Assuredly, the word of truth can be painful and uncomfortable. But it is the way to holiness, to peace, and to inner freedom. A pastoral approach which truly wants to help the people concerned must always be grounded in the truth. In the end, only the truth can be pastoral.
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Site: Zero HedgeFTC Warns Of Rising Student Loan Scams, Says Fraudsters Took Millions From BorrowersTyler Durden Sun, 06/08/2025 - 10:30
Authored by Chase Smith via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning borrowers to steer clear of student loan debt-relief scams, after shutting down a group of companies last month that allegedly charged millions in illegal fees and left customers worse off.
Graduates attend a commencement ceremony at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on May 29, 2025. Rick Friedman/AFP via Getty Images
The warning, issued June 6, comes as part of a broader push by the FTC to raise awareness about deceptive debt-relief schemes targeting Americans with student loans.
In a recent enforcement action, the agency permanently banned California-based Panda Benefit Services and its affiliates from the debt-relief industry. The FTC said the companies posed as partners of the Department of Education and promised borrowers quick loan forgiveness in exchange for upfront payments.
According to the FTC, the companies collected more than $16.7 million from consumers who were told their loans would be forgiven or significantly reduced. Instead, the scammers kept the money and never delivered on their promises.
“It’s illegal for anyone to charge fees before they help you or to pretend they’re affiliated with the Department of Education,” the FTC said in the consumer alert.
The Education Department does not work with private companies that demand payment in advance, and borrowers should be cautious of anyone claiming otherwise.
The now-banned companies, including those doing business under names like Prosperity Benefit Services and Pacific Quest Services, were first sued in 2024. At the time, the FTC alleged the operators sent deceptive mailers marked “FINAL NOTICE” and “Time Sensitive,” and made false promises of full loan forgiveness.
Borrowers were also misled into sharing personal financial details, including their Federal Student Aid ID, which scammers could use to access accounts or steal identities.
The case was one of the FTC’s first under a new federal rule that strengthens its ability to penalize those impersonating government agencies. Several judgments in the case ordered the defendants to surrender assets and banned them from telemarketing and making misrepresentations about financial services.
The FTC emphasized that no private company can do anything for borrowers that they can’t do themselves for free at StudentAid.gov. This includes applying for income-driven repayment plans, consolidating loans, or exploring forgiveness options—none of which require payment to third-party services.
Federal law also prohibits companies from pretending to be affiliated with the Department of Education. But scammers frequently misuse official-sounding names and seals to appear legitimate.
Borrowers struggling to repay federal loans can explore free options, including deferment, forbearance, and income-driven repayment plans. In some cases, they may also qualify for forgiveness based on long-term payment history or employment in public service.
The agency is urging the public to report suspected scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, contact their state attorney general, and find out more at ftc.gov/StudentLoans.
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Site: Steyn OnlineIn case you missed it, here's how the last seven days looked at SteynOnline...
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Site: Steyn OnlineProgramming note: Mark will be back in audio on Friday with the latest entry to our series of audio adventures, Tales for Our Time. ~If you missed today's Serenade Radio broadcast of our audio Song of the Week, here's a chance to catch up. In this show
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Site: Zero HedgeWill Beijing De-Dollarize Or Dump US Treasury Debt?Tyler Durden Sun, 06/08/2025 - 09:20
Authored by Milton Ezrati via The Epoch Times,
Anticipating what tactics Beijing might use against U.S. President Donald Trump amid trade negotiations, several media outlets here, in Europe, and elsewhere have begun to speculate that China will threaten to distance its economy and its trade from the dollar—de-dollarize in the popular parlance—and perhaps sell off its extensive holdings of U.S. Treasury debt.
Neither act, however, is at all likely, certainly not as an immediate bargaining chip.
It is easy to see why commentators would seize on notions like de-dollarization. Beijing for years has sought to raise the yuan’s international profile, often at the expense of the U.S. dollar. In its wide-ranging Belt and Road Initiative, for instance, it often insists that arrangements and contracts are denominated in yuan and not dollars, as is customary elsewhere.
Beijing has promoted the idea of moving away from the dollar among the so-called BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank denominates loans and grants in yuan, not dollars. Beijing has contracted for large oil purchases in yuan, not dollars. Its extensive dealings with Russia dispense with the use of dollars. And the People’s Bank of China has aided the effort by promoting a digital yuan.
But Beijing is also well aware that China, as an export-dependent economy, must hold dollars to back its trading activities with most nations.
For all Beijing’s efforts to supplant the dollar with the yuan, the dollar nonetheless acts as a basis for 80 percent of the world’s import-export activity, even when Americans are not involved. The dollar has a presence in 90 percent of all currency transactions, compared with only 4 percent for the yuan.
China could shed the dollar and still have access to global trading and currency arrangements, but it would have to accept much less effective and efficient arrangements to do so.
In other words, de-dollarization would hurt China much more than it would hurt the United States, and both Beijing and Washington know this.
Nor is China likely to threaten the sale of its holdings of U.S. Treasury debt.
There is no denying that China’s holdings are huge. Some estimates put the figure at just under $1 trillion, second only to Japan’s holdings of about $1.13 trillion. This would seem to give Beijing leverage, but all involved know that the sale of these holdings would deny China a liquid market in which to invest its necessary holdings of U.S. dollars.
Moreover, an extensive sale would depress the price of U.S. Treasury bonds, imposing losses on Beijing’s balance sheet at a time when China’s domestic economic troubles make such a loss especially hard to bear. To be sure, such a sell-off would hurt Washington, but it would hurt Beijing even more, and both sides know it.
Beijing also knows that China’s interests would suffer from the tendency for any of these steps to weaken the dollar’s foreign exchange value and strengthen the yuan. In these circumstances, China’s central authorities would do better to weaken the yuan’s foreign exchange value, especially against the dollar. Such an action would make Chinese goods cheaper to dollar-based buyers and accordingly offset some of the adverse pricing impact of existing and threatened U.S. tariffs.
Instead, the yuan has recently gained value against the dollar. Beijing could reverse this trend if it were to talk down the currency actively by publicly eschewing de-dollarization and any talk of selling off holdings of U.S. Treasury debt.
It hardly warrants saying that matters today remain highly uncertain.
Trump’s next move is impossible to guess, as is Beijing’s.
For all the uncertainty, however, it is still possible to set aside all the talk of de-dollarization and asset sell-offs, for the very practical reasons outlined here and also because Beijing, in these ongoing negotiations, has zero interest in antagonizing Washington.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.
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Site: AsiaNews.itAt Pentecost Mass, exhortation to welcome the Holy Spirit who breaks down walls and prejudices between peoples: 'Where there is love there is no room for the exclusion that emerges from political nationalisms.At last night's vigil, message to movements and associations gathered for their Jubilee: "Evangelization is not a human conquest of the world".
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Site: AsiaNews.itLaunched in 1975 as a Lenten gesture, over the years it has become an ongoing form of support for the activities of the 85 social action centres of the Philippine Church.And to mark the anniversary, Caritas has launched a campaign to engage one million Filipinos in a monthly donation.Bishop of Kidapawan Msgr Bagaforo: "Seed of hope and compassion".
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Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
The Israeli Attack on the USS Liberty — Paul Craig Roberts
July 26, 2016 | Categories: Articles & Columns | Tags: | Print This ArticleThe Israeli Attack on the USS Liberty
Paul Craig Roberts
Introduction: For a number of years Admiral Thomas Moorer, former Chief of Naval Operations and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was my colleague at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Tom, after whom the F-14 Tomcat fighter is named, expressed to me his concern that US politics and foreign policy was in the clutches of Israel and that America was being led into war with the Arab Middle East. Admiral Moorer and the State Department and Pentagon at that time did not think that war with the Arab countries served the interests of the United States. However, Admiral Moorer thought that the war could not be avoided because of the hold Israel has over the US government.
What convinced him of this was Washington’s coverup of the 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty which resulted in 208 killed and wounded Americans. Tom was disheartened that Admiral John S. McCain Jr., the father of the current US senator, for career reasons had cooperated with the coverup. Tom worried that careerism had destroyed the integrity of the US military.Last month was the 49th anniversary of the Israeli attack on the American ship. I raised the issue of the USS Liberty eight or nine years ago in a syndicated newspaper column, which, as I suspected would be the case, only a few news sources dared to publish. However, the article editor at Hustler magazine saw the article and contacted me. He said that Hustler was popular among US sailors and now that they were again thrust into needless war they should be aware that the US government could sell them out without notice. Would I write the USS Liberty story for the sailors so they would be aware of the betrayal that might await them?
I had already seen that Admiral Moorer’s prediction that Israel would have us in war against the Arabs had come true. I still hear his bitter statement that “no American president can stand up to Israel.” Tom was deeply wounded by the betrayal of the US Navy by the Commander-in-Chief. The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff was powerless before the Israel Lobby.
I understood that to take on this task meant much work. I would have to hunt down USS Liberty survivors and interview them. I would have to find Captain Ward Boston and a pilot or commander of the rescue fighters that Washington called back, denying protection to the American sailors aboard the USS Liberty. They would have to be willing to talk. I undertook the task, and the story is below.
Surviving Sailors Break Their Silence 40 Years After Israeli Attack on US Navy Ship
PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS Hustler Magazine, July 2008June 8, 1967 — the fourth day of the Six Day War between Israel and Egypt, Syria and Jordan — was a beautiful day in the Mediterranean. The USS Liberty was in international waters off the coast of Egypt. Israeli aircraft had flown over the USS Liberty in the morning and had reported that the ship was American. The crew, in close proximity to the war zone, was reassured by the presence of Israeli aircraft. But at 2:00 p.m. sailors sunbathing on the deck saw fighter jets coming at them in attack formation. Red flashes from the wings of the fighters were followed by explosions, blood and death. A beautiful afternoon suddenly became a nightmare. Who was attacking the USS Liberty and why? The attack on the Liberty was an attack on America.
The Liberty was an intelligence ship. Its purpose was to monitor Soviet and Arab communications in order to warn both Israel and Washington should the Soviets enter the war on behalf of its Arab allies. The Liberty was armed only with four machineguns to repel boarders. Its request for a destroyer escort had been denied.
