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Sat, 14 Jun 2025 03:05:00 +0000

And So It Begins: Leftist Monkey Wrenching Is Leading To Civil War

And So It Begins: Leftist Monkey Wrenching Is Leading To Civil War

Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us

And So It Begins: Leftist Monkey Wrenching Is Leading To Civil War

Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us

If you thought that the leftist delusions of grandeur had finally hit their peak you are about to be unpleasantly surprised. There are no limits to the insanity that progressives will embrace in their pursuit of power, and they continue to adhere to the fantasy that they are the �good guys� despite the fact that most of the world has been telling them for the past several years that their ideology is repugnant.

The events in Los Angeles are just the beginning and the path this situation will take is relatively predictable. There is a large enough percentage of the US population (around 25% to 30%) that is inexorably rooted in the ideologies of Marxism and multiculturalism. Many of them might not even understand what they�re supporting, but they�ll still do what they�re told by their gatekeepers.

For decades now the progressives have treated America like an experiment in social engineering; the US has been their personal multicultural playground. What has them enraged today is the fact that they are hitting a wall of opposition. They aren�t used to being told �No� and the only way they know how to respond is by lashing out.

The agenda is simple enough to understand � Open borders, third world replacement of the native population, a complete overhaul of our culture�s fundamental principles and ultimately the utilization of the foreign populace and leftist activists as a weapon to eliminate any resistance.�

Interference on a political level is met with mob violence, looting, rioting and eventually terrorist actions and assassinations. This is the classic model of leftist revolutions throughout modern history. They seem to be disjointed and reactionary, yet their efforts end up highly coordinated and conveniently timed. There is nothing �grassroots� about these movements.

Currently, there is a push to make the LA riots go national with something called the �No Kings� protests scheduled to take place in cities across the country this weekend at the same time as the US Army�s 250^th anniversary celebration (and Donald Trump�s birthday). The Democrats continue to spin the narrative that Trump is a dictator or �king� when he was duly elected by the majority of Americans and almost everything he has done so far is in line with what he promised during his campaign.� All the usual suspects are pushing the spread of the riots, from NGOs to Democrat politicians to the corporate media.

There are some hilarious hot takes floating around social media concerning this event. Some leftists are claiming that conservatives are �running scared� and going quiet in the face of the protests. This is simply a lie. Conservatives are actually laughing at activists because the crazies still don�t understand the level of FAFO they are playing with.

Others are arguing for the secession of the west coast to Canada, which isn�t going to happen because an army of rednecks could invade and conquer Canada in a week. Canada has no capacity to protect themselves, let alone retain California, Oregon and Washington.

Finally, numerous Mexican and Democrat representatives are demanding the �return� of California to Mexico, claiming the lands were stolen. Of course, the US handed the Mexicans their ass 200 years ago and California was ceded to the US through the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo. To the victors go the spoils. Also, Also, Mexico belonged to Spain and was only a country for a couple decades before they were defeated in the Mexican-American conflict.

Apparently, the Mexican government needs a reminder of who their daddy is�

My point? There is a hailstorm of stupidity and naivety on the part of of the socialist mob and it�s getting worse by the week. They really think they have some kind of momentum. Progressive commentators including Bill Maher have been claiming that most of the country doesn�t want mass deportations, they just want violent criminals removed. They argue that getting rid of �Pedro the construction worker� or �Juanita the waitress� will be the end of conservative governance.

They still don�t get it.

The majority of Americans VOTED FOR THIS. They want mass deportations. All illegal migrants are criminals by definition and the public wants them gone. I�m even seeing most Libertarians (who often waffle on these kinds of issues) and black Americans call for illegals to be aggressively booted out.

Native born Americans want their country back and they certainly aren�t going to allow Democrats to flood the population with migrants so they can manipulate future elections. But the problem goes far beyond rigging the census or offering sweeping amnesty initiatives to create a voting block of third worlders. As we have recently seen in LA, there is an agitation plot afoot�

My primary theory on the engineered migrant invasion of the west has long been that these people are not just being used to score a voting majority in the near future, or as a tool for cultural replacement, but that they are a kind of mercenary army � An entitled mob purchased with welfare subsidies that will turn to violence to secure what they see as their piece of the shrinking American pie.

Progressive leaders and their NGO partners have deliberately positioned these migrant populations to be used as foot soldiers in an eventual soft coup. They believe that when the Trump Administration cracks down on the riots it will inspire even more unrest in other cities, creating a spiraling crisis. The foreign invasion tactic is part of what I call the �Monkey Wrenching� of America.

In my article �The �Monkey Wrench� Sabotage Of America Begs For An Authoritarian Response�, published in January, I outlined the history of far-left attacks on conservative or traditionalist societies including their attempts to overrun Germany in the 1920s (which ultimately led to misguided public support for socialist fascism).

I argued that the political left and the globalists have been reeling from a sharp reversal in political gains and that they are on the retreat. However, they still have a destructive play up their sleeve in the form of a civil war triggered by sabotage and migrant unrest. I noted in January:

�Leftists throughout modern history have a habit of engaging in destabilization efforts when they don�t get what they want. They view their motivations as sacrosanct and beyond criticism, be it �saving democracy� or �saving the planet� or �taking down capitalists and colonists�.

In every case where the political left had influence over social conditions and then lost that power, they revert to directed exponential disruption and violence from riots to assassination. They claim to care about the right of the majority to have their voices heard, but in reality they don�t care at all. When the majority goes against the leftist narrative, leftists go rogue��

In my article �Why Mass Deportations Are Necessary And How To Keep Illegals From Coming Back�, published in February, I predicted the exact tactic the leftist gatekeepers were likely to exploit:

�As we�ve seen in the first weeks of Trump�s presidency, establishment Democrats are intent on interfering with deportations in any way they can (all the future power of leftists requires forced immigration to the US from socialist leaning countries). By extension, leftist activists will seek to disrupt deportation efforts using civil unrest (when the weather warms up these goblins will come out in droves, bank on it).

On top of the internal sabotage, there are many foreign governments that will desperately try to obstruct the return of so many unwanted citizens. Keep in mind that the US is seen by these governments as a dumping ground for their refuse. America is a steam valve to release the pressure so that these countries can get rid of their criminals, revolutionaries and those in poverty��

There is a clear organized strategy in play to destabilize the US, and the limited unrest over deportations is being exploited as a snowball that leftists hope will create an avalanche. They co-opted the death of George Floyd (who died from Fentanyl overdose) to instigate the BLM riots. They used the war in Gaza to agitate for riots at American universities. They will try to hijack the migrant issue as yet another excuse for national violence.

My suspicion is that the �No Kings� protests will probably fall flat throughout most of the country except in usual suspect cities (LA, New York, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, etc). But, there�s no telling how much cash is behind this operation and how many useful idiots they will dredge up through social media propaganda. If not this week, then eventually, there will be a wider civil breakdown. The illegal migrant agenda is their last chance and they aren�t going to let it fade away easily.

So, here is what�s going to happen and I want to explain this reality to leftists directly:

You�re going to experience a defeat on a level you can�t yet fathom. It�s not going to be fair, it�s going to be ugly. You truly have no idea what is about to happen to you. And, it�s not going to be riot cops, or the National Guard or even the US Marines that serve up the smackdown, it�s going to be regular American conservatives.

