students so they’re aware of the life-affirming alternative to abortion.  The Arizona legislature passed a law that would promote alternatives to abortion on a state-run website but unfortunately their Governor vetoed the measure.

    Other prolife laws that have been enacted this session include conscience protection laws enacted in Idaho and Tennessee. In South Dakota, a law providing for the installation of newborn safety baby boxes was approved by their Governor.

    As you can see there is no silver bullet bill that is the answer to building a pro-life America. Many pro-life laws can be used as vehicles to educate on the humanity of the unborn child. National Right to Life continues to promote effective protection of the unborn and supports laws that promote unborn life.

    While there are a lot of moving parts, we will continue to play the long game so that in the end we can support mothers and their babies – loving them both.

    LifeNews Note: Ingrid Duran is the state legislative director for National Right to Life.

    The post Three Years After Dobbs, Some States are Fighting to Protect Babies From Abortion appeared first on LifeNews.com.

  20. Site: non veni pacem
    3 days 20 hours ago
    Author: Mark Docherty
  21. Site: Zero Hedge
    3 days 20 hours ago
    Author: Tyler Durden
    India Central Bank Shocks With Biggest Rate Cut Since Covid As Growth, Inflation Stall

    India's central bank shocked markets this morning when it slashing interest rates (in a 5:1 vote) by a deeper-than-expected half a percent - the third cut in a row - and the largest rate cut since the covid crash, amid falling inflation and lower growth in Asia's third largest economy. It also spiked the amount of liquidity available in the system to kickstart moribund lending. 

    The repo rate - the level at which the central bank lends money to commercial banks, influencing borrowing costs for home and car loans - now stands at 5.5%, the lowest in three years, following two previous 25bps reductions in April and February.

    Explaining the rationale for the cut, RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra said growth is "lower than our aspirations" and the bank felt it was "imperative to stimulate domestic consumption and investment" amid rising global uncertainties.

    Data released last week showed that India's economy grew by 6.5% in the previous financial year ending March. The world's (newly) most populous country remains the world's fastest expanding major economy, although growth has sharply dropped from the 9.2% high recorded in financial year 2023-24. Meanwhile, retail prices in India have slowed faster than expected to 3.16% in April - the lowest in six years - and below the RBI's 4% target, driven down by falling food prices.

    RBI has now forecast lower inflation than earlier projected for the year ahead. Inflation for Fiscal Year 2026 has been revised down to 3.7% from 4%, with Q1 (April- June) projected at just 2.9%. Growth forecast remains unchanged at 6.5%. This growth is well below the 8% growth the RBI aspires for.

    There was another big surprise in today's announcement: alongside the greater than expected cut, the central bank changed its monetary policy stance from "accommodative" to "neutral", indicating that further rate cuts will depend on how India's growth-inflation dynamic evolves, a move which was viewed as hawkish, and sparking a sharp curve steepening. 

    The change in stance suggests the bar for further rate cuts is now higher. As the RBI noted, after 100bps of cuts since February, policy space is now limited.

    However, fuller granaries due to a better-than-expected monsoon, weaker prices of commodities like oil - of which India is a net importer - as well as a strong currency are likely to help keep India's inflation in check in the months ahead, allowing the RBI to keep rates low.

    The RBI also unexpectedly cut the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) rate starting September 2025 , which is set to release INR2.5tn into the banking system. With liquidity already in surplus, overnight rates may now move closer to the SDF, 25bps below the repo rate.

    Credit growth remains weak at 9.8% YoY (vs 19.5% a year ago). The CRR cut, to be implemented in four 25bps tranches starting September, aims to improve credit transmission. The Governor noted that announcing the schedule in advance is meant to reassure banks of the RBI’s commitment to supporting liquidity

    Some more details from Goldman Sachs:

    • Policy rate - lowered by 50bp with a 5:1 vote: The RBI MPC voted 5:1 to lower the policy repo rate by 50bp to 5.50% at the June meeting, vs. an expectation of a 25bp repo rate cut. External Member Bhattacharya voted for a 25bp repo rate cut. Consequently, both the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate were lowered by 50bp each to 5.75% and 5.25%, respectively.
    • Policy stance changed to 'neutral': The MPC changed its policy stance back to 'neutral' from 'accommodative'. The Governor clarified that "after having reduced the policy repo rate by 100 bps in quick succession since February 2025, under the current circumstances, monetary policy is left with very limited space to support growth". We interpret this as the end of the current rate easing cycle with repo rate at 5.50% -- implying ~1% real policy rate on a one-year forward inflation forecast. The RBI may not want the ex-ante real rate below 1%, in our view, especially when the growth outlook is balanced. We had been forecasting a 5.50% repo rate marking the end of the cycle, with 25bp rate cuts each in June and August meetings, but the RBI got there a meeting faster than we expected.
    • Growth forecast retained at 6.5% yoy for FY26: The RBI retained their growth forecast at 6.5% yoy for FY26 (GSe: 6.2% yoy), noting strong agricultural sector growth and rural demand, and a resilient services sector underpinning a recovery in urban demand. However, the Governor highlighted downside risks to growth from US "reciprocal" tariff-related uncertainty and prolonged geopolitical tensions.
    • Inflation forecast lowered by 30bp to 3.7% yoy for FY26: The RBI lowered its inflation forecast by 30bp to 3.7% yoy (GSe: 3.6% yoy) (Exhibit 1). The Governor highlighted that there is “greater confidence of headline inflation remaining below the target of 4% over the course of the year”. Food inflation is likely to remain benign given higher wheat and pulses (legumes) production. Additionally, Indian Meteorological Department’s expectations of an above-normal monsoon bode well for the production of summer crops. However, the Governor also highlighted upside risks to the inflation outlook from weather and US “reciprocal” tariff-related uncertainty.

    • Banking system liquidity:  The RBI announced a cut in the cash reserve ratio (CRR) of 100bp to 3.0% of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) in four tranches from September to November to ease banking system liquidity further. As per the RBI’s estimate, this measure is expected to release durable liquidity of INR 2.5tn (0.7% of GDP) into the banking system.
    • The Governor said that the RBI “remains committed to provide sufficient liquidity to the banking system". With durable liquidity already in surplus in recent months, overnight rates have traded on an average ~20bp below the repo rate from April to June (Exhibit 2), resulting in a significant easing in financial conditions. As a result, overnight rates have come off by more than 150bp from mid-January to now.

    India's lower borrowing costs will have a positive growth impact due to improved purchasing power for households, lower input costs for companies and lower debt servicing costs for the government. They will also help homebuyers and a struggling real estate sector.

    "This effectively lowers the cost of borrowing, making home loan EMIs [mortgage payments] easier on the pocket and thereby directly improving affordability for buyers. This can potentially boost demand in the Indian real estate sector, especially in affordable and mid-income segments. Affordable housing faced the sharpest pandemic fallout, with sales and new launches shrinking in the top 7 cities," Anuj Puri, chairman of ANAROCK Group, said.

    Predictably, Indian markets rallied sharply post the rate cut announcement. 

    Looking ahead, Goldman expects the RBI to stay on hold for the rest of the year unless growth slows sharply. The front end of the IGB curve should remain supported by strong liquidity and favorable demand-supply dynamics. The bank favors 2Y IGB and expect the IGB curve to steepen.

    Tyler Durden Fri, 06/06/2025 - 13:05
  22. Site: Mises Institute
    3 days 21 hours ago
    Author: Joshua Mawhorter
    At first glance, it might seem extreme—even offensive—to compare anti-fossil fuel climate policies to Stalin’s deliberate starvation of millions during the Holodomor. But in truth, the comparison may be unfair— to Stalin.
  23. Site: LifeNews
    3 days 21 hours ago
    Author: Owen Strachan

    The last 10 years or so have witnessed numerous momentous changes in American culture. One of the biggest was this: the normalization and celebration of “Pride Month.”

    After years of feeling like strangers in our own land, things have shifted. Numerous corporations and organizations that used to shout their praise of Pride Month to the skies have gone quiet regarding it. They are not using a Pride logo online. They are not bankrolling Pride events. Instead of promoting radical gender ideology and pagan sexuality, they seem to have returned to what they are ostensibly in business to do: selling computers, hairdryers, and lawnmowers. What a wild idea for a company!