The assault on the Liberty is well documented. With no warning, the Liberty was attacked by successive waves of unmarked jets using cannon, rockets and napalm. The attacking jets jammed all of the US communications frequencies, an indication they knew the Liberty was an American ship.
The air attack failed to sink the Liberty. About 30 minutes into the attack three torpedo boats appeared flying the Star of David. The Israeli boats were not on a rescue mission. They attacked the Liberty with cannon, machineguns and torpedoes. One torpedo struck the Liberty mid-ship, instantly killing 25 Americans while flooding the lower decks. The Israeli torpedo boats destroyed the life rafts the Liberty launched when the crew prepared to abandon ship, sending the message there would be no survivors.
At approximately 3:15 two French-built Israeli helicopters carrying armed Israeli troops appeared over the Liberty. Phil Tourney could see their faces only 50/60 feet away. He gave them the finger. Surviving crewmembers are convinced the Israelis were sent to board and kill all survivors.
The Israeli jets destroyed the Liberty‘s communication antennas. While under attack from the jets, crewmembers strung lines that permitted the ship to send a call for help. The USS Saratoga and the USS America launched fighters to drive off the attacking aircraft, but the rescue mission was aborted by direct orders from Washington.
When the Liberty notified the Sixth Fleet it was again under attack, this time from surface ships, the Fleet commander ordered the carriers America and Saratoga to launch fighters to destroy or drive off the attackers. The order was unencrypted and picked up by Israel, which immediately called off its attack. The torpedo boats and the hovering helicopters sped away. Israel quickly notified Washington that it had mistakenly attacked an American ship, and the US fighters were recalled a second time.
The USS Liberty suffered 70% casualties, with 34 killed and 174 wounded. Although the expensive state of the art ship was kept afloat by the heroic crew, it later proved unsalvageable and was sold as scrap.
Why didn’t help come?No explanation has ever been given by the US government for Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and President Lyndon B. Johnson’s orders for the Sixth Fleet to abort the rescue mission. Lt. Commander David Lewis of the Liberty told colleagues that Admiral L. R. Geis, commander of the Sixth Fleet carrier force, told him that when he challenged McNamara’s order to recall the rescue mission, LBJ came on the line and said he didn’t care if the ship sank, he wasn’t going to embarrass an ally. The communications officer handling the transmission has given the same account.
A BBC documentary on the Israeli raid reports that confusion about the attacker’s identity almost resulted in a US assault on Egypt. Richard Parker, US political counsel in Cairo, confirms in the BBC documentary that he received official communication that an American retaliatory attack on Egypt was on its way.
The US government’s official position on the USS Liberty corresponds with Israel’s: The attack was unintentional and a result of Israeli blunders. This is the official position despite the fact that CIA Director Richard Helms, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Assistant Secretary of State Lucius Battle, and a long list of US Navy officers, government officials and Liberty survivors are on record saying the Israeli attack was intentional.
According to Helms, Battle and the minutes of a White House meeting, President Johnson believed the attack was intentional. Helms says LBJ was furious and complained when The New York Times buried the story on page 29, but that Johnson decided he had to publicly accept Israel’s explanation. “The political pressure was too much,” Helms said
US communications personnel, intelligence analysts and ambassadors report having read US intercepts of Israeli orders to attack the Liberty. In one intercept an Israeli pilot reports that the Liberty is an American ship and asks for a repeat and clarification of his orders to attack an American ship. One Israeli who identified himself as one of the pilots later came to America and met with US Representative Pete McCloskey and Liberty survivors. The pilot said he had refused to participate in the attack when he saw it was an American ship. He was arrested upon returning to base.The Liberty flew the US flag. The ship’s markings, GTR-5, measured several feet in height on both sides of the bow. On the stern the ship was clearly marked USS LIBERTY. Mistaking the Liberty for an Egyptian ship, as Israel claims to have done, was impossible.
Tattered flags show ferocity of the attacks
The Israelis claim the Liberty flew no flag, but two US flags full of holes from the attack exist. When the first flag was shot down, crewmen replaced it with a flag 7 feet by 13 feet. This flag with its battle scars is on display at NSA headquarters at Ft. Mead, Maryland.Admiral John S. McCain Jr., the father of the current US senator, ordered Admiral Isaac C. Kidd and Captain Ward Boston to hold a court of inquiry and to complete the investigation in only one week. In a signed affidavit Captain Boston said President Johnson ordered a cover-up and that he and Admiral Kidd were prevented from doing a real investigation. Liberty survivors were ordered never to speak to anyone about the event. Their silence was finally broken 12 years later when Lt. Commander James M. Ennes published his book, Assault on the Liberty.
It is now established fact that the attack on the Liberty was intentional and was covered up by President Johnson and every administration since. There has never been a congressional investigation, nor has the testimony of the majority of survivors ever been officially taken. Moreover, testimony that conflicted with the cover-up was deleted from the official record.
Disgusted by the US government’s official stance discounting the survivors’ reports, Admiral Tom Moorer, retired Chief of Naval Operations and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, organized the Moorer Commission to make public the known facts about the attack and cover-up. The Commission consisted of Admiral Moorer, former Judge Advocate General of the US Navy Admiral Merlin Staring, Marine Corps General Raymond G. Davis and former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia James Akins.
The Commission’s Report concluded:
“That there is compelling evidence that Israel’s attack was a deliberate attempt to destroy an American ship and kill her entire crew.
“That fearing conflict with Israel, the White House deliberately prevented the US Navy from coming to the defense of USS Liberty by recalling Sixth Fleet military rescue support while the ship was under attack.
“That surviving crew members were threatened with ‘court-martial, imprisonment or worse’ if they exposed the truth; and [the survivors] were abandoned by their own government.
“That there has been an official cover-up without precedent in American naval history.
“That a danger to our national security exists whenever our elected officials are willing to subordinate American interests to those of any foreign nation.”Why did Israel attack the Liberty? Was something super secret going on that is so damaging it must be protected at all cost?
Some experts believe Tel Aviv decided to sink the Liberty because the ship’s surveillance capability would discover Israel’s impending invasion and capture of Syria’s Golan Heights, an action opposed by Washington. Others believe Israel was concerned the Liberty would discover Israel’s massacre of hundreds of Egyptian POWs, a war crime contemporaneous with the attack on the US ship. Still others believe that Israel intended to blame the attack on Egypt in order to bring America into the war. It is known the US was providing Israel with reconnaissance and that there were joint US-Israeli covert operations against the Arabs that Washington was desperate to keep secret.
Survivors with whom I spoke said the attack was the easy part of the experience. The hard part has been living with 40 years of official cover-up and betrayal by the US government. One survivor said that he was asked to leave his Baptist church when he spoke about the Liberty, because the minister and fellow church-goers felt more loyalty to Israel than to a member of the congregation who had served his country. His church’s position was that if our government believed Israel, the survivors should also.
Survivor Phil Tourney said that “being forced to live with a cover-up is like being raped and no one will believe you.”
Survivor Gary Brummett said he “feels like someone who has been locked up for 40 years on a wrongful conviction.” Until the US government acknowledges the truth of the attack, Brummett says the survivors are forced to live with the anger and dismay of being betrayed by the country they served.Survivor Bryce Lockwood has been angry for 40 years. The torpedo that killed his shipmates, wrecked his ship and damaged his health was made in the USA.
Survivor Ernie Gallo told me he “has been haunted for four decades” by the knowledge that his commander-in-chief recalled the US fighters that could have prevented most of the Liberty‘s casualties.
Every American should be troubled by the fact that the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense prevented the US Sixth Fleet from protecting a US Navy ship and its 294-man crew from foreign attack. They should also be troubled that the President ordered the Navy to determine the attack was unintentional.
This article is based entirely on doumented sources and on interviews with six USS Liberty survivors, as well as Captain Ward Boston and Bill Knutson, the executive officer of the USS America fighter squadron dispatched on the first aborted rescue mission.
This article was reproduced in the Unz Review and other places.
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Site: Zero HedgeBank Connected To Left Wing Billionaire Giving Loans To Illegal Immigrants To Fight "Systemic Racism"Tyler Durden Sun, 06/08/2025 - 08:45
A bank connected to leftwing billionaire Tom Steyer is giving loans to illegal immigrants using a financial loophole—claiming it’s a way to fight “systemic racism", according to the Daily Wire.
Beneficial State Bank, based in Oakland, California, offers loans to immigrants without legal status by using Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) instead of Social Security numbers.
The bank says this is part of its mission to promote fairness. “Beneficial State Bank is committed to addressing financial inequalities that disproportionately affect communities of color, a result of centuries of systemic racism,” the bank said in its 2022 impact report.
“A key initiative is lending to immigrant customers who may not have Social Security numbers but possess Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers.” In 2022, it issued $25 million in auto loans to 707 ITIN borrowers
The Daily Wire writes that in 2023, the bank continued to push this strategy. “Because many financial institutions require social security numbers, people without them, such as recent immigrants to the United States, can face barriers to qualifying for the loan they need to purchase a car,” the report reads.
“The bank lends to customers with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, providing critical access to credit and expanding financial inclusion.” About 10% of its 16,000 auto loans are made this way.
The bank started by offering loans to undocumented immigrants through furniture stores, according to the Global Alliance for Banking on Values. It also lends to people with California AB 60 driver’s licenses, which are available to those who “are unable to provide proof of legal residence in the United States.”
Beneficial State Bank did not respond to questions about this. But it’s not the only bank making ITIN loans. Prysma Lending has issued over a billion dollars in these loans and hosted talks to help immigrants avoid deportation by using a “credible fear” interview.
This ITIN loan tactic also supports developments like Colony Ridge in Texas, which has been linked to illegal immigrants, including criminals.
Leaked emails from a Texas land developer show there’s a whole lending industry targeting illegal immigrants. One developer admitted, “we will not be able to sell our developments if each of our buyers have to have [social security numbers].”
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Site: Zero HedgeWhy Fishermen Are Catching Fewer Lobsters In MaineTyler Durden Sun, 06/08/2025 - 08:10
Authored by Allan Stein via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
STONINGTON, Maine—For veteran lobsterman Travis Dammier, it was the end of another trip at sea on a solo voyage to earn a living.
He was approaching home, feeling less than excited as he navigated his fishing boat, My Kassandra, through the calm waters back to the commercial port of Stonington, Maine.