Progressive commentators continue focusing on Trump as if he�s going to be wearing the boot that steps on their necks. That�s not how this will go down. You have NO CLUE how many millions of conservatives are fed up with the constant sabotage and cry-bullying of the political left. They are anxious to step in. Listen because I�m doing you a favor here � Just stop, because if you do what you claim you want to do (national riots and infrastructure disruption), we are going to end you.

The switch is about to be flipped. One day soon, without warning, every conservative man in the country is going find themselves reading a particularly egregious news report. They�re going to take off from their jobs which they have been working diligently for most of their lives, they�re going to hug their families, walk out the front door, get in a truck loaded with combat gear, they�re going to show up in droves at the nearest leftist riots, and steeped in an array of skills that they have been carefully practicing for years, they�re going to put those people down flat.

There will be skeptics who will say this is never going to happen. Those people are idiots. They don�t know conservatives, they don�t talk to conservatives. Mark my words, if the current trend continues it�s going to happen and leftists don�t stand a chance (the feds under Obama learned this at Bundy Ranch). So, quit, before it�s too late. Because once it starts it�s not going to stop until every leftist rioter and saboteur is run out of the US or fitted for a wooden box. If you�re on the political left, civil war is the last thing you should want.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ZeroHedge.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/13/2025 - 23:05
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Sat, 14 Jun 2025 02:40:00 +0000

These Are The 50 Richest Countries By GDP Per Capita

These Are The 50 Richest Countries By GDP Per Capita

GDP per capita is a rough proxy for a country�s average living standards. A higher GDP per capita�usually�reflects more economic resources available per person, a signal Read more.....

These Are The 50 Richest Countries By GDP Per Capita

GDP per capita is a rough proxy for a country�s average living standards. A higher GDP per capita�usually�reflects more economic resources available per person, a signal for prosperity.

However, like all statistical measures there are caveats: it doesn�t account for�income distribution, quality of life metrics, or how sustainable the economy is.

Nevertheless, it is a standard that can be applied to make useful comparisons, while keeping these caveats in mind.

So, what are the �richest� countries in the world?

Visual Capitalist's Pallavi Rao ranks the top 50 countries by GDP per capita in 2025 using figures from the�International Monetary Fund (IMF).

All values are in�current USD, which means: it is not adjusted for currency rates, cost of living metrics, or inflation.

Ranked: The Richest Countries in the World in 2025

Luxembourg�is the richest country in the world by GDP per capita, $140,941 in 2025.

The�U.S.�is the richest country ($89,105) with a population of more than 10 million.