    We believers can give thanks to God for this cultural shift. Yet we need not stop there. In June, instead of recognizing Pride Month, we can celebrate “Family Month.” Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) has indeed introduced a resolution to declare the month of June as Family Month. We can do so because God loves the family. God made the family the foundational building block of society, forming it before any other institution (Genesis 2). It is not the government that gives stability to a nation; it is the family that forms the social concrete of a thriving country.

    SUPPORT LIFENEWS! If you want to help fight abortion, please donate to LifeNews.com!

    Despite many attacks, the family is alive. God’s design is not defeated. For the reasons sketched here, it makes sense to celebrate June as Family Month.

    Honoring God in the Simple Things

    We need not do so in an obnoxious way. We can do so in a deeply grateful way. The little things matter in this regard: playing catch. Going on walks. Putting away phones for extended dinner conversation. Reading “The Chronicles of Narnia” together at night. Serving the church together. Going on a fun family trip and eating ice cream. Most of life’s greatest joys, we recall, are found in life’s quietest moments.

    Of course, Family Month ought not to create barriers between married Christians and single Christians. The church is, in ultimate terms, the true family of God. We are one “household” in Christ (Ephesians 2:11-22). The natural family points us to the greater family, the family of God from every tribe, tongue, nation, and people group.

    Family Month can be a great time to pray over how to strengthen families in America. One of every three children in America is born out of wedlock. Broken families have proliferated. Fathers are struggling. Even Christians who honor God’s design of the family may have experienced not abiding joy in their home environment, but chaos and pain. Much as we thank God for his gifts, we also soberly recognize that not every home was or is a happy one.

    Because of this, we need to do all we can to rebuild and strengthen the natural family. There are no easy fixes here, but Christians ought to be a bold and loving voice in this country for the reviving of the American home. So many of the battles we fight in the public square are won or lost in the life of the family, after all.

    Pride Will Not Last (but Thankfulness Will)

    Whatever comes of our efforts, we can continue to champion a better way than the way of Pride. In the end, this is the choice before us: either pride (in ourselves) or thankfulness (to God). We must choose well here, for pride has a shelf life. It is very powerful for a time, but it will not last. It will be wiped from the face of the earth when the Son of God puts the world to rights (Revelation 20).

    Gratitude — for all of God’s wonderful gifts, including the family — will last forever, however. For all eternity to come, we will praise God for his kindness to sinners like us. We will do so, many of us, with members of our own family, for the family has proven so influential for many of us in Christian discipleship. But even more than our natural ties, we will praise the slain Lamb with our broader family, the people of God, in the new heavens and new earth.

    These truths are worth defending and proclaiming even if they are unpopular with some. Yet we do not stop there. We celebrate the family. No matter what our society chooses to label June, now or in the coming days, we can say to one another, a grateful smile on our face:

    Happy Family Month.

    LifeNews Note: Owen Strachan is Senior Fellow for FRC’s Center for Biblical Worldview.

    The post Family Month is Beginning to Replace Pride Month appeared first on LifeNews.com.

  24. Site: AsiaNews.it
    3 days 21 hours ago
    On the eve of the Eid al-Adha holiday, Israel launched one of its most impressive attacks. Aoun tried in vain to stop the military operation while Israel's Defence Minister issued new threats. Hezbollah is using Iranian-style "slow diplomacy". Impatience is growing in Israel over US policies in the region.
  25. Site: AsiaNews.it
    3 days 22 hours ago
    On the eve of their Jubilee at Pentecost, Pope Leo XIV met in the Vatican with the leaders of international associations and groups of believers recognised by the Holy See. 'God raises up charisms: to awaken in hearts a desire to encounter Christ,' he said, while at the same time, urging them to be 'a leaven of unity, communion, and fraternity in our world, so torn by discord and violence.'
  26. Site: LifeNews
    3 days 22 hours ago
    Author: Raimundo Rojas

    Chilean President Gabriel Boric’s push to legalize abortion on demand through 14 weeks of pregnancy, announced in his final annual address to the nation, is a reckless attempt to salvage a faltering and disastrous administration with a polarizing issue. Having failed to deliver on tax reform and with two failed and rejected attempts at constitutional overhaul on the issue of abortion behind him, Boric’s new abortion push is a last-ditch bid to build his “progressive legacy,” whatever that means. But what he proposes is not progress; it is a step backward for women, children, and public health.

    Chile has long been cited as an international example for maternal health. After protective abortion laws were reinforced in 1989, maternal mortality continued to decline dramatically. According to a comprehensive 2012 study published in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE, Chile experienced a sustained drop in maternal mortality even as abortion was restricted, ultimately reaching one of the lowest maternal mortality rates in the world.

    The study, authored by Dr. Elard Koch and a team of epidemiologists, analyzed 50 years of maternal health data. It concluded that the key factors in lowering maternal mortality were advances in education for women, access to prenatal care, skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric care, and clean water, not legal abortion. Their research debunked the myth that legalized abortion is necessary to safeguard maternal health.

    SUPPORT LIFENEWS! If you want to help fight abortion, please donate to LifeNews.com!

    President Boric’s bill is not driven by public demand or public health need. Polling shows that 55% of Chileans want to keep the current legislation, which permits abortion only in limited cases, including a risk to the mother’s life. Only 25% support Boric’s extreme expansion. Yet his administration presses forward, cheered on by global abortion lobbies and fringe activist organizations, rather than the Chilean public.

    What happens in Chile matters far beyond its borders. Regional pro-abortion zealots are increasingly organizing transnationally, attempting to force ideological shifts across the Global South. Chile’s current law stands as a powerful rebuttal to this narrative and as a reminder that safeguarding life does not mean endangering women.

    President Boric has framed this bill as a question of democratic debate. But democracy is not defined by the ability to end innocent lives. It is measured by how a nation protects its most vulnerable. In Chile, this includes the unborn child.

    This is not about left or right, Catholic or secular. It is about truth and dignity. A Chile that continues to honor both mother and child offers hope—not only for its citizens, but for a world increasingly tempted to solve complex human problems with lethal simplicity.

    Let Chile remain a light in the hemisphere. Let it continue to lead by example, rather than following a destructive trend. In the end, true progress does not come from eliminating life’s most vulnerable—it comes from protecting them.

    LifeNews.com Note: Raimundo Rojas is the director of Outreach Director for the National Right to Life Committee. He is a former president of Florida Right to Life and has presented the pro-life message to millions in Spanish-language media outlets. He represents NRLC at the United Nations as an NGO. Rojas was born in Santiago de las Vegas, Havana, Cuba and he and his family escaped to the United States in 1968.

    The post Chilean President Gabriel Boric Wants to Legalize Abortion on Demand appeared first on LifeNews.com.

  27. Site: Zero Hedge
    3 days 22 hours ago
    Author: Tyler Durden
    May Payrolls Rise By 139K, Beating Estimates, But Report Shows Sweeping Labor Market Weakness

    With the jobs whisper number of 110K flirting dangerously close with a sub 100K print, one which both JPM and Goldman said could spark a waterfall selloff in stocks, moments ago the BLS reported that in May the worst case scenario was averted, with the US adding a modest 139K, which while below last month's print, was above the median consensus of 126K, and well inside the estimated range of 75K to 190K.

    That was the good news; the bad news is virtually all historical data points during the Trump admin were revised lower, with April revised 30K lower from 177K to 147K, and March revised 65K lower from 185K to 120K. Worse, every single month under the Trump admin has been revised lower. 

    Turning to the unemployment rate, there were no surprises here: consensus expected an unchanged 4.2% print from April, and got just that. The unemployment rate has so far held at 4.2 percent in May and has remained in a narrow range of 4.0% to 4.2% since May 2024. The number of unemployed people, at 7.2 million, changed little over the month.

    Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (3.9 percent), adult women (3.9 percent), teenagers (13.4 percent), Whites (3.8 percent), Blacks (6.0 percent), Asians (3.6 percent), and Hispanics (5.1 percent) showed little or no change over the month. 

    The unemployment rate was the result of a modest increase in the number of unemployed people (from 7.166 million to 7.237 million) while the labor force declined by ~600K, from 171.135 million to 170.510 million. More importantly, the disconnect between the Household survey and Establishment survey is back, as the number of employed workers plunged tumbled by 696K, even as payrolls reportedly rose.