Lobster fisherman Travis Dammier, 41, unloads his catch in Stonington, Maine, on May 12, 2025. As an experienced independent lobsterman, Dammier said it’s getting harder to make a living as lobster hauls shrink, costs rise, and government regulations tighten. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times
With little fanfare, the 36-foot vessel powered effortlessly toward the Greenhead Lobster Co. dock, stopping on its starboard side.
Dammier moved quickly as he secured the vessel with thick ropes.
Two dockworkers greeted him, and together they began transferring the live lobsters into large plastic containers for sale in the local market.
Dammier was pleased to return safely with his moving cargo, ready to sell in bulk, even though this landing was light at 140 pounds.
After factoring in expenses for fuel and bait, he estimated his profit at around $100 for three hours of hard labor.
He knew he needed to check more traps and make additional trips to ensure his time and effort would be worthwhile.
Dammier fondly recalled the glorious days of lobster fishing closer to shore, when daily catches could exceed 1,000 pounds and yield substantial profits.
Those years of abundance seemed they’d never end, but they eventually did.
Now, Dammier is compelled by circumstance to venture further out to sea and spend extended periods away from Stonington, about halfway up the Maine coastline.
“This time of year is brutal,” Dammier said. May is typically considered a lean month for the lobster harvest season.
New Challenges
Making a living from lobster fishing has become increasingly difficult for experienced independent lobstermen such as Dammier.
The rising costs of doing business, along with uncertain profits and declining landing volumes since the exceptional peaks of the 1990s and 2000s, all contribute to the challenges faced in this industry.
Dammier’s profound love for lobster fishing is the only constant, a passion inherited from his grandfather.
At 41, he is tall and easygoing. He wears a baseball cap and a gray hooded sweatshirt with rolled sleeves, layered underneath bright orange and yellow waterproof coveralls.
His trimmed beard gives him the appearance of a seasoned sailor; his expression is steady as he gazes out over the tranquil water.
Working alone on a lobster boat presents its unique challenges, Dammier told The Epoch Times.
Lobsterman Travis Dammier, 41, gazes out at the harbor in Stonington, Maine, on May 12, 2025. Even if he could afford to hire a deckhand, Dammier said finding qualified workers is difficult. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times
“I’ve been fishing on my own for eight years now. I’m hauling my regular hauls by myself,” he said.
He still has a scar on his right forearm from an injury he sustained when he fell overboard.
The boat ran over him, slicing his arm. He managed to pull himself back on board and survived to fish another day.
Even if he had the funds to hire an additional deckhand in these belt-tightening times, Dammier said it is difficult to find qualified workers.
“I think it’s because it is hard work,“ he said. ”These new generations just don’t have the ethic.”
He said many experienced lobstermen are leaving the business due to rising operating costs and state regulations.
He added that some of Stonington’s independent operators were “bigger dogs” in their day, but time, as well as physical wear and tear, also took a toll on them.
“I know a lot of guys who sold out over the past couple of years with all these regulations—all the doom and gloom” surrounding the future of the lobster fishing industry, Dammier said.
During the peak years of lobster fishing in Stonington, when daily catches averaged 500 to 600 pounds or more, Dammier fished closer to shore, which made his job less expensive.
“I used to fish right up in there, inside that island—right there,” he said, pointing.
It has been four years since he placed a lobster trap in those narrow shoals and put down bait north of Fog Island, northeast of Bar Harbor, about 60 miles from Stonington.
Dammier said the lobsters are no longer as abundant in these locations as they once were. He now has to travel farther and for longer, increasing costs, trips, and the risk of injury.
The lobster boat My Kassandra leaves the port harbor of Stonington, Maine, on May 12, 2025. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times
“You have to go into deeper water—go out further or first,” he said.
Along Maine’s rugged 228-mile coastline, filled with forested islands and stony inlets, lobster catches have declined for the third consecutive year, dropping from 111 million pounds in 2021, to about 87 million pounds in 2024.
Maine produces between 80 and 90 percent of the nation’s lobster supply, and Stonington is recognized as one of the leading lobster ports in the country.
With a population of 1,056, Stonington became a separate town in 1897, having previously been part of Deer Isle. It has continued to be a crucial hub of the lobster fishing industry and a tourist destination.
In 2021, the town produced 13.6 million pounds of lobster, valued at $74 million. By 2024, the amount had decreased to 11.9 million pounds, valued at $54.25 million, while lobster landings across the state totaled 86.2 million pounds, worth $528.4 million.
In 2024, the Division of Marine Resources issued 7,463 licenses for commercial and non-commercial lobster fishing in Maine’s seven coastal management zones. In addition, there were 2.5 million lobster traps in use.
What Has Changed?
Over the past century, yearly lobster catches in the state have varied greatly, falling to an all-time low of 5.3 million pounds in 1934.
Maine’s annual lobster catch hit a record high in 2016, totaling 132.6 million pounds, with a market value of $540.6 million.
Patrice McCarron, president of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, said that a common misconception is that lobsters are moving to the colder northern waters of Canada, which contributes to the depletion of Maine’s lobster stock.
“I would say the lobsters aren’t moving anywhere. It’s more that the center of abundance where they’re most available has shifted to deeper waters,” she told The Epoch Times.
A stack of lobster traps in Stonington, Maine, on May 12, 2025. In 2024, 2.5 million traps were in use across Maine’s seven coastal zones. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute, observed that ocean warming from 1984 to 2014 has caused the optimal summer temperatures for lobsters to shift northeastward.
As a result, the lobster population in southern New England fell by 78 percent, while the population in the Gulf of Maine increased by 515 percent.
The organization credited the substantial increase to successful conservation efforts.
Adult lobsters thrive in water temperatures around 50 degrees. However, temperatures above 65 degrees can stress them, negatively affecting their eight-year breeding cycle.
While there has been some warming in the Gulf of Maine, McCarron said that its ecosystem differs from southern New England’s.
“We get a lot of the Arctic melt coming into the Gulf of Maine as well. Sometimes that water sinks to the ocean bottom,” she said.
“We’ve had years of warmth, but nothing that’s outside of what a lobster would stop tolerating.”
McCarron said that a decline in lobster landings typically follows each boom, yet fishing companies become accustomed to the profitable yields.
“I think the peak was much more than we had ever really expected the resource would provide us,“ she said. “There was an expectation in the industry that at some point, the landings were going to trail off.”
Dockworkers at the Greenhead Lobster Co. prepare plastic containers to unload live lobsters from an arriving vessel, in Stonington, Maine, on May 12, 2025. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times
Soft Landings
Ron Trundy, the manager of the Stonington Lobster Co-Op, has also observed lobster catches decline from their peak highs and level out.
“Some years, it would be a little less, some more,” he said.
Trundy said that lobster fishing remains profitable, despite rising costs causing frustration among many in the industry.
He said that prices for fishing gear have increased markedly, sometimes doubling, but the fluctuating cost of lobsters does not reflect these increases.
“The investment is way higher now than even 10 years ago,” Trundy told The Epoch Times. “The expenses are very high now. The business is changing.”
Twenty years ago, the cost to build a lobster boat was around $150,000. Now, it costs between $500,000 and $600,000, Trundy said.
Before the pandemic, a wire lobster trap cost around $60. Now, lobster boat operators expect to pay as much as $150.
Read the rest here...
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Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
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Why the Truth About WW II Does Not Get Told and the Deadly Consequences of Telling Lies
Paul Craig Roberts
For many years the most widely read articles on my website were the ones exposing the false history of World War II with which Americans are indoctrinated. Indeed, all of the tales of America’s wars fed to us are false, including the First World War and Lincoln’s invasion of the Confederacy, an independent country that had seceded from the United States.
When A.J.P. Taylor blew the whistle on the fake history of World War II, it cost him his position at Oxford University. David Irvin’s histories, Churchill’s War and Hitler’s War were best sellers and widely acknowledged as definitive histories, the first history of the war resting entirely on the complete documentary record. These histories are the facts and nothing other than the facts. Nevertheless, they cost David Irving persecutions that damaged his health, stole his home, and intimidated his publishers.
Decades of writing have taught me that it is very difficult to inform people that what they know is wrong. This is particularly the case with American conservatives if you inform them that they are mistaken about something such as a war to which their patriotism is attached. Invariably, the question is: “Why are you making excuses for the enemy?”
False histories, particularly about wars, get written because the interpretation of the war has been laid down by war propaganda. The historian who tells the story is inhibited by public beliefs created by years of propaganda that attributes all crimes to the defeated enemy. As has long been known, “the victors write the history.” Writing a favorable history of a glorious victory over evil assures the historian’s success. To be a successful historian, all you have to do is to overlook inconvenient truths and tell some lies.
It does not help the truthful historian that he has all the facts. The facts are not important. Upholding the righteousness of the victor is all that counts. The reason the court historians prevail is that they uphold “our side.” The truthful historians fail because they are are seen as apologists for “the other side.” This is true even in top academic institutions, such as Oxford University which deposed Taylor and Columbia University which deposed Harry Elmer Barnes for his truthful history of World War I, The Genesis of the World War. Today anyone who tells the truth about the so-called “Civil War” is dismissed as a racist. The term “Civil War” is itself a lie. A civil war is when two sides fight for control of the government. The southern states seceded and had their own government. The Confederate States of America fought because they were invaded.
To the extent that public opinion influences politics, falsified history results in dysfunctional democracy. The propagandistic explanation of 9/11 and consequent “War on Terror” turned Muslims into a threat, and, thus, the ease with which Americans went along with wars with Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somolia, and Syria, and the ease with which Israel and its neoconservative allies have gained acceptance for war with Iran. The propaganda of the long Cold War made it easy to blame Russia for the war with Ukraine. And so on. So we have today American democracy conducting a foreign policy based entirely on lies and deceptions. This certainly indicates dysfunctional democracy.
Barnes’ book is 735 pages, and it is about events that happened prior to the births of those alive today. Irving’s World War II histories exceed 4,000 pages not counting the unpublished third volume of Churchill’s War, which we might never see as the Jews succeeded in intimidating Irving’s publishers who have made no attempt to collect the largely finished manuscript and publish it.
Obviously, a large task awaits any American who cares to bring his understanding in line with the facts. Moreover, few Americans are sufficiently educated to be able to associate the names, treaties, and events of a distant past with anything they know.