Rank	Country/ Region	ISO Code	GDP Per Capita
1	???? Luxembourg	LUX	$140,941
2	???? Ireland	IRL	$108,919
3	???? Switzerland	CHE	$104,896
4	???? Singapore	SGP	$92,932
5	???? Iceland	ISL	$90,284
6	???? Norway	NOR	$89,694
7	???? U.S.	USA	$89,105
8	???? Macao SAR	MAC	$76,314
9	???? Denmark	DNK	$74,969
10	???? Qatar	QAT	$71,653
11	???? Netherlands	NLD	$70,480
12	???? Australia	AUS	$64,547
13	???? San Marino	SMR	$59,603
14	???? Austria	AUT	$58,192
15	???? Sweden	SWE	$58,100
16	???? Belgium	BEL	$57,772
17	???? Israel	ISR	$57,760
18	???? Hong Kong SAR	HKG	$56,031
19	???? Germany	DEU	$55,911
20	???? United Kingdom	GBR	$54,949
21	???? Finland	FIN	$54,163
22	???? Canada	CAN	$53,558
23	???? UAE	ARE	$49,498
24	???? France	FRA	$46,792
25	???? New Zealand	NZL	$46,126
26	???? Malta	MLT	$45,735
27	???? Andorra	AND	$45,263
28	???? Cyprus	CYP	$41,132
29	???? Italy	ITA	$41,091
30	???? Puerto Rico	PRI	$38,605
31	???? Aruba	ABW	$37,775
32	???? Bahamas	BHS	$36,784
33	???? Spain	ESP	$36,192
34	???? Slovenia	SVN	$35,332
35	???? Brunei Darussalam	BRN	$34,970
36	???? South Korea	KOR	$34,642
37	???? Taiwan	TWN	$34,426
38	???? Japan	JPN	$33,956
39	???? Czech Republic	CZE	$33,039
40	???? Estonia	EST	$32,760
41	???? Guyana	GUY	$32,326
42	???? Lithuania	LTU	$30,835
43	???? Saudi Arabia	SAU	$30,099
44	???? Portugal	PRT	$30,002
45	???? Kuwait	KWT	$29,951
46	???? Bahrain	BHR	$28,857
47	???? Slovak Republic	SVK	$27,130
48	???? Poland	POL	$26,805
49	???? Barbados	BRB	$25,901
50	???? Greece	GRC	$25,756
51	???? Croatia	HRV	$25,674
52	???? Hungary	HUN	$24,809
53	???? Latvia	LVA	$24,374
54	???? Uruguay	URY	$22,693
55	???? Antigua & Barbuda	ATG	$22,630
56	???? Saint Kitts & Nevis	KNA	$21,911
57	???? Seychelles	SYC	$21,633
58	???? Romania	ROU	$21,421
59	???? Panama	PAN	$20,080
60	???? Costa Rica	CRI	$19,095
61	???? Palau	PLW	$18,993
62	???? Oman	OMN	$18,966
63	???? Bulgaria	BGR	$18,522
64	???? Trinidad & Tobago	TTO	$18,445
65	???? Maldives	MDV	$18,207
66	???? Chile	CHL	$17,015
67	???? T�rkiye	TUR	$16,709
68	???? Kazakhstan	KAZ	$14,768
69	???? Saint Lucia	LCA	$14,499
70	???? Argentina	ARG	$14,362
71	???? Russia	RUS	$14,258
72	???? Serbia	SRB	$14,174
73	???? China	CHN	$13,687
74	???? Montenegro	MNE	$13,508
75	???? Turkmenistan	TKM	$13,337
76	???? Malaysia	MYS	$13,145
77	???? Nauru	NRU	$12,727
78	???? Mexico	MEX	$12,692
79	???? Grenada	GRD	$12,591
80	???? Mauritius	MUS	$12,332
81	???? Dominican Republic	DOM	$11,743
82	???? Saint Vincent & the Grenadines	VCT	$11,162
83	???? Albania	ALB	$10,527
84	???? Brazil	BRA	$9,964
85	???? North Macedonia	MKD	$9,882
86	???? Dominica	DMA	$9,869
87	???? Georgia	GEO	$9,571
88	???? Armenia	ARM	$8,857
89	???? Gabon	GAB	$8,842
90	???? Peru	PER	$8,814
91	???? Belize	BLZ	$8,648
92	???? Bosnia and Herzegovina	BIH	$8,362
93	???? Moldova	MDA	$8,260
94	???? Marshall Islands	MHL	$8,133
95	???? Colombia	COL	$8,054
96	???? Belarus	BLR	$7,875
97	???? Jamaica	JAM	$7,778
98	???? Thailand	THA	$7,767
99	???? Equatorial Guinea	GNQ	$7,750
100	???? Azerbaijan	AZE	$7,604
101	???? Mongolia	MNG	$7,201
102	???? Kosovo	XKX	$7,147
103	???? Botswana	BWA	$7,021
104	???? Ecuador	ECU	$6,942
105	???? Suriname	SUR	$6,858
106	???? Libya	LBY	$6,801
107	???? Fiji	FJI	$6,740
108	???? Guatemala	GTM	$6,698
109	???? Tuvalu	TUV	$6,543
110	???? Paraguay	PRY	$6,522
111	???? South Africa	ZAF	$6,397
112	???? Ukraine	UKR	$6,261
113	???? El Salvador	SLV	$5,722
114	???? Tonga	TON	$5,721
115	???? Algeria	DZA	$5,691
116	???? Iraq	IRQ	$5,668
117	???? Samoa	WSM	$5,471
118	???? Cabo Verde	CPV	$5,421
119	???? Micronesia	FSM	$5,291
120	???? Indonesia	IDN	$5,027
121	???? Jordan	JOR	$4,903
122	???? Vietnam	VNM	$4,806
123	???? Namibia	NAM	$4,661
124	???? Eswatini	SWZ	$4,613
125	???? Tunisia	TUN	$4,528
126	???? Bolivia	BOL	$4,525
127	???? Morocco	MAR	$4,397
128	???? Philippines	PHL	$4,350
129	???? Djibouti	DJI	$4,343
130	???? Bhutan	BTN	$4,302
131	???? Venezuela	VEN	$4,068
132	???? Iran	IRN	$3,897
133	???? S�o Tom� & Pr�ncipe	STP	$3,569
134	???? Vanuatu	VUT	$3,548
135	???? Honduras	HND	$3,519
136	???? Uzbekistan	UZB	$3,514
137	???? Egypt	EGY	$3,174
138	???? Nicaragua	NIC	$3,019
139	???? Angola	AGO	$2,884
140	???? India	IND	$2,878
141	???? C�te d'Ivoire	CIV	$2,872
142	???? Cambodia	KHM	$2,870
143	???? Kyrgyz Republic	KGZ	$2,747
144	???? Bangladesh	BGD	$2,689
145	???? Haiti	HTI	$2,672
146	???? Papua New Guinea	PNG	$2,565
147	???? Ghana	GHA	$2,519
148	???? Mauritania	MRT	$2,478
149	???? Kenya	KEN	$2,468
150	???? Kiribati	KIR	$2,414
151	???? Solomon Islands	SLB	$2,379
152	???? Congo	COG	$2,356
153	???? Zimbabwe	ZWE	$2,199
154	???? Laos	LAO	$2,096
155	???? Guinea	GIN	$1,904
156	???? Cameroon	CMR	$1,865
157	???? Senegal	SEN	$1,811
158	???? Comoros	COM	$1,702
159	???? Benin	BEN	$1,532
160	???? Timor-Leste	TLS	$1,491
161	???? Nepal	NPL	$1,458
162	???? Tajikistan	TJK	$1,432
163	???? Uganda	UGA	$1,338
164	???? Zambia	ZMB	$1,332
165	???? Tanzania	TZA	$1,280
166	???? Myanmar	MMR	$1,177
167	???? Guinea-Bissau	GNB	$1,126
168	???? Burkina Faso	BFA	$1,107
169	???? Lesotho	LSO	$1,098
170	???? Ethiopia	ETH	$1,066
171	???? Togo	TGO	$1,053
172	???? Rwanda	RWA	$1,043
173	???? Chad	TCD	$991
174	???? Gambia	GMB	$988
175	???? Mali	MLI	$936
176	???? Sierra Leone	SLE	$916
177	???? Liberia	LBR	$908
178	???? Nigeria	NGA	$807
179	???? Somalia	SOM	$766
180	???? Niger	NER	$751
181	???? DRC	COD	$743
182	???? Mozambique	MOZ	$663
183	???? Sudan	SDN	$625
184	???? Madagascar	MDG	$595
185	???? Malawi	MWI	$580
186	???? Central African Republic	CAF	$532
187	???? Burundi	BDI	$490
188	???? Yemen	YEM	$417
189	???? South Sudan	SSD	$251
N/A	???? Afghanistan	AFG	No Data
N/A	???? Eritrea	ERI	No Data
N/A	???? Lebanon	LBN	No Data
N/A	???? Pakistan	PAK	No Data
N/A	???? Sri Lanka	LKA	No Data
N/A	???? Syria	SYR	No Data
N/A	???? Palestine	PSE	No Data
N/A	?? World	N/A	$14,213

Note: Data is missing for: Afghanistan, Eritrea, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Palestine. Figures for several overseas territories are also not included.

Noticeably, many of the top spots are held by small countries with specialized financial services sectors, also known�offshore financial centers.

Luxembourg (#1), Ireland (#2), Switzerland (#3), Singapore (#4), Netherlands (#11) and Hong Kong (#18) are all considered�tax havens�as their friendly tax laws, strict privacy rules, and strong financial sectors encourage multinational corporations to route earnings through them.

As a result, this improves their GDP a significant amount, but doesn�t reflect the resident populations productivity.

In Ireland�s case, these flows distorted GDP values so much that the�government discontinued�its use as a reliable statistic, preferring to measure and compare gross national income (GNI) instead.

Oil Wealth a Major Factor

Energy-rich countries also dominate the rankings. Qatar (#10), UAE (#23), and Saudi Arabia (#43) rank high due to oil exports fueling government spending and infrastructure.

Norway�(#6), with a large sovereign wealth fund, is Europe�s prime example of oil wealth being reinvested.

Guyana, a newcomer at #41, has rapidly climbed the ranks following major�offshore oil discoveries�and production growth.

America�s Scale and Wealth

Finally, while the U.S. ranks #7 in GDP per capita, it stands out for its scale. It�s the richest country in the world by GDP per capita with a population over 10 million, highlighting its economic might.

Other populous countries, like Germany, Japan, the UK, and France all fall lower in per capita terms, despite�large total economies.

High-tech industries, consumer spending, and capital markets contribute to America�s wealth profile.

Want a closer look at the American economy? Check out:�America�s $19 Trillion Consumption Sector�in one chart, to see where Americans spend their dollars.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/13/2025 - 22:40
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Sat, 14 Jun 2025 02:15:00 +0000

Netanyahu Survives Coalition Collapse, Strikes Deal With Ultra-Orthodox Partners

Netanyahu Survives Coalition Collapse, Strikes Deal With Ultra-Orthodox Partners

Via The Cradle,

Read more.....

Netanyahu Survives Coalition Collapse, Strikes Deal With Ultra-Orthodox Partners
Via The Cradle,

Israel�s parliament narrowly�rejected�a preliminary bill to dissolve itself early on 12 June, avoiding the possibility of snap elections and preserving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu�s fragile governing coalition. The motion, backed by opposition lawmakers, was defeated by a vote of 61 to 53 � just meeting the 61-seat threshold needed for passage in the 120-member Knesset.