    Some more qualitative details from the report:

    • The number of people jobless less than 5 weeks increased by 264,000 to 2.5 million in May. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) decreased over the month by 218,000 to 1.5 million. Both measures were little changed over the year. The long-term unemployed accounted for 20.4 percent of all unemployed people in May. 
    • In May, the employment-population ratio declined by 0.3 percentage point to 59.7 percent. The labor force participation rate decreased by 0.2 percentage point to 62.4 percent. 
    • The number of people employed part time for economic reasons, at 4.6 million, changed little in May. These individuals would have preferred full-time employment but were working part time because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs. 
    • In May, the number of people not in the labor force who currently want a job was little changed at 6.0 million. These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively looking for work during the 4 weeks preceding the survey or were unavailable to take a job. 
    • Among those not in the labor force who wanted a job, the number of people marginally attached to the labor force, at 1.6 million, changed little in May. These individuals wanted and were available for work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months but had not looked for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. The number of discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached who believed that no jobs were

    Next, turning to earnings, we find that May average hourly earnings actually printed stronger than expected, rising 0.4% MoM, double the 0.2% expected, and up from the 0.2% in April. On an annual basis, earnings rose 3.9%, also above the 3.7% consensus, and unchanged from the upward revised April print of 3.9%. 

    Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 15 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $36.24 in May. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.9 percent. In May, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 12 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $31.18. 

    There were also no surprises in the number of hours worked: In May, the average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was 34.3 hours for the third month in a row. In manufacturing, the average workweek was little changed at 40.1 hours, and overtime was unchanged at 2.9 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls remained at 33.7 hours in May. 

    Here is the breakdown of jobs by industry: 

    • Health care added 62,000 jobs in May, higher than the average monthly gain of 44,000 over the prior 12 months. In May, job gains occurred in hospitals (+30,000), ambulatory health care services (+29,000), and skilled nursing care facilities (+6,000).
    • Employment in leisure and hospitality continued to trend up in May (+48,000), largely in food services and drinking places (+30,000). Over the prior 12 months, leisure and hospitality had added an average of 20,000 jobs per month.
    • In May, social assistance employment continued to trend up (+16,000), reflecting continued growth in individual and family services (+16,000).
    • Federal government employment continued to decline in May (-22,000) and is down by 59,000 since January. (Employees on paid leave or receiving ongoing severance pay are counted as employed in the establishment survey.)

    Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; transportation and warehousing; information; financial activities; professional and business services; and other services.

    Last but not least, there was acute softness in both the breakdown between full and part-time workers, where the former tumbled by 623K and the latter increased by 33K

    Finally, the number of native-born workers tumbled by 444K, while foreign-born workers also dropped by 224K, and easing back from the record set two months ago.

    Overall, this was a poor jobs report if one ignores the headline which will surely be revised to a sub-100K print in the next month or two.

    Tyler Durden Fri, 06/06/2025 - 11:33
  28. Site: Zero Hedge
    3 days 22 hours ago
    Author: Tyler Durden
    Highs And Lows

    By Elwin de Groot, head of macro strategy at Rabobank

    Highs and Lows

    Bond yields were up some 5 basis points globally whilst the euro made a slight reversal after having pushed for a near high of 1.15 as the ECB concluded its press conference. From a ‘low’ inspired by 50% tariffs on US steel and aluminium imports going ‘live’ earlier this week and growing concerns about the US economy and the labor market, sentiment in financial markets briefly swung back to a ‘high’ as President Donald Trump said he had a “very good phone call” with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Gains in equity markets were modest but still good enough for S&P500 to extend its rally to 20% from its 8 April low. That is, before the falling-out between Trump and Musk reached a boiling point on social media. Enough is being written about that right now, so we’ll leave you at it.

    After the call with Xi, Trump said that both leaders have agreed to further talks and that there “should no longer be any questions respectively the complexity of Rare Earth products”. That’s up for various interpretations, but it suggests China has offered to speed up its process of lifting its export restrictions. Still, the Chinese readout of the call, unsurprisingly, was more nuanced and said that Xi had urged Trump to remove “negative” measures that have affected trade between the countries in recent months. The upshot, from the market’s perspective is that both sides are, at least, talking and that holds the prospect of further progress in removing some (still very high) tariffs. But, just for balance, Commerce Secretary Lutnick yesterday called for increased enforcement of US export controls on technology, warning that China was “only attacking great American companies.” If President Xi was referring to those export controls with “negative measures”, the market’s positive assessment may be, well, too high.

    That further talks with the US can lead to a ‘deal’ (as Keir Starmer can confirm), a stalemate (see EU-US) or a major escalation, as Zelensky can attest, is on any global leader’s mind. Nikkei Asia reports that US negotiators Bessent, Lutnick and Greer keep Japan guessing. At one point the three cabinet officials put the talks with the Japanese side on hold an began debating right in front of them”, a source tells the Nikkei. In that sense, German Chancellor Merz came away nicely after a 40-minute meeting in the Oval Office, as he let Trump do most of the talking. Little concrete came from that meeting, though Trump acknowledged the ramp-up in German defense spending.

    Trade data are going from lows to highs as well, which in some cases makes the Covid-episode data look pale. As the Commerce Department confirmed, the US trade deficit for April shrunk by the most on record, to $61.6bn from $138.3bn in March, driven by the largest-ever decline in imports.

    Frontloading in the run-up the tariffs clearly was massive and then collapsed. This also suggests that after its big negative contribution to US GDP growth in Q1 it will be a significant positive factor in Q2. Inventory effects will likely attenuate some of its effect. Bloomberg noted that a drop in imports of pharmaceuticals from Ireland was responsible for an almost $20bn swing in the deficit. The opposite (statistical) effect is thus going to be seen in Europe in Q2. Ireland yesterday reported a significant upward revision in Q1 GDP (which now points to a revision in Eurozone GDP growth to around +0.6% q/q (!) from 0.3% previously). But this will obviously turn to a significant drag in Q2 as those US trade numbers for April just signaled.

    Staying in Europe, the ECB seemingly presented itself as an anchor of stability in these times of highs and lows. Lagarde’s new mantra is now “well positioned”, which could be viewed in our opinion as code language for “we’re done cutting, unless…”. This becomes even clearer when you compare it to the previous mantra Lagarde introduced in March when she called ECB policy “meaningfully less restrictive”. We had expected little to no guidance from yesterday’s policy meeting, but these new words – despite lower oil prices and a stronger euro – lead us to maintain our view that we have reached the terminal rate.

    However, the ECB leaves ample room to respond if things do not work out the way they envisage. Indeed, it lowered its inflation forecast significantly with core inflation positioned around 2% for the coming years. Moreover, its new scenario analyses unveiled a dovish reaction function to a potential escalation of trade tensions. Should this happen, and paused tariffs were to be reinstated, the ECB’s economists estimate that this could lower GDP growth through 2027 by about 1% cumulatively. And, interestingly, they conclude that inflation would be somewhat lower as well: in such a scenario inflation would average 1.8% in 2027, and that includes the assumption that the EU retaliates. By contrast, our own econometric analysis indicates that European tariffs on the US would be (mildly) inflationary instead.

    Lagarde did say that their modelling exercise assumed that higher tariffs could lead to lower demand for euro area exports and to countries with overcapacity rerouting their exports to the euro area thereby putting more downward pressure on inflation. However, she acknowledged that the ECB’s analysis did not include any inflationary impact from a disruption of supply chains. Although this effect, admittedly, is surrounded by even more uncertainty, we did take this into account in our own scenario analysis (which explains why we still have inflation somewhat above the ECB’s target even in 2026). And one only need to take a quick glance at container freight rates (benchmark composite by WCI up by a staggering 175% compared to last month) to understand why be believe the ECB the ECB could be under-estimating the potential highs.

    Time will tell, of course. But one thing that the ECB may be right about, is the (initial) downward pressure on imported goods prices due to a diversion of trade. The European Commission yesterday published its first assessment from its trade diversion monitoring tool that was launched in April. The early warning system tracks shipments and prices of goods at a high level of detail. In the short-run lower prices may benefit European importers and thereby consumers, but if those prices are the result of overcapacity in other parts of the world (such as China) this could also undermine European producers. The South China Morning Post reported that “in the month to May 25, imports of light-emitting diodes surged 156 per cent, while their price fell 65 per cent. Shipments of industrial robots shot up by 315 per cent, paired with a 35 per cent price decline. And imports of some bars and rods made from steel alloy soared by over 1,000 per cent as their price plunged 86 per cent.”