There is a short cut. The search engine on my website can be used to pull up my articles on the subject, or you can turn to Ron Unz’s latest offering — https://www.unz.com/runz/the-true-history-of-world-war-ii/ .
Unz’s article is very long for an American reader, but it brings together most everything including Hitler’s alliance with the Zionist Jews. It is a masterful presentation and much shorter than the 4,000 pages of Irving’s scholarship. For Americans who find reading a chore, Unz provides an auditory rendition of his article. It is difficult everywhere in the Western world today for anyone to be factual about World War II, but Unz doesn’t blink. Conservatives continue to push the rah-rah America version which is total bunkum, as Unz demonstrates.
World War II was long ago, ancient history to the young. So why is it important to know anything about it? The answer is that the false history continues to have adverse effects on our prospects today. Once we understand how thoroughly we have been deceived we will be open to doubts about the equally false explanations of today. In a world with nuclear weapons and engineered pandemics, false explanations can result in the termination of life on the planet.
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Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
A Cowardly Bought-and-paid-for US Government Allowed Israel to Murder US Service Men
58 years ago today, Israel attacked the USS Liberty killing and wounding 205 American Navy personnel. President Lyndon Johnson and the US Navy command turned the other cheek, covered up for Israel, and let them get away with it.
America has no greater enemy than Israel. The support that Trump and Congress give Israel amounts to treason. They openly collaborate with our enemy that has had us at war in the Middle East during the 21st century.
https://www.unz.com/article/remember-the-uss-liberty/
https://www.unz.com/pgiraldi/remember-americas-dead-on-the-uss-liberty/
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2022/06/14/another-anniversary-of-the-uss-liberty-passes-unnoticed/
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2019/06/08/this-is-what-americas-good-friend-israel-did-to-us/
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2018/06/09/remembering-uss-liberty/
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2018/06/08/israeli-attack-uss-liberty-paul-craig-roberts/
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2017/01/22/lest-forget-uss-liberty/
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Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
Satan’s Chosen People
An IDF spokesperson said yesterday that Israel is prepared to militarily confront the vessel carrying baby formula, medicine, and food to starving Palestinian children.
No government in the world is brave enough to provide a military escort to a ship of mercy.
This tells me that no government in the world is worthy of my respect.
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Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
The Heartless, Inhumane, Barbaric, Criminal, Jewish Annihilation of Palestinians and Their Homeland Has Had the Effect of Causing Some People to Find the Courage to Speak Against the Privileged and Unaccountable Jews
Donald Jeffries adds his voice in this remarkable article.
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Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
The Camp of the Saints
Trump Deploys National Guard Troops to LA After Violent Anti-ICE Demonstrations
The dumbshit Americans gave away their country.
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Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
The US Supreme Court Has Stopped Lower Courts from Permitting Discrimination Against White Heterosexual Citizens
“Diversity, equity, and inclusion” does not include white heterosexual American citizens who are excluded from the privileges given to DEI aristocrats by Democrat operatives in the judiciary and civil service.
https://freedompress.com/jackson-strikes-burden-courts-shocked/
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Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
The Unintended Consequences of Scotland’s Assisted Suicide Bill are Horrendous
In our time of political correctness, censorship, approved and disapproved speech, wide application of terrorist charges including against parents who protest at school board meetings, the bill opens the door to other conditions of life being judged unworthy of living. Already the Woke are willing to terminate all MAGA-Americans, just as the Israelis are terminating Palestine and its inhabitants.
https://freedompress.com/assisted-dying-bill-vulnerable-lives-devalued/
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Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
Director of FBI’s Home Swatted by his own agency
Who is really in charge?
Reminds me of the mayor swatted by his own police who shot the mayor’s dog and threatened his family with guns.
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Site: Zero HedgeCitigroup Reverses Course On Controversial Firearm PoliciesTyler Durden Sun, 06/08/2025 - 07:35
Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,
Citigroup reversed its policy requiring retail business clients to refrain from selling firearms to those who haven’t passed background checks, the bank announced in a June 3 statement.
Citigroup instituted the policy in March 2018. It also included restricting clients from selling high-capacity magazines and bump stocks, and selling guns to individuals under 21 years of age.
That policy has now changed. In the statement, Citibank said that following “recent Executive Orders and federal legislation that impact this area ... [it will] no longer have a specific policy as it relates to firearms.”
The bank said concerns were being raised about “fair access” to banking services, adding that the corporation is following regulatory developments, presidential executive orders, and federal legislation under the current Trump administration related to fair banking access.
“In light of those developments, we took an objective look at our policies and practices with the intent of striking the right balance between our commitment to fair and unbiased access to our products while continuing to manage all risks to the bank appropriately,” the bank added.
Furthermore, Citigroup said it will update the employee Code of Conduct and the Global Financial Access Policy, “to clearly state that we do not discriminate on the basis of political affiliation in the same way we are clear that we do not discriminate on the basis of other traits such as race and religion.”
The bank’s policy reversal follows President Donald Trump signing an executive order on Feb. 7 calling for a review of all policies, projects, rules, and government action under the Biden administration related to Second Amendment rights.
During the World Economic Forum annual summit in Davos on Jan. 22, Trump said entities aligned with conservative causes are being discriminated against by banks, and asked the sector to change its ways.
“I hope you start opening your bank to conservatives because many conservatives complain that the banks are not allowing them to do business within the bank, and that included a place called Bank of America,” Trump said, addressing Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan.
“I don’t know if the regulators mandated that, because of Biden or what, but you and Jamie [Dimon, JPMorgan Chase CEO] and everybody, I hope you open your banks to conservatives because what you’re doing is wrong.”
Protecting Gun Rights
Activist group March For Our Lives criticized Citigroup’s policy reversal as a “shameful decision” in a June 3 statement.
“Seven years ago, after 17 of my peers and teachers were murdered, Citi found the courage to say ‘no more’—no more financing gun sales to teenagers. Today, they’re saying our lives matter less than their politics,” said executive director Jackie Corin.
Citigroup’s March 2018 policy came after a man killed 17 individuals at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in February that year in one of the deadliest mass shooting incidents in American history.
Meanwhile, the Firearms Industry Trade Association welcomed Citigroup’s latest decision, the group said in a June 3 statement.
Lawrence G. Keane, senior vice president at the association, said they were “guardedly optimistic” about the bank’s announcement.
“We will see if this is a substantive change in policy or just a superficial change while Citigroup continues to discriminate in private beyond closed doors where it is harder for the public to detect.”
John Commerford, executive director at the National Rifle Association of America, Institute for Legislative Action, hailed the Citigroup policy change in a June 4 Instagram post.
The NRA “welcomes the news that Citigroup has rescinded its discriminatory debanking policies targeting gun manufacturers and dealers. Citigroup and other banks were pressured by left-wing activists to implement these measures in an attempt to restrict the lawful sale of firearms,” he said.
Commerford called on the Senate to pass the Fair Access to Banking Act, a law aimed at preventing financial institutions from “denying banking services to constitutionally protected services.” The bill was introduced in the House and Senate in February and is under consideration by lawmakers.
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Site: Novus Motus LiturgicusAfter Nicodemus’ discourse with Christ in chapter 3, he will appear two other times in the Gospel of St John. At the end of chapter 19, he comes to help Joseph of Arimathea bury the Lord, bringing myrrh and aloe. Before that, he is mentioned in chapter 7, in the passage which the Byzantine Rite reads on Pentecost Sunday. (John 7, 37-53 and 8, 12) On the last, and great day of the festivity, Gregory DiPippohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13295638279418781125noreply@blogger.com0
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Site: Zero HedgeUK Makes Solar Panels Mandatory On Most New HomesTyler Durden Sun, 06/08/2025 - 07:00
Authored by Carl Deconinck via Brussels Signal,
The “vast majority” of new homes in England will soon be fitted with solar panels as standard, UK energy secretary Ed Miliband has confirmed.
Developers warned of added costs and bureaucratic hurdles.
The announcement, part of the forthcoming Future Homes Standard set for release this autumn, aimed to slash household energy bills and nudge the UK closer to its net-zero ambitions.
Miliband, speaking to the BBC on June 6, called the plan “just common sense,” claiming solar panels could save homeowners around £530 (€629) annually, based on current energy price caps
The British Government’s proposal mandated solar panels on almost all new builds, with “rare exceptions” for homes shaded by trees or otherwise impractical for solar generation.
Unlike the previous Conservative Party government plan, which required panels to cover 40 per cent of a building’s ground area or none at all, the ruling Labour Party’s approach insisted on at least some solar coverage, even if the 40 per cent target was not met.
Miliband insisted this flexibility would ensure near-universal adoption without letting developers off the hook.
We’re kickstarting a solar rooftop revolution.
— Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) June 6, 2025
All new-build houses will come with solar panels as standard.
Delivering lower bills, energy security, and tackling the climate crisis.https://t.co/wXHwZolpiOAccording to the Home Builders Federation, which indicated support for solar integration, “burdensome” paperwork could slow down the government’s ambitious target of 1.5 million new homes by 2029.
Neil Jefferson, head of the Home Builders Federation, told the BBC that an estimated two in five new homes had solar panels and that the industry was “getting increasingly used to incorporating solar panels within the building of new homes”.
“The government just needs to take care to make sure that it does not prescribe and mandate to much on rooftops.
“If every single home needs to be applied for on an exemption basis that will slow up the delivery of desperately-needed new homes, that administration will be burdensome,” he said.
Solar Energy UK’s CEO Chris Hewett said there was a need for more trained installers to meet demand, a point echoed by industry voices calling for investment in skills to sustain this “rooftop revolution”.
Meanwhile, the government’s own figures suggested solar power, while growing from 42 per cent since 2024 and 160 per cent over the past decade, remained a minor player, trailing gas, wind and nuclear in the UK’s energy mix.
Developers estimated solar installations could add £3,000 (€3,560) to £4,000 (€4,750) to construction costs per building.
Miliband dismissed concerns that these would be passed onto buyers, claiming house prices would not rise.
The policy dovetailed with Labour’s broader green agenda, including relaxed planning rules for heat pumps and a £13.2 billion (€15.68 billion) insulation scheme.
The Climate Change Committee insisted near-total decarbonisation of housing was essential for the 2050 net-zero target, a goal Labour inherited from the Conservatives who appeared to have turned against it.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said it was “impossible” without tanking living standards, while Reform UK wanted it scrapped entirely, citing higher energy bills.