The failed vote followed a last-minute deal between coalition leaders and ultra-Orthodox parties regarding one of Israel�s most divisive issues, which is mandatory military service for the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredim.�

While military service is compulsory for most Jewish Israelis, the ultra-Orthodox community � roughly 13 percent of the population � has long been granted exemptions if men are enrolled in full-time religious study.

Ultra-orthodox parties have been pressuring the Netanyahu government to codify the exemptions by passing a new law.

In a key development, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein announced that his committee and ultra-Orthodox parties had reached a preliminary understanding to draft new legislation addressing the conscription issue. This agreement persuaded most ultra-Orthodox lawmakers to vote against dissolving the Knesset.

However, the arrangement sparked backlash from both opposition leaders and within the coalition itself.�

Yair Golan, leader of the opposition Democrats party,�condemned�the agreement, saying, �Netanyahu entered a room with the heads of the Haredi factions and left with a disgraceful agreement � There is no love for the country here. Only cynicism. Only selfish survival.� Golan accused Netanyahu of betraying both military service members and ultra-Orthodox citizens who wished to contribute to the state.

Netanyahu narrowly averts government collapse over ultra-Orthodox conscription dispute
��
A motion to dissolve Israel�s parliament because of friction over the conscription of Haredi men failed to pass on 11 June. The opposition reached a compromise, and only 53 voted in favor of� pic.twitter.com/NxrhoDnWgr
� The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) June 12, 2025

Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, head of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party,�resigned�from Netanyahu�s cabinet in protest over the compromise deal. Goldknopf, whose Hasidic Agudat Yisrael faction supported the Knesset�s dissolution, said the new understandings fell short of promises made in coalition agreements. �I can no longer take part as a member of this government,� he wrote in his resignation letter to Netanyahu.

Goldknopf�s resignation follows a previous symbolic resignation in March over the same issue. Despite his departure, UTJ remains part of the ruling coalition, which has been under pressure due to widespread discontent over the military burden placed on young Israelis tasked with executing the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. With the war now lasting more than 18 months, the Israeli army is facing growing manpower shortages, intensifying the debate over draft exemptions.

Roughly 13,000 ultra-Orthodox men reach conscription age each year, but fewer than 10 percent enlist, according to the State Control Committee.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/13/2025 - 22:15
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Sat, 14 Jun 2025 02:00:00 +0000

Israel Says Another Missile Barrage Launched From Iran Overnight, Casualties Rise

Israel Says Another Missile Barrage Launched From Iran Overnight, Casualties Rise

Summary/developments:

Missile sirens sound across north as IDF says new barrage launched from Iran
More than 60 Israeli Read more.....

Israel Says Another Missile Barrage Launched From Iran Overnight, Casualties Rise
Summary/developments:

Missile sirens sound across north as IDF says new barrage launched from Iran

More than 60 Israelis wounded in barrages

Israelis rush back into shelters in the north

Senior Iranian official threatens that Iran will target countries that try to defend Israel

Iran says Israel has killed 78 people, including senior military officials, and wounded more than 320 people in Iran,

AJ:�Trump stays out of �public eye� as Israel-Iran conflict escalates

Air-defenses seen active once again Friday late night over the Iranian capital of Tehran

Israeli says it completely destroyed Tabriz military base in Iran

Next Israeli attack: potential targets are likely economic, including oil and gas infrastructure which resources the IRGC, and political and leadership targets.

FOX: The U.S. Army is assisting in shooting down incoming Iranian missiles with Patriot Pac-3 missiles and with Thaad

Israel completely evacuates Ben Gurion International Airport � including civilian aircrafts

US confirms: American equipment and assets used in defending Israel against Iran strikes

International media widely confirms several major strikes on Israeli cities�

At least seven Israelis injured, some in serious condition

AJ:�Israeli attacks could push Iran to pursue nuclear weapon

Iran closes airspace until tomorrow afternoon

Iran says the missiles are the �beginning� of its �crushing response�

Trump warns Iran to agree to a deal �before there is nothing left�

Axios reports that the Trump admin briefed lawmakers before Israeli strikes began

There is radiological and chemical contamination at Natanz: IAEA's Grossi to UN Security Council

"Israel destroyed the above-ground part of the Natanz nuclear facility. There are no indications of damage to the underground enrichment facilities at the site, but the power outage may have affected the centrifuges. There is radioactive and chemical contamination at the site," Grossi said.

Al Jazeera LIVE FEED:

The Kirya in Tel Aviv is 'Israel�s version of the Pentagon,' Fox News reporter explains, in front of the damaged building:

Iran hit Israeli military HQ with PRECISION strike

The Kirya in Tel Aviv is �Israel�s version of the Pentagon�, Fox News reporter explains https://t.co/di6GLRZDIb pic.twitter.com/wYx6fhbCSq
� RT (@RT_com) June 13, 2025

* * *

Update(1425ET): A reported hundreds of Iranian missiles were launched on Israel. Some appear to have landed, though Israel's robust air defense system is active, and likely busy intercepting. Times of Israel writes in an update:

Sirens are sounding across Israel amid a major Iranian ballistic missile attack.

An estimated 100 missiles were launched from Iran at Israel, according to an Israeli military source

Al Jazeera is reporting based on eyewitnesses that Israelis have been instructed to take shelter in safe rooms. At least 100 ballistic missiles are inbound. Israel has confirmed there are casualties.�Major impacts observed:

IRANIAN HYPERSONIC STRIKING ISRAEL MINISTRY OF DEFENSE HEADQUARTERS ### pic.twitter.com/jGZ7ZoH1Ng
� iBankCoin, A Reliable Source (@iBankCoin4tw) June 13, 2025

Jordanian armed forces say they are intercepting over Jordanian airspace. At least one impact in Tel Aviv has been reported. There have been at least eight waves of Israeli strikes on Iran since last night. Times of Israel reports:

Netanyahu is set to convene security chiefs and key ministers at 10 tonight, Channel 12 reports.

The network quotes a senior Israeli official warning against any euphoria and saying: �Iranian missiles will get here, and it won�t take them long. The results will not be minor. That�s precisely why we need to use every moment to attack and not hold back. We won�t take our foot off the gas. We are preparing for a lengthy conflict. This is one of the most significant historic events since the establishment of the state.�

The TV station also says that perhaps the most likely scenario presented to ministers last night is that of Iran firing 600 ballistic missiles in phases at Israel.

Tehran vows sustained attacks:

???? Tehran rejects calls to refrain from action against Israel after Israeli strikes on Iran � Iranian Foreign Minister pic.twitter.com/c5KkZAAiYb
� DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) June 13, 2025

Evidence of many ground impacts:

Operation Severe Punishment in effect. pic.twitter.com/VI1pc0Saim
� Pepe Escobar (@RealPepeEscobar) June 13, 2025

All out war emerging, via Al Jazeera latest developments:

Explosions in Tel Aviv as sirens sound across Israel amid reported Iranian missile attacks in response to Israeli strikes.