    Whilst such figures can be extremely volatile due to their level of detail, seasonal patterns etc. and make no distinction between the origin of the content, a heatmap by the Commission shows that China was a significant contributor to these changes. The FT writes that the surge in steel imports, driven by trade diversion, is setting off alarm bells in the steel sector. Forecasting the next steps by the European Commission is a rather speculative affair, but we’d not be surprised if this leads to some form of action. This year the Commission has already launched more than 10 cases against China and/or Chinese producers (based on our count of news articles on the EU’s trade defense website).

    Tyler Durden Fri, 06/06/2025 - 11:25
  29. Site: LES FEMMES - THE TRUTH
    3 days 22 hours ago
    Author: noreply@blogger.com (Mary Ann Kreitzer)
  30. Site: Zero Hedge
    3 days 22 hours ago
    Author: Tyler Durden
    Ukraine Scores More Hits On Airbase, Defense Factories Deep Inside Russia

    Ukraine overnight targeted key Russian sites with more drone attacks, while simultaneously Russian cruise missiles were fired against Kiev and other regions of Ukraine, killing at least four and wounding twenty in the Ukrainian capital.

    "Kyiv came under another attack involving drones and ballistic missiles. Rescuers are responding to the aftermath at several locations across the city," the State Emergency Service of Ukraine announced on Telegram. Russia allegedly fired over 400 projectiles into Ukraine, though most were said to be downed by air defenses. On the other side, two airbases, a fuel depot and aviation were reportedly struck deep in Russia overnight.

    Aftermath of Russian air strike in Kyiv on June 6, 2025, AFP

    "A successful strike was carried out on the Engels airfield in the Saratov region, a place where enemy aircraft are concentrated," Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement, in reference to the Engels-2 base which lies roughly 500 kilometers (300 miles) east of the Ukrainian border,

    Several fuel tanks at the base were set ablaze, which dramatic images appeared to show following "multiple hits" on the site, per Ukrainian military statements.

    Additionally, in the Ryazan Region, Ukraine said it targeted the Dyagilevo airbase, which supports Russian missile operations. The regional governor said the incoming drones were downed by anti-air defense systems.

    And in the Tambov Region, drones reportedly targeted a high-tech aviation and missile control systems plant in Michurinsk. Ukrainian sources allege the plant is a military-industrial site, producing components for Russian missile and artillery systems.

    Russian military-industrial complex attacked

    One Ukrainian analyst describes the Tambov plant as follows: "Through facilities like this, Russia maintains serial production of Hyacinth, Msta, Tornado, and even components for Iskander missiles."

    The analyst further says "the Progress plant is one of the key enterprises in Russia’s military-industrial complex, and its destruction represents a significant blow to the country’s defense production. This involves the loss of key components that power the military's missile and artillery systems."

    BREAKING:

    Ukraine launches huge drone swarm attack against military targets across Russia:

    - Fuel depot of the Engels Air Base hit
    - Dyagilevo Air Base hit
    - Military electronics plant in Tambov hit
    - Bryansk Airport hit

    + Podolsk near Moscow & Crimea pic.twitter.com/bC15Tgop94

    — Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 6, 2025

    Clearly Russia's anti-air defense systems have been struggling to thwart these now nightly waves of drone swarms. Likely Russia will continue stepping up its major aerial assaults on Ukraine in retaliation.

    Tyler Durden Fri, 06/06/2025 - 11:05
  31. Site: LifeNews
    3 days 23 hours ago
    Author: Ashlynn Lemos

    Texas Senator Ted Cruz is making a bold move to honor preborn babies — by officially designating June as “Life Month.”

    Cruz introduced a new resolution to honor the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s monumental decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022 — a ruling that sent shockwaves across the country and empowered states to protect preborn children once again. Texas led the charge, becoming the first state to ban abortion.

    Now, Cruz wants to ensure we never forget this turning point.

    “Every human life is worthy of protection, and it is especially incumbent upon Americans and lawmakers to protect the most vulnerable among us,” Cruz said in a statement.

    SUPPORT LIFENEWS! If you want to help fight abortion, please donate to LifeNews.com!

    Momentum for this idea is growing. In the House of Representatives, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced a similar resolution and delivered a powerful call for the nation to face the reality of abortion.

    “For decades abortion advocates have gone to extraordinary lengths to ignore, trivialize, and cover up the battered baby victim, fostering a culture of denial, disrespect, and bias against the unborn,” Smith said.

    “This resolution designating June as Life Month highlights our moral imperative to protect innocent children’s lives from extermination. It calls our nation to reject willful blindness to the realities of abortion—brutally dismembering helpless babies with sharp knife-like curettes or poisoning babies with pills that literally starve them to death and often result in their bodies being flushed down a toilet. This resolution affirms that the cruel injustice of abortion need not be forever: instead, we must defend the unborn and show love and compassion to both mother and child through meaningful assistance and support.”

    And the need for this couldn’t be clearer. In 2023 alone, Planned Parenthood committed over 402,000 abortions — its highest number ever. That’s more than 1,100 babies lost every single day. One in five people who walk into a Planned Parenthood choose abortion.

    If passed, this resolution would give Americans a powerful opportunity every June to celebrate the value of every life — and remind the nation that the fight to protect the most vulnerable is far from over.

    Cruz remains committed to seeing this through:
    “Designating June as Life Month is a recommitment to the American principle that every life has dignity,” he emphasized once again. “I call on my colleagues in the Senate to swiftly pass this resolution.”

    LifeNews Note: Ashlynn Lemos is the communications intern for Texas Right to Life.

    The post Ted Cruz Condemns Abortion: “Every Life is Worthy of Protection” appeared first on LifeNews.com.

  32. Site: Zero Hedge
    3 days 23 hours ago
    Author: Tyler Durden
    Feds Say California Bullet Train Has 'No Viable Path', Threaten To Pull $4 Billion

    Authored by Chase Smith via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    California’s long-delayed high-speed rail project is in default of federal grant agreements and may soon lose more than $4 billion in funding, the U.S. Department of Transportation said on June 4.

    A report released by the department accuses the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) of chronic mismanagement, unrealistic projections, and failure to meet key obligations, despite receiving billions in taxpayer money.

    The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) concluded that the bullet train has “no viable path” to finish the project’s first operational segment by 2033, the deadline outlined in federal agreements.

    In a letter to Ian Choudri, CHSRA’s CEO, the FRA stated that the agency intends to terminate two grants totaling roughly $4 billion unless California responds with a satisfactory corrective plan. CHSRA has up to 37 days to avoid a final termination.

    The letter outlines nine key findings from a 310-page compliance review, including a $7 billion funding gap, missed procurement deadlines, and what the FRA referred to as “substantially overrepresented” ridership forecasts.

    The FRA letter called the rail project “a story of broken promises and of waste of Federal taxpayer dollars.” It noted that what began as a proposed 800-mile system was “first reduced to 500 miles, then became a 171-mile segment, and is now very likely ended as a 119-mile track to nowhere.”

    Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the report justifies reprogramming the funds to other projects.

    “This report exposes a cold, hard truth: CHSRA has no viable path to complete this project on time or on budget,” Duffy said in a statement.

    “CHSRA is on notice—If they can’t deliver on their end of the deal, it could soon be time for these funds to flow to other projects that can achieve President Trump’s vision of building great, big, beautiful things again. Our country deserves high-speed rail that makes us proud—not boondoggle trains to nowhere.”

    The FRA report found that CHSRA has not yet laid a single mile of high-speed rail track, despite more than $6.9 billion in total federal funding since 2009. It also said that CHSRA continues to rely on unstable funding sources, such as California’s cap-and-trade auction revenues, to fill budget gaps.

    According to the FRA, CHSRA has already spent about $1.6 billion on change orders over the past two years and still faces legal disputes and procurement delays and hasn’t started construction on key segments.

    The state originally promised an 800-mile rail line connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles by 2020 for $33 billion. Estimates now range from $89 billion to $128 billion.

    In a statement last month, CHSRA said construction is active on 119 miles in the Central Valley and has created more than 15,000 jobs. The agency also said it was making progress on a 171-mile segment from Merced to Bakersfield.