Supporters, including Liberal Democrat MP Max Wilkinson, hailed the move as a win for both wallets and the planet.
Industry figures including Octopus Energy’s Nigel Banks claimed smart tech and storage could slash energy costs by up to 90 per cent for some households.
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Site: La Salette Journey
Our own time is a fulfillment of the prophecy issued by St. Louis de Montfort in his Prayer for Missionaries: "Tempus faciendi, Domine, dissipaverunt legem tuam: it is time to act, O Lord, they have rejected your law. It is indeed time to fulfill your promise. Your divine commandments are broken, your Gospel is thrown aside, torrents of iniquity flood the whole earth carrying away even your servants. The whole land is desolate, ungodliness reigns supreme, your sanctuary is desecrated and the abomination of desolation has even contaminated the holy place.." (PM, 5)
See here.
Rousas Rushdoony exposes the nature of the demonic Moloch State which so many now willingly serve:
"The Moloch state simply represents the supreme effort of man to command the future, to predestine the world, and to be as God. Lesser efforts, divination, spirit-questing, magic and witchcraft are equally anathema to God. All represent efforts to have the future on other than God's terms, to have a future apart from and in defiance of God. They are assertions that the world is not of God but of brute factuality, and that men can somehow master the world and the future by going directly to the raw materials thereof."
The Devil seduces men through the deceitful tactics of pseudo-saviors. And ours is a perverse age in which many pseudo-saviors pretend to offer liberation through sex without love, violence and drug abuse as well as the occult. As Fr. Miceli, S.J., warned: "In the name of its new secular gods, Progress and Liberty, titles that are false fronts for Rebellion and Licentiousness, many formerly Christian nations are driving their sons and daughters through the demonic fires of sacrificial murder. Thus..so-called Christian nations, having legalized abortion and while preparing to to legalize euthanasia, have become Moloch states."
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Site: LES FEMMES - THE TRUTH
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Site: Catholic ConclaveScroll down for today'sSaint of the Day/ FeastReading of the MartyrologyDedication of the MonthDedication of the DayRosaryFive Wounds Rosary in LatinSeven Sorrows Rosary in EnglishLatin Monastic OfficeReading of the Rule of Saint BenedictCelebration of MassReading from the School of Jesus CrucifiedFeast of PentecostA feast of the universal Church which commemorates the Descent of the Holy Ghost Catholic Conclavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06227218883606585321noreply@blogger.com0
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Site: Rorate CaeliThe third major noticeable difference between the traditional Liturgical Year of the Latin Church and the 1969/1970 novelty -- following the abandonment of Ember Weeks and of Septuagesimatide -- is the week that started yesterday with the Pentecost Vigil and ends in one week with Pentecost Saturday.It is Pentecost Octave, or Whitsuntide, and we are very happy to keep this Tradition going.A New Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04118576661605931910noreply@blogger.com
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Site: The Unz ReviewIt’s often voiced or at least felt within the white community that whites advanced and developed far ahead of all the other peoples to better appreciate the values of freedom, personal conscience, and individual thought. It’s still openly voiced in the white racial dissident sphere, e.g. white people appreciate principles like Free Speech whereas nonwhites...
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Site: The Unz ReviewFor many years the most widely read articles on my website were the ones exposing the false history of World War II with which Americans are indoctrinated. Indeed, all of the tales of America’s wars fed to us are false, including the First World War and Lincoln’s invasion of the Confederacy, an independent country that...
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Site: The Unz Reviewntroduction: For a number of years Admiral Thomas Moorer, former Chief of Naval Operations and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was my colleague at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Tom, after whom the F-14 Tomcat fighter is named, expressed to me his concern that US politics and foreign policy was in...
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Site: The Unz ReviewRumble link Bitchute link FFWN link What was a Holocaust survivor doing at a pro-genocide demonstration? That was one of the questions raised by media reports out of Boulder, Colorado last week. According to those reports, a Jewish-Zionist “return the hostages” demonstration—meaning a thinly-disguised celebration of Israel’s genocidal slaughter of tens or hundreds of thousands...
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Site: Zero HedgeThese Are The U.S. States With The Most Drug UseTyler Durden Sat, 06/07/2025 - 22:45
Drug abuse has long been a serious issue in the United States, with the so-called “War on Drugs” dating back to 1971 under President Nixon.
Despite decades of efforts to fight addiction, the problem remains widespread and deadly. More than 80,670 Americans died from drug overdoses in the 12 months ending November 2024. As new threats like fentanyl spread—enough was seized last year for 380 million lethal doses—it’s more urgent than ever for policymakers to act.
But where is the crisis worst? A new report from WalletHub ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia across key metrics like drug use, overdoses, and access to treatment.
Chip Lupo, an analyst at WalletHub, explains: “Drug problems can start from multiple sources, like taking illegal substances with friends or getting hooked on a prescription that was originally given for a legitimate medical issue. As states fight drug addiction, they need to consider all angles and make sure they are not just addressing things from a law enforcement perspective but also providing the resources necessary to help people with addictions get clean.”
WalletHub’s analysts compared states using 20 metrics organized into three main categories: drug use and addiction, law enforcement, and drug health issues and rehab. These metrics included measures like the percentage of adults and teens who reported using illicit drugs, overdose death rates, opioid prescriptions, and availability of treatment facilities.
New Mexico tops the list with the biggest drug problem in America. The state has the highest percentage of teens using drugs, the most teens reporting marijuana use before age 13, and the third-highest rate of adult illicit drug use. New Mexico also struggles with high overdose deaths and ranks near the bottom in offering help to those with addiction.
West Virginia ranks second, with the highest overdose death rate in the country and one of the top college campus drug arrest rates. A lack of addiction treatment resources means many residents have nowhere to turn for help.
Nevada comes in third. Nearly 30% of students there report being offered or sold drugs at school. Nevada also ranks high for teens trying marijuana early and has too few treatment facilities to meet the need.
Other high-ranking states include Alaska, the District of Columbia, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Colorado. Each faces unique challenges, from high rates of opioid prescriptions to limited treatment options.
The report also highlights troubling data on teen drug use. New Mexico, Arizona, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Alaska have the highest percentages of teenagers who admit using drugs in the past month. Meanwhile, states like Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas report much lower teen drug use.
Students being offered drugs at school is a big concern, too. California, Nevada, Georgia, New Jersey, and Hawaii top the list for that category, while states like Connecticut and South Dakota report much lower numbers.
The crisis shows no sign of ending on its own. Experts recommend a mix of strategies to combat addiction, including making rehab more accessible and expanding education on the risks of drug use. The federal government and states alike must prioritize treatment alongside law enforcement to help communities recover.
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Site: Zero HedgeU.S. Auto Sales Mostly Steady In May As Incentive Spending Drops: Deutsche BankTyler Durden Sat, 06/07/2025 - 20:25
In a new report out last week Deutsche Bank analysts led by Edison Yu provided an update on the U.S. auto sector, noting that sales in May reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 15.7 million units.
This figure came in slightly below their estimate of approximately 15.9 million, a result they attributed to a natural moderation following the particularly strong auto buying seen in April. They also pointed out that there may have been some seasonal distortions at play, as the absolute number of vehicles sold in May—1.475 million—still came in higher than the 1.449 million reported in May 2024.
The analysts observed that Ford benefited from stronger-than-expected sales, driven by the continued success of its employee pricing strategy, which helped the company gain 160 basis points in market share. Toyota also performed well, picking up 130 basis points in market share.
Mid-month data suggested that average transaction prices (ATPs) for the industry would decline month-over-month to approximately $46,000, although prices remain up 1.8 percent compared to a year ago. Meanwhile, incentive spending was down 11.5 percent month-over-month, a signal that vehicle demand remains robust even as some price moderation occurs.
As for inventory levels, the Deutsche Bank team reported that they remained stable at 46 days’ supply exiting the month. This is unchanged from April and represents a modest two-day improvement compared to the previous year. Most of the Detroit 3 (D3) and Japanese 3 (J3) automakers saw relatively flat inventories on a month-over-month basis, suggesting that the overall supply environment remains balanced.
Recall, back in April, Deutsche Bank’s note painted a more cautionary picture, centered on the significant uncertainty facing automakers due to the imposition of tariffs.
Just a month and a half ago, the analysts highlighted that automakers were scrambling to adjust their pricing, incentives, and production strategies to cope with a 25% tariff on imported vehicles and parts—effective May 3. The bank warned that despite the possibility of a short-term suspension, investors should assume all imported vehicles were subject to the tariff regime.
The April commentary also described a patchwork of automaker responses: Tesla paused Model X and S sales to China, GM halted operations at its CAMI plant, while Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Subaru took varying measures like absorbing some price increases or stopping U.S. inventory shipments. Ford’s broad employee pricing discounts—cited again in the June note as driving its strong sales—were already seen as part of its tariff-mitigation strategy in April. The bank estimated Ford and GM could each see gross costs rise by over $10 billion, with EBIT hits in the range of $4–7 billion annually, highlighting the potential severity of the tariffs’ impact.
In both notes, Deutsche Bank remained cautious about the broader auto sector. In April, they expected that front-loaded consumer buying (ahead of price hikes) would bolster sales early in the year but that the second half would suffer as tariffs took effect, projecting 2025 U.S. sales at 15.4 million units—down from 16 million in 2024. Interestingly, the June update’s 15.7 million SAAR for May suggests a somewhat stronger-than-feared demand environment—at least in the near term—though the underlying uncertainties around trade policy likely remain.
In other words, the dust appears to be settling and the U.S. auto industry appears to have ridden out the storm and is normalizing somewhat...for now...