The Israeli military continues to�launch waves of strikes�against Iranian military and nuclear sites, as well as major cities.

US President Donald Trump says it�s not too late for Tehran to halt the bombing campaign by reaching a deal on its nuclear programme.

Iran�s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned Israel that it �must expect severe punishment� following the �crime� of attacking Iran and killing several top-level military commanders and six nuclear scientists.

Israel�s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the�military operation will continue�as long as necessary.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the US is �not involved� in the strikes and warns Iran against attacking�American bases in the region.

* * *

Update(1330ET): There are reports that Israeli strikes on Iran have continued through Friday, with the WSJ reporting that up to two weeks of attacks could be coming.

"Israel's operation against Iran's nuclear program, military leadership and arsenal of missiles is nowhere near over, with Israel having planned out 14 days of operations, a senior Israeli official said," WSJ writes.

"The likely duration of the campaign fits with analysts' expectations that a single wave of strikes wouldn't be able to do enough damage to Iran's nuclear program and Israel's comprehensive approach of attacking Iran's facilities, leadership and arsenal at the same time to limit the possibility of a retaliatory strike," the report says.

Israel is bracing for potential big counterattack, and yet clearly Iran is struggling to even get its air defenses active in thwarting the Israeli airstrikes. Still, air defenses appear very active over the capital on Friday.

?? Skies over Tehran light up with RED streaks � FARS

Iranian defense firing at incoming threats https://t.co/XRgmxsIt0A pic.twitter.com/gZyabXlwNE
� RT (@RT_com) June 13, 2025

According to more:

ISRAEL SAYS AIR FORCE CONTINUES TO ATTACK IRAN: REUTERS

IRAN WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS WITH US SCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY: IRAN STATE TV

TRUMP SAYS NOT SURE US-IRAN MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE: REUTERS

Some of the first footage I have seen of air-defenses actually attempting to do anything, from tonight over the Iranian capital of Tehran. pic.twitter.com/zfaD7GSSTW
� OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 13, 2025

The Israel Defense Force has released a graphic showing the uranium enrichment site located beneath the Natanz Nuclear Facility in Central Iran, which was heavily targeted during today�s strikes by the Israeli Air Force.

The Israel Defense Force has released a graphic showing the uranium enrichment site located beneath the Natanz Nuclear Facility in Central Iran, which was heavily targeted during today�s strikes by the Israeli Air Force. pic.twitter.com/DztB04got6
� OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 13, 2025

State media reports that over 100 Iranian have been killed, with the casualty toll likely to continue to rise amid rescue efforts and emergency crews responding to sites hit.

?? 104 KILLED, 376 injured in Israeli attacks on Iran

Strikes reportedly STILL ongoing pic.twitter.com/c7mN9kaYvL
� RT (@RT_com) June 13, 2025

* * *

Update0930ET:�There are emerging reports of possibly more waves of Israeli attacks, with state media reporting new, loud blasts heard near an airbase in west Iran. Netanyahu has vowed to keep up the attacks 'as long as necessary' to degrade and destroy Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran has long defended as only for peaceful nuclear energy purposes.

Importantly, Iranian leaders have made clear their intent to continue enriching uranium, and even to�potentially expand its nuclear activities. Israeli attacks "will not affect our determination" to continue nuclear activities in Iran, state TV reports, as cited in Bloomberg.

Iran�s spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization Behrouz Kamalvandi confirmed damage as a result of Israel's attack on Natanz nuclear site. He claimed that most of the damage is limited to the surface, and that there were no casualties at the stie. There have been no signs of a radiation breach as of yet, the IAEA has said in follow-up. And Al Jazeera writes:

Fars news agency reports �unofficial statistics� saying that more than 70 people were killed and more than 320 were injured in Israel�s attacks.

Fars is managed by Iran�s Revolutionary Guard Corps and considered semi-official state media of the Iranian government.

Trump to WSJ on the impact on markets:

"I think ultimately, it would be great for the market because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. ... Iran won't have a nuclear weapon that was a great threat to humanity."

Legacy defining moment for Trump.

He bragged about being the only President in a generation who didn�t start any new wars.

If he gets America involved in a new Middle East, regime change war� he failed.
� Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) June 13, 2025

Trump was "pretending"...

Axios is reporting that Trump was publicly pretending to oppose an Israeli attack on Iran. pic.twitter.com/R7s9C1dgC5
� Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) June 13, 2025

* * *

Up until yesterday the Trump White House had been publicly distancing itself from any potential Israeli attack on Iran. But that major attack did occur overnight, reportedly involving over 200 Israeli warplanes, as well as potential intelligence-assisted drone attacks on the ground conducted by Mossad assets.

And yet following days of contradictory messaging coming from the White House, President Trump has told ABC news early Friday that "there's more to come" in terms of Israeli military action that the operation was "excellent". ABC's Jonathan Karl writes:

I just spoke to President Trump and asked him about the Israeli attack on Iran. Here�s what he told me: "I think it's been excellent.� We gave them a chance and they didn't take it. They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you're going to get hit. And there's more to come. a lot more."

Via ABC News

Washington and Tehran were literally days away from the next round of nuclear negotiations, and this certainly wasn't the messaging Trump was sending just over 24 hours ago.

Either he could be trying to save face as Israel perhaps went rogue, or the more likely scenario is that Washington quietly approved what Israel is defending as a 'preemptive attack' to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons (a narrative Tel Aviv has been pushing going back to the 1990s).

And more from Trump on Friday morning, as the smoke still smolders over Tehran and Iranian nuclear energy sites in other parts of the country:

This certainly isn't going to hasten negotiations, it is their death knell, and Iran has issued a statement saying it holds the United States responsible for last night's attack and destruction.

Iran has said it is preparing a "harsh response" - with�Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warning that Israel faces a "bitter and painful" fate. "By God�s will, the powerful hand of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic will not let it [Israel] go unpunished," he said Friday.

Government and residential buildings in Iran were damaged, and as we reported earlier, top nuclear scientists and military officials were targeted and in some instances killed, most importantly the head of IRGC, General�Major Gen. Hossein Salami.

??Satellite images of the Natanz nuclear enrichment complex following Israeli strikes pic.twitter.com/Lb9ItZIrQD
� War Monitor (@WarMonitors) June 13, 2025

Al Jazeera has listed that trikes have been confirmed in the following locations:

The capital, Tehran, and military sites in the surrounding area.

The city of Natanz, where explosions were reported at the main uranium enrichment facility.

The city of Tabriz, where explosions have been reported near a nuclear research centre and two military bases.

The city of Isfahan, south of Tehran.

The city of Arak, southwest of Tehran.

The city of Kermanshah, west of Tehran.

Iran has already appointed a new IRGC leader, per WSJ.�Gen. Mohammad Pakpour has been placed in charge of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and�Maj. Gen. Sayyed Abdolrahim Mousavi has made chief of staff of the armed forces, while Lt. Gen. Ali Shadmani was named to succeed Lt. Gen. Gholam Ali Rashid. How it allegedly unfolded, per Israeli sources cited in the WSJ:

The majority of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air force leadership was killed by an Israeli military strike, according to defense minister Israel Katz.