    But FRA officials say even that scaled-back version may be unreachable. The agency noted that CHSRA’s internal inspector general found no credible plan to close the current $7 billion gap for the Merced-Bakersfield stretch.

    A CHSRA Authority spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email that they “strongly disagree” with the FRA’s conclusions, which they said are “misguided and do not reflect the substantial progress made to deliver high-speed rail in California.”

    We remain firmly committed to completing the nation’s first true high-speed rail system connecting the major population centers in the state,” the spokesperson said. “While continued federal partnership is important to the project, the majority of our funding has been provided by the state. To that end, the Governor’s budget proposal, which is currently before the Legislature, extends at least $1 billion per year in funding for the next 20 years, providing the necessary resources to complete the project’s initial operating segment. The Authority will fully address and correct the record in our formal response to the FRA’s notice.”

    The compliance review concluded that continued federal support would not achieve the goals of the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program. The FRA said it may redirect unspent funds from the grants to other infrastructure projects and is not currently seeking repayment of the funds already used.

    Reuters contributed to this report. 

    Tyler Durden Fri, 06/06/2025 - 10:45
  33. Site: Zero Hedge
    3 days 23 hours ago
    Author: Tyler Durden
    The Day After: Trump 'Not Interested' In Talking As Musk Continues To Make Case Against BBB

    After Thursday's grand meltdown between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump over the Big Beautiful Bill, it looked like things were set to simmer down - with Musk posting several things on X that suggested he was open to a path forward, while the Trump White House had scheduled a call with Musk, Politico reported. 

    On Friday morning, however, it was clear that Trump isn't ready to mend fences - he doesn't want to talk to Musk, and is looking to sell his Tesla - while Musk spent the morning (so far) making clear that Congress needs to fix government spending or America is going to be in a world of hurt. 

    "I’m not even thinking about Elon. He’s got a problem. The poor guy’s got a problem," Trump told CNN in a brief phone call. When asked if he had a call with Musk, Trump replied "No. I won’t be speaking to him for a while I guess, but I wish him well."

    To recap:

    • Thursday morning, Trump was asked about Musk's opposition to the bill, telling reporters on Thursday that he's 'very disappointed in Elon,' and that Musk only opposes the bill because they eliminated electric vehicle tax credits from it.
    • Trump then suggested he might pull government funding from Musk's companies such as SpaceX, which owns the only operational US spacecraft capable of transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station. 

    "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!" -President Donald Trump via Truth Social

    • Musk went ballistic - announcing he would 'immediately' decommission the Dragon program (which he later walked back Thursday night), proposed a new political party (that's still his pinned post on X), endorsed another Trump impeachment, and said Trump is 'in the Epstein files,' which is why they haven't been released. 

    Peacemakers emerged - such as former State Department official Mike Benz, who defended Musk and called for the two to patch things up...

    Elon Was Always The Secret Weapon Behind Trump 2.0 pic.twitter.com/ii1HBqTKza

    — Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) June 6, 2025

    While two attorneys associated with the Epstein case(s) flatly denied Trump had anything to do with Epstein's sex-trafficking operation.  

    Just confirming what we already knew. pic.twitter.com/ooZNVwHsjn

    — C3 (@C_3C_3) June 6, 2025

    “The only thing that I can say about President Trump is that he is the only person who, in 2009... is the only person who picked up the phone and said, let’s just talk."

    "[Trump] was very helpful... and gave no indication whatsoever that he was involved in anything untoward… pic.twitter.com/u0FKJrWKej

    — Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) June 6, 2025

    On Friday, Musk re-posted the following posts and clips making his case; 

    "The Federal Government today pays more in interest on the debt than we do in budget for the Department of Defense. We pay $1.2B a year in JUST interest on debt. Total government spending is about $7T. Interest payments are $1.2T. DOD is $800B a year. Total debt is $35T and it… pic.twitter.com/fPg3Xo5dkZ

    — Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) June 6, 2025

    Jesse Watters: “The media said that Musk was the co-president… The media said Trump was doing favors for Elon Musk. Well, if you look at this big, beautiful bill, there’s no favors for Elon Musk in it at all”

    pic.twitter.com/9Py3TM5Zkl

    — Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) June 5, 2025

    It’s a borrowing limit. It’s not a function / it’s a rule violated by a weak Congress regularly… https://t.co/4KEkl8aIKz

    — Chip Roy (@chiproytx) June 5, 2025

    This is why Republicans will likely lose the House in 2026 and then Democrats will spend two years investigating and impeaching President Trump.

    Trump and the Republicans in Congress need to deliver. We want budget cuts. We want agencies shut down. We don't want big govt. https://t.co/3T3uheQEyf

    — Wall Street Mav (@WallStreetMav) June 5, 2025

    While Trump (as noted above) isn't ready to have a phone call with Musk to hash things out.

    Meanwhile, DOGE chief architect Joel Fishback slammed Musk and said he's stepping away from the effort following Musk's comments, Politico reports.

    "The truth is that Elon set expectations that he relayed to the president, me, and the country that he did not come close to fulfilling. That’s disappointing, but okay," said Fishback. "What’s not okay is his baseless personal attacks against President Trump."

    To be continued...

    Tyler Durden Fri, 06/06/2025 - 10:25
  34. Site: Zero Hedge
    3 days 23 hours ago
    Author: Tyler Durden
    Rate-Cut Odds Plunge After Payrolls Beat; Trump Demands "Full Point Cut" From Powell

    A better than expected headline payrolls print has sparked a surge in stocks and bond yields this morning as the long-await (and hoped for by some) recessionary collapse in the labor market remains elusive.

    Even if below the surface things are not so healthy, rate-cut expectations for 2025 have plunged to less than two total cuts (2026 expectations up marginally)...

    Never one to miss an opportunity - even on a day when he should probably take a break from social media - President Trump dropped some more advice for Fed Chair Powell:

    Strong unemployment, falling inflation, and no signs (except in partisan survey responses) of economic weakness from Trump's tariff-nado. One has to wonder what it is that Powell is waiting for... unlike in September of last year?

    Finally, one thought - is this Trump pivoting his rage from Musk to Powell - a far easier, and less wealthy, opposition.

    Tyler Durden Fri, 06/06/2025 - 10:20
  35. Site: AsiaNews.it
    3 days 23 hours ago
    The state government wants to arm only indigenous people for self-defence. For BJP Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, such a step is justified on security grounds, while the opposition sees the attempt to provide weapons to some communities as exacerbating tensions with Bengali Muslims.
  36. Site: LifeNews
    3 days 23 hours ago
    Author: Ashlynn Lemos

    No parent ever wants to hear these words at an ultrasound: “Your baby may not survive.”

    When doctors deliver a life-limiting diagnosis for a preborn child, families are often devastated—and pressured into abortion, with little guidance on choosing Life.

    Now, Texas is changing that.

    In a major step toward building a more compassionate, Pro-Life culture, state lawmakers passed the Perinatal Palliative Care Act during the 2025 legislative session. Senate Bill 1233 by Senator Kelly Hancock (R–North Richland Hills) and Representative Valoree Swanson (R–Spring) ensures that families receive real information and resources—not silence or pressure.

    Prenatal tests indicate possible health issues in 2–3% of pregnancies, but up to 85% of those results are false. Most parents aren’t told that—and tragically, up to 90% of these babies are aborted. Only 19% of women are informed about specialized care options. Every baby deserves dignity, no matter the diagnosis.

    SUPPORT LIFENEWS! If you want to help fight abortion, please donate to LifeNews.com!

    Perinatal palliative care offers compassionate support to families after a baby is diagnosed in the womb with a serious or life-threatening condition. Care begins at diagnosis and continues until the baby’s first birthday, even if the little one does not make it that long. It includes medical, emotional, spiritual, and practical support from a team of specialists, religious counselors, and community support providers. SB 1233 clarifies that this never includes acts done to cause or hasten the baby’s death.

    The law does this by connecting families to nonprofits like Abel Speaks, which walks alongside them through these heartbreaking circumstances.

    God created us for community—especially in our hardest moments. The Perinatal Palliative Care Act ensures every family facing a difficult diagnosis receives the guidance and resources they need to love and care for their child, no matter how short that little Life may be.

    Too often, families are told abortion is the only “reasonable” response. This law changes that. Texas now affirms: every life has value, no matter how brief or fragile.

    One young mother’s story illustrates why this matters.