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Site: Henrymakow.com
THE NUREMBERG SHOW TRIALS"The Nuremberg Show Trials ("Nürnberger Schauprozesse")were the most deplorable travesty of justice in history,run by a Kangaroo Court stacked with 75-80 percent Jewsbent on "revenge"."by Patrick O'Carroll(henrymakow.com)In his 1958 book "The World Conquerors", Hungarian journalist Louis Marschalko deplored: "Out of 3000 people employed on the staff at the Nuremberg Courts, 2400 were Jews". That means there were 80 percent Jews bent on lunatic "revenge" against the Germans for things they never did.The Nuremberg Show Trials convicted 11 German leaders to hang on 16 Oct 1946 (Hermann Göring; Joachim von Ribbentrop; Wilhelm Keitel; Ernst Kaltenbrunner; Alfred Rosenberg; Hans Frank; Wilhelm Frick; Julius Streicher; Fritz Sauckel; Alfred Jodl; Arthur Seyss-Inquart).That year, Judaism's "Final Judgment Day" festival, called Hoshana Rabbah, fell on 16 Oct 1946. But, on 15 Oct 1946, Göring either cheated the hangman by self-poisoning or else he was "suicided" by the Zionists.A twelfth leader, Martin Bormann, was also sentenced, although he had already left Germany in May 1945 when the Zionists granted him his freedom in gratitude for working so obediently for them throughout WW2 as a Triple Agent of Germany, Britain, and Russia.According to the "holy" rabbi Mordechai Neugroschel, this execution narrative for the Nuremberg Show Trials was a "COPY" of the scriptural basis for the Jewish "Revenge Blood-Fest" of PURIM which is contained in the Book of Esther, where 10 sons of the "Anti-Judean" Haman are executed, and Haman's daughter commits suicide. So, overall, the Nuremberg Show Trials execution narrative was based on a vengeful reenactment of PURIM to kill 11 German leaders whose guilt or innocence is still unclear today.
THE ZIONISTS TORTURED HOSS, ALMOST TO DEATHAuschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss is vital to this whole story, because his "confession" is a key argument used in the Zionist-Revisionist Narrative for the Nuremberg Show Trials and for the entire Jewish Holocaust. Note: The Zionist-Revisionist Narrative is defined as any LIES that contradict the Red Cross GOLD STANDARD.In his 1983 book "Legions of Death", Rupert Butler quotes British Zionist Jew Bernard Clarke, who was the British Army sergeant famous for capturing Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Hoss on 11 March 1946 and then conducting his brutal torture. Butler's book quotes many written or recorded statements of Bernard Clarke.Clarke bragged that he and his colleagues tortured Hoss for extended periods and almost beat him to death, but that a British medical officer intervened to prevent them from murdering Hoss. After his torture and beating, Hoss was incapacitated for three days and it took him all that time to regain any coherent speech.The Hoss "confession" was written and signed in handwriting not matching Höss' handwriting from before 1946-47. Prof Gerhard Jagschitz showed handwriting-differences between the "confession" and Hoss' actual cursive.The faked Hoss "confession" was also implausible because it did not explain how Höss had "magically protected" the great majority of inmates at Auschwitz, who were Polish Catholics and other Slavs, from alleged "gassings".The faked Hoss "confession" states that 2.5 million Jews (16.32 percent of the world Jewish population) were "exterminated" at Auschwitz under his watch, with 2 million of them killed by way of "gas chambers". During his brutal torture, Hoss interjected that he was willing to "confess" to killing 50 million Jews if his captors would only just stop torturing him. Of course, the 2 and 2.5 million tallies are far too "exact" or round to be remotely plausible.The "gas chambers" on view in Auschwitz today were built by the Russians AFTER WW2 but not built according to the official DIN Norms (established in 1917) that are standard for all German industry. In 1992, Dr Franciszek Piper, official historian at Auschwitz, confirmed on film to Jewish-Holocaust Truth-Seeker David Cole (a Jew) that communist Russia had built all of today's "homicidal gas chambers" at Auschwitz AFTER WW2.Stephen F Pinter served as a US Army prosecuting attorney at the US trials of Germans at Dachau. At the Nuremberg Show Trials, Stephen F Pinter gave the following testimony:"THERE WERE NO HUMAN GAS-CHAMBERS IN ANY OF THE GERMAN CAMPS".The use of false witnesses was also acknowledged by Johann Neuhausler, who was an ecclesiastical resistance fighter interned in two German labor-camps in 1941-45. Neuhäusler wrote that in some of the US-run trials: "MANY OF THE WITNESSES, PERHAPS NINETY PERCENT, WERE PAID PROFESSIONAL WITNESSES WITH CRIMINAL RECORDS RANGING FROM ROBBERY TO HOMOSEXUALITY". -
Site: Zero HedgeIsrael Has Sold Record Amount Of Debt In US Since Gaza War EruptedTyler Durden Sat, 06/07/2025 - 19:50
Israel has sold a record amount of debt in the US since its Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023, according to a report by Bloomberg on Friday.
The government of Israel’s US-based bond broker, Israel Bonds, says it has sold $5bn worth of debt in the last twenty months. The level of bond issuance is more than double that raised by Israel Bonds, in similar time periods previously.
Israeli banks in Tel Aviv, via FLASH90
Israel’s war on Gaza started after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel killed around 1,200 people. Israel responded by pummeling the Gaza Strip and invading it. A reported more than 54,000 people, mainly women and children, have been killed in the Israeli attacks, and the population is facing "imminent famine", the United Nations says.
Israel Bonds is affiliated with Israel’s finance ministry and sells bonds inside the US to both retail and institutional investors. The starting price for non-tradable retail Israeli bonds is as low as $36.
A five-year Israeli bond has a yield between 4.86 percent and 5.44 percent, according to the Bloomberg report.
Along with its war on Gaza, Israel fought a devastating war with Hezbollah in Lebanon and launched widespread strikes on Syria. In 2024, it engaged in two rounds of direct missile and drone attacks with Iran. Israel’s financing needs have soared as it looks to fund its military.
Local Israeli creditors, including deep-pocketed institutional ones, account for about 80 percent of the government’s lending overall. That leaves just twenty percent to come from international debt sales and what Israel Bonds sells in the US.
According to the group, local US governments at the state and county level are big buyers in places like New York, Texas, Ohio, and Illinois.
Palm Beach County in Florida became one of the world's largest investors in Israeli Bonds in 2024, with about $700m of its $4.67bn portfolio invested there.
Source: Bloomberg
Israel has faced widespread criticism for its war on Gaza. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes. Meanwhile, public opinion on Israel has turned sharply negative from France to Japan.
However, in March 2024, Israel saw strong demand for its debt among international investors. It sold $8bn in international bonds. Israel enjoys investment-grade ratings from major credit ratings agencies.
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Site: Zero HedgeTexas Yanks Major Perk From Illegal Aliens - After Pioneering It 24 Years AgoTyler Durden Sat, 06/07/2025 - 19:15
Twenty-four years after being the first in the nation to roll it out, a major perk for illegal aliens in Texas has vanished after the Trump administration filed a federal lawsuit to stop it and the Lone Star State's attorney general quickly agreed with the White House stance. Specifically, illegals will no longer be charged the in-state rate for college tuition.
The end came quite suddenly. Within hours of the US Department of Justice filing a complaint in the Northern District of Texas, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion asking Judge Reed O'Connor to rule in favor of the DOJ and declare in-state tuition for illegals unconstitutional. On the same day, O'Connor issued an order declaring that discounts favoring illegal aliens over non-Texan American citizens -- in contradiction of federal law -- violate the Constitution's Supremacy Clause, and permanently blocking Texas from giving such discounts.
Starting this fall, it will cost illegal aliens an extra $28,000 a year to attend Texas A&M University's College Station campus
Paxton, who's mounting a 2026 challenge of incumbent Republican John Cornyn to represent Texas in the United States Senate, raced to take credit for the outcome:
“Today, I entered a joint motion along with the Trump Administration opposing a law that unconstitutionally and unlawfully gave benefits to illegal aliens that were not available to American citizens. Ending this discriminatory and un-American provision is a major victory for Texas.”
In 2001, Texas became the first state to offer in-state tuition to illegals. Back then, Democrats had a slim majority in the state House, but the "Texas Dream Act" had bipartisan support, with only four of 181 legislators voting against it. Republicans bought into the idea that better-educated illegals would bolster the state's labor force and its economy, and then-Governor Rick Perry gave full support -- a stance he had to defend at a Republican debate during his failed 2012 presidential campaign. While this clip stops short, the audience answered with a mix of vigorous applause and hearty boos:
2011: Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry says on a national debate stage if you don’t support discounted tuition for illegal aliens, you don’t have a heart.
— Brandon Waltens (@bwaltens) June 4, 2025
2025: President Donald Trump’s DOJ sues Texas for giving discounted tuition to illegal aliens.
How far we’ve come! #txlege pic.twitter.com/zmI4cGisWZSince then, more than 20 other states created their own such rules. The tide is now clearly turning. In February, Florida's legislature eliminated a 10-year-old law granting in-state tuition to illegals who attended a Florida high school for three consecutive years before graduating. A bill that would have repealed the practice made it out of a Texas Senate committee earlier this year, but didn't have enough strength to be brought to the full Senate vote. That's all moot now.
For the 2024-25 academic year, in-state tuition discount saved a student attending Texas A&M University in College Station $27,894 a year, and the discount at the University of Texas at Austin was worth $33,220 a year, to take just two examples from the state's sprawling higher education system.
“Under federal law, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,” said US Attorney General Pam Bondi in a statement. “The Justice Department will relentlessly fight to vindicate federal law and ensure that U.S. citizens are not treated like second-class citizens anywhere in the country.”
While the rules vary depending on the student's exact circumstances and status under DACA, about 30 states provide some level of in-state-tuition access for illegals. According to the Higher Ed Immigration Portal, the most freewheeling states are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
So, Ms. Bondi -- who's next?
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Site: Fr. Z's BlogHard to imagine… 16 years ago. Originally posted 3 June 2009 I started this one thinking that I could make a fast audio project and then move on. Ha! In this PODCAzT I dissect the Pentecost Sequence, Veni Sancte Spiritus, … Read More →
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Site: Bonfire of the Vanities - Fr. Martin Fox
There are five super-feasts the whole Church celebrates:
Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension, and today, Pentecost.
These are the days when we bring out our best,
just like our nation will do in a few weeks on Independence Day,
or families do for the most special occasions.
Today is the family reunion for the Body of Christ.
Why? What’s so special about Pentecost?
Well, you could look at it this way.
Christmas is when God gives the world his Son.
Easter is when Jesus gives us the Father – by opening heaven for us.
Notice how we signify that in every Mass:
right after the Eucharistic Prayer,
which recapitulates Jesus’ offering on the Cross, what do we do?