The group were convening in an underground bunker, the minister said in a statement. Israeli intelligence determined that overnight, senior air force leaders were in an underground meeting preparing to attack Israel, the Israeli military said in a statement.

Fighter jets struck the location, killing Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the air force. Along with him, Israel killed the commander of Iran�s UAV force and the commander of aerial command, the military said.

Major fire near Tabriz Airport in Iran after attack...

?? A major fire broke out near Tabriz Airport in Iran. pic.twitter.com/tmkKzl2sPL
� War Monitor (@WarMonitors) June 13, 2025

In a remarkable revelation (if true), the Wall Street Journal describes an operation that's parallel to both Ukraine's 'Operation Spider's Web' and Israel's covert pager bombings of Hezbollah:

Long before Israel launched its attacks against Iran on Friday, agents from Mossad smuggled explosive drones and other guided weapons into Iran. As the attack got under way, Mossad assets on the ground used the drones and other weapons to attack Iran�s air-defense system and ballistic-missile launchers: WSJ

Locations targeted, via Al Jazeera/Google maps

Fox News' Chief Foreign Correspondent�Trey Yingst writes:

On the strikes against IRGC Air Force leadership: Israel tricked the top command of Iran�s air force into a meeting and then kept them there, I�m told by an Israeli security official.

�We did specific activities to help us understand things about them and then used that information to make them act in a specific way,� the official said. �We knew this would make them meet, but more importantly we knew how to keep them there.�

The Israeli army said it had damaged the Natanz uranium enrichment site�s underground structures. It says that "vital infrastructure at the site that allows for its continuous functioning and the continued advancement of the Iranian regime�s project to obtain nuclear weapons was attacked."

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/13/2025 - 22:00
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Sat, 14 Jun 2025 01:50:00 +0000

Early COVID-19 Vaccine Patent In China Raises New Questions For U.S. Investigators

Early COVID-19 Vaccine Patent In China Raises New Questions For U.S. Investigators

A Chinese patent for a COVID-19 vaccine filed just weeks after the virus emerged in the United States is drawing fresh scrutiny from U.S. inv Read more.....

Early COVID-19 Vaccine Patent In China Raises New Questions For U.S. Investigators
A Chinese patent for a COVID-19 vaccine filed just weeks after the virus emerged in the United States is drawing fresh scrutiny from U.S. investigators examining the origins of the pandemic and potential efforts to conceal early information about the virus.

The February 24, 2020, patent application - submitted by three Chinese entities affiliated with the People�s Liberation Army - outlines a process for developing a "COVID-19 protein vaccine." The document, which predates the World Health Organization�s declaration of a global pandemic, lists 11 inventors. Among them are two scientists affiliated with a neuroscience institute within the Chinese military�- a detail that has puzzled U.S. officials, given that neurological symptoms of COVID-19 were not widely known or studied at the time.

The participation of researchers from the Institute of Military Cognition and Brain Sciences - a division of the Academy of Military Sciences in Beijing - has raised particular concern among federal investigators. The institute, which has drawn attention from U.S. defense analysts in recent years, plays a role in the Chinese military�s emerging focus on cognitive warfare - the strategic use of neuroscience in national defense,�Just the News�reports.

"Significantly, their published research provided limited, or no data of neuropathology observed in the experimental animals, or the neuroprotection afforded by the vaccine," wrote Dr. Robert Kadlec, a former senior Health and Human Services official, in a 2023 report examining the origins of the pandemic. "Institute of Military Cognition researchers� involvement in such studies suggest an interest in the vaccine�s protection against SARS-CoV-2 early in the outbreak before evidence of its neurological effects were widely known."

Dr. Kadlec, who served in the Trump administration and played a central role in Operation Warp Speed, was among the first U.S. officials to question why neuroscientists were included in early Chinese vaccine development. His report, titled A Critical Review of COVID-19 Origins: Hidden in Plain Sight, was published last September.

Other figures on Capitol Hill have voiced similar concerns. Representative Darin LaHood, Republican of Illinois and a member of the House Intelligence Committee, recently stated that the cover-up of COVID-19�s early emergence in China should be understood in the context of Beijing�s broader strategic ambitions.

"China has a plan to replace the United States, and they're working at it every single day," Mr. LaHood said in a podcast interview this week. "They want to beat us technologically, militarily, economically and diplomatically. And the sooner we wake up to that, the better."

"� And we've seen evidence of this through Huawei and what China� has done with Huawei, what they've done with TikTok, what they've done now with Deep Seek, what they did� in terms of lying and being deceitful with the Wuhan virus," he continued.

Possibly part of that effort: Chinese military strategists are actively developing new methods for using neurology to gain advantages on the battlefield, according to Elsa Kania, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for New American Security.�

�On the battlefield, attempts to undermine an adversary could include interfering with the adversary�s capacity for cognition, whether through manipulation or out-right destruction, from disrupting the flow of data to exploiting ideology or emotion,� she wrote in January 2020 for U.S. National Defense University magazine, Prism, which focuses on �emerging disruptive technologies.� -Just the News

At the center of the February 2020 vaccine patent is Zhou Yusen, a senior military scientist at the State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity. Zhou, who previously collaborated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology on SARS and MERS vaccines, is among the 11 listed inventors. According to Senate researchers, Zhou died under unclear circumstances in the months following the outbreak.

The presence of neuroscientists on the patent application - including Yan Li and Gencheng Han - has intensified questions about what Chinese scientists may have known about COVID-19�s broader physiological effects in the earliest days of the outbreak. A separate scientific paper identifies both researchers as members of the Institute of Military Cognition and Brain Sciences. At the time the patent was filed, neurological symptoms of COVID-19 were not widely reported or understood by Western scientists.

Subsequent studies have shown that COVID-19 can have long-lasting neurological effects. A 2022 study published in Nature found that survivors of COVID-19 faced elevated risks of conditions including strokes, memory disorders, migraines, and seizures in the months following infection. Researchers at Duke University reported neurocognitive impairments and sleep disturbances lasting up to three months in some patients.

The earliest Chinese study documenting COVID-19�s neurological symptoms was published in April 2020. According to the study, which was based on clinical data from Wuhan, patient monitoring was still underway five days before the vaccine patent was filed.

The new questions about the early vaccine patent follow revelations this week that a Defense Intelligence Agency unit concluded in mid-2020 that COVID-19 was likely genetically engineered and leaked from a laboratory. That internal study, which described the virus�s spike protein as a "chimera," was not included in official U.S. intelligence assessments. It was only released following Freedom of Information Act requests and is now part of the ongoing congressional investigation.

The Defense Intelligence Agency analysis traced elements of the COVID-19 virus back to a decade-old scientific manuscript published by the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has worked closely with the Chinese military on coronavirus research, according to the U.S. intelligence community.

Taken together, these findings are intensifying scrutiny of early Chinese responses to the virus, as well as raising new questions about what information may have been known - and withheld - in the earliest stages of the global pandemic.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/13/2025 - 21:50
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Sat, 14 Jun 2025 01:25:00 +0000

(Un)Deported Democrat Darling Abrego Garcia Pleads Not Guilty To Human Trafficking Charges

(Un)Deported Democrat Darling Abrego Garcia Pleads Not Guilty To Human Trafficking Charges

Authored by T.J. Muscaro Read more.....