    At her 21-week ultrasound, Ava Trammell was told her baby girl was “incompatible with Life.” Doctors gave her no real options—just a suggestion to fly to Colorado for an abortion or continue the pregnancy without support.

    Watch Ava’s Story here.

    But, Ava chose Life.

    “I know she’s not going to survive,” Ava said, “but I only have so much time with her. Why would I cut it any shorter? She’s safe in my womb… she only knows love and doesn’t know pain. Why would I give her such a painful death when she’s perfectly fine with me?”

    Because of SB 1233, future mothers like Ava won’t have to face that decision alone.

    This law embodies what it means to be truly Pro-Life: walking with families in both joy and sorrow. By equipping parents with life-affirming options and emotional care, Texas is saying clearly: we value every life, and we will walk with every family.

    We are deeply grateful to Senator Hancock and Representative Swanson and their teams for standing up for the most vulnerable and helping families meet unimaginable challenges with dignity, compassion, and hope.

    LifeNews Note: Ashlynn Lemos is the communications intern for Texas Right to Life.

    The post 85% of Prenatal Tests are Wrong, 90% of Those Babies are Aborted appeared first on LifeNews.com.

  37. Site: Ron Paul Institute for Peace And Prosperity
    4 days 3 min ago
    Author: RT

    What has happened to Europe? Why is its rhetoric so bombastic and militaristic? Why are Europe’s leaders so afraid of democracy? Why is the continuation of the Ukraine war so important for them? And what does any of this have to do with so-called ‘European values’?

    CrossTalking with Mats Nilsson, James Pearce, and Daniel McAdams.

    !function(r,u,m,b,l,e){r._Rumble=b,r[b]||(r[b]=function(){(r[b]._=r[b]._||[]).push(arguments);if(r[b]._.length==1){l=u.createElement(m),e=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0],l.async=1,l.src="https://rumble.com/embedJS/ujcwo5"+(arguments[1].video?'.'+arguments[1].video:'')+"/?url="+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+"&args="+encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify([].slice.apply(arguments))),e.parentNode.insertBefore(l,e)}})}(window, document, "script", "Rumble");
    Rumble("play", {"video":"v6s71rn","div":"rumble_v6s71rn"});
  38. Site: Steyn Online
    4 days 4 min ago
    Programming note: Please join Mark tomorrow, Saturday, for his Serenade Radio weekend music show, On the Town at 5pm British Summer Time - which is 6pm in Western Europe and 12 noon North American Eastern. You can listen from almost anywhere on the
  39. Site: Steyn Online
    4 days 4 min ago
    Programming note: Tomorrow, Saturday, please join me for another eclectic edition of my Serenade Radio weekend music show, Mark Steyn on the Town, surveying the scene from French opera to Jamaican reggae. The broadcast starts at 5pm British Summer Time
  40. Site: Ron Paul Institute - Featured Articles
    4 days 11 min ago
    Author: Eric Margolis

    Mutzig, France – First stop on my annual visit to France’s mighty Maginot Line forts is this lovely Alsatian town. Mutzig was built by the Germans 1893-1916 to defend against enemy approaches to the important city of Strasbourg. It was – and remains – the largest modern fortress in Europe.

    The vast fortress, which covers over 800 acres, was never attacked during World War I by the Germans or French. But as Europe’s first important fortress made of concrete and fully electrified, it was eagerly studied by French engineers and served as a template for the Maginot Line forts two decades later.

    Both world wars showed the vulnerability of fixed fortifications. An enemy will always find a way round them or discover a fatal weakness. In regard to the 200-mile-long Maginot Line, the forts did not fail. They held out to the bitter end. The reason for France’s stunning defeat in 1940 was the failure of its field army and its blockheaded generals. Interestingly, a French parliamentary deputy with the effervescent name of Perrier precisely predicted where the Germans would break through the Ardennes Forest in 1940.

    Though vulnerable, the fixed defenses of the Maginot Line were hugely popular in France and wildly overestimated because they involved huge construction projects for many of the villages and factories along France’s eastern border with Germany. Just as New Deal make-work projects boosted the United States during the Great Depression.

    We see a similar mania in the response to President Donald Trump’s plan to create a national ‘golden dome’ defensive shield to protect the nation from assorted nuclear threats. In many ways, it’s a re-run of President Ronald Reagan’s Star Wars missile shield which never got off the ground but was extremely popular among the public.

    Frederick the Great of Prussia noted, ‘he who defends everything, defends nothing.’ As true today as it was in the 18th century.

    A national missile defense system to cover the entire nation would be impossibly expensive for a nation already deeply mired in debt. The always powerful military-industrial complex will see Trump’s golden dome fantasy as a second Christmas though the basic technology has yet to be proven.

    One wonders if the proponents of this defensive system have noticed that Russia has developed ballistic missiles that can alter course, change altitudes and switch targets? Or that China has ICBM’s aboard freighters in the Pacific. What about evolving electronic countermeasures that can fry enemy communications and guidance systems?

    It would be far more prudent for the US to pursue disarmament talks and effective inspection regimes with its rivals than pie in the sky defensive systems that will certainly enrich military companies but fail to protect North America. What’s more, having even a partial anti-missile system will likely make the US more aggressive and prone to wars.

    Better to spend the trillions on curing cancer or blindness than on space wizardry. Alas, we have a view of what awaits us. This week, Trump banned people from 12 mostly Muslims nations and imposed restrictions on 7 nations. Good work Mr. President. You and your New York City construction buddies have now made enemies of a quarter of the world’s population.

    Reprinted with permission from EricMargolis.com.

  41. Site: LifeNews
    4 days 17 min ago
    Author: Brad Mattes

    New evidence shows a widescale coverup regarding the dangers of chemical abortion pills.

    A new peer-reviewed study by Charlotte Lozier Institute examined nearly 29,000 visits to emergency rooms by women who within 30 days had undergone either a surgical or chemical abortion.

    The research revealed widespread miscoding of these ER visits. Women who were suffering serious effects of chemical abortion were often coded as having a miscarriage.

    SUPPORT LIFENEWS! If you want to help fight abortion, please donate to LifeNews.com!

    This in itself is not surprising but the sheer scale of deceit is stunning.

    • The study revealed 79% of abortion pill ER visits were likely to be miscoded as miscarriages comparted with surgical abortions.
    • Between 2016 and 2021 almost 84% of abortion pill ER visits were miscoded.

    There’s more. Every case examined looked at acuity, meaning the measurement of the severity and complexity of each woman’s condition.

    • The miscoded ER visits were 50% more likely to be high acuity when compared with correctly coded visits.

    What accounts for this pervasive deception?

    Those involved with the wholesale marketing and peddling of abortion pills, usually with no medical supervision, routinely and publicly tell women that if they require immediate medical attention to lie at the ER to cover up the abortion. Why? Because they are keenly aware of the high number of women who suffer serious and often life-threatening side effects. Making them of record is bad for business.

    This duplicity runs deeper. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists actually advise medical personnel to not ask women if their urgent health condition is the result of chemical abortion. They claim this is to shield the women legally even though states protect women from prosecution.

    Recent research uncovered that nearly one in 11 women who use abortion pills seek medical treatment. A frequent complication is that parts of the baby and/or placenta remain behind after a drug-induced abortion. This requires an additional abortion attempt.

    Deceit in the ER impairs a doctor’s ability to fully and effectively treat her condition. Dr. James Studnicki, one of the study’s authors, called the situation “a public health crisis.”

    Just days ago, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley published a letter on X. He had asked Dr. Marty Makary, Commissioner of the FDA to do a full review of the safety of chemical abortion pills. Dr. Makary responded that he would. This should give heartburn to the abortion industry and its supporters. For the last decade they and the former leadership of the FDA have been guilty of hiding the serious negative impact abortion pills have on women. Currently, abortionists need only report the complication of death.

    The pills designed to kill preborn children can’t stand up to impartial scrutiny because at an alarming rate they are harming the health, fertility and lives of unsuspecting women. Further, there is considerable evidence these dangerous pills are used by sexual predators to cover up criminal activity.

    This conspiracy has the potential to be the largest medical deception of our time with grave implications for millions of women and their babies.

    LifeNews.com Note: Bradley Mattes is the President of Life Issues Institute, a national pro-life educational group.