We pray the Our Father.
And so, today is when the Father and the Son gave us the Holy Spirit –
the third Person of the Holy Trinity.
This forms the complete picture, if you will, of what our destiny is:
to live forever in relationship with God, and with each other.
In the Old Testament, there were two key things about Pentecost:
it was when the first harvest happened, of wheat.
And, it is when God gave his law to Moses on Mount Sinai.
Notice how these foreshadowings illuminate what Jesus did.
The Holy Spirit is the true law of God.
And with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit,
the Apostles began the harvest of believers
that continues to this day.
But to return to a key point: the main thing that happens on Pentecost
is the giving of the Person of the Holy Spirit
to the Church as a whole, and to each believer individually.
Notice that: the Holy Spirit isn’t given only on an individual basis.
Sometimes people talk about the Holy Spirit that way:
They say, well, the Spirit told me to do such-and-such…
But the Holy Spirit is not about division.
That’s what sin does: sin creates divisions and conflict.
The Holy Spirit creates oneness. One Body of Christ. One City of God.
And again, the Holy Spirit is a Person.
You and I, individually and collectively, are invited
to have a personal encounter and relationship with God.
For whatever reason, in God’s Plan, the Holy Spirit
isn’t so much the word that is spoken – we call the Son the “Word” –
but rather, the Holy Spirit gives voice and force to that Word.
Think about how you and I, ourselves, speak.
We have a word we want to say; but if we have no breath?
It’s only a whisper, or nothing at all.
So it is with us as the Body of Christ:
We have a Word to speak, but we need Breath: the Holy Spirit!
Now, some of us are naturally quiet people.
Others of us, not so much! And that variation is wholesome.
But the Body of Christ, may I suggest, is meant to have –
through our individual personalities and gifts – a bold voice.
That’s the Holy Spirit, giving boldness to the whole Church.
May I suggest to you that as we celebrate this great feast,
Each of us ask the Holy Spirit to help us to have that boldness.
It may not be in big talk, it might be in big action.
But let each of us be willing to be bold for Jesus Christ!
In a few weeks, members of our Pastoral Council and I
will present to Archbishop Casey our request
to finalize our coming together
as the Parish Family of St. John Paul II.
As our three parishes have grown together, sharing our gifts,
We are trying to be responsive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
under the guidance of Archbishop Schnurr, and now, Casey.
We mere mortals can’t perceive the plan perfectly;
there are twists and turns that come with human frailty.
Still, we know it’s true the Holy Spirit calls all Christians to unity.
So, surely he wants our parish family to become closer.
Remember, that’s the key to Beacons of Light:
Coming together to be a more powerful witness,
to draw more people to Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit is the mighty breath
that powers our word and witness!
And so, we say: Come, Holy Spirit!
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Site: Catholic ConclaveThe last priestly ordinations in the Diocese of Fulda for many yearsThe number of priestly candidates in the Hessian dioceses has been declining for a long time. In Fulda, the last three new priests in the diocese for the foreseeable future were ordained. After that, only one more will follow in all of Hesse in 2025.On Saturday, Fulda's Bishop Michael Gerber ordained the three deacons Marcel Catholic Conclavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06227218883606585321noreply@blogger.com0
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Site: RT - News
Washington risks isolating itself from top world economies, including key European allies, according to the outlet
The passage of a new US sanctions package on Russia could disrupt America’s relationships with its biggest trade partners and isolate it from the world’s leading economies, Politico reported on Saturday. The proposed bill includes a steep 500% tariff on imports from any country that continues to buy oil, gas, uranium, or other key commodities from Moscow.
Among those most affected would be India and China, which together account for approximately 70% of Russian energy exports. Several other nations that import Russian energy and uranium could also be subject to the bill’s penalties.
Imposing 500% tariffs on Chinese-made imports would likely trigger a surge in consumer prices, severely disrupt supply chains, and potentially push US unemployment to levels associated with a recession, Politico noted.
The sanctions could be described as targeting the US itself since the country continues to rely on enriched uranium imports from Russia for its nuclear power sector. And it could effectively isolate the US from many of the world’s leading economies, including its European allies, the article says.
Read more
Trump opposed to new Russia sanctions
US Senator Rand Paul wrote in the publication Responsible Statecraft that the bill “essentially amounts to an embargo” and could trigger “economic calamity on a scale never before seen in our country.” He added that such punitive measures are unlikely to change Moscow’s core strategic goals and only further entrench the US in a “failing” foreign policy approach.
The sanctions bill was introduced in early April by a bipartisan group of senators led by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. In addition to 500% tariffs, the measure includes secondary sanctions targeting countries that maintain commercial ties with Moscow.
Graham recently proposed amendments to exempt countries providing military aid to Ukraine from the tariffs. The change would shield the EU, which continues to import gas from Russia.
The senator described the bill as “one of the most draconian sanctions bills ever written” and the sanctions as “bone-crushing.”
Russia has consistently criticized Western sanctions, calling them illegal, and maintains that they have failed to inflict lasting economic damage.
In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a total of 28,595 sanctions had been imposed on Russian companies and individuals in recent years – more than the total number on all other countries combined. According to the president, the West sought to eliminate Russia as a competitor, but its economy has only grown more resilient under pressure.
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Site: Catholic ConclaveTheologian Faggioli: US Church in the service of anti-liberal politicsUS theologian Faggioli warns of political abuse of the Catholic Church in the USA by right-wing authoritarian movementsUS theologian Massimo Faggioli warns of the abuse of Catholic theology in the USA as a political, cultural, and media instrument of power. His diagnosis: A formerly critical, inclusive form of faith is Catholic Conclavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06227218883606585321noreply@blogger.com0
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Site: OnePeterFive
Dear OnePeterFive donors, supporters, and readers, You know me as the editor of OnePeterFive. I am also the headmaster of Mary, Queen of the Home Academy, an online school for high school and adult formation. We’ve been working to develop a high school curriculum which would be fully orthodox & traditional for Catholic families. This coming year we are adding two new teachers and a…
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Site: OnePeterFive
Of all the liturgical treasures of Holy Roman Catholic Church, perhaps the feast of Pentecost Sunday is the richest, at least in the pre-Conciliar Vetus Ordo. In the Church’s traditional Roman Rite, Pentecost, like Easter, has a Saturday Vigil which includes the blessing of baptismal water. This was and is also the time to baptize and confirm those who did not receive the foundational sacrament…
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Site: Mises InstituteWhile China has made great strides economically since the days of Mao, nonetheless, there remain a number of weaknesses in the economy. While we should recognize its economic strengths, we should not be tempted to portray China as an economic superpower.
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Site: Mises InstituteWas Paul Heyne an ethicist who thought like an economist or was he instead an economist who thought like an ethicist? It was a bit of both. Heyne‘s popular text, The Economic Way of Thinking, educated a lot of students about how economics really works.
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Site: Catholic ConclaveI want to love you unceasingly, more and more! Protect my promise Lord Jesus!The "Song of Promise" rang out across Paris, sung by thousands of young Catholics. https://t.co/MaBfuTTvjv— Catholic Conclave (@cathconclave) June 7, 2025 This song, composed by Father Jacques Sevin for the Scouts of France, has become the promise song of most Catholic movements. Its five verses follow his plan in Catholic Conclavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06227218883606585321noreply@blogger.com0
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Site: Rorate Caeli2021: The Bishop of Haarlem-Amsterdam, Bp. Hendriks, confirming 16 young faithful among them 9 converted young adults at the FSSP Personal Parish of St. Joseph in the St. Agnes Church in Amsterdam***“Pope Leo will restore unity to the Church." -- Cardinal Wim Eijk speaksOne month ago took place the Conclave that elected Robert Francis Prevost to the Throne of Peter: “There are many issues in the New Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04118576661605931910noreply@blogger.com
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Site: Henrymakow.com
(Image courtesy Winter Watch)Please send links and comments to hmakow@gmail.comAmericans are stuck with the harsh reality that Donald Trump is not only a war criminal (Israel), he is a pedophile like his predecessor Joe Biden. Many of our political and cultural leaders (see Diddy) are blackmailed.Musk is right that Trump should be impeached and replaced by JD Vance.Will Musk walk back his accusations for the sake of his businesses?The MAGA dilemma: Do they ignore Trump's liabilities because he is expelling illegal migrants and ending DEI?Mossad has videos of Trump raping underage girls. They can blackmail him into attacking Iran. This is a national security issue of the highest order.Downplaying this issue exposes Illuminati shills like Joe Rogan who questions how Musk could possibly know Trump is a pedophile. The whole world has known this for years.Makow- I side with Musk. It is understandable that he would break with Trump after Trump's Big Beautiful Budget undoes all the good DODG did. Trump is a grifter. This will become clear to everyone eventually. Trump could put this issue to rest by releasing the Epstein videos. But that would discredit him and much of the American political establishment. BTW, we're still waiting for the Fort Knox audit and the truth about the CIA's murder of JFK.-----Alex Jones proves he not a complete shillThe Big Question No one is Asking-When will Trump Reply to Musk Charge?-Over 12,000 current and former service members signed a series of letters since the collapse of the ceasefire in March calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to end the war and declaring they will refuse to serve if it continues-
Disingenuous Trump trivializes anyone else's rights. NATO has been waging a proxy war against Russia.Kremlin Says Threat Is 'Existential' After Trump Likens Ukraine War To 'Two Kids Fighting In The Park'-Bayer's Push For State-Level Roundup Immunity Sparks Backlash In The Heartland"Monsanto is trying to push legislation that would take away constitutional rights"In a brazen bid to shield itself from a tsunami of lawsuits over its toxic Roundup herbicide, Monsanto (acquired by Bayer Pharmaceutical) has unleashed a multi-state lobbying blitz to secure immunity from liability, with Missouri as a key battleground.The agrochemical giant, reeling from over $8.68 billion in pre-reduction jury verdicts and $11 billion in settlements, is pushing state legislatures to pass bills that would block "failure-to-warn" claims tied to glyphosate, Roundup's cancer-linked ingredient.-
Brazilian Comedian Leo Lins Sentenced to Over Eight Years in Prison for Stand-Up RoutineIn Brazil, telling the wrong joke now carries more jail time than most white-collar crime.---Joachim Hagopian - Trump's war on our constitutional republic with his latest fascist merger with Palantir..."Trump's 1,118 page "Big Beautiful Bill" (BBB) as he calls it, narrowly approved by the House last week and now up for the Senate vote, ensures that all US states neither have the right to interfere nor alter the seemingly unstoppable, highly invasive and warned deleterious lethal effects of Artificial Intelligence over the next ten years. Trump's BBB subversively intends to supersede our states' constitutional jurisdictional rights over another invasive federal law, in this case preventing any state from otherwise protecting its citizens from AI's harmful, potentially deadly consequences. Not-so-hidden away in this Trojan horse monstrosity bombshell adding $2.5 trillion more to the US national deficit lies the disastrous economic doomsday fate of America."-
Hamdy Mig--"I repeat my appeal to you once again, this is Sarah, my niece, she is not more than two years old, she suffers from diseases due to malnutrition, and we fear that the complications of the diseases will increase due to the lack of basic materials such as milk and food, and due to the high prices of available food commodities, I appeal to you to donate and contribute to the ability to treat her and try to buy all the basic materials necessary for her treatment, I ask you to help me in saving her life.."A Way to Help Gaza-The goyim are lining up to die for IsraelThe U.S. Army has announced it has already achieved its recruitment goals for 2025, four months ahead of expectations, noting that 61,000 new recruits have joined. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll made the announcement on June 3, making it the first time in over ten years that the Army had met its recruitment goal by the start of June.-Another sign of creeping social dementia is that media headlines no longer convey information but tease you to click on the story to find out what is happening. For example- Michael Jaco & Cathy O'Brien: Shocking Intel Drops - It's All Coming Down to This!"It's all coming down to WHAT???" I don't have 20 minutes to find out.-Epstein Cover-Up Specialist Kash Patel tries to recover some credibility by going after FauciHe has recovered Fauci's phones.-Donald Trump Jr. and his business partners are launching GrabAGun, an e-commerce platform dubbed the "Amazon of guns." It targets rising demand among non-traditional buyers like women and younger conservatives.-
Members of the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) celebrate after the "adoption" of the Pandemic Agreement during the 78th World Health Assembly. The INB, which spearheaded negotiations on the agreement, has 6 members -- 3 of whom hail from BRICS statesBRICS are Not our friends - Endorse Plandemic Scam by Edward Slavsquat- -
Site: RT - News
The Kiev authorities do not need their people dead or alive, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has said
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has branded Ukraine’s failure to receive the bodies of its fallen soldiers an act of self-genocide, accusing Kiev of turning its back on its own people in both life and death.