(Un)Deported Democrat Darling Abrego Garcia Pleads Not Guilty To Human Trafficking Charges
Authored by T.J. Muscaro via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran national returned to the United States after being deported to his home country, pled not guilty to federal human trafficking charges on June 13.

A Homeland Security vehicle stands in front of the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building, housing the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, where Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported from Maryland, U.S., to El Salvador by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, faces criminal charges, in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Seth Herald

Abrego Garcia entered the United States illegally more than a decade ago. Upon his arrest and deportation to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador in March, he was accused of being a member of MS-13, a gang that has been designated a terrorist organization.

However, legal battles ensued to force the U.S. government to return Abrego Garcia to the United States due to a 2019 immigration judge ruling that he could not be deported due to the threat of gang persecution. A judge ruled that the government had to make sure �his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador.�

I�m at the Kilmar Abrego Garcia hearing now in Nashville. Prosecution has a cooperator who says Garcia was making $100,000 a year smuggling guns and people including minors across the border for years.
� Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) June 13, 2025

Abrego Garcia was returned to the United States from El Salvador�s CECOT mega prison last week. A federal grand jury indicted him on May 21 on charges of smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States and conspiring with others to do so.

�The grand jury found that over the past nine years, Abrego Garcia has played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring,� Attorney General Pam Bondi said on June 6. �They found this was his full-time job, not a contractor. He was a smuggler of humans and children and women. He made over 100 trips, the grand jury found, smuggling people throughout our country.�

Among the illegal immigrants smuggled into the nation were MS-13 members, Bondi said, noting that the smuggling ring Abrego Garcia is accused of being part of was responsible for a 2021 tractor-trailer accident in Mexico that resulted in the deaths of more than 50 migrants.

Holy shit, Kilmar Gracia is also a pedo. pic.twitter.com/mSEgMBhdUK
� Mostly Peaceful Memes (@MostlyPeacefull) June 6, 2025

The trafficking charges cite an incident in 2022 involving a traffic stop in Tennessee, where Abrego Garcia is being charged.

In November of 2022, Abrego Garcia was stopped by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. While he was not charged with any traffic violations at that time, body camera footage of the encounter reportedly captured a discussion among officers about their suspicions of human smuggling.

One officer said, �he�s hauling these people for money.� Another said Abrego Garcia had $1,400 in an envelope.

Abrego Garcia�s lawyers have called the allegations �preposterous.�

The hearing on June 13 will also focus on whether Abrego Garcia should be allowed to stay out of jail while awaiting trial on his smuggling charges. A federal judge in Nashville was set to hear arguments from both Abrego Garcia�s lawyers and government attorneys.

Bill Pan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/13/2025 - 21:25
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Sat, 14 Jun 2025 01:00:00 +0000

Two Former USPS Employees Indicted For Stealing $80 Million In Treasury Checks

Two Former USPS Employees Indicted For Stealing $80 Million In Treasury Checks

Missing your tax return check and living near Philadelphia? We might have an idea of what's gone wrong...

That's because two�former employees of Read more.....

Sat, 14 Jun 2025 00:35:00 +0000

Florida State's Novel Civics Program

Florida State's Novel Civics Program

Authored by Mike Sabo via RealClearEducation,

�Liberty is the li Read more.....

Florida State's Novel Civics Program

Authored by Mike Sabo via RealClearEducation,

�Liberty is the lifeblood of America, but it flourishes only when citizens understand the ideas that sustain it,� says Ryan Owens, the director of the Institute for Governance and Civics at Florida State University.

The problem according to Owens is that the serious study of civics has been neglected in recent years. He relates the story of a business leader who recently told him that his biggest personnel problem is younger workers fighting over partisan politics. This is borne out by a recent survey IGC conducted, which is part of its distinctive foundation in social science. It discovered some alarming results.

The survey found that nearly 45% of young adults �would not want someone of the opposite political party to marry into their family.� A quarter said they would refuse to socialize with someone from across the aisle. Sizable percentages of both Democrats and Republicans �would refuse to sell goods to opposite partisans.�

Pointing to these findings, Owens argues that the �next generation needs to understand more about how American institutions operate, the citizen�s role in those institutions and the marketplace, and how to interact with others who hold different views.

Enter the Institute for Governance and Civics. Building a culture that prizes a rigorous study of civics and social science, paired with inculcating the virtues of civil society, is at the heart of the Center�s mission.

Established through legislation in 2023, Owens says that the IGC �seeks to become the nation�s premier policy institute for cultivating effective citizens and responsible leaders.� A faculty partner of the Jack Miller Center, which Owens calls a �force multiplier for civic reform,� the ICG aims to advance �constitutional liberty, economic liberty, conscience liberty, and educational liberty through bold research and transformative teaching.�

�The Institute for Governance and Civics is both a policy institute and a civic thought institute,� Owens notes. �We seek to produce students who understand civic thought and also have the social science skills to compete effectively in a marketplace that demands them. To create the next generation of effective citizens and responsible leaders, students must understand civic thought and social science skills.�

In addition to directing IGC, Owens is a professor of political science and an affiliate faculty member in the FSU College of Law. He calls himself an empirical legal scholar who looks to �apply statistical modeling to answer important normative questions.� His own work focuses on the U.S. Supreme Court, federal appellate courts, and judicial behavior. His recent book �Cognitive Aging and the Federal Circuit Courts� won the 2025 C. Herman Pritchett Award for the best book on law and courts written by a political scientist.

The IGC�s focus is on constitutional liberty, economic liberty, conscience liberty, and educational liberty. �We promote rigorous scholarship and teaching on the architecture of American government and the rationale for liberty,� Owens reports. �We conduct data-driven research to inform policy discussions. And we strengthen the fabric of our civic life by inviting intellectually diverse perspectives�fostering dialogue where others fear discussion.�

The IGC�s �dynamic agenda to encourage civic education� includes an undergraduate degree program in Civics and Liberty Studies, where students will supplement classes on civic thought with courses in social science.

The Institute also features a First Amendment Law Clinic in the College of Law. There, students will litigate First Amendment cases pro bono and will learn the ins and outs of how these cases wind their way through the judiciary.

Awards and scholarships are available to students as well. In 2025, FSU students read and analyzed the main points of Yuval Levin�s newest book, �American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation � and Could Again.� The IGC gave three scholarships to students who wrote the best papers and three additional scholarships to students who exhibited public leadership.

Owens notes that showcasing �intellectually diverse perspectives on campus� and modeling �respectful dialogue� is of paramount concern. The IGC has hosted North Korean defector Yeonmi Park, who shared her harrowing escape from tyranny and human trafficking and emphasized the crucial importance of the rule of law. Jess Bravin of the Wall Street Journal and Mollie Hemingway of The Federalist engaged in a fruitful discussion about the Supreme Court. Owens says that these and other events have had a very good turnout, drawing hundreds of students.