    The post The Abortion Pill is So Dangerous, Thousands of Women are Going to the ER appeared first on LifeNews.com.

  42. Site: OnePeterFive
    4 days 25 min ago
    Author: T. S. Flanders

    The Crusade of Eucharistic Reparation is a lay sodality run by OnePeterFive in partnership with Benedictus and LatinMass.com (Mass of the Ages). This crusade was called by His Excellency, Bishop Athanasius Schneider in June of 2020 in response to the profanations of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament during the COVID crisis. Now he has also added the intention of the reversal of Traditionis…

    Source

  43. Site: LifeNews
    4 days 1 hour ago
    Author: Rachel Quackenbush

    Zack and Lindsay Knotts have filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, following Zack’s arrest during a pro-life demonstration outside the Northeast Ohio Women’s Center on December 28, 2024.

    The case stems from an incident in which Zack was arrested for using a battery-powered megaphone to share his pro-life message from a public sidewalk. According to the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which represents him, the megaphone was quieter than surrounding traffic, while abortion clinic escorts allegedly used whistles and kazoos in an attempt to drown out Zack’s megaphone.

    Despite this, the ACLJ stated, only Zack was arrested for violating a Cuyahoga Falls Ordinance which prohibits “unreasonable noise” that causes “inconvenience or annoyance to persons of ordinary sensibilities.” The ACLJ argues that the ordinance lacks clear standards and was applied selectively in this instance.

    The legal team pointed out that officers who made the arrest arrived after the megaphone had already stopped working, leaving them without any direct observation of its use. Because of this, the organization argues, police had no way of assessing whether the volume exceeded any legal limits.

    Click here to sign up for pro-life news alerts from LifeNews.com

    In addition, the ACLJ noted that the police relied solely on the account of one witness — an off-duty, private security officer employed by the abortion center — and did not interview any others, a detail the group argues presents a conflict of interest.

    ACLJ’s case also includes allegations that the Knotts couple were subjected to threats from individuals on site, including a statement directed at Zack to “suck-start a shotgun.” During a prior encounter, Zack had shared that his mother-in-law once considered abortion while pregnant with his now wife, saying that if she had gone through with it, his wife “should be dead.” According to the ACLJ, an escort responded, “We can fix that.”

    The ACLJ noted that when Lindsay reported these threats to law enforcement, officers stated that the comments did not constitute a crime.

    Zack’s charges were ultimately dismissed at the start of the trial, as CatholicVote previously reported. However, the ACLJ maintains that the legal action had already created a deterrent effect on the Knotts’ future speech.

    “The arrest, prosecution, and ongoing threat of future enforcement have already achieved the government’s apparent goal: silencing disfavored speech,” the ACLJ wrote.

    The lawsuit seeks a court declaration that the ordinance is unconstitutional, a permanent injunction against its enforcement, the return of Zack’s megaphone, and compensation for alleged violations.

    LifeNews Note: Rachel Quackenbush writes for CatholicVote, where this column originally appeared.

    The post Arrested for Protesting Abortion, One Pro-Life Family is Fighting Back appeared first on LifeNews.com.

  44. Site: Zero Hedge
    4 days 1 hour ago
    Author: Tyler Durden
    Is DEI DOA? Supreme Court Unanimously Rejects Added Burden For Whites In Discrimination Lawsuits

    Authored by Jonathan Turley,

    Yesterday, the Supreme Court handed down three major cases with unanimous decisions. One, Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, raises additional questions over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs that have been widely used in higher education and businesses. There is no reason to believe that DEI measures are DOA, but the decision is likely to accelerate challenges based reverse discrimination after the Court rejected the imposition of an added burden for members of any “majority group” including straight, white males.

    The immediate question before the Court was a circuit split over the standard that applies to a member of a “majority” group who claims that he or she was treated unfairly based on majority characteristics. The Sixth Circuit, along with four other circuits, held that such litigants must shoulder additional pleading burdens under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

    Many of us long argued that this long-standing rule was itself discriminatory and at odds with both constitutional and statutory authority. It was a bizarre interpretation of a law that barred employees from discriminating based on “race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.”  That would ordinarily require a plaintiff to support a claim of disparate treatment by showing that she applied for a position for which she was qualified but was rejected under circumstances giving rise to an inference of unlawful discrimination. However, judges began to add their own burden of white, male or straight litigants in requiring them to show additional “background circumstances” that show the defendant is an “unusual employer” that discriminates against majority groups.

    In this case, Marlean Ames, a heterosexual woman, claimed that she was demoted at the Ohio Department of Youth Services after Ginine Trim, a gay woman, replaced her supervisor. Trim hired a younger gay man allegedly based on her sexual orientation and sex. Both the district court and the Sixth Circuit dismissed the complaint because Ames failed to identify any other “background circumstances” that demonstrated her employer discriminated against heterosexual women.

    Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote for a unanimous Supreme Court that reversed the Sixth Circuit and rejected the “additional circumstances” test as at odds with the plain text of Title VII.

    “As a textual matter, Title VII’s disparate-treatment provision draws no distinctions between majority-group plaintiffs and minority-group plaintiffs. Rather, the provision makes it unlawful “to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” The “law’s focus on individuals rather than groups [is] anything but academic.” Bostock v. Clayton County (2020). By establishing the same protections for every “individual”—without regard to that individual’s membership in a minority or majority group—Congress left no room for courts to impose special requirements on majority-group plaintiffs alone.”

    Justice Thomas, joined by Justice Gorsuch, filed a concurrence that chastised lower courts and “judges creating atextual legal rules and frameworks.”

    The opinion has broader implications for businesses and higher education where DEI has been used to brush aside such reverse discrimination claims. Often such claims are mocked as suggesting that members of a majority group are “victims.” While not imposing this specific “add-on,” these controversies involve much of the same bias against reverse discrimination claims. Litigants complain that they often face greater demand and resistance to their claims as opposed to employees who are part of minority groups.

    The Ames decision is a welcome development in bringing greater uniformity in the treatment of discrimination claims. It is also a shot across the bow of businesses and universities that have used DEI to dismiss the countervailing interests and claims of majority-group employees.

    Here is the decision: Ames v. Ohio Dep’t of Youth Services

    Tyler Durden Fri, 06/06/2025 - 08:40
  45. Site: LifeNews
    4 days 1 hour ago
    Author: Dave Andrusko

    Three days after FDA Commissioner Marty Makary promised to “closely monitor the post-marketing safety data on mifepristone for the medical termination of early pregnancy” and a week after National Right to Life wrote Commissioner Makary urging him to reexamine “studies not sponsored by the abortion industry,” four Democrat-led states asked the FDA to remove what pitifully weak “limitations” still exist.

    The attorneys general of California, New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey filed a petition Thursday saying the “limitations” are “medically unnecessary.”

    The FDA “must follow the science and lift these unnecessary barriers that put patients at risk and push providers out of care,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said Thursday, citing the abortion medication’s alleged “25-year safety record.”

    Click here to sign up for pro-life news alerts from LifeNews.com

    Their strategy was outlined in the always compliant and agreeable New York Times.

    “The F.D.A. is required to respond to the petition within 180 days by granting or denying the request, or saying it needs more time,” according to the New York Times’s Pam Belluck. Belluck, who “covers reproductive health,” added, “it would prevent the F.D.A. from changing mifepristone regulations while the petition is pending.”

    New Jersey Right to Life Executive Director Marie Tasy blasted state Attorney General Matthew Platkin.

    Attorney General Platkin once again prioritizes the interests of the abortion lobby over the safety and well-being of women. The FDA’s decision to review the safety of the abortion pill comes in response to studies revealing severe adverse effects experienced by many women—including sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, and other serious medical complications within 45 days of taking the drug. Women deserve leaders who advocate for their health and safety, not activist attorneys general who use their office to advance the agenda of the abortion industry.

    NRLC writes the FDA

    In its letter to Commissioner Makary, NRLC wrote that the FDA had “deregulated” mifepristone “in 2016, 2021, and 2023 so it can now be prescribed online without an in-person physical examination, shipped by mail to women’s homes or made available for pickup at local pharmacies, creating significant concerns over its safety and oversight.”

    The letter cited the new study by the Ethics & Public Policy Center (EPPC) which concluded that “10.93 percent of women experienced complications,” 22 times the less-than-one-percent touted by sponsors of the abortion pill.