During talks between the two sides in Istanbul on Monday, Moscow decided to return the bodies of over 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers in a unilateral humanitarian gesture. However, Russia’s top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said on Saturday that the Ukrainian team failed to show up when the first batch of remains was delivered to the exchange point on the border between Belarus and Ukraine.
Zakharova took to Telegram later on Saturday to slam the deliberate inaction of Vladimir Zelensky’s government, saying that it “does not need its people; neither dead nor alive.”
“There is no nation or ethnic group in the world that would refuse to bury its soldiers. But there is the Kiev regime, which professes a misanthropic ideology and is committing genocide against its own people,” Zakharova wrote.
Read more
Ukraine fails to accept remains of fallen troops – Russia
Russian MP Dmitry Belik, who is a member of the State Duma’s International Affairs Committee, told RT that one of the reasons for Ukraine failing to accept the bodies of its soldiers could be its unwillingness to pay compensation to their families.
“This is how – thinking of how to stuff their own wallets and not give a penny to their citizens – the Kiev regime, led by Zelensky, pursues its bloody policy and destroys its own people,” Belik argued.
Former Pentagon analyst Michael Maloof also suggested that Ukraine’s decision could be rooted in financial concerns. “I think they are embarrassed by the numbers,” he told RT. “I’ve heard sums up around more than a billion dollars that they would have to repay to families – and they don’t have the money,” he added.
The chairman of the Russian parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Leonid Slutsky, told RT that the move by the Ukrainian authorities is an example of “rare cynicism and a disregard for the memory of their own fallen servicemen.”
“In a war to the last Ukrainian, they are exclusively focused on preserving their own power, even at the cost of actual sacrilege,” Slutsky said.
READ MORE: Ukraine halts prisoner swap – Russian MOD
Kiev explained its refusal to collect the remains of its troops by claiming the date of the transfer had not yet been agreed upon.
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Site: RT - News
The billionaire had publicly accused the US president of being named in Epstein’s files following a vicious public row
Elon Musk has deleted an X post claiming that US President Donald Trump’s name was in the sealed Jeffrey Epstein files, suggesting that this is the real reason they remain classified.
On Thursday, Musk wrote: “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.” He added: “Have a nice day, DJT! Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
In another inflammatory post no longer visible in the entrepreneur’s X account, Musk responded “yes” to a message that said “Trump should be impeached” and Vice President JD Vance “should replace him.”
The businessman has not commented on the issue yet.
Both posts became part of a public feud between Trump and Musk. During last year’s election, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX set up and funded a pro-Trump political group, donating over $260 million, and was appointed in January to co-lead the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with reducing federal bureaucracy and wasteful spending. Musk stepped down last week.
Read more
Musk’s father urges him to admit defeat
The rift started after the billionaire condemned Trump’s massive tax-cut bill, which is estimated to add $2.4 trillion to the $36.2-trillion US debt over 10 years, calling it a “disgusting abomination.” The US president then threatened to cancel federal contracts with Musk’s companies.
The clash then escalated into a series of jabs on social media. Musk accused the president of “ingratitude” and threatened to paralyze the US space program by decommissioning the Dragon spacecraft.
Trump, for his part, said that the tech billionaire had gone “crazy” and claimed that Musk was actually upset because he “took away his EV Mandate.”
Following the feud, Tesla’s shares dropped by about 14.2% on Thursday at market close, wiping roughly $152 billion off the value of the company. Trump Media stock also fell 8%.
Trump had previously pledged to declassify the Epstein files, and in February, US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the release of the “first phase” of documents. However, key materials – including flight logs, client names, and contact lists – have remained under seal, fueling speculation about who could be implicated.
Epstein, an investment banker with deep connections to political and business elites, was arrested in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. He died the following month in a New York jail in what was officially ruled a suicide, though his death instantly sparked widespread controversy and conspiracy theories.
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Site: RT - News
Bezalel Smotrich has said financial institutions in the country should “take measured risks” in servicing settlers targeted by Brussels in 2024
Israeli banks should provide services to settlers whom the European Union has slapped with sanctions, despite any potential repercussions, the country’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has insisted. He warned that those failing to comply could be made to pay out hefty compensations.
Last July, the EU for the first time in its history imposed punitive measures on five Israeli settlers and three groups over “serious and systematic human rights abuses against Palestinians” in the occupied West Bank, which is considered part of Palestine under international law. Apart from an EU-wide entry ban and an asset freeze, the sanctions prohibit the “provision of funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly,” to the affected Israeli nationals.
In a post on X on Wednesday, the official, who is known for his far-right views, said that he had sent a letter to the banking supervisor, Dani Khachiashvili, in which he demanded an end to “the ‘zero risk’ policy on the part of banks, which leads to the abandonment of Israeli customers under the guise of compliance with foreign sanctions.” Smotrich accused Israeli financial institutions of “small-mindedness” and unquestioning compliance with “unjust” EU sanctions.
He argued that banks in fact “have a significant ability to act against” Brussels’ punitive measures, by taking legal action and wielding their “global economic connections.”
Read more
Israel losing most steadfast EU supporter – Bloomberg
The official threatened that if his call was not heeded, he would push for legislation that would force Israeli financial institutions to pay out sizable compensations to the affected individuals. The Israeli finance minister further wrote that he could also promote legislation that would require the Bank of Israel to “open and manage bank accounts for citizens on whom sanctions are imposed.”
Speaking to AFP last month, Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said that Stockholm would “push for EU sanctions against individual Israeli ministers” since there was no “clear improvement for the civilians in Gaza.”
At around the same time, her Slovenian colleague, Tanja Fajon, announced that her country was “looking into the possibility of sanctions against Israel, alongside France and Ireland.”
Also in May, the UK and Canada, which are not part of the EU, along with France, issued a joint statement condemning the ongoing Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
The document accused the Israeli government of denying “essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population” of the Palestinian enclave.
London, Ottawa and Paris threatened to “take further concrete actions,” including “targeted sanctions,” should “egregious actions” on the part of Israel continue.
The statement also demanded that Israel halt settlement activities in the occupied West Bank.
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Site: AsiaNews.itThe Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) office of the Capuchins in Medan, North Sumatra, issued a strong appeal for the protection of the Lake Toba region. Speaking out against rising environmental exploitation and the threat to the rights of indigenous peoples, they ask the government to act and slam the devastation caused by business interests, in particular by Toba Pulp Lestari Tbk.
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Site: Steyn OnlineThey're almost all gone now, but there was a time when every city had its art house cinema – some shabby but proud former "nabe" or second run movie theatre whose management had given itself over to screening foreign films and Hollywood classics, often between regular screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Eraserhead and The Song Remains the Same.
Graduates attend a commencement ceremony at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on May 29, 2025. Rick Friedman/AFP via Getty Images
Lobster fisherman Travis Dammier, 41, unloads his catch in Stonington, Maine, on May 12, 2025. As an experienced independent lobsterman, Dammier said it’s getting harder to make a living as lobster hauls shrink, costs rise, and government regulations tighten. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times
Lobsterman Travis Dammier, 41, gazes out at the harbor in Stonington, Maine, on May 12, 2025. Even if he could afford to hire a deckhand, Dammier said finding qualified workers is difficult. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times
The lobster boat My Kassandra leaves the port harbor of Stonington, Maine, on May 12, 2025. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times
A stack of lobster traps in Stonington, Maine, on May 12, 2025. In 2024, 2.5 million traps were in use across Maine’s seven coastal zones. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times
Dockworkers at the Greenhead Lobster Co. prepare plastic containers to unload live lobsters from an arriving vessel, in Stonington, Maine, on May 12, 2025. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times
Israeli banks in Tel Aviv, via FLASH90
Source: Bloomberg
Starting this fall, it will cost illegal aliens an extra $28,000 a year to attend Texas A&M University's College Station campusPages
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