Amidst a focus on civics education in the states, Owens wants to have the IGC �become the hub of the wheel for data related to civics and K-12 reform.� As he notes, �States across the country are taking bold steps through civics reforms to address� the lack of civic knowledge among students. The Institute is currently conducting polls to identify the state of civic knowledge in America. Owens says that the IGC plans on making this information available so it can inform broader policy discussions. Plans are also in place to host a treasure trove of data for researchers looking to examine K-12 education and civics more broadly.

Even though it was recently founded, the Institute for Governance and Civics is already making a notable impact in the important mission of reforming civic education across the nation.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/13/2025 - 20:35
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Sat, 14 Jun 2025 00:10:00 +0000

The Most Common Reasons Not To Have Kids Are Financial

The Most Common Reasons Not To Have Kids Are Financial

A new survey by the UN Population Fund�shows that the most common reasons people Read more.....

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 23:45:00 +0000

Rep. Green Letter to DoD IG Demands Answers On K2 Base Toxins

Rep. Green Letter to DoD IG Demands Answers On K2 Base Toxins

Authored by Jonathan Draeg Read more.....

Rep. Green Letter to DoD IG Demands Answers On K2 Base Toxins
Authored by Jonathan Draeger via RealClearDefense,

In June 2003, Mark Jackson, an Army CID at the time, landed on Karshi-Khanabad (K2) Air Base in Uzbekistan. After signing into the base, the first words another soldier greeted him with were, �I hope you're done having kids, because this place is tough.�

After spending a few days on the base, he realized why the welcoming soldier felt the need to warn Mark. �Within a couple of days, I started to get a cough and my throat was very sore, my skin started getting messed up, my stomach started getting messed up, and then I got lethargic and had headaches,� Mark told RealClearPolitics. Almost all soldiers at the base had a similar experience due to a variety of toxins present at K2, including yellowcake uranium, chemical weapons, exploded ordnance, and a variety of other chemicals left over from the Soviets, who had previously owned the base.

Why the United States decided to continue using K2 as a base of operations for the invasion of Afghanistan despite evidence of this toxic mixture of chemicals is the subject of the latest letter from Rep. Mark Green to Acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins, RealClearPolitics is first to report.

The 15-page letter includes a series of questions about the decision-making that led to the base being used after toxins were documented by the Department of Defense. �Why were servicemembers at Camp Stronghold Freedom allowed to continue operations despite reports of radiation and toxic chemicals on page 2 of the 2001 Final Environmental Site Characterization and Operational Health Risk Assessment and page 4 of the 2004 Visual Inspection of Karshi-Khanabad (K2) Airbase, Karshi, Uzbekistan?� the first question reads.

Other questions posed to the Acting Inspector General's office include queries about how aware the Department of Defense was of the toxins present at the base, and why problems reported by soldiers at the time weren�t addressed. �Former VA Secretary Denis McDonough stated, �Some of the deployed personnel described an all-pervasive chemical odor so intense that it seemed the entire base would ignite if someone lit a match.� Do you have any official documentation of this type of account from servicemembers?� another question reads.

Similar investigations have already been conducted into the toxic consequences of burn pits used in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Uzbekistan, impelling the passage of the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act in 2022.

However, soldiers stationed at K2 were not given the same acknowledgment by the Department of Defense and VA, meaning that many of the conditions, including cancers, aren�t being covered, and soldiers� illnesses are not being given disability. �Despite the disproportionate incidence of cancer cases among K2 veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has denied care to many of these veterans for years. Some of them have already lost their lives,� the letter states.

This includes Mark, who, even after advocating on behalf of K2 veterans and experiencing various illnesses after returning from K2, including thyroid failure shortly after leaving the Army in 2005, has continued to be denied disability benefits. Since then, he has also experienced rashes, gastrointestinal issues, osteoporosis, and was diagnosed with prostate cancer two months ago, at age 47. Despite his history of illness and young diagnosis of prostate cancer, the VA denied his claim for benefits for prostate cancer.

Mark isn�t alone among K2 veterans experiencing premature illness.

The Stronghold Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit focused on building awareness for those exposed to toxic conditions at K2, conducted a self-report survey of 3,000 veterans who served at K2. In those surveys, 70% said they suffered from chronic illness of some sort, the most common being cancer. The base was open from 1997 to 2005, with a majority of those serving in their 20s and 30s, meaning most of these soldiers are suffering from these illnesses in their 40s and 50s. Though official studies haven�t been publicly released by the Department of Veterans Affairs or Department of Defense about the total number of K2 veterans suffering from chronic disease, this would imply that around 10,000 of the 15,000 military men and women who were at one point stationed at K2 suffer from some form of chronic disease. Part of the frustration with the lack of acknowledgment by the VA and DoD of the specific problems with K2 is the abundance of evidence showing the presence of various toxic materials at the base. Nick Nicholls, a team leader of the military unit that tested the air and soil for hazardous materials at military bases, documented multiple health hazards from October to December 2001�including what they estimated to be 30 million to 300 million gallons of jet fuel that had soaked into the ground as a result of a pipe leak at the Soviet airbase. This jet fuel saturated the soil so that anytime soldiers dug more than a meter into the ground, they encountered a toxic sludge of fuel and dirt.

At the time, his team also documented yellowcake�leftover, yellow-colored enriched uranium from when the Soviets controlled the base�that was found in multiple areas of the ground at K2. His team also found evidence of chemical weapons residue around the base, though he noted in an interview with RealClearPolitics that the tests often had false positives, as other industrial solvents could trigger the results.

�K2 was significantly more contaminated than any of the other places I've been,� which included bases in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and two tours of Iraq, Nicholls told RCP.

To aid veterans who suffered exposure to various toxins at K2, Rep. Green and Rep. Stephen Lynch introduced the K2 Veterans Total Coverage Act of 2025 in May. This bill would create a presumption of service connection for certain diseases, such as cancer, thyroid disease, bone disease, and others, for those stationed at K2. This is similar to provisions in the PACT Act, which created presumptions of service connection for certain diseases for those exposed to burn pits. On May 15, the bill was introduced and referred to the House Committee on Veterans� Affairs, but no progress has been made on the bill since.

Rep. Green�s letter comes after previous letters to Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary Doug Collins, urging them to conduct investigations into the toxic exposure present at K2. An investigation into toxic exposure by the Department of Defense is required by federal law under the K2 Veterans Toxic Exposure Accountability Act, part of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, though it has yet to be completed, as far as Congress and the general public are aware. �The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study on exposure to toxic substances by members of the Armed Forces deployed to Karshi-Khanabad Air Base, Uzbekistan, at any time during the period beginning on October 1, 2001, and ending on December 31, 2005,� the amendment states.

Further legislation and acknowledgment from the VA and DoD are ultimately what these K2 veterans are searching for, Mark said.

�No one was surprised when I got cancer, not even me, but I swore an oath as a soldier. When I swore an oath as federal law enforcement, I swore to uphold the Constitution and that I would do so up to my own death,� Mark said.

�I upheld my end of the bargain, and it's going to kill me. So, the least they can do is uphold theirs.�

Jonathan Draeger is a national political reporter for RealClearPolitics.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/13/2025 - 19:45
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