    The letter ended

    It isn’t merely that people need assurances that the FDA is ensuring that unsafe, ineffective drugs are kept off the market, but that women are entitled to know the truth about drugs the abortion industry is aggressively, and we believe dishonestly, promoting.

    Both mothers and their children need to be protected from false advertising about what these drugs are and what they do. States which wish to protect those women and their unborn children from these dangerous drugs should be able to do so without having to fight the FDA’s official but erroneous assertions of the drug’s safety and efficacy.

    Even with its limited reporting and a less than cooperative abortion industry, the FDA itself already knows of at least three dozen deaths and thousands of serious adverse events experienced by American women this past 25 years. Please put an end to this moral and medical travesty before more women and their innocent unborn children die or are injured.

    LifeNews.com Note: Dave Andrusko is the editor of National Right to Life News and an author and editor of several books on abortion topics. He frequently writes Today’s News and Views — an online opinion column on pro-life issues.

    The post Democrat AGs Push for Abortion on Demand With No Limits appeared first on LifeNews.com.

  46. Site: The Josias
    4 days 1 hour ago
    Author: J.P. Barnas

    Our hosts, Fr. Jon Tveit and Amanda, are joined by Gideon Lazar for a conversation about Pope Leo XIII, his pontificate, writings, and whether there will be a Leonine revival under our newly elected pontiff, Leo XIV.

    Bibliography:

    Header Image: Biagio Barzotti, Pope Leo XIII with Cardinals: Rampolla, Parochi, Bonaparte and Sacconi (c. 1890).

    If you have questions or comments, please send them to editors(at)thejosias.com.

    Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

    Many thanks to our generous supporters on Patreon, who enable us to pay for podcast hosting. If you have not yet joined them, please do so. You can set up a one-tim

  47. Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
    4 days 1 hour ago
    Author: pcr3

    The Ever-widening War

    Paul Craig Roberts

    Scott Ritter says the attack on Russia’s strategic bombers was a British operation that the CIA knew about.  https://www.youtube.com/live/5p_faUdJT3w 

    According to the White House, Trump was not informed.  As Russian war doctrine calls for a strategic response to such an attack, both British and US intelligence risked launching a nuclear attack on the country or countries that Russia decided was responsible.

    In other words, security agencies, not the president or Congress can launch a nuclear war.  A stop must be put to the unaccountability of “security agencies” as clearly they have an independence of action that makes us very insecure.

    Putin avoided his responsibility as defined by Russian war doctrine by classifying the attacks as terrorism and not acts of war. Putin substituted pretense for reality and has accepted an attack on Russia’s triad of nuclear forces as a non-event in order to keep alive the Kremlin’s unrealistic hopes of a peace deal that could turn into a broader agreement.

    The ever-widening war continues to widen. The consequence of Putin’s good will is likely to be more provocative attacks. Sooner or later Russia will have to respond or surrender.

     

    Can Reality Any Longer Be Acknowledged?

    Paul Craig Roberts

    https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2025/06/05/can-reality-any-longer-be-acknowledged/ 

    The attack on Russian strategic forces by Ukraine, with or without President Trump’s knowledge and with or without help from Washington and the British, could have been the most dangerous event in East-West relations during my lifetime.  The reason is that recently revised Russian war doctrine states that an attack, even by a non-nuclear country, on the Russian strategic triad requires a strategic response.  Strategic usually means nuclear or at least a disabling response.  

    Putin dodged the responsibility (more later), but no one knew for certain that he would.  In other words, whoever is responsible for the attack on Russia’s strategic bombers subjected Ukraine, Europe, the US to the possibility of nuclear attack, depending on whom the Russians decided was responsible.  This person or persons is a madman, a maniac who must be identified and removed from his position.  Try to imagine how it is possible for, say Zelensky, to launch an attack that could result in nuclear war between the US and Russia.  How can control over whether or not the US faces nuclear war be in the hands of Zelensky?  If Zelensky is responsible, the US and NATO have a massive failure in command and control.  If Trump or someone in the Trump administration gave the green light, they should be removed for committing the most potentially dangerous act during my lifetime.

    The extraordinarily reckless and extremely dangerous attack on Russia’s nuclear triad is being treated by all concerned as a nothing event, a mere terrorist act, not an act of war.  The fact that there is no acknowledgement in Washington, Europe, Moscow, or the media of the seriousness of an attack on Russian strategic forces, and thereby no measures put in place to prevent such dangerous acts, means either full scale, not proxy, war between Russia and the West or Russia’s surrender. Perhaps Putin would like to surrender in order to avoid nuclear war, but he won’t be permitted to surrender.

    Putin took the lead in burying the seriousness of the attack on Russia’s nuclear triad.  By designating the attack a “terrorist act” he evades the responsibility that Russian strategic doctrine imposes on him for a strategic response.  

    Nothing of consequence has happened, says the President of Russia. Amen say Washington and Europe. Therefore, whoever is responsible for the attack knows that the next attack can go further. It too will be unacknowledged as an act of war.

    How many times can Putin pretend that attacks on Russia’s sovereignty, which is what attacks on Russia’s nuclear triad are, are mere terrorist events before he discredits himself with the Russian people?  

    The purpose of the recent revision of Russian strategic doctrine was to discourage or prevent attacks by Western proxies such as Ukraine on Russian strategic forces. It failed because Putin has taught the West not to take him seriously.  He is ever ready to turn the other cheek.  Now Putin has shown that he will not acknowledge attacks on Russian strategic forces as anything other than a terrorist event, not an act of war.  So Putin has negated Russian strategic doctrine.  It means nothing.  Now that the West knows this, Russia can expect escalating provocations.  All of Putin’s good intentions have ended in disaster, and a major war will be the consequence.

    It could be that Russia is doomed.  Decades of successful Western propaganda have turned most of the Russian professional and intellectual class into Atlanticist Integrationists. They think that Russia belongs as part of the West and are willing to make concessions of sovereignty to be part of the West.  Clearly this point of view is strong in the Kremlin and the Russian Foreign Ministry.

    The zionist American neoconservatives are very much aware of this Russian weakness, and they are adept at taking advantage of it. They don’t have to do much, because Putin does their work for them. 

    Putin has declared Ukraine to be conducting terrorism, not war, against Russia.  Putin’s declaration also absolves Washington and Europe for any responsibility.

    Here are English language Russian headlines of Putin’s hiding from reality that apparently he is unable to face up to.  Or perhaps he is not yet ready, being at work constructing a powerful military that US/NATO cannot resist. 

    “‘Illegitimate Kiev regime’ turning into terrorist organization” – Putin

    “The latest terrorist acts carried out by Ukraine in Russia are the outcome of decisions made by the Ukrainian political leadership.”  Putin added that “the decisions to carry out such crimes were, of course, made in Ukraine” by the political leadership in Ukraine. In other words, Washington and Europe have no responsibility for the act of war, which is not an act of war, but merely terrorism.  https://www.rt.com/russia/618651-kiev-regime-rejecting-peace/    

    In other words, the Kremlin has said that Washington and Europe have nothing to do with the attack on Russia’s strategic triad, and that Ukraine is merely creating terrorist incidents, not making war against Russia. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/01/31/russia-ukraine-rubio-trump/? utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=wp_opinions 

    I find it hard to believe that Putin is this stupid.  My bet is that he is not yet ready.  He keeps the minor Ukraine conflict going while he builds up to remove NATO from Russian borders.

    Trump can remove the coming conflict by giving Putin the mutual security agreement Russia has been requesting for years.  This would be the costless solution, but Trump is not really in power, and the power and profit of the US military/security complex needs the Russian Enemy.

    So, how will a devastating war be avoided?  Information such as I have just presented is banned by the official narratives.  The American foreign policy community avoids it like the plague.  

  48. Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
    4 days 1 hour ago
    Author: pcr3

    The Camp of the Saints

    Whites to become minority in UK in 40 years

    The British government is destroying the British.

    White people can’t afford to have children. They are taxed too heavily in order to support immigrant-invaders.

    https://www.rt.com/news/618666-study-whites-to-become-minority-uk/ 

  49. Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
    4 days 1 hour ago
    Author: pcr3

    In Latvia if you watch Russian TV they put you in prison

    https://www.rt.com/russia/618630-latvia-russian-tv-channels-arrest/ 

  50. Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
    4 days 1 hour ago
    Author: pcr3

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